Ah, Christians. We are such a weird bunch - embarrassingly weird. I just read a book about a kid (prayforalex.com) who was in a car accident and sustained a Christopher Reeves type of injury, i.e., skin and tendons were the only things keeping his head from rolling onto the ground. Long story shorter, while the boy was thought to be dead, he was able to describe, as he tells in the book, watching the paramedics work on him. From somewhere outside of his body, Alex could describe what they were wearing, and where they sat in the helicopter. He tells about knowing things that happened to his dad who was taken to a completely different hospital as well as describing going to heaven and interacting with Jesus etc. etc. etc. That’s not the weird part. That stuff is fascinating, but not the kind of weird that I’m talking about.
The part that I consider weird and I’ll admit it, sad, is that the parents belong to a “Word Faith” “Name It and Claim It” Church where they believe that if you tenaciously think the right thoughts and say the right words, God will have to give you what you ask for. The key in Word Faith is that you must never, ever think wrong or doubting thoughts. In the book, the helicopter pilot, the mother of this child, two or three Pastors and numerous fellow members of the congregation, all believed (God gave them this message) that Alex was going to be “fully healed.” Well-meaning people, who wanted to be encouraging said (believed?) that God had told them this miracle was a done-deal.
I don’t know what it means to you when six years later the boy is not even minimally healed - let alone fully healed - but to me it means that it wasn’t God who gave them this message. I’m not alone. The dad, who co authored the book with his ten-year-old son, wasn’t quite so sure about this “fully healed” business either.
That, in Word Faith circles is akin to treason.
. In the Word Faith universe, ANY doubt can derail all the good stuff that God wants to do for you - including fully healing your quadriplegic son. An omnipotent God simply can’t do His thing if you doubt.
. In Word Faith circles the fault for a lack of healing is always pointed to someone besides God, usually at the victim h/herself.
. In Word Faith circles, just by speaking or thinking negative thoughts, you can make negative events happen.
They don’t call it Voodoo but . . .
In reality, from the perspective of being “fully healed,” something negative did happen to this boy. Six years after the accident, Alex is still a quad. With the aid of science and technology he can make his wheelchair get around by hitting a wand with his chin, but that’s about it. In reality, Alex is not going to be fully healed, as we understand physical healing. It was so pitiful - to me - when near the end of the book the dad said, “Fully healed may mean when he’s in heaven.”
Well duh!
Why can’t people see that God’s concern for our physical self is only important to the extent that it helps to further His kingdom? Because of that, a quadriplegic might be exactly as God wants him.
In my own case, my disability from arthritis has made me far more effective as a counsellor than I’d ever have been if I’d been healthy. “You aren’t threatening,” is a common comment. We connect with others through our points of weakness - not through our points of strength.
Why can’t people see that God’s power is shown in our weakness, not in our strength? God’s power is seen in the acceptance of our spiritual poverty, not in the stockpiling of our financial wealth. Alex has such a powerful testimony as is, but that isn’t good enough for the health and wealth crowd. An attitude that says, “Follow Jesus because of all you can get,” strikes me as so very immature. This boy has a strong relationship with Jesus. Because he has a forgiven and close walk with Jesus, he is as “healed” as any person can get, in spite of the fact that he’ll never walk again on earth.
We are not physical beings with a spirit. We are spiritual beings inhabiting a frail and dying body. It is our spirit, our soul that requires healing and Alex has had that happen to him. In the only area that counts, Alex is fully healed. However, this was true for him before the accident ever took place.
Paul, a follower of Jesus says, “Though outwardly we are fading away, inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”
Why isn’t that healing good enough for people?
Are you healed?
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
I’m All In!
And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and He wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials.
And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.
Ephesians 6:10-12
And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.
Ephesians 6:10-12
Monday, December 6, 2010
Mother Mary
"When I find myself in times of trouble Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, Let It Be."
Were the Beatles Roman Catholic?
Would all these pagans have lined up to sing this song if Jesus instead of Mary had been the focus?
http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2010/12/06/let-it-be/?hpt=C2
Snerk! You and I both know the answer to that one.
Speaking words of wisdom, Let It Be."
Were the Beatles Roman Catholic?
Would all these pagans have lined up to sing this song if Jesus instead of Mary had been the focus?
http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2010/12/06/let-it-be/?hpt=C2
Snerk! You and I both know the answer to that one.
An Awesome God
Since He has at His command all the power in the universe, the Lord God omnipotent can do anything as easily as anything else. All His acts are done without effort. He expends no energy that must be replenished. His self-sufficiency makes it unnecessary for Him to look outside of Himself for a renewal of strength. All the power required to do all that He wills to do lies in undiminished fullness in His own infinite being. A. W. Tozer
Friday, December 3, 2010
One Thing
We find an interesting character in the Gospels, a woman by the name of Martha.
“But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to Jesus, and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:40
Pretty good lesson, don’t you think? ‘Martha,’ Jesus said, ‘there is nothing in this world more important than your relationship with Me. Mary’s found that, and I won’t take it away from her so she can focus on less important things.’
Lesson learned?
Not exactly.
“Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honour. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” John 12:1-4
Martha is still doing it! Jesus is just days from being physically out of her life forever and there she is, fussing in the kitchen. I wonder. Do we do the same? Aren’t we distracted by a 101 things that we put before our relationship with Jesus. Haven’t you spent all day at home on a day off and there Jesus is, waiting and waiting and waiting for you to seek His guidance, to tell Him about your day, your relationships, your fears, your hopes, and instead maybe He’ll get three minutes as you nod off to sleep.
“Only one thing is important.”
Hmm.
“By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward - to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.”
Philippians 3:13-14
It seems to me that for many, the Christian life is one where Jesus is just an accessory to life. He most assuredly is not Lord and Master. It’s no accident that we’ve arrived at a point in history where “christians” divorce at a rate the same as or greater than their pagan neighbours. People are content to coast - to put value on how they feel rather than on obeying Jesus the Messiah.
I wonder if this happens because we don’t sense how desperate our situation is? For many, once they’re “saved” Jesus is placed in line, not at the head of the line but in line, to compete with all the other “important” things of the world. Yeats thought that “the worst are full of passionate intensity,” but I don’t think that’s true for very many of us - good or bad. I think that for most of us, sorting out what’s important from what’s merely a distraction requires too much effort. That means that those who want to distract us from the “One Thing” have a much easier time than they deserve. And that’s true for both the secular and the religious leaders of our day.
My concern is that the secular world seems to be convincing us that how we feel, in marriage and other relationships is more important than doing the right thing. I find it so sad - so tragic - it breaks my heart. Entertainers like Katie Perry sing songs with lines that go, “Let’s go all the way tonight. No regrets. Just love.” O God how stupid can these people be? Oh, and she tells Rolling Stone Mag that she prays in tongues (((sigh)))
“Just one thing is important,” says Jesus. For millennia those who ignore that One inevitably turn to their bodies for the sole source of pleasure, value and power. With nothing else of value to offer, our children are encouraged by entertainers to offer their bodies first as enticement for relationship. Literally, morally bankrupt, there is nothing else to offer.
Pagan entertainers call what they’re peddling “Freedom.” Slaves to their bodies, these sheeple march willingly into prisons of corrupted self-love. And so we have a world where concepts of right and wrong, good and bad are anchored to the ebb and flow of human desire. Freedom - ya they’re free alright. Free like a ship on the ocean with no means of finding location or direction. These pagans consider it freeing to be able to go in any direction they feel like going - completely incapable of finding safe harbour for their soul.
Only one thing is important and that is a healed, and forgiven relationship with our Lord and Saviour. And in case this sounds too dismal? Check out the IHOP web page for the ad that announces an event the draws 20,000 young adults to a One Thing weekend of worship Dec. 28-31 in Kansas City. Several people from the Soup Kitchen where I volunteer are heading down - again.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.” Hebrews 12:1-2
“But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to Jesus, and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:40
Pretty good lesson, don’t you think? ‘Martha,’ Jesus said, ‘there is nothing in this world more important than your relationship with Me. Mary’s found that, and I won’t take it away from her so she can focus on less important things.’
Lesson learned?
Not exactly.
“Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honour. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” John 12:1-4
Martha is still doing it! Jesus is just days from being physically out of her life forever and there she is, fussing in the kitchen. I wonder. Do we do the same? Aren’t we distracted by a 101 things that we put before our relationship with Jesus. Haven’t you spent all day at home on a day off and there Jesus is, waiting and waiting and waiting for you to seek His guidance, to tell Him about your day, your relationships, your fears, your hopes, and instead maybe He’ll get three minutes as you nod off to sleep.
“Only one thing is important.”
Hmm.
“By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward - to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.”
Philippians 3:13-14
It seems to me that for many, the Christian life is one where Jesus is just an accessory to life. He most assuredly is not Lord and Master. It’s no accident that we’ve arrived at a point in history where “christians” divorce at a rate the same as or greater than their pagan neighbours. People are content to coast - to put value on how they feel rather than on obeying Jesus the Messiah.
I wonder if this happens because we don’t sense how desperate our situation is? For many, once they’re “saved” Jesus is placed in line, not at the head of the line but in line, to compete with all the other “important” things of the world. Yeats thought that “the worst are full of passionate intensity,” but I don’t think that’s true for very many of us - good or bad. I think that for most of us, sorting out what’s important from what’s merely a distraction requires too much effort. That means that those who want to distract us from the “One Thing” have a much easier time than they deserve. And that’s true for both the secular and the religious leaders of our day.
My concern is that the secular world seems to be convincing us that how we feel, in marriage and other relationships is more important than doing the right thing. I find it so sad - so tragic - it breaks my heart. Entertainers like Katie Perry sing songs with lines that go, “Let’s go all the way tonight. No regrets. Just love.” O God how stupid can these people be? Oh, and she tells Rolling Stone Mag that she prays in tongues (((sigh)))
“Just one thing is important,” says Jesus. For millennia those who ignore that One inevitably turn to their bodies for the sole source of pleasure, value and power. With nothing else of value to offer, our children are encouraged by entertainers to offer their bodies first as enticement for relationship. Literally, morally bankrupt, there is nothing else to offer.
Pagan entertainers call what they’re peddling “Freedom.” Slaves to their bodies, these sheeple march willingly into prisons of corrupted self-love. And so we have a world where concepts of right and wrong, good and bad are anchored to the ebb and flow of human desire. Freedom - ya they’re free alright. Free like a ship on the ocean with no means of finding location or direction. These pagans consider it freeing to be able to go in any direction they feel like going - completely incapable of finding safe harbour for their soul.
Only one thing is important and that is a healed, and forgiven relationship with our Lord and Saviour. And in case this sounds too dismal? Check out the IHOP web page for the ad that announces an event the draws 20,000 young adults to a One Thing weekend of worship Dec. 28-31 in Kansas City. Several people from the Soup Kitchen where I volunteer are heading down - again.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.” Hebrews 12:1-2
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Post-Traumatic Success (2)
Those who wish to reject the Gateway to Freedom that I posted yesterday are, by and large, those who are looking for reasons to not forgive. Contrary to what you might believe, the degree of hurt that one has experienced does not dictate the degree of difficulty that people have in regard to forgiving. I’ve long been amazed how some people who have experienced at the hands of others - broken limbs, or smashed faces or horrible betrayal, seem to “move on” rather nicely, while someone who “always got hand-me-down skates” marinades in bitterness. If a resistence to forgiving others describes you, then there are a few things you need to keep in mind:
1. If you do not forgive those who have hurt you, God will not forgive you. And that’s a promise. Love and forgiveness are the language of heaven and Jesus will pound us with opportunities to practice what is essentially a foreign language. Forgiveness needs to become an essential part of our character.
More than anything else - More Than Anything Else - the world needs God’s forgiveness.
Until that takes place we remain His enemies. I am obliged to forgive others because of the huge and unpayable debt that has been forgiven me by my heavenly Father (Matthew 6:14-15). Jesus gives no exception, no loopholes. The proof of our being right with God is when forgiving has become second nature. We aren’t to be counting to see when we’re up to 70 x 7. We just let it go - Period! Not forgiving is not ok.
http://thesauros-store.blogspot.com/2010/07/love-vengeance.html
=====
2. If you do not forgive those who have hurt you, you will lose opportunity after opportunity to demonstrate God’s love to an unforgiving and profoundly angry world. Forgiving others lets others know that God is real. This is because forgiving is not something that we do naturally. It requires a supernatural change of character to make a forgiving character possible. Forgiving makes us like a city set on a hill. People cannot help but take notice. They might think us stupid or foolish but when we forgive those who have or who continue to hurt us, that kind of mercy and grace cannot be ignored.
http://thesauros-store.blogspot.com/2010/09/what-kind-of-hate-is-this.html
God’s forgiveness and grace toward us is shocking, counterintuitive, and to many, abhorrent (“You mean if Hitler asked for forgiveness just before he died . . .”). We can offer no less to those who do wrong to us. To walk in the light of God’s mercy points people directly to the cross.
=====
3. If you do not forgive those who have hurt you, you will remain imprisoned, unable to enjoy God’s grace and mercy in your own life. As someone has said, “Holding on to bitterness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.”
It breaks my heart when those who call themselves Christians look for reasons to withhold forgiveness from those who have done them wrong. Withholding forgiveness is the way of the world. It should never be the mark of someone who claims to follow Jesus.
. Forgiving is not intended to mean forgetting, although that should happen to a degree over time.
. Forgiving is not intended to erase strong emotions, although that too should come with the passage of time.
. Forgiving is not intended to mean reconciliation with the offender as that would require his/her input.
. Forgiving is not intended to mean condoning the abusive behaviours.
. Forgiving in not intended to mean that you begin to trust the offender.
. Forgiving is not about what’s fair or unfair.
Now for what forgiving is. The simplest definition of forgiveness is “When I give up my supposed right to punish, or to resent you for hurting me.” While that’s a nice start, forgiving is much, much more than that. For one thing, forgiving is not the result of emotional health. Forgiving is the beginning of emotional health. Forgiving is about entering into a deeper, healed relationship with God.
“When you forgive a person who wronged you, you set a prisoner free, and then you discover that the prisoner you set free is you.” Lewis Smedes.=====
4. If you do not forgive those who have hurt you, your anger at God will become visible for all to see. “Don’t hold your breath!” That’s what I’d say to anyone who is anticipating an apology from God upon their entrance to heaven - or hell for that matter. God is Love. It is insane to direct our anger toward a Being Who is incapable of doing ultimate and unjust harm to us. The agony we suffer on this earth is a normal part of living in a fallen world. God takes those trials, ALL of them and will use them to develop within us the very character of Jesus. If we want anything less than that, we’ve missed the point of living and may very well end up being angry at our Creator.
Of course it’s God’s fault that loss or suffering or tragedy has entered your life. He could have protected you from it but chose not to. Whether He caused it or allowed it to come to us, the result is the same. The reason He has no need to apologise is because God uses our trials to make us “more than conquerors.” Here is what we know for a fact. God is sovereign, God is love, God is fair and just and incapable of doing to us arbitrary, capricious and callous harm. Events in our lives DO NOT change or determine the facts of God’s character.
As Christians, our lives have meaning and context and purpose. Suffering never has the last word.
I know that a lot of people have suffered in life far, far more than I have. A common thread that runs through the lives of us all, however, is the decision to either “move on” or to allow ourselves to wallow in self-pity. The choice is ours.
We can be destroyed by the relentless blows that life in a fallen world delivers or we can allow Jesus to bring us to a point whereby we experience Post Traumatic Success.
1. If you do not forgive those who have hurt you, God will not forgive you. And that’s a promise. Love and forgiveness are the language of heaven and Jesus will pound us with opportunities to practice what is essentially a foreign language. Forgiveness needs to become an essential part of our character.
More than anything else - More Than Anything Else - the world needs God’s forgiveness.
Until that takes place we remain His enemies. I am obliged to forgive others because of the huge and unpayable debt that has been forgiven me by my heavenly Father (Matthew 6:14-15). Jesus gives no exception, no loopholes. The proof of our being right with God is when forgiving has become second nature. We aren’t to be counting to see when we’re up to 70 x 7. We just let it go - Period! Not forgiving is not ok.
http://thesauros-store.blogspot.com/2010/07/love-vengeance.html
=====
2. If you do not forgive those who have hurt you, you will lose opportunity after opportunity to demonstrate God’s love to an unforgiving and profoundly angry world. Forgiving others lets others know that God is real. This is because forgiving is not something that we do naturally. It requires a supernatural change of character to make a forgiving character possible. Forgiving makes us like a city set on a hill. People cannot help but take notice. They might think us stupid or foolish but when we forgive those who have or who continue to hurt us, that kind of mercy and grace cannot be ignored.
http://thesauros-store.blogspot.com/2010/09/what-kind-of-hate-is-this.html
God’s forgiveness and grace toward us is shocking, counterintuitive, and to many, abhorrent (“You mean if Hitler asked for forgiveness just before he died . . .”). We can offer no less to those who do wrong to us. To walk in the light of God’s mercy points people directly to the cross.
=====
3. If you do not forgive those who have hurt you, you will remain imprisoned, unable to enjoy God’s grace and mercy in your own life. As someone has said, “Holding on to bitterness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.”
It breaks my heart when those who call themselves Christians look for reasons to withhold forgiveness from those who have done them wrong. Withholding forgiveness is the way of the world. It should never be the mark of someone who claims to follow Jesus.
. Forgiving is not intended to mean forgetting, although that should happen to a degree over time.
. Forgiving is not intended to erase strong emotions, although that too should come with the passage of time.
. Forgiving is not intended to mean reconciliation with the offender as that would require his/her input.
. Forgiving is not intended to mean condoning the abusive behaviours.
. Forgiving in not intended to mean that you begin to trust the offender.
. Forgiving is not about what’s fair or unfair.
Now for what forgiving is. The simplest definition of forgiveness is “When I give up my supposed right to punish, or to resent you for hurting me.” While that’s a nice start, forgiving is much, much more than that. For one thing, forgiving is not the result of emotional health. Forgiving is the beginning of emotional health. Forgiving is about entering into a deeper, healed relationship with God.
“When you forgive a person who wronged you, you set a prisoner free, and then you discover that the prisoner you set free is you.” Lewis Smedes.=====
4. If you do not forgive those who have hurt you, your anger at God will become visible for all to see. “Don’t hold your breath!” That’s what I’d say to anyone who is anticipating an apology from God upon their entrance to heaven - or hell for that matter. God is Love. It is insane to direct our anger toward a Being Who is incapable of doing ultimate and unjust harm to us. The agony we suffer on this earth is a normal part of living in a fallen world. God takes those trials, ALL of them and will use them to develop within us the very character of Jesus. If we want anything less than that, we’ve missed the point of living and may very well end up being angry at our Creator.
Of course it’s God’s fault that loss or suffering or tragedy has entered your life. He could have protected you from it but chose not to. Whether He caused it or allowed it to come to us, the result is the same. The reason He has no need to apologise is because God uses our trials to make us “more than conquerors.” Here is what we know for a fact. God is sovereign, God is love, God is fair and just and incapable of doing to us arbitrary, capricious and callous harm. Events in our lives DO NOT change or determine the facts of God’s character.
As Christians, our lives have meaning and context and purpose. Suffering never has the last word.
I know that a lot of people have suffered in life far, far more than I have. A common thread that runs through the lives of us all, however, is the decision to either “move on” or to allow ourselves to wallow in self-pity. The choice is ours.
We can be destroyed by the relentless blows that life in a fallen world delivers or we can allow Jesus to bring us to a point whereby we experience Post Traumatic Success.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Post-Traumatic Success (1)
By using this title, I in no way want to diminish the anguish that comes with Post Traumatic Stress. These words just go together in a way that is too good to resist.
As well, I know that a lot of people have suffered in life far, far more than I have. Regardless of the degree to which we’ve been pummelled by life, a common thread that runs through the lives of us all is the decision to “move on” or wallow in self-pity, anger and bitterness. We can either allow a natural process of healing to take place or we can obsessively pick at our scabs to morbidly watch ourselves bleed. One decision leads to greater stress while the other leads to success.
If the Gospel Message is The Gateway to Salvation, what I’m about to post could be called The Gateway to Spiritual and Emotional Freedom. I have used it as a handout over the years for several dozen people. In each and every case (well, almost) people have used it to allow Jesus to lead them from potential defeat to assured victory. Last week was the first time that I was chastised by someone who was obviously not ready to quit picking the scab. “What if a holocaust survivor should come across this” was her reasoning for rejecting the message contained in the hand-out. My response is, “Well, what if a holocaust survivor DOES read it?” Small suffering or great, the recovery process for all of us is the same and that’s why it has been “indiscriminately” distributed through God’s Word all around the globe. For better or for worse, I present it here.
God brings / allows difficult events and people to come into our lives to highlight areas of needed change in our character. If our motive for living is to become like Jesus, this push for change is what we’ll notice. If our motive is anything else, if we want to ruminate on the pain, then the pain / betrayal / disappointment will push character change out of the picture. For God to bring a difficult person into your life is no accident. What satan would love to use to destroy you, God wants to use to transform your heart into one like Jesus. When our goal becomes one with God’s goal for us, then suffering becomes so much easier. When our goal goes from trying to change others so that they begin to treat us right, to allowing God to change us into someone who can and does love others, well then we’re on the way to greater peace and joy. To that end God purposely puts us into situations where we are forced to admit our powerlessness. “Only s/he who is helpless can truly pray.”
Jesus said, “They will know you are My disciples because you love one another.” Why would loving one another mean anything special regarding our relationship with Jesus? Because without Him we are not capable of loving the difficult to love. “Even the pagans love those who love them.”
I don’t know how to motivate you to go down this road other than to promise you - PROMISE YOU that this is the road to recovery. Jesus has promised us that if we obey His command to “Follow Me - Become like Me - Do what I did in my relationship with others” - THEN you will come to know a life of peace.
Paul says in Philippians 3:10 “I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead. I want to suffer with Him . . .,”
And how did Jesus suffer? He accepted injustice and cruelty and contempt with patience. It is sooo empowering to just let people do wrong to us and realise that it takes nothing of value or worth from us. “Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?” (1st Cor. 6:7). Jesus, our character example overcame evil with good. He did not complain when He was insulted. Jesus and His followers bore injury with patience and even joy because they knew that absorbing hurt for the sake of God brought a payoff that was more than worth it. I know that it sounds completely counterintuitive, but I can tell you from experience that this is absolutely the road to peace and joy. And there are so many chances to practise! :-)
This manner of relating to others forces us to take ourselves off the Throne and depend totally on Jesus for our safety and security, for our value and worth. Taking ourselves off the Throne allows us to stop punishing others for being who they are. We quit punishing others for not giving us what only God can give. That is what love is; absorbing pain and loving in return.
The more that we do this, the more that our personality becomes reorganised around God and His eternal life, and self-denial moves to a settled disposition and character. When we die to self the fact that I do not get what I want does not surprise or offend me. In fact such circumstances lose their control over me. George Mueller writes - “There was a day when I died: died to George Mueller, his opinions, preferences, tastes and will; died to the world, its approval or censure; died to the approval or blame even of the brethren or friends, and since then, I have studied only to show myself “approved unto God.” Small wonder that someone said of Mueller, “He had the twenty-third psalm written in his face.”
The reason that I keep pushing this “dying to self” paradigm with you is because there is no hope of anything less being able to save your sanity in the midst of insanity. This is exactly what the Sermon on the Mount is all about. Blessed are those who are poor in spirit, those who mourn, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, those who are the most desperate because it is THEY and not those who seem to be doing alright who will cry out for God.
. The world says we are to enter relationships and see to it that our friends (relatives) treat us properly.
. Jesus says that we are to enter relationships and see to it that we serve God.
The former often leads to broken relationships. That latter leads to honesty and openness.
Those who have learned to die to self; those who actually want to obey God by wanting to die to self will be largely indifferent to the fulfilment of their own desires. They will find life by losing it. They have matured to the point that getting their way no longer has significance for them. Not getting their way no longer disturbs them because their focus has shifted from the love of self to the love of others. They know at a fundamental level that God causes all things to work together for good and the good that is worked towards is a heart that is transformed and conformed to the likeness of Jesus. They don’t have to look out for themselves because they accept that God is in charge of their life. How their spouse / friend is behaving no longer has the power to derail their spiritual journey because their lifelong goal is solely to learn to love; even to love their enemies which sadly sometimes includes one’s spouse / family / “friends.”
That is why Paul directed the Christians in Thessalonica to “see that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another” (1st Thessalonians 5:15). Notice this is not in spite of evil, but especially in the presence of evil that has been directed toward us.
Jesus commanded, “do not resist him who is evil; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:39) and Peter calls us to follow Jesus in “not returning evil for evil, or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for that very purpose . . .” (1st Peter 3:9). The evil that comes to us is no accident. It was known about since before the founding of the universe. It was allowed so that we might be transformed into the likeness of Jesus.
These teachings are commands as surely as Do Not Murder! You can’t begin to even understand them, much less follow them, except from the posture of self-denial firmly supported upon a confidence that is firmly based upon the strong experience of God’s all-sufficient presence in your life.
To step with Jesus into the path of self-denial immediately breaks the grip of sin in our lives and opens the way to a fuller restoration and amazing transformation of goodness to the soul. This obedience gives access to incredible, supernatural strength for life.
I repeat:
God brings / allows difficult events and people to come into our lives to highlight areas of needed change. What satan would love to use to destroy you, God wants to use to transform your heart into one like Jesus. God purposely puts us into situations where we are forced to admit our powerlessness. “Only s/he who is helpless can truly pray.”
Like experiencing a flat tire on a lonely stretch of highway, we are left with two choices. We either fix the tire or we sit by the side of the road while the rest of life passes us by. In our natural state we are tempted to deal with tragedy and betrayal in a way that leads to greater stress. God’s method leads to success.
As well, I know that a lot of people have suffered in life far, far more than I have. Regardless of the degree to which we’ve been pummelled by life, a common thread that runs through the lives of us all is the decision to “move on” or wallow in self-pity, anger and bitterness. We can either allow a natural process of healing to take place or we can obsessively pick at our scabs to morbidly watch ourselves bleed. One decision leads to greater stress while the other leads to success.
If the Gospel Message is The Gateway to Salvation, what I’m about to post could be called The Gateway to Spiritual and Emotional Freedom. I have used it as a handout over the years for several dozen people. In each and every case (well, almost) people have used it to allow Jesus to lead them from potential defeat to assured victory. Last week was the first time that I was chastised by someone who was obviously not ready to quit picking the scab. “What if a holocaust survivor should come across this” was her reasoning for rejecting the message contained in the hand-out. My response is, “Well, what if a holocaust survivor DOES read it?” Small suffering or great, the recovery process for all of us is the same and that’s why it has been “indiscriminately” distributed through God’s Word all around the globe. For better or for worse, I present it here.
God brings / allows difficult events and people to come into our lives to highlight areas of needed change in our character. If our motive for living is to become like Jesus, this push for change is what we’ll notice. If our motive is anything else, if we want to ruminate on the pain, then the pain / betrayal / disappointment will push character change out of the picture. For God to bring a difficult person into your life is no accident. What satan would love to use to destroy you, God wants to use to transform your heart into one like Jesus. When our goal becomes one with God’s goal for us, then suffering becomes so much easier. When our goal goes from trying to change others so that they begin to treat us right, to allowing God to change us into someone who can and does love others, well then we’re on the way to greater peace and joy. To that end God purposely puts us into situations where we are forced to admit our powerlessness. “Only s/he who is helpless can truly pray.”
Jesus said, “They will know you are My disciples because you love one another.” Why would loving one another mean anything special regarding our relationship with Jesus? Because without Him we are not capable of loving the difficult to love. “Even the pagans love those who love them.”
I don’t know how to motivate you to go down this road other than to promise you - PROMISE YOU that this is the road to recovery. Jesus has promised us that if we obey His command to “Follow Me - Become like Me - Do what I did in my relationship with others” - THEN you will come to know a life of peace.
Paul says in Philippians 3:10 “I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead. I want to suffer with Him . . .,”
And how did Jesus suffer? He accepted injustice and cruelty and contempt with patience. It is sooo empowering to just let people do wrong to us and realise that it takes nothing of value or worth from us. “Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?” (1st Cor. 6:7). Jesus, our character example overcame evil with good. He did not complain when He was insulted. Jesus and His followers bore injury with patience and even joy because they knew that absorbing hurt for the sake of God brought a payoff that was more than worth it. I know that it sounds completely counterintuitive, but I can tell you from experience that this is absolutely the road to peace and joy. And there are so many chances to practise! :-)
This manner of relating to others forces us to take ourselves off the Throne and depend totally on Jesus for our safety and security, for our value and worth. Taking ourselves off the Throne allows us to stop punishing others for being who they are. We quit punishing others for not giving us what only God can give. That is what love is; absorbing pain and loving in return.
The more that we do this, the more that our personality becomes reorganised around God and His eternal life, and self-denial moves to a settled disposition and character. When we die to self the fact that I do not get what I want does not surprise or offend me. In fact such circumstances lose their control over me. George Mueller writes - “There was a day when I died: died to George Mueller, his opinions, preferences, tastes and will; died to the world, its approval or censure; died to the approval or blame even of the brethren or friends, and since then, I have studied only to show myself “approved unto God.” Small wonder that someone said of Mueller, “He had the twenty-third psalm written in his face.”
The reason that I keep pushing this “dying to self” paradigm with you is because there is no hope of anything less being able to save your sanity in the midst of insanity. This is exactly what the Sermon on the Mount is all about. Blessed are those who are poor in spirit, those who mourn, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, those who are the most desperate because it is THEY and not those who seem to be doing alright who will cry out for God.
. The world says we are to enter relationships and see to it that our friends (relatives) treat us properly.
. Jesus says that we are to enter relationships and see to it that we serve God.
The former often leads to broken relationships. That latter leads to honesty and openness.
Those who have learned to die to self; those who actually want to obey God by wanting to die to self will be largely indifferent to the fulfilment of their own desires. They will find life by losing it. They have matured to the point that getting their way no longer has significance for them. Not getting their way no longer disturbs them because their focus has shifted from the love of self to the love of others. They know at a fundamental level that God causes all things to work together for good and the good that is worked towards is a heart that is transformed and conformed to the likeness of Jesus. They don’t have to look out for themselves because they accept that God is in charge of their life. How their spouse / friend is behaving no longer has the power to derail their spiritual journey because their lifelong goal is solely to learn to love; even to love their enemies which sadly sometimes includes one’s spouse / family / “friends.”
That is why Paul directed the Christians in Thessalonica to “see that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another” (1st Thessalonians 5:15). Notice this is not in spite of evil, but especially in the presence of evil that has been directed toward us.
Jesus commanded, “do not resist him who is evil; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:39) and Peter calls us to follow Jesus in “not returning evil for evil, or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for that very purpose . . .” (1st Peter 3:9). The evil that comes to us is no accident. It was known about since before the founding of the universe. It was allowed so that we might be transformed into the likeness of Jesus.
These teachings are commands as surely as Do Not Murder! You can’t begin to even understand them, much less follow them, except from the posture of self-denial firmly supported upon a confidence that is firmly based upon the strong experience of God’s all-sufficient presence in your life.
To step with Jesus into the path of self-denial immediately breaks the grip of sin in our lives and opens the way to a fuller restoration and amazing transformation of goodness to the soul. This obedience gives access to incredible, supernatural strength for life.
I repeat:
God brings / allows difficult events and people to come into our lives to highlight areas of needed change. What satan would love to use to destroy you, God wants to use to transform your heart into one like Jesus. God purposely puts us into situations where we are forced to admit our powerlessness. “Only s/he who is helpless can truly pray.”
Like experiencing a flat tire on a lonely stretch of highway, we are left with two choices. We either fix the tire or we sit by the side of the road while the rest of life passes us by. In our natural state we are tempted to deal with tragedy and betrayal in a way that leads to greater stress. God’s method leads to success.
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