I heard a distinguished author being interviewed on radio. He stopped believing in God because the Bible didn’t answer his questions about the problem of human suffering.
As I thought about his words, they seemed to raise an interesting question for the author and others. Do we only believe in God if he answers all our questions? What kind of God would he be if we can put him on trial and reserve the right to banish him if we don’t hear from him what satisfies us? Am I missing something or doesn’t giving our conditions to God and saying “I expect you to meet them,” lead to a god who couldn’t possibly be spelled with a capital “G”?
Recently a man told me he wanted my help in overcoming his arrogance. He sees something the famous author seems to be missing. Sure, many of us struggle with the suffering that comes from earthquakes, storms, drought, poverty, disease and the like.
But we have crossed the line from honest questions to arrogant posturing when we say to the Creator we are considering, “You won’t get my trust unless I decide that you have done the right thing.”
I am reminded of Paul’s words in Romans 11:
"Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?"
35"Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay him?"
36For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.
From reading the Book of Psalms I would say God has no problem with our questions. From reading the whole of Scripture I would say he has a big problem with our arrogance.
Focus Scriptures
Job 38:1-7
Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said:
2"Who is this that darkens my counsel
with words without knowledge?
3Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.
4"Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.
5Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?
6On what were its footings set,
or who laid its cornerstone--
7while the morning stars sang together
Job 42:1-3
42:1Then Job replied to the LORD:
2"I know that you can do all things;
no plan of yours can be thwarted.
3You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?'
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.
3/21/10
3/14/10
God's Book of Poems
Last week, I told you that we were able to hear John Ortberg talk about Christians being “God’s workmanship,” making the point that disciples are never mass-produced; they are handcrafted by God, with each of us being uniquely formed. The word for “workmanship” in Ephesians 2 is the Greek poiēma, from which we get the English “poem.”
With this in mind I have asked Sheila to share with you something she blogged about on “My Bucket of Sand.”, following up on these thoughts…
With this in mind I have asked Sheila to share with you something she blogged about on “My Bucket of Sand.”, following up on these thoughts…
-----
As I reflect upon the fact that all poems are completely original and individual, just as people are, I am encouraged in two ways.
First, it reminds me that I am special to God. He loves me, quirks and all. And as I yield myself to him, he is handcrafting me into the “me” he has prepared me to be.
Second, it reminds me that every person is special to God. Think about another disciple whom you find it difficult to like, maybe one who really gets on your nerves. Now think of a person you genuinely like and are eager to spend time with. Each one is God’s poiēma. Each one is being handcrafted by the God of Creation to be exactly who he or she was born to be.
I know what it feels like to share poems I have written. There is a certain vulnerability, a fear of rejection and a flush of victory in the risk.
As God shares his poems with each of us, every day, in our interactions with others, let’s remember to listen to the heart of the poem, and not to judge its style or delivery. Let’s try to look more through the Poet’s eyes and less through our own.
Psalm 139:1-16
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.
O Lord, you have searched me
and you know me.
[2] You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
[3] You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
[4] Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O Lord.
[5] You hem me in--behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.
[6] Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
[7] Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
[8] If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
[9] If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
[10] even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
[11] If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"
[12] even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
[13] For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
[14] I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
[15] My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
[16] your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
3/7/10
Uniquely You
Have you ever heard someone talk about some spiritual practices such as getting up every morning at 5:00 to pray for an hour, or reading three or four chapters in the Bible each day, or keeping a daily spiritual journal, and then you feel guilty and unspiritual because some of those things just don’t seem to work for you?
A few days ago I heard author John Ortberg give three messages, and his point each time was that God is not into mass producing disciples, but instead he handcrafts each one of us. He quoted Ephesians 2:10: “For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” The Greek word for workmanship is “poiēma” from which we get our word “poem” which refers to something created.
Just as every poem is uniquely designed, so each of us is uniquely designed. We will not all learn the same way. We will not all grow the same way, and we set up something harmful if we decide there is one way to be spiritual and that everyone must be poured into that mold.
This doesn’t mean that Scripture leaves us without give us direction. Everyone needs to listen to the Word, pray, be devoted to relationships, pass on the message and care for the poor. But the way I do those things may not be the best way for you to do those things. However, if both of us seek first the reign of God in our lives, he will shape each of us according to his will, and the “you” he makes will fit very nicely with the “me” he makes.
Focus Scripture:
Ephesians 2:4-10 (NLT)
But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.
2/28/10
Eyes that See
In teaching about the relationship of a Kingdom person to money and possessions, Jesus says, “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:22-23).
How are your eyes? How do you see life? Is it (A) about doing well financially, saving for your dreams and then getting to a comfortable place where you can buy what you want and travel where you want to go? On the other hand, maybe you look at life and (B) you see the supremacy of family and friends. You believe that relationships are what matter and make your decisions accordingly. Or maybe you have chosen (C) a mixture of A and B.
Any of these choices would put you in the human mainstream and a little shockingly, in the group who Jesus says have eyes that are bad. You would surely feel your vision is clear, but Jesus says your eyes are not as right as you think.
What life is really for is seeking the rule and reign of God. It is about lining yourself up with what he created us for. Now, he is not against possessions, although they can be as dangerous as they are temporary. And he certainly is for relationships as long as we understand they cannot be put before our loyalty to him. But our eyes are never good and our bodies are not full of light unless we are praying, “Your kingdom come; your will be done” in all aspects of our lives.
Matthew 6:19-33
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
2/21/10
Running from the Bus
This last week as I was driving home from a meeting, I turned into my neighborhood and found myself behind a school bus bringing home elementary school kids who all looked to be from six to nine years old. As each little boy or girl got off the bus with their heavy coats and backpacks, they all did the same thing: they ran to their front door like they were dashing for Olympic gold. I could only guess what was in their little minds.
Was there an afternoon snack awaiting them? Was there a TV show that was about to start at 3:30? Or could they just not wait to run into the arms of a mom or dad who would assure them they were safe after a hard day out in the tough old world? I decided to vote for the latter and let it remind me of something good we all need to do.
And then my mind rewound to 1968. I was seriously seeking Jesus, but there weren’t many new translations of the Bible. Most people still used the King James version. But the American Bible Society published something called Good News for Modern Man that became popular with students. It translated Galatians 3:24 like this: “the law was a school bus to bring us to Christ.” (If you look into it, you will find that wasn’t such a bad translation.)
Somehow, in the funny way a mind can work—the school bus, the little kids, their dashing to the houses, and my memory of Galatians 3—all led to the image of Christ meeting us at the door to throw his arms around us, to hold us and love us.
I smiled.
That may not be great exegesis, but it does describe something that is true.
Focus Scripture
John 14:23
Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
2/14/10
Soar, Run, Walk
The last four verses of Isaiah 40 may be some of the most encouraging in the Old Testament, but in the last verse we have a surprising order. Speaking of those who put their hope in God and thus will renew their strength, Isaiah says they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
John Ortberg in his book To Walk on Water, You Have to Get Out of the Boat, points out that there we times in our spiritual lives when we, like the eagles, seem to catch that column of warm rising air and just soar. We feel the Spirit of God as the wind beneath our wings and it is good.
However, there are other times when we are moving forward and doing well. We are running, but unlike soaring, running takes effort, exertion and stamina, but with God at our back we do move on without growing weary.
But there are also those times when we look at others who are soaring and we can remember those days, but we wonder what happened to us. We look at those that are running and it seems impossible. About all we can do is just keep walking. And we aren’t even sure about that.
The lesson here is let’s not compare ourselves to others If you are soaring don’t be judgmental of those who are walking. Your day for that will probably come. If you are running don’t berate yourself because you aren’t soaring. If you have slowed to a walk, keep waiting on the Lord, let his power help you not to faint and keep own walking. As my physical therapist tells me as I deal with my MS. Keep on walking even it you have to use a walker.
Isaiah 40:28-31
Why do you say, O Jacob,
and complain, O Israel,
"My way is hidden from the Lord;
my cause is disregarded by my God"?
28Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
29He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
2/7/10
What Can We Handle?
Life is much like a plane ride. There are times when the travel is smooth and we function with ease. But there are also times of turbulence when the captain turns on the “Fasten Seat Belts” sign. If you are flying and the turbulence last more than about five or ten minutes, you can feel the anxiety levels going up all around you. In real life those times often last a whole lot longer.
We are hit with one thing after another, knocking us this way and that way. Perhaps we take the first few jolts in stride and then the next group with gritty determination. But if the turbulence continues beyond what we feel is some reasonable time, we begin to think, “This is too much,” or “I’m about at my limit,” and eventually we may get to, “I can’t handle this.”
It is surely true that any of us can over-commit and have to back up and let go of some things, but I am talking here about an attitude toward what life brings us and how we often set ourselves up to judge how much is too much.
But, which thought should rule us: “I can’t handle this” or “I can do all things through him who gives me strength”?
Focus Scriptures
Philip. 4:13 NAS
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
1 Cor. 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.
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