I picked this book up as the result of the recommendation at a pastor's conference I attended. I am glad that I did. This book was an excellent reminder of the need for holiness in our lives and the constant watch-care and toil that is required to allow God to grow us in holiness.
Although the book is address to young men I would say that most of the points within are applicable to people of all ages and to both genders. I think that anyone with a desire to grow in Christ would read this and be benefited. Essentially, he calls people into awareness. The recognition that holiness does not just appear, but that it is a coordinated effort on our part to work to allow God to work. It is a call to remember our own sinfulness and tendencies and fight to replace them with God-given tendencies.
This process involves both the internal and the external. There are certainly things that we must do - such as understand our sin and grow in our desire to avoid it. But there are also things external - like binding ourselves to a group of believers. Or making sure that our friends have our same goals in mind. There are clear things that can be done to help our growth.
The one downside to the book is that it is written (as an older book) in an older English and can be difficult to work through at times. The work is however immensely worth the toil!
I highly recommend the book to anyone desiring to pursue God, and particularly those who have young men!
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Praise the Lord
There are certain people in life who have an indelible impact upon you and whose absence will be meaningful. Sometimes those people would not want to be mentioned by name and would not want to distract anyone from the glory that rightfully belongs to God. In such a case I think it fitting to write in memory of the legacy that they leave behind.
"Praise the Lord."
I learned recently just how critical it is to say this on a daily - moment by moment- basis. We are never guaranteed tomorrow. You could be sitting and watching TV in one moment and in the next slumped over as a result of some medical incident.
I have known a lady whose first response to any greeting was "Praise the Lord." As I attempt to recall any moment in which she was not smiling it amazes me that I cannot think of a single moment. I have tried to remember a single complaint registered. I have tried to remember a single moment when the cares of life outweighed the response of "Praise the Lord." I cannot remember a single one. In fact, although I know that at times prayers and concerns weighed heavily, the unshakable commitment to the ongoing work of God in her life always overcame any other concern.
Amazingly, the consistency of her trust in God was an ongoing and daily commitment. In the midst of health struggles it stayed. In the midst of difficulty, it stayed. In fact, as this lady crossed the pearly gates I know (as close to for a fact as one can get) that she said to whomever she met, "Praise the Lord."
In honor of this dear nameless saint, I wish to call us all to a daily reminder, "Praise the Lord."
"Praise the Lord."
I learned recently just how critical it is to say this on a daily - moment by moment- basis. We are never guaranteed tomorrow. You could be sitting and watching TV in one moment and in the next slumped over as a result of some medical incident.
I have known a lady whose first response to any greeting was "Praise the Lord." As I attempt to recall any moment in which she was not smiling it amazes me that I cannot think of a single moment. I have tried to remember a single complaint registered. I have tried to remember a single moment when the cares of life outweighed the response of "Praise the Lord." I cannot remember a single one. In fact, although I know that at times prayers and concerns weighed heavily, the unshakable commitment to the ongoing work of God in her life always overcame any other concern.
Amazingly, the consistency of her trust in God was an ongoing and daily commitment. In the midst of health struggles it stayed. In the midst of difficulty, it stayed. In fact, as this lady crossed the pearly gates I know (as close to for a fact as one can get) that she said to whomever she met, "Praise the Lord."
In honor of this dear nameless saint, I wish to call us all to a daily reminder, "Praise the Lord."
Tuesday, October 2, 2018
God's Desire for My Well-being
When we come to a passage like Psalm 121 it is easy to read that God will protect me and think that it means that God will do whatever he can to make sure that my good is his highest goal. When we combine this with Romans 8:28 we become convinced that God is all about making sure that I am happy and all my needs are met. This is the foundation of the prosperity gospel. So what biblical truths make this position untenable?
1. God is not about my good but His glory. From the opening pages of Genesis where we are made in His image, to the conclusion where it is all about what God is accomplishing, the whole of Scripture makes it very clear that my life is not about me, but about serving the God who made me. In other words, I am here for God and not God here for me!
2. God does promise me good, but with the long view in mind. In other words, the good that God promises me, the protection and even the freedom from harm is not a promise in each and every moment, but a promise for what God WILL provide. This is consistent with how he handles His prophets, His people, and even His Son. The promise of good does not mean good continually, but the eventual good!
3. The future promise of good things includes the ultimate good! Here we see that the temporal does not compare to the eternal. If I promised you that if you sacrificed 10 thousand dollars today for guaranteed millions in 10 years, would you cry about losing 10 thousand dollars? When we have the eternal perspective of what we know is coming, the suffering we might face this side of Glory is so worth it!
4. The promise of good does not negate the truth that sometimes harm comes to those that follow God and sometimes blessing comes to those who do not - in the present, but not for eternity!
Our hope is that we are not bound to this moment only, but to a God who sees from beginning to end. The question becomes are we willing to trust when the moment does not look like the end that He has promised?
1. God is not about my good but His glory. From the opening pages of Genesis where we are made in His image, to the conclusion where it is all about what God is accomplishing, the whole of Scripture makes it very clear that my life is not about me, but about serving the God who made me. In other words, I am here for God and not God here for me!
2. God does promise me good, but with the long view in mind. In other words, the good that God promises me, the protection and even the freedom from harm is not a promise in each and every moment, but a promise for what God WILL provide. This is consistent with how he handles His prophets, His people, and even His Son. The promise of good does not mean good continually, but the eventual good!
3. The future promise of good things includes the ultimate good! Here we see that the temporal does not compare to the eternal. If I promised you that if you sacrificed 10 thousand dollars today for guaranteed millions in 10 years, would you cry about losing 10 thousand dollars? When we have the eternal perspective of what we know is coming, the suffering we might face this side of Glory is so worth it!
4. The promise of good does not negate the truth that sometimes harm comes to those that follow God and sometimes blessing comes to those who do not - in the present, but not for eternity!
Our hope is that we are not bound to this moment only, but to a God who sees from beginning to end. The question becomes are we willing to trust when the moment does not look like the end that He has promised?
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
Psalm 119 - I Love the Law of God
As I spoke on Sunday, Psalm 119 is a wonderful expression of the love that one individual has for the Word of God. We were able to get through the first 11 verses of this in the time that we had, but I wanted to highlight a few others in the psalm that make me think.
Verse 13 - Do we take the time to actually talk to other people about the Word of God? Have we made it such a "personal" and "devotional" experience that we forget that it is to be shared? We need to talk about God's Word!
verse 23 - Even when people are against us, is the Word of God more important to us than what they are saying about us? This is especially challenging as a pastor sometimes!
Verse 28 - Do we allow the Scriptures to be a source of help in our grief? Do we turn to all others places that we think might help and then go to God's Word or do we go to God's Word first?
Verse 34 - I am here reminded that the purpose of the Word of God is again to change my behavior. Do I ask God to help me understand that I might change? I think that far too often it is too easy to use God's Word as a bully to change the behavior of others, but how often do I look into my own behavior and see what God wants me to change?
And there is more. This psalm is a treasure trove of material for giving me a better appreciation for the written Word of God!
Verse 13 - Do we take the time to actually talk to other people about the Word of God? Have we made it such a "personal" and "devotional" experience that we forget that it is to be shared? We need to talk about God's Word!
verse 23 - Even when people are against us, is the Word of God more important to us than what they are saying about us? This is especially challenging as a pastor sometimes!
Verse 28 - Do we allow the Scriptures to be a source of help in our grief? Do we turn to all others places that we think might help and then go to God's Word or do we go to God's Word first?
Verse 34 - I am here reminded that the purpose of the Word of God is again to change my behavior. Do I ask God to help me understand that I might change? I think that far too often it is too easy to use God's Word as a bully to change the behavior of others, but how often do I look into my own behavior and see what God wants me to change?
And there is more. This psalm is a treasure trove of material for giving me a better appreciation for the written Word of God!
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
The Start of Another School Year
This one goes out to all of the students out there. Be you in elementary or Junior High, High School or college, I hope that this will encourage you today. You have a purpose in life. Right now. Your purpose is right now. I think that often we are bad as adults, and as churches, by making it seem as though life begins in your twenties. It is true that you should probably wait at least that long to consider yourself an adult. It is true that your maturity level is such that for the most part adulthood brings growth in a way that you may not be able to see yet. But that does not mean that we should all just sit back and watch you become an adult. You have a purpose. God has put you in your family, in your school, in your job (if you have one) on purpose. You have the responsibility of bearing His name wherever you go and so your purpose is simple - represent Christ well.
This is something that is given to you at the moment of salvation. When Christ redeems you - you are literally bought at the price of His blood. And at that moment, no matter what your age, your life has a purpose renewed. The purpose for which you were created - to glorify God - is once again enabled in you. No longer do you live for self, you live for God. You do not live to please others, you live to God. And in this newness of life you have one restored purpose - to glorify God.
It is interesting that God does not put very many limits on this purpose. He does not tell us that we must achieve a level of obedience before we start glorifying God. Nor does he call us to do this once we have attained maturity in Christ. Nor does he say that we only have to do this if all the others around are doing the same. We are called to live for Christ. So if you are in Second Grade, or this is your final year of High School - if you belong to Christ - your purpose is to glorify God. Glorify God in your speech, in your homework, in your test taking, in your interactions with teachers, in your interactions with your parents and siblings, in your work, in your play, in your thoughts. In whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God. (Col 3:17)
This is something that is given to you at the moment of salvation. When Christ redeems you - you are literally bought at the price of His blood. And at that moment, no matter what your age, your life has a purpose renewed. The purpose for which you were created - to glorify God - is once again enabled in you. No longer do you live for self, you live for God. You do not live to please others, you live to God. And in this newness of life you have one restored purpose - to glorify God.
It is interesting that God does not put very many limits on this purpose. He does not tell us that we must achieve a level of obedience before we start glorifying God. Nor does he call us to do this once we have attained maturity in Christ. Nor does he say that we only have to do this if all the others around are doing the same. We are called to live for Christ. So if you are in Second Grade, or this is your final year of High School - if you belong to Christ - your purpose is to glorify God. Glorify God in your speech, in your homework, in your test taking, in your interactions with teachers, in your interactions with your parents and siblings, in your work, in your play, in your thoughts. In whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God. (Col 3:17)
Tuesday, September 4, 2018
The Meaning of Work
So often we get to Labor Day and we celebrate because we do not have to work! Many of us view work with a little bit (or perhaps a lot) of disdain. If we could have it our way, we might do away with work altogether. After all the "non-work" fun that we can have seems to be more enjoyable than the paycheck we are attempting to earn. And were it not for the paycheck, most of us might not work at all!
It might surprise you that the Scriptures have a rather unique and different view of work. I will not go into the full detail as it would take far too long, but let us suffice to say that it was challenging to me when I started to think about the subject and study it.
Take for instance the beginning when things were perfect and man walked and talked in perfect harmony with God and creation. Have you considered that in this Edenic state, Adam had work to do. There is the command to be fruitful and multiply. There is the command to subdue the earth. There was to be a demonstrated rule over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moved along the ground. Admittedly, this work was unhindered by the difficulty of sin, but it was work none-the-less. There was still the work of picking the ripened fruit to eat and of the harvest. There was the God-given work of naming the animals. There was work to do!
Fast forward a bit to the book of Exodus and the giving of the ten commands at the base of Mount Sinai. Notice verse 9 of chapter 20 of the book of Exodus and realize that part of the law was to do your work within the 6 days of the week and leave the 7th day for rest - the Sabbath Day. Work was a commanded part of the will of God and then the rest was to be all the more meaningful because of the work that was being done.
Consider the command of Paul in the book of 2 Thessalonians to those who were simply waiting for Jesus to come back by sitting at home and being totally passive. In verse 10-13 he commands them to work in a quiet fashion and to provide for their own bread.
I could also talk about the Proverbs, the Gospels and many more, but I will end with the end. After the consummation of all things, in Revelation 22 we are free from the curse, free from sin, and God will be on the throne and it says that "His bond-servants will serve Him." Even in the newly created heaven and earth we will have work to do.
The Scriptures are clear that being human involves doing the work that humans are created to do. Namely this is to bring honor and glory to God. It is to provide for oneself and ones family. We must not make work divided into secular work and sacred work. The missionary and the garbage man are called to the same purpose - to do what they do to the glory of God.
So when you go to work next, remember you are there not for man, but to bring honor and glory to God in that which He has given you to do!
It might surprise you that the Scriptures have a rather unique and different view of work. I will not go into the full detail as it would take far too long, but let us suffice to say that it was challenging to me when I started to think about the subject and study it.
Take for instance the beginning when things were perfect and man walked and talked in perfect harmony with God and creation. Have you considered that in this Edenic state, Adam had work to do. There is the command to be fruitful and multiply. There is the command to subdue the earth. There was to be a demonstrated rule over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moved along the ground. Admittedly, this work was unhindered by the difficulty of sin, but it was work none-the-less. There was still the work of picking the ripened fruit to eat and of the harvest. There was the God-given work of naming the animals. There was work to do!
Fast forward a bit to the book of Exodus and the giving of the ten commands at the base of Mount Sinai. Notice verse 9 of chapter 20 of the book of Exodus and realize that part of the law was to do your work within the 6 days of the week and leave the 7th day for rest - the Sabbath Day. Work was a commanded part of the will of God and then the rest was to be all the more meaningful because of the work that was being done.
Consider the command of Paul in the book of 2 Thessalonians to those who were simply waiting for Jesus to come back by sitting at home and being totally passive. In verse 10-13 he commands them to work in a quiet fashion and to provide for their own bread.
I could also talk about the Proverbs, the Gospels and many more, but I will end with the end. After the consummation of all things, in Revelation 22 we are free from the curse, free from sin, and God will be on the throne and it says that "His bond-servants will serve Him." Even in the newly created heaven and earth we will have work to do.
The Scriptures are clear that being human involves doing the work that humans are created to do. Namely this is to bring honor and glory to God. It is to provide for oneself and ones family. We must not make work divided into secular work and sacred work. The missionary and the garbage man are called to the same purpose - to do what they do to the glory of God.
So when you go to work next, remember you are there not for man, but to bring honor and glory to God in that which He has given you to do!
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
The Lord Reigns
"The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many islands be glad."
Psalm 97:1 (NASB)
These are the opening words to Psalm 97 and a consistent theme throughout the Scriptures. We talk about the reign of God, but I wonder how much we really think about the reign of God.
We have a disadvantage because of most of our political background. I live in the United States of America. We elect a new leader every 4 years and our new leader is in very few senses "in charge". In fact, in terms of reign and rule, we implement a system of checks and balances. We reject the power of totalitarian rulers. We look down upon dictators and have little understanding of monarchy. In fact, in most cases we even misunderstand our own system of government and think we are democratic and have rule by the people. (What we actually have is a representative republic, but this is not a civics class.) At the end of the day we have a hard time understanding a system in which we have but one choice - obey or rebel.
Such is the Theocracy with which God rules. God is in charge. I am not in charge. I do not even get an equal say in the decision making process. What God says will happen is what is going to happen. I do not get to dialogue with God in the process of Him making His will. God reigns. God is in control. God is in charge.
At the core, most of our theology is deficient and ascribes God reign and rule when things are going well and then when things go poorly we defend God by claiming human free will. So God gets credit for all of things that go well but at the end of the days that go poorly we act as though he was not in control of those things. Or we beg God to show His control in precisely the way we think He ought to. And when He does not choose our way, we despair. God reigns. God is King. God is Lord. He is the one to whom our only response is obedience and worship.
What is surprising is that the reign of God in the Scriptures is reason for gladness and joy! When we serve a King who is seeking His own glory and honor first we can trust in the character and nature that He has revealed to us. We can trust that He will do nothing to harm His own glory and therefore we can rely on Him. Even in the difficulty we know the promises that He has made and that He, as ruler, will never default on.
So God reigns - let the people be glad!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)