Faith vs. Fame

The theme of gatherings I have been to with other Christians, as of late, has been the Gospel.  What is it really?  And what does it mean for us?  There is a sense that possibly the church, as a whole, has taken a detour from the original intent.  With this in mind, I myself wonder if some in leadership have not exchanged faith for fame?  Do we reach more if we take center stage?  What has brought this to mind, is the contrast between what I recently heard in the news about Mark Driscol's latest book deal and what I read about Frances R. Havergal, and her book deal. 

I am not making a judgment here on Mark Driscol, but in the article I read he was accused of using questionable, though standard, marketing procedures to elevate his book ratings.  Why did he feel the need to do this?  Could God not accomplish it? 

Frances R. Havergal is a hymn and devotional author from the 1800's.  If you grew up in the church, you may recognize her hymn, "Take my life and let it be, consecrated Lord to thee".  She was from England but had hopes of publishing in America, as her agent in New York had made her reassuring promises.  However, instead of receiving her first royalty check, she received the devastating news that her publisher went bankrupt in the Stock Market crash of 1873.  This was her response:

"I have just had such a blessing in the shape of what would have been only two months ago a really bitter blow to me...I was expecting a letter from America, enclosing thirty-five pounds now due to me, and possibly news that my book was going on like steam.  The letter has come, and, instead of all this, my publisher has failed in the universal crash.  He holds my written promise to publish only with him as the condition of his launching me, so this is not simply a little loss, but an end to all my American prospects...I really had not expected that He (God) would do for me so much above all I asked, as not merely to help me acquiesce in this, but positively not to feel it at all, and only to rejoice in it as a clear test of the reality of victorious faith which I do find brightening almost daily.  Two months ago this would have been a real trial to me, for I had built a good deal on my American prospects; now "Thy will be done" is not a sigh but only a song."

Her books were later and continue to be published and available here in America and around the world.  So, which brings Glory to God and good to man?  Faith not fame.  If it is of God, He will accomplish it in His time, His way, so that if we are to boast, it is to boast in the Lord.  We can do nothing of lasting consequence without the Spirit of God.  Living faith is what people need.

Health Update

In recent days, I have had several people inquire about my health.  So, I thought I would update here for anyone interested (See Mayo Clinic blog for more details about my struggle).  In general, my quality of life is better.   I am able to manage my condition.  I have not had the severe pains that sent me to Mayo.  It still requires supplementation and a restricted diet.

As always, God continues to teach me lessons through life experiences. This one is no different.  He revealed the problems, showed me the solutions, and now it is up to me to implement them.  This is my current struggle.  I am often rebellious against the diet.  So, most of the time when I feel bad, I have myself to blame.  Sometimes I gladly accept the consequences with no remorse...I mean double chocolate fudge ice cream, come on!  Other times, I am ridden with guilt and shame (as well as pain and bloating), knowing I am hurting myself and loving food more.  And for those moments, I am thankful for God's grace.  Grace to endure and start again.  But should I go on indulging so that grace may abound?  By no means!  And so, it is still my prayer that God will give me the strength to abstain and enjoy even better health.

Lesson of the Weeds

My thumb has never been green.  Neither do I enjoy digging around in dirt.  I do, however, love the beauty of blooming flowers in a bright array of colors.  I love nature.  I just wish it wasn’t so natury (yes, I am aware that is not a recognized word, but it fits).  Needless to say I, at times, am not as attentive to my flower beds as I should be.  This summer has been no different, and with it came a very hard lesson.

My eyes (thanks to the voice of my husband) were finally opened to the neglect and subsequent overflow of weeds.  So, the day dawned and I was determined to rid those beds of the pesky weeds trying to overtake my beautiful flowers.  I was feeling rather ambitious and had a whole list of tasks to be done.  The weeding was all that got done.

It didn’t take long to realize that my neglect has caused serious repercussions.  Instead of a few weeds that were easily pulled out, I had to use a hand shovel (I am sure there is a proper name for that tool, but it escapes me, furthering my point about my lack of skill).  The roots had grown so deep that I could not pull the weeds out, but rather had to dig under each one (and there were many), in order to extract them.  This was an exhausting project.

As I was part way through, lamenting having waited so long, a thought occurred to me.  Our lives have the same potential.  We encounter many “weeds” in life.  I was reminded of 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 which says, “The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.  We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ”.  We have all the tools we need (2 Peter 1:3), but we have to use them!  And whether it is harm that comes in the form of sinful desires, negative thoughts, poor attitudes or deceitful feelings, we need to take care of them right away.  How much easier to “nip them in the bud”, than to wait until they have taken root! 

So, let us continually cry out as David did, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24)  And let’s pull out those weeds!

The Greatest Miracle

Often times we post quotes because they are cute, uplifting or inspiring, even if their theology is a little off.  I came across one the other day, though I think I understand the nice message they were trying to convey, I could not let slide.  It may be this very "letting it slide" mind set that has led to the downward slide of our view of God.  And our view of God is crucial!  I hope to get to that at a later date, but for now I will focus on the quote.

"The greatest miracle of all is that God looks at me, at you,

 in all our dirt and brokenness, and says, 'I choose you.  You are beautiful!'"

author unknown

 

What bothers me about this statement is 1) that it makes God out to be a cosmic grandpa who overlooks our dirt and brokenness, and 2) it diminishes the cross of Christ. 

 



God does not, nor can He, look at our sin and call us beautiful.  On the contrary, we are told in Ephesians 2:3, "Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest."  And Romans 1:18 says, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness".  From Adam and Eve down to us today, we are by nature children of wrath.  If we say that God can look upon us in all our dirt and brokenness and call us beautiful, then we have no need of a savior or repentance.  We need not the Holy Spirit to examine our inmost being and bring conviction and godly sorrow.  Why then did Christ endure the cross?

 

"For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,  and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures..and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins...But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep." (1 Corinthians 15:3-4,17,20)  Praise God!  Christ endured the cross for the joy of reconciling us to God...so that God could once again look upon us and call us good.  "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him."  (Romans 5:8-9) It is because of His blood that we are redeemed and brought near to God. (Ephesians 1:7, 2:13)  We are now clothed with Christ (Galatians 3:27) and Christ lives in us (Galatians 2:20).  And so Christ became for us, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. (1 Corinthians 1:30)  "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:21)

 

The greatest miracle is not God looking at my dirt and ignoring it.  The greatest miracle is that God became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14), to be a ransom for our sins and take away our dirt and brokenness!   "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16)  "Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38)  "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.  Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5:17-18)   ^"And He (Jesus) came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.  And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written,

 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor.
He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives,
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set free those who are oppressed,
To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”

 And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him.  And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:16-21)

 

It is true that while we remain on this earth, we groan under the weight of our old nature and the temptation to sin.  However, Christ did not leave us alone, but sent the Holy Spirit to be a pledge and aid for us. (2 Corinthians 5:1-9)  As Paul tells us in Galatians 5:16, "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh." 

"Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.  For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.  For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.  But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.  So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—  for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.  For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”  The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,  and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him." (Romans 8:1-17) 

 

All God's promises are yes in Christ!  We are new! We are clean and whole.  When God looks at us, He sees Christ and His righteousness.  And so through Christ, God can look upon us and say, 'I choose you.  You are beautiful'. 

 

*all scriptures are from the NASB

Trapped

Last night we trapped a raccoon, who we suspect of eating our bluebird babies.  After the carnage, I was thrilled at the prospect of the raccoon's demise.  However, when we awoke and I saw the raccoon in the cage, my heart melted.  He looked so scared huddled in the cage.  Now filled with compassion for this cute critter and realizing he was only following his natural instinct, we decided to let him go (not on our property mind you, but we settled him in a nice place down by the river).    This led me to pondering how much like that raccoon we are.

You see, we trapped him with the allure of something pleasing...in this case chicken nuggets. He couldn't resist the temptation and once inside enjoying the spoils, SLAM!  He was caught and in bondage.  We too are often trapped by the allure of the world's pleasures and find ourselves in bondage.  The difference between us and the raccoon, is that we always have a way out.

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."  Galatians 5:1  "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."  James 4:7

A Three Hour Tour...

We recently visited friends in Michigan and had a great time, but one particular adventure stands out among the rest.  My friends are great!  They know how much I like lighthouses and planned a boating trip to Charity island, on Lake Huron, so I could see and climb the lighthouse there.  They have made this trip several times before and assured us what a fun and relaxing day it would be. 

The day dawned beautifully!  It was 70 degrees, sunny and the water in the marina was calm and empty of any other boats.  Perfect!  We went on a Thursday, so as to miss the weekend crowds.  Everyone climbed aboard and we launched the boat.

Once past the jetty, the waves began to increase.  A little wave jumping just added to the thrill of the adventure!  However, about half way to the island, when the boat hit a large wave sending the driver out of his seat and onto the floor, we all grew very quiet.

We made it to the island with no further complications and were rewarded with a wonderful view of Charity Island Lighthouse.  We waded to shore, climbed the lighthouse and were given a tour of the keepers residence.  The owner of the house was surprised to see us, given the small craft advisory. She had cancelled her own tour boat that was to come that day.  Now the lack of ANY boats on the lake made more sense. Yep, that is right.  We, a small craft, were out in troubled waters.  Oops!

She was kind enough to give us her cell number and said she would leave the emergency radio on.  That was comforting...I think.  This was not exactly how I pictured the end of my life.  So, off we set into the wind and waves.  It was perhaps the longest boat ride I have ever taken, or at least it seemed like an eternity.  The motion sickness didn't help matters.  At least we were all turning an equal shade of green, except our trusty captain, who seemed to be enjoying the ride. 

Once on firm, dry ground I could look back on it as an adventure to remember, even chuckle a little at our folly.  There is a lesson in this, and the scripture that was brought to mind was Proverbs 12:15 which says, "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But a wise man is he who listens to counsel."  Next time we will check the marine forecast!

Do I Delight In God?

Do I delight in God?  I know I should, Paul exhorts us in Philippians 4:4 to, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" and Psalm 37:4 tells us, "Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."  And after all, He delights in me!  But do I?  Am I pleased with God, His rule and reign? 

At one time in my life I am not sure I could have answered this question in the affirmative, "But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. " (1 John 4:18)  Knowing that He delights in me, that He sees me as I am and still loves me (Psalm 139) and that He will never leave nor forsake me (Deuteronomy 31:6) , has allowed me to open my heart to Him with abandon.  I am free to delight in Him, enjoy Him and give myself to Him. 

Though I am far from perfected, the hard things of life have refined me and brought me to say, " Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight.  I will praise you with the lyre,   O God, my God." (Psalm 43:4) 

I am pleased with God, not because he does for me all that I want, but because of His character (Psalm 33:4; 145:13,17).  "The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love."  (Psalm 33:5)  He has brought good to me and continually works for my good (Romans 8:28).  He grants me peace even when I cannot understand (Philippians 4:4-9).  "You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." (Psalm 16:11)  It is a delight in God Himself, not in His gifts, though I thank Him for them.  For if we delight in His gifts alone, we will cease delighting in Him when we don't get our way.  "But may all who seek you, rejoice and be glad in you; may those who long for your saving help always say,  “The Lord is great!” (Psalm 70:4)

Paul's prayer for the Ephesians was, "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:16-19)  God is love and as we love we are like Him.  In Christ all the fullness of God dwells and in Him we have been made complete.  Christ in us is our hope of glory.  (Colossians 1:13-28, 2:6-12)  Through the empowerment of His Holy Spirit we can love and delight in God.  And in so doing, this love and delight that is beyond what we can imagine (Ephesians 3:20), will spill over onto those around us.

As Paul prayed for the Ephesians, so I pray for you.  May you know the love of God and delight in Him, becoming the praise of His glory!