The following (except my comments between in italics) are excerpts from Jim Palmer’s book, Wide Open Spaces (Thomas Nelson, 2007). Definitely worth reading.
There was a time when I would have said that only twice had someone been born with a perfect min, never to repeat itself again: the first being Adam and the last, Jesus of Nazareth. Now I see that Adam and Jesus are meant to represent two choices. Adam set into motion the process that corrupted the mind, and we all see where that led and what that looks like. But Jesus cam and initiated a new way. Jesus demonstrated a new kind of human, a God-kind of human, a human being rewired with the neural pathways of Truth. Jesus was offering the possibility of a new way when he said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).
We’ve all seen the unsettling antidrug commercials, “This is your brain on drugs,” showing teens doing something destructive to themselves or others while high. Adam’s message is, “This is your brain on lies.” A look back through human history reveals the destructive things the “brain on lies” has led us to do to others and ourselves. Jesus is born into the world and says, “This is a brain on truth.” Then he demonstrates what it looks like with his life.
(68-69)
The cross of Jesus Christ was meant to drive the following message into the heart of humankind: God loves you and you are forgiven. We know this is our heads, but it still doesn’t change us. Why? Because knowing about it isn’t enough. The love and forgiveness of God has to get inside of us; we must deeply internalize the love and forgiveness of God in order for there to be any true change. This is one reason “Christ in us” is our hope; the experience of God’s love and forgiveness become real inside through Christ.
(73)
I used to think the key for living the Christian life was transferring what I knew up in my head down to my heart. Now I see it’s the reverse: getting what has been deposited into my heart up into my head. The Spirit of Christ inside tells me I am forgiven, loved, and a precious child of God. I’ve got to allow this truth to transform and renew my mind. God’s love progressively sets me free to function with the mind of Christ.
(74)
Jesus taught that metanoia (repent) was necessary for entering the kingdom of God. In fact, Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). In other words, the kingdom of God is God and everything that derives from him – life, love, joy, peace, grace, goodness, compassion, and freedom. When you repent – change your mind and switch over to the Christ operating system – you become aware of those spiritual realities inside you as well. As you experience these within you, they progressively become what you are in the world, and the kingdom of God becomes a reality “on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
(75)
There’s this river. For years I walked its banks and from time to time I would go to the edge and peer into the water to see a reflection of myself. A stupid, ugly, worthless little kid looked back at me and I walked away from the water hurting inside. That useless kid was never going to invent, imagine, heal, explore, create, or inspire. I said to myself, “Yes, I am stupid, ugly, and worthless.”
One day Christ took my hand and led me back to the water’s edge. He said, Look, Jim. I gazed into the water and surprisingly saw someone different: a magnificent, loved, accepted, and powerful man. I said to myself, “This can’t be me.” Then suddenly I realized I was not looking into that same old river. I was now looking into the eyes of God and seeing a reflection of myself in the pupil of his eye. The reflection was the “me” God was seeing in his mind.
At some point you’ve just got to grow up and become who you really are. It’s not a matter of figuring out “what would Jesus do?” but living your identity in and as Christ. Now I know the truth. I have become crazy enough to think I can change the world. What’s stopping me? I’ve been reprogrammed as Christ. That rebel from Nazareth is now me.
(77-78)
I also enjoyed Palmer’s insights into how his perspectives are changing. Consider the following statements. Compare the pairs. Which is true for you?
God is up in the sky.
God dwells within me.
I go to church to meet with God.
God’s presence is inside of me.
Christianity is me trying to be like Christ.
Christianity is Christ’s life in and as me.
The benefit of knowing God is the love, joy, and peace God brings into the circumstances of my life.
God inside me is my love, joy, and peace.
Pastors, leaders, teachers guide, teach and train me.
The indwelling Spirit is my primary teacher.
Changing my behavior is the goal.
A new mind and heart is what God provides.
People are as they appear in their physical human identity.
What’s most true about a person is his or her invisible spiritual identity.
The kingdom of God will one day come down onto earth.
The kingdom of God exists now within me.
(adapted from pages 81-82)
One other list of comparison statements for you to consider. Which holds true for you? As you read, do not allow the world’s definition of love (self-centered, based on feelings alone) to hinder you from wrestling with these statements. See love defined as how God has defined it – most clearly seen in the gift and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
God is synonymous with religion.
God is synonymous with love.
Christianity is a belief system.
Christianity is a school of love carried out in apprenticeship to Christ.
God hates sin because it disgusts him.
God’s motive for hating sin is love. Sin causes hurt and suffering for me and others.
I primarily experience God through religious rituals and acts of obedience.
When I am experiencing love, I am experiencing God.
Christian living is trying harder to be more and do more.
Christian living is an overflow of God’s love in me.
My source of love is outside myself and I’m dependent on others to supply it.
My source of love is within me, and while I enjoy the love of others, I’m not dependent on it and can freely love others without expectation of receiving love in return.
I am created in God’s image, which means I have the capacity to make rational choices and exercise my free will.
I am created in the image of perfect love, which means love is the core of my identity and I can choose love.
The main thing is getting people to adopt my beliefs about God.
Loving people creates desire within them to know God.
Somewhere out there is God’s purpose for my life, and I must find it.
At every moment, God’s purpose for me is to be love.
Being “in love” is some temporary euphoric guy-meets-girl experience.
Being “in love” is walking in the conscious awareness of and being dependent on God’s love in me and as me.
Tough love is withholding love from others as a means of disapproval or attempt to bring change.
Tough love is loving others without condition, regardless of the result.
The most powerful force on earth is hate.
The most powerful force on earth is love.
(adapted from pages 181-183)
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Subtle Opposition
The Israelites faced immediate opposition when they laid the foundation of the temple. It was immediate and it was ongoing throughout the construction of the temple and the walls of Jerusalem. Opposition is inevitable. But often opposition comes in our lives in such subtle ways. We often don’t see it as opposition.
Oppose means to offer resistance to – to get in the way.
Opposition will always exist when we follow Jesus. The Bible says in Ephesians 6:12 that
. . . our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
We in the Reformed tradition don’t often spend time talking about spiritual warfare or even acknowledging the powers of darkness. But they are real and they are seeking to oppose your pursuit of Jesus Christ. They will do anything they can to keep you off track and focused on anything else.
And often they are very subtle yet very effective. Here are a few examples of subtle opposition.
- You are “drawn” to the TV to be entertained and distracted from what is really important in life.
- Your alarm goes off so you can get up and pray, but your mind tells you to get your sleep instead.
- Your marriage is struggling and you dwell on the faults of the other person. “It’s his/her fault.”
- You make the purchase of something you don’t need because your desire is so strong.
- You judge others to avoid honestly assessing yourself.
- You don’t join a small group or are unwilling to meet new people because you are uncomfortable.
- You lie because it’s easier to tell the truth.
- You exaggerate because you care too much about what other’s think.
- You don’t pray because you haven’t prayed.
- You don’t invite a friend or co-worker to church or over to your house because you care more about what they might think of you than you do about their place with God.
Think for a moment about the power behind your desires/wants. Think about the control they so often have in your life. The force and power are real. They impact you in significant ways. Who or what is behind them? Why do they hold so much power over you? (The easy answer is they tell us to do what we want to do.)
That’s why the text in Ephesians continues with important words of encouragement. The battle is real. Our enemy is strong and crafty. The darkness knows your weaknesses and will do everything it can to keep you from following God.
Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.
Ephesians 6:13-18
The attacks of the darkness often come from the back. They come in unexpected places and in subtle ways. But know they are attacks. They seek to keep you distracted, complacent, and self-focused.
Stand firm on the foundation and power of Jesus Christ. There is no darkness in Him.
Oppose means to offer resistance to – to get in the way.
Opposition will always exist when we follow Jesus. The Bible says in Ephesians 6:12 that
. . . our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
We in the Reformed tradition don’t often spend time talking about spiritual warfare or even acknowledging the powers of darkness. But they are real and they are seeking to oppose your pursuit of Jesus Christ. They will do anything they can to keep you off track and focused on anything else.
And often they are very subtle yet very effective. Here are a few examples of subtle opposition.
- You are “drawn” to the TV to be entertained and distracted from what is really important in life.
- Your alarm goes off so you can get up and pray, but your mind tells you to get your sleep instead.
- Your marriage is struggling and you dwell on the faults of the other person. “It’s his/her fault.”
- You make the purchase of something you don’t need because your desire is so strong.
- You judge others to avoid honestly assessing yourself.
- You don’t join a small group or are unwilling to meet new people because you are uncomfortable.
- You lie because it’s easier to tell the truth.
- You exaggerate because you care too much about what other’s think.
- You don’t pray because you haven’t prayed.
- You don’t invite a friend or co-worker to church or over to your house because you care more about what they might think of you than you do about their place with God.
Think for a moment about the power behind your desires/wants. Think about the control they so often have in your life. The force and power are real. They impact you in significant ways. Who or what is behind them? Why do they hold so much power over you? (The easy answer is they tell us to do what we want to do.)
That’s why the text in Ephesians continues with important words of encouragement. The battle is real. Our enemy is strong and crafty. The darkness knows your weaknesses and will do everything it can to keep you from following God.
Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.
Ephesians 6:13-18
The attacks of the darkness often come from the back. They come in unexpected places and in subtle ways. But know they are attacks. They seek to keep you distracted, complacent, and self-focused.
Stand firm on the foundation and power of Jesus Christ. There is no darkness in Him.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Foundations
Do you remember Lincoln Logs? Did they offer hours of enjoyment to you, too?
We have some. It’s part of the blessing of having a child – toys. We have toys. And sometimes the classics are classics for a reason. They are fun to play with. They let you create. There are more possibilities than you can imagine when you have a big pile of Lincoln Logs before you.
John received Lincoln Logs last year for Christmas. But they were different than the big box of Lincoln Logs I remember as a child. These had diagrams and instructions. There were people and train tracks. It wasn’t just a free for all. Every piece had a place and was well-diagramed on helpful instructions with pictures.
I was a little disappointed. I just had to follow the instructions. It wasn’t a blank slate. There were pictures on the container, and I was requested (a kind term for John’s input) to build exactly what I saw on the pictures. So I did. And WA – LA, we had four buildings, a train track – our own little dusty town of the west. The instructions worked. When I followed them, I ended up with the picture on the box.
It’s tempting to make this simple analogy to Scripture. It’s tempting to say if we just follow God’s simple instructions, WA – LA, life is good and everything turns out for the best. I think in general, the analogy holds true, but I want to focus on something a little more specific in helping our lives turn out as God desires. Note, I did not say how you or I desire. I said how God desires.
The instructions were helpful because they helped me establish a solid base for each of the different buildings I was instructed to build. The foundations were solid. I was able to put the right amount of little pieces on top of the big pieces, which enabled doorways and windows to be formed and not compromise the building’s structural support. I know I’m using big terms for some not near as handy as me, but I’ll keep it simple in the future.
The foundation matters. If you have no foundation or your foundation is weak, you are in trouble. It’s true for Lincoln Logs. It’s true for homes. It’s true for life.
What are the foundations of your life? What have you based your life on? How have they helped you (or not) weather the storms of life and the successes? (By the way, no Lincoln Log structure can weather the storm of a determined four-year old longing for destruction.)
Storms inevitably reveal the foundations. We see what matters. We see a lot about ourselves when the storms come. So do successes – how we handle success also reveals our foundations.
Someone you love dies unexpectedly – where do you turn?
You lose your job – where do you turn?
You are asked to lie to help someone out – where do you turn?
Someone praises you for a job well done – where do you turn?
You receive an unexpected financial gain – where do you turn?
You are experiencing a struggle with self-worth – where do you turn?
You are treated poorly by someone you love – where do you turn?
You are complimented for your caring personality and generosity – where do you turn?
You see again the incredible pain and suffering of others – where do you turn?
What have you based your life on? Dig deep. What are the foundations of your life? What is really holding you up?
We have some. It’s part of the blessing of having a child – toys. We have toys. And sometimes the classics are classics for a reason. They are fun to play with. They let you create. There are more possibilities than you can imagine when you have a big pile of Lincoln Logs before you.
John received Lincoln Logs last year for Christmas. But they were different than the big box of Lincoln Logs I remember as a child. These had diagrams and instructions. There were people and train tracks. It wasn’t just a free for all. Every piece had a place and was well-diagramed on helpful instructions with pictures.
I was a little disappointed. I just had to follow the instructions. It wasn’t a blank slate. There were pictures on the container, and I was requested (a kind term for John’s input) to build exactly what I saw on the pictures. So I did. And WA – LA, we had four buildings, a train track – our own little dusty town of the west. The instructions worked. When I followed them, I ended up with the picture on the box.
It’s tempting to make this simple analogy to Scripture. It’s tempting to say if we just follow God’s simple instructions, WA – LA, life is good and everything turns out for the best. I think in general, the analogy holds true, but I want to focus on something a little more specific in helping our lives turn out as God desires. Note, I did not say how you or I desire. I said how God desires.
The instructions were helpful because they helped me establish a solid base for each of the different buildings I was instructed to build. The foundations were solid. I was able to put the right amount of little pieces on top of the big pieces, which enabled doorways and windows to be formed and not compromise the building’s structural support. I know I’m using big terms for some not near as handy as me, but I’ll keep it simple in the future.
The foundation matters. If you have no foundation or your foundation is weak, you are in trouble. It’s true for Lincoln Logs. It’s true for homes. It’s true for life.
What are the foundations of your life? What have you based your life on? How have they helped you (or not) weather the storms of life and the successes? (By the way, no Lincoln Log structure can weather the storm of a determined four-year old longing for destruction.)
Storms inevitably reveal the foundations. We see what matters. We see a lot about ourselves when the storms come. So do successes – how we handle success also reveals our foundations.
Someone you love dies unexpectedly – where do you turn?
You lose your job – where do you turn?
You are asked to lie to help someone out – where do you turn?
Someone praises you for a job well done – where do you turn?
You receive an unexpected financial gain – where do you turn?
You are experiencing a struggle with self-worth – where do you turn?
You are treated poorly by someone you love – where do you turn?
You are complimented for your caring personality and generosity – where do you turn?
You see again the incredible pain and suffering of others – where do you turn?
What have you based your life on? Dig deep. What are the foundations of your life? What is really holding you up?
Relationship with Creation - Berry & Wirzba
I thought it would be helpful to share a few words from Norman Wirzba & Wendell Berry’s book, The Art of Commonplace (Shoemaker & Hoard, 2003), as we consider the gift of creation and our role within it. All of the following quotes come from this book.
Though more of us than ever before live a life of luxury and ease, fewer of us can claim that our lives are permeated with peace and joy. The frantic, stressful striving going on all around us indicates that we are profoundly lost. We seem unable to ask with any seriousness or depth the question of what all our striving is ultimately for. . . the source of help cannot come from within ourselves for “it is not from ourselves that we will learn to be better than we are” . . . Our fundamental mission is that we have presumed to be the authors of ourselves and our destinies, and thus have forgotten or denied that we are a part of “a great coauthorship in which we are all collaborating with God and with nature in the making of ourselves and one another.” We can only become what we truly are by acknowledging that we do not exist by, from, and for ourselves. . . Once we have forgotten or denied our biological kinship with the earth and its inhabitants, it is hardly an accident that so much of human spiritual life is premised on an escape from rather than an affirmation of this life.” (ix)
We have lived by the assumption that what was good for us would be good for the world. And this has been based on the even flimsier assumption that we could know with any certainty what was good even for us. We have fulfilled the danger of this by making our personal pride and greed the standard of our behavior toward the world – to the incalculable disadvantage of the world and every living thing in it. And now, perhaps very close to too late, our great error has become clear. It is not only our own creativity – our own capacity for life – that is stifled by our arrogant assumption; the creation itself is stifled. . . We must change our lives, so that it will be possible to live by the contrary assumption that what is good for the world will be good for us. . . we must learn to acknowledge that the creation is full of mystery; we will never entirely understand it. We must abandon arrogance and stand in awe. We must recover the sense of the majesty of creation, and the ability to be worshipful in its presence. For I do not doubt that it is only on the condition of humility and reverence before the world that our species will be able to remain in it. (20)
The divine mandate to use the world justly and charitably, then, defines every person’s moral predicament as that of a steward. But this predicament is hopeless and meaningless unless it produces an appropriate discipline: stewardship. And stewardship is hopeless and meaningless unless it involves long-term courage, perseverance, devotion, and skill. This skill is not to be confused with any accomplishment or grace of spirit or of intellect. It has to do with everyday proprieties in the practical use and care of created things – with “right livelihood.” (299)
To live, we must daily break the body and shed the blood of Creation. When we do this knowingly, lovingly, skillfully, reverently, it is a sacrament. When we do it ignorantly, greedily, clumsily, destructively, it is a desecration. In such desecration we condemn ourselves to spiritual and moral loneliness, and others to want. (304)
Though more of us than ever before live a life of luxury and ease, fewer of us can claim that our lives are permeated with peace and joy. The frantic, stressful striving going on all around us indicates that we are profoundly lost. We seem unable to ask with any seriousness or depth the question of what all our striving is ultimately for. . . the source of help cannot come from within ourselves for “it is not from ourselves that we will learn to be better than we are” . . . Our fundamental mission is that we have presumed to be the authors of ourselves and our destinies, and thus have forgotten or denied that we are a part of “a great coauthorship in which we are all collaborating with God and with nature in the making of ourselves and one another.” We can only become what we truly are by acknowledging that we do not exist by, from, and for ourselves. . . Once we have forgotten or denied our biological kinship with the earth and its inhabitants, it is hardly an accident that so much of human spiritual life is premised on an escape from rather than an affirmation of this life.” (ix)
We have lived by the assumption that what was good for us would be good for the world. And this has been based on the even flimsier assumption that we could know with any certainty what was good even for us. We have fulfilled the danger of this by making our personal pride and greed the standard of our behavior toward the world – to the incalculable disadvantage of the world and every living thing in it. And now, perhaps very close to too late, our great error has become clear. It is not only our own creativity – our own capacity for life – that is stifled by our arrogant assumption; the creation itself is stifled. . . We must change our lives, so that it will be possible to live by the contrary assumption that what is good for the world will be good for us. . . we must learn to acknowledge that the creation is full of mystery; we will never entirely understand it. We must abandon arrogance and stand in awe. We must recover the sense of the majesty of creation, and the ability to be worshipful in its presence. For I do not doubt that it is only on the condition of humility and reverence before the world that our species will be able to remain in it. (20)
The divine mandate to use the world justly and charitably, then, defines every person’s moral predicament as that of a steward. But this predicament is hopeless and meaningless unless it produces an appropriate discipline: stewardship. And stewardship is hopeless and meaningless unless it involves long-term courage, perseverance, devotion, and skill. This skill is not to be confused with any accomplishment or grace of spirit or of intellect. It has to do with everyday proprieties in the practical use and care of created things – with “right livelihood.” (299)
To live, we must daily break the body and shed the blood of Creation. When we do this knowingly, lovingly, skillfully, reverently, it is a sacrament. When we do it ignorantly, greedily, clumsily, destructively, it is a desecration. In such desecration we condemn ourselves to spiritual and moral loneliness, and others to want. (304)
The Will of God part 2 - Sittser
Here are a few more excerpts from Jerry Sittser’s book, The Will of God as a Way of Life: How to Make Every Decision With Peace and Confidence. (Zondervan, 2004). This book was formerly called, Discovering God’s Will.
Facing a Past We Cannot Change
Regret usually involves our own bad choices; bitterness usually results from other people’s bad choices. It arises when we become acutely aware that we have been wronged. (116)
Bitter people have a certain logic on their side – the logic of victimization. Victims are quick to draw attention to the hurt done to them . . . But being right does not make a person happy. Bitter people might be right, but they are also lonely. (117-118)
What is done is done. Regret, bitterness, revenge – none of these can alter what has already happened. No matter how many times we say “if only,” regret cannot alter our past. No matter how bitterly we brood, blame, and accuse, the wrong done to us will remain as it is. (119)
The one who suffers the most from bitterness is the one who is bitter. What infection does to the human body, bitterness does to the soul. It consumes and destroys. The antibiotic used to treat the disease of bitterness is forgiveness.
Forgiveness never happens in a moment; sometimes it takes a lifetime. Yet it begins with a decision. We must want to forgive and then choose to forgive, even if we do not feel like forgiving.
. . . forgiving manifests a willingness to give up to God the right to judge and punish an offender, to see that person as a real human being, and to begin to wish him or her well. (122)
Thus, even when the relationship is not restored, because the offender doesn’t care, or continues to offend, or disappears, or even dies, forgiveness works redemption into the heart of the person who does the forgiving. The act of forgiveness becomes a conduit for God’s grace to work in that person. (123)
Preparing for the Future
There are at least two unhealthy ways to respond to a lack of certainty about our future: fear and worry. (132)
The secret to overcoming fear is not to deny or dismiss it but to order it properly. In other words, we should fear the right things. . .
As we fear God more, we will fear everything else less. . . Blaise Pascal wrote, “There is a virtuous fear which is the effect of faith, and a vicious fear which is the product of doubt and mistrust. The former leads to hope as relying on God, in whom we believe; the latter inclines to despair . . . Persons of the one character fear to lose God; those of the other character fear to find him.” (134)
Worry is different than fear. If fear is like a raging fever, worry is like a low-grade temperature. It nags us, simmers in our souls, hovers in the back of our minds like a faint memory. . . Worry distracts us more than paralyzes us. It is like a leaky faucet we never get around to fixing. (135)
Worry divides us against ourselves. When we worry about what is beyond our control, we devote less of ourselves to what we can control. Ironically, worry keeps us from exercising the one power we do have over our future – the power to prepare for it by how we live in the present. (137)
Facing a Past We Cannot Change
Regret usually involves our own bad choices; bitterness usually results from other people’s bad choices. It arises when we become acutely aware that we have been wronged. (116)
Bitter people have a certain logic on their side – the logic of victimization. Victims are quick to draw attention to the hurt done to them . . . But being right does not make a person happy. Bitter people might be right, but they are also lonely. (117-118)
What is done is done. Regret, bitterness, revenge – none of these can alter what has already happened. No matter how many times we say “if only,” regret cannot alter our past. No matter how bitterly we brood, blame, and accuse, the wrong done to us will remain as it is. (119)
The one who suffers the most from bitterness is the one who is bitter. What infection does to the human body, bitterness does to the soul. It consumes and destroys. The antibiotic used to treat the disease of bitterness is forgiveness.
Forgiveness never happens in a moment; sometimes it takes a lifetime. Yet it begins with a decision. We must want to forgive and then choose to forgive, even if we do not feel like forgiving.
. . . forgiving manifests a willingness to give up to God the right to judge and punish an offender, to see that person as a real human being, and to begin to wish him or her well. (122)
Thus, even when the relationship is not restored, because the offender doesn’t care, or continues to offend, or disappears, or even dies, forgiveness works redemption into the heart of the person who does the forgiving. The act of forgiveness becomes a conduit for God’s grace to work in that person. (123)
Preparing for the Future
There are at least two unhealthy ways to respond to a lack of certainty about our future: fear and worry. (132)
The secret to overcoming fear is not to deny or dismiss it but to order it properly. In other words, we should fear the right things. . .
As we fear God more, we will fear everything else less. . . Blaise Pascal wrote, “There is a virtuous fear which is the effect of faith, and a vicious fear which is the product of doubt and mistrust. The former leads to hope as relying on God, in whom we believe; the latter inclines to despair . . . Persons of the one character fear to lose God; those of the other character fear to find him.” (134)
Worry is different than fear. If fear is like a raging fever, worry is like a low-grade temperature. It nags us, simmers in our souls, hovers in the back of our minds like a faint memory. . . Worry distracts us more than paralyzes us. It is like a leaky faucet we never get around to fixing. (135)
Worry divides us against ourselves. When we worry about what is beyond our control, we devote less of ourselves to what we can control. Ironically, worry keeps us from exercising the one power we do have over our future – the power to prepare for it by how we live in the present. (137)
Monday, May 19, 2008
The Will of God - Sittser
I enjoyed Jerry Sittser’s book When God Doesn't Answer Your Prayer so much, I decided to read another. The following are excerpts from his book, The Will of God as a Way of Life: How to Make Every Decision With Peace and Confidence. (Zondervan, 2000). This book was formerly called, Discovering God’s Will.
I discovered that the Bible says very little about the will of God as a future pathway. Instead, the Bible warns us about anxiety and presumption concerning the future, assures us that God is in control, and commands us to do the will of God we already know in the present. (22)
Is God’s will something he hides? Does it consist primarily of what we don’t know? I assume, rightly or wrongly, that God is always clear when he needs to be. He does not play a celestial game to frustrate us. He cares about us much more than we care about our children. He delights in us. He wants us to do his will because he knows this will bring us true happiness. God has enough trouble persuading us to do that will. Why would he make it more difficult on him and on us by hiding it? (26)
Our preoccupation with what lies ahead betrays a desire to control a future that simply cannot be controlled. We want the security of knowing what the future will bring rather than risk trusting God as the unknown future gradually unfolds before us. (26-27)
The will of God concerns the present more than the future; it deals with our motives as well as our actions; it focuses on the little decisions we make every day even more than the big decisions we make about the future. The only time we really have both to know and to do God’s will is the present moment. . .
. . . We already know the will of God for our daily lives, however cloudy the future appears to be. That we do not know what God wants for tomorrow does not excuse us from doing his will today.
This perspective on the will of God gives us astonishing freedom. If we seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness, which is the will of God for our lives, then whatever choices we make concerning the future become the will of God for our lives. There are many pathways we could follow, many options we could pursue. As long as we are seeking God, all of them can be God’s will for our lives, although only one – the path we choose – actually becomes his will.
God does have a will for our lives – that we seek first his kingdom. But God allows us to follow many possible pathways to live that will out. . . (34-35)
The hidden assumption behind the conventional approach to the will of God is that having many options is a good thing, but only one option is God’s will for us. The burden then falls on us to figure out which is the right and true one. God’s will is like the one present under the Christmas tree intended for us, though there are many other presents there, all of which could be ours. We must somehow discern which is ours, in spite of the fact that none of the packages has our name on it. We are therefore absolutely confounded in our search for which on is God’s will for us. (58)
What if the freedom we value so much – the freedom to have anything we want – keeps us from experiencing the freedom we really need – to choose what God wills for us?
The will of God has to do with what we already know, not what we must figure out. It is contained in Jesus’ command that we seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness. The will of God, then, consists of one clear mandate – that we make God the absolute center of our lives. Ironically, it is exactly in making this choice that we find true freedom. It is the freedom of obedience. That is the will of God for all of us. (59)
His (Jesus) way is narrow because it squeezes all selfishness out of us. It deprives us of the right to live for ourselves. Jesus demands everything from us, not because he wants to make life miserable for us but because he wants to give us purpose and joy. He knows that real life is gained by giving our lives up to God.
Token obedience betrays an errant theology. We think that real life is gained by what we keep to ourselves, not by what we give to God. So we do the minimum in terms of obedience – just enough to get by – so that we have plenty of choices left over for ourselves. In our way of thinking, God’s commands are like paying taxes. They are part of the deal of being a Christian, but hardly a welcomed part. So we fulfill our obligation to God and, once that is finished, start to enjoy life again.
But Jesus will have none of that. He rejects all token obedience. (61-62)
. . . in the end the will of God has nothing to do with us – the direction we take, the priorities we choose, the decisions we make. It is not about us at all; it is about God. God will go with us wherever we go because he is God. He is more committed to us than we will ever be committed to him, more eager to guide us than we will ever be open to his guidance. If anything, we can know and do the will of God because of God’s prior disposition and action. God chooses us, gives us grace, and redeems the story of our lives. That is ultimately his will for us. Only then does he call us to do his will in the ordinariness of life. The assurance that our choices are in fact God’s will has nothing to do with the wisdom of our choices, though we ought to make wise choices – for our own sake and for God’s glory. Rather, it has everything to do with the bounty of God’s grace. He is the reason why we can march through life with bold confidence. (105)
Therefore do not worry, saying, "What will we eat?' or "What will we drink?' or "What will we wear?' For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today. Matthew 6:31-34 (NRSV)
I discovered that the Bible says very little about the will of God as a future pathway. Instead, the Bible warns us about anxiety and presumption concerning the future, assures us that God is in control, and commands us to do the will of God we already know in the present. (22)
Is God’s will something he hides? Does it consist primarily of what we don’t know? I assume, rightly or wrongly, that God is always clear when he needs to be. He does not play a celestial game to frustrate us. He cares about us much more than we care about our children. He delights in us. He wants us to do his will because he knows this will bring us true happiness. God has enough trouble persuading us to do that will. Why would he make it more difficult on him and on us by hiding it? (26)
Our preoccupation with what lies ahead betrays a desire to control a future that simply cannot be controlled. We want the security of knowing what the future will bring rather than risk trusting God as the unknown future gradually unfolds before us. (26-27)
The will of God concerns the present more than the future; it deals with our motives as well as our actions; it focuses on the little decisions we make every day even more than the big decisions we make about the future. The only time we really have both to know and to do God’s will is the present moment. . .
. . . We already know the will of God for our daily lives, however cloudy the future appears to be. That we do not know what God wants for tomorrow does not excuse us from doing his will today.
This perspective on the will of God gives us astonishing freedom. If we seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness, which is the will of God for our lives, then whatever choices we make concerning the future become the will of God for our lives. There are many pathways we could follow, many options we could pursue. As long as we are seeking God, all of them can be God’s will for our lives, although only one – the path we choose – actually becomes his will.
God does have a will for our lives – that we seek first his kingdom. But God allows us to follow many possible pathways to live that will out. . . (34-35)
The hidden assumption behind the conventional approach to the will of God is that having many options is a good thing, but only one option is God’s will for us. The burden then falls on us to figure out which is the right and true one. God’s will is like the one present under the Christmas tree intended for us, though there are many other presents there, all of which could be ours. We must somehow discern which is ours, in spite of the fact that none of the packages has our name on it. We are therefore absolutely confounded in our search for which on is God’s will for us. (58)
What if the freedom we value so much – the freedom to have anything we want – keeps us from experiencing the freedom we really need – to choose what God wills for us?
The will of God has to do with what we already know, not what we must figure out. It is contained in Jesus’ command that we seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness. The will of God, then, consists of one clear mandate – that we make God the absolute center of our lives. Ironically, it is exactly in making this choice that we find true freedom. It is the freedom of obedience. That is the will of God for all of us. (59)
His (Jesus) way is narrow because it squeezes all selfishness out of us. It deprives us of the right to live for ourselves. Jesus demands everything from us, not because he wants to make life miserable for us but because he wants to give us purpose and joy. He knows that real life is gained by giving our lives up to God.
Token obedience betrays an errant theology. We think that real life is gained by what we keep to ourselves, not by what we give to God. So we do the minimum in terms of obedience – just enough to get by – so that we have plenty of choices left over for ourselves. In our way of thinking, God’s commands are like paying taxes. They are part of the deal of being a Christian, but hardly a welcomed part. So we fulfill our obligation to God and, once that is finished, start to enjoy life again.
But Jesus will have none of that. He rejects all token obedience. (61-62)
. . . in the end the will of God has nothing to do with us – the direction we take, the priorities we choose, the decisions we make. It is not about us at all; it is about God. God will go with us wherever we go because he is God. He is more committed to us than we will ever be committed to him, more eager to guide us than we will ever be open to his guidance. If anything, we can know and do the will of God because of God’s prior disposition and action. God chooses us, gives us grace, and redeems the story of our lives. That is ultimately his will for us. Only then does he call us to do his will in the ordinariness of life. The assurance that our choices are in fact God’s will has nothing to do with the wisdom of our choices, though we ought to make wise choices – for our own sake and for God’s glory. Rather, it has everything to do with the bounty of God’s grace. He is the reason why we can march through life with bold confidence. (105)
Therefore do not worry, saying, "What will we eat?' or "What will we drink?' or "What will we wear?' For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today. Matthew 6:31-34 (NRSV)
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Sub-merge - Hayes
I just finished a book, Sub-merge,(Regal, 2006) by John Hayes (founder of InnerChange) that reminded me of the experience the Shaw’s (missionaries in Manila - developing the street paper, Jeepney) are having. Sub-merge is a book about people who are seeking to live WITH the poor. It is worth reading and very challenging. Here are a few excerpts:
Nearly 1 billion people in the world, one-third of urban residents, live in slums. Even more alarming, slum populations are growing faster than any other demographic sector. . .
The new ground does not have a church building and its ministries at its center. In the developed and developing worlds, the unreached poor dwell in places that are increasingly inaccessible to traditional Christian outreach efforts. (15-16)
Although two-thirds of the world’s human beings live in poverty or hover close to it, only a small fraction of Christian workers actually go to live and work among them. Piecing statistics together, only about 6 percent of mission workers actually minister as poor to the poor, and that figure may be generous. We have a math problem. Either God is not calling many to do this, or we are not hearing him. (18)
Someone said, “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.” (42)
We have to understand that the world can only be grasped by action, not by contemplation. The hand is more important than the eye . . . The hand is the cutting edge of the mind. (Jacob Bronowski, 49)
American Christians began the new millennium giving only about 2.6 percent of their incomes to charity, just a percentage point above non-Christians, who averaged 1.6 percent. (61)
Wealth . . . is not a sin. God is a God of abundance, who delights in seeing His children live abundantly. Riches are, however, a heavy responsibility to steward, given that Jesus says it is harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle (see Luke 18:25). Paul spoke unambiguously when he wrote, “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. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.” (I Timothy 6:17-18) (87)
The important thing is that God meant for there to be no poor in the land, and we have no reason to believe He has changed His mind today. We often hear people submit Jesus’ statement, “the poor you will always have with you” (Matthew 26:11), as evidence that God is somehow resigned to the fact of, or willing to tolerate, poverty. We believe that as the people of God’s new covenant, we should be just as concerned today, both individually and systemically, to work toward God’s intention of having no poor.
. . . Essentially, God clarifies that we will never win the war on poverty. But He goes on to command that we should pursue the battle vigorously. (92)
Most people applaud and admire works of mercy. When it comes to speaking against systemic injustice in a way that might entail changing life-styles or sharing power and influence, there comes an awkward silence. (102)
We live in an age of information, of mass messages. It is an era with an uncanny ability to multiply words. Yet an increasing number of the world’s people live lives without real change and without Christ. The world doesn’t need more words, not even more “right” words. The world needs more words made flesh. The world needs more people to live the good news incarnationally, in a way that can be seen, heard, and handled. (113)
The world needs more “words made flesh.” What does that mean for your life? How are you the Word made flesh?
Nearly 1 billion people in the world, one-third of urban residents, live in slums. Even more alarming, slum populations are growing faster than any other demographic sector. . .
The new ground does not have a church building and its ministries at its center. In the developed and developing worlds, the unreached poor dwell in places that are increasingly inaccessible to traditional Christian outreach efforts. (15-16)
Although two-thirds of the world’s human beings live in poverty or hover close to it, only a small fraction of Christian workers actually go to live and work among them. Piecing statistics together, only about 6 percent of mission workers actually minister as poor to the poor, and that figure may be generous. We have a math problem. Either God is not calling many to do this, or we are not hearing him. (18)
Someone said, “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.” (42)
We have to understand that the world can only be grasped by action, not by contemplation. The hand is more important than the eye . . . The hand is the cutting edge of the mind. (Jacob Bronowski, 49)
American Christians began the new millennium giving only about 2.6 percent of their incomes to charity, just a percentage point above non-Christians, who averaged 1.6 percent. (61)
Wealth . . . is not a sin. God is a God of abundance, who delights in seeing His children live abundantly. Riches are, however, a heavy responsibility to steward, given that Jesus says it is harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle (see Luke 18:25). Paul spoke unambiguously when he wrote, “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. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.” (I Timothy 6:17-18) (87)
The important thing is that God meant for there to be no poor in the land, and we have no reason to believe He has changed His mind today. We often hear people submit Jesus’ statement, “the poor you will always have with you” (Matthew 26:11), as evidence that God is somehow resigned to the fact of, or willing to tolerate, poverty. We believe that as the people of God’s new covenant, we should be just as concerned today, both individually and systemically, to work toward God’s intention of having no poor.
. . . Essentially, God clarifies that we will never win the war on poverty. But He goes on to command that we should pursue the battle vigorously. (92)
Most people applaud and admire works of mercy. When it comes to speaking against systemic injustice in a way that might entail changing life-styles or sharing power and influence, there comes an awkward silence. (102)
We live in an age of information, of mass messages. It is an era with an uncanny ability to multiply words. Yet an increasing number of the world’s people live lives without real change and without Christ. The world doesn’t need more words, not even more “right” words. The world needs more words made flesh. The world needs more people to live the good news incarnationally, in a way that can be seen, heard, and handled. (113)
The world needs more “words made flesh.” What does that mean for your life? How are you the Word made flesh?
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