Last day I used the example of God's forgiveness as something that we need to hear, to really hear. We all stand in need of forgiveness, for no one is perfect (though we might not all admit it). Nobody likes to have a guilt trip laid on them, at least I don't. But there is a difference between true and false guilt. An over active conscience is a bad thing, but our consciences are there for a reason, and we will not be moving towards wholeness if we deal inappropriately (or not deal at all) with our God given consciences. Perhaps not surprisingly the Bible has something to say about this.
There is much that can be said about true and false guilt, but let's start with true guilt. We are talking here about moral guilt which has both legal (from God's point of view) and sensory aspects. To put this another way, how God feels about what we have (or have not) done, and how I feel about what I have done. Some things are clearer than others. God tells us “Do not commit adultery”. If we commit adultery we are guilty before God, and one way or another, we will have to give an account of it. In today's society what I am about to say cannot be taken as given, but at least on the first occasion, most of us would feel guilty afterward, if we committed adultery. Actually King David did not immediately feel guilt after he had committed adultery, he had to be confronted and shown that it was wrong. Animal rights activist might relate to how he was shown, but most of us cannot not fully relate to the parable that Nathan used to show David his sin (2 Samuel 12:1-15). We need to remember that David was a shepherd and “good shepherds loves their sheep” (see John 10:11).
So there is such a thing as true guilt. After he was confronted with it, David tells in Psalm 51 that “my sin is ever before me”. There are times when (unless our consciences are seared with a red hot iron 1 Timothy 4:2) we will find it hard to get away from our guilt. David is saying that when he came to the full realization of what he had done, it kept going round and round and round in his heart and his mind. Today's post is addressed to those who are either there, or have been there.
True guilt comes both from what we have done, and from what we have not done. After a tragedy, a death in the family for example, we are often full of “what if's”. And lets face it, who can truthfully say that we have always done everything that could or should have been done. We neglect each other through our obsessive business, or from our excessive self centeredness. Some would criticize me for even saying what I just said. They might angrily accuses me “Are you trying to make him (her) feel worse?” But you see the cure for true guilt (as opposed to false guilt - later) is to be forgiven, it is not to pretend that what is wrong is not wrong. David in the Psalm we are looking at (it would be a good idea to read it - Psalm 51) says to God “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight ...” (Psalm 51:4). Though we certainly sin against each other, the greatest offense is ultimately against God, and so only God ultimately can fully forgive us. When others might not be willing to forgive, God's forgiveness is enough. But we do need to repent. Does it sound painful?
In true repentance, there will certainly be periods of sorrow (godly sorrow), but when we push through (as opposed to pushing it down and trying to ignore it), then it will in the end bring true joy. David knew this, and the prayer in Psalm 51:8 quoted the other day is worth repeating. He cried out to God “Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.” We do need to stay with it, but when we do, we will find that it is well worth it. It brings a different kind of freedom. More to come.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
To hear or not to hear that is the question?
“You don't listen”. Have your ever been told that? Most of us have. I am sure we could all do better, especially when it comes to listening to God. Jesus had a lot to say about this. In Mark 4:24,25 He says “Consider carefully what you hear, with the measure you use, it will be measured to you―and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him”.
One of His concerns, of course, is about the negative things we allow ourselves to see and hear, what we allow our hearts and minds to feed on. Paul admonishes us to think on the good the pure and the noble etc. etc. (Philippians 4:8). As an aside, modern research is showing clearly the profound negative affects of negative thinking on our brain, and the profound positive effects of positive thinking on the same. The whole context of this chapter of Mark however, has to do with hearing the Word of God (the seed verse 14), and the emphasis of this section from Mark is about the impact of what we hear on our lives.
The parables of verses 24, 25 and 26-29 should, I believe, be taken together. In the parable we are considering here, he is talking about how we hear (the measure with which we hear). When we do this His way, the parable of verses 26-29 kicks in, and it tells us that the Word bears fruit automatically (verse 28A - all by itself in the NIV). So then when we do our part the Word germinates, grows and produces fruit in us (verse 28B).
This is good news for those of us who have, or have had out of control addictions. And perhaps these next few words are more related to the “becoming Oaks of righteousness” cornerstone of recovery. You see its not about striving, is it about hearing, it is about continuing in His Word (John 8:31 again), reading it, meditating on it (Psalm 1), proactively hearing it (this post), working the 12 steps (or similar), and then having done that, trusting God and His Word to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.
To apply verses 24-25 to both this latter context, and the context of “Dealing with the deceptions ...” I want to paraphrase Jesus' words by saying there is a “use it or loose it” principle at work here. This is of course applicable to many of the things we hear, to receiving His promises, or for example, to seeing our sin the way that He sees our sin.
There are two wrong ways to deal with this last point, and both sides are dealt with in a single chapter in Hebrews 10. I suspect that at one level we all fall into one error or the other. I have at times, sat on both sides of the divide. The first wrong way, is to be overcome with guilt. I remember being on this side of the fence and hearing the Lord say to me “You are faithful”. I had an immediate “but” raise within me. 'But what about ...”. He told me “I don't remember that”. Could that possibly be Him? Well yes, He has told us that under the New Covenant “their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (Hebrews 10:17). When I see this, I have a choice. I can allow guilt about the failures of the past to define me, or I can believe that His Grace is greater than all my sin.
But with what measure am I hearing Him? God sees me as faithful. He saw David as faithful too, David who committed adultery and then murder in an attempt to cover it up. But “murderer” and “adulterer” was not what God saw after he repented. David was a "man after God's own heart" (Acts 13:22), and he did not allow those two words to define the rest of his life. David did reap the fruit of his sin, and we will reap the fruit of ours (Galatians 6:7). David sowed to the wind and he reaped the whirlwind (2 Samuel 11ff). But He was forgiven and restored to full fellowship with God.
To repeat a word from Bill Johnson “I cannot afford to have a thought in my head about me, that is not in God's head”. In His mind, I am faithful, I am a saint, I am the righteousness of Christ. Do I feel this way? Certainly not immediately after I have sinned . During periods of repentance I say with David “my sin is ever before me” and “Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice” (Psalm 51:3,8). In true repentance we will for a while, feel crushed by our wickedness. There needs to be a time of godly sorrow which leads us through repentance (2 Corinthians 7:10), into the joy of our salvation (Psalm 51:12), so that we can be brought back to the place where we can come boldly before the throne of Grace to obtain mercy, and the help we need to live the Christian life (Hebrews 4:16).
The thief will want to short circuit this process. He will delight for us to get stuck in bone crushing guilt. Either that, or have us take our sin lightly (see below). When God tells me I am faithful, I need to receive that. So I tell myself “I am faithful”. If you try to do this, the accuser will say “You hypocrite, you are just pretending to be righteous, when in reality you are just piece of ...”. But I am not pretending, I am practicing. By saying “I am faithful” I am agreeing with God (always a good thing) and this practicing will empower me to be faithful. When the temptations come, I tell myself - “No, I am faithful, I am dead to sin and alive to righteousness” (Romans 6:11). Chip Judd (a preacher I was listening to) says “We need to tell ourselves such things until we believe them, and then we need to tell ourselves these things, because we believe them”. When we continue in His Word, and we speak His Words into our lives, then the Word germinates , takes root, grows and produces fruit automatically. The measure with which we do this, is the measure of its effectiveness in our lives.
But the repentance part is not optional. We need to take our sin seriously and we will need betimes to go through the process of repentance I have just described. You see the other wrong way to deal with our sin, is to treat it too lightly. It has to do with presumption “God will forgive me that is His job”, or just plain apathy “whatever”. As I mentioned Hebrews 10 deals with both errors. The writer quotes “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more, ” and that this gives us “confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus” (verses 17 and 19). But we also need to remember what is cost Him to forgive our sins, and to treat them lightly or to “deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth” leaves us with “no more sacrifice for sins ... but only a fearful expectation of judgment” (verses 26,27).
I have cried out to Him at times, asking Him to grant me repentance (2 Timothy 2:25). Once again, this has to do with the measure with which we hear. In verse 39 we read “But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved”. If we are reading, if we continue, then we will hear this, and we will indeed be of this company. But do you wonder if you are? It is like the unforgivable sin, if we are worried that we have committed it, we are moving in the right direction to not commit it. We do need to hear what He tells us. Hearing and obedience are closely linked. The good news is that we can start over right now, and with Paul “forget those things which are behind, and press on to the goal of the high calling in Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:3).
One of His concerns, of course, is about the negative things we allow ourselves to see and hear, what we allow our hearts and minds to feed on. Paul admonishes us to think on the good the pure and the noble etc. etc. (Philippians 4:8). As an aside, modern research is showing clearly the profound negative affects of negative thinking on our brain, and the profound positive effects of positive thinking on the same. The whole context of this chapter of Mark however, has to do with hearing the Word of God (the seed verse 14), and the emphasis of this section from Mark is about the impact of what we hear on our lives.
The parables of verses 24, 25 and 26-29 should, I believe, be taken together. In the parable we are considering here, he is talking about how we hear (the measure with which we hear). When we do this His way, the parable of verses 26-29 kicks in, and it tells us that the Word bears fruit automatically (verse 28A - all by itself in the NIV). So then when we do our part the Word germinates, grows and produces fruit in us (verse 28B).
This is good news for those of us who have, or have had out of control addictions. And perhaps these next few words are more related to the “becoming Oaks of righteousness” cornerstone of recovery. You see its not about striving, is it about hearing, it is about continuing in His Word (John 8:31 again), reading it, meditating on it (Psalm 1), proactively hearing it (this post), working the 12 steps (or similar), and then having done that, trusting God and His Word to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.
To apply verses 24-25 to both this latter context, and the context of “Dealing with the deceptions ...” I want to paraphrase Jesus' words by saying there is a “use it or loose it” principle at work here. This is of course applicable to many of the things we hear, to receiving His promises, or for example, to seeing our sin the way that He sees our sin.
There are two wrong ways to deal with this last point, and both sides are dealt with in a single chapter in Hebrews 10. I suspect that at one level we all fall into one error or the other. I have at times, sat on both sides of the divide. The first wrong way, is to be overcome with guilt. I remember being on this side of the fence and hearing the Lord say to me “You are faithful”. I had an immediate “but” raise within me. 'But what about ...”. He told me “I don't remember that”. Could that possibly be Him? Well yes, He has told us that under the New Covenant “their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (Hebrews 10:17). When I see this, I have a choice. I can allow guilt about the failures of the past to define me, or I can believe that His Grace is greater than all my sin.
But with what measure am I hearing Him? God sees me as faithful. He saw David as faithful too, David who committed adultery and then murder in an attempt to cover it up. But “murderer” and “adulterer” was not what God saw after he repented. David was a "man after God's own heart" (Acts 13:22), and he did not allow those two words to define the rest of his life. David did reap the fruit of his sin, and we will reap the fruit of ours (Galatians 6:7). David sowed to the wind and he reaped the whirlwind (2 Samuel 11ff). But He was forgiven and restored to full fellowship with God.
To repeat a word from Bill Johnson “I cannot afford to have a thought in my head about me, that is not in God's head”. In His mind, I am faithful, I am a saint, I am the righteousness of Christ. Do I feel this way? Certainly not immediately after I have sinned . During periods of repentance I say with David “my sin is ever before me” and “Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice” (Psalm 51:3,8). In true repentance we will for a while, feel crushed by our wickedness. There needs to be a time of godly sorrow which leads us through repentance (2 Corinthians 7:10), into the joy of our salvation (Psalm 51:12), so that we can be brought back to the place where we can come boldly before the throne of Grace to obtain mercy, and the help we need to live the Christian life (Hebrews 4:16).
The thief will want to short circuit this process. He will delight for us to get stuck in bone crushing guilt. Either that, or have us take our sin lightly (see below). When God tells me I am faithful, I need to receive that. So I tell myself “I am faithful”. If you try to do this, the accuser will say “You hypocrite, you are just pretending to be righteous, when in reality you are just piece of ...”. But I am not pretending, I am practicing. By saying “I am faithful” I am agreeing with God (always a good thing) and this practicing will empower me to be faithful. When the temptations come, I tell myself - “No, I am faithful, I am dead to sin and alive to righteousness” (Romans 6:11). Chip Judd (a preacher I was listening to) says “We need to tell ourselves such things until we believe them, and then we need to tell ourselves these things, because we believe them”. When we continue in His Word, and we speak His Words into our lives, then the Word germinates , takes root, grows and produces fruit automatically. The measure with which we do this, is the measure of its effectiveness in our lives.
But the repentance part is not optional. We need to take our sin seriously and we will need betimes to go through the process of repentance I have just described. You see the other wrong way to deal with our sin, is to treat it too lightly. It has to do with presumption “God will forgive me that is His job”, or just plain apathy “whatever”. As I mentioned Hebrews 10 deals with both errors. The writer quotes “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more, ” and that this gives us “confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus” (verses 17 and 19). But we also need to remember what is cost Him to forgive our sins, and to treat them lightly or to “deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth” leaves us with “no more sacrifice for sins ... but only a fearful expectation of judgment” (verses 26,27).
I have cried out to Him at times, asking Him to grant me repentance (2 Timothy 2:25). Once again, this has to do with the measure with which we hear. In verse 39 we read “But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved”. If we are reading, if we continue, then we will hear this, and we will indeed be of this company. But do you wonder if you are? It is like the unforgivable sin, if we are worried that we have committed it, we are moving in the right direction to not commit it. We do need to hear what He tells us. Hearing and obedience are closely linked. The good news is that we can start over right now, and with Paul “forget those things which are behind, and press on to the goal of the high calling in Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:3).
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Whoever's words define you, that person is your god. Cornerstone IV continued.
There is an old saying “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me”. It is a lie! Words spoken, especially by those who play a big part in our lives, can undermine us and leave us feeling paralyzed or without hope. Sometimes we ourselves are the worst offenders, as we engage over and over in negative self talk.
The Scriptures tell us that “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit” (Proverbs 18:21). Eugene Peterson in the Message paraphrases this verse as “Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit―you choose”. There is much insight in Peterson's understanding of this verse. First of all, words have a very powerful affect on what we do. As it says in Proverbs “As he thinks in his heart so he is” (Proverbs 23:7). We saw an example last day, of how negative “tapes” that play continually in our mind lead to a vicious cycle, but it is much deeper than that example. The words we allow can empower us or drag us down. So what words are we to allow? Though the Lord will, from time to time need to rebuke us (Revelation 3:19), His Words are always redemptive, that is with the ultimate purpose of building us up. So other than Words He speaks to bring us back on track, discerning His Words from Satan's (often spoken though others, even Christians) is not rocket science. God's Words build us up, Satan's words tare us down. The second thing in Peterson's paraphrase has to do with our choice. We will say more abut this later.
Lets go a little deeper in the way that words affect us, the words that we hear, the words that we believe, the words that we accept as true. Lets look at some partial truths: The Truth is that it hurts when someone important to you:
• Lets you down
• Speaks ill of you
• Tells you you are no good (just like your no good father)
• Tells you you are a failure, that you are a blankety blank, etc.
• Misunderstands you (negatively)
• Tells you one way or another, that you don't count
• Jumps to wrong conclusions about who you are
• Falsely accuses you
• Treats you as if you are nothing (disrespects you, treats you with contempt).
The truth is that these things can undermine you, and likely will if you let them! The Truth is that the more important the people are who speak these things into your life, the more it affects you. The truth is whoever's words you allow to define you, that person is your god.
Before we go further let's unpack the last statement. When I say that person is our god, I am talking about trusting in what that person thinks and says about us. It is about receiving the negative opinion of that person, taking them into our innermost being, and living our lives out of these “truths”. We can even tell ourselves that we have rejected what the person says, but still be radically affected by them (see “I will never be like my dad. Never!” July 2010). Receiving what that person's thinks about us in this way, is to allow that person to define who we are, to believe and act as if that what person says is true. That person can even be ourselves. How many of us have negative opinions about ourselves?
Now lets turn this round. What if the most important person in your life
• Never lets you down
• Always speaks well of you
• Tells you “you can do this”
• Tells you that you can do anything you set your mind to
• Understands you deeply, always gives the benefit of the doubt.
• Tells you are precious, valuable.
• Never jumps to conclusions about who you are
• Never condemns, is always ready to hear your side of the story
• Treats you as if you were Royalty
• Chooses to forgive and forget admitted faults
The truth is that these things can build you up, and will if you handle them God's way! The Truth is that the more important the ONE who says things like this to you the more potentially it can affect you! The truth is whoever's words you allow to define you, that person is your god. The Truth is that for the sake of health and sanity, that person needs to be God!
Bill Johnson has a wonderful saying “I cannot afford to have a single thought in my head that is not in His (God's)”. The Truth is that the only opinion that really matters is God's. And the thoughts He has for us are like the above “thoughts for good and not for evil (Jeremiah 29:11). We are precious in His sight, we are valuable, we are His, He will be with us in trials and difficulties (Isaiah 43: 1-4). He rejoices over us with singing, He quiets us with His love (Zephaniah 3:17). He will never leave us not forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). He is the healer of our broken hearts (Isaiah 61:1). There is more, there is so much more for us to seek out in His presence and from the treasures of His Word.
The Truth is that if “god as you understand him” is not like the One in list above, then you have an idol in place of God. I am convinced that all of us have some false beliefs about God, about ourselves and about others. More often than not, we will not be aware of these things. I mean if we knew we were believing a lie we would surely cease to believe it. Actually its not that easy, but if we are hearing Him, He will lead us into all truth (John 15:26). More to come about hearing.
The Scriptures tell us that “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit” (Proverbs 18:21). Eugene Peterson in the Message paraphrases this verse as “Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit―you choose”. There is much insight in Peterson's understanding of this verse. First of all, words have a very powerful affect on what we do. As it says in Proverbs “As he thinks in his heart so he is” (Proverbs 23:7). We saw an example last day, of how negative “tapes” that play continually in our mind lead to a vicious cycle, but it is much deeper than that example. The words we allow can empower us or drag us down. So what words are we to allow? Though the Lord will, from time to time need to rebuke us (Revelation 3:19), His Words are always redemptive, that is with the ultimate purpose of building us up. So other than Words He speaks to bring us back on track, discerning His Words from Satan's (often spoken though others, even Christians) is not rocket science. God's Words build us up, Satan's words tare us down. The second thing in Peterson's paraphrase has to do with our choice. We will say more abut this later.
Lets go a little deeper in the way that words affect us, the words that we hear, the words that we believe, the words that we accept as true. Lets look at some partial truths: The Truth is that it hurts when someone important to you:
• Lets you down
• Speaks ill of you
• Tells you you are no good (just like your no good father)
• Tells you you are a failure, that you are a blankety blank, etc.
• Misunderstands you (negatively)
• Tells you one way or another, that you don't count
• Jumps to wrong conclusions about who you are
• Falsely accuses you
• Treats you as if you are nothing (disrespects you, treats you with contempt).
The truth is that these things can undermine you, and likely will if you let them! The Truth is that the more important the people are who speak these things into your life, the more it affects you. The truth is whoever's words you allow to define you, that person is your god.
Before we go further let's unpack the last statement. When I say that person is our god, I am talking about trusting in what that person thinks and says about us. It is about receiving the negative opinion of that person, taking them into our innermost being, and living our lives out of these “truths”. We can even tell ourselves that we have rejected what the person says, but still be radically affected by them (see “I will never be like my dad. Never!” July 2010). Receiving what that person's thinks about us in this way, is to allow that person to define who we are, to believe and act as if that what person says is true. That person can even be ourselves. How many of us have negative opinions about ourselves?
Now lets turn this round. What if the most important person in your life
• Never lets you down
• Always speaks well of you
• Tells you “you can do this”
• Tells you that you can do anything you set your mind to
• Understands you deeply, always gives the benefit of the doubt.
• Tells you are precious, valuable.
• Never jumps to conclusions about who you are
• Never condemns, is always ready to hear your side of the story
• Treats you as if you were Royalty
• Chooses to forgive and forget admitted faults
The truth is that these things can build you up, and will if you handle them God's way! The Truth is that the more important the ONE who says things like this to you the more potentially it can affect you! The truth is whoever's words you allow to define you, that person is your god. The Truth is that for the sake of health and sanity, that person needs to be God!
Bill Johnson has a wonderful saying “I cannot afford to have a single thought in my head that is not in His (God's)”. The Truth is that the only opinion that really matters is God's. And the thoughts He has for us are like the above “thoughts for good and not for evil (Jeremiah 29:11). We are precious in His sight, we are valuable, we are His, He will be with us in trials and difficulties (Isaiah 43: 1-4). He rejoices over us with singing, He quiets us with His love (Zephaniah 3:17). He will never leave us not forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). He is the healer of our broken hearts (Isaiah 61:1). There is more, there is so much more for us to seek out in His presence and from the treasures of His Word.
The Truth is that if “god as you understand him” is not like the One in list above, then you have an idol in place of God. I am convinced that all of us have some false beliefs about God, about ourselves and about others. More often than not, we will not be aware of these things. I mean if we knew we were believing a lie we would surely cease to believe it. Actually its not that easy, but if we are hearing Him, He will lead us into all truth (John 15:26). More to come about hearing.
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