Complacency

“For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)

I’m thankful that Jesus understands my weaknesses. I have a love-hate relationship with them; sometimes I’m frustrated with my weaknesses and want to change, other times I feel comfortable and complacent and don’t desire change. Complacency is one of the biggest temptations that we in the United States face.

Hard Lessons

“During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered.” (Hebrews 5:7-8)

Obedience and suffering are subjects that, like submission and waiting, are not the subjects of today’s popular Christian teachers. I find the above passage puzzling and intriguing: why would God need to “learn obedience”? It requires a better theologian than me to explain it. I can only speculate that it had to do with Jesus’ human nature. The flesh does not enjoy submission, suffering, and obedience, but as I reflect on my own experience I agree that they are great teachers.

God's Will

“For this is the will of God, your sanctification.” (1 Thess 4:3)

"Those who cleanse themselves ... will be instruments for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work." (2 Tim 2:21)

When I hear the will of God referred to, it is almost always in the context of making a decision, like moving, staying at the same job or taking another, or choosing a school. I think that more emphasis should be placed on becoming more Christ like in character. If we become more like Jesus, then wherever we live, work, or go to school, or whatever we do, we will be better able to shine His light in that situation.

“We might think that God wanted simply obedience to a set of rules: whereas He really wants people of a particular sort." (C.S. Lewis)

Crushed

The name Gethsemane means “oil press”. The following is a description of the production of olive oil in Ancient Israel.

“In the fall harvested olives were brought from the terraced orchards and spread out on the flat circular platform to be crushed with the heavy stone roller. The oil ran through the surrounding channel into the adjacent rock-cut vat.”

“He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)

[References: MacArthur Study Bible note on John 18:1,
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~semitic/HOAI/adultmain.cgi?article=oil-wine.htm]

Waiting Hopefully

“Those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” (Isaiah 40:31)

The word translated “wait” here in the NASB is translated “hope” in the NIV. It is the Hebrew word qavah which means:

To wait for, look for, expect, hope … Qavah is the root of the noun tiqvah, “hope” or “expectancy.” Qavah expresses the idea of “waiting hopefully.”
(Reference: “The New Spirit Filled Bible”)

Waiting, like submission (the subject of my last few posts) seems to be a neglected concept in our society. As I look around, so much change is needed -- in the world, in my life, in the lives of others, and in ministries that I am involved in. I see the need for injustices to be addressed, character to be developed, healings, breakthroughs in difficult circumstances … the list is endless. It’s easy for me to get discouraged about these things. I try to do what I feel called to do, use wisdom, and then wait on the Lord, but it’s hard to wait when necessary change doesn’t seem to be happening, or happening fast enough. I think the key to waiting without falling into discouragement and dissatisfaction is the attitude with which I wait: waiting hopefully.

“Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” (Psalm 27:14)

Submission Part 4

Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” (John 5:19)

"For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.” (John 6:38)

To me, these are among the most amazing statements that Jesus ever made. His perfect submission to his Father is mind boggling, because I am so aware of how my will drives me, and how difficult it is for me to put it aside. Seeking to be conformed to the image of Christ is this area alone is enough to occupy the rest of my life.

Submission Part 3

“Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men.” (Ephesians 6:5-7)

Last summer following my layoff from 24 years of software engineering, I took a temporary job working for my chiropractor when I determined that I wanted to take the plunge of changing careers to something more fulfilling. The doctor needed a new receptionist and it was a way to add structure and social contact to my life, make a little money, and try something more people oriented while putting together a transition plan. It was difficult because he had a much more authoritative style and a different approach to his employees than I was used to. In my software engineering job I had a lot of autonomy; my bosses trusted me and I took the initiative and only went to them when there was a problem I could not handle. In contrast, every aspect of the receptionist job was prescribed, including scripts for what I was supposed to say in various situations, and Dr. Dan was not used to trusting his employees (a concept that was completely foreign to me). At first I struggled mightily under what felt to me like a heavy and oppressive yoke that I had taken on; I was angry and resentful. However, I realized that I did ask him for the job, so I did my best to adjust to it by reading all the passages in the Bible about master/servant and master/slave relationships so that I could be a better employee. I came to see my submission to my boss and the job requirements as an opportunity to become more like Christ’s example in Philippians 2:5-8. A funny thing happened. As I stopped resisting Dr. Dan and became more willing to do whatever he asked, he started giving me more freedom, and by the end of several months we were working well together as a team. What had been a very frustrating experience for both of us at the beginning turned into a satisfying and productive working relationship.

Submission Part 2

“Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:22)
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” (Ephesians 5:25)

So much has been written and said about the above verses that I don’t want to add too much, other than that the instructions to wives (Eph 5:22-24) have often been taught in isolation rather than together with the corresponding instructions to husbands (Eph 5:25-30), which results in distortion of the intent of the entire passage (all of the verses should be read, I just provided a few of them above for the sake of brevity). Mostly I provide them as a backdrop to a story in which I believe I gained some insight into them, despite the fact that I have never been married. First, some personal background: in my high school and college years, I was an ardent feminist who was easily angered by perceived male chauvinism. Over the years I became less zealous, as I noticed that my anger and indignation had no effect on the men I was angry at, so why bother? But, Eph 5:22-24 continued to bother me just to read them, as they seemed to me to be associated with abusive male dominance (as sadly, they frequently have been). In the Fall of 2005 I had the opportunity to go to Mississippi to do relief work for Hurricane Katrina. I announced the trip at church to recruit some people to go with me. One person who responded with interest was Marshia, who I hoped would go since she is a delightful woman and a very hard worker; she would have been a great asset to the team. However, when I later called Marshia to follow up, she told me, “Ted [her husband] says I shouldn’t go.” Although I didn’t say so, I was incensed. Sorry Ted, but the following thoughts went through my mind: “Mean Ted! Evil Ted! He’s preventing her from doing the Lord’s work! This is outrageous!” A few days later I saw Marshia and she told me, “I was in a traffic jam the other day for about an hour, and my knee is in a lot of pain from having to keep it in one position. I’m so glad that Ted had the wisdom to tell me not to go on the trip.” I was floored. Sorry Ted, for thinking those false and nasty thoughts about you. Sorry God, for not understanding that Your Word does have proper application, even if people sometimes misuse it.

The “S” Word

“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5:21)

Submission. I jokingly called it the “S” word because the very sound of it sets many people’s teeth on edge. The idea of submission is distasteful to our fallen human natures; we want to be our own masters. Not long ago I was in a group of people where the subject of submission came up, and several men said “Oh, that’s an issue for women, not men.” That is not correct. Lest someone think that that is a liberal, feminist viewpoint, I like the footnote in the MacArthur Study Bible, written by John MacArthur, who would never be accused of being either a liberal or a feminist:

“Paul here made a transition and introduced his teaching about specific relationships of authority and submission among Christians (5:22-6:9) by declaring unequivocally that every spirit-filled Christian is to be a humble, submissive Christian. This is foundational to all the relationships in this section.”

Every Christian is called to submission, first of all to the Lord Jesus Christ, but also, as Eph 5:21 indicates, to other Christians. In addition, Christians are called to be subject to governmental authorities (Romans 13:1) and to employers (the modern day equivalent of master/servant or master/slave relationships for which there are many verses, such as Eph 6:5)

Eliminating corrosion

“Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.” (Psalm 37:8)
I looked up the word “fret” at www.dictionary.com and found the following:

fret
–verb (used without object)
1. to feel or express worry, annoyance, discontent, or the like: Fretting about the lost ring isn't going to help.
2. to cause corrosion; gnaw into something: acids that fret at the strongest metals.
3. to make a way by gnawing, corrosion, wearing away, etc.: The river frets at its banks until a new channel is formed.
4. to become eaten, worn, or corroded (often fol. by away): Limestone slowly frets away under pounding by the wind and rain.
5. to move in agitation or commotion, as water: water fretting over the stones of a brook.
–verb (used with object)
6. to torment; irritate, annoy, or vex: You mustn't fret yourself about that.
7. to wear away or consume by gnawing, friction, rust, corrosives, etc.: the ocean fretting its shores.
8. to form or make by wearing away a substance: The river had fretted an underground passage.
9. to agitate (water): Strong winds were fretting the channel.

I thought it was quite interesting how worry, irritation, anxiety, discontent, etc. have a corrosive effect. They are unproductive, waste energy, and yes, are a kind of torment. Therefore I’m trying to get rid of them and apply this verse:

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (I Peter 5:7)

Helping People Without Enabling

A friend gave me the following definition for enabling: “Doing things for people that they need to be doing for themselves.” In trying to help people, I have often fallen into this trap. I call it a trap because it doesn’t work; what ends up happening is that I do things for the person but feel resentful, while the other person enjoys having things done for him/her, resents me for babying him/her, or in most cases, some combination of the two. In seeking a way out of this trap, I use the following Scripture as a guideline:

Galatians 6:2,5 “Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ … for each one should carry his own load.”

At first glance, this may seem like a contradiction, but it is not. The Greek word translated “burdens” is baros, which means “weight” or “heavy”, while the Greek word translated “load” is phortion which means “a task or service”. We are to help people carry burdens which are heavy on them; the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, etc. while each adult is to shoulder his or her own personal responsibilities (supporting him or herself, managing money, etc.). When helping people in crisis, take note of whether it is a normal event, or a repetitive situation caused by their own choices. If the latter, the goal should be to help them move toward responsible independence, or rather, appropriate interdependence – on God and on others. Not doing so creates unhealthy dependency which is not good for either party. Compassionate people with the gift of mercy are particularly prone to enabling. If you think you might be prone to this, ask yourself before helping someone, “Is this something that the person needs to be doing for himself?” [I wish there was a gender neutral possessive pronoun in English that could be applied to people]. If so, don’t do it. You will actually be helping the other person more by encouraging him to grow as a person by taking personal responsibility.

Example:
Helping: encouraging someone who is looking for a job, holding him/her accountable if necessary
Enabling: finding a job for someone

Again, I find that asking myself the question helps clarify the appropriate action in each situation. There may be other circumstances to be considered, such as mental illness, and someone who has not been used to taking personal responsibility for himself is going to take some time to learn how, but in general I find that people tend to be capable of more than we think they are and rise to the occasion.

24/7 Worship

Since I discovered it last night, I have been watching video off and on of "Harp and Bowl" style worship and intercession (Rev. 5:8) in the Prayer Room at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City. It is amazing. I did not know that this existed. The huge majority of those worshipping and praying are young people late 20's to younger. There are several choices available, including audio only, but I'm glad I went for the video as it is extremely moving to see young people pouring out their hearts to God. According to the web site, you can try the service out free for seven days (I subscribed for a month of video for $10). The web site is www.ihop.org.

An addendum to my original post:

As I continue to watch this, I realize that some people are not going to like it at all, and that's OK. I have been sampling it for less than 24 hours so I don't know all of the content but from what I have seen so far there are a lot of repetitive praise choruses, so be forewarned. In fact, what I have seen is almost purely emotive expression (except for a part where young people lined up and prayed short prayers into the microphone, but those were fervent as well). I think that there's a place for emotive expression to God just like there's a place for apologetics presentations. I have a mind and I have emotions and I'm trying to figure out how to live in an appropriate balance. I wouldn't want to live in "The Prayer Room" at IHOP 100% of the time, but it's a place that I enjoy visiting.

It’s Hard to Help People

Recently I went to a conference for faith-based organizations. The lunchtime speaker (Tracy Williams), who was quite humorous, said “It’s hard to help people!” I laughed quite hard (I think the people I was with at the conference thought that was a bit strange). The reason I laughed so hard is because it’s true! It’s hard to help people! And the principal reason why is because so many times, people don’t want to be helped! How many times have I seen things like an addict consumed by his addiction or a parent enabling her adult child, and my heart goes out to them. They are so in need of truth and freedom! But until the Holy Spirit convicts and shows them that fact, the best way we can help is to pray. Although we can do things like offer a struggling person support and accountability, or suggest that they go to a support group or Christian counselor, which may help if the person is truly motivated to change, in my experience, a breakthrough rarely occurs that way. Most people (including myself) have to come to the end of their rope, and the end of themselves, and cry out to Jesus for help – and then He answers and starts to do His work. That’s when we can come alongside a person. I am exactly the same way. I am so stubborn and willful that the Lord has had to practically break me in half in a major way at least three times over the course of my life to bring me back into intimate fellowship with Him (and he does so in less dramatic ways on a continual basis). But He is always faithful to do so. All praise and glory to Him.

Weak or Strong?

Consider the following (italics mine):

And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God … I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling.

Now I … myself urge you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ--I who am meek when face to face with you, but bold toward you when absent!

[The Greek word translated above “meek” is “tapeinos” which means:
depressed, i.e. (figuratively) humiliated (in circumstances or disposition), base, cast down, humble, of low degree (estate), lowly. Reference: http://strongsnumbers.com/greek/5011.htm]

To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.

The above Scripture references are from:
I Cor 2:1,3 (TNIV)
2 Cor 10:1 (NASB)
2 Cor 12:7-10 (NIV)
Hebrews 11:32-34 (NIV)

They were all written by the Apostle Paul, that hard-charging, fearless … wait, is that really what Paul was like? I always thought so, but I Cor 2:1-3 in particular got me wondering. Notice the theme of weakness in the verses above. Could it be that Paul was not always fearless, but was one who used his weakness to bring glory to God as his weakness was turned to strength?

Quotes That I Like

I think I will keep adding to this post periodically, because I like quotes. Where I do not know the attribution, I have not given one.

Lack of meaning does not come from being weary of pain, but being weary of pleasure.
G. K. Chesterton

Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.
C.S. Lewis

Humility is not thinking less of yourself. Humility is thinking of yourself less.
Rick Warren

I fear the materialism of the West more than the persecution of the East.
A Chinese pastor

God keeps giving Himself as long as we keep bringing that into which He can pour Himself. When we stop bringing, He stops pouring.
Alexander McClaren

God does only what we can't.
James MacDonald

The problem with Christianity is not that it has been tried and found wanting, but that it has been found difficult and left untried.
G.K. Chesterton

People are wounded in relationship and healed in relationship.

God builds His Kingdom through gifts of friendship.
John Dawson

Christianity is not a set of beliefs, but a relationship with the living Christ.
Josh McDowell

God made me for a purpose, for China. But He also made me fast, and when I run I feel His pleasure.
Eric Liddell

He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.
Jim Elliot

Choose to sin, choose to suffer.
James MacDonald

Common sense ain't common, and you are proof of that.
Jim Peters' (comedian/musicianary) Dad

Are you willing to become what you never had?
Iverna Tompkins

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

Nothing changes if nothing changes.

Here I go ...

I finally feel led to start a blog - thanks to Ron, Doug, Danny, Mary Lee, and Darrell for the modeling which provided inspiration.