Self Hardening?

During my time with the Lord, I start in the Word with the days reading from M’Cheyne’s Calendar for Daily Bible Reading.  In the past several months I have added the proverb of the day.  There are days that it doesn’t end there.  It seems like the Lord leads me on a journey through a topic or an idea.

One time, a few months ago, that started with Psalm 38:15a (here @ BibleGateway), “For, I hope in You, O Lord…”  The thought I wrote in my journal was, “I should not hope in anything else but You.  No salary, no person, no project, only you.”  Then there are a series of passages that follow:

• Psalm 39:4 15, 7 (here @ BibleGateway)
• Psalm 78:39 (here @ BibleGateway)
• Psalm 144:4 (here @ BibleGateway)
• Job 14:2 (here @ BibleGateway)
• Psalm 62:9 (here @ BibleGateway)
• Ecclesiastes 6:12 (here @ BibleGateway)
• Proverbs 1:28 – 33 (here @ BibleGateway)
• Hebrews 12:7 – 11 (here @ BibleGateway)

At the time I was in contact with an acquaintance that was also dealing with cancer.  They had just told me that their cancer was in remission.  I wrote: “I will never, as things stand now, hear those words this side of heaven.  Lord, I have no idea how much longer you have ordained for me to be here.  On the one hand, Philippians 1:21 (here @ BibleGateway), on the other hand, ten grandchildren with whom I wish to fully engage, Lord, please make me content with you and with what you have given me.”

Focusing on the last two passages it occurred to me that all the previous passages were context for those last two.  There are those in the body that refuse to engage, to listen to His Word, refuse to abide in His Word.  It is if they neglect or ignore the exhortation to abide, they neglect His counsel, do not want His reproof, hate knowledge, do not fear God.  It is as if they are choosing the passing pleasures of sin over following God.  That brought another passage to mind, James 4:17 (here @ BibleGateway).

To not accept His counsel, to spurn His reproof, would seem to have the effect that they eat the fruit of their own way.  Is this, could this be, the same as hardening one’s own heart?

Lessons – Appendix

Thinking about the last post it was obvious that one lesson was omitted.  It was one of the first lessons to which the Lord led.  It is an extension or corollary to this post I wrote back in February last year.  

I do not remember how, or why I was reading Philemon (here @ BibleGateway) in May; it was not in my reading program in that month.  Regardless I started reading Philemon soon after I found out I was going to start treatment and before my first infusion.

I did not get far.

I was stopped short at the sixth word of Philemon 1.  It reads. “Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus…”  Wait!  Paul is in a Roman prison; chained to a Roman guard; incarcerated under Roman law; yet he describes himself as a prisoner of Christ?  What the fat is that about?

Stunned I stopped to pray and think.  Slowly (emphasis on that word) what was going on began to glacially dawn.  Paul viewed his current “situation” as his assignment from his Lord.  He literally was chained to his “captive” audience.  This is validated in Philippians 1:12 – 13 (here @ BibleGateway), the whole praetorian guard, whole, all, had heard from Paul as well as everyone, again an inclusive, expansive word, had heard as well.  

It was his ministry assignment.  It was the fulfillment of Jesus’ message to Paul in Acts 23:11 (here @ BibleGateway).  Acts 28:16 (here @ BibleGateway) gives the context for Paul’s comment in Philemon 1 (here @ BibleGateway) and Philippians 1:12 – 13 (here @ BibleGateway).

So, I pondered what were the implications for me as I faced the next 20 months being seated for four days every 21 days for multiple hours in the midst of people whom I did not know?  A question formed, “What would it be like to be a cancer patient of Christ Jesus”.

As I considered this.  A plan formed.  I would ask those that were to be taking care of me how I might be praying for them while I was bound to the chemo chair.  I would also ask the doctors.  So at the next appointment I asked, it was when I was getting prepped to get my port.  I asked the nurse who was working on me how I could be praying for her.  As I recall she looked at me as if I was from another planet and had no response.  Ok.  I’ll keep trying.  So, the next nurse, and the next, and the next doctor.  

Some reacted like the first nurse or said they could not think of anything.  But, many more, most in fact, while surprised, were grateful.  I would write the requests down, pray over them, and then ask about them next time I saw the person that gave me the prayer request.  It became known that I was doing that.  Some began to share requests with me without my asking.  It became a way for me to thank and in a real way serve those who were serving me.

The lesson, at least for me, is that when we are in a circumstance where our situation is the focus, it is unexpected that the needs of those who are tasked to help us or serve us are not necessarily considered.  If I understand the way Christ ministered to people, He was always thinking about the needs of those around Him, even as he hung on the cross.  

I hesitated to share this and at the same time I was eager to share it.  I do not want to present as one who has all of this stuff figured out.  There were times when the meds just knocked me out, there were times when I forgot to ask.  Only one of the doctors responded positively, and that changed our relationship for the better. 

I share this as a possible encouragement, as an implication of the reality of God’s sovereign intention in all that he brings into our life.  If He meant what He said in Matthew 6:33 (here @ BibleGateway); I assume He did.  Perhaps regarding all the “circumstances” we find ourselves as Paul did his imprisonment in Rome, may be one way to follow him.  You may ask, “How can I be an engineer of Christ Jesus?”  “How can I be a teacher of Christ Jesus?”  “How can I be a football player of Christ Jesus?” etc.

Lessons – Part 2

Yesterday I shared some of what the last 20 months has been for Jenny and me.  I shared that I had been processing, thinking through, some of the lessons or things that the Lord has been attempting to teach me through this process.  Today I am going to outline what I have come up with thus far.  Some of these I will expand further in subsequent posts.  Others – well I don’t know how the Lord is going to lead on this…

1. Most of us know John 15:5 (here @ BibleGateway). It is a repetition, or perhaps better, an implication of John 1:3 (here @ BibleGateway). It has been reinforced in the past 20 months that I can do nothing, zero, zilch, nada apart from Christ. I am completely and utterly dependent on Him.
   
   
2. I have been active all my life. I ran until my knees went south, started swimming after that, then started riding a bike when it became difficult to find a pool early in the morning. Through chemo I worked out fairly consistently 3 times a week. It helped mitigate some of the side effects. However, the truth of 1 Timothy 4:7 – 8 (here @ BibleGateway) is inescapable. My physical fitness, regardless of how much effort I put into it, is temporary. It takes very little to move me from fit to completely dependent on others for my well-being.
   
   
3. I DON’T have this. Many would respond to my posts on caring bridge with something like, “You have this!” They were intending to be encouraging, and to an extent it was. However, I did not have it. I was dependent on doctors, nurses, and my family. My wife had her knee replaced 5 days ago, she is completely dependent on me at the moment. This may be a subset of number 1 above, but it is in my nature to try to work through all the challenges I face on my own strength. It does not work out well.
   
   
4. I do not know how to walk in the Spirit. I recognize that I am supposed to do that. But I am sure that I do not have a firm grasp on what that looks like. It is easy to commit to do so. It is really easy to write it in one’s journal. It seems difficult to actually do.
   
   
5. A corollary, perhaps, to the last one, I do not know what it means to wait on the Lord. Doing so, according to Isaiah 40:29 – 31 (here @ BibleGateway), gives strength. Again, easy to observe and record in a journal or Bible study. Not so easy to live.
   
   
6. I do not know how to pass on my passion for God’s Word to other people. I learned as an instructor pilot that I could not fly the plane for my students. I learned in teaching mountain climbing to others, that I cannot climb for them. I cannot love God’s Word for others either. It is frustrating.
   
   
7. I know that unless the Lord sends me somewhere, or directs me to engage in some action, I am not effective or in any way fruitful in that endeavor.
   
   
8. I have seen and had it validated over and over that just because a well known and respected Christian leader has said or written on a subject, it does not mean that what he has written is either true or correct in its declarations or conclusions. Regardless of my respect for that individual it is incumbent on me to validate his positions Biblically.
   
   
9. Most of my life I have been strong and energetic. I have lived life in that way. In this season I am tired and weak. It is encouraging to read 2 Corinthians 12:9 – 10 (here @ BibleGateway).    Again, hard to live.

That is most of what I have considered in the past weeks.  The implications of 6 and 8 have taken a lot of space in my thinking over the past several days.  Going forward I will expand on some of these from time to time.  If you have thoughts or there is something above that really resonates, comment below or if you want to shoot me an email, feel free.  If you want to send an email and do not have mine, ask.

Lessons

In April of 2020 I had my routine PT scan done here in Tulsa instead of MD Anderson in Houston.  The pandemic has just reared it’s ugly head so I could not travel to Houston.  That was a Monday.  On Friday I was riding my bike and got a flat.  For some reason I could not get my pump to work.  So, my son picked me up and took me back to my car.  As I was putting my bike on the bike rack, the phone rang.

The screen said MD Anderson.  That got my attention.  It was my oncologist.  She told me that the PT scan showed that the lymph node with which she was concerned had grown to the point that if we did not start treatment, other organs would be impacted.

Three days later, Monday, I had a port surgically implanted in the upper part of my right chest.  The next day, I had a Echo Cardiogram.  Eight days later, they drilled a hole into my pelvis to check to see how my bone marrow was involved with the cancer.  Two days later, I had a lung function test.  All this was to determine if I was healthy enough to start the chemotherapy.  I was.

On May 12 and 13 I started round one of chemotherapy.  That was a three-week process that involved infusions on Tuesday and Wednesday for the first two weeks, with the third week off.  There were six of those rounds.  That was followed by eight maintenance rounds eight weeks apart.  Those rounds were Tuesday and Wednesday one week.  

Additionally, because the chemo trashed my immune system, I begin getting Immunoglobin G intravenously every three weeks starting in April of 21.  Each of these treatments, the chemo and the IVIG included steroids.  I did not know about steroid crashes.  I do now.

The result of all this treatment has been good as far as the cancer is concerned.  What I have is not curable but responds to treatment that should allow me a 2 – 5-year break.  Oh, I finished the last chemo treatment on December 15th.  One of the side effects is that for about 5 days or so after each two-day treatment it is hard to think, read, study, anything mental.  That is one of the reasons contributions to the blog have been rather sparse since May 2020.  

From scripture, specifically Psalm 139:3 (here @ Bible Gateway), I am convinced that the Lord does not bring things like this into our lives randomly.  Rather, there is intention in all that he does, including cancer.  In 1 Thessalonians 5:16 – 18 (here @ Bible Gateway), Paul reminds us that we are to rejoice, pray, and give thanks for everything.  He repeats this admonition in less words in Philippians 4:6 – 7 (here @ Bible Gateway).

This has been something that I have struggled with since one of my daughters-in-law came down with cancer while pregnant.  She was struggling with the same issue.  But both of us realized the text is clear.  We are to be thankful for everything.

In the past few days, I have been reflecting on the past 20 months.  What has the Lord shown me?  What are some of the lessons I have learned?  My intention was to start sharing those thoughts in this post, but it has taken much longer than I anticipated to share the context.  So I will start that process tomorrow.

Abiding in Sin

This is substantially a continuation or a further development of yesterday’s post.

In the time with the Lord this morning one of the passages to which I was directed was Jude (the reading plan I use had Jude yesterday but I misread it and jumped into Revelation, oops).  In Jude 4 (here @ Bible Gateway) we read that there are those in the community who turn grace into licentiousness.

Thinking through that, and there is much to which that applies, more than I want to explore in this post, several other passages came to mind.

Romans 6:1 – 2 (here @ Bible Gateway): Paul emphatically states that we are not to claim the grace of God as a covering to remain, continue, or abide in sinful behavior.  Which would, it seems, be what Jude suggests is turning grace in to licentiousness.  Interestingly, the word that is translated “continue” (NASB) here is in the same word group as the word that is translated “abide” in John 8:31 – 32 (here @ Bible Gateway).  Galatians 5:13 (here @ Bible Gateway), echoes the thought here in Romans 6:1 – 2 (here @ Bible Gateway).

James 4:17 (here @ Bible Gateway): James reminds us that if we know what is right and do not do it.  That is sin.

John 8:31 – 32 (here @ Bible Gateway): Jesus said that if we are going to be His disciples, we will abide, continue, in His Word.

Luke 6:46 (here @ Bible Gateway): Jesus asks a significant question.  Why are you calling me Lord if you are not doing what I tell you to do?

All of these together would seem to suggest that if we claim to be followers of Christ – note that in Acts 11:26 (here @ Bible Gateway), those who are called Christians were first disciples – one of the distinguishing marks of a Christian, a disciple, is that they are those who abide, remain in, continue in, His Word.

That would seem to be the right thing to do, would it not?  So, if we are not, are we not abiding in sin?

Overwhelmed

Have you ever felt overwhelmed, helpless, and useless?  Faced with a circumstance that, regardless of any effort, looked insurmountable?

Read Judges 6:11 – 12 (here @ Bible Gateway).

If you look at the context, the Midianites were treating Israel like their corner grocery store.  They were coming in at harvest and taking everything they saw.  Judges 6:5 (here @ Bible Gateway) compares them to a plague of locusts.

In the midst of this the angel of the lord finds Gideon – now Gideon was hiding in a wine press beating out wheat.  I do not have any experience with growing and harvesting wheat, nor have I ever been involved in the making of wine.  That being said, I am relatively certain that a wine press is not a normal wheat harvesting implement, nor is beating out wheat a regular task in the making of wine.  The text backs this up.  Gideon was hiding what he was doing so the Midianites would not get the wheat.

It is in this context that the angel of the Lord addresses Gideon as a valiant warrior.

He’s hiding in a wine press to beat out wheat so the bad guys won’t get it – hiding, valiant warrior – the math doesn’t seem to work.

Gideon does turn out to be a valiant warrior.  But, he wasn’t at the moment – or perhaps the better way to say that is that he was not functioning as he was designed.  Perhaps the Lord views us through the lens of Ephesians 2:10 (here @ Bible Gateway).  We are made to do His work.  We are His workmanship to accomplish what He wants.  So, He sees us how He made us.

So, when confronted with the overwhelming, perhaps our best course of action is to seek the Lord as Gideon did and tackle the overwhelming in His strength.

Rootless

One of the passages of Scripture that I love, to which I continually return, is Mark 4:1 – 20 (here @ Bible Gateway).  You know it as the parable of the sower or the parable of the soils.  The parable shows up in Matthew 13:1 – 23 (here @ Bible Gateway) and Luke 8:4 – 15 (here @ Bible Gateway) as well.

I am particularly drawn to Mark 4:16 – 17 (here @ Bible Gateway).  Jesus is explaining the parable to the disciples.  He tells them that those who fade away in the midst of affliction or persecution “have no root in themselves.”

Why do they fade?

So I begin to consider how a root functions.  Not being a botanist, this is by observation and experience in cultivating a garden and landscaping around our different houses.  It seems to me that there are at least two functions the root of a plant serves, anchoring the plant and feeding the plant.

Living in Oklahoma I have seen the result of severe storms on vegetation, particularly trees.  Those with shallow root systems do not withstand the strong winds of thunderstorms or tornados.  Plants that do not have deep roots wither and die in the midst of the heat of the summer.

It is the second function, the feeding of the plant though that really has captured my attention.  The Lord has given me the privilege to work to equip pastors and leaders in Bible study over the past several years.  One would think that would not be necessary.  However, my experience has been that many, if not most, of those who speak or lead, are not in the Word regularly for themselves.  Rather, they depend on the work of others to sustain them.

Many of those who have been through a workshop or who I have helped individually have shared that they have not been personally engaged in the Word on a regular basis.

This last weekend during one of the pastors at our church shared a similar experience that he has with some other local pastors, they were struggling to get into the Word.  He also shared that studies show that most evangelical Christians do not spend more than 5 minutes a day in the Word or prayer.

It occurs to me that those who are only receiving the Word from others have no root.  There is no depth, no ability to process life Biblically.  One has to have the ability to do so.  Otherwise, as Christ said, they will immediately fall away when things get hard.

If you need help with this.  Let someone you know, a pastor, or a teacher you respect, know.  In lieu of that let me know.  I will help.

Not of this World

Romans 15:4 (here @ Bible Gateway) reminds us that the things that are written in the Old Testament are written for our instruction.  2 Timothy 3:16 – 17 (here @ Bible Gateway) tells us that all Scripture is inspired by God and profitable, in the context, Paul is talking there about the Old Testament.  Hebrews 4:12 (here @ Bible Gateway) insists that the Word is powerful, living and active, able to deal directly with our minds and hearts.

With that in mind, look at Zechariah 8:16 – 17 (here @ Bible Gateway).  As you read it note the verbs:

• Do
• Speak
• Judge
• Devise
• Love

There are a couple more but focus on these for a minute.  The first one, “do,” suggests that this is a directive, something that the Lord wants us to pay attention to, to actually make a part of our behavior.

The second, “speak,” has the object “truth.”  The Lord expects us to speak truth to one another.  This is echoed, quoted really, by Paul in Ephesians 4:25 (here @ Bible Gateway) and Colossians 3:9 (here @ Bible Gateway).

The next “judge” is interesting.  We are to judge with truth but also with judgement.  This is the second time truth shows up in this passage.  The word translated “judgement” shows up 421 times in the text; 105 of those times it is translated “ordinance.”  The implication is that our judgement is not arbitrary but follows a guide, creed, or standard.  In the use of that judgement there is no room for anything but truth.

The next two verbs are negated.  We are “not to devise” evil.  We are not to think through, plan, scheme, how to do wrong,

“Love” is the next verb negated.  We are not to love perjury.  Lying about someone or something.

So based on these observations the Lord instruct us through Zechariah to:

• Speak truth
• Judge with truth and judgement
• Not plot evil
• Not love lying

A cursory review of current events in the news (current regardless of when you might read this) will quickly reveal that these four things are not common in the behavior of man.  Rather, in all strata of society nearly the exact opposite is true.

What we hear, read, and experience on a daily basis is more like:

• Speaking falsehoods
• Bias and skewed judgements
• Evil plots
• Committed Liars

As communities of faith, we are called out to be different than the world.  If we are, people notice.

Prayer in Troubled Times

Almost a year ago we were fervently praying for my daughter in law as she was undergoing chemotherapy.  We were praying for her healing and for the protection of her child she was carrying from the effects of the chemo.  The child was born March and is healthy.  As I mentioned a few days ago my daughter in law succumbed to the cancer just before Thanksgiving.

John 6:26 – 27  (here @ Bible Gateway) challenged my prayer for her during that time.  I was fervently praying for healing, for protection.  As I considered and prayed through John 6:26 – 27, it occurred to me that asking the Lord for what He can do for us in surviving or overcoming the world is in a real sense asking Him for bread that perishes.

Health, healing, earthly prosperity all perish.  Regardless of whether a person is healed or not they will eventually die.  Whatever prosperity I am able to accumulate will remain here after I go home to be with the Lord.

What does not perish is life from Him, knowledge of Him, and the righteousness that He has given us as a result of being in His presence.

Had the Lord healed my daughter in law, at some point she would still have died.  Her daughter, though protected from the effects of the chemotherapy, will, at some point in time, as with all of us, also die.

It became clear working through this that what I needed to pray for my daughter in law was that Christ would be magnified and glorified through her life.  That He would be exalted in and through her life, however long it was to be.

In fact that is what happened.  Her battle, her attitude through that battle, had an enormous impact on the doctors and nurses that cared for her at MD Anderson this past year.  Her life, her struggle, radiated her dependence on Him.  That dependence gave her a strength and attitude that drew in those who cared for her.

On the day she left to come back to Tulsa.  The staff on the floor came to her room as a group and told her how much she meant to them.

It is that result, the magnification and glorification of our Lord that we should seek.  That is the bread that does not perish.  The impact of our dependence on the Lord draws others to Him.  That is the fruit that remains.

Brokenness Obvious or Hidden

I was at MD Anderson Cancer center earlier this week.  I had some tests and a visit with my doctor, plus I got to see some people that I wanted to see but was sure I would not be able to visit.

On the second floor of the main building (the picture is the main building one of several that make up the complex) there is a large atrium named “the Park.”  It is in an L shape.  It has ceilings at least three stories high with large translucent skylights.  There are large planters throughout with trees, flowers, and shrubs.  There is a “café” where one can purchase coffee, soft drinks, smoothies, and a hot or cold meal.  Tables and chairs are everywhere.

Tuesday afternoon I went over to get a smoothie for lunch.  I was going to spend some time in the Word and do some other work.  I was waiting for my mango kale vegan smoothie; a boy about 12 walked by, his left arm was gone.  In line to get their lunch or something to drink were one or two people pulling their IV trees with several bags hanging.  Off to my right there were several people some walking some sitting at tables with their care givers, with several bags hanging.  One man was in a hospital gown laying on his crossed arms at his table, IV tree behind him, obviously not feeling well.

Monday afternoon while I was waiting for my turn in the CT scanner, a woman came in with her care giver, she was in obvious distress.  She was moaning, holding her head, could barely get from her wheelchair to a chair.  She was obviously nauseated.  A close member of my family is still a patient there.  They have been going through what this lady has been experiencing for the past 10 months.  My father passed away at MDA in January after a 4-year battle with cancer.

So being there is a reminder…

Sitting in the park, drinking my smoothie, every direction, nearly everyone in sight was in obvious brokenness.  It was all around.  Inescapable.  As I pondered this it occurred to me that it is the same at church.  The difference is, at church it is dressed up, covered up.  Instead of moaning and IV trees; smiles, coffee, and everyone is “fine”.

I shared this with a friend Thursday.  He observed that the people that go to MDA are going for a cure, while those who go to church are going for a shot.  Most who make the trek to Houston – and they come, literally, from all over the world – are coming committed to do whatever the doctors say.  I am not sure that – yeah, I am sure, that not all that come to the church are committed at the same level.

I am still processing this.  I do not have solid answers, not even sure that I have the right questions.  However, the seed thought is that we are doing something wrong about the brokenness in our communities.  We are not good at acknowledging the reality of the cancer of sin and the brokenness it creates in our communities.  Canned programs and mass-produced curriculum doesn’t seem to be making that much of a difference.

Where is the passion to cure and to want a cure?  Why aren’t people flocking to the Church from around the world in desperation?  Why don’t they know that the answer, the cure is in Him?

Building the House

Ever experienced getting launched into a topic or a line of thinking by reading one verse in the Bible?  That happened with Psalm 127:1 a few months back.  You know the passage, probably have it memorized.

When I read it this time the building of the first temple came to mind.  I went to 1 Chronicles 29:1 – 2.  That is where David is explaining to the nation the assignment his son Solomon has from God to build the temple.

This is going to take more than one post to unwrap.  Here is what we will cover:

• The relationship between these passages and the Church today
• The people as the building blocks
• The work is great
• The work is not for man
• The work is for the Lord God
• The work is done with all our ability
• We provide for the house of the Lord
• Final thoughts

Look at the passages and think through what David says.  Let’s compare notes.

Ashamed of Christ?

Pretty sure that I have mentioned before that repetition in the Word is one of the means of emphasis.  In Hebrew parallels are used for emphasis; sometimes to emphasize a comparison or a contrast.  The human authors of the New Testament had Jewish backgrounds.  Many times, the elements of both repletion and parallelism appeared in their work.

Look at Luke 9:26, notice what is repeated.  In the NASB, ashamed and glory.  Note what is the object of shame for each use.  In the first clause, the object of shame is Christ and His words.  In the second clause, the object of shame is the one who held Christ and His words in shame.

That raises some questions.  What does it mean to hold Christ in shame; to hold His words in shame.  It would seem that if I were to ignore, discount, trivialize, or disobey Christ’s words, that would be tantamount to being ashamed of His word.  If I am ashamed of His word, doesn’t it follow that I am ashamed of Him?

Have you ever withdrawn from someone because of something he or she said?  Have you ever ignored someone because you did not view them as important or what they said as weighty?  Isn’t that what Christ is describing here?

Now consider Matthew 6:33.  Christ commands that we seek His kingdom first.  If we do not do so, is that being ashamed of His word?

If that is the case is not the effect what Christ describes here?

A 33% Effort

Read Jonah 3:3 – 4.

Note that Nineveh, Jonah’s assignment was a large city requiring three days to walk across.  Also, that Jonah’s “message of salvation” to the people of this great city consisted of eight words.  Lastly, Jonah only walked 1/3 of the way into the city.

We do not have all the data.  We do not know if Jonah said those eight words more than once or if he repeated them as he trudged along 1/3 of the way into Nineveh.  Neither do we know if he went out of the city the same way or went out another gate.

However, based on Jonah’s attitude in the first couple of chapters, it seems to me that it is possible that Jonah walked into the city 1/3 of the way, said his eight words, and turned around and walked out.

Minimal effort.

Maximum effect.

Why?

This seems to highlight the power of God to deal with an issue regardless of the commitment or passion of the instrument of His grace.

God does not need eloquence.  He does not need overwhelming effort.  He does not need a full commitment or passion.  He can use our halting, 1/3 hearted, stumbling, and minimalist effort to create a revival and change the hearts of a city.

This is not about our effort.  It is about His power to change the hearts of people.

On a Mission from God?

If you have seen the Blues Brothers, you know that Jake and Elwood tell people they are on a mission from God (the movie is crude, the music is great); if one were an objective observer, one would probably come to the conclusion that they were perhaps mistaken.

1 Chronicles 17:6, David and Nathan made a similar error as Jake and Elwood.  David feels like he should build a house for the Lord.  Nathan thinks that is a great idea.  One the way home from David’s, Nathan hears from God, “Not so fast!” (it’s in the original).

1 Samuel 13:14 refers to David as a man after God’s heart.  Here, he was wanting to do something for the Lord which the Lord did not want him to do.  Nathan, is the one that confronts David about Bathsheba; he gets it wrong as well.

That made me wonder.  How many times have I engaged in something I thought that the Lord wanted me to do and yet He was not that interested in my doing that for Him?  I suspect that I have.

Two things emerge from thinking through this.  First, the need to seek Him and His heart fervently before I act for Him.  Second, I may, and probably will, like David, get it wrong at times.  The amazing and wonderful thing?  God’s lavish grace covers my errors, just as it did David’s.

Intentional Focus

In one of the studies in which I am privileged to engage we are in 1 Timothy 4 this week.  Look at 1 Timothy 4:12 – 16.  Verse 12 is the one with which you are probably most familiar.

As you know the New Testament was written mostly in Greek.  Paul’s letters were all in Greek.  The verbs in Greek carry much of the weight in communicating the intent of the author.  In our study of the text then, it is most helpful, and important, that we pay attention to the verbs, particularly those directed to Timothy.  Those are:

• Let (no one) look down on
• Show yourself
• Give attention
• Do not neglect
• Take pains
• Be absorbed
• Pay close attention
• Persevere

All of these but the first are second person singular present active imperative, the first is third person singular present active imperative.  We will not engage in defining all of those terms, but the last three.  Present tense can have many nuances but here is continual action.  Active voice indicates Paul intends for Timothy to perform the root action of the verb.  Imperative mood, is as you might suspect, a command.  Paul is directing Timothy to personally see to these actions continuously.

So what?  We could say that Timothy has a lot of responsibility as a leader of the church in Ephesus, and as far as that goes we would be correct.

However, based on the object of the second verb, show yourself, Timothy is to be an example.  Paul tells us in multiple places that we are to follow his example:

• 1 Corinthians 10:11
• Philippians 3:17
• 1 Thessalonians 1:7
• 2 Thessalonians 3:7, 9

Not only does he command Timothy to be an example here, but also he commands Titus to as well in  Titus 2:7.

So?

This is Paul following Christ’s command in Matthew 28:18 – 20, is it not?  Christ expects His disciples, which based on John 17:20, includes us, to teach all that He commanded as part of the process of making disciples.

That would seem to suggest that those imperatives Paul addressed to Timothy, are addressed to each of us as well.

Think about that.  Is that the focus of all of the believers in your community?  Or has that focus been delegated to those who are paid staff or have taken on the mantle of teacher?  It would seem that if Paul’s exhortation does apply to all of us, and I would strongly suggest that it does, that it becomes a practical corollary to Matthew 6:33 for all of us.

Help for the Pathetic (me)

I have said before here that I am not a great prayer warrior.  Prayer is hard for me.  I find myself in the company of the apostles in the garden with Christ, falling asleep after a few minutes of “deep” intercession.

The good news, at least for me, is that as bad as I am I get some really excellent help.

I was in Psalm 5:1 the other day and I was struck by the word “groaning,” it immediately brought to mind Romans 8:26 – 27.  There we read that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with “groanings” to deep for words.  Note, by the way the reason the Spirit prays for us, “We do not know how to pray as we should.”  The encouraging thing here for me is that Paul includes himself in that category.  Paul the one whose prayer life has been the subject of really good books and whose prayers I have been using as a model to pray for others.

But there was more.  The Spirit prays for us, intercedes for us according to the will of God.  That led me to 1 John 5:14 - 15, which tells us that when we ask according to His will, He hears us, and we have that for which we ask.  So whatever it is that the Spirit is praying for us, is granted.

But there was more.  Paul ups the ante – well actually the Spirit does, look at 2 Peter 1:20 – 21 – in Romans 8:34, Paul tells us that in addition to the Spirit interceding for us, Christ is at the right hand of the Father interceding for us.

Gives me hope.

I am bad at this.  But the assistance I am getting from both the Spirit and Christ – I find myself at a loss for words to express the magnitude of that incredible, priceless reality.

Miracles

I have not written since the 10th because I have been living answered prayer, miracles.

I have mentioned earlier in this blog that our family has been facing several life and death issues in the past seven months.  One of our children experienced a miscarriage, my wife’s mother passed away, my father had a car wreck that fractured several ribs, had emergency surgery, was hospitalized, was hospitalized and passed away, while I was admitted into the same hospital.

Over all of that one of our children was diagnosed with cancer when 9 weeks pregnant.  All of these together have taken us through a significant school of prayer.  The lessons learned in that area are too numerous to name.

Last weekend child who was pregnant with cancer delivered a healthy baby girl, 9 weeks early, after undergoing 6 chemo treatments.  The child graded out in the NICU four weeks older than she was at birth.  Her weight was double that of other children born in the same conditions.

Overwhelmed, thankful does not capture our emotion.  We are still dealing with the cancer, but at a level that is less than we anticipated, another miracle.  There are still significant needs, we still need one more miracle.  We are trusting Him.

However, Daniel 3:17 – 18, is guiding us.  He is able and has provided us with several miracles in the course of this stretch.  We trust Him.  We beseech Him.  But, regardless, we are thankful for His grace, mercy, and engagement with us.

Negative Prep

In 1987 I was going through a difficult transition from a ministry that I loved into something that was as yet undefined.  It was a painful and traumatic time.  During that period I met with Bobby Clinton, the author of The Making of a Leader: Recognizing the Lessons and Stages of Leadership Development.

He listened to my story and in a few minutes shared what he called, "negative prep".  The idea is that God was pushing me out of the ministry I loved so that I would be able to do the next thing that He wanted me to do.  Over the past 30 years Clinton has been proven correct in spades.

There are Biblical examples of this.  One is in Exodus 1:12 – 13.  Israel grew so much under affliction that the Egyptians were in dread of them.  Further, the difficult labor that they were given prepared them for the rigors of the exodus.  It physically prepared them for the hardship of walking while carrying all that they had as they fled Egypt.

For the past seven months we have been experiencing a difficult time.  The details are not important.  What is important in the midst of any difficulty is to remember Bobby Clinton’s term, “negative prep,” and to hold tight to the One who is preparing us.

He is good.  He loves us.  Even when things seem the darkest, we can know that He is committed to our preparation for His purposes.

Grace in the Midst

Exodus 9:14 – 16 is just after the sixth plague that God sends on Egypt.  It wasn’t a good time to be an Egyptian.  Reading through this section at some level it was like reading Revelation 6 – 11 and 16.  God is raining significant difficulty down on His creation.

Why?

In the midst of Exodus 9:14 – 16 there is purpose given that is stunning:

“…in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name through all the earth.”

One purpose of the plagues, the seals, the trumpets, and the bowls is to reveal God.  It is to draw people to Him, to demonstrate His power and nature.

Man is stubborn.  Committed to disobedience.  In Genesis 7, God wiped out the world and started over.  He promises in Genesis 8:21 He will never do that again until He creates the new heaven and the new earth, 2 Peter 3:10 – 16.

In the meantime, when He sends difficulty, the purpose is to demonstrate to us, this stubborn people, that it is He who is in control.  It is, as Peter tells us in 2 Peter 3:15, a call to us to accept His grace.  To acknowledge our rebellion and come to Him and have our relationship restored.

The Law of Proportionality

I have been in a couple of studies in Acts for the past several months.  Both meet on Thursday, about 30 minutes apart.  We are wrapping up the first study in a couple of weeks or so we were in Acts 27 this AM.  If you are familiar with Acts you know that is a detailed chapter about the ill-fated journey to Rome.  You know, throwing stuff overboard, sea anchors… that sort of thing…

How in the heck are we supposed to apply that?

Here’s the deal.

Saul/Paul shows up in Acts 7:58 taking care of the robes of those who were stoning Stephen.  In Acts 9 he meets Jesus on the way to kill Christians in Damascus.  In Acts 13 – 19 we have described for us the three missionary journeys of Paul, 7 chapters.  Acts 19:20 is essentially the end.  From that point on, Paul is headed to Jerusalem, that is his focus.

From Acts 19:21 – 28:31 we are told about the trip to Jerusalem, Paul’s saying goodbye to communities of faith that he has been instrumental in forming, warnings about what would happen in Jerusalem to him, his arrest, his trials, his imprisonments, testimonies, and finally his shipwrecked trip to Rome, all of this ending with him in house arrest in Rome.  9.5 chapters, more detail than all of the missionary journeys combined.

Why?

If I were Luke, it seems like the most important thing would be the spread of the gospel, the Word of God, but Luke gives 7 chapters to that, and 9.5 to this journey to Rome by way of Jerusalem.  Proportionately there is more emphasis on that last journey than just about anything else in the book.

What are we to learn from this?  Why has the Holy Spirit inspired Luke to write so much detail on this journey in his account of the early church?

It is intentional.  There is a reason.  I have some thoughts as to why.  What are yours?