Colin S. Smith's Blog, page 61

Understand Your Guilt: Its Causes and Its Answer

In the Bible, God has included (at least) two books that help us better understand guilt. One of these is Lamentations. The other is the book of Job. God gave us these two books for a reason and there are important differences between them. Job and Lamentations stand as the ‘bookends’ on the spectrum of guilt. In Job, guilt plays no part at all in the suffering described in the book, while, in Lamentations, guilt cries out in every chapter.

Guilt plays absolutely no part whatsoever in the book of Job

Job was a righteous man. The Bible says he was “blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil” (Job 1:1). But when Job suffered, his friends didn’t believe that.

They felt sure that this could not be the case.

The friends were convinced that God brings blessing to the good and that he brings trouble to the wicked: “Look at what has happened to you, Job. Bad things don’t happen to good people. Come clean and confess! Some secret sin must lie at the root of your suffering. Why don’t you own up to whatever it is?” But Job would not relent. “I am in the right,” he said (Job 9:15, 20). In fact, he insisted, “I am blameless” (Job 9:20, 21).

At the end of the story, God stands with Job, and not with Job’s friends. God says to Eliphaz, one of Job’s friends, “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has” (Job 42:7). God says, “What you said misrepresents me – that all suffering is the result of sin.”

“One of the Harshest Acts”

Walter Kaiser says, “One of the harshest acts we mortals inflict on one another is the flippant way in which we automatically assume that any pain, anguish or suffering visited upon another person must be the result of that person’s sin.”

When I read that I immediately recalled something from the Gospels. I thought, Oh yes, the Pharisees did that. So I looked it up only to discover it wasn’t the Pharisees, but the disciples of Jesus who showed harshness towards a man who was blind from birth:

His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” (John 9:2-3)

That’s what happened with Job. When he suffered, the glory of God was revealed to him: “I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you” (Job 42:5). The glory of God was also revealed in him and through him. Down through the generations, God has used his testimony for the comfort and for the strengthening of millions.

Guilt is written all over the book of Lamentations

The LORD is in the right, for I have rebelled against his word (Lamentations 1:18).

Look, O LORD, for I am in distress; my stomach churns; my heart is wrung within me, because I have been very rebellious (Lamentations 1:20).

Deal with them as you have dealt with me because of all my transgressions (Lamentations 1:22).

We have transgressed and rebelled, and you have not forgiven (Lamentations 3:42). 

These confessions of guilt run all through the book. Lamentations is like the thief on the cross who said, “We are getting what our deeds deserve” (Luke 23:41 NIV).

In Between Job and Lamentations

Most of us, when we go through grief and loss, will experience something in between the story of Job and the story of Lamentations. Grief usually comes with some guilt attached. Ask yourself:

What should I have done that I did not do? What did I do that I should not have done?

Grief invariably has its ‘if onlys.’ If only I had called the doctor sooner. If only I had visited my loved one when I could. If only we had not argued as we did.

A bereaved person will often find that things said or done years ago come back to mind, even though they had been long forgotten—harsh words you spoke and now wish you had never said, foolish things you did long ago that that now bring a fresh sense of guilt.

Sometimes there are issues related to the death of a loved one. A loyal spouse keeps watch for days by a bedside, steps out of the room for a few hours, and cannot forgive him or herself for not being there at the end.

And then, on top of this, there is the awful feeling of unfinished business. Especially if a loss has come suddenly or unexpectedly, “We never got to say goodbye.” Grief usually comes with guilt attached.

True Guilt and False Guilt

Now there is an important distinction between true guilt and false guilt. False guilt comes when we take responsibility for something that was not our calling or is not under our control. True guilt comes when we shirk responsibility for something that is the call or command of God.

But sometimes it isn’t easy to tell the difference between true guilt and false guilt, and here’s what often happens. A grieving person feels a weight of guilt. It runs deep and it isn’t easy for her to speak about this. But when she does, she is told, “This is false guilt. You weren’t actually responsible for this. It’s not your fault.”

That doesn’t help. Even if the guilt is without foundation, it is very real to the bereaved person. So it doesn’t help to say to the person on whom the weight rests, “There’s nothing for you to be guilty about.” Saying this doesn’t normally remove the weight.

When a person is struggling with what I may think is false guilt, I have found it more helpful to say something like this:

“Let’s put the discussion of whether this guilt is true or false aside. The point is what you are experiencing is real. Your conscience is burdened. You believe there is something you should have done and didn’t, or vice versa. If this were true guilt, what would you do with it? You would confess it to God and put it under the blood of Christ. So let’s do that now.”

The Answer to Guilt

The answer to false guilt is truth. The answer to true guilt is grace. And how wonderful it is that our Lord Jesus Christ is “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). In other words, everything that is needed to deal with guilt is found in Jesus Christ.

Christ offered himself not only so that your sins would be forgiven. The blood of Christ was shed so that your conscience could be cleansed (Heb. 9:14, 10:22). So bring your ‘if onlys’ to God. Confession is a wonderful gift when you know that grace is waiting for you on the other side.

If your conscience is burdened, here’s what you can do: Bring what you experience as guilt to God. That’s what we have here in Lamentations. The guilt in Lamentations is real, and it is brought before God and confessed.

If your conscience is burdened, here is what you can do: Write out what weighs on your conscience and bring it to God. Tell God what you did – confess it, repent of it, place it under the blood of Christ, and let your conscience be clean, so that you can once again experience the peace of God.

Don’t live with a burden of guilt hanging round your neck.

[This post was adapted from Pastor Colin’s sermon, “Guilt and Grievance,” from his series For All Who Grieve: Light and Hope in Lamentations.] [Photo Credit: Unsplash]

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[1]Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., A Biblical Approach to Personal Suffering (Chicago: Moody Press, 1982).

I Want To Read the Bible. How Do I Start?

“Hey, Sis, I have a question. Where does it say in the Bible….?” This question came one night from my younger brother who had just gone through a traumatic experience, which left him broken and bleeding, emotionally and spiritually. And in that place of brokenness, he had attempted to read the Bible. He tried searching for answers, tried to find hope–but he didn’t know where to begin. Or how to begin.

For many like my brother, reading the Bible can seem daunting, confusing, down-right overwhelming. There’s no denying that it is big, being made up of 66 books, letters, and narratives. Where should I begin when I read the Bible?

Before we can answer that question, we must answer the why:

Why Read the Bible
1. To know God and his plan of redemption

Beginning in Genesis, you are immediately catapulted into the great love-story of a sovereign, merciful, loving Creator God who makes himself known. The Bible contains the very words of God, which means they are real, they are true, they are trustworthy (2 Timothy 3:16).

The Bible also exposes us, showing us who we are in light of a holy God: sinful and broken, separated from God. But the great news the Bible tells us is this: redemption and restoration is possible through faith in Jesus Christ.

2. To know Jesus and freedom from sin

God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to die for those sins that separated us from God. Through Jesus’s sacrificial death and on the cross, and his resurrection, our sins were forgiven and our lives restored back into harmony with God.

The Bible was given to us so that we would “believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). And in knowing Jesus through the Bible, we would be set free from sin and death (John 8:31-32).

How to Read the Bible
1. Start with a Gospel, an epistle, or Genesis

The Gospels: Tor any first-timer, one of the Gospels (which means “good news”): Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. They are the best place to start because they introduce you to the incarnate God, Jesus Christ. These Gospels narrates his earthly ministry, his death, his burial, and his resurrection. But which one should you read?

For a quick read, go with Mark. This 16-chapter Gospel is fast-paced and fact-based concerning the most significant events in Jesus’s life. While not as detailed as the other three Gospels, Mark will give you a quick overview of the life and work of Jesus.

If you are looking for a more in-depth look at the life and work of Jesus, read the Gospel of John. This Gospel was written by John, who undeniably presents Jesus as the true Messiah, the Savior of mankind, and the Author of our salvation.

The Epistles: You may also consider starting with an epistle like Ephesians or Colossians. Paul, an Apostle, wrote most of these letters. He writes them to specific audiences throughout the Mediterranean world. Paul wrote his epistles to encourage, warn, and exhort new believers in the Christian faith. They give practical instructions on how a Christ-follower should live and conduct themselves.

Genesis: If you’d like to start at the beginning, then read Genesis. As its name implies, it tells about the beginning of time and history. In the first three chapters alone, you will be introduced to God as Sovereign Creator of the world and humankind. Those chapters also explain how sin entered the world, how it marred mankind and separated us from God, and how God graciously put in place the way of redemption. Genesis sets the stage for the rest of the amazing story.

2. Start with a plan

Pick a time:  Pick a time of day when you would like to spend time reading the Bible. It could be early morning, before your spouse or kids get up when the house is yours and all is quiet. It could be during your lunch break at work. Or even at night before you go to bed. Try to read every day to get into the discipline of regularly feasting on God’s Word.

Pick a place:  Find a comfortable spot (but not too comfortable!) in which to read: a favorite armchair, the couch, your desk, the kitchen table. If you often read in the same place at the same time, you will find this will become your favorite (and most sacred) space.

Pick some tools: Set up your chosen place so you have everything you may want at-hand: a pen, highlighters, your journal, and your coffee (of course). But remember: you do not need anything but an open Bible.

3. Start slow

Start by reading small portions of the Bible at first: a long passage or one chapter a day. Read for about 10-15 minutes. Don’t overwhelm yourself by reading an entire book in one sitting (at least not just yet). Savor each word, each phrase. Take time to think about what you read. Meditate on it. Even write about it. Journaling is a wonderful way to express your thoughts, feelings, prayers, and praises.

And don’t forget to find the application in what you read: whether it is a promise to claim, a warning to heed, a command to follow. Spirit-led application is what transforms your sinfulness to one of sanctification, and ultimately conforms you into the image of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:28).

4. Start with prayer

Invite the Holy Spirit—whom you received when you accepted Jesus—into your sacred time when you read the Bible. As your “helper” (John 14:26), one of his ministries is to teach you “all things” (John 14:26) and to “guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). You would be wise to seek out his help when it comes to understanding and interpreting the Bible.

More Than A Good Book

The Bible is more than just a good book, it is the Book of Life, which leads to life in Jesus Christ. It enables us to know God in all his majesty and glory, to know ourselves in all our sinfulness and brokenness, and the way of redemption and restoration.

How will you, today, read the Bible and begin to mine its riches, finding God and Jesus, redemption and restoration, for your weary, sin-sick soul?

[Photo Credit: Unsplash]

Two Reasons Why We Need Corporate Prayer

Before I tell you the two reasons we need corporate prayer, let me tell you why flying makes me nervous: At some point on every flight an unsettling thought will rush into my mind: I’m in a metal tube, moving hundreds of miles per hour, thousands of feet in the air. My heart begins to beat a bit faster. To make myself more worried, I’ll look out the window and think, What if that engine stopped working right now?

Like a twin-jet aircraft, the church has two primary engines: the Word of God and corporate prayer (Acts 6:4). Both matter, and we should never be comfortable carrying on without them. And yet, if we’re honest, many of our churches seem to be flying without our second engine.

While commercial jets can fly with only one engine, I’m not interested in seeing that happen while I’m on board. In fact, I bet no one wants to fly in a plane with only one working engine. No good pilot would request permission for take off with only one jet firing. So why are we comfortable in churches that rely only on the preaching of the Word and not also on corporate prayer?

Corporate Prayer in Today’s Churches

In many worship services today, prayer is little more than a perfunctory nod to the Lord between songs or after the sermon. During many small group meetings, prayer is consistently crammed to the last few moments. On many church calendars, you’ll be hard pressed to find an hour set aside for corporate prayer.

But even a cursory reading of the New Testament shows us a very different model of church life. Jesus assumes that his disciples will be people of prayer, which is why he does not give them instructions “if you pray,” but “when you pray” (Matthew 6:5).

Jesus calls his followers to persist in prayer, once telling them “a parable to the effect that they ought to pray always and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1). Paul makes it clear that in every gathering of believers, people should pray (1 Timothy 2:8).

God’s people are called to be a praying people.

Why does God call us to receive his Word and offer him prayer? Why should we rely on corporate prayer in our churches? Let me offer two basic, but massive reasons:

1. We pray for the sake of the church.

Everything God calls the church to do is impossible without his help. We do not have the ability to make dead sinners alive in Christ (Ephesians 2). We do not have the ability to transform believers into Christ’s image (2 Corinthians 3:18). New life and continued growth are the work of the Holy Spirit. Therefore we are in a constant state of dependence, whether we recognize it or not.

I love the way Charles Bridges¹ puts this when says:

This, then, is the main source of ministerial success. Unless the Spirit be poured upon us from on high, the wilderness, notwithstanding the most diligent cultivation, must remain a wilderness still… Let all means be used in diligence, but in dependence.

In other words, do you want your church to be successful? Do you want to see your church doing great things for the glory of God and the good of people? Then you need the Holy Spirit. Otherwise nothing will happen. So work hard, with great diligence, but do so in dependence.

And how does a church cultivate a spirit of dependence? Prayer! When we pray we confess that we don’t have the wisdom, the power, or the skills to do anything of eternal value, but our Father does. When we pray we acknowledge how badly we need his help. And when we pray like that, he responds (Luke 11:13).

2. We pray for the sake of the world.

I don’t know about you, but I find the news overwhelming. Every day we witness massive problems in our world. In a fallen world there is widespread injustice, natural disasters, abuse, poverty, irreconcilable political divisions, not to mention the rise of secularism, the lie of false religions, and the thousands of people groups who still have no access to the gospel of Jesus Christ? What is a church to do in the face of such issues?

There are two things all Christians can do and all Christians must do: We must proclaim the gospel and we must pray.

I appreciate this story from John Stott, found in a 2016 article by Zach Schlengel. Stott writes:

I remember some years ago visiting a church incognito. I sat in the back row. . . . When we came to the pastoral prayer, it was led by a lay brother, because the pastor was on holiday. So he prayed that the pastor might have a good holiday. Well, that’s fine. Pastors should have good holidays. Second, he prayed for a lady member of the church who was about to give birth to a child that she might have a safe delivery, which is fine. Third, he prayed for another lady who was sick, and then it was over. That’s all there was. It took 20 seconds. I said to myself, it’s a village church with a village God. They have no interest in the world outside. There was no thinking about the poor, the oppressed, the refugees, the places of violence, world evangelization.

God calls his church to pray for this world. The Bible calls us to pray for the Kingdom of Jesus to advance as people from every tribe, tongue, and nation find salvation in him (Matthew 6:10). The Bible calls us to pray for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way (1 Timothy 2:2). It calls us to pray for the welfare of our cities as long as we call this world home (Jeremiah 29:7).

Corporate prayer can feel like a small thing, but one day we will learn of great evils stopped and great good accomplished on planet earth because God’s people prayed, and he answered.

Turn on the engine

Friend, whatever other commitments you have in your church, you are called to pray. Perhaps you’re at a church that really gets this and values prayer. Praise God! Engage this crucial ministry in any way you can.

Or perhaps you’re at a church that seems to be flying with only one engine. In all humility, ask the Lord if he would use you to turn the engine of prayer back on so your church can be more prepared to advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Pray on your way to church each Sunday, begin a small regular prayer meeting, humbly ask your pastor how you can help foster more prayer in your church.

Whatever you do, devote yourself to the Word of God and prayer, for the sake of the church, for the sake of the world, and for the glory of God.

[Photo Credit: Unsplash]
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1. Charles Bridges, “The Christian Ministry, ” Banner of Truth, Carlisle, PA, 2009, 81

Son, Run with Your Eyes Ahead

When was the last time you heard God’s voice? Don’t let anyone fool you into thinking that God doesn’t speak to us dynamically, conversationally even, through the Bible. In fact, therein lies the only sure words of God available to us.

In case you don’t believe me, or need to be encouraged that God does speak, I’ll tell you what God recently said to me. See, my soul felt dry. Forming prayers felt like writing an uninteresting essay. I went to the Bible, but while reading my brain felt like brick—unimpressionable. Heavy-hearted, I felt laden with unidentified sorrows. And still he spoke,

My son, be attentive to my words;

   incline your ear to my sayings.

Let them not escape from your sight;

   keep them within your heart. (Proverbs 4:20-21)

So, on my lunch break, I began to walk around my office building per usual and opened my Bible app to Proverbs. As I read, the Father brought an image to my track athlete’s mind. This sounds like Coach Bradley talking to me. It brought back memories of cross-country and of the sweet sound of my assistant coach’s voice, “Push it, Eden!” as I jumped over hurdles.

Imagine with me now that you’re going on a run. Stick with me here. For all you runners—this should be easy.

Listen to Your Coach’s Voice

Okay, you’re running. No headphones; you’re in a race. But there’s noise all around. Other runners are heaving, stomping, moving. Opponents are whirring by, chasing, at your side. You hear the sound of striving, your own heavy breathing. And you hear a steady voice in your memory: “Son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart” (Proverbs 4:20-21 NIV).

It’s your Father, your LC (Life-Coach) as my mom and I like to say. At the start of the whole race, he put his hands on your shoulders, looked you in the eye, and said, “Listen, my son, accept what I say…I’ll guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble” (Proverbs 4:10-12).

So as you run, from the shot of that gun, there should be one thing on your mind—you’re listening for your coach’s voice, and repeating his speech to yourself (v. 21).

Let His Words Enliven Your Body

Now all athletes have preached at one point, “Mind over matter.” As your feet are pounding, you hear the Father saying,

Keep them [his words] within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body. (vv. 21-22)

We understand this. As athletes, what we let entertain our mind (our heart) will overcome our physical performance. What’s in your heart will affect your body: I can’t finish. I’m getting tired. I’m losing. My knee is starting to hurt. Oh no—cramp! These are the thoughts that leave our hearts in tatters. And as we sow these thoughts, our legs slow.

Why? Because our physical performance—our very life—flows from the heart. Thus, we must guard it. How? By setting our attention on words of life. By listening closely to our coach by rehearsing the words he’s spoken to us in the Bible, and not letting his speech drift from our mind’s eye. “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (v. 23).

Tell Yourself the Truth

We also guard our heart by training our sights on the words of life, but also by casting off corrupting talk. “Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you”, he says (v. 24). Why does our Coach say this? We do lots of self-talk in life—in running too. As mentioned earlier, the dangerous form of racing self-talk is self-focused and self-abasing. You can’t. You aren’t. You won’t make it. He’s disappointed in you. He’s expecting so much more.

The Bible teaches that crooked speech comes from a crooked heart. God “delights in truth in the inward being” (Psalm 51:6). He won’t have us speaking about ourselves or him in ways that aren’t true. That’s why he coaches us in this way in his Word. “Guard your heart! Get rid of the crooked thoughts you have about you, and the crooked thoughts you have about me!”

Look Straight Ahead

As you’re running effortfully, hear the strong tone of a loving Lord yearning for his child to finish well: “Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure” (vv. 25-26).

Eyes forward, not behind you. Golly, no one can run with their head over their shoulder—not without a serious neck cramp! Don’t dwell on the past. Your sins are long gone, taken care of through the cross of Jesus (Psalm 103:12).  

Gaze straight. Not to the side, looking around you. Jesus said to his disciple Peter, “What is that to you? You follow me!” (John 21:22). You’ll slow your pace if you’re looking left and right at surrounding people and circumstances.

Look straight before you. Don’t look down. Don’t look at your naval, consumed with what’s going on within—eyes up. There’s no other place for your eyes to be if you truly want to run.

Look to your Lord, the risen Christ, who is standing at the finish line.

Don’t Swerve

Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil. (v. 27)

Because we’re forgetful people and fickle in will, our Coach reminds us of the obvious. Don’t steer your body down a path that will deliver you over to destruction. This is a blatant statement: Don’t do what you know not to do.

When we’re tired and the race feels long, we may find it easy to justify jogging down a forbidden path. Don’t go there, God says. Stay away from what you know to be evil.

Christ Qualified You to Run

Huh Huh Huh. Keep breathing, keep running. You’re in the race, friend. That’s grace. You weren’t qualified to run the race of faith, and you can’t earn the win. You’re on Team Jesus, and he placed first. He put your whole team in the lead and won for you eternity. And his race was the hardest of all—he sweat blood before the toughest part began. For the joy set before him, he endured.

…[look] to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)

But you’ve got to finish well because you’re part of the team. And you’re not alone. There’s a whole multitude you cannot see cheering for you in heavenly stands: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (12:1).

In conclusion, I wrote a poem for you, as a reflection on this Scripture passage. You can find it at my blog here.

[Photo Credit: Unsplash]

Key Connections: Suffering, Intellect, and more…

Here are some of my favorite quotes from Christian articles around the web, including the issue with theoretical thinking during times of suffering, the importance of intellect, and the privilege of working as an editor.

That Which No Tragedy Can Take From Us (Josh Moody, God Centered Life)

Who, in times of profound suffering, has the mental energy, the philosophical fortitude, to consider the academic questions of the origin of evil? It is not that such questions are unimportant, nor that that there are no answers to those questions. But suffering is not the place to find merely theoretical answers. Those in pain will know that the trials they face are deeply practical. And the answer to that relies in what we know rather than what we do not know: the goodness of God is in the sure foundation of a living faith even in the face of evil.

Feeling Good, Thinking Nothing (John MacArthur, Grace to You)

Is there really a risk that being overly discerning might grieve the Holy Spirit? Scripture never indicates that the Holy Spirit wants us to close our minds to objective truth and blindly accept sensational phenomena as proof that He is at work. Quite the opposite is true—we’re commanded to examine such things with extreme care. Failure to do so is the essence of a reckless faith.

Yes. God Requires Obedience For Salvation (Michael Horton, Core Christianity)

We can’t obey our way into God’s family. He adopts those whom he has chosen from eternity, without any merits or foresight of what we will do. It’s pure grace. He credits us with his Son’s perfect righteousness. That’s the only way we can stand before a holy God without any blame. But God requires our obedience, just as any good father does. “If you love me,” Jesus said, “then you will keep my commandments” (Jn 14:15).

Five Lessons I’ve Learned in Five Years as an Editor (Kristen Wetherell, KristenWetherell.com)

A note to all my fellow writers and editors of biblical non-fiction writing: Guard the good deposit entrusted to you, and seek to proclaim the excellencies of Jesus in all you publish. This is a high calling and a wonderful privilege.

When You Pray, Do You Know What True Prayer Is? (Colin Smith, Unlocking the Bible)

The problem with much of our praying is it is unprepared, incoherent rambling. We are winging it in the presence of God. A lot of our praying dries up because of the staleness of spontaneity. I say it is better to think long and pray short than to think short and to pray long.

You Don’t Want What You Actually Deserve

When was the last time someone said to you, “You deserve better”? Or when did you last think, I don’t deserve this…?

These are common statements in American culture. We’re told by the media, and by society at large, that we’re entitled to certain outcomes—and we’re easily convinced, for this belief runs in our blood. At the root of everything, from our private discontentment and grumbling to our public complaints, is a sense that we’re good and deserving and can judge our circumstances rightly.

But we aren’t, and we can’t, because sin has corrupted everything. We’re naturally blind to a right estimation of ourselves, and our sense of justice is skewed—which means we don’t actually want what we deserve. We will see that we have far more than we deserve only when we grasp the undeservedness of the gospel; and we will only look at ourselves and our world rightly, through God’s lens, when we respond to his kindness to us in Christ.   

God’s Overwhelming Holiness

To think rightly about what we deserve, we must start with God. Our flesh wants to make everything about us, as if the world revolves around humans. But creation tells a different tale:

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1).

If we pause to consider the grandeur of a starry sky, the delicate beauty of a sunrise, or the diversity of plant and animal life, we must confess that our lives are but a tiny blip in the radar.  

Creation shouts of our eternal God. Everything begins and ends with him (Romans 11:36).

God not only communicates his greatness through creation, he speaks through his Word. When he spoke to Isaiah, the prophet couldn’t stand before his holiness; he trembled before him, calling down curses upon himself (Isaiah 6:5). John, the beloved disciple, dropped as though dead when he saw Jesus in all his glory (Revelation 1:17). When we encounter God’s holiness through Scripture—when he speaks his perfect, true, pure words to us (Psalm 19:7-9)—we have no choice but to respond in a similar way.

The holiness of God will always be overwhelming to unholy sinners.

Our Offensive Sinfulness

As our proper response to God’s holiness is overwhelm, fear, and an inevitable sense of our inadequacy before him, so God’s proper response to our sinfulness is offense. This is a hard truth. That God is offended by us often offends us. But this is the only right response to sin.

A small child hitting his older brother is a very different offense than someone harming the President of the United States. The weight of the offense always correlates to the offended party.   

When we don’t acknowledge God’s overwhelming holiness and our indebtedness to him as his creation; when we rebel and sin against him; or, when we despise his way and desire our own, we greatly offend our holy God, and we’re blinded from seeing what we truly deserve for our sin.  

God’s Right Response

And what do we deserve? What does our offensive sinfulness warrant before God? His right and just wrath:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. (Romans 1:18)

When we push back the truth by worshiping anything but God, even ourselves, we receive what our idolatrous worship deserves. This feels harsh to us—but is it? If the weight of the offense directly relates to the offended party, then shouldn’t the response also correspond?

What we actually deserve is to be judged for our sin—we’re entitled to nothing else.

God’s Undeserved Kindness

If we want to call God’s judgment for sin undeserved, then what should we call his gospel? Isn’t the good news that God’s perfectly holy Son bore God’s wrath in our place completely unmerited? Isn’t the gift of his righteousness in exchange for our sin just that—a gift? Yes, and praise God for this! In Jesus, we’re given what we do not deserve so we’ll never get what we do deserve apart from him.

“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:10)
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” (1 John 3:1a)
Our Right Response

Now, as new creations, as we gaze upon God’s glory in the gospel, he renews our minds. Suddenly, the circumstances our flesh wanted to grumble and complain about are put in their proper place. And then we’re able to thank God with grateful hearts for all he’s done and provided in his Son. Suddenly, our desire to share this undeserved, good news with others heightens, as we hold out this amazing gift we’ve been granted by faith in Christ. Or, suddenly, we’re compelled to spend ourselves for the One who spent himself for us. Even when the spending is costly. Even when it means being misunderstood.

We deserve nothing—but we’ve been given everything. What good news! “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32).

When You Pray, Do You Know What True Prayer Is?

When it comes to staying in good spiritual shape, many of us these days would want to say, “Well, I’m doing okay in some areas of my Christian life, but I have to admit I’m terribly out of shape when it comes to prayer.” Perhaps you are one of these people. Perhaps you do not know true prayer.

I have a little discussion-starter tool I use with members of my church. It includes half a dozen envelopes with questions on the front—questions asking about faith, spiritual growth, and similar topics. I often say when people visit me: “We can talk about anything you want. If you haven’t any ideas, then here are some questions you might like to talk about. You can choose one.”

About half of all the folks I’ve shared that with picked up the envelope on prayer, and said they’d like to talk about that. The question on the outside of this envelope reads: “How would you describe your prayer life?” Inside the envelope are a number of cards with various words, some positive, some negative. I have found repeatedly that folks pick up two cards to describe their prayer life:

Irregular. Aimless.

So I think there is a great hunger among us to discover what it means to pray in the Holy Spirit. Sooner or later almost everybody prays. There are no atheists in fox holes. You may think that you can get through life without God, but sooner or later you will come to a situation in which you will want to call on God to help you. When this happens, we must understand what true prayer is.

True Prayer Calls out to God the Father

Somebody once sent me a magazine from a famous and wonderful hospital, and it had an article about the place of spirituality in healing. The hospital chaplain wrote about the value of “prayer to God or to a higher power.” We hear this kind of language constantly these days, and it is very important to understand that these are two entirely different things.

There are many higher powers in the spirit world. The Bible says that Jesus Christ sits in heaven with angels authorities and powers in submission to him.Isaiah the prophet tells us about a day when God will deal with these powers:

In that day the LORD will punish the powers in the heavens above and the kings on the earth below. (Isaiah 24: 21)

They will be herded together like prisoners bound in a dungeon; They will be shut up in prison and punished after many days…. For the Lord Almighty will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before its elders gloriously. (24:22-23)

If that is the ultimate destiny of the higher powers, we have no business praying to them, or associating with them. Whatever temporary help they may be able to give you now, they are under the condemnation of God and you do not want to be identified with them in any way.

That will be worth remembering next time you are in a conversation with somebody who talks about praying to a higher power: True prayer is for God the Father, not for “higher powers.”

True Prayer Comes through Jesus

Once we have grasped that there is one God and he is not whoever we want him to be, but he is who he is, the next question is: How do we come to him? The Bible uses a picture to help us understand this point. There is one God, but there is more than one throne. That’s easy to understand, at least for a person from Britain.

There is one Queen in Britain, but she has several thrones. There is a throne in the Palace, probably several, there is a throne in the House of Lords, and so forth. The thrones relate to different functions that the Queen performs. She uses the throne in the House of Lords when she goes to read the government program at the State opening of Parliament.

Similarly, there is one God, but the Bible makes it clear that he has more than one throne. We read about a great white throne where God administers justice and judgment. But we also read about the throne of grace, where we find mercy and grace to help us in time on need. Consider these verses:

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it… And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne.. and the dead were judged.. (Revelation 20:11-12)

We have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God… Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14, 16)

From these two verses, we learn the important distinction between the two thrones: You can come to the great white throne any way you want, but if you want to come to the throne of grace you need to come through Jesus.

There is one God but there is more than one throne. Access to the throne of grace comes through our great high priest Jesus the Son of God. If you are looking for grace, there is no other way to pray but in the name of Jesus because God’s grace comes to us through Jesus Christ.

True Prayer Flows from Scripture

Turning the Scriptures into prayers will help you keep your prayers fresh.  Every day you will be seeing something new. More than that, the Scriptures will guide your mind into the thoughts of God.

This is the great difference between Eastern mysticism and Christian prayer. Mysticism says empty your mind so that you can pray; however, God says fill your mind so that you can pray. In light of this, let an open Bible be the guide for your praying. You will find that you begin to think God’s thoughts after him as you pray in the Spirit.

The problem with much of our praying is it is unprepared, incoherent rambling. We are winging it in the presence of God. A lot of our praying dries up because of the staleness of spontaneity. I say it is better to think long and pray short than to think short and to pray long.

Don’t meditate to clear your mind, but instead meditate on the Bible in order to fill it. Reflect on the purposes of God in his word then turn that into prayer.

[This article was adapted from Pastor Colin’s sermon, “Pray in the Holy Spirit,” from his series  Keeping Yourself in Spiritual Shape: Seven Workouts for a Healthy Christian Life ]

Does God Work All Things Together For Our Good?

It’s so comforting to know that God is working all things for our good, isn’t it? That is, until we realize that his idea of good is often very different than our own.

We’ve all experienced this at some point. Perhaps we have prayed for something, only to receive the very opposite of what we’ve longed for. At other times, a path we’ve pursued with great energy suddenly redirects, or an expectation we’ve had unravels before our eyes.

These experiences form crossroads that all Christians will eventually face. When our untested faith in God’s goodness is suddenly challenged, we’re left with the question–

How can I believe God works for my good when what he’s allowing seems far from it?

Lately, as I’ve freshly wrestled with this question, I’ve meditated on a verse we often run to–and often misunderstand:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

As we read this verse, we first have to understand what Paul means when he says, “for those who love God all things work together for good.” What is our good and what is his purpose? To answer that, we have to look at the verses that follow:

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Romans 8:29-30)

In other words, the “good” God has promised his children is to conform them to the image of Christ, for the purpose of bringing himself glory.

So here’s the encouragement for us if we’re facing circumstances that seem far from good: God is using our afflictions to produce the good we would desire had sin not blinded our hearts and minds. Here are three ways God uses affliction for our good and his purposes.

He exposes what we love.

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. (1 John 2:15-16)

God is a jealous God. He loves us too much to allow us to settle our heart’s affections on the world. Therefore, he uses our trials to test our faith and challenge what and who we really love most. For those who love God, affliction serves as a chiseling tool in the hand of our Divine Sculptor, chipping away at all that competes for our affections. Gradually, in his severe mercy, he chips away “good things” from our life to loosen our grip on our earthly home, to fill our empty hands with more of himself, and to draw us heavenward.

He does not remove anything from us that he will not abundantly replace with something far greater than we ever could have imagined. God truly is working all things together for the good, the eternal good, of those who love him.

He humbles us.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you. (1 Peter 5:6)

Suffering wakes us up to our frailty and sinfulness. While we may have been able to live under the smoke screen of our outward goodness and perceived control for a time, suffering opens our eyes to reality. When affliction presses in on us, it brings us low and reveals what’s truly in our hearts. As discouraging as this can be, God uses it for our good to reveal how desperately sick we are apart from his grace. Through it God shows how miraculous and magnificent salvation in Christ truly is.

Over time, as the Spirit humbles us under God’s mighty hand, our plea for changed circumstances begins to lessen and our plea for changed hearts begins to increase. That is truly a mark of God’s faithfulness to his promise to work all things together for the good of those who love him.

He loves us far too much to settle for giving us temporary comforts and pain-free lives that blind us to our need for him. God knows that the short-term trials of this life are not worth comparing to the treasures that await us for all eternity in his presence.

He points us to the cross.

But it was the LORD’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the LORD’s good plan will prosper in his hands. (Isaiah 53:10)

Joni Eareckson Tada said, “God permits what he hates to accomplish what he loves.” There is no greater evidence of this than the cross of Jesus Christ. God permitted what he hates–the sacrifice of his Son–to accomplish what he loves–salvation for all who will put their trust in him.

As Christians, we need to look at the words of Romans 8:28 through the lens of the cross. If we assume that it means God is working through all things to bring about a comfortable, prosperous, pain-free life on earth, we will quickly question his love, faithfulness, and goodness. And we certainly won’t follow him for long. But if we grasp that the “good” he promised us is rooted in the same good brought about through the cross, we will humbly submit ourselves to what he allows, trusting that our suffering, though painful in the moment, is working for our eternal good. Namely, to reflect the image of Christ.

This is the greatest good that God can bring about in our lives. Not only to transform us into the image of Christ, but to change our heart’s desires to align with his.

The deepest joy I’ve experienced in my life has come through God removing many “good” things from my life and opening my eyes to how much I seek joy and satisfaction in things apart from him. It has brought about greater awareness of how undeserving I am of his forgiveness and how sinful I am apart from his grace.

Look to the Cross

Brother or sister, what are you facing that feels far from good? Look to the cross and remember that things aren’t always as they seem. As Randy Alcorn said:  

Good Friday isn’t called bad Friday because we see it in retrospect: We know that out of the appalling bad came inexpressible good. And that good trumps the bad. Although the bad was temporary, the good was eternal. If someone had delivered Jesus from his suffering, Jesus could not have delivered us from ours.

Let’s look to Christ in whatever circumstances we are facing. We can trust that he will be faithful to his promise. He’ll work all things together for the good of those called according to his purpose. And this will be for our joy and for his glory.

[This post was originally published on Sarah’s Blog,  Set Apart , on October 2, 2018]

What the Trinity Teaches Us About Relationships

My friend, Charlie, is visually impaired. Due to this, people often overlook and ignore him. But all human beings were made for connection with other human beings. Therefore, this isolation causes him to contemplate, “Why do many people find it so hard to befriend me?” In God’s natural order, reflecting the trinity, men could dwell among one another in peace and harmony. But now, because of the presence of sin, men dwell among one another in conflict and disharmony. Through his perfect life, death, and resurrection, however, Jesus redeems our relationships and restores them to their original state.

God Created Us for Dynamic Relationships

Before the conception of time, all three persons of the triune God–Father, Son, and Holy Spirit–dwelled in perfect harmony. In Jesus the King, Timothy Keller elaborates on their sublime, dynamic existence:

No person in the Trinity insists that the others revolve around him; rather each of them voluntarily circles and orbits around the others. (9)

In other words, a self-centered existence is stationary, whereas an others-centered existence is dynamic since this existence requires voluntary movement around others. In this view of the trinity, we see how we are supposed to act.

We see another picture of right relationships with Adam and Eve. In Genesis 2, the Lord God said:

“It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” (Genesis 2:18)

Adam was not meant to be alone–he was made for community. When God gave Eve to Adam, God declared the goodness of community. Made to reflect the dynamic relationship seen in the Trinity, Adam and Eve centered their lives on each other and on God. They resided in right relationship, and they had good fellowship with their Creator.

Human Rebellion Distorted Relationships

This right relationship was ruined when Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden tree. With this act they chose to center their existence on themselves rather than on God or each other. This choice broke their horizontal relationships (relationships with others) and their vertical relationship (relationship with God).

Due to the fall, humanity now has a depraved heart and mind. Our self-interest is the center around which our endeavors, desires, words, thoughts, and actions spiral. We all make the same choice Adam and Eve did: We turn our worship away from God toward ourselves.

Relationships are disoriented by this perverted, self-centered direction. Now man either deifies or demonizes other men. He deifies by lifting others to the place of God. He demonizes by lowering them to the place of the beasts. Our friendships and enmities are built on false presumptions of what we might receive from the relationship. We believe we will find wholeness from the gained riches, influence, status, or the relationship itself.

Jesus Redeems Relationships

Consider Jesus’s humility. He was enthroned in perfect majesty and praise, and he was immersed in perfect communion with the Father and the Holy Spirit. But he did not consider his own divinity a thing to be grasped. He held it out to the Father with an open hand. He took on flesh and entered into the messiness of the fall and its consequences upon human life.

Unlike us, Jesus did not start a relationship with his people for what he might get from them. He came to give everything he had to us. His hometown rejected him (Luke 4:28-30). The religious elite scorned and hated him, calling him “[a] glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!” (Matthew 11:19). His disciples fled in fear when he was arrested (Mark 14:50). The Jews had an insurrectionist released instead of Jesus (John 18:38-40). Roman soldiers mocked his claim to kingship. They clothed him with a crown of thorns and a purple robe (John 19:2). They scoffed, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him (John 19:3).

And on the cross, nails pierced his hands as the wrath of his heavenly Father pierced his soul. After being sacrificed by us for our sake, Jesus demonstrated his full love as he rose victoriously from the dead to provide us with the offer of salvation. He paid the ransom in full, reconciling us to the Father.

With this, Jesus not only provided us with an example of how to put God and others first, but he also removed our fallen hearts and replaced them with a new heart that could see relationships the way he intended for them to be: dynamic.

Christ, the Center of Our Relationships

Through the Holy Spirit’s work, we too can think and act toward one another in a selfless and humble manner. This mindset is ours in our union to Christ (Philippians 2:5). We can model Jesus who carried his own cross and died for his enemies, whom he considered as friends.

As we begin to apply the gospel to our broken relationships, we will gradually find healing. When we are sinned against, we remember how our Lord could have condemned us under the law, but chose to redeem us through his blood and make us his bride. When we sin against others, we repent, knowing that Christ died for our redemption. Or, when others reject us and mistreat us, like some do to my friend Charlie, we reflect on the painful rejection Jesus endured by those around him.

We must remember that we are made to reflect the Trinity: We revolve not around ourselves, but around God and the lives of others.

[Photo Credit: Unsplash]

Key Connections: Heaven, the Church, and more…

Here are your key connections for the week, including two posts on the Church, one great post from Pastor Colin on getting into Heaven, and more:

What Went Wrong with Nadab and Abihu (Derek Rishmawy, Christianity Today)

What is stunning is that this episode immediately follows the Lord accepting the initial offering. How can somebody with a front-row seat to God’s burning glory be so arrogant? It’s almost as if the success itself provoked the failure—they believed themselves “too big to fail.”

This is a warning to those of us in ministry: If we mistake God’s grace at work with our own efficacy or holiness, presumption naturally follows. Success blinds us to our own sin and need to fear the Lord.

When We Need The Service of Others (Jennifer Brogdon, Risen Motherhood)

Certain seasons or life circumstances require members to serve us. Galatians 5:14 says, “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Paul, who is talking to a group of legalists, encourages humility. If they want to fulfill the law, then they should love and serve their brothers and sisters! When we allow fellow members to love us by bearing our burdens, we help fulfill the law of Christ.

(Kevin DeYoung, Crossway)

So what exactly is forbidden by the third commandment? The word vain (as it’s rendered in the ESV) can mean “empty,” “nothing,” “worthless,” or “to no good purpose.” We are forbidden, therefore, from taking the name of God (or taking up the name or bearing the name, as the phrase could be translated) in a manner that is wicked, worthless, or for wrong purposes. This doesn’t mean that we have to avoid the divine name altogether.

How Churches Can Help Women Study God’s Word (Kristen Wetherell, Radical)

Unfortunately, many churches don’t have this contagious effect because they lack a settled conviction about Scripture. But this low esteem for Scripture is equally contagious, and it will saturate the congregation with whatever else is held in high esteem. I’m particularly concerned with the lack of Scripture’s presence in many women’s ministries––for we will only equip our women to study God’s Word if studying God’s Word is the basis for everything we do as a church.

What Would Jesus Say About Your Church? (John MacArthur, Grace to You)

Believers need to understand that what happens in America politically and socially has nothing to do with the progress or the power of the kingdom of God. Cultural change can’t accelerate the kingdom’s growth; nor can it hinder it (see Matthew 16:18). Christ’s kingdom “is not of this world” (John 18:36).

How Do I Get to Heaven? (Colin Smith, Unlocking the Bible)

If salvation rested on our works in any way, all assurance would be arrogance because it would be saying “I’ve done the necessary works.” Salvation depends not on your works for Christ, but on Christ’s work for you. His work is finished. It’s perfect and complete. You can rest your life, death, and eternity on him with complete confidence.