I'm no intellectual. Several weeks ago a couple of friends on Twitter were bemoaning the anti-intellectualism that is seemingly prevalent among evangelical women. I had to Google anti-intellectualism, thus proving their point. And mine. The truth of the matter is, if it weren't for Google I wouldn't understand about half of what you people talk about. I'm serious.
Yet, I'll confess freely and often: I love theology. This passion for the study of God ("theology") has been tepid, or even nonexistent, in years past. In other words, you'd be more apt to find me poring over the Pottery Barn catalog than the Word of God much less any of the theological tomes that now clutter my bookshelves. My love for theology has been a journey, one I stumbled upon by accident. It found me when I wasn't even looking.
I'm a self-described stumbling theologian, meaning that I never set out to become a student of doctrine nor even a teacher of the Scriptures. Talk of this theological truth or that doctrinal interpretation bored me and seemed, frankly, rather irrelevant (see "anti-intellectual", above). I remember years ago chatting on the phone with a long distance friend and the subject of Calvinism entering our conversation. In what context I don't exactly remember; she was a seminary student at the time so maybe she broached the subject. At any rate I remember saying "I just don't see how it matters, really. What's the big deal?"
How little did I know.
To my way of understanding the most crucial theological question had been answered: I was saved. And, hello, I knew it was Jesus who saved me. Beyond that, well, I knew what I'd always been taught and I knew more or less what my denomination was purported to believe and I did love the Lord Jesus and I tried really, really hard to be good and do good. But to me, even though I had no clear idea of what theology was and was not, it had no bearing on my real, day to day life.
How little did I know.
I now know I was a moralist, doing my best to be my best. I was also a pragmatist. Theology didn't "work" in my real life--or so I thought--so I had no need for it. Don't get wrong, I engaged in "bible study" but the sort of hunt and peck approach intended to offer therapeutic answers to my perceived need of the moment.
Ah, but the Lord. Graciously He allowed me to come to the end of this moralistic pragmatism. My do-better, try-harder brand of Christianity left me wanting. I found myself desperate for something more, something better, something stronger, something solid and satisfying. I wanted, I needed, a truer, broader understanding of the Lord and His ways.
Quite by accident, as I said, or so it seemed to me, I stumbled into the sea of theology and doctrine, discovering as I did so there was far more to know of God and His Word than I’d ever imagined. I became determined to know His Word. I was shocked--delightedly so--to discover it affected my reality in profound and unexpected ways.
What a revelation! I'd spent years--years!--trying to make sense of my life based on what I thought I knew about God and His ways. Do not hear me say that all that I'd been taught up to that point was heretical and insufficient. No doubt I was privileged to learn from many serious teachers of the Word who carefully expounded the truth of Scripture. I daresay the fault lay with me and my reluctance to submit to the Word.
But, the Lord. As my understanding grew, I saw that my desperation was not for better mothering practices or five steps to contentment or even a spiritual gift inventory. No, what I needed in my mothering, for example, was the gospel truth that there is grace for desperate, deficient moms. What I needed in my fight for contentment was to realize God owns all and rules all; He is sovereign. What I needed as I looked for my place of ministry was a sense of vocation, that all I do is service to my Savior.
These are theological truths. As I clean house, do laundry, serve in my church, meet a friend for lunch, whatever it is I find to do, it is affected by my theology. How I live reflects what I think about God and what I think about God affects how I live. Theology and reality necessarily intertwine. Thus we are all theologians in one respect or another. The question remains: what kind of theologians are we?
It is true: I'm no intellectual. I am continually reminded of my own lack of knowledge. More often than not I feel rather dumb and a little silly before those who are far more theologically profound. I still sometimes prefer to discuss lipstick and hairstyles than certain Biblical passages. And, yes, Google is my friend.
But the Word of God has changed me far beyond mere therapeutic and pragmatic ramifications. Not only has the study of theology affected my reality but it has transformed my affection. The more I engage in Bible study, the more I know the Lord, and the more I know the Lord, the more I love Him, and the more I love Him the more I want to know Him. Glory to God, theology is not a dry academic exercise reserved for the intellectuals among us. It is for ordinary women too, nay, even the non-intellectuals like me, and by it we are changed from glory to glory as we behold the face of Christ! Yes and amen!
Friday, May 24, 2013
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Finishing the Race
It's been a sad week. Two elderly sisters in my church went home to glory. I also learned that a dear friend of my grandparents died last month at the age of 104. These women fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith. They loved God and the people He placed in their lives. They will be greatly missed.
As I was thinking about these women, I wondered "What was their secret? How did they endure so well? How did they persevere through the Great Depression, WWII, widowhood, and illness?" This led to another question. "How will I finish the race?" I'm on the plus side of 50 now. I could die today, but I could have another 40 years ahead of me. It would be easy to think, "What do I need to do to make sure I die well?" But that's probably not the right question. A better question would be, "What has the Triune God done to ensure that I will finish the race?"
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:3-5
From Grudem's Systematic Theology:
If God's guarding has as its purpose the preservation of believers until they receive their full heavenly salvation, then it is safe to conclude that God will accomplish that purpose and they will in fact attain that final salvation. Ultimately their attainment of final salvation depends on God's power. Nevertheless, God's power continually works "through" their faith. Do they wish to know whether God is guarding them? If they continue to trust God through Christ, God is working and guarding them, and he should be thanked.1
[W]hat Peter said in 1 Peter 1:5 is true: namely, that God does not guard us apart from our faith, but only by working through our faith so that he enables us to continue to believe in him. In this way, those who continue to trust in Christ gain assurance that God is working in them and guarding them.2
As a recovering moralist, I need to remember this. Even if I tried my best, do I really think it's in my power to keep myself to the end? But it doesn't rest on me, thank God, and it doesn't rest on you either. He will complete the work He has started. (Phil. 1:6) His power guards His own and nothing can snatch them from His hand. (John 10:27-30) But at the same time, His grace enables us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling knowing that He is at work in us. (Phil. 2:12-13)
I wasn't privy to the day-to-day details of these women's lives, but God's power kept these sisters. They were saints but still sinners. They needed daily grace for daily self-denial. They needed the Word for spiritual nourishment on the journey. They needed the joy of the Lord during times of suffering and divine strength to live another day in physical weakness. But at the appointed time, their earthly course was done, and their Lord and Savior welcomed them home.
For those of us still on pilgrimage, the sanctification road seems long. There are high points but deep valleys, too. Sometimes we fall flat on our faces and are tempted to quit. But there is hope. God will complete what He has started, and all His children will cross the finish line to the praise of His glorious grace.
I wasn't privy to the day-to-day details of these women's lives, but God's power kept these sisters. They were saints but still sinners. They needed daily grace for daily self-denial. They needed the Word for spiritual nourishment on the journey. They needed the joy of the Lord during times of suffering and divine strength to live another day in physical weakness. But at the appointed time, their earthly course was done, and their Lord and Savior welcomed them home.
For those of us still on pilgrimage, the sanctification road seems long. There are high points but deep valleys, too. Sometimes we fall flat on our faces and are tempted to quit. But there is hope. God will complete what He has started, and all His children will cross the finish line to the praise of His glorious grace.
It is because God never forsakes His work that believers continue to stand to the very end.3
1. Systematic Theology, Wayne Grudem, Zondervan, 2000, pg. 792.
2. Ibid. 793.
2. Ibid. 793.
3. Systematic Theology, Louis Berkhoff, Eerdmans, 1993 reprint, pg. 546.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Fighting for Your Girl's Dreams
Note: This post is part of the Fight Like a Girl Series. The previous posts in the series are found under Melissa's tag.
At 14, I dreamed of a big career in a big city 700 miles to the north. I didn't understand the bemused smile my mother usually wore as I spouted off my grand plans. I had my life mapped out, but I didn't need that map. Although I anticipated having a 10-hour drive to my parents' home, it takes a mere 10 minutes.
Which is why I, too, wear a bemused expression when my daughter reels off her great plans for her big life in a city 500 miles to the south. I tell her something my mother wasn't able to tell me, The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. (Proverbs 16:9) Still, I'm glad my girl has big dreams. Who am I to say that they have not been given to her by God? Her preferred career would give her an opportunity to minister to people in need. It may be that He has a place for her in this particular field for just that purpose.
It seems the blogosphere has recently been inundated with posts about Biblical womanhood and complementarianism. (For the record, I am a complementarian.) I don't want to add to the clamor and I'm not responding to any post I've read. I do want to encourage other mothers to fight for their girl's dreams, no matter what they are.
Some girls dream of impacting the world for Christ through their homes; they have a God-given desire to marry, have children, and work faithfully, full-time at home. This is a noble calling of the Lord and if it is the call our daughter feels, we should not hesitate to offer our support and encouragement in that direction. We should teach her the art of homemaking, procure or provide lessons in different domestic skills, and instruct her in the values and benefits of being a stay-at-home wife and mother.
Other girls dream of living out the Gospel in the workplace. This, too, can be a noble calling from the Lord. Our society benefits when Christian women serve others through their careers. Our support and encouragement is no less important if this is our daughter's inclination. In addition to educating her about her responsibilities as a wife and mother, we can look for opportunities to learn about the benefits - and the pitfalls - of a specific career. We can help her be as prepared and knowledgeable as possible.
In short, we should exhort her to work heartily, as for the Lord (Colossians 3:23) in her chosen vocation. Even if she chooses a path that is not our own.
We should also be honest about our own calling. My daughter has seen the positives and negatives that accompany having a career outside of the home. She also realizes that our home and family mean more to me than my job. I have taught her that a woman has an incredible opportunity to minister to and bless her family by providing home-cooked meals and keeping a clean home. As much as I have tried to model that for her, she has seen how difficult it is to provide these things when employed outside of the home. She knows that stay-at-home mothers face challenges as well. Whatever choice she makes will require sacrifice. Neither situation is perfect, because we live in a fallen world. It is imperative that she realize that.
Finally, we should accept the fact that we don't know what God has planned for our daughter's future. He may call her into the mission field in Africa or in the local hospital. Perhaps she will remain single. Perhaps she will have a husband but no children. I don't know if God has given my daughter this particular ambition because He's going to allow her to find the cure for cancer or to prepare her to homeschool the one who will. I only know that I will rejoice in whatever blessing the Lord bestows upon her, whether it is a big career or a big family. If she seeks to do everything to the glory of the Lord (1 Cor. 10:31), how could I ask for more?
At 14, I dreamed of a big career in a big city 700 miles to the north. I didn't understand the bemused smile my mother usually wore as I spouted off my grand plans. I had my life mapped out, but I didn't need that map. Although I anticipated having a 10-hour drive to my parents' home, it takes a mere 10 minutes.
Which is why I, too, wear a bemused expression when my daughter reels off her great plans for her big life in a city 500 miles to the south. I tell her something my mother wasn't able to tell me, The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. (Proverbs 16:9) Still, I'm glad my girl has big dreams. Who am I to say that they have not been given to her by God? Her preferred career would give her an opportunity to minister to people in need. It may be that He has a place for her in this particular field for just that purpose.
It seems the blogosphere has recently been inundated with posts about Biblical womanhood and complementarianism. (For the record, I am a complementarian.) I don't want to add to the clamor and I'm not responding to any post I've read. I do want to encourage other mothers to fight for their girl's dreams, no matter what they are.
Some girls dream of impacting the world for Christ through their homes; they have a God-given desire to marry, have children, and work faithfully, full-time at home. This is a noble calling of the Lord and if it is the call our daughter feels, we should not hesitate to offer our support and encouragement in that direction. We should teach her the art of homemaking, procure or provide lessons in different domestic skills, and instruct her in the values and benefits of being a stay-at-home wife and mother.
Other girls dream of living out the Gospel in the workplace. This, too, can be a noble calling from the Lord. Our society benefits when Christian women serve others through their careers. Our support and encouragement is no less important if this is our daughter's inclination. In addition to educating her about her responsibilities as a wife and mother, we can look for opportunities to learn about the benefits - and the pitfalls - of a specific career. We can help her be as prepared and knowledgeable as possible.
In short, we should exhort her to work heartily, as for the Lord (Colossians 3:23) in her chosen vocation. Even if she chooses a path that is not our own.
We should also be honest about our own calling. My daughter has seen the positives and negatives that accompany having a career outside of the home. She also realizes that our home and family mean more to me than my job. I have taught her that a woman has an incredible opportunity to minister to and bless her family by providing home-cooked meals and keeping a clean home. As much as I have tried to model that for her, she has seen how difficult it is to provide these things when employed outside of the home. She knows that stay-at-home mothers face challenges as well. Whatever choice she makes will require sacrifice. Neither situation is perfect, because we live in a fallen world. It is imperative that she realize that.
Finally, we should accept the fact that we don't know what God has planned for our daughter's future. He may call her into the mission field in Africa or in the local hospital. Perhaps she will remain single. Perhaps she will have a husband but no children. I don't know if God has given my daughter this particular ambition because He's going to allow her to find the cure for cancer or to prepare her to homeschool the one who will. I only know that I will rejoice in whatever blessing the Lord bestows upon her, whether it is a big career or a big family. If she seeks to do everything to the glory of the Lord (1 Cor. 10:31), how could I ask for more?
Friday, May 17, 2013
Scriptural Lessons from the Natural World: All Creatures Eat (Part 2)
Scripture uses our knowledge that both humans and animals have food to teach us about God—or, more precisely, to remind us of what we already should know about God. We can know that God exists, and that he is good, wise, and powerful because he feed his creatures.
But there’s more. That God has revealed himself by providing food for us ought to influence what we do. I’ve found four biblical commands based on our knowledge of God's food provision. The first two apply to everyone, but the last two are especially for believers.
We Should Be Thankful
If we know God exists, and know some of his attributes, too—and his gift of food leaves us with no excuse for not knowing—then we also know that we ought to be thankful to him (Romans 1:20-21). That we owe God praise is commonsensical—or it should be. If the mother who serves supper to her family deserves praise and thanks, how much more God, who sends the sun and rain to give fruitful harvests worldwide, who satisfies our “hearts with food and gladness” (Acts 14:15-17)?
The Psalms instruct us in the proper response to God’s food gifts.
I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless you
and praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is unsearchable.
The eyes of all look to you,See Psalm 147:7-9, 12-14 and Psalm 104, too. Our God meets his whole creation's need for food. How can we not praise him?
and you give them their food in due season. (Psalm 145:1-3; 15-16)
We Should Repent
One of the reasons for universal condemnation is that all people naturally respond improperly to God’s providence. He has shown himself in his good gifts, but we don’t “honor him as God or give thanks to him,” but express our rebellion instead (See Romans 1:18-21).
But God continues to feed us, even in our rebellion, a grace that is an invitation to turn to God in repentance, seeking forgiveness for not acknowledging him and his provision. Speaking to idolaters, Paul uses the existence of plentiful harvest to support a call to turn to the living God (Acts 14:15-17). Then in Romans, he writes that God’s kindness is meant to lead people to repentance (Romans 2:4). We might say that our food should take us to the gospel: God keeps feeding sinners instead of destroying them because in Christ there is a way of forgiveness for those who repent (Romans 3:25).
We Should Not Worry
[D]o not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! (Luke 12:22-24)These reassuring words of Jesus to his disciples are an argument from lesser to greater. God feeds the ravens and they’re just birds, so those who belong to him can trust him to take care of their needs, because they are much more important than birds.
This doesn’t mean that God's people will never go hungry. “Life," Jesus reminds us, "is more than food.” It does mean that God will give his own everything they really need. Believers should not worry about having enough. Our God feeds the ravens; he will certainly care for us!
We Should Love Our Enemies
God sends the sun and rain to grow food for everyone, even those who hate him. He gives blessings to his enemies, and those who belong to him will show love to their enemies, too:
I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.(Matthew 5:44-45)Sons do what their fathers do. Those who are true sons1 of God do what God does: They love their enemies. God blesses those who hate him, and his children pray for blessings on those who hate them, even those who treat them cruelly.
Summary
When I serve dinner, or harvest something from my garden, or spy an eagle with a rodent in it's mouth, it is—or should be—a reminder to me. God’s food blessings tells me he is there and he is good. In his wisdom and power he sustains all his creatures, including me. And in response I owe him allegiance and thanksgiving—and repentance for my failure to give him his due.
That God feeds his creatures also assures me of his care. If he can be trusted to supply their needs, he can certainly be trusted to supply mine. What’s more, his providence for all people, even those who hate him, should spur me, as his child, to love my enemies, too.
1Women and girls can be sons in this sense of the word.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Lessons from Nehemiah - 1
Today, I'm beginning a series of posts that focus on the book of Nehemiah. This is the book I just began teaching on Sunday morning with my ladies' class. Considering the amount I talk about studying the bible here at this blog, I thought that it might be a good exercise to actually do it!
Please know that I am first and foremost a student myself. I am not a seminary graduate, and other than three semesters of Koine Greek over twenty-two years ago, I do not have facility with the original languages. I can assure you, however, that I do use commentaries and other study tools. To guide my study, I am using Kathleen Nielson's book, Nehemiah: Rebuilt and Rebuilding. So, without further adieu, let's see what Nehemiah is all about.
The book of Nehemiah is historical narrative. That means it's about some people who really lived. We want to know about these people. In the opening three verses of Nehemiah, we're introduced to the subjects of this account:
The covenant made with Abraham is also re-iterated with Moses and his descendants, and is promised to be continued in the lineage of David. Second Samuel 7:16 says that David's house will be a kingdom that is secured forever.
Why have the Jews been in exile? They have "breached the faith" according to I Chronicles 9:1. Does this sound familiar? Does this sound like something not unlike what went on in the desert after Israel was freed from the Egyptians? It does. This unfaithfulness comes with a consequence, and that is why they will be taken to Babylon and kept captive for seventy years. This is not a surprise to God. In fact, it was prophesied through Jeremiah (Jeremiah 25:1-14). Even though they were disobedient and unfaithful, God shows mercy not only by promising them they will return, but by warning them in the first place.
Enter King Cyrus in 539 BC. He overthrows the Babylonian King and in 538 BC decrees that the exiles may begin to return home, something which was prophesied by Isaiah long before it happened. In Isaiah 45:4, we learn that Cyrus is going to be used by God's, even though Cyrus does not know God's name. That, to me, is incredible! God's mercy ministered by one who doesn't even know His name.
These covenant people have returned to Jerusalem, and are going to rebuild the walls of the city. That is the content of this book.
How is this our story? These people lived in a world so far removed from us. What connects us to them? Aside from the fact that we, like Israel, breach the faith, and receive acts of mercy, and still continue to disobey, it is our story because we are part of the covenant people of God. Remember the promise to Abraham that all of the families of the earth would be blessed through him? This is referred to again in Galatians 3:7-9, which quotes that passage. We are included in that blessing. The covenant made to Abraham is a covenant for us, through Christ.
God's dealings with his covenant people have not changed. He is a God who keeps all of his promises. He promised to free the Jews from Egypt and it happened. He promised to get them into the promised land, and he did it. He said he would release them from exile, and he did it. He promised a Messiah, and he sent one. He has said he's coming again. Don't you think he'll do it? I do.
This is our story because this is our God, a God who keeps his covenants.
Please know that I am first and foremost a student myself. I am not a seminary graduate, and other than three semesters of Koine Greek over twenty-two years ago, I do not have facility with the original languages. I can assure you, however, that I do use commentaries and other study tools. To guide my study, I am using Kathleen Nielson's book, Nehemiah: Rebuilt and Rebuilding. So, without further adieu, let's see what Nehemiah is all about.
The book of Nehemiah is historical narrative. That means it's about some people who really lived. We want to know about these people. In the opening three verses of Nehemiah, we're introduced to the subjects of this account:
Who were these Jews who escaped? Who are these people who were in exile, and are called a "remnant?" These people are God's covenant people, the ones promised to Abraham. In Genesis 12:1-3, God makes a covenant with Abraham. God tells Abram in verse 3: "in you all of the families of the earth shall be blessed." We can take note of that promise to Abraham, because we'll see it again later.1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the citadel,2 that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem.3 And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.”
The covenant made with Abraham is also re-iterated with Moses and his descendants, and is promised to be continued in the lineage of David. Second Samuel 7:16 says that David's house will be a kingdom that is secured forever.
Why have the Jews been in exile? They have "breached the faith" according to I Chronicles 9:1. Does this sound familiar? Does this sound like something not unlike what went on in the desert after Israel was freed from the Egyptians? It does. This unfaithfulness comes with a consequence, and that is why they will be taken to Babylon and kept captive for seventy years. This is not a surprise to God. In fact, it was prophesied through Jeremiah (Jeremiah 25:1-14). Even though they were disobedient and unfaithful, God shows mercy not only by promising them they will return, but by warning them in the first place.
Enter King Cyrus in 539 BC. He overthrows the Babylonian King and in 538 BC decrees that the exiles may begin to return home, something which was prophesied by Isaiah long before it happened. In Isaiah 45:4, we learn that Cyrus is going to be used by God's, even though Cyrus does not know God's name. That, to me, is incredible! God's mercy ministered by one who doesn't even know His name.
These covenant people have returned to Jerusalem, and are going to rebuild the walls of the city. That is the content of this book.
How is this our story? These people lived in a world so far removed from us. What connects us to them? Aside from the fact that we, like Israel, breach the faith, and receive acts of mercy, and still continue to disobey, it is our story because we are part of the covenant people of God. Remember the promise to Abraham that all of the families of the earth would be blessed through him? This is referred to again in Galatians 3:7-9, which quotes that passage. We are included in that blessing. The covenant made to Abraham is a covenant for us, through Christ.
God's dealings with his covenant people have not changed. He is a God who keeps all of his promises. He promised to free the Jews from Egypt and it happened. He promised to get them into the promised land, and he did it. He said he would release them from exile, and he did it. He promised a Messiah, and he sent one. He has said he's coming again. Don't you think he'll do it? I do.
This is our story because this is our God, a God who keeps his covenants.
Monday, May 13, 2013
The Problem and the Cure
This post originally appeared on my personal blog in 2011.
When I was growing up, way back in the dark ages before cell phones, my father had short-wave radios in the vehicles of his employees. We also had two units in our house: one in the living room, and one in my parents’ room. They looked a little like telephones (not a telephone that any of my children would recognize, but like telephones of that era). Talking on them required the use of all sorts of fancy code-talk like “Car One to Base Two.”
They were kind of scary.
Then one day my cousins were playing at my house. One of them decided it would be quite hilarious if I would get on the radio and call for my daddy. I wasn’t convinced it would be that hilarious, and I thought it might get me in trouble, but he was very encouraging.
I was gullible. I was the youngest. It was part of my job to be gullible.
I was probably four. I remember being concerned about the whether I needed to say “Base Two to Car One” first, but he assured me that if I got on there and said, “Daddy! Hi Daddy!” (over and over) it would be just great.
So I did it. It didn’t take long before my dad responded with, “Somebody get her off of that thing.” It might as well have been the voice of God.
It’s ironic to think that this particular cousin is now an airline pilot, because I have a feeling that messing around with the communication devices is frowned upon in his line of work. But I digress.
That was probably the most embarrassed I had ever been. I’ve been much more embarrassed since then, mind you, but at the time it was bad. Now, I don’t want you to read too much into this. I recovered quickly. I played with my cousins for the rest of the afternoon, and I’m sure when my dad got home from work I ran up and hugged him just like always. I don’t want to paint this as a traumatic incident from my past, because it’s not.
I didn’t even think about it much until I got a job with The Drugstore Chain That Shall Not Be Named. On my first day, a coworker asked me to page someone over the store intercom, and I was terrified. Page someone? Over the store intercom? Can’t I do something less scary, like stand in the parking lot and sing a solo?
For the first couple of days I went to ridiculous lengths to avoid using the intercom. Finally I just couldn’t avoid it, so I bucked up and did it. No one was particularly impressed at the sacrifice this required, but I was pleased with myself. By the time I left the company, I could announce prescriptions and call for change with the best of them.
For the past couple of weeks, I’ve taken a break (mostly) from reading my beloved dead Puritans to read a couple of the Christian “self-help” books. Both of them contain some insight into why we do what we do, and both of them spend an inordinate amount of time discussing how childhood traumas and disappointments can shape us. It seems that all of us were paying attention in Psych 101.
But I wonder at the format. The authors seem to say: It’s all their fault that you are the way you are (“they” being your parents or the men in your life, usually). The implication is that if you can dredge up all the causes, you’ll be cured.
I’m not trying to minimize the impact of family dysfunction and childhood traumas, nor am I suggesting that the victim is to blame. I do think, however, these books skip a step. My opening example is overly simplistic and a little silly, and purposely so. But even if I take one of my bigger issues and substitute it, I’m still back at the beginning. You see, just as I knew why I didn’t like intercoms, I know why I have a fear of people dying in car wrecks and children being snatched from their homes. Maybe I’ll tell you about it sometime. But none of those things created the problem, they just uprooted something that was already there.
I didn’t like intercoms because I don’t like looking foolish, and once an intercom had made me feel that way. I was eventually able to see that people shopping in your local chain drugstore have better things to do than mock the person on the intercom, so I moved on. The bigger problems may be harder to get past, but the roots are the same as any other problem we’ve had from the beginning: fear, pride, unbelief, distrust, covetousness.
At best, discovering the role the mistakes or sins of others played in your current problems will offer some insight, but they won’t give you the solution. At worst you will go on blaming that person, growing in bitterness, and never get around to dealing with your own stuff. Scripture does contain stern warnings for those who cause others to sin (Matthew 18:6, Romans 14:20-22), but whenever it speaks directly to a person about their own sin, it doesn’t allow any wiggle room. The direct advice is always the same: repent and stop. Trust God and follow him.
Are you fearful? That’s unbelief and lack of trust in God. Fear of failure? That’s pride. We can’t change our past, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can put off the old self and put on the new (Ephesians 4:22-24). And that requires more than looking for someone else to blame.
When I was growing up, way back in the dark ages before cell phones, my father had short-wave radios in the vehicles of his employees. We also had two units in our house: one in the living room, and one in my parents’ room. They looked a little like telephones (not a telephone that any of my children would recognize, but like telephones of that era). Talking on them required the use of all sorts of fancy code-talk like “Car One to Base Two.”
They were kind of scary.
Then one day my cousins were playing at my house. One of them decided it would be quite hilarious if I would get on the radio and call for my daddy. I wasn’t convinced it would be that hilarious, and I thought it might get me in trouble, but he was very encouraging.
I was gullible. I was the youngest. It was part of my job to be gullible.
I was probably four. I remember being concerned about the whether I needed to say “Base Two to Car One” first, but he assured me that if I got on there and said, “Daddy! Hi Daddy!” (over and over) it would be just great.
So I did it. It didn’t take long before my dad responded with, “Somebody get her off of that thing.” It might as well have been the voice of God.
It’s ironic to think that this particular cousin is now an airline pilot, because I have a feeling that messing around with the communication devices is frowned upon in his line of work. But I digress.
That was probably the most embarrassed I had ever been. I’ve been much more embarrassed since then, mind you, but at the time it was bad. Now, I don’t want you to read too much into this. I recovered quickly. I played with my cousins for the rest of the afternoon, and I’m sure when my dad got home from work I ran up and hugged him just like always. I don’t want to paint this as a traumatic incident from my past, because it’s not.
I didn’t even think about it much until I got a job with The Drugstore Chain That Shall Not Be Named. On my first day, a coworker asked me to page someone over the store intercom, and I was terrified. Page someone? Over the store intercom? Can’t I do something less scary, like stand in the parking lot and sing a solo?
For the first couple of days I went to ridiculous lengths to avoid using the intercom. Finally I just couldn’t avoid it, so I bucked up and did it. No one was particularly impressed at the sacrifice this required, but I was pleased with myself. By the time I left the company, I could announce prescriptions and call for change with the best of them.
For the past couple of weeks, I’ve taken a break (mostly) from reading my beloved dead Puritans to read a couple of the Christian “self-help” books. Both of them contain some insight into why we do what we do, and both of them spend an inordinate amount of time discussing how childhood traumas and disappointments can shape us. It seems that all of us were paying attention in Psych 101.
But I wonder at the format. The authors seem to say: It’s all their fault that you are the way you are (“they” being your parents or the men in your life, usually). The implication is that if you can dredge up all the causes, you’ll be cured.
I’m not trying to minimize the impact of family dysfunction and childhood traumas, nor am I suggesting that the victim is to blame. I do think, however, these books skip a step. My opening example is overly simplistic and a little silly, and purposely so. But even if I take one of my bigger issues and substitute it, I’m still back at the beginning. You see, just as I knew why I didn’t like intercoms, I know why I have a fear of people dying in car wrecks and children being snatched from their homes. Maybe I’ll tell you about it sometime. But none of those things created the problem, they just uprooted something that was already there.
I didn’t like intercoms because I don’t like looking foolish, and once an intercom had made me feel that way. I was eventually able to see that people shopping in your local chain drugstore have better things to do than mock the person on the intercom, so I moved on. The bigger problems may be harder to get past, but the roots are the same as any other problem we’ve had from the beginning: fear, pride, unbelief, distrust, covetousness.
At best, discovering the role the mistakes or sins of others played in your current problems will offer some insight, but they won’t give you the solution. At worst you will go on blaming that person, growing in bitterness, and never get around to dealing with your own stuff. Scripture does contain stern warnings for those who cause others to sin (Matthew 18:6, Romans 14:20-22), but whenever it speaks directly to a person about their own sin, it doesn’t allow any wiggle room. The direct advice is always the same: repent and stop. Trust God and follow him.
Are you fearful? That’s unbelief and lack of trust in God. Fear of failure? That’s pride. We can’t change our past, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can put off the old self and put on the new (Ephesians 4:22-24). And that requires more than looking for someone else to blame.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Hope that purifies
One evening after a revival service at our church, I sat in front of the window in my room, looked out across the darkness of our backyard, and begged Jesus not to return. At least not any time soon. I don't remember anything at all about that particular revival service: not who preached nor his text nor even any of his pertinent points. Evidently it had something to do with the end of the world as we knew it. I was a young girl, 11 or 12, maybe older, maybe younger, and I was terrified (terrified!) that Jesus would indeed come back as warned, soon and very soon, robbing me of a boyfriend and prom and all of the other childish dreams and aspirations that were close to my young girl's heart.
It seems silly and almost a little sad to scare a little girl half out of her wits to the extent that she could hardly sleep at night for fear of never having a first date. I will say this in defense of my younger self: I believed Jesus' promise to return. Not only that but I realized I much preferred the world according to Seventeen magazine, a realization that I'd like to think scared me as much as life without ever having a pedicure.
Today I still believe Jesus' promise to return and I pretend to be ready but the reality is sometimes I still prefer He would wait.
In 1 John chapter 3 John makes the startling statement that all who hope in Jesus' appearing purify themselves (1 John 3:3). Hoping, eagerly expecting, Christ's return is a means of purification, how? Doesn't this seem contradictory to our usual warning against being so heavenly minded to be of no earthly good?
As I consider the relationship between hoping in Christ and in His appearance and my purification, I draw a couple of conclusions. First, living in the reality of His return makes a difference in how I live. I gain eternal perspective. I understand this world is fleeting and the true treasure in not found here below but above, where Christ is. These truths are reinforced as I wait eagerly for His appearing.
Not only does this eager expectation for the return of my Savior affect the way I live, but its effect is one of purification from sin. Consider Titus 2:11-13 where Paul speaks of renouncing ungodliness and worldly passions by waiting for the blessed hope, the appearing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. My ESV Study Bible tells me that "Certainty about the future enables constancy in the present." Certainty motivates constancy. I will see Him so I want to be like Him. These troubles are light and momentary compared to the weight of glory that is to come thus I can persevere in my fight with sin and flesh and world. Jesus will return. This hope purifies me.
I think of me as a young girl sitting in front of her window and crying and it makes me sad. I thought at the time that Jesus' imminent return would rob me of something precious that, despite me going to heaven, I would lose out. As I weighed the options in the balance I figured my earthly future of greater worth; thus I cried.
I no longer weep at the thought of Jesus' second coming but I operate under the same set of assumptions when I count the pleasures of this world as greater and more important. In this way, what I think about Jesus' return reveals what I love and what I think important. As it exposes the true nature of my heart and my heart's affections, I am purified.
Jesus' return is not a source of hope for all. He will come in judgment and where then will hope lie? Only in His finished work on the cross where He died to secure forgiveness for all who would believe. Is your hope in Him? Do you rest secure knowing He will return? Has this truth purified you? Does it affect the way you live? 1 Thess. 5:23 promises that those who belong to Christ will be kept blameless at His appearing--blameless because He paid the penalty for your sin, granting you eternal life in Him.
May our heavenly mindedness make us of earthly good as we watch and work and wait. May our confidence in the end of this world as we know it propel us to hope, not fear, as we proclaim the truth in love. May we know our true Treasure awaits--yes and amen--and may our passion be thus directed.
Jesus is our only hope. He will return. Wait for it. Watch for it. Hope in it. By it you will be purified.
It seems silly and almost a little sad to scare a little girl half out of her wits to the extent that she could hardly sleep at night for fear of never having a first date. I will say this in defense of my younger self: I believed Jesus' promise to return. Not only that but I realized I much preferred the world according to Seventeen magazine, a realization that I'd like to think scared me as much as life without ever having a pedicure.
Today I still believe Jesus' promise to return and I pretend to be ready but the reality is sometimes I still prefer He would wait.
In 1 John chapter 3 John makes the startling statement that all who hope in Jesus' appearing purify themselves (1 John 3:3). Hoping, eagerly expecting, Christ's return is a means of purification, how? Doesn't this seem contradictory to our usual warning against being so heavenly minded to be of no earthly good?
As I consider the relationship between hoping in Christ and in His appearance and my purification, I draw a couple of conclusions. First, living in the reality of His return makes a difference in how I live. I gain eternal perspective. I understand this world is fleeting and the true treasure in not found here below but above, where Christ is. These truths are reinforced as I wait eagerly for His appearing.
Not only does this eager expectation for the return of my Savior affect the way I live, but its effect is one of purification from sin. Consider Titus 2:11-13 where Paul speaks of renouncing ungodliness and worldly passions by waiting for the blessed hope, the appearing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. My ESV Study Bible tells me that "Certainty about the future enables constancy in the present." Certainty motivates constancy. I will see Him so I want to be like Him. These troubles are light and momentary compared to the weight of glory that is to come thus I can persevere in my fight with sin and flesh and world. Jesus will return. This hope purifies me.
I think of me as a young girl sitting in front of her window and crying and it makes me sad. I thought at the time that Jesus' imminent return would rob me of something precious that, despite me going to heaven, I would lose out. As I weighed the options in the balance I figured my earthly future of greater worth; thus I cried.
I no longer weep at the thought of Jesus' second coming but I operate under the same set of assumptions when I count the pleasures of this world as greater and more important. In this way, what I think about Jesus' return reveals what I love and what I think important. As it exposes the true nature of my heart and my heart's affections, I am purified.
Jesus' return is not a source of hope for all. He will come in judgment and where then will hope lie? Only in His finished work on the cross where He died to secure forgiveness for all who would believe. Is your hope in Him? Do you rest secure knowing He will return? Has this truth purified you? Does it affect the way you live? 1 Thess. 5:23 promises that those who belong to Christ will be kept blameless at His appearing--blameless because He paid the penalty for your sin, granting you eternal life in Him.
May our heavenly mindedness make us of earthly good as we watch and work and wait. May our confidence in the end of this world as we know it propel us to hope, not fear, as we proclaim the truth in love. May we know our true Treasure awaits--yes and amen--and may our passion be thus directed.
Jesus is our only hope. He will return. Wait for it. Watch for it. Hope in it. By it you will be purified.
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