Suffering is a sweet and bitter providence. I happen to believe that to be the best way of describing suffering in the life of a believer. For unbelievers, I would simply say suffering was bitter because they are separated from the only One who can bring comfort. This post comes on the heels of finishing the book: Tortured for Christ, a book about Richard Wurmbrand, founder of Voice of the Martyrs, who was imprisoned for 14 years under Communist Romania as well as the book The Hiding Place written by the Dutch Reformed Christian Corrie Ten Boom. Ten Boom aided in the hiding of Jews during the rule of Nazi Germany. I am also writing this in light of an unbiblical approach to suffering that is rampant.
Most people do not give a great deal of thought as to how they've arrived at their way of thinking and doing life. We all just go about doing life completely oblivious to our worldview. The most common thing I hear from believers and unbelievers alike is "be positive". What does that mean?
From what I gather, being positive or positive thinking implies that if you focus on the good parts or the best possible outcome, then you will not be bogged down with negative feelings. But what if you do, and the worst possible outcome occurs? What if the loved one dies or what if the child still goes astray? Was it because you weren't focused on the positive?
Being positive is ultimately a New Age way of thinking. It has existed for many years, but has really become popular in recent years with a major influence from Oprah Winfrey. The influence in the Christian realm are from people like Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer. At the core, these beliefs in the power of positive thinking are about the power of the mind and of the thoughts and they are attempting to avoid anything "bad" or "negative" happening. And ultimately, it depends on our own power rather than the power of Jesus.
This is unbiblical. First of all, what if Christ had never suffered? We wouldn't have salvation. Paul, in a letter to the church at Philippi wrote: "...you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake"(Philippians 1:29) and Paul says in the very next verse that he is suffering in the same way that the Philippians are suffering. Suffering for the cause of Christ and for his name's sake should be and will be a part of the Christian's walk. If we are to be conformed to the image of our Lord, then we must endure suffering at some point in this life.
In my thoughts on suffering, I kept going back to Job. It is almost impossible to consider suffering without thinking of Job. In Job 6, we get to see a very clear picture of just how pitfalls, failures and personal losses weigh on our thoughts. Listen to the despair in Job's words: (Job 6:1-3z, 8-10)
"Oh that my vexation were weighed,
and all my calamity laid in the balances!
For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea;"
"Oh that I might have my request,
and that God would fulfill my hope,
that it would please God to crush me,
that he would let loose his hand and cut me off!
This would be my comfort;
I would even exult in pain unsparing,
for I have not denied the words of the Holy One."
I have felt the way Job felt. I have not suffered loss and sickness as Job did, but I have wanted death to swallow me up. Oh yes, there have been very dark times in my life. Times when "I have not denied the words of the Holy One." Dark times have occured when I am living out God's Word and pursing holiness in the name of Jesus. This is what happened to Job. He was not in willful, unrepentant sin. He loved the Lord. But, God allowed it to happen. He allowed Job to be stripped of everything and at the same time kept Job's heart for Himself. There were times Job questioned all his calamity and saw no relief in sight, but God was faithful to Job and restored everything and then some to Job in the end.
Job's story of suffering parallels somewhat in the suffering of Christ. Jesus did nothing to bring suffering and death on himself, yet it was the will of the Father to allow those things. Christ remained in the Father even unto his death. There were even times Jesus was downcast with fear and anxiety. Take a look at the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus had been abandoned by everyone, and was alone in the Garden praying to the Father in so much despair that he began to sweat profusely "like drops of blood" asking for the Father to remove this burden from him.
Job and Jesus dealt with suffering and felt despair. I have suffered. You have suffered--maybe you are suffering now.
Know that what you are going through is not uncommon to great characters in redemptive history and it is not ucommmon to God himself. Just as God allowed suffering to come to Job and Jesus, he allows it to come to us. He allows it to come to us to draw us to Him. He will be faithful to restore us.
I encourage anyone who is suffering or knows anyone who is suffering, to look at it from a Biblical perspective and not be taken captive by the world's philosophy in overcoming sadness and despair. Give assurance that God is sovereign over the suffering and that He ultimately intends it for their good and for His glory. Be compassionate on their season of suffering and don't make light of it. Offer up intercessory prayers for them. Encourage them. Love them in their sweet and bitter providence of suffering. And remind them of the joy that has been set before them.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
What's in a name?
As most of you know, I am a reader. I'm always up for reading suggestions--so give 'em to me! I was visiting the website for Voice of the Martyrs and saw a promotion for a free copy of the founder's autobiography, so naturally, I filled out the information to receive the book: Tortured for Christ. The founder and author's name is Richard Wurmbrand. I plan on the next few postings to be in regards to this book, and today I would like to share with a very precious story about a woman he met on the streets of Communist Russia.
First, let me paint a bit of a picture. This was a very dark time for Christians in Russia. Every citizen of Russia had been conditioned and taught to believe in no God and to think that the only thing that was good or was the standard of good was Communism. Can you imagine an entire country with no God? Can you imagine the bleakness...the despair of the peoples' souls? Though an entire system was in place to wash every hint of God out of the hearts and minds of the people, God abounded. Isn't that just like our God? He does not forsake his own. He will bring his people to himself. He is greater and more sovereign than any kingdom or government. He rules and reigns. Richard Wurmbrand was working with the Underground Church in Russia at the time and was secretly distributing Bibles and sharing the gospel with people as God would open doors. The story he tells of a woman he randomly encountered on the street brought tears to my eyes and inclined my memory to think on something in my own life that happened just a few years ago.
Wurmbrand was walking down the street one day when he felt the Holy Spirit urging him to ask a lady he saw if she knew Christ. Not knowing what this woman would say, he trusted the Holy Spirit and did this very thing. Immediately after he asked the woman about Christ she said "I love Christ!" and she began to hug and kiss him out of joy. Wurmbrand said that under so much oppression that people were starving for the gospel. They didn't know that's what they were starving for until they were filled with it. After the scene was over she returned with him to his home where he and his wife, Sabina, talked with her more about Jesus. Richard and his wife came to realize that she had no idea who Christ was, but she loved the name. She loved the name of Jesus Christ. She told the story of her grandmother and that she had had a picture of Christ that she remembered as a child, and that her grandmother prayed to this Christ and told her that He was the only good and the only picture of beauty. This made an impression on the woman from an early age, and despite the lifelong mantra of the Communist regime, she recalled this Christ being the only true Good. It never left her.
That name.
Christ.
She loved him before she knew him.
As Richard and his wife revealed the gospel to her and just who Christ was, she received it with joy. Now she had evidence and reason to love this Christ, whom she only knew by name for many years, but loved the name nonetheless.
What came to the front of my memory was the first time I heard about Jesus Christ. I mean, really heard about Christ. I knew the name, but I did not love it before then. After God revealed himself to me through some very special people, I began to love the name of Christ. It meant so much to me. He was the only one who could have redeemed me from the wretched state of being in which I existed. As I grew in the Lord, I began to treasure him more and more. And now, I, like the woman on the street in Russia, love the name of Christ. Something else that also happens when you begin to love the name of the Lord is you become overjoyed when you hear someone else speaking it. It thrills me to hear people in a restaurant or in a grocery store talking about my Jesus. The love of Christ is unifying. I may not have anything in common carnally with the 75 year old man in the check out line, but when I overhear him talking about our Lord with love and adoration and in praise, I can't help but be washed with joy. He and I both know and love Christ...we love to speak his name.
Just as Richard Wurmbrand encountered this woman who became joyful at the name of Christ, so too should we.
First, let me paint a bit of a picture. This was a very dark time for Christians in Russia. Every citizen of Russia had been conditioned and taught to believe in no God and to think that the only thing that was good or was the standard of good was Communism. Can you imagine an entire country with no God? Can you imagine the bleakness...the despair of the peoples' souls? Though an entire system was in place to wash every hint of God out of the hearts and minds of the people, God abounded. Isn't that just like our God? He does not forsake his own. He will bring his people to himself. He is greater and more sovereign than any kingdom or government. He rules and reigns. Richard Wurmbrand was working with the Underground Church in Russia at the time and was secretly distributing Bibles and sharing the gospel with people as God would open doors. The story he tells of a woman he randomly encountered on the street brought tears to my eyes and inclined my memory to think on something in my own life that happened just a few years ago.
Wurmbrand was walking down the street one day when he felt the Holy Spirit urging him to ask a lady he saw if she knew Christ. Not knowing what this woman would say, he trusted the Holy Spirit and did this very thing. Immediately after he asked the woman about Christ she said "I love Christ!" and she began to hug and kiss him out of joy. Wurmbrand said that under so much oppression that people were starving for the gospel. They didn't know that's what they were starving for until they were filled with it. After the scene was over she returned with him to his home where he and his wife, Sabina, talked with her more about Jesus. Richard and his wife came to realize that she had no idea who Christ was, but she loved the name. She loved the name of Jesus Christ. She told the story of her grandmother and that she had had a picture of Christ that she remembered as a child, and that her grandmother prayed to this Christ and told her that He was the only good and the only picture of beauty. This made an impression on the woman from an early age, and despite the lifelong mantra of the Communist regime, she recalled this Christ being the only true Good. It never left her.
That name.
Christ.
She loved him before she knew him.
As Richard and his wife revealed the gospel to her and just who Christ was, she received it with joy. Now she had evidence and reason to love this Christ, whom she only knew by name for many years, but loved the name nonetheless.
What came to the front of my memory was the first time I heard about Jesus Christ. I mean, really heard about Christ. I knew the name, but I did not love it before then. After God revealed himself to me through some very special people, I began to love the name of Christ. It meant so much to me. He was the only one who could have redeemed me from the wretched state of being in which I existed. As I grew in the Lord, I began to treasure him more and more. And now, I, like the woman on the street in Russia, love the name of Christ. Something else that also happens when you begin to love the name of the Lord is you become overjoyed when you hear someone else speaking it. It thrills me to hear people in a restaurant or in a grocery store talking about my Jesus. The love of Christ is unifying. I may not have anything in common carnally with the 75 year old man in the check out line, but when I overhear him talking about our Lord with love and adoration and in praise, I can't help but be washed with joy. He and I both know and love Christ...we love to speak his name.
Just as Richard Wurmbrand encountered this woman who became joyful at the name of Christ, so too should we.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
"Peace if possible, truth at all costs"
The quote in the title is from Martin Luther, most commonly known as the Father of the Protestant Reformation. I am no scholar on Luther, but I do know he has been controversial at times and he was generally an angry guy; however he adored his wife and wrote her love letters when he was away AND he loved Jesus and Truth. As Mark Driscoll would say "let's give him a hall pass". If Luther says "peace if POSSIBLE, TRUTH at all costs", we should incline our ears and minds to hear and think on those words.
The verse that comes to mind in relation to this quote is Romans 12:18 where Paul says "as much as it is possible, be at peace with everyone."
"As much as it is POSSIBLE".
This verse is packed with a big truth. It implies that we very well may not be at peace with everyone. Wow. That is freeing. I have spent countless hours trying to be at peace with someone for the sake of a relationship when it is possible that I many not be able to be at peace with that person. What we learn from Luther and from examples throughout Scripture is that Truth is more important than peace. Jesus' death was not peaceful. It was controversial among the people of that time. It is controversial now. Jesus' words he spoke during his ministry did not always settle well in the hearts and minds of the people who received them. Truth cost him his life.
Paul, a spiritual giant and one of the most beloved and cherished characters in the history of the church knew Truth was the most important thing. He preached and taught Truth and he was imprisoned and beaten for it. Truth also cost Paul his life.
In the present world, truth to many, seems obscure and unattainable. The "great thinkers" of our age ask that we seek and search for truth, yet when someone claims to have found it, the high minds say "that's impossible". Why then, would you continue to seek something that you know you will never find? I have good news! Truth can be found! It is found in the man Jesus, who said "I am the way, the TRUTH and the life". Jesus not only spoke truth, he WAS Truth. Truth in the flesh. I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you believe in Jesus and you believe that he is who he says he is, then your worldview must be based on what Jesus taught. He is Truth.
Now...where am I going with this? you may ask..well, I do have a point amidst the rabbit trails. We should be willing to sacrifice peace for the Truth of the gospel. We have the ability to know Truth. We are equipped to speak Truth and most certainly we should be living in Truth. Sometimes the truth is offensive. The Word of God isn't called a Sword for nothin'. And I'll quote Driscoll again: "what good is a Sword if it doesn't cut?"
I am deeply relational. I love spending time with women and getting to know them. I love to hear about their lives, their joys, their struggles. I know for a fact I have sacrificed the truth for peace at times...instead of sacrificing peace for truth. My point in this entire post is that Truth can be known through Jesus. Peace can be known through Jesus. But, at the end of the day "peace if possible, truth at all costs".
The verse that comes to mind in relation to this quote is Romans 12:18 where Paul says "as much as it is possible, be at peace with everyone."
"As much as it is POSSIBLE".
This verse is packed with a big truth. It implies that we very well may not be at peace with everyone. Wow. That is freeing. I have spent countless hours trying to be at peace with someone for the sake of a relationship when it is possible that I many not be able to be at peace with that person. What we learn from Luther and from examples throughout Scripture is that Truth is more important than peace. Jesus' death was not peaceful. It was controversial among the people of that time. It is controversial now. Jesus' words he spoke during his ministry did not always settle well in the hearts and minds of the people who received them. Truth cost him his life.
Paul, a spiritual giant and one of the most beloved and cherished characters in the history of the church knew Truth was the most important thing. He preached and taught Truth and he was imprisoned and beaten for it. Truth also cost Paul his life.
In the present world, truth to many, seems obscure and unattainable. The "great thinkers" of our age ask that we seek and search for truth, yet when someone claims to have found it, the high minds say "that's impossible". Why then, would you continue to seek something that you know you will never find? I have good news! Truth can be found! It is found in the man Jesus, who said "I am the way, the TRUTH and the life". Jesus not only spoke truth, he WAS Truth. Truth in the flesh. I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you believe in Jesus and you believe that he is who he says he is, then your worldview must be based on what Jesus taught. He is Truth.
Now...where am I going with this? you may ask..well, I do have a point amidst the rabbit trails. We should be willing to sacrifice peace for the Truth of the gospel. We have the ability to know Truth. We are equipped to speak Truth and most certainly we should be living in Truth. Sometimes the truth is offensive. The Word of God isn't called a Sword for nothin'. And I'll quote Driscoll again: "what good is a Sword if it doesn't cut?"
I am deeply relational. I love spending time with women and getting to know them. I love to hear about their lives, their joys, their struggles. I know for a fact I have sacrificed the truth for peace at times...instead of sacrificing peace for truth. My point in this entire post is that Truth can be known through Jesus. Peace can be known through Jesus. But, at the end of the day "peace if possible, truth at all costs".
Monday, March 1, 2010
God is...
Just a week or so ago, I was having a conversation with one of my best friends. The subject of God and punishment came up, and we talked of how to reconcile a loving, compassionate God with one that sent people to Hell. Is God really a God that punishes? That is not an uncommon question. Believers and nonbelievers alike struggle with wrapping their minds around the vastness of God's character. Some people do not acknowledge that God can indeed hate and does justly punish. Written below is an excerpt from an emailed response I sent her in regards to the nature of God and what Scripture says about his ability to love and hate. I think this explanation is very important in order to fully understand God's character, not just as a merciful, loving, compassionate and sovereign God, but also as One that is offended by our sinful, fallen state.
It is extremely common among many evangelicals and also nominal Christians to be rather choosy in the god they choose to love and serve. I frequently encounter men and women who prefer "God is good, He is loving, His mercy endures forever" as opposed to "God burned with anger toward his people". There is nothing unnatural about not wanting to experience God as angry or wrathful--it is difficult to wrap our minds or our conscience around because in our heart of hearts we all know we have sinned against a Holy God and that we deserve divine punishment. The fact of the matter is, is that God is indeed both loving and wrathful. He is not one or the other. His love is expressed in his hatred of sin and his desire to punish and eradicate it. Certainly God is able to express his love in any way he sees fit, but punishment of sin is a characteristic of his holiness and an expression of his love from Genesis to Revelation. I heard a theologian say once "God cannot love unless he hates"--meaning he cannot love what is good and holy and not hate sin and evil--it would be contradictory to his character.
Anyone who is struggling with the thought of God punishing sinful people (and by sinful people I mean anyone who has ever broken even one part of God's Law--which is everyone who has ever lived), they should consider the numerous (I believe over 600) references to God's anger/wrath/punishment/hatred mentioned throughout scripture. And, while you could start in Genesis and see how God begins to deal with sin, I would suggest you begin and end with the cross. Before one makes a conclusion of God's character not being judgmental or wrathful, they should examine the cross and just what Jesus' death meant. If you believe in the cross and its purpose then you must believe that God punishes sin. Jesus came into the world during a time when death by crucifixion was common. Crucifixion throughout history has been ranked among the most horrific, gruesome, humiliating means of punishment. God sent his Son to earth to die during a time when he knew Jesus would receive the full punishment for what we all deserved. Nothing less than what Jesus endured on the cross is what we deserved. I love the word "propitiation". It means "satisfied" or "appeased". Romans 3:25, Hebrews 2:17, 1 John 2:2 and 1 John 4:2 all speak of Jesus' death being the satisfaction of God toward the sin of mankind. God's wrath toward his people was eternally satisfied on the cross. God had to punish sin--he did this through Jesus Christ.
Our minds are influenced by who post-modernists say God is. Most say he is only loving, never wrathful or that a loving God could not be wrathful. I would say that they do not love the God of the Bible and they have trusted the wrong Jesus for their salvation. Some other things to keep in mind about God is that his anger is not like our anger. His anger is holy and right, and our human mind cannot comprehend it. Also, God is not an angry father sitting on his throne waiting for us to mess up so he can punish us. Scripture is clear that he is "slow to anger, abounding in love"..."patient with us"...."he remembers that we are dust". Certainly, God could bring things into our lives that are means of godly discipline to correct us--"God disciplines the one he loves" Hebrews 12:6, but God generally just allows natural consequences of our sin to occur. Many "bad" things that happen to us are usually just a result of our sin. And though God will allow those consequences to occur, He is always faithful to use them for His eternal glory. Lastly, it is "the kindness of God" that leads us to repentance. True repentance and belief comes from the kind and loving conviction that God places on one's heart and mind that they have indeed sinned against a Holy God and the only way that He will be satisfied with their sinful state is for them to put their trust in Jesus' death and resurrection and then to accept that they are no longer spiritually dead, but alive in Christ and they now take on the righteousness of Christ. Jesus died in our place. I read recently in a book by Jerry Bridges called: TRANSFORMING GRACE, that not only did God pay our sin debt on the cross but he also purchased every means of common grace we experience on this earth. All of the blessings that we take for granted were purchased by Christ.
In the end, God is both loving and wrathful. His love is expressed in many, many ways. Just as I discipline my own children out of love--God does the same. He gives us grace for everything. I yell at my kids..there's grace. I over-eat..there's grace. I have bitterness toward my husband..there's grace. I do not say there's grace so that "grace can abound all the more" (see Romans 6:1-2) but to boast in what the cross and God's punishment there does for us.
I feel, more than ever, that it is critical that professing Christians have a true and biblical understanding of who God is and what his character is like. It is imperative that we study who He is--if we don't we may just find out we've been worshiping and serving a different god--not the God of the Bible.
It is extremely common among many evangelicals and also nominal Christians to be rather choosy in the god they choose to love and serve. I frequently encounter men and women who prefer "God is good, He is loving, His mercy endures forever" as opposed to "God burned with anger toward his people". There is nothing unnatural about not wanting to experience God as angry or wrathful--it is difficult to wrap our minds or our conscience around because in our heart of hearts we all know we have sinned against a Holy God and that we deserve divine punishment. The fact of the matter is, is that God is indeed both loving and wrathful. He is not one or the other. His love is expressed in his hatred of sin and his desire to punish and eradicate it. Certainly God is able to express his love in any way he sees fit, but punishment of sin is a characteristic of his holiness and an expression of his love from Genesis to Revelation. I heard a theologian say once "God cannot love unless he hates"--meaning he cannot love what is good and holy and not hate sin and evil--it would be contradictory to his character.
Anyone who is struggling with the thought of God punishing sinful people (and by sinful people I mean anyone who has ever broken even one part of God's Law--which is everyone who has ever lived), they should consider the numerous (I believe over 600) references to God's anger/wrath/punishment/hatred mentioned throughout scripture. And, while you could start in Genesis and see how God begins to deal with sin, I would suggest you begin and end with the cross. Before one makes a conclusion of God's character not being judgmental or wrathful, they should examine the cross and just what Jesus' death meant. If you believe in the cross and its purpose then you must believe that God punishes sin. Jesus came into the world during a time when death by crucifixion was common. Crucifixion throughout history has been ranked among the most horrific, gruesome, humiliating means of punishment. God sent his Son to earth to die during a time when he knew Jesus would receive the full punishment for what we all deserved. Nothing less than what Jesus endured on the cross is what we deserved. I love the word "propitiation". It means "satisfied" or "appeased". Romans 3:25, Hebrews 2:17, 1 John 2:2 and 1 John 4:2 all speak of Jesus' death being the satisfaction of God toward the sin of mankind. God's wrath toward his people was eternally satisfied on the cross. God had to punish sin--he did this through Jesus Christ.
Our minds are influenced by who post-modernists say God is. Most say he is only loving, never wrathful or that a loving God could not be wrathful. I would say that they do not love the God of the Bible and they have trusted the wrong Jesus for their salvation. Some other things to keep in mind about God is that his anger is not like our anger. His anger is holy and right, and our human mind cannot comprehend it. Also, God is not an angry father sitting on his throne waiting for us to mess up so he can punish us. Scripture is clear that he is "slow to anger, abounding in love"..."patient with us"...."he remembers that we are dust". Certainly, God could bring things into our lives that are means of godly discipline to correct us--"God disciplines the one he loves" Hebrews 12:6, but God generally just allows natural consequences of our sin to occur. Many "bad" things that happen to us are usually just a result of our sin. And though God will allow those consequences to occur, He is always faithful to use them for His eternal glory. Lastly, it is "the kindness of God" that leads us to repentance. True repentance and belief comes from the kind and loving conviction that God places on one's heart and mind that they have indeed sinned against a Holy God and the only way that He will be satisfied with their sinful state is for them to put their trust in Jesus' death and resurrection and then to accept that they are no longer spiritually dead, but alive in Christ and they now take on the righteousness of Christ. Jesus died in our place. I read recently in a book by Jerry Bridges called: TRANSFORMING GRACE, that not only did God pay our sin debt on the cross but he also purchased every means of common grace we experience on this earth. All of the blessings that we take for granted were purchased by Christ.
In the end, God is both loving and wrathful. His love is expressed in many, many ways. Just as I discipline my own children out of love--God does the same. He gives us grace for everything. I yell at my kids..there's grace. I over-eat..there's grace. I have bitterness toward my husband..there's grace. I do not say there's grace so that "grace can abound all the more" (see Romans 6:1-2) but to boast in what the cross and God's punishment there does for us.
I feel, more than ever, that it is critical that professing Christians have a true and biblical understanding of who God is and what his character is like. It is imperative that we study who He is--if we don't we may just find out we've been worshiping and serving a different god--not the God of the Bible.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Staying focused
I recently visited a friend's blog and noticed just how cute her blog was. Naturally, green with envy, I went straight to the blogsite that she downloads her templates from, and got a free one for my own blog (hence the new look). Now, the title of this blog is "going godward". How godward and am I going if I'm more focused on the cuteness of my blog than the gospel? The answer is: not very. I do like the new template as the background of my blog, and I think it suits me, but that is not my main focus--or at least it wasn't in the beginning of goinggodward. But, alas, I have lost my focus. The reason I am even bothering to take the time to write these thoughts down is because they pertain to something that is actually gospel-centered. Wait...weren't we talking about cute blogs?? Yes, yes we were and now I will make my point. We are so easily distracted. I mean, really easily distracted. It only took me a total of about five or six posts to start losing focus of what my vision of this blog would be. I wanted to make it cute--not relevant.
I don't think it is very uncommon that people are distracted. Distraction is a very powerful tool used by Satan. It only takes a moment for us to take our sights off of Jesus and begin to be distracted. This can take many forms--busy schedules, work deadlines, never-ending laundry, playdates, blogging and many more serious distractions. Our postmodern culture is also a culprit. We are unlikely to sit though an entire movie or tv show without changing the channel at least once. A commercial comes on and we can't wait the whole two minutes for our show to return, we must change the channels to occupy those minutes--we are easily distracted. I admit, my sights have not been on Jesus the last few days. My thoughts are far from being God-centered. I have indulged my subconcious with, more or less, fairy tales. This is not intended to be a confession session for me, but just to say, I get distracted--we all do.
It seems to me that we forget we are at war here. Spiritual war. There are battles going on in our lives that we couldn't wrap our minds around if we tried. Ephesians 6 is clear that we are to armor ourselves in preparation for this battle. It is easy to talk about spiritual warfare but few of us actually operate that way. We don't make war with our sin--we indulge in it and weep bitterly over the consequences. In light of these thoughts of distraction, my prayers will be that the Lord would increase my desire for Him--that He would give me grace in my time of distraction. I pray those things for you all as well.
So, I will leave the "cute" template for my goinggodward blog, but I will not be distracted again. This blog is for the gospel.
I don't think it is very uncommon that people are distracted. Distraction is a very powerful tool used by Satan. It only takes a moment for us to take our sights off of Jesus and begin to be distracted. This can take many forms--busy schedules, work deadlines, never-ending laundry, playdates, blogging and many more serious distractions. Our postmodern culture is also a culprit. We are unlikely to sit though an entire movie or tv show without changing the channel at least once. A commercial comes on and we can't wait the whole two minutes for our show to return, we must change the channels to occupy those minutes--we are easily distracted. I admit, my sights have not been on Jesus the last few days. My thoughts are far from being God-centered. I have indulged my subconcious with, more or less, fairy tales. This is not intended to be a confession session for me, but just to say, I get distracted--we all do.
It seems to me that we forget we are at war here. Spiritual war. There are battles going on in our lives that we couldn't wrap our minds around if we tried. Ephesians 6 is clear that we are to armor ourselves in preparation for this battle. It is easy to talk about spiritual warfare but few of us actually operate that way. We don't make war with our sin--we indulge in it and weep bitterly over the consequences. In light of these thoughts of distraction, my prayers will be that the Lord would increase my desire for Him--that He would give me grace in my time of distraction. I pray those things for you all as well.
So, I will leave the "cute" template for my goinggodward blog, but I will not be distracted again. This blog is for the gospel.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Favorite new blog
Blog roll please....
I have a new favorite blog/website. It's challies .com (pronounced Chall-eez). I am posting the link on my sidebar--check it out!
I have a new favorite blog/website. It's challies .com (pronounced Chall-eez). I am posting the link on my sidebar--check it out!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
"So Long Moses"
Recently, a friend of mine sent me a link to an album by Andrew Peterson entitled "Behold the Lamb". There is a song on the album called "So Long Moses". It is a beautiful and accurate telling of the prophecies God gave to his prophets regarding the impending Messiah. Since it is the season in which we celebrate the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ, I thought it fitting to do my own recap of the history of the Old Testament that lead up to Christ's birth--inspired by Andrew Peterson of course. There are truly countless examples in scripture throughout the Old Testament that were pertinent the coming redemption of God's chosen people, but in order to save space and time, I will hit the high spots :)
The very first indication we have in scripture of a triune God is in Genesis 1:26 when God says "let Us make man in our own image". One of the conclusions that we can draw from this and in tying it in to John 1:1 "The Word was with God and the Word was God" and John 1:14 "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us" is that Jesus is God and he has been around since creation. After The Fall and Adam and Eve are cursed and their ancestors are cursed, God proclaims that there will be a redeeming circumstance to come in his timing. We see this in Genesis when God speaks directly to the serpent (Satan) that deceived Eve. (Genesis 3:15) This verse is also reconciled in Romans 16:20 "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet." So you see, in creation Jesus was present and there was already a prophecy made by God that he would indeed crush Satan, which is exactly what he did by means of the cross.
Let's fast forward to the Moses part, shall we? After many, many years of God's people being in bondage to slavery at the hands of the Egyptians, God raises up a leader to bring God's people to their homeland and out of slavery. His name was Moses. Though we all have the Law of God written in our hearts, (Romans 1), God's laws became formalized through Moses and the 10 Commandments. So, even as people were "without excuse" to acknowledge God and his laws, they actually had it in writing when Moses came along. Even though the written law came through Moses and he was the initial one chosen to lead God's people out of bondage, he was not permitted to see the Promised Land. Joshua was to lead the Israelites into Canaan. Upon seeing the Promised Land and the Canaanites that inhabited the area, the Israelites protested and said they would not enter (even though God had promised defeat over the Canaanites). So, because of their fear and disobedience, God allowed them to wander in the wilderness for 40 years. When they finally decided to go back, they defeated the Canaanites and the land God had promised them and their forefathers was theirs. They were home.
When the Israelites arrived in Israel there were 12 tribes. Within these tribes there were clans. (On a side note, all Jewish priests came from the tribe of Levi, except for two: Melchizedek and Jesus.) All of the other countries in that region had kings at that time and Israel began wondering why they were the only ones with no king. They went to Samuel, the prophet, and demanded that they be like the other countries and choose a king. When Samuel asked God what he should do, God told him to give the people what they wanted. In 1 Samuel 8:5, God tells Samuel that Israel has rejected Him [God] as their king. And in 1 Samuel 12:12, we see again that Israel didn't need a king because God was their king. But God allowed them to have what they wanted. Now, I'm no scholar, but it seems that God would be the greatest king of all, but so many times we find ourselves thinking that we can actually make better decisions than God--and so, the Israelites sealed their fate for the next 40 years. Saul would be king over Israel.
After many unsuccessful years of being king, Saul failed to listen to God and obey God, the future king was tending sheep. God told Samuel to go to Bethlehem and there would be a man, Jesse (who was from the tribe of Judah), whose son would be the anointed king of Israel. Samuel did as God asked and anointed, David, a shepherd and youngest of Jesse's sons as God's chosen king of Israel. The most important points of the story of David as king of Israel in terms of prophecy are that David was from the tribe of Judah and that he was born in Bethlehem. In Micah 5:2, we see the prophecy made that Bethlehem would provide a king for Israel. Then we see the prophecy fulfilled in the gospels Matthew and Luke where Jesus was born in Bethlehem, since that is where Mary and Joseph had to register for a census decreed by Caesar Augustus.
After the loved and cherished King David's reign came to an end, Israel suffered. There were periods of blessing, but there were many more that were not. God's people longed for a king like David. He was strong, wise and walked with God. Israel prospered with a king like David. The people of Israel asked the prophet Isaiah when they would have another king that they would love like David, and Isaiah asked "O Lord how long?" would it be until He would deliver a king once again that would save the the people of Israel. You see, when God's people were captive in Egypt, the chains that bound them were chains of slavery to the Egyptian Pharaoh. They worked and toiled at the hands of the Egyptians. But the chains that they now faced in their homeland were chains of sin and rebellion and the consequences of disobeying and forsaking the God who delivered them. God had a plan to bring his children back to him. He had a redemptive plan. A plan that would bring forth a king, from the tribe of Judah and from the hometown of David--a King named Jesus. Isaiah is often called the fifth gospel because of its distinct prophecy. Isaiah 53 is most commonly referred to in the case of OT prophecy regarding the life of the King to come.
Israel needed and desired a king, and God provided the ultimate and eternal king--Jesus Christ. Though the people of Israel, the Jewish nation were God's chosen people, the coming of the Messiah meant something else. In the gospel of Luke, the angel that appears to the shepherds says that there are "good tidings of great joy which shall be for all people". All people means Jews and Gentiles. Jesus would be king of the Jews and king of the Gentiles. Through Jesus, we believers, have "been adopted" into God's family.
Jesus was the chosen King of Israel from the beginning of time, but God had a specific plan for bringing it into fruition. All of these events, and many more in redemptive history were leading up to the consummation of God's promise to his people. So long Moses, Israel's first prophet, so long David, Israel's loved and cherished king...hello Jesus, the eternal King of all.
The very first indication we have in scripture of a triune God is in Genesis 1:26 when God says "let Us make man in our own image". One of the conclusions that we can draw from this and in tying it in to John 1:1 "The Word was with God and the Word was God" and John 1:14 "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us" is that Jesus is God and he has been around since creation. After The Fall and Adam and Eve are cursed and their ancestors are cursed, God proclaims that there will be a redeeming circumstance to come in his timing. We see this in Genesis when God speaks directly to the serpent (Satan) that deceived Eve. (Genesis 3:15) This verse is also reconciled in Romans 16:20 "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet." So you see, in creation Jesus was present and there was already a prophecy made by God that he would indeed crush Satan, which is exactly what he did by means of the cross.
Let's fast forward to the Moses part, shall we? After many, many years of God's people being in bondage to slavery at the hands of the Egyptians, God raises up a leader to bring God's people to their homeland and out of slavery. His name was Moses. Though we all have the Law of God written in our hearts, (Romans 1), God's laws became formalized through Moses and the 10 Commandments. So, even as people were "without excuse" to acknowledge God and his laws, they actually had it in writing when Moses came along. Even though the written law came through Moses and he was the initial one chosen to lead God's people out of bondage, he was not permitted to see the Promised Land. Joshua was to lead the Israelites into Canaan. Upon seeing the Promised Land and the Canaanites that inhabited the area, the Israelites protested and said they would not enter (even though God had promised defeat over the Canaanites). So, because of their fear and disobedience, God allowed them to wander in the wilderness for 40 years. When they finally decided to go back, they defeated the Canaanites and the land God had promised them and their forefathers was theirs. They were home.
When the Israelites arrived in Israel there were 12 tribes. Within these tribes there were clans. (On a side note, all Jewish priests came from the tribe of Levi, except for two: Melchizedek and Jesus.) All of the other countries in that region had kings at that time and Israel began wondering why they were the only ones with no king. They went to Samuel, the prophet, and demanded that they be like the other countries and choose a king. When Samuel asked God what he should do, God told him to give the people what they wanted. In 1 Samuel 8:5, God tells Samuel that Israel has rejected Him [God] as their king. And in 1 Samuel 12:12, we see again that Israel didn't need a king because God was their king. But God allowed them to have what they wanted. Now, I'm no scholar, but it seems that God would be the greatest king of all, but so many times we find ourselves thinking that we can actually make better decisions than God--and so, the Israelites sealed their fate for the next 40 years. Saul would be king over Israel.
After many unsuccessful years of being king, Saul failed to listen to God and obey God, the future king was tending sheep. God told Samuel to go to Bethlehem and there would be a man, Jesse (who was from the tribe of Judah), whose son would be the anointed king of Israel. Samuel did as God asked and anointed, David, a shepherd and youngest of Jesse's sons as God's chosen king of Israel. The most important points of the story of David as king of Israel in terms of prophecy are that David was from the tribe of Judah and that he was born in Bethlehem. In Micah 5:2, we see the prophecy made that Bethlehem would provide a king for Israel. Then we see the prophecy fulfilled in the gospels Matthew and Luke where Jesus was born in Bethlehem, since that is where Mary and Joseph had to register for a census decreed by Caesar Augustus.
After the loved and cherished King David's reign came to an end, Israel suffered. There were periods of blessing, but there were many more that were not. God's people longed for a king like David. He was strong, wise and walked with God. Israel prospered with a king like David. The people of Israel asked the prophet Isaiah when they would have another king that they would love like David, and Isaiah asked "O Lord how long?" would it be until He would deliver a king once again that would save the the people of Israel. You see, when God's people were captive in Egypt, the chains that bound them were chains of slavery to the Egyptian Pharaoh. They worked and toiled at the hands of the Egyptians. But the chains that they now faced in their homeland were chains of sin and rebellion and the consequences of disobeying and forsaking the God who delivered them. God had a plan to bring his children back to him. He had a redemptive plan. A plan that would bring forth a king, from the tribe of Judah and from the hometown of David--a King named Jesus. Isaiah is often called the fifth gospel because of its distinct prophecy. Isaiah 53 is most commonly referred to in the case of OT prophecy regarding the life of the King to come.
Israel needed and desired a king, and God provided the ultimate and eternal king--Jesus Christ. Though the people of Israel, the Jewish nation were God's chosen people, the coming of the Messiah meant something else. In the gospel of Luke, the angel that appears to the shepherds says that there are "good tidings of great joy which shall be for all people". All people means Jews and Gentiles. Jesus would be king of the Jews and king of the Gentiles. Through Jesus, we believers, have "been adopted" into God's family.
Jesus was the chosen King of Israel from the beginning of time, but God had a specific plan for bringing it into fruition. All of these events, and many more in redemptive history were leading up to the consummation of God's promise to his people. So long Moses, Israel's first prophet, so long David, Israel's loved and cherished king...hello Jesus, the eternal King of all.
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