Change of Pace

Just a quick update notice.  I want to thank everyone who reads for their support and encouragement, I really do appreciate it.  Unfortunately it has become apparent that I was being a tad ambitious with the mon-fri post schedule and with the rest of my responsibility I simply can't keep it up at this time.  I'll be dropping down to three days a week now, M-W-F.  Thanks again and I'll see  you tomorrow!

Have You?

Have you seen the sandman?

Have you seen the end of days?

Have you contemplated death

Or Have you stared at crashing waves.

Have you thought of death

and how it comes

to every one that breathes,

Have you wondered at our purpose

Are we frail as fallen leaves?

Have you realized that ultimately

Nothing matters much,

Have you seen that great importance

Can come from simple touch?

Have you thought of how

A world of chaos

struggles to entice?

Have you seen how little we all matter

no more significant than mice.

Have you realized that it takes a something

bigger than this stuff

to make it all important

to bring us more than pomp and fluff?

Have you sought the God of all the world

Have you heard His people call

Have you seen the messages He's left

on this tiny dusty ball?

Have you made the choice to die today

that you might live in Him?

Have you emptied out your heart

That He may fill it to the brim?

Have you contemplated pointlessness

Have you seen this dull world's lies

Have you seen the light from God above

Has He torn the world's disguise?

Has He made you a new creature,

different now and ever more,

Has He shown you precious glimpses

of all He has in store?

Has He shown you how true purpose

Exists only in eternity

Has He cast aside your fear and doubt,

Replaced with certainty.

Have you?

Has He?

Have We?

by. Jonathan Schaefer

09/29/14

To Know What We Can't See

It seems a bit odd to think that Christianity, with it's focus on the supernatural is quite a logical and fairly simple belief. There are very few categories of being and rather simple rules. We're not asked to perform herculean tasks nor undergo protracted journeys, we're told simply to seek out a closeness with God and to allow Him His due place in our lives. Ultimately we can see that although Christianity is a very spiritual faith, it is not a mystical one.

     The best evidence for this -I think- is the Bible. Let's just talk about it's existence for one. The Bible is the Word of God, 'God breathed' as the scriptures say. He didn't leave us without information. We needn't read tea leaves or master diving rods, learn spells or contact spirits, we have no reason to follow our instincts or intuition, we need only listen to what He has said! Read the book, we see glimpses of the past and of the future, we see the world of the spirit that is all around us, we are shown what that God is in control and that the chaotic world of other beliefs doesn't exist. Furthermore God has shown us exactly what He desires from us. Unlike other faiths where we are only told what to do, the Bible shows us a God who works with us and for us (meaning for our benefit not under our direction). We needn't fear tomorrow because He is the God of tomorrow, and today, and yesterday!

     The spiritual world, though mysterious, is also quite simple. We don't have a hierarchy of deities, we don't have various groups or beings, and we don't have several warring factions. We have God, His Angels, Satan, the Demons, and us. That is it! So many people want to make the spiritual so much more unusual and difficult, but really we have only two factions of two types of created beings. There are no other deities or powers to be concerned with and like the physical world there are only two camps: those with God and those against. Furthermore there are not mystical powers to be concerned with, objects hold no energy and can be neither good nor evil, angels and demons can only operate in prescribed manners, and with the exception of very obvious miracles God uses mostly mundane means to accomplish His goals. I understand the desire for a more “interesting” world but frankly it just isn't real.

     Reality as we see it and comprehend it falls under the same understanding of simplicity. We are not lost spiritual wanderers or recycled ghosts. We are not simple fauna animated by chance and electricity. We are not advanced animals haunted by false spiritual lies or burdened with impossible eternal purpose. We are created beings who have rebelled and are now worthy of wrath. Servants and slaves who threw off the mantle of the just King and pursued their own wicked desires. That same King who could have wiped us out and been completely justified, chose instead to save us. He chose to save us though it meant His own Son had to die. God chose to love us all, rather than kill us all.

   I want a simple life. I want to live where the only mystery is what tomorrow holds and maybe, what's for dinner. I'm so grateful we don't live in a world turned about by many a changing winds and tides, one where myriad powers vie for the control and praise of weak humanity. I'm so glad we have the path laid out for us and salvation and eternity granted to us if we would only follow. I'm glad for my God who loves me enough to die for me. I'm grateful for this simple, wonderful life.

The Two Reasons

     I was listening to Alistair Begg the other day, and he made an excellent point. There are ultimately only two reasons why anyone rejects the cross of Christ: either they consider themselves too good and have no need of a savior or they think themselves so horrid that God can do nothing with them. All the atheistic showboating aside, that's really what it boils down to. The amazing thing about Christianity is that unlike every other religion, Christ counters both perspectives. All the world religions foster one of two things; either pride in the works you have done toward 'heaven' or despair at your inability to do what you perceive must be done. Again, Christianity confronts and defeats both of these ideas.

     Lets look at pride and self fulfillment. Many of the world's beliefs will tell you that you have to work your way to heaven, that eternity is for those who earn it or that you are the author of the better you. All you need to do, they say, is follow these rules or fulfill these requirements or do this list of actions and -BAM- you're in heaven. The side effect of this mentality is pride, and why not? If I'm doing all this great stuff that makes me such a great or at least spiritually successful person why not think highly of myself? Well Christianity asks this question: what is the entry requirement for heaven? What's the answer? Complete and total perfection! All your works, all your efforts, all that stuff you hold up and think so highly of...pointless. Nothing you do and nothing you say will ever -EVER- be enough. Kind of kills any hope of personal pride doesn't it? This thought spits right in the face of self-fulfillment, you aren't good enough and you can't possibly be good enough.

     Now a look at sorrow and despair (which you may very well find yourself at given the previous paragraph). There are quit a few people that would say, “God can't possibly save me or want me, look at all that I've done!” First of all let me just say that although I'm sure many people actually think this way, I'm also certain that many others are simply masking pride with false humility. Their 'humility' is a way of being unique, “I'm so bad, not even God can help me,” and a way of deflecting having to actually think about things. Back to the point though, The Bible tells us that humanity is utterly depraved, sinful from its birth and incapable of saving itself; but it doesn't leave us there. We see that God uses that fact, the very idea that we are all totally sinful, as a means for hope! It's not just you. Everyone is impossibly far from God, there is no one who is closer and no one who is further away! God can do all things and you're sin makes you no less capable of receiving His grace than anyone else! When we understand that God's grace is meant for the hopeless we can see our sorrow turn to joy and our despair to gratitude.

     We see here one of the many wonderful and unique things about our faith, that God has answers for every perspective. That He has a plan for everyone and everything. He did not slack in His revelation nor did He forget what we would need. We cannot be prideful, it is all too apparent that we are far from perfect and in desperate need of a savior; but we need not despair, God is the hope for the hopeless and the shelter for the lost.   

To Whom Do We Compare?

     We are none of us perfect, and all a work in progress. It can be disheartening, falling down again. We push and we struggle and we try for every inch of holiness and still we have so far to go. Worse yet is the sight of those who are “further along” than we are. It would be easy to get lost in the comparison. It would be easy to see yourself as less, or wrong, or even to doubt your salvation because you're not moving as quickly or as far.

     Don't let that happen. We must remember that we all started at different places, at different times, and as different people. We all walk our own road to heaven so to speak and it would be folly to compare the paths. Don't confuse what I'm saying by the way, there is only one way to heaven and to God, namely through Jesus Christ, but what I'm saying is that no one walks the same steps on our journey. Some of us had the blessing of growing up in Christian homes with Christian parents or having a great biblical church to attend or having great teachers to learn from; others did not. Some people started in more shadowed worlds, or eventually found themselves there. Some of us have more dust to shake off than others.

     What is important is not your position on the journey but that you're making it all! Whether you're a baby Christian experiencing God for the first time or an elder nearing the end of a lifetime with Jesus, we're all going home. Don't worry so much about how much more work God has to do in you, the greatest saint is a horrid creature when compared to God.

     Ultimately God is the one to compare ourselves to, the one and only standard. We may be saddened when we compare our black soul to another's shining white but when laid before God we are all just shades of gray, only He is perfect! It should be a humbling and a hopeful thing to see ourselves compared to the Holy God. We appear so much worse and He appears so much better. Let that remind you that we are all just travelers on the journey, no one any better than another, and to all of us God has blessed us greatly with salvation undeserving.

     If we can keep a right perspective on ourselves and others we will be better prepared not only to continue our own journey but to help out others with theirs. That perfect saint you see may be battling demons inside that are tearing him apart or that struggling new Christian with the course mouth may be just bursting with the love of God! Remember that our only comparison should be vertical, Man to God. Forget how others may look to you or how you may look to others, ask God to help you see everyone -yourself included- as He see's them. That's how to move forward, onward and upward, to eternity.

A Brief Pause

Hello Everyone,
I must apologize, I've been busy the last several days and I simply don't have time to write.  This means I'll have a short break today and tomorrow, but I'll be back on Wednesday!  Thanks to everyone who reads and I'll see you later in the week.  God Bless!

Battling Decoys

     My word do we love a good cause to rally behind! Every day there's some new atrocity to stand against or some new social initiative to support or some unknown injustice to raise awareness of. Social media lights up like a Christmas tree every time one of these things starts making the rounds on the internet. Nearly everyone it seems, likes to jump on the bandwagon of the newest bit of internet activism and we're no different as Christians.

     Let's take homosexual marriage as an example. Many evangelicals today are caught up in the fight to 'preserve' traditional marriage. They rally in town squares, they post long speeches online, they wear cute t-shirts and buttons, and they talk. They talk a lot. Many people also take this issue and just go crazy! They start spewing out hateful language and setting up their opponents as evil tyrannical conspirators out to destroy everything we hold dear. Because that's probably what's happening...sure. (Please visualize a sarcastic, dead-pan face while reading that last sentence.) When did the Christian life become about blasting other people and setting ourselves up as some kind of perfect, holy beings?

     Lets just say this right off, homosexuality is just not Biblicaly supported. We have plenty of verses against it. That being said, we have plenty of verses telling us to love our enemies, to spread the gospel (which in case you missed it, is the GOOD news), and to be humble. We have a whole lot of instruction to go forth and tell people about God and we have pretty much none at all about decrying social evils. Why is that? Well because as a Christian we are supposed to understand that the world apart from God -is- evil. We can't expect evil people and evil institutions to understand and desire good things. What we end up doing is raising our weapons and spending our energy fighting decoys and battling dummies.

     Immorality isn't the issue, homosexuality isn't the issue, homosexual marriage isn't the issue, the breakdown of the family unit isn't the issue; SIN is the issue! We live in a fallen broken world and no matter how much we rattle and rail against these social and societal wrongs they will remain unchanged so long as the people remain unchanged! We don't need to see congress enact laws protecting 'traditional' marriage, we need to see human hearts and souls saved for Christ! And yes, we need to stand up for the Kingdom and defend life as God see's it, but our primary concern is the salvation of the lost. All these other issues will dissolve and fade away when people are brought to repentance. Christianity was never about forcing change on the world but about God changing the people -of- the world.

What We Fight For

     You might hear it if you listen, the battle cry of the faith. Rise up Christian soldiers and stand against the tide! The world we're told, is falling, and we cannot stand aside! And yet some people do. There are a good many people who simply do not educate themselves on true doctrine or who do not stand up for the gospel. Some are just lazy of course, still others simply aren't saved to begin with, there are some however that will question why we need to 'defend' the gospel at all. Isn't God, God, they'll say. Doesn't He not need our help? Why bother?

     First off, and you'll find this is often the first answer regardless of the question, because we've been commanded to! We stand for God's word and proclaim it to those around us because we have been expressly ordered to by our God and King and by the example set forth in scripture.

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear...”

(1 Peter 3:15)

“...just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace.”

(Philippians 1:7)

(emphasis mine)

It seems kind of heavy handed to say and it may sound like I'm skirting the real issue but frankly many of the questions we might have as Christians come down to a sort of “because I said so” from God. We have lost some of that prophet, priest, and KING teaching about Jesus these days and we don't always hear about how he is to be obeyed. Not just listened to or taken under advisement but obeyed!

     Let me further say that God -is- God. He really doesn't need our help in any sense. If no one spoke the gospel He could make the rocks beneath our feet sing hymns to His glory! If He desires to preserve His Word it will endure; as it has through all these centuries. That being said, one important reason we 'defend' the gospel is because we aren't defending the gospel at all. What we are defending is the gospel's opportunity to impact, we are defending people! There are people out there -men, women, and children- who might only hear a little bit of the truth over there whole lives. Will you sit back and let that little bit of truth be mired in an ocean of lies? These people we see around us are dieing! The are headed to eternal fire and the world we live in is throwing up a smokescreen of falsehood to blind them off the edge of the cliff! We quiet the noise of evil so that the sweet sound of the gospel can make it to the ears of the unsaved! These people need God, and they need the truth about God; so we fight for that truth to be heard and we strike down falsehood without mercy.

“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?”

(Romans 10:14)

     Remember that our lives are for eternity, our actions here will echo in forever. In defending the gospel we defend those who will be saved by it. In fighting for truth we help to free those enslaved by lies. When we do the work that God has laid out for us, His name is glorified among the people. Don't neglect your work, don't leave these fallen desperate people undefended. Fight, protect, defend, and stand firm.

“Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.”

(2 Thessalonians 2:15)

Is It Worth It?

     I'm coming very close now to the end of my first full year of marriage. We have our plans and are suitably excited and I thank God for this tremendous blessing. As I believe I've mentioned before, I've always wanted to get married.  Now that I'm here I can say that it is indeed better than I thought it would be but also different than I thought. In my previous post “The Amazing and Wonderful Normal”  I talked about the surprising 'normal-ness' of marriage. How everything becomes just another day, and yet more than that.

     Here is where we get to today's point. Some time ago while talking about marriage, I had a friend ask me “Is it worth it?” I nodded and said yes at the time but as I thought about that seemingly simple question I could not help but think of the meaning it might have possessed. Was it meant as more than a trite question that everyone asks but doesn't really think about, sort of like “how ya doin'?” I've had some time to ponder and here are my thoughts.

     On the surface of that question it has to be said that yes, yes it is worth it. Whatever “it” is, marriage's worth surpasses. Whether time spent waiting, the resources used, the effort involved, all of it is worth the result. There are times when, during dating, it may seem like a whole lot of trouble and it would make sense to question the worth of all this hard slogging work. Believe me, if you're doing your dating right there will be times when it is work indeed. The interesting thing is that you can never understand just how worth it it is until you've been married for a while, like how we cannot understand the Word of God as we do until we are saved.

     Beyond that though, I couldn't shake the feeling that behind that question was another question, “Is it worth waiting physically?” This question presents a problems for me as I want to simply answer yes, it is worth it! That however, is hardly the point is it? Our bodies desire that physical closeness and they desire the culmination of that relationship; but we are commanded to be masters of our desires, to lay them at the feet of Christ as our Lord! So whether or not it's 'worth it' to wait, we are to be obedient to God and reserve ourselves to the one to whom we become 'one flesh.' This is what is truly worth it, obedience and submission to God. Not merely God as Savior but God as King of our lives. As David was king in Jerusalem so should Jesus be King in our Hearts, the master of His domain with the final say in all things. We as Christians do not have the right to weigh the odds and compare lists of pros and cons. We listen, we read, we learn, and we obey. That may seem harsh or rigid or even insipid but that is where we will find real meaning. Our worth was only ever to be in our relationship with God and it is only there we will find meaning today! Besides the pragmatic benefit or emotional worth of being able to give all of yourself to your spouse with no one else to lay any claim to you, it is simply of far greater benefit to obey the one who is Lord over all.

     Don't fall into the trap of trying to decide as if you had any power to make a choice. We know what God wants of us and that is all we need. The Christian life is not hard because we have so many choices to make, it is hard because those choices are already made for us and those choices go against the flow of the world. The choice you do have, the only choice, is whether or not you will obey the God who made you, bought you, saved you, and adopted you. The God who loves you. 

Is it worth it?  Yes.  Yes it is.

Where We Stand

We stand upon this shifting sand

The pillars of this aging land,

Are shaking now and falling soon

The death knell of impending doom.

Though many fought and died to make

A country free and hard to break

It seems we've thrown aside the crown

We praise the walls we're smashing down.

Our firm foundation, once so strong

Has little now to stand upon.

When all beneath has given way

What chance is there to stand today?

In God we trust our battle cry

Freedom laid out from on high

We swore we'd live as He had shown

A land, a people, all His own

But soon we lost the taste for bread

Gave up our soul for what's in our head.

Will we repent, will we implore

Will we beg to have our land restored?

Will we return to grander skies?

Will we damn ourselves

and waste our lives?

Truth, it seems, is now passè.

The crowd decides what leaders say.

Will anyone have the heart to stand

To rise up in this fractured land.

Will someone choose to stand alone

To point us to the Father's throne?

Will anyone have the heart to cast

His lot in with our noble past?

We'll see what stuff the future hides.

What once united now divides.

Our souls need more than easy dreams,

Empty men and hollow schemes.

We need a new revival plan,

A reformation of modern man.

by. Jonathan E. Schaefer

09/15/2014

Dual Citizenship

     I love my country. I thank God that He has so blessed me that I live in a place that -at least officially- recognizes personal liberty. Where I can openly practice my beliefs and share them with those around me. A nation where I need not fear violence should I speak out against the common beliefs of society. I am blessed that I may seek my future as I see fit, where I may read what I want, say what I want, and think what I want. I am blessed to be so free. I am free to worship my God how I so chose. I am free to gather with my brothers and sisters in the Lord every Sunday. I am free to choose the path of my life and the path of my soul. I am free.

     My country is not perfect. Like every earthly institution it involves people, and people are never perfect. Those in charge of our governance have made mistakes and many of them quite public and quite tragic. Those who did the best they could are intermixed with those who simply did what they wanted. We have held up the noble as heroes and cast down the innocent as villains. My country is not perfect, but it has such great potential. At its heart is the Constitution, a document that outlines a government protected -as much as possible- from strife and greed and power-mad fools. Our laws were drafted with God in mind, for a nation of people who knew that God ruled His creation and that leaders were at best delegated ministers. We have made mistakes, we have made poor choices, but we try. We try our best to do our best, and as a whole we have done rather well.

     I love my country, but my country is not my home. These green fields and busy streets, these blue skies and lofty buildings, these empty plains and busy cities are not my destiny. This beautiful land where nature takes the stage and man's ingenuity raises lofty structures high into the clouds is not enough for me. This land, that I love, is not my final home.

     I am a Christian. This life you see is an illusion, for I died long ago. My heart may keep on beating but I laid myself down on the alter of heaven and died along with Christ that I may live with Him as well. This life, this soul, this existence has been bought and paid for by the sacrifice of one far greater than I. His blood, the blood of Jesus, has paid my way out of darkness and into light. My name has been written down in the records of a higher citizenship. My home is with the Lord. When the grand display of this present world is faded, when Christ returns to claim His own or when my time has run its course and I am left an old and failing form, when every one of our grand designs has crumbled into dust, then I will find the pathway to eternity open and the doors to heaven waiting for me at last. I will walk the streets of gold and follow the pathways of the stream that flows from the throne of God. I will know peace, for heaven is my home.

     I love my countries. This nation that God has blessed me to be a part of is a wonderful earthly place, imperfect and flawed but granted such grace. My heavenly home will be the fulfillment of our every dream. I love my country, but I know this place is not my home. I will fight for its honor, I will support its good and I will decry its evils, but most of all I will hold to it with a loose hand. Every rolling hill and vast city, every reaching mountain and endless suburb will fade and come to its end in due time. My God has blessed me with this nation and I thank Him for it, but I will not cling to it nor let it distract me from the forever that awaits. This whole wonderful terrible world we live in has a deadline, an expiration date, an end; I will keep my eye on the endless.

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ...”

(Philippians 3:20)

Those Who Persevere

     Perseverance of the Saints. I'm sure you've heard of it. It's one of the primary doctrines of Christianity and one that offers great hope to us all. Unfortunately it is also a doctrine that is widely misunderstood. The idea behind the doctrine is God's people cannot lose their salvation, sadly it has been used and abused by quite a few preachers.

“This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us.”

(2 Timothy 2:11-12)

“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, 'If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 'And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

(John 8:31-32)

     Let's look at the problem. The common saying used these days is the well known “Once saved always saved.” Now to be honest there is nothing said by that phrase that isn't true. If we are really and truly saved by God we cannot be taken from Him. The problem lies in the path that saying takes to get there. When you say “once saved always saved” the thought behind it is that nothing I do will make me go to hell. Again, nothing being said is technically wrong but it SO the wrong attitude! The attitude expressed here is that I don't have to worry, I don't have to try, and I don't have to care at all, because I'm set. I've got my fire insurance, I prayed my little prayer, I went to the front of the church and that is all I need right? Wrong! There is so much more to Christianity and so much more to perseverance than that! It may sound like nit-picking but we have to remember that the words we use have power and the meaning and attitude behind them has a ripple effect as it moves away from us. What we meant to say will probably not be what the fiftieth person to hear it hears.

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. "I and My Father are one."

(John 10:27-30)

“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you; unless you believed in vain.”

(1 Corinthians 15:1-2)

“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

(Romans 8:38-39)

     Now for the truth. What is meant by perseverance of the saints is that those who are truly God's will endure until the end. We will stumble and fall, we will sin and sorrow, but we will never full leave God's side. We will outlast temptation and make it to the end of this long road, we will meet our Father at the highways end. God's power keeps us going and the only real sign of a true believer is endurance. We will see fruit from their efforts and we will see growth indeed but so much of this can be mimicked by hard work and human effort. Remember that God rules over everything and nothing surprises Him. He knew from the moment you came to Him -from the moment of creation really- every sin you have and will ever commit. When He forgives your sin He forgives ALL of it, what could you do to lose that salvation that doesn't fall under “all?” You could do nothing to save yourself. We cannot earn our salvation and thus we cannot disqualify it either. The true saints of God will continue!

     Take this to heart, Christian, if you mire in worry and doubt. Are you working to get closer to God? Does your sin burden you? Do you always come back and repent no matter how far you stray? That presence in your soul, that burden on your heart is most likely the Spirit of God dwelling in you and keeping you! Don't fear doubts, face them! Don't get lazy and don't give up, God will empower those who are His own to last to the end! Our work doesn't save us, but as James points out it acts as the evidence of a changed life. So work out your salvation as the Bible says, seek God, ask for strength and don't sit on your laurels and assume that your prayer saved you. For it is the changed life and new hunger for God and His path for you that signifies your salvation.

Just a Little Something

     I need to apologize, yesterday was kind of a down day.  I wasn't feeling very creative and I also felt just a touch under the weather so I made excuses till the day was gone and I hadn't really written anything.  I don't wan to leave a day blank though so I have an older poem of mine for you all.  Not sure If I've posted it here before, let me know if I did and I'll replace it!  Thanks for reading!

The Puzzle Complete

I think that I was missing something

Though I had much to say

I think I somehow missed the point

With so much in the way

With fear and doubt I closed my eyes

And sank into despair

I sat and cried

And didn't try

To see that you still cared

But now something has changed in me

The darkness starts to fade

The love of God has pulled me from

The hole that I had made

I've spent so long so focused on

The missing, broken parts

That I forgot that you fulfill

The longings of our hearts

So let me walk in daylight, Lord

Let my heart be freed

And let me not forget again,

That you are all I need.

by. Jonathan Schaefer

06/21/06

The False Dilemma of Dualism

     There is an age old belief in the world. One that has existed for hundreds if not thousands of years. One that has wormed its way even into the church. The idea is expressed in many ways and different words are used each time it surfaces. The concept is generally referred to as Dualism. In a nutshell the belief states that reality is essentially separated into two halves: the spiritual and physical. The physical is inherently evil and the spiritual inherently good. You'll find this idea spread across the globe in eastern religions and even in the Roman Catholic church and you'd think that the idea has some merit but sadly it does not.

     The physical, the flesh, the world and everything in it: to the dualist these are evil and tainted and must be removed from our lives. Desires are something that taint us and only when we are free from these earthly yearnings will we find righteousness. It's easy to see why this belief is so prevalent, what with all the war and greed and want in the world. So many people fight a daily war with their own bodies and minds that it makes sense to blame it all on the flesh and the world, to yearn to escape from all this and be freed from all these desires so unfulfillable. We see the monastic movements and the cave dwelling hermits seeking absolution in a grave existence of self punishment and denial. Men and women driven to celibacy by their lusts or even just the normal desires of the human body. Churches lay bare of even the most rudimentary of decoration or of a single note of music for fear of waking these evil tides of the flesh. All of this can be seen from one corner of the globe to the other, but are we fighting shadows?

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

(Genesis 1:1)

“Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.”

(Genesis 1:31)

     Do you realize the implication of those verses? God created the heavens and the earth. God, who can do no evil. God who bends all things to His perfect will. God who can make no mistakes, created the earth and sky and everything and it was “very good.” How then can you say that the physical is evil by its very nature? How can the physical be necessarily evil when its very origin is in the great God almighty?

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

(Ephesians 6:12)

     Furthermore, we can plainly see that merely being spiritual is not enough to be righteous. The fallen angels and satan himself are of a completely spiritual nature and yet they are the very core of evil in existence! What matters is not merely being spiritual but being spiritually right! God did not come as Jesus to make us spiritual but to make us right with God. Man, from the beginning, has been a being both spiritual and physical. What makes us evil is not our physicality but our separation and rebellion against a Holy God. This is why it's a false idea to think we will spend eternity as spirits or as 'angels'. We were created to be physical beings and we will spend eternity as such, albeit glorified.

     The point is not to eliminate all desire, for we desire to be with God. Our aim is not to shun all physical things, as they are gifts from our loving Father. Our goal is not to be a purely spiritual people, as that would require denying part of who we are. The point is to enjoy this world in a manner that honors God and is in line with His will. We never let our desires lead us off the road laid before us and we never let things become the primary motive force in our lives. When viewed and used rightly, this physical world can bring great joy and show us yet another aspect of our Glorious God.

The Missing Source

     Probably the biggest or at least the most public battle in the Christian world today is the debate over origin. Christians such as the well known Ken Ham of Asnwers in Genesis continue to propose the idea of Biblical creation and the naturalists such as Richard Dawkins continues to promote the belief in naturalistic evolution as the means by which we came to be. Both sides have spilled a lot of ink and used up a lot of bandwidth and a lot of screen time arguing over particulars and data points and yes's and no's. Oddly enough though, there's a few points that are rarely if ever brought up.

     First let's talk about eternity and nothing. This is the question: Was there ever a point when there was nothing? Does it matter? Actually it matters quite a bit because those who claim that the universe created itself from nothing are standing on, well, nothing. Look at the word 'nothing', it literally means “no” “thing.” If there is nothing there, than nothing can happen. You can't have chemical reactions without chemicals, you can't have friction without things to rub against each other, and you can't have even have time without something to 'pass through it.' Now some would argue that you can create something from nothing but don't listen to them. They're using logical dishonesty because energy is still a 'thing.' If there was ever a time when there was truly nothing, then there could never be anything. So ultimately even the evolutionist has to agree with the creationist on one point, there is something that has the power to exist within itself, ie. something that has always been. The naturalist will say it's matter and energy or just energy, while the creationist will say it is God. Others might try and propose an infinite regression of creators. That this was created by that, which was created by this other thing, which was in turn created by this other other thing, etc. This is of course preposterous and not worth even discussing.

     The second issue is a bit more odd to describe; where did information come from? Let me put it this way, matter is essentially stuff and energy is energy but where does data fit in? It's not made of matter nor energy and you can't hold information in a jar. You can store information in matter and in energy but neither one can make it. Here's anther way of looking about it: chemical reactions. When you put vinegar and baking soda together, what happens? It bubbles and swells out to a much larger size, right? Why? You can look into the science and understand what is happening in the reaction but why do those particular vinegar bits now how they should react to those baking soda bits? We don't find a long list or rules for the behavior of atoms written on their itty-bitty parts, and there's no explanation as to why they should react one way and not another. 

     Think of DNA, the life instructions. It's all find and dandy to say that it contains all the data needed to build a life form, but that arrangement of chemicals is only useful because the parts of cells know how to read that information. They know the language. If you took a bag full of scrabble tiles and had a group of people pull them at random, it's entirely possible that someone might eventually spell a word, like bat for example. That might sound amazing, but those three 'letters' are just ink on wood. The are completely without meaning and use without the knowledge of the specific English language! The reality is that matter has never been seen and simply cannot create information, only an intelligence can. So even if matter existed forever, there's still no way for it to interact because there would be no rules, no instructions for how the pieces should fit. Here's where it get's really interesting; even if that information did exist on it's own, there's no reason for it to stay that way. In the chaos and anarchy of a randomly generated world there is no authority, no power that makes things stay the same so the rules of matter that exist today could theoretically change tomorrow! When God runs things however, when an all powerful creator makes and keeps existence, everything dances to His drumbeat. He keeps matter in line, He adds data and information to dead matter, He makes life and order even possible!

     So there we go, a look at a couple of issues that don't get talked about much. Give 'em a turn or two around your mind and let me know what you think. Apart from all the information being used in the evolution/creation debate these are a couple of ideas that really make you pause and consider their implications, and getting people to think is something Christians should be doing all the time.

A Rebuttal

     Recently A friend pointed out -This- article to me, asking my thoughts on it. After a few days I responded with the following. I have cleaned up my response and made it more 'post-like' but the content is mostly the same. Warning: some of these quotes from the article (in green) are somewhat off-color.

     First off, remember that Christianity never claims that those who follow God are perfect.  We all make mistakes and we often have the wrong ideas on things, so just because someone isn't following something correctly that's an issue with them not the Bible.

     Numbers 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10: People are always bringing these and other related OT laws up. Now let me be clear I am not brushing these under the rug because though I will claim that a Christian is not bound to the Levitical law, the spirit behind the laws as a whole is still connected to the God who gave them. The main point to remember here is two fold; the Bible is not -like many other 'religious' texts- simply a collection of sayings and rules, and the laws that governed OT Israel were very particular because they were being set apart as unique and peculiar people. So many people assume the Bible is just like the Koran or the Vedas etc. and misunderstand that it's written primarily as a history book. You have to take what it talks about in that sense and in that context. The people of OT Israel were a covenant people, they had made a very specific agreement with God and were meant to be a nation that would stand out and be apart from the rest of the world. These laws weren't some odd and randomly assigned belief that things like mixed fabrics were inherently evil, those things were banned because God had a specific life and direction for Israel. When we get to the NT, Christ is the fulfillment of the law and the bringer of a new covenant, one of grace not of law. The old law's main purpose is brought to light, mainly to show that we cannot possibly measure up to a perfect God and thus see our need for His grace and mercy. A Christian is not bound by these laws because our relationship with God is one of adopted sons (and daughters) and not merely that of servants. We still obey the spirit of God's laws, but now through a feeling of love and devotion to our savior; also many things are still specifically forbidden, which brings me to..

Number 3:

“Fortune telling. Before you call a 900 number (do people still call 900 numbers, by the way?), read your horoscope or crack open a fortune cookie, realize you're in huge trouble if you do.

Leviticus 19:31 reads "Do not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out to be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God." The penalty for that? Check Leviticus 20:6: 'As for the person who turns to mediums and to spiritists, to play the harlot after them, I will also set My face against that person and will cut him off from among his people.' Seems like a lifetime of exile is a pretty harsh penalty for talking to Zoltar.”

     The Bible makes it quite clear that there is only one God and He alone is worthy of praise and of following. Furthermore the world of the Bible is less mystical than others (especially the R. Catholic church) would have you believe. It's really quite simple, the only spiritual entities are God,Angels,Fallen Angels(demons),Satan(really just another fallen angel),and Man. Man is also a physical being but the specifics of that are another discussion in themselves. The point is that God speaks to you through His Word, Angels will point you toward God and that's it, Man is confused and really shouldn't be trusted at all, and anything else is an evil. That's why we shouldn't seek them out and I agree that no one, Christians especially, should be.

Number 4:

“Pulling out. The Bible doesn't get too much into birth control... it's clearly pro-populating but, back when it was written, no one really anticipated the condom or the sponge, so those don't get specific bans.

But... pulling out does. One of the most famous sexual-oriented Bible verses... the one that's used as anti-masturbation rhetoric... is actually anti-pulling out. It's Genesis 38:9-10: 'Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so when he went in to his brother's wife, he wasted his seed on the ground in order not to give offspring to his brother. But what he did was displeasing in the sight of the Lord; so He took his life also.'

Yep -- pull out and get smote. That's harsh.

     If you read this section in context you see that the sin of Onan is not taking care of his brother's “legacy”. Later in Israel's history we see that the land was God's gift to the people of Israel, it was their reward for fulfilling the covenant and God's promise to His people. Because of this it was very important that the land and the inheritance stay with Israel. Several OT laws were centered around this idea (the Sabbath year and the return of land for example). One of the laws was that if a man dies without children his brother should marry his wife (assuming he had a single brother) and that the first children born would be receive the dead brother's inheritance, essentially they would be the dead brother's children legally. Now this is before the law came but the spirit is the same and on top of this Onan is intentionally disobeying direction from His father Judah, which any Bible reader can tell you God doesn't look too kindly on.

Number 7:

“Divorce. The Bible is very clear on this one: No divorcing. You can't do it. Because when you marry someone, according to Mark 10:8, you 'are no longer two, but one flesh.' And, Mark 10:9 reads, 'What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.'

Mark gets even more hardcore about it a few verses later, in Mark 10:11-12, 'And He said to them, 'Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her; and if she herself divorces her husband and marries another man, she is committing adultery.”

     Easy, Divorce is bad, don't do it, those who do need to repent. There are more touchy situations such as abuse but again that's another discussion.

Number 9:

“Wearing gold. 1 Timothy 2:9 doesn't like your gold necklace at all. Or your pearl necklace. Or any clothes you're wearing that you didn't get from Forever 21, Old Navy or H&M.

'Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments."

     That verse is not banning the wearing of gold the context of that verse is people drawing attention to themselves and being prideful. You're adornment, your jewelry should be your character. Here is the immediate context: “I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting; in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.”(1 Timothy 2:8-10) Obviously Paul here isn't saying that women should be naked save for their good works! He means that your major defining factor, the thing that others notice should be who you are not what you have.

Number 11:

“Your wife defending your life in a fight by grabbing your attacker's genitals. No joke. Deuteronomy actually devotes two verses to this exact scenario: Deuteronomy 25:11-12.

'If two men, a man and his countryman, are struggling together, and the wife of one comes near to deliver her husband from the hand of the one who is striking him, and puts out her hand and seizes his genitals, then you shall cut off her hand; you shall not show pity.'

That's impossible to misinterpret. Ladies, if your husband is getting mugged, make sure to kick the mugger in the pills. Do not do the grip and squeeze (no matter what "Miss Congeniality" might advise). Or your hand needs to be cut off.”

     This one is a bit more “interesting.” I would lump this into the OT rules for holiness as a peculiar people, and that does fit. But the verse isn't saying if she “accidentally” touches the guys bits, she's dirty fighting. On top of that she's come into contact -willingly- with the anatomy of a man who is not her husband, and given the OT laws regarding uncovering the nakedness of another (which does mostly mean to have sex with) it's not terribly surprising that there would be some kind of punishment for this, and gain I have to point out that her husbands fate is up to the Lord. What is primary importance is not the continuation of life on earth but the manner in which that life relates to God.

     I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a scholar, not really, but I've read my Bible. I know that these aren't complete answers to these 'issues' and as always if anything I've said is off in any way let me know so I can double check and post a correction/apology. There are plenty of good books out there by people a heck of a lot smarter than me going into these details in more depth for those who actually want an explanation and I strongly encourage everyone to seek out the answers for yourselves.

Don't Give Up

Dear Christian,

     I know where you are right now. Alone and angry and frustrated. You're sitting in the dark as you rail against yourself. “Again.” You ask yourself. “Why have I done this again?” For the hundredth time you find yourself in the aftermath of sin, of sin you chose to do for reasons that have now evaporated. I know this because I've been there, we all have. The life of a Christian is not one of perfection and sadly we often find ourselves repeating the same bad choices we swore never to make again.

     The first thing I'll say is this: Use it. Sin won't stop at merely getting you to choose the 'flesh'. It will use your grief to drive you further from God.  Grief and guilt are unusual. When used properly they can keep us humble, drive us to do better, and cause us to draw closer to God. Often though, our guilt makes us unwilling to approach the perfect God and can actually push us to further sin. It's important to remember that we are undeserving of His grace and deserving of His punishment, but we can't focus on that. We have to keep that fact in mind so that it informs the wonder and awe we experience from the knowledge of what He has done for us. That the Holy God of the universe would deign to save such as us shouldn't make us cower into the dirt, it should have us shouting for joy and praise! On the flip side, we must examine our sins and our behaviors and our history to be sure that the overall pattern is growth not simply a lack of freedom from sin. God has given us freedom, we don't -have- to sin, but we will. Not until glory will we be totally free. Use it, don't let your guilt simply sit there. Go to God and repent, ask for His help and He will be there with you.

     Furthermore, remember that you never deserved your salvation in the first place. I know that when I sin, when I have to repent of my actions, one of the first things that comes to my mind is the question “why on earth would God have saved me?” It's helpful to remember that God didn't save you because of anything within 'you'. To put it bluntly, He saved you because He chose to. That's it and we may never understand the reasons. We were utterly unworthy of salvation in the first place so we can't become less worthy than that. God saw all of your sin, all of it, from the time that He made time itself. He knew exactly what He was getting into when He saved you. There are no surprises, there are no regrets, and there is nothing that will cause Him to revoke that which He has given. If you're saved, if you really are, then know that you will never fall fully away. You will always return, God will always be calling you back or even dragging you back.

     So don't give up. Use your guilt and your mistakes. Take what the enemy want's to use to destroy you and give it to God so that He can build you up instead. Repent and move on from that dark room you find yourself in. Keep your eyes on the bright horizon and keep walking, keep fighting for every step and when you fall, get back up. 

 I'll be praying for you.

Something From Nothing

     I don't really think I have anything profound to say today. I'm not sure I ever do. If I'm to be completely honest the last thing I want to do today is write. Yet here I sit, typing away at my keyboard and trying to form some kind of cogent thought. That's something anyway. You don't hear much about this side of creative work, about the hard work times or the nothing comes to mind times. Really though it's there where the real artistry and the real passion shows. It's not just something you do, it's something you kind of have to do. Something is stirring inside you and even when you can't seem to reach it you've got to do … something.

     Writing especially I've seen seems to always come down to the slog. You love it, you love every knuckle cracking keystroke or hand numbing pen scratch but sometimes you are just pushing forward like Sisyphus. The blank page taunts you from your notebook or your typewriter or you computer screen. El Diablo Blanco. Sometimes it's like trying to save someone from a pit and your fingers can't quite reach so you push and you strain for one more inch, one more sentence.

     Yet there are times when the work disappears. There are times when all your words and all your tapping of keys fades away and the world you're building springs up around you. There are times when your thoughts flow directly onto the page and it's like music. Those times are rare though and you can't live in them forever, but they keep you going.

     I love to write. I love forming sentences and phrases, putting my thoughts together like Lincoln Logs or Lego bricks until they form something wonderful. If I don't like it, I can take it apart and rearrange or even start all over. Putting things into words, into words on a page, makes them more than just errant thoughts. Thoughts become propositions which become arguments which become beliefs. I have through my words the chance to not only influence others but the opportunity to examine myself. To work through my own beliefs and thoughts and dreams and tear them apart for inconsistencies. It provides for me a means of self examination and reflection that is more structured and useful than simply 'thinking' about things. It's been said that whatever you don't teach you forget and I suppose that's what I mean. Simply believing something is fine but having to write it down and explain it in a way that makes sense really forces you to codify what you believe and work it out.

     Maybe I didn't say anything terribly interesting today. Maybe I never do, but I'm not sure I can describe how much better I feel now that I've written … something. My mind has chewed on thoughts and words and I've produced a something that wasn't there before. Spend some time today if you can on whatever is inside you. Stare at that blank page and start typing, start writing, start scribbling until you make your something and I'll bet you'll feel a million times better than before. Don't give up because “it's hard” or “you don't feel like it” or “You can't think of anything.” Being a creator -a maker- is more than just having something else pull you along; you have to pursue your loves and find them for yourself. Don't let your something stay nothing.

Fallen Beauty

      I love nature. My wife and I both love to explore hiking trails and wander through forests.  We took our honeymoon in New Hampshire mainly for the mountains and the woods. This world we live in abounds with beauty and nearly everywhere you look there is a lovely view. I see all of this and I see the handiwork of an artist. I see the art of God.

     No human work has ever compared to the wonder of the world around us. We see lines and shapes and colors that seem to just erupt and exist and yet they are far more pleasing than the most exacting work of human art. A painting or statue, though lovely just doesn't command the same awe as a wondrous view. How can we even compare our own creations to the mountains and fields and streams?

     This brings up an interesting point though. You see, the world we live in isn't perfect -not by far. It's a broken world, a corrupt world, a sinful world. When Adam sinned it wasn't just the human race that fell under the curse but sin entered the world through them and poisoned everything! Then on top of that the earth was cursed against us so that our lives would be full of toil and danger. This beauty, this amazing world is really a horrible place. Yet it -is- beautiful. The power and artistry of God is so great that even in a world tainted by horrid evil and cursed so as to be a place of struggle is still breathtaking! How great is our God that His handiwork still shines though it's been thrown in the mud!  How great is His grace that the world we live in doesn't look like what we deserve or the curse we are under!

     This world shines as a testament to His Glory. Every rough stone and swaying tree, every butterfly and bird, every low valley or high mountain, every atom of creation screams of it's Creator! We do everything in our power to push aside the evidence, to try and make the amazing mundane, but I will not allow this world that hates God to rob me of my wonder at His hands. I will remain in awe of His work and I will call it what it is -art- from the hands of a master.

     I look forward to eternity, for many reasons. I long to be with my God, to be with Him in perfect communion. I long to be free from the temptation of sin, to no longer fail Him or choose to rebel. And I long for the new earth, for the glory and beauty of a world not yoked by the burden of sin. How glorious will the mountains be? How breathtaking the plains? How blessed are we to not only live in such a beautiful world but to know that those of us who know Him will transition to one of infinitely greater splendor? May God be praised for His mercy and grace, and for the marvelous work of His hands.

"It is as hard to explain how this sunlit land was different from the old Narnia as it would be to tell you how the fruits of that country taste. Perhaps you will get some idea of it if you think like this. You may have been in a room in which there was a window that looked out on a lovely bay of the sea or a green valley that wound away among mountains. And in the wall of that room opposite to the window there may have been a looking-glass. And as you turned away from the window you suddenly caught sight of that sea or that valley, all over again, in the looking-glass. And the sea in the mirror, or the valley in the mirror, were in one sense just the same as the real ones: yet at the same time they were somehow different—deeper, more wonderful, more like places in a story: in a story you have never heard but very much want to know. The difference between the old Narnia and the new Narnia was like that. The new one was a deeper country: every rock and flower and blade of grass looked as if it meant more. I can’t describe it any better than that: if you ever get there you will know what I mean."

C. S. Lewis. Last Battle (Kindle Locations 1813-1819). San Val, Incorporated. 

The Power and Purpose of Prayer

     Why do we pray? Much doubt is being cast on the importance and usefulness of prayer these days, leaving many to wonder why pray at all? It can be a hard thing to pray continually. You'll find that a million different distractions will creep up on you and you may even fall asleep as you kneel on the floor with your eyes closed tight. So why do it? Why fight against the current of popular opinion? Because to do so and reject prayer would be disastrous to our spiritual lives.

     I've heard it said that praying is pointless because God already knows everything anyway and He already has His plan and since God already knows everything about us we can't build that relationship. Of course this is all true but it's missing a crucial point. We are commanded to pray and God has told us that prayer is effective.

“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

(James 5:16)

Furthermore, God does know us perfectly already but we barely know Him! The relationship we are building is not based on mutual lack of understanding but on the fact that we are woefully ignorant of our creator. Prayer is not merely time spent mumbling in the dark but time spent conversing with our heavenly Father. We're talking to Dad. 

     Similarly we don't have to keep our prayers constantly wordy and fancy, we don't have to use flowing speech and grandiose words. We can simply seek Him and talk to Him, tell Him about your day and what is bothering you. He is listening. Especially helpful is the knowledge that we don't need to perfectly articulate what we need for two reasons: God does already know our needs, and the Holy Spirit speaks on our behalf.

“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”

(Romans 8:26)

     As you pray, as you make it a habit of your life, you will see it's benefits. Prayer not only works in this world -though we may not see or understand how- it draws us closer to God and to each other. We need to keep God in our thoughts, keeping a “constant state of prayer”, carrying Him with us always and going to Him specifically whenever we can. Prayer defines a Christian in a way, unlike other religions of the world we are not simply repeating verses or chanting lines or paying homage, we are talking directly to God. After all, this faith we have is more than simply a duty or responsibility or a requirement, it is a relationship with our creator and savior. So don't give up on prayer, don't let it slip aside because you don't have time or don't know what to say. God is waiting to hear from you, don't make Him wait too long.

The Shadow of Death

     How do we deal with suffering? How can we understand the reasoning behind the hard times, or the necessity of struggle? The question is so often asked; “Why do bad things happen to good people?” As we journey through this life we often find more trouble than peace and it so frequently leads people astray. Is there any way to cope with it? The problem of pain is a complex issue, one not solved with a single paper or a pithy phrase, but we can spend some time today on a few hope-filled truths.

     Probably the most harsh answer to the issue of suffering, to the question of 'why do bad things happen to good people is this: they don't. Bad things do not happen to good people, bad things happen to bad people and we are all bad people. This is yet another instance of how having your theology straight affects your understanding of other things. The Bible clearly teaches us that we as a race are fallen from birth and are enemies of God by our very nature. As soon as we have the ability to choose we choose sin, we desire after it, we want to rebel. So as I said the harsh answer to the problem of pain is that we all deserve everything we get. From the lost job to the flooded streets to the death of a loved one to the death of ourselves; everything is the end result of a fallen world brought about by our sin. No one is innocent, everyone is guilty, we have no right to complain.

     That being said there are more comforting explanations for struggle. Growth for example. Going back to my previous statement, having a systematic theology helps you to understand the questions that arise in life. When we understand the nature of God (as much as we can as finite, fallen creatures) and the plan He has for us, we see that ultimately God is not worrying so much about our 'happiness' as He is our 'holiness.'

“but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct..”

(1 Peter 1:15)

“...just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love..”

(Ephesians 1:4)

It's not that the Lord doesn't care about our happiness it's that He understands the truth that we will not be happy until we are in Him! True joy will come not from constant pleasure, not from an easy life, not from myriad possessions but from a closeness to God! Even in the most dire of situations, in the darkest of places, we can have joy! Maybe not shouting from the rooftops and dancing in the streets joy, but the joy of lasting peace and trust in the God who guides our step and directs everything that happens. And we can trust Him, because He knows what we don't. He knows that the man in the pew behind you won't be made more holy by getting that new job, but that being unemployed for a few more months will teach Him to rely on God for his every need. That women praying at the steps of the stage won't become more like Jesus in some particular way unless her son rebels against God for another year; and her son won't learn to love God above himself unless he see's just what sin he is capable of. We wouldn't choose that path, we wouldn't choose these lessons but God knows what we need and since He cares more for our holiness than our 'happiness' He will rain fire down on the life that wants rain!

“But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.”

(1 Peter 5:10)

“In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood. You have also forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as sons: "My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord or lose heart when reproved by him; for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines; he scourges every son he acknowledges." Endure your trials as "discipline"; God treats you as sons. For what "son" is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are without discipline, in which all have shared, you are not sons but bastards. Besides this, we have had our earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them. Should we not (then) submit all the more to the Father of spirits and live? They disciplined us for a short time as seemed right to them, but he does so for our benefit, in order that we may share his holiness. At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.”

(Hebrews 12:4-11)

     Have you ever compared the sorrows of this life to the suffering of Jesus on the cross? Has anything you've gone through been like that? Has it even been close to even the physical pain of His death? I doubt that it has and I know that nothing you or I or anyone has ever gone through is even comparable to the suffering He endured under the full wrath of God against our sin! Our pain in this life is but a shadow of death. A specter of the true punishment we deserve. God is using these 'minor' pains to tell us something. If this is what earthly pain looks like, if this what temporary physical suffering feels like how horrible must an eternity in Hell be! If this is what it feels like to endure the wrath of men, how must Jesus have felt under the wrath of almighty God! God allows the shadow of death to cross over us in part so we can appreciate the sacrifice of Jesus and so we can run to Him for salvation. He allows it so that we would flee in terror to Him.

     Finally, as Christians, we suffer because we are not of this world. There is a promise in the New Testament that cannot be missed, Christ was hated by the world and so we will be hated as well. If we seek to live this life as God would have us live we will rub people the wrong way. If we show them the holiness of God it will point out how unholy they are, if we show them that their sins can be forgiven it will force them to look at the sins they have hidden or denied. We may not live a life of constant persecution but it will come from someone in some form.

“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”

(2 Timothy 3:12)

    I know that this isn't every reason, but it's a start. Regardless of the hows and the whys we as the people of God can find comfort in Him. He is our rock and our cornerstone, our redeemer, brother, and friend. He will hold us and keep us safe even in the midst of trials. We may not understand, but that is when we have to trust Him because He does know what is best. Pray for peace and comfort from Him, pray for those you see in trouble around you and remember that you may be the one that God would use to help them. When all the world is falling apart, God will always stand sure; and when everyone has left you, He'll be there.