Friday, February 25, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Death in the Garden
The second chapter of Genesis God gave Adam every tree that was pleasing to the eye and good for food (Gen 2:9). However, God commanded Adam to not eat of the tree in the middle of the garden, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for in the day that he eats of this tree he will surely die (Gen 2:17). Adam, of course, does eat (Gen 3:6), but He goes on living to the ripe old age of 930 (Gen 5:5). But God could not have been wrong though Adam lived on. Something died to be sure, but the question that demands an answer is what died. This question is generally given the answer that it is a "spiritual death" that took place, though ultimately a physical one followed. This is true enough, but it is quick answer with little elaboration for such an important question. Without jumping too far down the "rabbit whole," I want to explore this "spiritual life" that passed away.
To have life in the garden was to live in paradise. This is true more so because of the fellowship that God had with His creation in that time before the fall than the notions of what the garden in Eden might have been like actually. All creation, man, beast and the plants existed with no barrier between them and God and between each other. This merry state of things was wrecked by the "fall," and since then "...the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of child birth right up to the present time (Rom 8:22). Man's existence was one of perfect communion and harmony with creation - the dream of every hippie worth their dreadlocks - as well as a perfect communion and harmony with the creator. Man enjoyed God to the fullest extent that his humanity allowed, and God delighted in man. This was life and life abundantly as God had designed it and pronounced it good.
It must be noted that man, first and foremost, is a spirit. Now this is where the rabbit whole can get impossibly deep. Suffice it to say the spirit is that part of us that wills, dreams, imagines, creates and has the capacity to perceive other spirits, in those around us and ultimately in God. The Hebrew word for breath, as in when God breathed the "breath" of life into man and he became a living being, is synonymous with spirit. It is a gift from God and separates us from the rest of creation. It is also part of the imago dei, that part of us that makes us, as Tozer says, "in little (our sins excepted) what God is in large." As such, as Tozer also points out, our hearts cannot find rest until they find rest in God. Our spirit is most fully alive when in perfect fellowship with the divine, and from the divine alone is the spirit given life.
In the Garden man's spirit and flesh were united, there was no war between them as Paul speaks of in his epistles. And they, together, could enjoy fully God and His presence. The rebellion at the tree threw the proverbial wrench into the clockworks. What died in the garden was the wondrous life that man was created for and was created to enjoy with God. It wasn't simply the death of some intangible, metaphysical essence that lies shriveled and decayed within us - whatever that means - until Christ quickens us. For the spirit persists, still dreams, still imagines, creates, wills and so on. But it is the slave of sin and death, and this dead-life is one of emptiness, futility, vanity and things that do not satisfy. One need only a brief glance across the landscape of our world at spirits that are dead to see what this looks like. Some might even recall that reality for themselves.
So God, of course, was absolutely right and, as is always the case, His words truer than we can imagine. The reality of this "spiritual death" is far greater than that of physical death as man is a spirit with a body, not the other way around. It is a death most grievous to God and most devastating to man.
How wondrously and inexpressibly magnificent is it, then, that God lovingly sent his son to redeem this "stiff necked people" people and restore to them, in His words, "life and life abundantly." But what does that look like? And, though we have access to it through the cross of Christ, how do we take possession of it?
To have life in the garden was to live in paradise. This is true more so because of the fellowship that God had with His creation in that time before the fall than the notions of what the garden in Eden might have been like actually. All creation, man, beast and the plants existed with no barrier between them and God and between each other. This merry state of things was wrecked by the "fall," and since then "...the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of child birth right up to the present time (Rom 8:22). Man's existence was one of perfect communion and harmony with creation - the dream of every hippie worth their dreadlocks - as well as a perfect communion and harmony with the creator. Man enjoyed God to the fullest extent that his humanity allowed, and God delighted in man. This was life and life abundantly as God had designed it and pronounced it good.
It must be noted that man, first and foremost, is a spirit. Now this is where the rabbit whole can get impossibly deep. Suffice it to say the spirit is that part of us that wills, dreams, imagines, creates and has the capacity to perceive other spirits, in those around us and ultimately in God. The Hebrew word for breath, as in when God breathed the "breath" of life into man and he became a living being, is synonymous with spirit. It is a gift from God and separates us from the rest of creation. It is also part of the imago dei, that part of us that makes us, as Tozer says, "in little (our sins excepted) what God is in large." As such, as Tozer also points out, our hearts cannot find rest until they find rest in God. Our spirit is most fully alive when in perfect fellowship with the divine, and from the divine alone is the spirit given life.
In the Garden man's spirit and flesh were united, there was no war between them as Paul speaks of in his epistles. And they, together, could enjoy fully God and His presence. The rebellion at the tree threw the proverbial wrench into the clockworks. What died in the garden was the wondrous life that man was created for and was created to enjoy with God. It wasn't simply the death of some intangible, metaphysical essence that lies shriveled and decayed within us - whatever that means - until Christ quickens us. For the spirit persists, still dreams, still imagines, creates, wills and so on. But it is the slave of sin and death, and this dead-life is one of emptiness, futility, vanity and things that do not satisfy. One need only a brief glance across the landscape of our world at spirits that are dead to see what this looks like. Some might even recall that reality for themselves.
So God, of course, was absolutely right and, as is always the case, His words truer than we can imagine. The reality of this "spiritual death" is far greater than that of physical death as man is a spirit with a body, not the other way around. It is a death most grievous to God and most devastating to man.
How wondrously and inexpressibly magnificent is it, then, that God lovingly sent his son to redeem this "stiff necked people" people and restore to them, in His words, "life and life abundantly." But what does that look like? And, though we have access to it through the cross of Christ, how do we take possession of it?
Sunday, February 13, 2011
On Tolerance: A Response
This post is a response to a comment made by a dear friend of mine on my last post “Intolerant Love.” I am very appreciative of the comment. If you have not read that post or the comments, I would encourage you to do so before reading this one.
It seems to me that the greater part of our disagreement is due to differing understandings of “tolerance.” I wish to clear this up and, it is hoped, alleviate the disagreement as well.
I believe I understand where the notion of tolerance as “hesitation between judgment of someone or something and acting on that judgment.” It is similar conceptually, i believe, to the idea of having a “high tolerance for pain.” That is, generally speaking, there is a certain amount of negative words or actions that one can “take” and maintain civility so to speak. This buffer of time allows for intentional action, or perhaps inaction, to be taken rather than a reaction from emotion that might be equally as angering or hurtful to the other person. However, I would call this grace and mercy rather than tolerance. When someone says or does something to me, or toward me, that invokes anger, hopefully I am gracious toward that person and extend mercy to them by not reacting with what, I may feel, he or she deserves. This is what allows me the opportunity to be intentional in my action and chose a loving response. But grace and mercy, along with my application of them, say nothing about the fact that what this person said or did was wrong or at least out of place or misguided. In such cases I may endure such words or deeds and be gracious and merciful, but I am not “tolerant” of what was said or done.
It must be pointed out also that the scenario, which I had in mind in “Intolerant Love,” is different from one in which I, personally or generally, have been slighted by someone’s word or deed. What I had in mind is a situation where one individual holds certain opinions, world view, ideas etc. with which another individual disagrees. And in particular I was considering a situation in which scriptural truth are involved. In such cases one view right and the opposing view is wrong. Although, I do believe that the principle of “grace” and “mercy” is similarly applicable in both scenarios.
Tolerance, as the prevailing voice of society—at least down here—defines and seems to require of “civilized” folk, is quite different in its essential nature than grace and mercy. Although the two may outwardly seem similar, which may be the cause for the confusion, they are not. Tolerance has, I think, two roots from which it grows. One root is that the line between what is right and wrong, correct and incorrect, moral and immoral and so on have been blurred or altogether lost as it seems that “in the current world of accepted knowledge one can’t even know the truth of a moral theory or principle, much less a specific rule.”[1] This notion, that there is a general inability to define right and wrong and so on along with the suspicion that such distinctions don’t exist outside of personal preference, allows one to be indifferent.
There are also two areas of application here. One, which is of greater importance to me personally, is how this idea of “intolerant love” plays out within the fellowship of the saints, which is to say among fellow Christians. The other is how this is played out between the “Church” and the “world.” These two areas and how they relate may be the topic of some later discourse, but it is sufficient here to note them only.
Ephesians 4:15 exhorts the church to “[speak] the truth in love. And loving your neighbor as yourself is the second greatest commandment according to Christ Jesus (Matthew 22:29). As fellow carriers of the Good News of Christ Jesus we are told, within the confines of the church at least, to “correct” those who have wrong ideas about God, Christ Jesus and The Gospel, “rebuke” those who are engaged in sinful and unrighteous behavior and “encourage” all to be strong in the faith and continue to grow in fellowship with God and each other (II Timothy 4:2) Truth, which, by itself, is definitely a topic for a later discussion, especially in a world saturated with lies and untruths, is by its very nature intolerant and confrontational, and so must love be at times. The church is not called to tolerate and allow false doctrine to persist or sinful behavior to go unchecked. We are called to, with grace, mercy and an attitude of love to confront these issues. The end of II Timothy 4:2 says to do this with “great patience and careful instruction.”
This, I hope, clears up what I mean by tolerance and perhaps better explains the notion of intolerant love. There is more that might be said and perhaps what has been said could be better devised. Again I appreciate and encourage comments, especially those of disagreement.
[1] The Divine Conspiracy: Dallas Willard from HarperOne publishing, 1997. Page 5
It seems to me that the greater part of our disagreement is due to differing understandings of “tolerance.” I wish to clear this up and, it is hoped, alleviate the disagreement as well.
I believe I understand where the notion of tolerance as “hesitation between judgment of someone or something and acting on that judgment.” It is similar conceptually, i believe, to the idea of having a “high tolerance for pain.” That is, generally speaking, there is a certain amount of negative words or actions that one can “take” and maintain civility so to speak. This buffer of time allows for intentional action, or perhaps inaction, to be taken rather than a reaction from emotion that might be equally as angering or hurtful to the other person. However, I would call this grace and mercy rather than tolerance. When someone says or does something to me, or toward me, that invokes anger, hopefully I am gracious toward that person and extend mercy to them by not reacting with what, I may feel, he or she deserves. This is what allows me the opportunity to be intentional in my action and chose a loving response. But grace and mercy, along with my application of them, say nothing about the fact that what this person said or did was wrong or at least out of place or misguided. In such cases I may endure such words or deeds and be gracious and merciful, but I am not “tolerant” of what was said or done.
It must be pointed out also that the scenario, which I had in mind in “Intolerant Love,” is different from one in which I, personally or generally, have been slighted by someone’s word or deed. What I had in mind is a situation where one individual holds certain opinions, world view, ideas etc. with which another individual disagrees. And in particular I was considering a situation in which scriptural truth are involved. In such cases one view right and the opposing view is wrong. Although, I do believe that the principle of “grace” and “mercy” is similarly applicable in both scenarios.
Tolerance, as the prevailing voice of society—at least down here—defines and seems to require of “civilized” folk, is quite different in its essential nature than grace and mercy. Although the two may outwardly seem similar, which may be the cause for the confusion, they are not. Tolerance has, I think, two roots from which it grows. One root is that the line between what is right and wrong, correct and incorrect, moral and immoral and so on have been blurred or altogether lost as it seems that “in the current world of accepted knowledge one can’t even know the truth of a moral theory or principle, much less a specific rule.”[1] This notion, that there is a general inability to define right and wrong and so on along with the suspicion that such distinctions don’t exist outside of personal preference, allows one to be indifferent.
There are also two areas of application here. One, which is of greater importance to me personally, is how this idea of “intolerant love” plays out within the fellowship of the saints, which is to say among fellow Christians. The other is how this is played out between the “Church” and the “world.” These two areas and how they relate may be the topic of some later discourse, but it is sufficient here to note them only.
Ephesians 4:15 exhorts the church to “[speak] the truth in love. And loving your neighbor as yourself is the second greatest commandment according to Christ Jesus (Matthew 22:29). As fellow carriers of the Good News of Christ Jesus we are told, within the confines of the church at least, to “correct” those who have wrong ideas about God, Christ Jesus and The Gospel, “rebuke” those who are engaged in sinful and unrighteous behavior and “encourage” all to be strong in the faith and continue to grow in fellowship with God and each other (II Timothy 4:2) Truth, which, by itself, is definitely a topic for a later discussion, especially in a world saturated with lies and untruths, is by its very nature intolerant and confrontational, and so must love be at times. The church is not called to tolerate and allow false doctrine to persist or sinful behavior to go unchecked. We are called to, with grace, mercy and an attitude of love to confront these issues. The end of II Timothy 4:2 says to do this with “great patience and careful instruction.”
This, I hope, clears up what I mean by tolerance and perhaps better explains the notion of intolerant love. There is more that might be said and perhaps what has been said could be better devised. Again I appreciate and encourage comments, especially those of disagreement.
[1] The Divine Conspiracy: Dallas Willard from HarperOne publishing, 1997. Page 5
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Intolerant Love
Tolerance, nowadays, seems to be the highest of moral virtues. This world is full of over six billion people and counting. These people are diverse in language, culture, appearance, religion, interests, philosophy..... In fact every discipline, theory, idea taste etc. is a point where people differ from one another. This idea of tolerance, therefore, appears to be noble in character and indeed necessary for all of us to get along in this world without completely obliterating ourselves. But as is regularly the case the "virtue" of tolerance is a deception of the enemy.
Christians are called to "Love your neighbor as yourself." Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 19:19, 22:39, Mark 12:31,33 Luke 10:27-37, Romans 13:9, Galatians 5:14 and others verses all testify to this law, which is the second greatest command according to Jesus! This "love" is the agape love of God. Jesus said that we will be known as his disciples when we show this kind of love toward each other. But does this concept of love include tolerance? Does God ever look down and tolerate any of us, from Billy Graham to Charles Manson? No indeed! Praise be to God. What we have from God through his love is not tolerance but grace and mercy. Two people can have vastly differing views on musical tastes, but they can both be gracious toward the other and the person God has created them to be. And in cases where one is in error, perhaps over something of great importance, there is grace to love that person mercifully in their error.
Tolerance has been brought to you by post-modernity and most particularly by the rise of "relativism." No doubt this post-modern mantra is familiar. "That may be "truth" for you, and that belief may work for you, but for me it doesn't." These words, or words close to them, are to say ultimately that there is no truth at all (a topic for another discussion), and, therefore, there is no right way. This concept has spawned the virtue of tolerance, which the enemy has sugar coated so that it would seem good, but it stands in opposition to the love that Christians are called to.
Today, due to the "virtue" of tolerance the great sin in Western Culture is the sin of offending someone. People should be quite happy to "live and let live." If you want to inject yourself with chemicals and go off the deep end, then that is fine just so long as it doesn't effect my life." Think about that statement! What a loveless unloving attitude bereft of any Godliness. Yet this is the prevailing sentiment in the modern world.
The Greek word translated as church in the New Testament literally means 'called out." Romans 12:2 exhorts Christians to not re-assimilate themselves back into the world, but to diligently work to be transformed through renewing the mind. The Church is not called to be unoffensive or tolerant, but to boldly "preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching" in II Timothy 4:2 and to speak the truth in love in Ephesians 4:15.
The Church has been duped by the enemy, who has confused the reality between Love and Tolerance. Tolerance really is the opposite of love, which isn't hate, but indifference. Tolerance says I don't care. You do what you want to. Whereas love says I definitely care, and care enough to save you from whatever darkness.
This post is due, in part, to the preaching of my pastor. So thank you Mike Glenn for your leadership and dedication to God's word.
Christians are called to "Love your neighbor as yourself." Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 19:19, 22:39, Mark 12:31,33 Luke 10:27-37, Romans 13:9, Galatians 5:14 and others verses all testify to this law, which is the second greatest command according to Jesus! This "love" is the agape love of God. Jesus said that we will be known as his disciples when we show this kind of love toward each other. But does this concept of love include tolerance? Does God ever look down and tolerate any of us, from Billy Graham to Charles Manson? No indeed! Praise be to God. What we have from God through his love is not tolerance but grace and mercy. Two people can have vastly differing views on musical tastes, but they can both be gracious toward the other and the person God has created them to be. And in cases where one is in error, perhaps over something of great importance, there is grace to love that person mercifully in their error.
Tolerance has been brought to you by post-modernity and most particularly by the rise of "relativism." No doubt this post-modern mantra is familiar. "That may be "truth" for you, and that belief may work for you, but for me it doesn't." These words, or words close to them, are to say ultimately that there is no truth at all (a topic for another discussion), and, therefore, there is no right way. This concept has spawned the virtue of tolerance, which the enemy has sugar coated so that it would seem good, but it stands in opposition to the love that Christians are called to.
Today, due to the "virtue" of tolerance the great sin in Western Culture is the sin of offending someone. People should be quite happy to "live and let live." If you want to inject yourself with chemicals and go off the deep end, then that is fine just so long as it doesn't effect my life." Think about that statement! What a loveless unloving attitude bereft of any Godliness. Yet this is the prevailing sentiment in the modern world.
The Greek word translated as church in the New Testament literally means 'called out." Romans 12:2 exhorts Christians to not re-assimilate themselves back into the world, but to diligently work to be transformed through renewing the mind. The Church is not called to be unoffensive or tolerant, but to boldly "preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching" in II Timothy 4:2 and to speak the truth in love in Ephesians 4:15.
The Church has been duped by the enemy, who has confused the reality between Love and Tolerance. Tolerance really is the opposite of love, which isn't hate, but indifference. Tolerance says I don't care. You do what you want to. Whereas love says I definitely care, and care enough to save you from whatever darkness.
This post is due, in part, to the preaching of my pastor. So thank you Mike Glenn for your leadership and dedication to God's word.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
What else do you feed yourself?
Not only is it important that we actively and intentional seek to fill ourselves with wholesome truths from scripture like the promises and assurances that we from God. It is also vital to the Christian Soul to actively and intentionally filter what he or she sees, hears or reads. Philippians 4:8 exhorts us to think on "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable--if there is any moral excellence, and if there is any praise--dwell on these things." Yet so often in our world today, a world of the endless noise of mass media that bombards our senses most every waking hour, much of what we take in would not make it into the list above.
Recently I caught the first few minutes of a TV show, a a rare occurrence as I do not have a TV where I live. This show happens to be the most popular comedy sitcom on TV. The first four minutes, even before the opening credits, were pretty much filled with immorality. Now I enjoy movies and television as much as the next guy. It is now so commonplace to make light of immorality and display impurity in jest. Violence, greed, sex, lust, adultery and the the manifold vices that our flesh is plagued with are glorified in stunning High Def in prime time. Romans 12:2 Says that we should "not be conformed to this world," but this world beckons ceaselessly from every medium calling for our conformity.
Reading scripture and listening to messages from the Word are immeasurably necessary as has been mentioned. But what about the other things that we take in? The magazines, news, TV shows, movies and the incessant 24-7 mass media that surrounds us. Are we as careful about what we allow ourselves to see, hear and read as many are about the food that they eat? Subtly and not so subtly the noise that surrounds us is not without its effect. Our Culture is increasingly being lulled into a indifferent stupor that is numb to this noise. And with the statistics of divorce, drug use, depression being more or less the same between Christians and non-Christians it is clear that we have conformed.
The second part of Romans 12:2 tells us to "be transformed by the renewing of your mind." We renew our mind by what we put into it, and what we thinking about. Almost always what we think about depends on what we put into our minds to begin with. So be careful little eyes what you seen, and be careful little ears what you hear... We are called to be a people set apart and different, and our mission is to change the world, not be changed by it.
Recently I caught the first few minutes of a TV show, a a rare occurrence as I do not have a TV where I live. This show happens to be the most popular comedy sitcom on TV. The first four minutes, even before the opening credits, were pretty much filled with immorality. Now I enjoy movies and television as much as the next guy. It is now so commonplace to make light of immorality and display impurity in jest. Violence, greed, sex, lust, adultery and the the manifold vices that our flesh is plagued with are glorified in stunning High Def in prime time. Romans 12:2 Says that we should "not be conformed to this world," but this world beckons ceaselessly from every medium calling for our conformity.
Reading scripture and listening to messages from the Word are immeasurably necessary as has been mentioned. But what about the other things that we take in? The magazines, news, TV shows, movies and the incessant 24-7 mass media that surrounds us. Are we as careful about what we allow ourselves to see, hear and read as many are about the food that they eat? Subtly and not so subtly the noise that surrounds us is not without its effect. Our Culture is increasingly being lulled into a indifferent stupor that is numb to this noise. And with the statistics of divorce, drug use, depression being more or less the same between Christians and non-Christians it is clear that we have conformed.
The second part of Romans 12:2 tells us to "be transformed by the renewing of your mind." We renew our mind by what we put into it, and what we thinking about. Almost always what we think about depends on what we put into our minds to begin with. So be careful little eyes what you seen, and be careful little ears what you hear... We are called to be a people set apart and different, and our mission is to change the world, not be changed by it.
Dear Lord,
Help us o discern the things that we observe and
hear with wisdom, and give us the grace
to turn off the noise that surrounds us and to seek
things true, honorable, just, pure, lovely and commendable.
In Christs name, Amen
Saturday, January 22, 2011
What do you feed yourself?
There is an Old saying that most, if not all, will be very familiar with. It is the mealtime mantra of mothers and the health conscious. "You are what you eat." Though this is very true and proven to be important for a health lifestyle and physical training, it is also true for food of a different sort. "For physical training is of some value, but godliness has a value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” (I Timothy 4:8) What we feed ourselves, that is what we listen to, read, and watch, from the quit whisperings of the enemy to the noisome bombardment of twenty first century twenty-four-seven multimedia has a profound effect on the spirit and the soul with far reaching effects into our life.
Quite recently I came across an intriguing statement. I am not sure if I read it or heard it from one of the many preachers I enjoy listening to on Moody Radio throughout the week, but the statement, more or less, was this. “Our problem is that we spend more time listening to ourselves rather than talking to ourselves.” As is often case, if one is careful enough in observation, profundity exists in the obvious. This has certainly been a struggle for me through some of the harder seasons of my life. A good friend and counselor of mine has often said “what you feel and what you think will lie to you.” What is whispered to our self from our hearts and minds and our environment is frequently hijacked by the enemy, the “father of lies.” Quietly, if we are not wary enough to perceive it, these whispers will breed a decay of the soul which leads to fear, doubt, loss of joy, loss of peace and to despair. Think about the last trial you faced, or the one you are facing. What did you hear from yourself? For me it was often discouraging banter. Lies such as, “this is a hole you will never get out of,” “You will never finish paying for this mistake,” “God is surely unhappy with you,” “you always fail, and always will,” are just a handful of the destructive whispers that I would hear while listening to myself. What about you? What whispers do you hear in trials, mistakes or difficulties?
The weapon against the discouraging lies we hear when listening to ourselves is speaking truth to ourselves. A very wise woman that I know told me often when I was facing various trials that Truth needed to be spoken into my life. But, to speak the truth into our lives we must first, of course, know that truth. Lies hold us captive but “the truth will set [us] free.” This truth is God, and is found in His word. This is why it is vital to Christian survival to be in God’s word and be in it regularly. It is there we discover the truth of God’s goodly nature and His promises to us. These words are strong rocks to stand on, the strongest in fact (consider Matthew 8:24-27). The scriptures are filled from Genesis to Revelation with promises God has made to His children and the truths of His nature. Psalm 23, Isaiah 43, Psalm 27:13, John 16:33 and many other passages present these promises and truths. Indeed the whole of scripture is one grand promise whose fulfillment is found in the central character of Christ who redeemed us to Himself.
Knowing the truth is one thing. Regularly reading God's word and memorizing it is very healthy. It feeds the spirit and nourishes the soul. However, it must be believed and trusted, and it must be listened to. Instead of listening to yourself, which is quite passive and easy and takes little effort, you have to actively work at speaking truth to yourself. It takes a concerted effort and considerable discipline, whatever the situation or season you come to, to develop the practice of speaking truth to yourself. It is a choice to turn away from lies and grab a hold on the truth moment to moment and day to day.
Quite recently I came across an intriguing statement. I am not sure if I read it or heard it from one of the many preachers I enjoy listening to on Moody Radio throughout the week, but the statement, more or less, was this. “Our problem is that we spend more time listening to ourselves rather than talking to ourselves.” As is often case, if one is careful enough in observation, profundity exists in the obvious. This has certainly been a struggle for me through some of the harder seasons of my life. A good friend and counselor of mine has often said “what you feel and what you think will lie to you.” What is whispered to our self from our hearts and minds and our environment is frequently hijacked by the enemy, the “father of lies.” Quietly, if we are not wary enough to perceive it, these whispers will breed a decay of the soul which leads to fear, doubt, loss of joy, loss of peace and to despair. Think about the last trial you faced, or the one you are facing. What did you hear from yourself? For me it was often discouraging banter. Lies such as, “this is a hole you will never get out of,” “You will never finish paying for this mistake,” “God is surely unhappy with you,” “you always fail, and always will,” are just a handful of the destructive whispers that I would hear while listening to myself. What about you? What whispers do you hear in trials, mistakes or difficulties?
The weapon against the discouraging lies we hear when listening to ourselves is speaking truth to ourselves. A very wise woman that I know told me often when I was facing various trials that Truth needed to be spoken into my life. But, to speak the truth into our lives we must first, of course, know that truth. Lies hold us captive but “the truth will set [us] free.” This truth is God, and is found in His word. This is why it is vital to Christian survival to be in God’s word and be in it regularly. It is there we discover the truth of God’s goodly nature and His promises to us. These words are strong rocks to stand on, the strongest in fact (consider Matthew 8:24-27). The scriptures are filled from Genesis to Revelation with promises God has made to His children and the truths of His nature. Psalm 23, Isaiah 43, Psalm 27:13, John 16:33 and many other passages present these promises and truths. Indeed the whole of scripture is one grand promise whose fulfillment is found in the central character of Christ who redeemed us to Himself.
Knowing the truth is one thing. Regularly reading God's word and memorizing it is very healthy. It feeds the spirit and nourishes the soul. However, it must be believed and trusted, and it must be listened to. Instead of listening to yourself, which is quite passive and easy and takes little effort, you have to actively work at speaking truth to yourself. It takes a concerted effort and considerable discipline, whatever the situation or season you come to, to develop the practice of speaking truth to yourself. It is a choice to turn away from lies and grab a hold on the truth moment to moment and day to day.
Dear Lord,
Thank you for your word, which is so vibrant with your "great
and precious promises" and your many truths. I pray that all of us develop
the regular practice of speaking THE Truth, your truth into our lives. There
will be hard times in this world, but you have overcome the world. You walk with us
through every season. May you give us eyes to see your presence, and ears to hear
your voice.
Amen
Saturday, January 15, 2011
The Fundamentals: Part two
Previously I posed “Fundamentals: Part One.” If you have not yet read that post I suggest that you do before reading this one. I would also like to briefly follow up that post with one further point about reading God’s word. To simply read the words on the pages of your Bible is not “digging” into the word of God and does not have any great effect on the soul of the reader. One can briefly skim over the words of scripture without encountering the divine. It is not some item to be marked off our religious check list of holy activities. Jesus spoke of those who have ears and hear but do not listen. There is a similar distinction when approaching scripture. One can read the words, memorize them even, but they do not take them in or to heart. In Psalm 1:2; 119:15, 97 we are presented with the idea of “meditating” on God’s word. This is reading with desire to know God (not about Him). The second part to this is that we must “be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving [ourselves]. Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking for His own face in a mirror… But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but one who does good works—this person will be blessed in what he does James 1:22-25 (HCSB).” Suffice it to say that in reading God’s word I mean to say that one should intently study it and actively seek the voice of God. This is accomplished through prayer.
Most are familiar with the term prayer. It is central to the western religious traditions and many others. Prayer ranges from the panic stricken cry to God in the midst of great strife or disaster to the deep cry of a broken spirit to the heights of praise and adoration of the divine. But people, even Christians have varied ideas of what prayer is and what its purpose is. This is what I hope to address here.
The old testament word that is most often translated as “pray” is פָּלַל or pālal, a derivative of this word תְּפִלָּה The word פָּלַל is related to the verb “to judge,” but indicates the notion of entreating with or appealing to someone, most likely a superior. In the new testament we have προσεύχομαι, or proseuchomai, which comes from two Greek words πρός, which is a stronger form of πρό and means “toward” or “with regards to” and εὔχομαι or euchomai, which is the word for a “wish”, “petition” and “request.” Classically it is the technical term for calling on, or to, a deity. It literally means to make a wish towards or petition towards. In both the Old and New Testament the term prayer suggest the idea making a request to someone who has authority.
So, first and foremost, prayer is an act of submission. If one makes an appeal to a judge, a king or superior, he or she is in effect stating that he or she does not have the authority or power to bring about whatever it is that is being asked about. This is very important to keep in mind when thinking about praying. Prayer is an act of worship and praise because it gives God honor and glory by ascribing to him power and authority in our lives and submitting to that power and authority. Whatever it is we do when we prayer performs this function if our prayers are the true prayer of a humble heart. If God is thanked, then He is thanked for something that He did in and of himself, something that only He can do. If He is praised, then that praise due to His nature in His own being. If He is asked to perform some act, He is asked because He alone is sovereign, has the knowledge, wisdom and power to act. What a wonderful gift this is to the children of God.
A second aspect of prayer's purpose in our life is that it is a time where we quiet our mind, heart and soul and where God speaks to us, imparts wisdom and discernment. The Holy spirit, which searches the deep things of God (I Corinthians 2:10) prompts and guides us. Prayer is not just the act of submitting our requests to God, thought that is part of it. It is a time when we get alone with God, as Jesus often did, and hear from him as he speaks to our hearts. It is likely that no audible voice will be heard from heaven. What will be heard is the patient loving voice of the creator that brings peace, comfort, love, and joy to the hearer as well as instruction and admonition. It is the place we go to to align our hearts and minds to the will of our father who is in heaven. So that we can better understand His word, this world and our place in His kingdom
Ultimately we find that prayer changes us. We go to God with our complaints, concerns and desires. And through the process we humble ourselves before our maker, listen to His voice and find that we have been changed though whatever situation or issue we are praying about may remain the same. We may pray through tough times and find those tough time remains, but what we also find is that God's grace is sufficient and he is as near as our next breath.
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