As I begin to write this, I continually hesitate, unsure of how to begin and phrase what is on my heart. Every week or so it feels this way, where I keep on asking myself, "Is this biblically sound?", "Does He really want me to teach on this?". Of course, we all have those rough moments in life where we're not quite sure what God is doing. In a way, it feels as though the past year has been all about that for myself. With school finishing and trying to make sense of things happening in life, there were times that a part of me would have likely said, "Well, I guess the Spirit is nowhere to be found."
I imagine quite of a few of us can resonate on this, just as David seemed to as well in Psalm 51:10-12, when he pleaded, "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore in me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." (NIV)
It's a scary low point to be at, isn't it? Where one no longer experiences the joy of salvation, to the point where one's spirit isn't even willing anymore. And often, when we do find ourselves at these low points, where we feel so broken, in pieces and twisted, we hear about the promise of seeking God with all our hearts and finding Him.
And people tell us this and we search and we search, but sometimes, it feels as though we never find anything. And, as a friend once mentioned to me, we get to a point where that feeling of abandonment and struggle is no longer a scary thought, but becomes the norm... and somehow we get used to it.
"Every week or so, it feels this way"
"In a way, it feels as though"
"where we feel so broken"
" feeling of abandonment and struggle"
Proverbs 3:5, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." (NIV)
It's a little bit eye-opening, how we manage to rely on our feelings so often. How they seem to dictate our actions.
Haven't we gotten to a point where we rely so much on them as to value the sincerity of our own faith using feelings as a standard?
Instead, do we not have the canon of Scripture; In more ancient words, the 'standard' of Scripture?
If we take a step back from how we feel, and look at Scripture instead, what are we continually taught?
2 Corinthians 5:7, "We live by faith, not by sight." (NIV)
And God isn't going to change that, not while we are in our earthly bodies. And He hasn't changed that since Old Testament times. When confronted with the enemy, God spoke these words through the prophet Isaiah:
Isaiah 7:9, "The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah's son. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all." (NIV)
By why all this discussion of heads? Because God was making it clear that no matter how strong the human leadership of other kingdoms appeared, the head of Judah was God and God alone. God, who had no equal.
And as it much as it must have been terrifying in the face of the human enemy, God did not call upon their feelings and senses to comfort them, but their faith in Him.
And by looking at alternate translations, God's Word becomes adamantly clear.
"Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm." (NLT)
"If ye will not believe, ye shall not be established." (KJV)
God has placed such a high priority on the importance of belief and faith, to the extent of dismissing the errors of human wisdom by placing faith in one's human strength and feelings.
And why?
Romans 10:17, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (KJV)
Faith comes as a result of His Word, because He would rather have us listen to His voice, than trust in our own emotions.
If the Spirit is given as a deposit to us (2 Corinthians 5:5), should we not also listen to what the Spirit says, rather than our own emotions which can deceive us?
And so we arrive at the origin of this message.
Colossians 1:29, "To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me." (NIV)
There is this energy that surpasses human understanding and emotion working within God's children through Christ. When looking at alternate translations, again, the message becomes a little clearer:
"For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me." (ESV)
We do not undergo His will for our lives alone, nor simply with a portion of the power of God, but with the fullness of His power.
Philippians 1:6, "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (NIV)
God isn't going to let us be if we find ourselves having a bad day. By no means. Instead, if anything, it would seem that God uses this for His very purpose.
"For when I am weak, then I am strong by His sufficient grace leading me to boast in my own frailty" would seem to be the agreeable summary of 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
God is not limited by our rough days filled with turbulent emotions, nor does He ignore them.
He uses it.
Because it is at our lowest points when we stop relying on our own strength and begin to realise the fullness of the power of Christ within us.
1 John 4:4, "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." (NIV)
Remember this week that He is greater.
God bless you all.
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13 NIV
Monday, June 24, 2013
Monday, June 17, 2013
Using the Talents of God
Several weeks ago we discussed the topic of the idolatry of money (Forgetting mammon) and earthly possessions by exploring particular passages in Scripture such as the discussion between the rich man and Christ and we began to see how God, as He always has been, is well and truly more concerned about the condition of our hearts than the amount of money in our pockets.
Now this raises a few questions which I did not feel up to addressing last week but, nonetheless, cannot be avoided. When one finds themselves reading the Gospels, or the New Testament in general, it can be all too tempting to place oneself on a guilt trip when reading how early Christians lived in near poverty relying wholeheartedly on God to provide their every need. And as a result, we can feel as though we are not in service to God as He intends because we know where our next meal will come from or where we will sleep and we have that sort of security that almost feels 'ungodly' in ways.
Or let's take a different look at it and look to the pulpit where we have the megachurches and some pastors in possession of money, quantities of which some of us can only dream of, at their disposal. And when we look at this luxury many of us can find ourselves in or the incredible amount of wealth some have in the name of Christ, there becomes a part of us that does not feel at ease with what we see.
And why wouldn't we? All throughout Scripture, warnings tend to follow wealth. Reminders that it is perishable, deceptive and unsatisfying. Or as 1 Timothy 6:10, the "love of money is a root of all kinds of evil" (NIV). And so wealth, in light of all that Scripture says, seems to become taboo in a sense and we begin to think that wealth can have nothing to do with the will of God and cannot be used for His glory other than to simply sell all we have.
Let's take a moment to look at a parable in Scripture found in Matthew 25 which I am sure many of us are familiar with. In the parable of the talents, as it is called, we have a master who has trusted his servants with different portions of wealth. The master goes away and two of the servants invest the money and reap a return while the third, who received only one talent (as they are called in some translations), buries it and waits for his master's return. Then the master returns and he rewards the first two servants for what they have sown but condemns the third.
Then Christ concludes in verse 29:
Matthew 25:29, "For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him." (NIV)
And I've often found this verse difficult to comprehend, particularly the last part "Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him."
But it makes sense doesn't it?
If we take this parable first to mean the spiritual gifts God gives us. If we simply keep our gift to ourselves and never use it to reap a harvest, then what was the purpose of God giving us the gift in the first place? Would it not be logical that the master would take that gift from us and provide it to someone who is more willing to further God's kingdom through it, just as the master in the parable took the one talent from the third servant and gave it to the first who 'reaped a harvest' so to speak?
And in Luke 16, we have a very similar message given by Christ.
Luke 16:10-11, "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy with worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?" (NIV)
Again Christ teaches this message of being trusted with what God gives us, and here He is more explicit in saying that if we are trustworthy with whatever He may provide us with, He will give us more responsibility.
But back to the point. What does any of this have to do with worldly wealth?
Well interestingly, but not surprisingly, following Jesus' words in Luke 16 shown above, He again goes on to say that we cannot serve two masters, we will hate one and love the other.
And all over again we are reminded that this is not about the quantity of what we have but the condition of our hearts and, at least personally, I would say that few passages in Scripture resonate this more beautifully than Christ's words regarding the women with two pennies.
Mark 12:41-44, "Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on." (NIV)
The others had given "out of their wealth" but the widow put in "all she had to live on". And it would seem that one can only do this when they come to the full realisation that all that they have belongs to God and nothing else matters except God.
But did she give out of obligation instead of heartfelt devotion as it would seem? I'm not sure we can say but the following verses would seem to shed some light:
2 Corinthians 9:6-7, "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (NIV)
And again, God, through His Word, returns to the matter of the heart with absolute no regard to the quantity.
And so we return to the question at hand when it comes to our own lives as Christians and the wealth we hold in our hands. Whether we're simply in youth group receiving a few dollars a week as pocket money or the head of a massive church; to those whom are trustworthy, more is given.
Now, whether that added responsibility comes in the form of spiritual or material gifts, that is entirely up to God, but we can be certain that God will entrust us with more, whatever form 'more' takes in our lives.
I'm not saying that all megachurches are godly. Far too many teach a false gospel that leads people to believe that if they tithe at church or even simply believe to Christ, a Mercedes will miraculously appear in their garage.
Of course, that's not how its phrased, but the idea is there where it is taught that Christ will bestow earthly possession upon possession to those who believe in Him... which begins to sound very odd in light of the handful of times Christ spoke of eternal treasures.
But there are those few who work in such churches, who, as God gives them more, they use it to bring sincere glory to God. I don't wish to give any names in order to not give the impression I am praising someone other than God but there are those few who have because they were deemed trustworthy by God and as God has given more, they have continued to glorify Him through what they have received both spiritually and materially.
As Matthew 25:15 says, each of the servants was given "according to his ability". So too has God given us each spiritual and material gifts that He desires for us to use for His glory. And while spiritual gifts are of much higher value and Christ's promises never focused on the material but the spiritual, Scripture teaches us that we can reap an eternal reward through glorifying Him with the few material possessions He has trusted us each with.
In light of all of this though, by no means should we expect to receive more material wealth out of greed, thinking we are serving God. Do we not then simply come back to the condition of the heart where a God-led heart gives no notice to reliance on the material and solely trusts in God?
So may we remember that we are called to store up treasures in Heaven in order to keep our hearts from greed and selfishness and so that God may use us more and more in this fallen world, in whatever form He chooses to do so.
God bless you all.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 NIV
Now this raises a few questions which I did not feel up to addressing last week but, nonetheless, cannot be avoided. When one finds themselves reading the Gospels, or the New Testament in general, it can be all too tempting to place oneself on a guilt trip when reading how early Christians lived in near poverty relying wholeheartedly on God to provide their every need. And as a result, we can feel as though we are not in service to God as He intends because we know where our next meal will come from or where we will sleep and we have that sort of security that almost feels 'ungodly' in ways.
Or let's take a different look at it and look to the pulpit where we have the megachurches and some pastors in possession of money, quantities of which some of us can only dream of, at their disposal. And when we look at this luxury many of us can find ourselves in or the incredible amount of wealth some have in the name of Christ, there becomes a part of us that does not feel at ease with what we see.
And why wouldn't we? All throughout Scripture, warnings tend to follow wealth. Reminders that it is perishable, deceptive and unsatisfying. Or as 1 Timothy 6:10, the "love of money is a root of all kinds of evil" (NIV). And so wealth, in light of all that Scripture says, seems to become taboo in a sense and we begin to think that wealth can have nothing to do with the will of God and cannot be used for His glory other than to simply sell all we have.
Let's take a moment to look at a parable in Scripture found in Matthew 25 which I am sure many of us are familiar with. In the parable of the talents, as it is called, we have a master who has trusted his servants with different portions of wealth. The master goes away and two of the servants invest the money and reap a return while the third, who received only one talent (as they are called in some translations), buries it and waits for his master's return. Then the master returns and he rewards the first two servants for what they have sown but condemns the third.
Then Christ concludes in verse 29:
Matthew 25:29, "For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him." (NIV)
And I've often found this verse difficult to comprehend, particularly the last part "Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him."
But it makes sense doesn't it?
If we take this parable first to mean the spiritual gifts God gives us. If we simply keep our gift to ourselves and never use it to reap a harvest, then what was the purpose of God giving us the gift in the first place? Would it not be logical that the master would take that gift from us and provide it to someone who is more willing to further God's kingdom through it, just as the master in the parable took the one talent from the third servant and gave it to the first who 'reaped a harvest' so to speak?
And in Luke 16, we have a very similar message given by Christ.
Luke 16:10-11, "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy with worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?" (NIV)
Again Christ teaches this message of being trusted with what God gives us, and here He is more explicit in saying that if we are trustworthy with whatever He may provide us with, He will give us more responsibility.
But back to the point. What does any of this have to do with worldly wealth?
Well interestingly, but not surprisingly, following Jesus' words in Luke 16 shown above, He again goes on to say that we cannot serve two masters, we will hate one and love the other.
And all over again we are reminded that this is not about the quantity of what we have but the condition of our hearts and, at least personally, I would say that few passages in Scripture resonate this more beautifully than Christ's words regarding the women with two pennies.
Mark 12:41-44, "Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on." (NIV)
The others had given "out of their wealth" but the widow put in "all she had to live on". And it would seem that one can only do this when they come to the full realisation that all that they have belongs to God and nothing else matters except God.
But did she give out of obligation instead of heartfelt devotion as it would seem? I'm not sure we can say but the following verses would seem to shed some light:
2 Corinthians 9:6-7, "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (NIV)
And again, God, through His Word, returns to the matter of the heart with absolute no regard to the quantity.
And so we return to the question at hand when it comes to our own lives as Christians and the wealth we hold in our hands. Whether we're simply in youth group receiving a few dollars a week as pocket money or the head of a massive church; to those whom are trustworthy, more is given.
Now, whether that added responsibility comes in the form of spiritual or material gifts, that is entirely up to God, but we can be certain that God will entrust us with more, whatever form 'more' takes in our lives.
I'm not saying that all megachurches are godly. Far too many teach a false gospel that leads people to believe that if they tithe at church or even simply believe to Christ, a Mercedes will miraculously appear in their garage.
Of course, that's not how its phrased, but the idea is there where it is taught that Christ will bestow earthly possession upon possession to those who believe in Him... which begins to sound very odd in light of the handful of times Christ spoke of eternal treasures.
But there are those few who work in such churches, who, as God gives them more, they use it to bring sincere glory to God. I don't wish to give any names in order to not give the impression I am praising someone other than God but there are those few who have because they were deemed trustworthy by God and as God has given more, they have continued to glorify Him through what they have received both spiritually and materially.
As Matthew 25:15 says, each of the servants was given "according to his ability". So too has God given us each spiritual and material gifts that He desires for us to use for His glory. And while spiritual gifts are of much higher value and Christ's promises never focused on the material but the spiritual, Scripture teaches us that we can reap an eternal reward through glorifying Him with the few material possessions He has trusted us each with.
In light of all of this though, by no means should we expect to receive more material wealth out of greed, thinking we are serving God. Do we not then simply come back to the condition of the heart where a God-led heart gives no notice to reliance on the material and solely trusts in God?
So may we remember that we are called to store up treasures in Heaven in order to keep our hearts from greed and selfishness and so that God may use us more and more in this fallen world, in whatever form He chooses to do so.
God bless you all.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 NIV
Monday, June 10, 2013
Degrees of Glory
I want to share a story today. Something I feel led to share because of something I believe God revealed to me several years ago. It was around the end of grade ten; exams had just about finished and I remember sitting down at the table with a group of friends and one of them said something that I thought was wrong, so I openly judged her for it.
That wasn't smart.
I look back on it now and remember later on on same afternoon, I was talking with an older brother in Christ about it because my words had hurt her and I wanted to make things right. As I was talking with him in this cafe downtown, guess who walked in? And as she walked past us... man, it was the 'cold shoulder' personified. My older brother chuckled in bewilderment and we continued talking. I eventually was able to make amends with her.
While it wasn't smart of me to do that, nor morally right in the way I did it, I don't regret it. Because around that time, it was when I started to view my Christian walk differently and, through this new lens, the will of God in my life seemed to become a little more clearer.
I began to see segments of my Christian walk as different lessons God was teaching me and that experience with being judgmental was all part of God shaping me and rebuking me so that I could conform more to His image. Painfully, the latter end of grade ten was about hypocrisy and being judgmental. : /
But it isn't always that way where failure must be included. A while ago, in the blog post Spiritual Valleys, the topic of suffering and perseverance was discussed and the idea that God places trials in our lives to build us up so that we can learn to trust more in Him and allow Him to strengthen us rather than relying on our own strength.
And all of this links in with one of the most comforting reminders that God has provided each time I stumble or fall: that while we are His children and are saved, our walk is a journey that will take a lifetime, not a day.
One verse in 2 Corinthians puts this concept quite beautifully:
2 Corinthians 3:18, "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (NIV)
Or as the ESV puts it, "And we all... are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another."
I'm quite fond of the way the ESV words it because it gives this imagery of steps of glory that we slowly travel up. That, as we progress, God takes us from one step to another as we are transformed more and more into His likeness.
If we look in Scripture, we can see these lessons. And not only that, but these lessons are a requirement, not an option.
Revelation 3:19, "Those who I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent." (NIV)
Hebrews 12:7-8, "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons." (NIV)
That's a scary thought. If I don't see God pruning and refining in my life, I would likely have serious need to examine my salvation and where I stand in my faith.
And Revelations 3:19 sheds more light on this topic of discipline and how He works in our lives through the last several words of the verse: "So be earnest, and repent."
Repentance is about turning away, changing one's mind, and the major thing we as Christians are always called to turn away from is sin.
These degrees of glory are all about us turning from our sin and becoming like Him. And when we think of it that way, does it not become so much more simpler with knowing who He is and knowing that being like Him is our very goal?
But, at least as teenagers, doesn't it feel as though we sometimes think we know best? Our parents say "Don't do that" and we do it anyway.
Well, at least I did that... a lot. :P
But our parents give us these warnings for good reasons.
Proverbs 5:11-12, "At the end of your life you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent. You will say, 'How I hated discipline! How my heart spurned correction!'" (NIV)
At the end of the road, of this life, we'll wish we had listened to our parents if we didn't in the first place. And since God makes this comparison in Hebrews 4 between a loving father and Himself, then how much more so should we be listening to God's warnings and counsel found in His Word?
Proverbs 1:7, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." (NIV)
At the moment, I find myself in Proverbs and I was reading about wisdom which is personified as a woman and often contrasted with the adulteress or foolishness. A lot of people in the world seem to have this idea that what God has to offer doesn't compare to sin and that God's offer is dull, plain or boring.
But notice this verse which speaks of wisdom and what she has to offer.
Proverbs 9:1-2, "Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn out its seven pillars. She has prepared her meat and mixed wine; she has also set her table." (NIV)
Meat and mixed wine.
Now, I'm pretty hungry at the moment so that sounds pretty dang good, but compared to the 'stolen waters' and the 'food eaten in secret' which is offered by Folly, the mixed wine and meat would be the logical choice, right?
But don't we often try to avoid discipline because it seems unpleasant, no matter how beneficial it may seem in the future? And these reminders coming from fallible people like our parents or older siblings in Christ, in our own cynical minds, it can sometimes be hard to believe the future benefits exist... but coming from an eternal, omnipotent God?
Isaiah 48:17b, "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, and directs you in the way you should go." (NIV)
Hebrews 12:11, "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." (NIV)
Continually, throughout Scripture, we are taught of the present sufferings and future glory. The deeds in this world that lead to treasure in Heaven and here, in Hebrews 12, the present discipline that will lead to a 'harvest of righteousness".
In light of this it becomes abundantly clear that all of this is God's will for us: this very discipline and degrees of glory.
But sometimes, when we hear 'the will of God', we suddenly feel this overwhelming sense that we don't know what that means. That we can't understand it.
But, whether we know it or not, we are commanded to understand it.
Ephesians 5:15-18, "Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit." (NIV)
And how can we know the will of God and understand the degrees of glory that He leads us in?
Scripture. It will always return to knowing Him and His Word. While the world changes and the mockery evolves, He and His commands and His Word remain the same.
So now this the question we are each faced with this week is: what degree of glory is He leading me in my life, right now?
God bless you all.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 NIV
If anyone if curious, John McArthur's sermon on discerning God's will is worth watching if you have a spare hour and can be seen here which I, personally, highly recommend.
That wasn't smart.
I look back on it now and remember later on on same afternoon, I was talking with an older brother in Christ about it because my words had hurt her and I wanted to make things right. As I was talking with him in this cafe downtown, guess who walked in? And as she walked past us... man, it was the 'cold shoulder' personified. My older brother chuckled in bewilderment and we continued talking. I eventually was able to make amends with her.
While it wasn't smart of me to do that, nor morally right in the way I did it, I don't regret it. Because around that time, it was when I started to view my Christian walk differently and, through this new lens, the will of God in my life seemed to become a little more clearer.
I began to see segments of my Christian walk as different lessons God was teaching me and that experience with being judgmental was all part of God shaping me and rebuking me so that I could conform more to His image. Painfully, the latter end of grade ten was about hypocrisy and being judgmental. : /
But it isn't always that way where failure must be included. A while ago, in the blog post Spiritual Valleys, the topic of suffering and perseverance was discussed and the idea that God places trials in our lives to build us up so that we can learn to trust more in Him and allow Him to strengthen us rather than relying on our own strength.
And all of this links in with one of the most comforting reminders that God has provided each time I stumble or fall: that while we are His children and are saved, our walk is a journey that will take a lifetime, not a day.
One verse in 2 Corinthians puts this concept quite beautifully:
2 Corinthians 3:18, "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (NIV)
Or as the ESV puts it, "And we all... are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another."
I'm quite fond of the way the ESV words it because it gives this imagery of steps of glory that we slowly travel up. That, as we progress, God takes us from one step to another as we are transformed more and more into His likeness.
If we look in Scripture, we can see these lessons. And not only that, but these lessons are a requirement, not an option.
Revelation 3:19, "Those who I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent." (NIV)
Hebrews 12:7-8, "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons." (NIV)
That's a scary thought. If I don't see God pruning and refining in my life, I would likely have serious need to examine my salvation and where I stand in my faith.
And Revelations 3:19 sheds more light on this topic of discipline and how He works in our lives through the last several words of the verse: "So be earnest, and repent."
Repentance is about turning away, changing one's mind, and the major thing we as Christians are always called to turn away from is sin.
These degrees of glory are all about us turning from our sin and becoming like Him. And when we think of it that way, does it not become so much more simpler with knowing who He is and knowing that being like Him is our very goal?
But, at least as teenagers, doesn't it feel as though we sometimes think we know best? Our parents say "Don't do that" and we do it anyway.
Well, at least I did that... a lot. :P
But our parents give us these warnings for good reasons.
Proverbs 5:11-12, "At the end of your life you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent. You will say, 'How I hated discipline! How my heart spurned correction!'" (NIV)
At the end of the road, of this life, we'll wish we had listened to our parents if we didn't in the first place. And since God makes this comparison in Hebrews 4 between a loving father and Himself, then how much more so should we be listening to God's warnings and counsel found in His Word?
Proverbs 1:7, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." (NIV)
At the moment, I find myself in Proverbs and I was reading about wisdom which is personified as a woman and often contrasted with the adulteress or foolishness. A lot of people in the world seem to have this idea that what God has to offer doesn't compare to sin and that God's offer is dull, plain or boring.
But notice this verse which speaks of wisdom and what she has to offer.
Proverbs 9:1-2, "Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn out its seven pillars. She has prepared her meat and mixed wine; she has also set her table." (NIV)
Meat and mixed wine.
Now, I'm pretty hungry at the moment so that sounds pretty dang good, but compared to the 'stolen waters' and the 'food eaten in secret' which is offered by Folly, the mixed wine and meat would be the logical choice, right?
But don't we often try to avoid discipline because it seems unpleasant, no matter how beneficial it may seem in the future? And these reminders coming from fallible people like our parents or older siblings in Christ, in our own cynical minds, it can sometimes be hard to believe the future benefits exist... but coming from an eternal, omnipotent God?
Isaiah 48:17b, "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, and directs you in the way you should go." (NIV)
Hebrews 12:11, "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." (NIV)
Continually, throughout Scripture, we are taught of the present sufferings and future glory. The deeds in this world that lead to treasure in Heaven and here, in Hebrews 12, the present discipline that will lead to a 'harvest of righteousness".
In light of this it becomes abundantly clear that all of this is God's will for us: this very discipline and degrees of glory.
But sometimes, when we hear 'the will of God', we suddenly feel this overwhelming sense that we don't know what that means. That we can't understand it.
But, whether we know it or not, we are commanded to understand it.
Ephesians 5:15-18, "Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit." (NIV)
And how can we know the will of God and understand the degrees of glory that He leads us in?
Scripture. It will always return to knowing Him and His Word. While the world changes and the mockery evolves, He and His commands and His Word remain the same.
So now this the question we are each faced with this week is: what degree of glory is He leading me in my life, right now?
God bless you all.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 NIV
If anyone if curious, John McArthur's sermon on discerning God's will is worth watching if you have a spare hour and can be seen here which I, personally, highly recommend.
Monday, June 3, 2013
Forgetting mammon
It's always been a little bit funny when it comes to receiving certain gifts in life, especially during birthdays and Christmas time. I can get myself all riled up about a gift that I'm pretty confident I'll get or something I've been waiting for for what feels like ages... and I open the gift.
And it's not as awesome as I imagined it would be.
Is anyone with me on this? Where the anticipation before receiving the gift feels somehow more exciting than actually getting it? And somehow, we manage to do this to ourselves again and again... well some of us. And instead of being a part from the world as we should be, we get sucked into the materialistic worldview that is always begging for more and no matter how much one has, it never seems to be enough.
And this idolatry, this worship of always having more; of always needing to have more, thankfully, is one issue in particular that Jesus directly addressed.
In the book of Mark, we have the story of the rich man and Jesus, which I am sure many of you are familiar with. The rich man approaches Christ asking Him what must be done in order to receive eternal life. Jesus then recites the commandments and the man affirms he has followed them throughout his life.
Then Jesus responds:
And hence, the name of the blog post with mammon being the idol of money. Christ was clear in Scripture that, whatever it may be, whether it be our car, our clothes, music or any other material possession, if any of these replaced God in our lives, then we are, as Scripture puts it, displaying our hate for Him, our distrust, our belief that we would rather trust in our own possessions for security than God Himself.
And just as this was an issue 2,000 years ago, it is just as evident today. But as usually is the case, rather than simply believing what we are told, we have to go and test the limits.
Ecclesiastes 5:10-11, "Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them?" (NIV)
Some people like to think that Christianity is all about 'don't do this or that' and that it takes all of the so-called fun out of life. But when Jesus spoke out against worship of mammon and that it was such a serious issue as to keep oneself from eternal life, He commanded us not out of any malicious intention of ruining our lives, but out of love.
Notice in the passage in Mark 10, it says Jesus loved him. He saw the obedience of this one man, His earnestness. Jesus' intention of exposing the man's worship of mammon wasn't to humiliate the man, but to rebuke and teach out of love, just as any loving father would do for his son.
Because God knows better than any of us that the wells we often try to drink from are full of tainted water with a shallow bottom and it is only God alone who provides eternal living water.
In Matthew 6:21 He says, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be." (NIV).
And it's not as awesome as I imagined it would be.
Is anyone with me on this? Where the anticipation before receiving the gift feels somehow more exciting than actually getting it? And somehow, we manage to do this to ourselves again and again... well some of us. And instead of being a part from the world as we should be, we get sucked into the materialistic worldview that is always begging for more and no matter how much one has, it never seems to be enough.
And this idolatry, this worship of always having more; of always needing to have more, thankfully, is one issue in particular that Jesus directly addressed.
In the book of Mark, we have the story of the rich man and Jesus, which I am sure many of you are familiar with. The rich man approaches Christ asking Him what must be done in order to receive eternal life. Jesus then recites the commandments and the man affirms he has followed them throughout his life.
Then Jesus responds:
Mark 10:21-22, "Jesus looked at him and loved him. 'One thing you lack,' he said. 'Go, sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.' At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth." (NIV)
I'll be honest, this passage makes me a little uncomfortable because I look around and I see all that I have and I ask myself "Would I be willing to sell all of this for Christ in an instant?" and often the answer isn't godly.
All throughout the Old Testament, God was clear on idols and here again, He has emphasised its issue, and here's the thing: the rich man's problem was not that he had the wealth in the first place. The issue was that he idolised it over God.
He would have rather worshipped what he could hold rather than the One who created him.
And this topic wasn't a one-time thing that Jesus brought up. No, He made it quite clear:
Matthew 6:24, "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." (KJV)
And hence, the name of the blog post with mammon being the idol of money. Christ was clear in Scripture that, whatever it may be, whether it be our car, our clothes, music or any other material possession, if any of these replaced God in our lives, then we are, as Scripture puts it, displaying our hate for Him, our distrust, our belief that we would rather trust in our own possessions for security than God Himself.
And just as this was an issue 2,000 years ago, it is just as evident today. But as usually is the case, rather than simply believing what we are told, we have to go and test the limits.
Ecclesiastes 5:10-11, "Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them?" (NIV)
Some people like to think that Christianity is all about 'don't do this or that' and that it takes all of the so-called fun out of life. But when Jesus spoke out against worship of mammon and that it was such a serious issue as to keep oneself from eternal life, He commanded us not out of any malicious intention of ruining our lives, but out of love.
Notice in the passage in Mark 10, it says Jesus loved him. He saw the obedience of this one man, His earnestness. Jesus' intention of exposing the man's worship of mammon wasn't to humiliate the man, but to rebuke and teach out of love, just as any loving father would do for his son.
Because God knows better than any of us that the wells we often try to drink from are full of tainted water with a shallow bottom and it is only God alone who provides eternal living water.
In Matthew 6:21 He says, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be." (NIV).
And again, it seems clear, Jesus was far from concerned about how much the rich man had. For all Jesus was concerned, He could have had a hundred piece of gold or a million... or one.
Jesus was concerned with the heart, as He is concerned with all of ours. The very fact that the man was unwilling to place Jesus at the centre of his life; now, that was something Jesus was far more concerned about.
And why shouldn't we place Him at the centre of our lives?
And why shouldn't we place Him at the centre of our lives?
1 Timothy 6:17, "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment." (NIV)
So then once we have that full trust in God, what does He call us to do in His Word with respect to our possessions?
We each have our own struggles in our lives when it comes to placing God at the centre, so with that one, I will leave it to God to minister to each one of us as He transforms us from one degree of glory to another in His likeness.
God bless you all.
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13 NIV
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)