HT: JT
Friday, August 24, 2012
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Body Image or Soul Image?
A follow-up on that last post…
Take something about your appearance that bugs
you.
Your weight, your looks, some other “body image” issue…
How much do these issues consume your thoughts? How much do
you think about and long for change and improvement?
Okay. We all do it. Men and women alike. The question I’m
asking is how much more ought the misshapenness of your soul consume your thoughts and prayers?
You might obsess about your weight and the dieting you need
to do to look the way you want to look. Why do you not obsess about the obesity
of your soul that runs to food instead of Jesus to find comfort, security, etc.?
1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "… the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart."
You might obsess with working out and eating healthy (I’m
all for working out and eating healthy, by the way!). Why do you not obsess
with training your soul – eyes on the Forerunner – to run the race set before
you with endurance?
1 Timothy 4:7-8 … train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
You might obsess with your appearance, spending lots of time at clothing stores and in front of the mirror. Why do you not obsess with what you
really look like, in the mirror of the Word, and with donning the truly
beautiful clothing that ought to adorn your life?
Romans 13:14 …put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
1 Timothy 2:9-10 …women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness--with good works.
1 Peter 3:3-4 Do not let your adorning be external--the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear--but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.
1 Peter 5:5 …Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
Lord, help us to walk by faith and not by sight…so we can
see who we really are and what we really need, and pursue conformity to the beautiful image of Christ!
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
What Are You Most Ashamed Of? Or... What About Yourself Do You Most Want to Change?
Puritan writer and pastor Abraham Wright (1611–1690):
Many are ashamed to be seen as God made them;
few are ashamed to be seen what the devil hath made them.
Many are troubled at small defects in the outward man;
few are troubled at the greatest deformities of the inward man;
many buy artificial beauty to supply the natural;
few spiritual, to supply the defects of the supernatural beauty of the soul.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Hermeneutics At Home (Or, What Andre The Giant Has To Do With Matthew 17:20)
At dinner two nights ago:
Sam: Yeah. (smile)
Sam: Dad, I have a question about a
verse.
Dad: Great! I love questions like that, buddy! I’m glad when
you are thinking about what you’ve read and asking questions.
Sam: Actually, I didn’t read it. I was listening to the Seeds Music [editorial note:
highly recommended!] and the verse is in one of the songs. You know, the song
that says, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this
mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, or you can say to this
tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey.”
Dad: I see. Yes, I know that song.
Sam: Well, I went outside and told a tree to be uprooted and
planted in the sea. … And nothing happened. (not in childishly naïve or worried
way, but in more a curious, quizzical, maybe even slightly indignant way) I believed
that it would! Do I not have a mustard seed of faith?
Dad: Well, that’s one possibility. The other possibility is
that the mountain and the tree are met…
Sam: That’s what I was thinking – that they’re more
metaphorical.
Dad: So what do you think the point of the verse is? (pause)
Is it possible to move a mountain or uproot a tree with words?
Sam: No. ... But nothing is impossible with God!
Dad: You’re right. But what do you think is the point of
that verse?
Sam: I want you to tell me, Dad.
Dad: I want you to think about it. Let me ask it this way.
Do you think the point of the verse is: If you have really, really,
Olympic-strong faith, then you can do anything!
You can tell this mountain to move and you can say to this tree be uprooted and
it will obey, IF your faith is
strong enough! Do you think that’s the point?
Sam: No.
Dad: So what do you think the point is? Where do you think
the focus is? Is it on the strength of your faith?
Sam: No.
Dad: Then where’s the focus? (pause) Let me ask it this way,
if the focus isn’t on the strength of
your faith, then where is the emphasis?
Sam: On the strength of Jesus?
Dad: Yes! In what way?
Sam: I don’t know! That’s why I’m asking you!
Dad: How about this – If the focus is not on the strength of
your faith, isn’t it on the strength on the one in whom you trust? The focus is
not on the strength of your faith, but on the strength of the object of your faith.
Sam: (smile starts to break out at “the object of…”) Ohhh…
Yeah!
Dad: Think about it this way. If I ask Jono to move fifteen
200 pound rocks for me while I’m gone at work, and I really believe he can do
it, what will I find when I get home?
Sam: The rocks will all still be in the same place.
Dad: But what if I really, really, really believe that he
can really do it?!
Sam: (smile)
Dad: What if I ask Andre the Giant (assuming he was still
alive) to move those fifteen 200 pound rocks for me while I’m gone at work? And,
what if I’m not really sure he can do it. What will I find?
Sam: The rocks will all be moved – no problem.
Dad: Pretty encouraging that the focus is not on the
strength of our faith, but on God’s strength, huh? All we need is small, weak, (but
genuine) faith. And the impossible can happen. Not because of our strength, but
because of God’s. Pretty encouraging, huh, that you don’t have to have Olympian
faith in order for God to use you in powerful ways?
Monday, July 30, 2012
Where Mercy Is Found
Proverbs 28:13 (ESV, emphasis added)
1 John 1:6-10 (ESV, emphasis added)
Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but
he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.This is the hard, humbling...and happy...path. Let's walk it, together, by grace, through faith, in Jesus.
1 John 1:6-10 (ESV, emphasis added)
If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.James 5:16 (ESV, emphasis added)
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. ...
Friday, July 27, 2012
Real Re:freshment Doesn't Come From Getting Stuff Done
A needed word from Jon Bloom over at (God bless 'em!) Desiring God ministries:
Cursed are the anxieties that choke the word and blind us to glory and true joy. Even the anxieties over things legitimate in themselves (Luke 10:40-42).
They frequently surround us and constantly demand our attention. The meal needs to be made, the car needs cleaning, the garage is out of control. Let’s not talk about the laundry room. Are you ever going to read that parenting book? You’re not saving enough for retirement! When are you going to complete that course? Have you updated your will yet? Has the child finished his chores? Oh for goodness’ sake, look at the bathroom!
Legitimate things all of them, and a thousand others like them. None of them is wrong to do in themselves. In fact, most of them need to be done at some point. And yet any one of them, or the compounding pressure of all of them, can produce acts of faithlessness because they make us anxious and troubled and they siphon off our fleeting time, our fleeting life, in these evil days (Ephesians 5:16).
Beware, “the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word” (Matthew 13:22). Cares choke the word. And when we’re choking, we can’t see the glory the word reveals. We might know about glorious things, but if knowing doesn’t produce seeing, it does us little good.
So what do you do when you feel like you’re choking? You do what Mary did in Luke 10:39. You carve out time to set the demanding tasks aside and sit at Jesus’ feet and listen and look.
But you’re not going to feel like it. You’ll feel like getting the stuff done. Getting stuff done will promise you relief, but don’t believe it. It won’t deliver much. More stuff is lining up behind the stuff currently shouting at you. Stuff will steal your life if you let it.
Real relief is in seeing real glory. Because in seeing the “good portion” (Luke 10:42) of the glory of Jesus, in really hearing his refreshing word, your priorities shift. You see your life in eternal perspective. The voices of demanding stuff diminish in volume and compulsion.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Proverbs 3:5-6 En Route to the Outlet Mall
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.I found myself praying on the way to the mall recently. Have you ever? If not, let me explain. A little back story and then the why.
I usually have one pair of running shoes I wear until they are pretty well worn out. My old pair was worn out by the middle of last year, but I figured I could wait until Christmas and use the money I usually receive from family members to purchase my new kicks. That's what I did.
I found a pair that seemed to fit the bill. I took them home, started wearing them, and did a little running in them. Then my left foot started, mildly, to cramp up. I thought I just needed to break in the shoes. I thought it would go away soon enough. It actually got worse. More than once I found myself laying in bed trying to stretch out my foot and calf because the cramping lasted long after I had taken off the shoes.
What to do? I couldn't wear the shoes. I didn't want to just pitch them. They were in very good shape, but were well beyond any kind of return policy time frame. I did not want to have pay for another pair just yet. For those who understand such things, I'm an over-pronator. Here's all that means to me: the running shoes I need to buy are always more expensive than I want them to be.
I called the number of the manufacturer, hoping I could send them back. They said I would have to return them to a store like the one where I bought them (it was an outlet store). Ugh. The closest one was an hour away from Wilmington. Not going to happen. So, I figured I'd bring them with me on vacation and hope to get out to an outlet mall. Add to this, uncharacteristically, I couldn't find my receipt, and even the box they came in was long gone. After re-purposing it to house Sam's diorama for school, it was roundly discarded.
So there I was, on my way to the outlet mall, really not wanting to have to pay for a new pair of running shoes. Thinking I was on a fool's errand. Thinking the chances of things working out in my favor were somewhere between slim and none. I knew my "story" was going to sound a little weak, and I had no hard evidence to strengthen it in the form of a shoe box UPC code or a receipt with a date and price paid. I started thinking through my reasoning, my "story." How was I going to explain things?
I knew I was starting to lean on my own understanding. I knew I might be tempted to try to manipulate things verbally when it came down to it. I also knew that I might get a little irritated if things went badly, and I might not display a transparently Christlike attitude. So, I prayed.
I prayed that I would be honest. I prayed that I would trust the Lord even if I ended up having to eat the cost of the shoes and buy a new pair. I prayed that my attitude would glorify the Lord.
I also prayed that God would grant me favor with the associate to whom I spoke, and that he would lead me to the right one. I did so not because I wanted to "work the system." I think my reasons were reasonable and my request was fair. I did so because I know the Lord cares about and can work in the details. I'm thankful for that.
Here's the real bottom line: It's better to be out the full cost of new shoes and have trusted and glorified the Lord in the process than to not trust him, lean on my own understanding, dishonor the Lord and get a free pair of new shoes. Proverbs 3:5-6 is needed everywhere. Even en route to the outlet mall.
A mall is a dangerous place (I try to avoid them if at all possible!). There are a lot of temptations there, at a lot of different levels. Nevertheless, it's a place of opportunity to "trust in the Lord with all your heart" and "in all your ways acknowledge him," and "whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." How you choose to spend and not spend, where you derive your sense of identity, what drives and governs your decisions, your attitudes, your level of contentment, etc. are all Proverbs 3:5-6 issues.
The outcome of my little outing is not the reason for this post. If you're curious, they graciously (in light of me not having my receipt) gave me present "fair market value" store credit, which was more than half the cost of a new pair. I'm very thankful.
The point of the post is an encouragement to trust in the Lord with all your heart...in all your ways (even when your ways lead to the mall!).
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
May God Own Our Awe
Who owns your awe? In which direction does it usually flow? Vertically? Or horizontally?
I am very thankful for the writing ministry of Ray Ortlund,
Jr. I’ve blogged quite a bit recently about his Proverbs commentary (published
by Crossway). He wrote another excellent commentary in the same series on the
book of Isaiah. The following quote from that book, when I first read it, led
me to repent of my idolatry of (misdirected) awe and praise my creative
Creator. He was commenting on Isaiah 40:12-18.
Isaiah: God Saves Sinners (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2005), 244.When God created everything, he needed nothing. All the ideas, all the genius, were his alone. God imagined every tropical fish. He established every function of gravity. He shaped galaxies as irregular, spiral, and elliptical. He came up with it all, by himself alone, out of his own super-intelligence. In Babylonian religion the creator god Marduk had to consult with “Ea, the all wise.” The pagan gods worked by committee. God the Creator needs no one else, including you and me.
“All the ideas…were his alone.” We humans are often in
awe of those who invent and create. And yet we yawn with
blindness and deafness to God’s cosmic show-and-tell (Ps.
19:1-6). New technology, “cutting edge” artistic expression, or a unique
or surprisingly helpful invention elicits our can’t-wait-to-tell-someone excitement. Our
awe can be pretty deep and our praise pretty high for these human creators
(if you're not tracking yet, think Apple products).
Our inflated opinions aside, so-called new genres are always
influenced by “old” genres (even the ones reacting against “old” genres), and
new inventions are always dependent on old materials and old
inventions. There’s nothing new under the sun.
As for the creators themselves, their artistic and
technological uniqueness is typically limited to a pretty narrow bandwidth. I
doubt Sufjan Stevens will ever pitch winning new programming to Apple. Flannery
O’Connor, to my knowledge, never applied for a patent. I doubt any top
chefs in the world of cutting edge culinary creativity sit at Boeing’s brainstorming
tables. Those most creatively prodigious and productive in our world
invariably do so within a relatively small niche.
Not God. His bandwidth of expertise and creative genius
knows no bounds. He is not only supreme in every niche, he created every niche!
He is also not dependent on any prior technology. When he
got started, there was nothing new, not even the sun. He is the only one who
had no gurus. No teachers. No mentors or no consultants. None to
whom he looked up. He had no models that influenced or shaped his artistic
vision. He was not even self-taught, because there was no need to grow and
develop. He was and is and always will be perfectly and gloriously
creative.
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?
Who has measured the Spirit of the LORD, or what man shows him his counsel?
Whom did he consult, and who made him understand?
Who taught him the [right way to do things], and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?
How often are we wowed by the wonder and weight of
the God of Isaiah 40:12-14? How often are we more impressed by Hollywood’s
special effects and virtual reality? How often are we more interested in
Silicon Valley’s slick wares, both hard and soft? Has familiarity with Reality bred
indifference?
Elephants and strawberries, Redwoods and blowfish, glaciers
and geysers, sand and oxygen, skin and honeycombs, carrots and meteors,
quicksand and saltwater, stalagmites and catfish, earthworms and tree sap,
leaves and chameleons, gravity and helium, T-Rexes and tree frogs, ovaries and
osmosis, snow and starfish, pineapples and fire ants, pythons and mitochondria,
hurricanes and hair, eye balls and volcanoes, chlorophyll and the Northern
Lights, canyons and oases, moose and mice, pinecones and Pluto, camels and
coral, were not products of a brainstorming session with the angels. God
alone is mind-blowingly creative in every conceivable category.
While we can and most certainly should glorify and (oh so
dimly) reflect our Creator’s creativity with industrious humility
and joyful curiosity, let's admit it, we ultimately are not
creative. Even at our best, we are re-arrangers…shufflers…followers…wanna
be’s…posers. We need to get over ourselves and stop getting over God (how
many times have you been impressed by a photo or painting of some created thing and blindly walked by the
real thing!). Familiarity has bred indifference.
Or maybe…we’re not familiar enough. When was the last time
you really tasted and savored a banana or a carrot? Seriously. Go try it. Slow down and really try it.
When was the last time the magical reality, the “isness” of water blew your
mind? This summer, at some point when you find yourself in a body of water,
just stop and think about the fact that you are FLOATING in this crazy LIQUID! God made water! Water!
Why is it that we worship and serve the creation’s “creators”
and the creators creations?
Are we even aware of this unrighteous idolatry of awe? We give fawning and emotionally-charged praise to the creativity of created creators. And all we often have left is patronizingly token praise and deadly dutiful lip-service for the Creator of creators.
Are we even aware of this unrighteous idolatry of awe? We give fawning and emotionally-charged praise to the creativity of created creators. And all we often have left is patronizingly token praise and deadly dutiful lip-service for the Creator of creators.
Don’t you want to wake up from this? Don’t you want to flee
the blinding effect of the Times Square over-stimulation of this world?
Don’t you want to get out beyond the lights, so to speak, and see the
glory of the stars?
This summer, slow down and ponder the universe and the body
in which you live. All of it was created for a reason. Not so you could
worship and serve created things, but so you would worship and serve the
Creator, who is blessed forever (Rom. 1:25).
Postscript: The picture was not staged. It was spontaneous (and Beth caught it). You can see why.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
We Must Help The Poor
Bill Hughes sent me this link the other day to an excellent post written by Kevin DeYoung. In it he states,
As he admits, DeYoung doesn't answer all the "What about...?" and "What if...?" questions that inevitably rise. What he does do is provide two clear and helpful principles to take with us as we walk through life in this needy world.
The Bible is full of explicit commands and implicit commendations to help the poor.
... Clearly, God cares about the poor and wants us to care about them too.
But how?I've wrestled with this question personally not a few times, and I wrestle with it as a pastor. I imagine many of you have wrestled with it, too. How should we personally live out these commands, and how should we live out these commands as a church? We ought to be wrestling with these questions. We dare not be indifferent or unconcerned.
As he admits, DeYoung doesn't answer all the "What about...?" and "What if...?" questions that inevitably rise. What he does do is provide two clear and helpful principles to take with us as we walk through life in this needy world.
Principle 1: We are most responsible to help those closest to us.
Principle 2: We are most responsible to help those least able to help themselves.I hope you'll read how he unpacks these two principles and be helped, as you seek to help the poor.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Please Pray For Me This Week
Vacation is over. We had a great time in Michigan. We are so grateful.
Beth and the kids left for Wisconsin this morning, to spend the week with her parents and two of her brothers and their families.
After they left, I was thankful for the opportunity to visit a good church this morning that I have never attended. It's not often I get the chance to attend another church, and it was doubly helpful and interesting to attend as a first time visitor. Gives you new eyes. Maybe I'll write more about that at another time.
I began the transition into work mode today. This week, as I mentioned before we left, I will be focusing on some study and writing. When I first suggested awhile ago that I do this, the elders wholeheartedly supported the idea. In addition, they suggested and arranged pulpit fill for this coming Sunday so that I could give the week completely over to this work. I'm grateful for their support and for the Chelten pastors who have always been so willing to serve us in this way!
I'm writing simply to ask you to pray for me this week.
I have more on my to-do list than I can possibly get done. But I want to be really productive. Productive in a way that best serves our church. I plan to work at least 12 hours a day, Monday through Friday, but 60-75 hours goes pretty fast. I know I am completely dependent on the Lord for the real fruit of my labor (including the "taste" of the fruit).
I will be working on the following projects:
First, rewriting the short form of our doctrinal statement. We now have a one-page version of our doctrinal statement that is on our website, and is used in membership class. It needs to be rewritten, in similar summary form for the website and for membership.
Second, prior to my coming to Bethel, the elders began the process of writing a new doctrinal statement in a longer, more detailed format. They chose to wait on finalizing that process until after the new senior pastor was in place so that he would have a part in that process. So, here we are. If you remember back to our annual meeting last Fall, this was one of the goals for this year. I'll be working this week to help us realize this goal as soon as possible. The number of pages this document will be is yet to be determined, but it will be longer (maybe 12-15 pages?) and will spell out in more detail what we believe at Bethel. This will be helpful for all of us, but especially for those who are in teaching and leadership positions.
Once I return, we will need some time to work through these documents as elders, and then we will certainly communicate clearly and take time to work through the changes and additions with the church family before we collectively affirm (Lord willing!) the new documents.
Third, a "ministry plan" document is needed for the capital campaign. We have been discussing and praying through this "planning" stage. We all desire to get moving with some of the improvements that we need, but we want to be careful to plan well before the ball gets rolling. One important step in that process, according to the counsel we've received, is a ministry plan document that helps guide all involved to match form to function.
There are a few others items on the list, but please pray for these main three.
Most of all I need to trust in the Lord with all my heart this week and do all that I do by his grace, for his glory and the good of our church. I know God will hear and answer that prayer!
Beth and the kids left for Wisconsin this morning, to spend the week with her parents and two of her brothers and their families.
After they left, I was thankful for the opportunity to visit a good church this morning that I have never attended. It's not often I get the chance to attend another church, and it was doubly helpful and interesting to attend as a first time visitor. Gives you new eyes. Maybe I'll write more about that at another time.
I began the transition into work mode today. This week, as I mentioned before we left, I will be focusing on some study and writing. When I first suggested awhile ago that I do this, the elders wholeheartedly supported the idea. In addition, they suggested and arranged pulpit fill for this coming Sunday so that I could give the week completely over to this work. I'm grateful for their support and for the Chelten pastors who have always been so willing to serve us in this way!
I'm writing simply to ask you to pray for me this week.
I have more on my to-do list than I can possibly get done. But I want to be really productive. Productive in a way that best serves our church. I plan to work at least 12 hours a day, Monday through Friday, but 60-75 hours goes pretty fast. I know I am completely dependent on the Lord for the real fruit of my labor (including the "taste" of the fruit).
I will be working on the following projects:
First, rewriting the short form of our doctrinal statement. We now have a one-page version of our doctrinal statement that is on our website, and is used in membership class. It needs to be rewritten, in similar summary form for the website and for membership.
Second, prior to my coming to Bethel, the elders began the process of writing a new doctrinal statement in a longer, more detailed format. They chose to wait on finalizing that process until after the new senior pastor was in place so that he would have a part in that process. So, here we are. If you remember back to our annual meeting last Fall, this was one of the goals for this year. I'll be working this week to help us realize this goal as soon as possible. The number of pages this document will be is yet to be determined, but it will be longer (maybe 12-15 pages?) and will spell out in more detail what we believe at Bethel. This will be helpful for all of us, but especially for those who are in teaching and leadership positions.
Once I return, we will need some time to work through these documents as elders, and then we will certainly communicate clearly and take time to work through the changes and additions with the church family before we collectively affirm (Lord willing!) the new documents.
Third, a "ministry plan" document is needed for the capital campaign. We have been discussing and praying through this "planning" stage. We all desire to get moving with some of the improvements that we need, but we want to be careful to plan well before the ball gets rolling. One important step in that process, according to the counsel we've received, is a ministry plan document that helps guide all involved to match form to function.
There are a few others items on the list, but please pray for these main three.
Most of all I need to trust in the Lord with all my heart this week and do all that I do by his grace, for his glory and the good of our church. I know God will hear and answer that prayer!
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