Fall is officially here. And with fall comes the Fall holidays, the notable one for the purposes of this blog being Thanksgiving. Part of me cringes every year at this time as I realize how few thanks I have given to God for all that He has done for me. It is sad that I need a holiday to remind me of something that I should be doing on a daily basis. Psalm 136:1 reminds us of our need to give thanks when the psalmist says, "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, For His loving-kindness is everlasting." (NASB) Psalm 108:3 tells us that David promises, "I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples. . ." (NASB). Psalm 107 adds that we are not only to give thanks to the Lord for His loving-kindness, but also ". . .for His wonders to the sons of men" (NASB). In Psalm 107 it repeats this refrain more than once. We give thanks to God for who He is and what He does. May I share with you today some things I have been reminded of my need to be thankful for? If not, please stop reading. If I may, read on.
1. I am thankful for the things that God chooses not to give me. This seems odd, but it is absolutely true. We have been praying as a family that God would sell our house in Illinois for months, and God has chosen to postpone this process. I am thankful for this because of all of things we have because God has chosen to answer my prayers in a way I had not anticipated. We have been able to draw closer to our church as they have circled around us in prayer. We have been taught patience and trust. It has strengthened our marriage. It has given me a new appreciation for the strength of my wife and kids. And this is the short list! All these blessings would not have been mine if our house had sold immediately.
2. I am thankful for the inconveniences of life. Yesterday as I drove to Illinois to care for a house I have been praying would sell I was slowed by a number of situations and arrived in town a little later than I had hoped. And then as I drove by an accident that I very well could have been a part of had I gotten there 15 minutes earlier, I was reminded that God's timing and plan is perfect and the things that I perceive as inconveniences can be God's protection.
3. I am thankful for the patience of God with me. I am thankful He is longsuffering and kind. I am thankful that He is loving and good. Each time I read the Word of God I am reminded of a characteristic of who God is. And in each one of these I need to give thanks. But, I am also thankful that God is just and holy and jealous for His own name. I am thankful for the Savior who satisfied the justice and wrath of God and imputes to me His righteousness. Suffice to say, I am thankful for the theology of who God is!
So, what will you find to be thankful for today. Let us be thankful each day for the blessings of God are innumerable!
Give Thanks!
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
What are you reading?
I am always interested in what others are reading in the Scriptures and what they are learning from it. Currently I am working on reading the ESV Bible through in a year. It has been a good project as I try and read a different translation each year and have been through the NIV and NASB and NKJV so far. So often when it comes to Bible reading people are hindered by what they consider to be their own failures. Let's be honest together - we do not read the Bible enough. We do not know the Bible as well as we should. But none of this ultimately matters because of Christ! The Scriptures encourage us to study them and know them, but never give a "Thou shalt read four chapters per day" or any other such demand. What God reveals to us He is most interested in is the life change that comes as a result of reading and studying. And life change can happen over the course of just one or two words. Life change can happen in a verse, or a chapter, or a book, or wherever the Holy Spirit chooses to illuminate the text to our heart and change us to be more like Christ. I do not believe it matters at all how much you read - it matters how you read; are you reading to change your life? If you read to change, God will use His Word to make you more like Christ. If you read to meet some self-instituted requirement, you will likely not be reading to change. God can still use this of course, but He will have to overcome the barrier that you yourself have placed.
So often instead of reading for change we hear that the pastor has read the Bible through multiple times and we assume that we could never do that so why bother trying. So, by all means, don't try and read the Bible in a year. Make a goal instead to read the same chapter every day for a week. Or a month. Make a goal to read a book (pick a short one to start with) in a month's time. Read one verse a day every day for this year. Read one chapter from the Old Testament and one chapter from the New. Read the verses around your favorite verses. You may miss a day. You may not reach your goal, so try again and read. And the more you read God's Word - however large or small a portion- the more God will use His Word to change your heart and mind. And the more your heart and mind are changed the more you will love to read God's Word.
So forget about me and how much I read. Forget about how much your friend or neighbor reads. Forget about how much you want to read and can't. Just READ. And when you read, encourage others with what you have learned from what you read.
I am currently reading through the book of Mark - what are you reading?
So often instead of reading for change we hear that the pastor has read the Bible through multiple times and we assume that we could never do that so why bother trying. So, by all means, don't try and read the Bible in a year. Make a goal instead to read the same chapter every day for a week. Or a month. Make a goal to read a book (pick a short one to start with) in a month's time. Read one verse a day every day for this year. Read one chapter from the Old Testament and one chapter from the New. Read the verses around your favorite verses. You may miss a day. You may not reach your goal, so try again and read. And the more you read God's Word - however large or small a portion- the more God will use His Word to change your heart and mind. And the more your heart and mind are changed the more you will love to read God's Word.
So forget about me and how much I read. Forget about how much your friend or neighbor reads. Forget about how much you want to read and can't. Just READ. And when you read, encourage others with what you have learned from what you read.
I am currently reading through the book of Mark - what are you reading?
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Why I am thankful for gravity (or, the necessity of absolutes)
Can you imagine a world with no absolutes? A world in which gravity was only a suggestion and at random intervals throughout any given day you could being to float aimlessly in space does not sound like a glorious place to be. Or have you considered living in a world in which every action did not have an equal and opposite reaction? Imagine going to a door and pushing to no avail. Then you read the sign that says "pull" and laugh at yourself and pull the door only to have it remain shut. The door is not locked, but no matter how much force you exert, there is no requirement that the door open. A world without absolutes becomes chaotic and scary! I am glad that I do not have to worry about floating off into space - gravity will always keep me planted on terra firma.
It is interesting to me that humanity generally accepts these absolutes and is even grateful for them, but when it comes to morality humanity scoffs at the idea that a moral code could be absolute. We know that gravity and thermodynamics provide an orderly world in which random forces do not upend us. They protect us. But moral absolutes are seen as being of a different nature altogether. This is not surprising when you read and understand Romans 1. But what is surprising is how often Christians deny the authority and presence of absolute truth in the way that they wander and may believe whatever wind of doctrine happens to be floating by. Instead of grounding ourselves with the truth of the Word of God we find ourselves floating in the nebulous caverns of the spaciousness of false teaching.
We become tentative and scared to say something that might offend instead of speaking the truth in love. We become fearful of what someone might say or think. Or we just assume we do not know enough to speak truth. May I propose an alternative? 1 John 4:4 tells us "You are from God, little children and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world." (NASB) If what we are proclaiming is an absolute it is because it has its source in God and God's Word. And if it is absolute, than we should be willing to proclaim it boldly recognizing that God is greater than whatever the world may throw at us. This is why it is so critical as Christians to speak as authoritative only what the Word of God says. But we must speak it. And in order to speak it we must know it. And in order to know it we must study what God's Word says. And when we see the truth that is revealed, we must be willing to proclaim it boldly - because a world without absolutes (even moral ones) is an incredibly scary place.
It is interesting to me that humanity generally accepts these absolutes and is even grateful for them, but when it comes to morality humanity scoffs at the idea that a moral code could be absolute. We know that gravity and thermodynamics provide an orderly world in which random forces do not upend us. They protect us. But moral absolutes are seen as being of a different nature altogether. This is not surprising when you read and understand Romans 1. But what is surprising is how often Christians deny the authority and presence of absolute truth in the way that they wander and may believe whatever wind of doctrine happens to be floating by. Instead of grounding ourselves with the truth of the Word of God we find ourselves floating in the nebulous caverns of the spaciousness of false teaching.
We become tentative and scared to say something that might offend instead of speaking the truth in love. We become fearful of what someone might say or think. Or we just assume we do not know enough to speak truth. May I propose an alternative? 1 John 4:4 tells us "You are from God, little children and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world." (NASB) If what we are proclaiming is an absolute it is because it has its source in God and God's Word. And if it is absolute, than we should be willing to proclaim it boldly recognizing that God is greater than whatever the world may throw at us. This is why it is so critical as Christians to speak as authoritative only what the Word of God says. But we must speak it. And in order to speak it we must know it. And in order to know it we must study what God's Word says. And when we see the truth that is revealed, we must be willing to proclaim it boldly - because a world without absolutes (even moral ones) is an incredibly scary place.
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Children at Play
It is somewhat sad that it is hard for me to remember what it felt like to be a child. As I get older (at the ripe old age of 36), I get further distanced from the joys of childhood. I am so focused on all of the things that I, as an adult, need to care for. There are bills, there are schedules to keep, to-do lists that need doing, more bills come, the time passes, things keep getting added to the to-do list. It seems to be a never ending and over-whelming struggle against the clock. And then you watch children play. They play carefree - not worrying about even the next moment, only thinking of that which is presently entertaining them. They play whatever their imaginations will allow - they create worlds with bad guys and heroes, with monetary abundance or need. And they use whatever tools they have at their disposal. Need to capture a robber, no problem - simply pick up the stick and it becomes a police issued weapon. Need to sail to Spain, no problem - hop on the couch and trim the sails and you are off on a rolling ocean bound for foreign lands. Perhaps this is why the Scriptures so often refer to being children. Christ himself tells us that we need to have faith like a little child. And Paul in Romans says, "The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, . . ." (Romans 8:16). We are children of God. This means that we have the freedom to play. We are not to be bound by the worry and anxiety that comes with "growing-up" instead we are to cast all of our cares onto the One who is capable of carrying them. We are not to get so lost in the busyness of the world around us that we forget to use our imaginations - we are told instead that we should trust a God who will do things beyond what we ask or imagine. We serve a God who has created an environment in which He has provided all that we need. We serve a God who continually cares for us and watches over us. So let's play. Let's live our lives as though God has taken care of everything. Let's imagine together the things that God can accomplish in and through us and play! When we do, we pick up sticks and they part seas. When we do five loaves and two fish feed thousands. When we play and trust God and simply obey what He directs us to do the results seem to me to be so much more enjoyable than trying to "be an adult" and holding all of the worry ourselves. So let's get out there and play!
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