Michael Kelley's Blog, page 30

3 Truths to Help You Grow in Gentleness

Recently, one of my children was faced with a disappointing set of circumstances. He had worked hard; he had done his best; he had put a lot of emotional energy into this particular thing; and it didn’t work out the way he had hoped. And as we were trying to sort through all those emotions, it occurred to me that this scenario was one we all face to varying degrees through our whole lives.

Despite our best efforts, we get disappointed. And in light of that, whether you’re 7 or 70, here is what seems like a good principle to remember:

Much of life is about what you do next.

That’s because we are always going to have circumstances that don’t go the way we think they should. And we can’t control that. What we can control, however, is how we react. We can control what we do next. We can control how we treat the person who has blown up at us, or the friend we thought we could trust, or the attitude we have when we have to go back to work or school after that disappointment.

And one of the words the Bible uses to describe the way we should react in these circumstances is gentleness:

Gentleness is one of the fruits of the spirit (Gal. 5:22-23).We are told to let our gentleness be evident to all (Phil. 4:5).We are to clothe ourselves with characteristics like gentleness (Col. 3:12).

The Christian is to be a gentle person, but that’s a hard thing, isn’t it? Especially when things aren’t going your way and the temptation is to be angry. Hurt. Entitled. Bitter. So how can we grow in this attribute? Perhaps by remembering a few truths like these:

1. No one is finished.

One of the hardest times to be gentle is when someone else is not being gentle with you. It’s easiest in that moment to react in kind – to treat anger with anger. To help us grow in gentleness, though, we should remember that the person who has just treated us so roughly is in process.

Those people that are hard to be around? Those people that are annoying? God is working in them, and He’s not done yet. No matter what group we come from, no matter what our personalities, and no matter what our struggles, the thing we have in common, if we are in Christ, is that we are on the same journey. God is working in us all, and moving us all toward Christlikeness. So we should be gentle with those around us out of a recognition of that work. We should embrace that these people, along with us, are moving steadily, if not slowly, toward who God has made us to be in Christ, but they are not finished.

2. There is more to the story.

Again, when someone treats us roughly, the temptation is for us to react roughly back. But another truth that can help us react differently – more gently – is the fact that the person we have just interacted with has a lot more going on in their lives than this particular interaction.

Who knows what their day has been like? Or their month? Or year? Who knows the extent of the pain or difficulty or anxiety they are carrying around? Certainly not us – we only know that we’ve been blown up on, but it’s very likely that this blow up is an accumulated result of a lot of other things. Remembering that there is always more to the story helps us depersonalize that reaction and treat that person gently.

3. God is gentle with you.

But the greatest truth to help us grow in gentleness is just reflecting on how gentle God has been with us. We are sinners, each and every one of us. We wrong God countless times every day, and yet His grace never runs dry. He is patient with us. Gentle with us. Just as others are on a journey toward Christlikeness, so are we, and it is a slow road. 

But God is patient. He is gentle. And He is moving us along that road at a good, steady pace. The next time, then, we feel that anger bubbling inside of us, especially when things haven’t gone our way, we would do well to remember just how slowly and gently, like a patient Father, God has been with us. We can call these things to mind and find the same love with which God loved us replacing that sense of entitled anger. And we can react more gently.

This post originally appeared at thinke.org.

Cast Your Cares Upon the Lord

“Cast your cares on the Lord because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

Sounds like a great idea, doesn’t it? Because to “cast” means to throw off. Throw away. Get rid of. Discard. And who doesn’t want that? Who doesn’t want, in a world of so many cares, to not carry them any more? Who doesn’t want to be free of the burden of anxiety? 

Of course, as soon as we start entertaining that idea, we think of how impractical it is. We have responsibilities. Real troubles. Burdens of all stripes. This is one of those places in the Bible that we read longingly, then sigh and shake our heads, because as great as it sounds, it just isn’t real and practical. Maybe it was in the days of Peter who wrote this verse, but times are different now. Harder. More complicated. And our burdens are similarly harder and more complicated and can’t just be thrown off.

But consider a little illustration here.

Once upon a time, I tried to do my own taxes. I considered myself reasonably intelligent, and thought that it couldn’t possibly be that complicated, and so I embarked on a weeks’ long journey of receipt and form gathering, website research, and trying to sort through various online documents. For those weeks I bore the burden of W2s, 1099s, and charitable deductions. And when I finally turned in all those forms, I still bore the burden of doing so because I wasn’t convinced I had done it correctly. I bore that burden for an entire year, wondering each day if the letter would come from the federal government accusing me of fraud. And that’s when I decided to never do it again. 

I hired someone. A professional. Someone who spoke the language of all those forms. And the next year, all I had to do was hand stuff over – and it was glorious. 

Now in that scenario, the burden was certainly complicated, but my ability to release the burden was less about the complications of the burden itself, and much more about the wisdom and expertise of the one whom I was handing it to. If I trusted in that person’s ability to bear it, then there was no reason at all for me to try and do the same.

And who is the burden-bearer in 1 Peter 5:7?

It is the Lord. The Lord, gracious and loving. The Lord, strong and wise. The Lord, the Creator and sustainer of all things. The Lord, like whom there is no other. This is the invitation we are given. It’s not just to fling off our burdens into nothingness or onto someone barely more capable than we are – it is to cast them on the Lord.

In those terms, then, casting is not just a command; it’s an act of logic! Why would we try and bear the weighty, complicated, troubling burdens of life when there is someone so much more equipped to bear them? Why would we insist on hanging onto that which is better handled by another? 

In that light, perhaps our refusal to cast our burdens on the Lord is more about our own pride and desire for control than it is about either the weight and complication of the burdens themselves or the ability of the Lord to handle them.

Right now, Christian, what burden are you bearing that feels too heavy? Too complicated? Too much in every way? There is another better equipped to bear it. If we will trust Him enough to do so.

This post originally appeared at thinke.org.

Wednesday Links

Four links to some things you might have missed, or at least ones that caught my attention this past week:

1. The Way Out of Our Stupid Age

The fool leans on his own understanding. Trusting in the Lord is the way to wisdom.

2. Finding Hope When Things Aren’t As They Should Be

Hope doesn’t mean things are always as they should be. They certainly are not. Hope is about clinging to God anyway.

3. Benefits of Giving Thanks

This is a really good, simple list on what happens in us as we choose to be thankful.

4. 7 of History’s Strangest Coincidences

There are some really weird things in here.

Wednesday Links

Four links to some things you might have missed, or at least ones that caught my attention this past week:

1. God is Working, Even When We Cannot See

What a good reminder. As Piper said, “God is doing 10,000 things in your life, and you might be aware of 2 of them.”

2. The Refuge of Repentance

We don’t find refuge in the darkness; we languish and waste away there.

3. The Serious Business of Laughing at Myself

If we can’t laugh at ourselves, then check we should check our pride; it’s probably out of control.

4. The Simple Charm of “All Creatures Great and Small”

I wholeheartedly agree with this. If you’re not on the bandwagon of this show, get there quick.

Wednesday Links

Four links to some things you might have missed, or at least ones that caught my attention this past week:

1. When It Is Wrong to Complain

Stating something is wrong isn’t necessarily complaining, but it’s important to recognize when it becomes so.

2. Debunking Grief’s Myths

This is a helpful article, especially in a season that is often filled with equal parts joy and grief.

3. 4 Ways to Help Your Kids Love the Church More

Don’t we all want this? For our children to have a genuine love for the church that goes with them when they move out of our homes?

4. 2995 Days in a Row at Disneyland

That’s about 8 years at the happiest place on earth.

O Come, Thou Day-Spring, Come and Cheer

“O Come O Come Emmanuel” was originally written in Latin, first documented in Germany in 1710. The tune for the words was created separately, and first linked with the hymn in 1851.

The song is played in a minor key, which is fitting, since it is a song that expresses the deep longing of our souls. We, in our brokenness, know that all it not indeed well, and we are reminded of it every day. We are reminded of our great fallenness in our homes, in our world, and even in our most silent moments when we look inside ourselves. We are a people of longing – longing for true joy, for true satisfaction, for true life.

True enough, we have many methods for escaping that longing. We drink it away, we sex it away, we work it away, we can even try to church it away – and yet it persists. The treadmill of life and the disappointment therein remains. We are longing for what only Jesus can bring, just as Israel was longing for centuries for the coming of God’s chosen One who would be their deliverer.

And while Israel longed for a physical delivery, we know now that our physical deliverance from circumstantial tribulation is only a shadow of the greater deliverance we need, and therefore the greater longing that permeates every experience of our lives. In this mournful, but hopeful, tune we find these lyrics:

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

Jesus is called the “Day-Spring.” The dayspring is the dawn – it’s that moment, which ebbs and flows according to the season, when light first breaks over the darkness. But it’s more than that – it’s the first sign every day of the dispelling of darkness. It is the daily reminder that the mercies of God are new every morning, that despite our sin and rebellion, God did it once again today as the sun has come up. And if you’ve ever spent one of those nights alone – the kind of night where you can’t get away from your own thoughts, the kind of night that seems to go on forever, the kind of night where you are overcome by fear and doubt – you know the simple preciousness of that first light of dawn.

The sun has indeed come up again. Tomorrow is now today. And in the context of this song, this is Jesus – He is the dawn that dispels the darkness and brings the evidence of God’s enduring faithfulness. It was as Zechariah said when he prophesied about his own son, John the Baptist, as the forerunner of the Messiah:

“Because of our God’s merciful compassion,
the Dawn from on high will visit us
to shine on those who live in darkness
and the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:78-79).

No wonder the author says that our spirits, which are so filled with longing, are cheered by this appearing. The clouds of night are dispersed, and death’s dark shadows put to flight. This shadow – the shadow of knowing that right now you and I are both one moment closer to an inevitable death – is put to flight, for Jesus in his appearing has taken away the sting of death. He has transformed our vision of death from loss to gain; from punishment to reward; from hopelessness to the entrance into our true home.

Rejoice, Christian! Rejoice even in the midst of your longing, for God has shown that He is with us. He is Emmanuel, and He has come to His people.

Wednesday Links

Four links to some things you might have missed, or at least ones that caught my attention this past week:

1. The Silent Sin that Kills Christian Love

Contempt is one of those things we don’t talk about much, and yet it’s also one of those things in the undercurrent of our culture right now.

2. You Can Be Ready to Die

There is much value to life in considering death. This is a wonderful reflection on two ways to be ready now.

3. Expose Your Kids to Hard Truths

While I don’t agree with everything in this article, I do agree with the principle that when we try and shield children from too much reality we end up doing them a disservice.

4. The Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Amazing images here.

Go Tell It on the Mountain, that Jesus Christ is Born

Leading up to Christmas, I’ll be reposting a series of articles I’ve written that highlights the beautiful and theologically rich lyrics of Christmas carols. Each article contains a little history of the carol, along with a reflection on either a few of the lines or the theme represented in the song. 

—

John Wesley Work Jr. was born in Nashville, TN in 1871, the son of a director of a church choir director. He attended Fisk University in Nashville, studying both Latin and history, and then later continued his education at Harvard.

He went on to teach Latin and Greek, but his first love remained music. He was also the director of the famed Fisk Jubilee singers, but perhaps his greatest contribution was the compilation of songs he had heard his entire life. He became the first African-American collector of folk songs and spirituals, which was no easy task given that this music was passed down orally and rarely written down. Nevertheless, Work published his works as New Jubilee Songs as Sung by the Fisk Jubilee Singers (1901) and New Jubilee Songs and Folk Songs of the American Negro (1907). It was this second volume that contained “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” and we have been singing it ever since.

Perhaps one of the reasons why the song resonates so much is because of its simplicity. It’s a reminder to all who call themselves Christians that we are a “go and tell” people, not just a “stay and hear” people. Indeed, this is what Jesus told us to do:

The eleven disciples traveled to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped, but some doubted. Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:16-20).

Here is one of those passages that, if we ever wonder what God’s will is for our lives, we can come back to again and again, for here is the answer. What does God want me to do? He wants me to go and tell. To make disciples in that telling. And this is not negotiable.

The lasting command Jesus gave to the church is couched in His authority. Before He said to go, before He said to make disciples, Jesus wanted everyone to know the position from which He was speaking. This is not a life hack; it’s not some good advice; it’s not a request. This is a command, one rooted in the authority of Jesus.

Here we see the Son of God, the King of the Universe, the One through whom and in whom all things hang together. He has died and risen from the grave as the Conqueror of sin and death. And is taking His rightful place at the right hand of God the Father. From that position of authority, indeed all authority in heaven and on earth, He issues this command. Because of His authority, Jesus’ commission is not negotiable for any of us.

Neither is this command restrictive; it is, in fact, a very inclusive command. Jesus began His command with a non-restrictive description of His authority with the word “all.” With His “all” authority, we are to go to “all” nations. And when we go to “all” nations, we are to teach people to obey “everything.” There is nothing left out here; nothing pushed to the side. And here, too, we should be careful that we don’t either intentionally or unintentionally restrict that which is meant to be loosed.

We should be careful that we don’t restrict the “who” of the Great Commission. Like Jonah, there are certain groups of people that are uncomfortable for us to speak to. There are all kinds of reasons for that – maybe it’s our past experience, perhaps it’s our upbringing, or maybe it’s the state of current events. But if we are Christians, then the Great Commission calls us to confront our political, racial, and socio-economic biases. It’s an inclusive command for us to cross the lines we’ve drawn in our hearts. We are to go and tell everywhere.

The Great Commission is not negotiable; it’s not restrictive; it’s also just not that complicated. We are to go. We are to tell. And we are to bring others along the road of following Jesus. That’s it. And when you look at it like that, it’s really not that complicated.

As we sing this song during the season, may it not just be a song for us. May it instead be a reflection of our posture. That we are, as Christians, a “go and tell” people, both now and until the message is fully shared with the whole world.

Wednesday Links

Four links to some things you might have missed, or at least ones that caught my attention this past week:

1. Yes, Kids Can Learn From Revelation

For that matter, adults can, too, as long as we understand the hope this particular book offers.

2. Entitlement is the Enemy of Worship

We can’t really worship until we stop thinking that God owes us something.

3. Two Dangers of Cultural Pressure

Christian, in an increasingly hostile culture, might err in either of these ways – by succumbing to pressure, or by ungodly defiance.

4. 8 Quotes that Changed History

Words make worlds.

The Good News in the Pursuit of Holiness

The Christian life is usually thought of in three basic stages or occurrences: Justification, sanctification, and glorification. Justification is what Jesus bought for us at the cross, the process whereby we are made righteous before God based on the righteousness of Christ. Glorification is what will happen someday when we go to heaven and become like Jesus in His new, post-resurrection body.

Sanctification happens in between. That means that whether you realize it or not, if you’re a Christ-follower, the Holy Spirit is right now inside of working for your sanctification, and sanctification is about pursuing holiness. It is the Christian experience of constant spiritual development and change where we are molded and formed by the Holy Spirit in us until in character, motivation, and action we more and more resemble Jesus. 

That sounds like a lot of hard work.

And when we turn to a passage like Philippians 2:12, that hard work of pursuing holiness seems to be confirmed:

“So then, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”

We might read that verse and attach a “bootstraps” mentality to it – that is, we decide we are going to grit our teeth and pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, trying hard to do the right thing. The problem with that is not just that it’s hard; it’s impossible. I can’t count the number of promises I’ve made and broken to God about trying to stop doing this or start doing that. In my own life, and I believe in the lives of many other Christ-followers, we have tried so hard to be godly and failed so many times at doing so that we walk around with our heads hanging low. Our prayers are full of self-abasement and loathing, and all we ever think about is the worms that we are.

Given that, pursuing holiness sounds awful, especially since the verb tenses in verse 12 indicate a sense of working at something continuously and unceasingly until it is accomplished. And perhaps it has been that way for you up to this point. Surely it would be if God simply saved us and then slapped us on the rear end saying, “Good luck! Be good!” But He doesn’t, and that’s why Paul didn’t stop with verse 12 in Philippians 2.

Directly after telling us to continuously work out our own salvation until it’s complete, Paul wrote this: 

“For it is God who is working in you, both to will and to act for His good purpose.” 

It’s absolutely imperative that we read these two verses together, because only when taken together do we find the good news of pursuing holiness. It’s because taken together, it means that we are not left to ourselves in pursuing holiness; far from it. Instead, it means that we find the power and ability to pursue holiness not in our own fortitude but in the work God is already doing in us.

Think of it like waterskiing. When you’re behind the boat, there are certainly things you must do. You have to keep your legs bent; you have to grip the handle tightly; you have to work to maintain balance. But where does the power to get out the water come from? Certainly not from you – it comes from the boat in front of you. The boat is what lifts you from the water and pulls you all over the lake.

And that is very good news. As we commit our everyday choices of holiness, we are aligning ourselves with the power at work within us. And we can trust that there is indeed real power behind those choices. We aren’t transforming ourselves; we are instead submitting ourselves to God’s work within us.

As we make those choices of holiness today, we should do with confidence. But it’s not confidence that we can make any kind of difference in our own lives, but instead confidence in the God who is already at work within us to make us more like Jesus.

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This post originally appeared at thinke.org.