Sin in Particular

     Let's talk about sin a bit shall we? Sin is an evil thing, a destructive corrosive thing that devours and distorts everything it touches. From our perspective there are bad sins and worse sins and minor sins and slight sins and more, but to God there is just 'sin.' Now one thing we as Christians are getting accused of more and more as of late is picking and choosing which sins we condemn -specifically in others. I have to say I've seen this but really I think this idea stems from our own poor work at explaining reality as the Bible describes it.

     Take homosexuality for example. Just about everybody knows (or should) that Christianity is not fond to say the least but do they know why? Do they understand that God is the rightful ruler of all things and that He has made the world in a certain way. The world may be contaminated but that doesn't change the standard, any deviation from His order is wrong. We create more problems than we fix by always harping on this subject because it creates a skewed perspective both for those outside the faith and for ourselves. How many times have you heard someone ask about the other old testament laws and why we don't uphold those? People see us not living what we preach and it creates a wall of misunderstanding that keeps them away from the truth.

     People need to know that homosexuality is not particularly sinful. By that I mean that it is no more or less sinful than stealing or lying or any other misdeed. Personally I don't find it hard to believe that someone could be born that way, we are corrupted by sin after all however, the Bible tells us that it takes a will to make sin.  Choice is a key component. You cannot have inherently evil objects because it is always a consciousness that defines evil, a willful choice. People get outraged at us partially because we fail to explain that it is not the feeling of a desire that is the sin, it is the embracing and acting on that desire. When we point out the sin without explaining this people naturally feel as if we are telling them that they -as an individual person- are inherently evil. Of course people actually are evil but you get my point.  The understanding that you are guilty of a crime is different than being told that the feelings you have no control over and that seem to be a natural part of you are evil. Again, they are and it is the same for all of us not just homosexuals but the understanding of that comes with a greater knowledge of God and the plight of man.

     We need people to know that we don't think that homosexuals in particular are going to Hell. Everyone is, because we are all deserving of it. Homosexuality is just another sin, another example of man's fallen state. We need to focus less on pet sins and specific infractions and more on the overall condition of humanity. God will punish all sin and evil, not just the ones that are publicly obvious. God hates evil, it is an affront to His purity and righteousness and because He is also just, He must punish and deal with that evil. But God is also love and He loves us despite our sin.

     Because God is just, He must punish evil but since He loves us He made a way of escape. Jesus came down to earth, the Son of God took on the form and nature of man and lived here as we do but without sin. His life and identity made Him the perfect and only sacrifice worthy to pay for our debt. Ultimately it comes down to who bears the burden of your sin, you or Jesus? You can pay for your own sin but it will take an eternity of suffering and punishment, or you can lay your burden at the cross and Jesus can bear it for you. Your individual sins do not set you apart for your evil, they simply mark you as human. We are all sinners, whether in much or in a little, and we are all in need of a savior.

Nothing So Bad

     You find yourself once again in the shadows; at the bottom of a hole without even moonlight to brighten your vision. Maybe you've been traveling along just fine for quite a ways (for once) or maybe you just got out of another hole or maybe you're in the same hole you've always been in, doesn't really matter. We've all been there and it is probably one of the biggest barriers to salvation for a lot of people: how could God possibly forgive me?

     With true repentance comes a far better if not perfect understanding of the reality of our sin. We come to see to a much greater degree just how messed up we really are and how far God will have to bring us if we are to make it to perfection. This is a key part of salvation but many people get stuck here before they even accept God's grace. The shadows seem so dark and the hole they inhabit so deep that they can't imagine a light bright enough or a ladder long enough to escape. So they turn God away at the gate, refusing to believe that He can or will save them. I do think that a part of this is actually pride masquerading as humility, after all humans are not victims and we are not lost innocents who can't find the way despite a desire to do so. We will use even the knowledge of our sinfulness to reject God and continue living in a way that is comfortable and if we really admitted it, we like. However, there are folks that just simply can't imagine that a perfect God would give so much for them.

     Now this may seem an odd way to comfort those people, or it may seem like a totally non-helpful way to explain this but never the less it is a part of the truth: God didn't die for you. Not entirely, anyway. Yes, God gave His Son and died for sinners because He really does love us but if we stop there than we are left wondering why. We don't really have an answer as to why God would do such a thing because we don't have an answer to the follow up. Why does God love us? Many of us, even as Christians, get caught in a never ending spiral of confusion asking what it was that God saw in us that prompted our particular salvation. This is yet another instance where proper theology is vitally important to our faith and our day to day lives.

     The key here is to remember that everything that God does, from the big to the small, is for His glory. Now if we saw this in a human we would call it narcissism or egotism or something worse but with God it is simply proper behavior as He is worthy of all glory and honor and praise. As the one true God and King of all there is no amount of praise that is too much, no glory given that is over the top or inflated. He is due all the love and adoration that can be given and so much more, not just for what He has done but for who He is!

     This is comfort because it brings us to this simple fact: God did not save you because of anything He saw in you or in what you would become. That means that there was nothing of -you- that caused, brought about, influenced, or affected your salvation. Which further means that there is no amount of sin, no heinousness of deed, no depth of depravity that can make you any less fitting for heaven. God saves the horrible not because He lacks justice or because He saw “the good” in them but because the more unlikely the convert the more glorious the savior. If a “righteous” man turns to God how surprising is it? When the the “good” live by grace are we astonished? How about the murderer? How great is the glory to God when one who is so utterly removed from Him is turned back to their Master?

     So don't listen to the lie that you are too far gone to be saved. Whether it be the malicious misdirection of masked pride or the genuine confusion as to why God would want you, the lie is the same. God seeks the salvation of sinners and if you are more reprobate than your fellow man than your salvation will be all the greater and more telling of the awesomeness of God. There is no debt of sin and no cost of humanity that can be equal to the worth of the blood of Jesus. He has paid our price from an account that cannot run dry and cannot even be diminished. If you do not know Him, know this, He is there for you so turn. Turn away from your life and run to His death and you will find that true life is there under the cross of Christ. If you do know Him than remember when you fall that He knew you would and saved you anyway, that you cannot mount up a debt greater than what has been credited to your account. The glory of God is raised up by the hands of horrible people made new.

The Power and Presence of Sin

     We've all been through times when we struggle with sin. Some of us go through years of failure and rallying and failure again; an ongoing battle that saps our strength and weakens our resolve. We start questioning our faith, our salvation, and some even question God. Others spend their lives concerned and worried because of a misunderstanding of what sin is. Distracted and mislead by poor theology and faulty understanding, they fail to find either true victory or substantial progress in sanctification.

     First of all, it's vital that we understand what sin is exactly. Sin is not a foreboding sense of evil or a curse upon mankind. The curse we are under is the result of sin, not sin itself; if anything you might call it “natural sin” but I think a more accurate term is “natural evil.” Sin isn't a cursed object or an unhealthy social connection, it's not about your choice of vocabulary or clothes, it's not about what days you venerate or what days you don't venerate. Sin is choice and will. The reason that objects and things can't be “evil” is because they have no will, no power to choose or take action. This destroys so many popular and illusory myths regarding evil numbers or things or places. Only mankind is capable of sin because only we are capable of choice (and angels too really, but that's another post). We are not made evil by evil falling down upon us but by what we are and what we do.

“When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear and understand: Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man."

(Matthew 15:10-11)

     Knowing this is helpful in our day to day but it's not the end of the story. From what I just said you may be lead to believe that actions -alone- are sin. You would be wrong. Actions are the visible manifestation of sin but they do not have a monopoly on it. As Jesus said our sin was sin long before it came out into the world.

"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' "But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire.... You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' "But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

(Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28)

So we see that the thoughts of our minds and the movements of our hearts are sin first and the actions that may or not follow them are only a further accusation against us. We must seek to give our thoughts and feelings over to God and then our actions will follow them.

     This brings us to an important question and an important point: why then, as a Christian, do I continue to sin? If I am made new by the blood of the Christ how can sin still have power over me? This is because we have been freed from sin's authority and sin's result but not its presence. We still linger in this fallen flesh and in this cursed world. God is not capable of being tempted, not because Satan can't walk up to Him (so to speak) and try and egg Him on. Satan is of course welcome to waste his time but since there is no inclination within God toward sin, He will never sin! We however, continue with our new life in our old bodies. The hand is washed, you could say, but the puppet is still dirty and broken. Here then is the wonder of the end of days, of our glorification: we will be free not only from the power and the penalty of sin but also from its presence; both without and within. We still sin now not because the world continues to tempt us (which it does) but because there still exists within this fallen flesh the desire to rebel. When history is finally at its end and God brings about the final glorification of His people, we will be like Him in the sense that that leaning toward evil will be gone from us!

“Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, in an instant, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For that which is corruptible must clothe itself with incorruptibility, and that which is mortal must clothe itself with immortality. And when this which is corruptible clothes itself with incorruptibility and this which is mortal clothes itself with immortality, then the word that is written shall come about: "Death is swallowed up in victory.”

(1 Corinthians 15:51-54)

     I cannot wait for that day. When I no longer have to fight myself for control, when I need not fear disappointing my Lord and my God. This world is a struggle, a battle for control and for purity, but its a battle already won. We may see losses and failed fights as we go through our lives but just check the back of the Book, we win! Remember then, that sin is a force that destroys from within and that God is the one who cleanses and redeems, strengthens and saves.

Meaning

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you all enjoy your time this year, I'll be taking a short vacation and returning after the new year on January 5^th! Thanks for reading and I'll see you next year!

     Where are you this Christmas? More to the point, where is your heart? Are you caught up in the celebrations? Do the silver bells chime in your mind as you drive to the store to get those last few gifts? Do carols ring as you trim your tree? In all your rush and busy, do take the time to remember why we do all of this? Debates over the origins of the day itself, this holiday is here to commemorate the second biggest event in earth's history; when God himself stooped to our level and came to us.

     Think about that for a moment. The God of all existence, who is far beyond anything we can truly comprehend, who is rightful ruler and master of all creation, who had sat in glory from eternity past, who is endlessly praised by uncounted angels, became a baby boy. He who had sat on the throne of heaven now lay nestled in a simple manger. He who was needed no other now depended on a peasant girl and a carpenter. The God who provides breath and life to every living creature now would need bread from the hand of man. He left all that He had and became one of us: a small, cold, helpless infant. Why?

     Why would He put aside all that He had, all that He deserved, and come here as He did? Because He chose to, because we needed Him to. God is infinite, holy, and righteous. We are finite, simple, and sinful. Every day we choose our doom by rejecting God and making our own path. We are -not- morally neutral, we are naturally God haters and sinners. Can you go one day without lying? One day without stretching the truth? One day without being selfish? One day without being perfectly loving? Caring? Honest? One hour? One minute? The world wants to say that we're all ok. The world will tell you that at least you're better than that guy over there. Hey, you're no Hitler right? But you are. We are all capable of anything given the right “reason.” God was fully within His right to simply scrap us and start over (or not for that matter), but He didn't. He spared us, because He loves us.

     God however, is not only love. God is love but He is so much more! He is also just and because of His justice, He couldn't simply sweep our transgressions under the rug of eternity. Someone had to pay the price of sin and the price of sin is death. We can't pay that price, when we die that's it, end of the road. So in order to fulfill His love -and- His justice, God needed a sacrifice for our sins. Unfortunately there is nothing that exists in creation that has such worth as to be an even trade for the punishment that is our due. The only thing with any real worth after all, is God Himself. So God's son, the second part of the trinity, that divine personality that we also know as the Word of God, that One who formed the world itself, shed His robes of glory and put on humility. For us.

     Only God could pay the price that He himself demanded for our sin. Only God has the power to be born of a virgin and thus apart from the nature of sin that now condemns us. Only God has the power to live a sinless life and fulfill the law, and thus able to provide His people with the same. Only God has the worth to cover the cost of our iniquity, and only God could raise from the dead and defeat the grave. The story of Christmas is a fantastic story but it is only the first chapter. Never forget that the little baby in the stable was already on the road to the cross. Remember to celebrate not just -that- Jesus came but why! That little newborn baby was as newborn lamb and His time on this earth the period of examination that marked Him a worthy sacrifice.

     I love Christmas, but the story of Christ's coming to earth means little apart from the story of how He left and how He lived. I thank the Lord for coming here but I thank Him forever for coming here as a lamb to be slaughtered. I am thankful that the blood of Jesus cleanses me from my sin and that the snow on the ground this holiday season is nowhere near as white and pure as the new garment of righteousness that Christ has laid upon my back. Praise God for what He as done for His creation, for His love and His sacrifice. Never forget that the love we feel at Christmas is God's love, and the joy we feel is because the coming of Christ is the coming of a savior.

Love, Because, Despite

When once we walked a weary road

Through hardship and through winter cold

When once the darkest night was set

and naught a single need was met.

Though we had journeyed long and struggled far

And still no closer to the nearest star

Though we had given all, offered all we had

We still found life was lonely, sad.

Despite our lengthy list of crimes,

impotent to pay the fines.

Despite the guilt we have had since birth,

He saw in us, essential worth.

Because of who He claims to be,

The God of all whose love is free.

Because He is the Way, the One,

Made a way for sin to be undone.

This God who rules the heavenly host,

Who built the world from peak to coast.

This God who knows the deepest sea,

Has love for even you and me.

Because our sin was vast and deep,

A bitter harvest we would reap.

Because of what we all had done,

We earned the wrath of the Holy One.

Despite how we deserved to die,

He sent us One to crucify.

Despite His unknowable and infinite worth,

God's Son came down to lowly earth.

Though He was here and perfect still,

We missed the point and chose to kill.

Though we threw away the perfect man,

We acted out God's perfect plan.

When nothing seemed to be at peace,

And darkness reined from west to east.

When sin would burn the whole of earth,

God saved us through a baby's birth.

by. Jonathan E. Schaefer

To See and Believe

You say I haven't faith to see,

the light of God alive in me.

You say I lack a truer heart

and belief that sets a soul apart.

You say if I would only pray,

throw all I think I know away,

and use my heart and not my head,

I'd find myself now Spirit lead!

I'd speak the language angels use,

the Holy Ghost would be my muse!

I could raise the dead and heal the sick,

God's power cutting to the quick.

You say that every sinner's heart

would be redeemed, a brand new start.

If only they could see God's power

they'd all repent this very hour.

and yet,

The Bible tells it differently.

There's evidence for all to see!

In this world created, though torn with strife

and in the power of a new-made life.

I've seen the power of God above,

I've seen His unimaginable love.

It's not in gifts of tounges or health.

It's in the Word and in myself

The power of God is plainly shown

in Christ and how His death alone,

has paid for every sinner's soul,

a sacrifice to make men whole.

If men won't listen to His Word,

if they reject what they have heard,

no cosmic show will bring them down,

to submit themselves to Jesus' crown.

I need no other evidence,

the gospel will suffice.

For my soul was bonded once to hell,

and Jesus paid the price.

by. Jonathan E. Schaefer

10/17/2014

What is Choice?

     What is the nature of free will? Are we all on this earth to simply dance to the beat of another's drum or do we make real choices? People have been pondering this question for probably as long as they've pondered at all and I can see why. We don't like to think that our lives our controlled by someone else and if we see that none of our choices matter than it leads to a depressing fatalism. So can we come to any meaningful understanding of this problem? I think we can.

     First off let's look at things from the naturalistic perspective, frankly because it's much simpler. If we are all just animals, meat machines, and more specifically if we are the end result of automatic process working as they have to ultimately culminating in the formation of man, then there is no choice. As Hawking pointed out we cannot avoid determinism if we come at life from this angle. There can be no transcendence in a world that evolved. If we are born of nothing but chemical reactions and the laws of physics and if nothing else exists to interact with this matter than nothing can ever happen but what is programmed into that material (so to speak). Every “choice” that you make is really just what your particular set of chemicals and structures has to do when encountering that situation. In this view all of existence is one big calculation, a series of equations where A + B will always equal C. Your personality, your beliefs, your choice of a job or a spouse, these things are all just illusions of sentience and the reality is that we are all just robots; DNA machines that run on a very complicated set of rules. Depressing isn't it?

You cannot cut the strings

     The problem with this ideology is that we do see glimpses of the transcendent in our lives. We are aware of what we are in a metaphysical, existential sense. This is where Christianity comes in. You see, in the Bible, we are shown to be more than just matter. Made from the dust of the earth God breathed life into us (Genesis 2:7) and made us a living thing. This is important because we see here two huge differences from how He made animals. First we were made 'from' something, unlike animals and the earth which were simply popped into existence by God's own power, we were formed from the “dust of the earth.” I'm sure there are ramifications and reasons for that but it's beyond my abilities to find them. The second and really more important bit is that our life was “breathed” into us by God directly. To me this connects us to God's Word which is described as “God breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16), and which is also described as being “alive” (Hebrews 4:12). Also we were made in the “image of God,” (Genesis 1:26) which obviously doesn't mean that we look like Him since God is spirit and has no set physical form (other than the humanity taken unto the Son, ie. Jesus). All of this points to a creation that is more than just the stuff it's made of, we are both physical and spiritual beings and this allows us the ability to look outside ourselves and to rise -just a bit- above our material.

We are more than the sum of our parts.

     It gets a bit more complicated from this point. You see, all of the previous stuff is quite clearly shown in the Bible but we also see that God has total control over His creation (1 Chronicles 29:11-12, Psalm 115:3, Isaiah 46:9-10, etc.). Many people have a hard time reconciling true free will with a being that can simply make you do whatever He pleases. Now I'm not going to get super deep here simply because there isn't time but I've done a lot of thinking on this over the years and I'll simply run you through my current conclusions. The short answer is that no you don't have free will. You do however have free choice, let me define that. Free will is the ability to do whatever you want, to make decisions and plan your life as you see fit. Honestly I don't see that as an option Biblicaly, we do seem to make choices and decisions but the ultimate outcome of those choices is far beyond our control. We can choose to obey or rebel against God but in the end we get heaven or hell and there is nothing we can do at that point to change our destination. I think what we have is what I call “Free Choice.” By that I mean that God has laid out His world and has given us options and we have the freedom to choose from those options. Obey or rebel, love this person or this other person or no one, this job or that job, school or no school, and on and on and on. These choices come to us and some are better than others and some are obviously where God would have us go but He doesn't necessarily force us down these more proper roads. Look at Jonah, God actually TOLD him what to do but he chose instead to run away. This is one way in which our choices can matter and how we can still be responsible for our sins. We chose, in a very real sense, to do that evil. We are always presented with options and we may not like them but they are there.

     When we speak of the big questions of salvation and sanctification, God is just doing what He wants to ultimately, and we can either choose to obey or to rebel. I think that when we move beyond the ultimate questions we have a lot of give and quite a bit of 'wiggle room.' God has plans and purposes but He made them with our personalities and preferences in mind, using us to tell His story so that we are truly involved in the telling; actors not puppets. We may say the wrong line or miss a cue every once and a while but we are right there on the stage. We have to be more than matter for anything we do to matter and our soul gives us that bit of transcendence.   

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

Thankful

Have I thanked You for the sunset?

Have I thanked You for the stars?

Have I expressed my gratitude

for all we count as ours?

Do I show how much emotion

I feel or sense in me?

Do I truly understand how much

Your Grace has affected me?

God I thank you for this world I see

I thank you for the land

I thank for the beauty

For the artwork of Your hand.

I thank You for my journey

For the life I lead each day

I thank You that You're always there

Even when I've lost my way.

How can I fully say,

How can I justly show?

How much You are appreciated?

Do I even know?

Can I comprehend Your riches?

Can I understand Your Grace?

Will I realize it someday?

Or will it be a constant chase?

I know that I can't fully grasp

The wonders You bestow.

I know I'll never say enough.

My gratitude to show.

I have so little I can give

So few words I can say.

What I have is nearly worthless

In this world of pain and strife

But it's all I have to give you

So to my Father,

Here's my life.