Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines

This verse from Song of Songs 2:15 comes in the midst of a love poem between Solomon and his bride. The verse therefore speaks (by analogy) of the little things that can spoil a relationship. Apparently the little foxes liked to nibble at the vines, and each individual nibble was likely not a problems. The damage is cumulative however, and over time the vines would be ruined. Likewise in a relationship the little things that at first might not seem worth making a fuss over, can build and build until, over time, they become a major problem in a relationship. Perhaps this is what lies behind those pesky “irreconcilable differences” that are blamed for the breakup of so many marriages.

I remember on lady telling me after her divorce “Now I can paint my door red, and he can do nothing about it!” In another marriage it was “toast crumbs in the butter!” His and her butter would have solved that specific irritation, but not the accumulated frustration of many little foxes nibbling at the relationship. The “us” in this verse speaks of it being the responsibility of both parties to ensure the vine is not spoiled. The “vines” can be spoiled by overreactions or by conflict avoidance. In both cases we need to counter these things (and not just in marriage relations) by keeping short accounts, being open, honest and transparent, and by being “kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32).

We can go to extremes making mountains out of every little molehill, making red doors and toast crumbs into major issues. But, as I have said before, conflict avoidance is almost always a major problem. When it is part of our standard way of operating, all the “little foxes” can seem way too small to make into an issue. What we need to realize however, is that when conflict avoidance is engaged in the long run, then over time it forms habitual ways of relating to each other that are not helpful. We are essentially training the other person not to expect pushback, and this morphs into strongly held, but often unspoken rules such as “You must not rock the boat.” And then if you wake up to the damage that has been caused, and try to deal with any issues no matter how small, then you are the problem, because you are breaking the rules. So how to deal with this? It talks a lot of love, patience and humility, and it seems to me that the very first issue that needs to be dealt with is that of conflict avoidance itself.

Father, I see what I am talking about this morning as a major issue in Western society. But as Your Word tells us “When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him” (Isaiah 59:19). And what I also see Father, is that You are raising up a multiplicity of inner healing ministries and resources. And it is my prayer Father that this blog be one on them in Jesus Name Amen

Forgetting the past, pressing ahead

The title of this post is an inadequate summary of the context of Philippians 3:13,14 “Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” The things Paul was forgetting were the things that were gain to him which he now counted as loss (verses 7,8). Paul here was not stuffing emotional memories, but rather he had dealt with his religious spirit and self righteousness (verses 3-9). There are a couple of recovery sayings that encapsulate what I want to say this morning. They are “If we burry our emotions, we burry them alive,” and “If we don’t deal with the root of our problems they will shoot up where we least expect, or want, them to.” Part of what I am saying here, is that in order forget the past in a non-dysfunctional way, we will likely first have to re-visit it, in order to cooperate with the Lord in redeeming and healing it.

Certainly forgetting the past includes not is living there either seeing it through rose coloured glasses, or being stuck there in bitterness or regret. One of the advantages of being old (not that I am :) ) is that you start to see patterns. And I have seen over and over, people going from one broken relationship to another, learning nothing about themselves in the process. I also hear Christians who do this, misquote verses like this morning’s saying “I don’t need to deal with the past, because it is all under the blood!” And as I say, they go on to make the same mistakes over and over. There are a couple more wise sayings that seem to fit the bill here. “Those who do not learn from history are destined to repeat it,” and “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome!”

So what sort of things am I talking about? Well first and foremost in my mind is “leaving your gift at the alter and going and being reconciled with your brother” (Matthew 5:23,24). But secondly, because we have likely buried things alive, we will not likely see our faults unless we re-visit (not camp there) the past. What I am saying is that we need help. It can come through the iron sharpening iron process (see March posts). It can be done through therapy or within the community of working the steps of twelve-step-programs. Being part of the leadership in the “Celebrate Recovery” version of this, has lead me to deeply appreciate the process. In particular to appreciate the nonjudgemental and unconditional help that is available both from God and the fellowship, in moving towards fulfilling the James 5:16 admonition and its promise of healing.

Father, no one is saying this process is easy, but I have learned in my own life, that many times You need to open up an old wound in order to cauterize and cleans and heal it. So help us this morning Lord to determine, like Jesus did, to push through the pain to joy (Hebrews 12:2), so that we may indeed forget those things which are behind, and press toward the goal in Jesus Name Amen

If I knew then what I know now … Repentance without regret

If you have ever said (or thought) something like this, I have a verse for you (and for me) this morning. It is “Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation without regret; but the sorrow of the world produces death” (2 Corinthians 7:10). And the first thing to say, is that if you are saying this, then you are growing in wisdom and that is a good thing. We do need to realize however, that this is something of a crossroads. In proportion to the seriousness of our pronouncement, one branch can lead to debilitating regret where we have great difficulty forgiving ourselves. When we travel down this road, we will likely beat ourselves up with out negative self talk. And our verse rightly describes this kind of “sorrow” as a form death. It is toxic regret, and whatever else it does, it does not bring life!

Another road is that of “godly sorrow (that) produces repentance leading to salvation without regret.” Now godly sorrow is still sorrow. What likely lies behind our pronouncement, is some sin, mistake, wrong doing or wrong response something that happened. Any all these tings likely had very negative and painful consequences. But godly sorrow here is not the sorrow that I got caught. Indeed, much of what we think of as being good is learned behaviour, that is out of self interest I would not do that again, because I don’t want the consequences! This is not goodness, it is being practical, but it is not repentance. Godly sorrow is the awakening realization that we need to choose the good, and turn from the bad, just because the good is good. Godly sorrow is the longing for righteousness, the beginning of wanting to do (and doing) things God’s way. It is the beginning of, and leads to, repentance.

Repentance is about wanting to do the moral good, just because it is good. Repentance is changing our mind and agreeing with God that His ways are best. It is turning to Him and choosing to love Him with all that we are and have. It is wanting to not do again what we did because, as all sin does, it comes between us and God. But godly sorrow is also realizing it was these very things that the Lord used to open our eyes to our need for Him, and to bring us to salvation. It is starting to learn that when I turn to Him, He uses even my sin for good (Romans 8:28), and that had these things not happened, I would not love Him today the way that I do. And in this sense there can be no regret because these were the very things that brought me salvation in the first place, and for things that happened after salvation, the things that drew me closer in the second.

Father, part of what it means to be made in Your image, is that no matter how far we have strayed, we still at some level love what You love (righteousness), and hate what You hate (injustice). And when You open up our blind eyes Lord to Your goodness through our godly sorrow, it does indeed lead us to repentance (Romans 2:4). And this is also why, when we return to You the Shepherd, the Guardian of our souls (1 Peter 2:25), it feels like our coming home. We do need to make appropriate amends Lord for the things we have done, but please help those of us Lord who are still having a hard time forgiving ourselves, to not get stuck in toxic regret, in Jesus Name Amen

Dead men take no offence

I am not suggesting that you do this, but if you were to punch a dead man laying in his coffin, or if you were to heap verbal abuse on him, calling him all manner of names - he would not retaliate in like manner. You know it’s true! The Scriptures says of Jesus “When they heaped abuse on Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats, but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23). He is the only one I know who fully practiced what He preached. As they drove cruel spikes into His hands and feet, His response was "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). I am not quite there yet, but I want to be, how about you?!

Perhaps you are thinking “Well that was Jesus, and He could do that because He is God. But I am only human, and so I can’t be expected to do that.” If this is your thinking, I am sorry to have to tell you that your thoughts are heretical. I mean if Jesus could only do what He did because He was God, then we can applaud Him, but we could not be expected to imitate His example. We are however commanded to “be imitators of God” (Ephesians 5:1). So how can we possibly do this? Well, interestingly, Jesus Himself had to learn it. In particular as a Spirit filled man “He learned obedience by the things that He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8). He did it perfectly of course, but what does the process look like? It seems to me it is incorporated in the verse “Reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:11).

I have a friend who was very shabbily treated by the church, and though he does not seem to be bitter, he does tend to obsess. I have been there myself! One time when he was going on and on about the shortcomings of the church, he finally told me “I expect better!” I asked him “How is that working for you?” Among all of creation, mankind alone has the ability to think about his (or her) thoughts. And with this comes the ability to choose what we think about. In particular in every situation we can learn to choose how we respond. We deny this however, when we say things like “He makes me mad!” Now it is true that when we have engaged in negative thinking for a very long time, it takes a lot of effort and determination to think only about “what is true, noble, just and of good report” (Philippians 4:8). However, when by the Spirit, we choose to put our negative thinking to death, we will find increasingly that we can do all thing through Christ who strengthens us (Romans 8:13; Philippians 4:13).

Father, I want to thank You this morning again that with Your help I am learning to no longer obsess about things that previously nearly drove me insane. Part of it Lord, is that I spend time in Your presence, and practice, practice, practice. Thank You that in line with my oft prayed twelve-step serenity prayer, I am learning to receive Your peace and serenity to accept what I cannot change, together with the courage to engage when You need me to, but also to know the difference. It is a process Lord, and there are certainly times when I fail. But thank You for progress, and thank You for the forgiveness and cleansing that You so freely give when we confess. Freely I have received, help me Lord to freely give of these things to others, as You continue to transform me into the glorious likeness of Him in whose Name I pray Amen

The relationship of secrets to intimacy in marriage and elsewhere

In the novel “Full disclosure” by Dee Henderson Anne asks Paul “If this relationship goes somewhere permanent ... will there be secrets, are you expecting there to be none?” It was such a difficult answer to put into words. Paul wanted to give her room, needed to give her room, and yet he also knew there was something profound that he had to convey. Secrets tend to be the things that have hurt us the most, the events that have changed us the most. Will she wonder for the rest of her life, ‘if he knew this about me, would he not love me anymore?’ He thinks ‘I would rather know everything important about my wife before I married, so that when I say “I do” she knows there’s no secret that could change how much I love her. I want to be able to give that certainty to a marriage’ He tells her “You need to be able to trust me!”

Henderson expresses something deep here about the connection between secrets, trust and intimacy. Someone has said that intimacy is all about into-me-see. If we cannot let the one who is to be a life long partner into the deepest parts of our being, there will be no true intimacy. I was talking with someone the other day who told me “I have been married twice, but I have been alone all my whole life!” It seems to be very common! Shakespeare said that it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. But, not actually contradicting this, perhaps it is better not to marry than to marry someone you cannot trust with your deepest secrets, be it what you have done or what was done to you. Guilt, shame, self condemnation and blame can go very, very deep. But the pain only multiples when it is kept secret, and as I keep saying only mutual self disclosure in a safe place brings healing. (James 5:16).

We confess to God to be forgiven, and to each other to be healed (1 John 1:9; James 5:16). But in my experience the healing only comes when the confession is “to one another,” not when one party does all the confession. When that happens the one confessing can be left feeling vulnerable and exposed. In the process of confessing to one another, we come more and more into the realization that “there is no difference for all have sinned” (Romans 3:22,23). And we start to see that neither of us is in a position to judge or reject the other. Full disclosure will likely need to be a process that cannot be rushed. I am seeing the things we guard as rather like onion skins to be removed layer by layer. And to mix metaphors, we will likely first let the other only into the outer court of our secrets, and then to wait to see how that is received. If we remain or become trustworthy, true intimacy will surely follow.

Father, two of the biggest fears we have through self disclosure are likely fear of rejection, and fear of being judged. I know that there are many who avoid You Lord, for these very same reasons. But You tell us “He who comes to me I will nowise cast out” (John 6:37), and “There is now therefore no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Help us Lord to be imitators of You, loving as Christ has loved, forgiven and received us (Ephesians 5:1,2). Open our eyes Lord to see that there really is no difference, and help us to receive and accept each other just as You have received and accepted us. In Jesus Name Amen

Sanctification fellowship (IV) Two way violating

There is one more reason we need to find a safe places to do James 5:16, confessing our faults one to another. It is not only for our own healing, but also for healing of relationships. At critical times in my journey by "coincidence" the Lord has put a book in my hand that spoke to my situation. In once case I was browsing in a bookstore, and came across this saying “In a relationship if one is open and the other covered, both parties can finish up violating the other.” I don’t mean this, but I have often said that my openness is both a gift and a curse. Why would I say it is a curse, it is because so often my confessions have come back as accusation and judgement. “You did what?” So I understand being violated from the point of view of the one who is open. What I did not understand at the time was how it worked the other way, and I asked the Lord about it.

To the one who is covered (i.e. “If anyone ever found out I would die”), the one who is seeking to obey James 5:16 can appear shameless. Of course this can certainly be the case. In Jeremiah 6:15 the Lord asks “Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed; Nor did they know how to blush.” So we certainly need wisdom, humility and repentance in order to ensure that our openness is not shamelessness. I have come to realize however that even appropriate disclosure can be very threatening to one who is covered. In particular any form of disclosure can seem shameless, and can be a huge trigger for the deep shame that many who are covered feel. Since attack is the best form of defence, the response in such situations can easily turn into attack violating the one who is open.

To put this another way when we do not confess our faults one to another (James 5:16), we will likely finish up confessing each other’s faults. If one says “You’ve got a great big zit right on the end of your nose,” the response might be “You should worry, your face is just one great being zit!” In other words while confessing our faults one to another is healing, confessing each others faults, not so much! And the blame game is the default this side of the cross. It started with Adam. when he was asked if he had eaten the fruit he was commanded not to eat. In particular he blamed the woman, and he also blamed God “You are the one who gave her to me” (Genesis 3:12).

Father, no matter where we are on the spectrum of open or covered, we need Your help to negotiate our relationships. It is far too easy for both to judge the other. Heaven forbid that we should (Matthew 7:1,2). For those of us on the open end of the spectrum, we need grace and wisdom and, like You wait for us to be gracious, we need grace to wait for others, and to not force things. For those of us in the covered end of the spectrum, we need wisdom and courage to find a safe place, likely starting with just one person. This is especially true for those in leadership, for the fellowship will not likely be more open than its leaders. Thank You Lord for the privilege of being on the receiving end of conversations that start with “I have never told anyone this…” It often comes Lord when we are willing to seen be open and none-judgemental. Truly Lord I am in no position to judge anyone, in fact none of us do. I bless You for revealing these things to me Lord, and for the gift of openness in Jesus Name Amen

Sanctification fellowship (III) Toxic secrets and the need to find a safe place

“If anyone ever found out I would die1” Such a statement is about hiding something the person desperately wants to stay hidden. With varying degrees of seriousness, such secrets are all toxic. They have emotional, behavioural and relational consequences, likely leading to control, and sabotaging intimacy. The toxicity of our secrets multiply in the darkness and keep us stuck, isolated and lonely. There is a recovery saying that you are only as sick as your secrets. The type of fellowship we have been talking about over the last couple of days is precluded by such secrets, since ”If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

I recently read of a pastor of a mega church who announced from the pulpit that he no longer believed in the gospel because it does not work. It seems to me that pastors are among those for which secrets take the deepest tole. The pressure on pastors to be seen to have it all together is immense, and if a pastor cannot find a safe place to confess his or her sins, shipwreck of one form or another, is inevitable. But it’s not just pastors, and the Lord brought this verse to me this morning “There is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known” (Luke 12:2). Surely it is better to have our sins and iniquities confessed and forgiven in the here and now while the Lord may be found (Isiah 55:6), and our hearts healed and cleansed from the pollution by confessing one to another (James 5:16).

I said earlier that twelve-step-programs give us bite size steps to follow through in these things. The first few steps have to do with coming out of denial, and committing to confession and asking God to do what we cannot do. This is simple stuff, but far from easy. The fearless moral inventory (step 4) takes courage to truly look at ourselves, to see the need to forgive and to take responsibility for out part in it all. And we always have a part even if it is only wrong responses to wrong done. The next step is to admit to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. Confessing one to another starts with finding just one safe person. Sadly I have to say that much of the Western Church is not safe, but there are safe people. In twelve step programs we look for a sponsor. When I confessed to mine the thing I least wanted to confess, he told me that he had done the very same thing. It really was healing.

Father, it seems to me that the thief has had much of his success in convincing the World that You are a punishing God, just waiting to call us out. Nothing could be further from the truth, and You wait to be gracious so you can forgive and cleans us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). I know of so many Lord who are covered in guilt and shame and are in hiding often from themselves. It is You though Lord that convict of sin and not me. Help us Lord to simply love them and to speak any word that You have have us speak in Your time not ours. I am sensing Lord that one of the very best things we can do, is to walk in Your light and so be in process of being transformed from glory to glory in Jesus Name Amen

Sanctification fellowship (II) Passionately intense prayer

There are many advantages, in twelve-step-programs, to having Christ as your higher power, someone or something greater than yourself. I have mentioned before the principles and promises of the Word of God, and the power and presence of Holy Spirit. This morning I want to mention one more, namely prayer in the Name of Jesus! The full text of James 1:16 (which more and more is becoming a theme song for these posts) is “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The passionate and intense prayers of the righteous are powerful and effective.” Lest we should be tempted to disqualify ourselves, telling ourselves we are not righteous, I would remind you that Christians are called saints (holy ones i.e. Ephesians 1:1). I am not suggesting we can live lawless lives, but rather with Paul we count all things other than Chris as loss, in order that we might stand by faith in His righteousness, and not in our own (Philippians 3:7-9).

Prayers prayed in the Name of Jesus carry with them many promises. From the lips of Jesus, for example, we read “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:13). In the context of James 5:16 I want this morning to combine this promise with one that flows out of the deep and genuine unity that comes about when we are obeying the command to confess our faults one to another. In particular “If two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven” (Matthew 18:19). The Greeks word translated here as ‘agree, ’ is sumphoneo, from which we get the English word symphony. It speaks of harmony, as opposed to unison, that is of differences harmonized. This not the uniformity we are so often pressured to exhibit. Such sumphoneo cannot be found where we hide our faults from each other, but it is found supremely in the fellowship of those made righteous in the process of a James 5:16 type sanctification.

The power and effectiveness of such a fellowship was brought home to me on one occasion, when a prayer request had been brought forward of a relative caught in deep addiction and, rightly or wrongly, we feared was suicidal. Not long afterwards, we had the joy of welcoming that person into our fellowship, and he was soon growing in Christ like a weed. Compassion plays a role here, in the type of fellowship I am describing, when one member suffers we all suffer (1 Corinthians 12:26), and this makes passionate and intense prayer a simple and natural outflow of our compassion and concern. And we can claim that our prayers are powerful because we are righteous in the righteousness of Christ.

Father, over and over we read in Your Word that Jesus “moved with compassion” healed (i.e. Matthew 15:22). In order to do this Lord we need to enter into each other’s pain. Many times Lord we need Your help here. So please Lord draw us closer both to each other and to You, so that we may receive Your Grace to be Your hands and feet in this wicked and hurting World in Jesus Name Amen

Sanctification fellowship (I) Victory and healing

After having been rescued (saved) from the penalty of sin (justification Romans 5:1), we need to cooperate with the Lord in our sanctification. Sanctification is the ongoing process of being rescued from the power and pollution of sin. Most often we have seen sanctification as getting rid of our more obvious and visible faults. So when I got saved, for example, I quit cold turkey from my alcohol addiction and my womanizing. I was cleansing the outside of the cup (Matthew 23:25). But there is a whole lot more to sanctification! In particular we need to deal with the “inside of the cup.” Or as David put it “You desire truth in the inward parts” (Psalm 51:6). If we do not clean the inside of the cup (deal with our baggage), it will come out somewhere. With the Pharisees it came out in self righteousness and hypocrisy (verses 25-32).

This is the pollution of sin, it pollutes and defiles many, and it seems to me this is the reason so many have been hurt and turned off from church. Far too often we see the “us and them” syndrome. The truth of the matter, whether we deny it or not, is that “There is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:22,23). The default however, seems to be to hide this from the World, from the Church and even from ourselves. In particular, either “If they ever found out what I was like they would reject me,” or “I thank God that I am not like ‘them’” (Luke 18:11), or various shades of these two extremes. Part of where I am coming from this morning is that on our prayer call I heard of a man finally coming into a twelve step-program for help. And the thought came, not for the first time, that when we are in hiding or denial we isolate from the fellowship of those who are actively pursuing recovery, which is another name for this aspect of sanctification.

There are likely many things that stop us from obeying the command in James 5:16 to “confess your faults one to another and pray for one another so that you might be healed.” The promise of healing and fullness of life seems is given only within a fellowship that is practicing this principle. But for many (at least in the circles I move in) it is only in such fellowship we even get the victory. I mentioned the other day the five year anniversary of being clean from a major addiction. I had had some success before I joined the recovery (sanctification) program “Celebrate Recovery,” but the full victory only came after I had worked the steps. If there is a single verse that sums up what the program does, it is that it puts the above quoted portion of James 5:16 into practice. And it does it by breaking it down into bite size steps.

Father, someone once described Your Church as “Cinderella with amnesia,” but perhaps “Sleeping beauty” is more accurate. Whatever Lord, please wake us up, and bring us into practical remembrance of all You have done for us in lifting us out of the ash heap. And Lord please help us to not be satisfied to clean only the outside of the cup. But we need Your courage Lord, to come out of hiding, and we need You to connect us with others who are willing to bring heaven to earth in terms of the innocence, openness and vulnerability that characterized Adam and Eve before the fall (Genesis 2:25). And we ask for this in Jesus Name Amen

Though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow

Debilitating gilt, crushing guilt, is toxic. It eats away at our insides, takes away our joy and peace, and leaves us desperate, empty, alone and isolated, and in great emotional and spiritual pain. It is a major source of depression and can in fact drive us crazy. The imagery of scarlet in this quote from Isaiah 1:18, conjures up the sense of being deeply stained. Scarlet and crimson were dyes that were not easily washed out. Scarlet speaks of blood, and as with the English phrase “caught red handed” speaks of blood on your hands after murder. The phrase “white as snow” on the other hand, speaks of purity and innocence. White bridal gowns speak of the same thing, and can legally worn by those this verse is talking about, innocent in the Worlds eyes, or not!

Though the sins this verse speaks of clearly includes murder, it not restricted to it as indicated by the words “as” and “Though.” In other words there is no sin so serious (murder or sins every bit as serious as murder) that the Lord cannot forgive and cleanse so that, in His eyes, it is as if we never sinned. There are three things we can do with guilt. We can deny it, we can medicate it (with a multitude of addictions including keeping busy), or we can accept the invitation the Lord gives in this verse. He invites us “Come let us reason together” and goes on, as in the title of this post, to assure them that if we listen and obey Him, He will take away our guilt and leave us in , His eyes, as pure and as white as freshly fallen snow.

It is an invitation into relationship, and to partake of His offered salvation. This flies in the face of what many of us were taught, namely that God is out to get us, just waiting for us to mess up. The opposite is true, He is waiting to be gracious to us (30:18). And it is in relationship with Him, in His unconditional love and acceptance, that not only is our guilt taken away, but we are cleansed from all sin (1 John 1:9). I strongly suspect that there are those reading this, that you know what I am saying in your head, but it has not yet penetrated into your psyche and your emotions. And likely it needs to begin with you forgiving yourself, and then marinating in His love and His embrace. As with all forgiveness it is often a process, and starts with a decision of the will. When we obey the feelings will eventually follow.

Father, the prayer “I give myself a gift I don’t deserve” comes to mind. And since all forgiveness is undeserved it is by grace that we forgive and are forgiven. So when we tell You that we don’t deserve to be forgiven, You ask us “So what is your point?” And actually we may need to repent of being unwilling to forgive ourselves, because when we are unwilling, we are essentially saying that the death of the Lord Jesus was not enough punishment for our sin. And we are in effect trampling His blood under our feet (Hebrews 10:29). So help us Lord to have mercy on others and on ourselves in Jesus Name Amen

Part (II) Why do you spend money on what is not bread?

If I were to be honest and ask myself if I could describe my Christian life as “life in all its fullness” (John 10:10b), I would have to say that I know there is more, a lot more. There is always a lot more! But I would also have to say that I have come a long way, and this was actually confirmed in a prophetic word I received recently. By “coincidence” as I write today I am celebrating (to the day) five years of victory over a major addiction in my life. I keep mentioning that twelve-step-programs deal with much more than substance abuse. The Christ based version “Celebrate Recovery” for example deals with many other, often hidden addictions, even in church. Actually perhaps “hidden” is especially rife in church. I’m talking about such things as judging, gossiping, overeating, overuse of media, anger etc., etc. The list is clearly not complete, I could mention shopping or pornography which, I am told, is at epidemic proportions among men and, increasingly in the pseudo hyper sexuality of our culture, in women too.

I am not saying this to lay a guilt trip on anyone, but rather continuing last day’s post, to help us see the sort of thing that prevents our soul from delighting itself in “fatness” (Isaiah 55:2), in the abundant life. There is a deception that the Evil One is perpetrating on the Church, and it is that we don’t need to deal with the past, because it is “all under the blood.” Certainly as we walk in the light “the blood of Jesus Christ keeps on cleansing us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). However sanctification, deliverance from the power and the pollution of sin, as the Greek tenses in this verse imply, is an ongoing process (see “I am being saved” May 4). And the problem is, that if my struggle and my wounding are “all under the blood,” already dealt with, then I likely will hide my struggle and my pain. And I am afraid to come out of hiding because clearly I am the only one with problems, and if I confess (James 5:16), I am likely to be judged. Please don’t try and tell me this is not happening.

Please do not misunderstand me, I am not condoning living in the past. I have found however, that I need to visit the past (not camp there) to allow the Lord to redeem it. In an “issue focused” session in a ministry called “Restoring the Foundations,” the Lord took me back to a particularly painful incident in the Church where, from my point of view, I was being verbally attacked publicly, and falsely accused. As I asked Jesus where He was at the time, He showed me that He was standing between me and my accusers, absorbing the “fiery darts” that were being aimed at me. And when the session was over, it simply didn’t hurt anymore. This would not have happened if I had simply told myself “It’s all under the blood.”

Father in my prayer/exercise walk just now, the verse “You can’t heal a wound by saying it’s not there” (Jeremiah 6:14 NLT) came to mind. Yet that is what I see many in Your church are doing. I know it’s scary Lord, but as You have shown me when we push through the pain Your way we, like Jesus, come to joy (Hebrews 12:2). Give us courage and wisdom Lord to face the pain so that You can restore unto us the years the locust have eaten (Joel 2:25), and we will give You the glory in Jesus Name Amen

Why do you spend money on what is not bread

The verse continues “and labor for what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in fatness” (Isaiah 55:2 NIV, KJV). The Hebrew poetry and imagery of the first two stanzas are essentially asking why we are looking for, and working hard to find, fulfilment, satisfaction and love in all the wrong places. It is a highly relevant question both inside and outside the Western Church! I say this because the Church at times is indistinguishable from the World and, like ancient Israel at times, the shoe “Joy is withered away from the sons of men” (Joel 1:12) fits the bill to a T. This morning’s verse however is preceded by the invitation “Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink— even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk— it’s all free” (verse 1 NLT)! Are you thirsty this morning, thirsty to begin, or thirsty for more?

Since theologically repetition signifies importance, the “Listen, listen” of the NIV (harken diligently KJV) gives the force of the Hebrew. Other translations have “listen carefully.” But you get the point, this is not casual listening, and of course the Biblical concept of listening includes follow through (obedience), to what is being heard. And what needs to be heard, is that we need to forsake our wicked ways and thoughts, and return to the Lord seeking Him while He is calling, and thus may be found. When we do this He will abundantly pardon (verses 6, 7). Should you or I protest that we are not wicked, the answer comes that “My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts” (verses 8,9).

There is a promise at the end of the verse “your soul will delight in fatness” (KJV). Other translations have “the richest of fare.” I am remembering a story a missionary told me of being invited to dine with a sheik. To honour him, the sheik had served him with a lump of fat. The missionary humbly protested that that was too good for him and returned it to the sheik. It is a bit like our eating fat ladened scrunchions. The point though is that the promise is that we shall "eat" of “the richest of fare,” and that “You shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace” (verse 12). The New Testament equivalent is “life in all its fullness” (John 10:10). But if we are to eat and drink spiritual milk and wine rather than just water (merely surviving verse 1), then in the words of twelve-step-programs “Half measures profited us nothing.” He is not impressed with anything less that full surrender and passionate responses (Revelation 3:15-19).

Father, help us to see the hollowness of much of what we do. When we come to the place where life even starts to feels empty (or worse), help us Lord to turn to you and eat of the spiritual food and drink of Your Word, Your Spirit and Your presence. Forgive us Lord for those times we have either strayed or have been lukewarm. Bring us back to our first love, teach us to harken diligently unto You, and Lord please restore unto us the joy of our salvation. And we will give You the glory in Jesus Name Amen

Self-control: The fruit of the Spirit (XIII)

The last in this cluster (of nine) in what is called the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22,23), is self-control. The Greek lexicon gives this as the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, especially his sensual appetites. This list of virtues that flow out of a vital connection with the Spirit is clearly not complete. Absent for example, are faith and humility. But it is as though naming this last virtue in this list prompted the thought, in Paul’s mind of the need to put to death the sinful nature with its passions and desires (verse 24). James reminds us that it is out of hedonistic desires that wars and fights arise (James 4:1). And above all, in order for self-control to grow, these desires need, with the help of the Spirit, to be put to death (Romans 8:13).

But certainly as likely none of those in the list do, this virtue does not exist in isolation. In particular, Peter sees this as part of a progression of virtues. He says “But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control … (2 Peter 1: 5, 6). The progression is interesting, because true faith brings with it a desire to please Him, and in particular to practice any virtue He may be putting HIs finger on. And often it is only when we try to practice a particular virtue, that we discover how hard it is. With our addictions, for example, it is only when we try to stop that we realize just how addicted we really are, and how much we have hidden this knowledge from ourselves (Romans 1:18). So then practicing virtues leads more and more to the self-knowledge of just what we are capable of outside of the influence of the Holy Spirit, and how easily we deceive ourselves (Jeremiah 17:9). And this naturally and progressively leads us to wanting to cooperate with Holy Spirit in producing self-control. We cannot do it without Him (John 15:5), but with Him all things are possible.

The “very reason” Peter is talking about in the above quote, has to do with the fact that we have been given exceedingly great and precious promises through which we may actually be partakers of His divine nature (verse 4). And this, brings us full circle back to the fact that this only truly works in partnership with Him. As I said earlier, a fruit tree does not strive to produce fruit. Neither are we intended to strive to produce the fruit of the Spirit. Rather we need to believe (have faith) that everything has already been provided for life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue (verse 3). Nevertheless since these virtues are also commanded (i.e. love is both fruit and is commanded John 15:12), we have a part to play. In other words we have to practice the fruit, and in particular we need to practice self control.

Lord Jesus, You would not tell us that Your yoke is easy and Your burden light, if it were not so (Matthew 11:30). You do not want us striving Lord, and so please forgive us when when we do. Thank You that when we fail and confess, You are faithful and just both to forgive us, and to cleanse us (1 John 1:9). And once again Lord, thank You that You will keep right on working with us in these things until the day we see You face to face. Thank You Lord that on that day we will be truly like You (1 John 3:2). And we bless You again this morning Lord, in Your precious Name Amen

Gentleness: The fruit of the Spirit (XII)

“Gentle Jesus meek and mild, wouldn’t hurt a fly.” Well gentle, yes and depending on your understanding of the word meek, that too, but mild? A man who made a whip of chords and overturned the tables of the money changers and drove them out of the Temple (John 2:15) is not mild. But is He meek? Some translation of 2 Corinthians 10:1 seem to imply so. But the NIV has 'humility' rather than meekness,' reading “pleading with you by the humility and gentleness of Christ.” And humility rather than some understandings of the English word meekness seems closer to the mark on what we read about Jesus in the Gospels. In our macho world gentleness is often seen as weakness, but with the Biblical understanding of the concept the opposite is the case. Gentleness in the Biblical sense can be defined as strength under control, and can be illustrated by the control a strong man needs to exercise, when he shakes the hand of a little child.

Two proverbs help to draw out the Biblical meaning. Firstly “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger (Proverbs 15:1). A word can be harsh in tone or in content. It does not take much to either continue or even escalate situations in which we encounter anger. The second proverb reads “Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone” (Proverbs 25:15). The Tyndale commentary helpfully gives “The point is that so unassuming a weapon may win surprising victories.” I remember one time having a lot of trouble with tires that refused to stay inflated with the result they had worn out far too soon. I went to see the manager of the store and he came to meet me clearly wary of people loudly demanding their rights. But I approached him calmly and gently asking if there was something he could do for me. He could, and I had the distinct impression it would have not gone well if I had angrily demanded my rights.

So gentleness is far from weakness, and as with all aspects of the fruit of the Spirt, it is primarily caught as we spend time with our awesome gentle God. The Psalmist could declare “Your gentleness has made me great” (Psalm 18:35). How differently is this from the ways of the World! Gentleness is a spirit, and is commanded especially when we need to come alongside one who is overtaken in a fault (Galatians 6:1). And this admonition is applicable to ourselves too when we have blown it. How many of us beat ourselves up when we have failed? The Lord does not deal with us this way so neither should we.

Father, gentleness is one more aspect of the fruit of the Spirit where I need practice, since I tend to be reactive in that my default response to anger has been to be to raise my voice. But You know my frame Lord and I want to thank You again this morning that there is no condemnation for any of Your followers (Romans 8:1). You do not call us out Lord, but rather You call us up to our high calling in Christ Jesus. And Lord as we continue in Your grace and mercy, Your gentleness is sure to make us great. We want to be like You Lord, so draw us and keep us close in Jesus Name Amen

Faithfulness: The fruit of the Spirit (XI)

According to the dictionary the characteristics of faithfulness include loyalty, constancy, true-heartedness, dependability, reliability, trustworthiness and are keepers of promises.” Now God is supremely faithful. In the face of our unfaithfulness He remains faithful. The Scripture puts it this way “If we are unfaithful, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny who He is” ( 2 Timothy 2:13). Faithfulness then is who He is, it is His DNA, it is firmly fixed within His character. And unlike us, He will never do something uncharacteristic of Himself, not even once. He is unchanging and our rock (Psalm 18:2)!

In the context of being careful about making vows, we read in Ecclesiastes 5:4 “When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools.” Concerning vows to each other Jesus tells us “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ be ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one” (Matthew 5:37). And one of the things the Lord tells us concerning the character of those who would abide in with Him, is that “they keep their promises, no matter what the cost” (Psalm 15:1,4). Especially relevant here is the meaning our ‘yes!” The parable Jesus told about the two sons (Matthew 21:28-32) comes to mind. He asked them both to go work in the vineyard. One said ‘no,’ but later changed his mind and went. The second son said ‘yes,” but did not go. Jesus tells that the first son was doing his father’s will. Long story short, it is better so say no than to say yes and be unfaithful to what we have said.

And saying ‘no’ is a problem for many of us, and for the longest time that was me. There can be all sorts of things that can lie behind such behaviour. We may be people pleasers, we may not want the confrontation that saying no would bring. We may be like the second son, just wanting to get them off our back, but have no intention of following through. And as I have been saying, all of these things likely require practice, as the Lord brings these things to our attention in His ongoing polishing of our character. If I am in doubt I often tell people “Let me get back to you on that.” Of course I need to. I find that many times people ask me to keep something in prayer, and I have learned to say “Let me pray for that with you right now.” I have had to repent of saying yes, and then later not even remembering what I was supposed to pray about!

Father, as with other aspects of the fruit of Your spirit when we spend time with You, Your virtues rub off on us. And You are truly faithful. It’s not that I have everything that You have promised, but in the words of a song I certainly felt that the walls would have fallen by now, but “This is my confidence, You never failed me yet!” And Lord I pray for all reading this this blog both that we would learn to be faithful, and also to trust in Your faithfulness even when we don’t see it, and the answer is long delayed. You have a purpose in the waiting and a lot of this is character polishing so that we may look more and more like Your Son in whose Name we pray Amen

Goodness: The fruit of the Spirit (X)

Let me ask you a question “Is mankind basically good (the quality of being morally virtuous)?” Your answer is likely to shape all your social, moral and political views (Prager). It will also colour your attitude to God and religion. Without going into this in detail, what I mean is that if you believe that human nature is basically good, then the “good news” of the gospel will make no sense to you. If we are basically good, why would we need to be rescued from ourselves (Matthew 3:7)? So is mankind good? The Scripture makes no bones about it “There is no one who does good, not even one” (Romans 3:12). Jesus asked a certain ruler “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone” (Luke 18:19).

But if goodness is part of the fruit of the Spirit, then is it not then possible for us to be good? Well in Jesus yes, but it is His goodness, not our own. The believer stand in His righteousness which is a robe He puts on us (Isaiah 61:10). The Lord describes our own (self) righteousness as being like filthy polluted garments (Isaiah 64:6). Motive is important! With Paul we may have to get rid of all that we hold dear (including the sense of our own goodness), in order that we might be “found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own …, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith” (Philippians 3:9). So what I am saying is that those of us who have fully surrendered to Christ, and among other things are dealing with our issues, we are being changed from one degree of glory to another, as we practice being partakers of the divine nature (2 Corinthians 3: ; 2 Peter 1:3 - see below).

One of the most important verses in the New Testament is 2 Corinthians 5:21. Speaking of Christ we read “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Sometimes known as the Divine exchange He takes our sin and gives us His righteousness. And it is in His righteousness that we will stand (if we believe) on that day. It is His righteousness and goodness that qualifies us for Heaven, not our own. When we are dealing with our issues, this is not just theory, it is very very practical. The point is that He has made it possible for us to be “partakers of the Divine nature” (2 Peter 1:3), and in particular of His goodness. So what exactly is our part? It is “beholding,” for “we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory" (2 Cor 3:18). So what is this beholding? Well at least part of it is worship and meditating on His word, and in practicing His presence which is perhaps the essence of praying without ceasing.

Father, I truly believe that Your virtues are infectious as we spend time in Your presence. They say we become like what we worship. If we worship money, we become cold and calculating. That surly was the rich young rulers problem! In terms of this morning’s post, if we worship You, then Your goodness will rub off on us. Thank You Lord we have access 24/7 to the best teacher in the Universe - You. Please Lord help us not to neglect this awesome privilege in Jesus Name Amen

Kindness: The fruit of the Spirit (IX)

One dictionary defines kindness as being generous, helpful, considerate of other people's feelings. It is not the same as politeness, which is defined as courtesy, civility and respect respect. We can be polite without being kind, and we can be outwardly kind while inwardly resentful and unforgiving. The extract from 1 Corinthians 13:3,4 “If I give all my goods to feed the poor … but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long (yesterdays’s word) and is kind” comes to mind. One author put it this way “True kindness is Spirit-produced (Galatians 5:22). It’s a supernaturally generous orientation of our hearts toward other people, even when they don’t deserve it, and don’t love us in return.” Kindness is supremely a characteristic of God “With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you” (Isaiah 54:8). Mercy then is part of kindness.

Since kindness is part of the fruit of the Spirit, we cannot be truly kind if we have not died to the sinful nature with its passions and desires (Galatians 5:24). To be truly kind we have to be imitators of God in the many ways that He is kind. He is kind for example in not counting our sins and trespasses against us, and taking the initiative in reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:19). In related graces, He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness (Joel 2:13). God’s grace and kindness are inextricably linked. We are saved by grace in order that “in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:5,7).

Sometimes kindness needs to express itself in tough love. Since the fruit of the Spirit is found supremely in God (it is in His DNA), then in all He does He is kind. In particular He was kind, when He told the rich young ruler, in a discussion of eternal life, that he needed to sell all that he had, give to the poor and follow Him (Matthew 19:16-22). It is clear from the context that his riches were an idol, that they were more important to him that God (verses 23,24). God is a jealous God, and will have no idols before Him (Exodus 20:3). Paul could talk about the kindness and severity (tough love) of God “Therefore consider the kindness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off” (Romans 11:22). When our eternal destiny is at stake, He needed to be absolutely clear. It is no kindness to soft pedal such truth. In speaking truth in our imitation of God, we do need to speak it in love (Ephesians 4:15).

Father, as with all other aspects of the fruit of Your Spirit, kindness needs to be practiced. And when we have failed we will likely need to apologize and ask forgiveness. The best way I know to practice all these virtues Lord is to spend time with the kindest person in the universe - namely You Yourself. Your kindness is infectious! And I need grace and discipline to do this too. Truly Lord without You we can do nothing (John 15:5), nothing of value , noting of eternal worth. When we do things with You and for You, then You get the Glory and we get the reward. How kind is that! Thank You Lord in Jesus Name Amen

Patience: The fruit of the Spirit (VIII)

Standing at the checkout years ago, shortly after conversion, a friend asked me what I was doing. Through gritted teeth I replied that I was learning patience the hard way. Boy did I have a lot to learn! Not saying I have now arrived! In terms of long term waiting for my promise, I have made much progress. But some of the things I say as to other drivers, knowing they can’t hear me, comes to mind. Not saying I swear at them, but I am aware this morning I will shortly be blogging on gentleness and self-control! And as I realize more and more the impact of negative thoughts and words on the fruit of the Spirit in my life, I am more and more wanting to take every though captive unto the obedience of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 10:6). Certainly patience is something that needs to be learned (practiced), and the verse “Tribulation works patience” (Romans 5:3) comes to mind!!

The Greek word translated patience here, is makrothumia. The Amplified Bible adds “not the ability to wait, but how we wait while waiting.” But it’s not just about waiting, it is how we deal with irritations and trials. Other translations have “longsuffering.” Suffering long speaks of standing up in the long run under trial. And this is precisely what the Greek synonym used at the end of James 1:2,3 means. Note the connection with joy “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.” James goes on to admonish us to let patience have its perfect work (verse 4). So what precisely does that mean? It seems to me that James is talking about cooperation with the Lord in what He has allowed. Fully cooperation has to do with choosing to receive these tings with joy (yes we need to practice), knowing that God only allows things in our lives that He can use for our Good (Romans 8:28).

My life verses are Psalm 40:1-3, which start with “I waited patiently on the Lord.” I always knew that this was His instruction to me. I have now waited more than two decades for a promise He gave me. Several years into the waiting He asked me if I was waiting patiently. I could only reply that I had waited! As far as waiting patiently, that was something else. I don’t believe anybody can wait patiently that long without a lot of help, I know that I could not. Patience however is part of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), and so any credit for my eventual patient waiting goes to Him. Yes I had to choose to “let patience have it’s perfect work.” As I said I have not arrived, not by a long shot, I am not yet what I will be, but thanks God I am not what I once was. As we say in my Christ centred recovery group, we celebrate progress not perfection.

Lord as I was saying the other day, You wait for us, and with us. The whole thing is all about relationship with You, and every negative circumstance is a crossroads. We get to choose to cooperate and allow You to do through us what we can never do for ourselves, either that or we draw back in some form of offence. And the sooner we get this into our head the better. Thank You this morning Lord for Your patience, and long suffering with us. Thank You that You You know our frame, that You know that we are but dust. Thank You that we are precious in Your sight and that You love us with an everlasting love. And we pray these things in Jesus Name Amen

Peace: The fruit of the Spirit (VII)

In a time of turmoil and judgement on Israel, Isaiah speaking to God wrote “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (Isaiah 26:3). To “stay” in this context means ‘remain in a specified state or position’ in this case of trust. Faith, trust and peace are closely related, the stronger the faith, the greater the peace. And a strong faith is one that has been tested. In the trauma they felt learning that He was leaving Jesus told the disciples “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you” (John 14:27). And “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (16:33). But what were some of “these things?”

But first the ‘perfect peace' we are talking here is shalom. Shalom is much more than absence of hostilities, and though it can mean that, we can have shalom even in the midst of war. Shalom can mean completeness, safety, soundness, in body, welfare, health, prosperity, peace, quiet, tranquillity and contentment. Paul could say “ I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content” (Philippians 4:11). And speaking of the need to learn this, brings us back to what we need to see about all the fruit of Spirit, namely that though it is a gift, we still need to practice to take it into our hearts and experience. I have spoken before of the need I have to work (practice) the passage Philippians 4:4-7, which ends with the promise “And the peace that passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” As I “work it,” I often have to repent for not obeying the instructions (i.e. not rejoicing, giving into anxiety, not praying with thanks etc.)!

So what were the things Jesus told the disciples that they may have peace? Firstly as we have already read that though they would have trouble, He has overcome the world. Secondly He knew that they would all desert Him at the moment of trial. This for me is both poignant and hopeful. He knows our weakness, knows that we will fail Him at times, and yet He loves and accepts us just the same, and He forgives us over and over (Matthew 18:22). He also told them (and hence us Matthew 28:20a) that He would send the Holy Spirit to be with us, to teach us, and to bring to remembrance all that He (Jesus) taught us (John 14:26). Also He promised never to leave us nor forsake us (Matthew 28:20b; Hebrews 13:5). On top of all of this He has given us His exceedingly great and precious promises, so that we may be partakers of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).

Father, thank You for Your promise to keep us in perfect peace when we trust You, and have our minds are stayed on You. It all seems to start in the mind Lord. Thank You that as we choose to trust You, then because You are faithful You always come through for us. It is not always what we want or exactly when we want it, but it is always what we need. And as we continue to choose to trust and to wait, You are building a strong wall of faith. And it becomes easier to trust You, as we practice keeping our minds stayed on You and our eyes on Jesus. And thank You again that You never give up on us, but You just keep right on working in us for Your praise and Glory. We love You Lord in Jesus Name Amen

Joy: The fruit of the Spirit (VI)

The proverb “Sorrow may hide behind laughter” (Proverbs 14:13) was certainly true for me. I was said to be the life and soul of the party. And I remember going to one that was dead, and changing the atmosphere. Then, when it was in full swing, I left walking the streets weeping, because of the pain in my heart. I did not know the Lord at that time! So often in the world we have to ramp up the tempo and the hype and the laughter, because if we stop or slow down, we will have to face the pain and we will weep! I hear so many people say that the one thing they want for their children is they just want them to be happy. We tend to think of joy and happiness as being the same, but joy is not the same as happiness. Happiness is dependent on happenstance, on circumstances. Joy can be present even in the midst of sorrow, though obviously it can co-exist with happiness.

Tony Campolo tells the story of, as a little boy, going on a field trip to the Empire State building. He was running around on the top, and suddenly stopped and told himself “Tony, you are on top of the Empire State building.” He tells that moment he was feeing fully alive. What he was feeling was joy. It is hard to define joy, but do you know what he meant? I do, but for the longest time I had so little of it. For many of us the saying “Surely joy has withered away from the sons of men” (Joel 1:12) is as true today, as it was in his day. In talking about the need to abide in Him, and for His Word to abide in us, Jesus tells His disciples “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11). This prompted in me a line from chorus we used to sing “Joy is the flag flown high from the castle of my heart when the King is in residence there!” And as part of the fruit of the Spirit, we obtain His joy (My joy may remain…) as we stay vitally connected to (abide in) Him, in and through His Word.

There are many joy killers, unbelief is just one of them. There is another chorus that we sing with the line “When I trust You I don’t need to understand.” In particular when we are there we can increasingly count it all joy when we fall into trials and temptations and difficulties (James 1: 2). How do we do this? We need to remember His faithfulness in the past (Hebrews 12:1). And then we need to look to Jesus “who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross despising the shame” (Hebrews 12:2). If we have strayed, we need to return to Him. But whatever, we need to hide in His embrace, and to receive His comfort and Grace to help in such times of need. We need to practice rejoicing in Him (Philippians 4:4), in His mercy and in His Grace. And then as we abide in Him, He will increasingly fulfill our joy with “joy unspeakable and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8).

Father, most of us are not there yet! Perhaps we have not even seen that it is available. Like many things, joy is one of the things the Evil One wants to steal from us. But he can only do this if we let him. So this morning Lord I am asking You to keep us close and to equip us to increasingly enter into the fullness of Your joy even in the midst of it all. And we will give You the glory in Jesus Name Amen

Forming new, and breaking old, habits

Modern research into the brain has revealed some interesting applications to recovery. The new buzzword is “neuroplasticity,” it describes the brain's ability, throughout life, to reorganize itself by forming new, or tear up old, neural pathways. A neural pathway is a kind of shortcut in the brain in either our thinking or our habits, and is created by repeated thought or activity. In learning to read, for example, we start off sounding out the letters. As we continue to do this over and over, suddenly we can read words and even whole sentences, without consciously doing so. A neural pathway has been formed. This works both positively and negatively, and is why addictions, in both thinking and doing, are so hard to break. The good news though, is that old habits can be broken (neural pathways can be torn up) and new habits formed (new neural pathways formed). Estimates vary about how long the new thinking/behaviour need to be repeated before this happens. In terms of addictions and addictive obsessive thinking, it is said to take between thirty and ninety days of repetition to form the new habit (neural pathway).

II was saying yesterday, that we need to replace negative thoughts and deeds with positive thoughts and deeds. We are likely however, to have believed lies about our ability to change. We may tell ourselves “This is who I am, it is part of my personality,” or “There is no way that I can change, I have tried over and over and I always fail.” We may tell ourselves “I am a looser.” This then becomes self fulfilling prophecy since believing was we do, we may quit before the miracle happens, or we may not give it our best effort. As Christians we need to embrace the truth that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). You see you and I are made in the image of God, and “God don’t make no junk!” In particular, with God’s help, we can change! I am not saying it is easy, He has however given us tools.

And one of these tools is each other. I am impressed with the fellowship that can be found in many twelve-step groups, both secular and Christ based. I do of course have a bias towards the latter. I have a vision of the Church becoming safer than it is, and embracing recovery ministries. In a Christ centred support group we have available all the principles and promised of the Scripture, and the power of Holy Spirit. But we still need each other so we can hold one another accountable, to spur one another on to love and good works, and to obtain healing as we confess our faults one to another in a safe place (Galatians 6:1; Hebrews 10:24,25; James 5:16).

Father, I am convinced that we have shortchanged the presentation of the gospel by not including the help that the Scriptures and our relationship with You bring in coming into the fullness of life that is the very reason You came (John 10:10b; Luke 4:18). So Father I pray that the coming revival that has even now started, will bring in the Kingdom as we in Your Church get our hearts healed and so exhibit the full power of Your salvation. In Jesus Name Amen

Love: The fruit of the Spirit (V)

The world says “Don’t get mad, get even!” But a better thought is “Love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44). Angry and/or revengeful thoughts easily become addictive, I know, because I’ve been there! And like all addictions they are easy to get into, and hard to get out of. And it’s no use stuffing them, because when we stuff them they are bound to manifest somewhere, often on those who don’t deserve it. What we need to do, is to replace such negative thoughts with thoughts and deeds in the opposite spirit. In particular when someone is difficult to love ask God to show you the treasure among the trash, and what you can do practically, to show love. It sounds simple, and it is, but it’s not easy, that is why I keep saying we need to practice. And what we need to practice most, is to obey the commandment to abide in His love (John 15:9, see also Mark 12:30, 31).

We do this first and foremost for ourselves, unforgiveness and obsessive thinking rob us of all the fruit of the Spirit. We cannot have joy and peace, for example, while our negative thoughts are running rampant. God loves us in specific ways that are tailor-made for our needs, and for our growth. In the same way, since we are to be imitators of God, we need to love others in specific ways that Taylor name made for their need and growth. So we need to ask God how He sees them, and how He wants us to love them. This can involve tough love, not yielding to their control or manipulation. But we do need to get our own house in order first. When I was younger I didn’t think I needed God’s help to love others, I was naïve, and I have come to the realization that I cannot do it without Him.

So how do we do it? We need to start by realizing that our thinking has been pickled by the ways of the world. If you dip a cucumber into vinegar and take it out again, it remains a cucumber. But if you let it marinate, it becomes a pickle. This works similarly both positively and negatively in our thinking, and we need to marinate in His presence, and in the tangible, unconditional love of God. We also need to practice loving others. And if we are serious about this, God will bring people who are difficult to love into our lives in in order to train us. We will likely fail, but then there is forgiveness (1 John 1:9), and practice makes perfect! The story is told of a piano teacher who made up exercises based on his students weaknesses. It was frustrating for the student, but when she persisted, she made amazing progress. It will be the same with us when we persist!

Father, teach us to love as You have loved us. We need Your grace and persistence, and we need tangible encounters of Your love. This is Kingdom work, and I have the sense that You are far more willing to do Your part, than we are to submit to this character polishing. And all this is part of dying to self, and coming alive to You. We cannot do this without spending quality time with You Lord. Thank You that You who began a good work in us will keep right on doing it until the day we see You. And I am more and more realizing the truth that unless we abide in You and Your Word abides in us, we can do nothing (John 15:4) in Jesus Name Amen

Cultivating fruit: The fruit of the Spirit (IV)

The Scripture says that when seeds are planted in the ground fruit is produced all by itself (Mark 4:28 NIV). But the fruit is also commanded, for example love is part of the fruit (Galatians 5:22), but we are also commanded to love (John 13:34). So which is it, and is it automatic, or is it the result of obedience? The parable of the sower (Mark 4:3- 20) gives us insight into the fact that the yield is dependent on the soil (of our hearts), and what is growing along with the planted seed. If the soil is “rocky” indicating our allowing offence provoked by trials and persecution, then the growth is cut off by the “heat” of it (verses 16,17). If the seed is planted among the “weeds” in our lives (the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things), then the grown is choked (verses 18,19) and we become unfruitful!

It seems to me, that the individual aspects of the fruit of the Spirit are choked or circumvented in different ways, by different “weeds” or offences. Love is choked by bitterness and resentment. Peace is robbed from us by anxiety. Gentleness is thrown out of the window by anger. Faithfulness his sabotaged by the unfaithfulness of others as we ask ourselves “What’s the point of me being faithful, when nobody else is?” Self-control is thwarted by feeding our hearts on the sinful desires of our hearts by either refusing or failing, by the Spirit, to crucify the sinful nature with its passions and desires (Galatians 5:24).

So we come back again to the Lord’s desire that truth be in the “inward parts” of the heart (Psalm 51:6). It is not enough to simply clean up on the outside, cleaning the “outside of the cup,” but not dealing with our issues (Matthew 23:25). Nor is it enough to be saying the right thing, and teaching the truth, but not being doers of the Word (James 1:22). Jesus condemns those who “draw near with their mouths, but their heart is far from Me.” The things that defile come out of the heart (Matthew 15:18, 19), or in the language of this morning’s post, choke the growth of the fruit. So then our job, it is to weed the garden, and to feed the soil of our hearts with the nutrients of the Word of God. When we do this we will produce fruit some thirtyfold, some sixtyfold, some a hundredfold (Mark 4:8).

Father, Your word tells us that when the farmer plants the soil he has no idea how the seed actually grows (Mark 4:2). In the same way we have no idea how the fruit grows in our lives when we come to You in the ways we are talking about this morning. I only know that it works, I only know that I now walk in victory in things over which at one point I had no control whatsoever. So perhaps the aspects of the fruit of Your spirit that we need most are patience and long-suffering. Patience to continue steadfastly in the long growth process of cultivating the fruit of your Spirit, and long-suffering so as not be offended. So help us this morning Lord, to get over the offences of this life, to get the weeds out of our lives, and to feed on the faithfulness of Your amazing acceptance, love mercy and forgiveness. And we will continue give You the honour and glory and praise, in Jesus Name Amen

The fruit of the Spirit (II)

I was saying in the last post on this topic, that our having the fruit of the spirit in our lives, and our putting to death the sinful nature are closely linked (Galatians 5:22-24). The evil One can imitate the gifts, and the signs of the Kingdom (2 Thessalonians 2:9), but he cannot re-produce the fruit of the Spirit. For this reason, in distinguishing the fake from genuine Jesus tells us “By their fruit you will know them” (Matthew 7:15-23). And because if this, the Evil One will seek to bring people and circumstances into our lives with the intent to provoke the very opposite “fruit,” anger, wrath, malice, bitterness, and in fact all the works and attitudes of the flesh. So we need to learn to walk in the Sprit (to stay vitally connected with Him in an ongoing basis) in this way we will not fulfill the wrong desires of the sinful nature (Galatians 5:16-21).

The Amplified Bible helps us to understand what it means to “walk in the Spirit.” It translates the relevant part of verse 16 as “But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit].” So then in full awareness that our struggle is not against people and circumstances (Ephesians 6:12), we need to see every negative circumstance as an opportunity to practice appropriating one aspect of the fruit of the Spirit. Do you find someone hard to love? Here is an opportunity to practice allowing Holy Spirit to love through you (we cannot do it on our own - I cannot!). Have you ever said “He/she makes me mad?” Here is an opportunity, by the Spirit, to practice self control.

Does all this seem impossible? Remember I said last day that wresting with these things empowers them. And in essence, this brings us to the first step of twelve-step programs, namely our need to admit our powerlessness in a particular area (so note, the twelve steps are not just about substance abuse, but about any hurt, habit or hangup!). It also brings us to one of the many advantages we have when our higher power is the God of the Bible. In particular we have the Spirit to help us do our part in putting to death the deeds and the desires of the flesh” (Romans 8:13; Galatians 5:24 again). In the sort of situation we are discussing here, it is likely many times we do not want to do what we know we should. We may need to forgive, but our hearts may want vengeance. We may need to be gentle, but we want to blast them out of the water. At such time I pray something along the following lines:-

“Father, I confess to You that the very last thing I want to do right now is the very thing I know that You would have me do. So I ask You to help me to be willing to be willing to do my part in, by Your Spirit putting to death both the deeds and desires that I know are not of You. Thank You that as I grit my teeth and choose, entirely contrary to my flesh, to submit and as much as is within me to obey, that You will give me both the desire and the wherewithal to respond as You would have me respond (Philippians 2:12,13). And Father, in each situation, please enable the appropriate fruit of Your Spirit to grow as I practice it, in Jesus Name Amen”

I know whom I believed, and am persuaded He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him

In this verse from 2 Timothy 1:12 Paul (the writer) tells us he knows two things. Firstly he knows the One whom he as believed. This is not so much believing the teachings (it’s not what I have believed, but whom I have believed). It does not exclude that, but Paul is saying that he knows God in the same way that we know a person. Paul’s knowing is experiential, he has received God’s comfort, and strength in weakness and trials and temptation. The second thing that he knows, is that the Lord is able to keep (guard NIV) what he (Paul) has entrusted (deposited - Mounce) to Him for safe keeping. The sense of his commitment being deposited for safe keeping is brought out 1 Timothy 6:20. There Paul tells Timothy to guard the deposit (same word) entrusted to Him in ministry. The point, it is God who does the keeping and guarding.

Knowing God in the same way that we know and experience a person (and not just knowing about Him), is at the very heart of living the successful Christian life. Paul tells us that he counte everything he once valued as rubbish, in order that “I might know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering” (Philippians 3:8,10). The power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering are inseparable. But when we fully commit to Him, like buddies in a war we are bonded together with Him in our suffering. As I have said before, He suffered for us, and He suffers with us. Suffering is not something we seek, but when we do suffer we can rest in the knowledge that God is working all things together for our good (Roman 8:28 again). And if is seems like a sentence of death at times, know that He allows what He allows so that we might learn “not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:9).

There are many reasons we might hold back from coming to the Lord in the first place, or from complete surrender afterwards. We don’t know if we can trust ourselves to follow through, or to not to mess up. Many hold back because they are not sure they can change, or that they could change or maintain if they do. But we need to see not trying as the greatest failure, and that He is faithful and just to forgive when we mess up (1 John 1:9). And He is the best teacher ever. Like a skillful, gentle and loving coach, He comes along side of us and tenderly encourages us calling us up, not out! We give Him our mess, and He makes a masterpiece out of it. And it is because of the mess, not in spite of it. He makes all things beautiful in His time (Ecclesiastes 3:11). We do of course need to make the commitment and then give it to Him for safekeeping.

Father, I want to thank You this morning for Your partnership in the gospel. Thank You Lord it is You who keep me, not myself. Your Word tells me that You are able to save to the uttermost, to make our salvation complete. You who started this work in me, in us, are far more interested in this completion that we could ever be. You do it Lord and then amazingly You turn round and reward us. There is no-one like You our beautiful Lord and Saviour. Give us courage this morning Lord to continue to surrender all so that You may continue to transform us as we gaze into Your lovely face in Jesus Name Amen

But the fruit of the Spirit is … (I)

The “But” starting this extract from Galatians 5:22 points to the contrast of the works of the flesh (the sinful nature) with the fruit of the Spirit which is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (verses 22,23). In context Paul is telling that those who live according to the flesh (described in verses 19-21) “will not inherit the Kingdom of God.” But when we live by the Spirit (verse 25) and not in such lawlessness, then the fruit is produced in us, and law does not touch or condemn us, because “against such there is no law” (verse 23b). These are are those who belong to Christ, and who have crucified (put to death) the flesh with its passions and desires (verse 24). Part of me wants to say those who are Christ’s “are putting to death …,” seeing this as a process, but the tense is aorist, signifying a single action in the past.

You see the Lord does not want to improve us, His intention is to kill us, and out of that death a new life emerge. Life in the Spirit, is to rise Phoenix like from the dead. Paul tells us “I have been crucified with Christ,” and we were “buried with Him through baptism” and so we are to “reckon ourselves dead to sin” (Galatians 2:20; Romans 6:4,11). But what does that mean? Well, when we do not reckon our sinful nature as being dead, then inevitably we try to deal with our weaknesses by wrestling with them. When I do this, I inevitably finish up doing what I don’t want to do, and not doing what I want to do (Romans 7:19). If I tell myself “Don’t be anxious, don’t be anxious” what happens? My anxiety increases! What I am saying, is that when we wrestle with our weaknesses, we actually empower them? So what do we do? We tell ourselves “I am dead to sin, and alive to God!” Does this seem like a lie?

It is little wonder that the wisdom of the cross is foolishness to the unbeliever, but beloved, it is the Power of God to those of us who are being saved (1 Corinthians 1:18). Graham Cook makes an interesting distinction between pretending and practicing. In particular we are practicing being dead to sin. By faith I choose to believe what the Scriptures tell me about my being dead to sin. When the temptation comes, I picture myself, in my minds eye, on a slab dead, and I see the new spiritual man resurrecting through my dead body - dead to sin alive to God (Romans 6:11). They say “practice makes perfect” and it is this that is in process, as I choose to believe things that are not as though they are (Romans 4:17). Above all I must not strive. Have you ever seen a fruit tree striving?

Father, I see that a big part of MY putting to death the deeds and the desires of the flesh BY the Spirit, is to believe what You say about me being dead and buried. This is surely what it means to put off my old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires. But we also need to put on the new self. And part of this is to believe what You say about us, that we are saints and beloved adopted sons and daughters, and that You are in process of transforming us from one degree of glory to another. In Jesus Name Amen

Was saved, am being saved, will be saved (IV) I will be saved

I said at the beginning of this series of posts, that dividing salvation up into three components in this way is a little simplistic. The three parts are, in fact interrelated (they are a trinity), and together make up our great salvation. We look back to the cross and know that the work of our justification is finished (Mark 15:37). We live in the present being saved to bring in the Kingdom, and to be being changed from glory to glory looking unto Jesus, resting in the sure and living hope, of our future incorruptible and undefiled inheritance that is reserved in heaven for us (1 Peter 1:3,4).

This is very different from living in the past, in the “good old days,” or even the in bad old days, being tortured either by what we did, or what was done to us. It is also different from being focused on the future, but living living lives of quiet (or not so quiet) desperation in the here and now. The Lord wants to bring us to the place where we can say with Paul “For me to live is Christ, but to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). Paul likely got to this place because of, not in spite of, the things he suffered. He saw his suffering as a refining fire cutting away everything that hindered in order that he might, in the here and now know Him “and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering” (Philippians 3:10). Still he knows that heaven is better by far (“is gain”), but because his ministry was not finished, he is content to remain (Philippians 1:24, 25; 4:11).

We can only think that “to die is gain” in a healthy way (as opposed to being suicidal), when first of all we have the assurance that “we are accepted in the beloved” (Ephesians 1:6), and are persuaded that “He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him” (2 Timothy 1:12). He is the One who ultimately keeps us! Secondly when we have the sure hope of the kind that passes behind the veil of what our physical eyes can see, and thus becomes an anchor for the soul (Hebrews 6:19). I do not think we can get to this place unless and until we learn to forget those things that are behind, reach forward to those things which are ahead, and press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13,14).

Father, please bring us to the place where our ongoing relationship with You is so strong, and so real that we can indeed say “for me to live is Christ.” And Lord please also bring us into the place where we are so sure of the reality of who You are, and of Your promises that we can like Paul, in a healthy way say that to die is indeed gain. And Lord let the sure hope of heaven lead us to purify ourselves even as You are pure and we will give You the glory in Jesus Name Amen

Was saved, am being saved, will be saved (II) I am being saved

As I started to write this post, my first thoughts were about how much of a struggle most people in the circles I move in, find the Christian life. And was ready to write about that when the Lord arrested me, telling me that the Christian life is not supposed to be like that, and in fact there is no need for it to be. The verse “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30) came to mind. How can this be? I know that I lived in Romans 7 for years, and I would be lying if I said that I did not slip back there, but I am learning not to. Romans 7? You know “I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway” (verse 19). Paul describes this as “this body of death,” and tells us that Jesus delivers us from it (verses 24, 25). So back to Matthew, Jesus tells us “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me” (verse 29). But what does this mean, and how is it easy? Well first of all, it is something we need to learn, and to learn from Him. But what does this look like?

Well first of all Jesus was never flustered or stressed or too busy. It’s not that He was never tempted (Hebrews 4:15), nor never got angry (John 2:13 -16; Mark 3:5). But He was never out of control. In the cleansing of the temple, He took the time to make a whip (John 2:15). The picture of the yoke is interesting. A Yoke is what tethered two oxen together. If a young bull was tethered to an old one, the yoke could be fashioned so the young bull did most of the work. It’s a bit like if an adult tries to keep a door closed by pushing on it near the hinge, a child can open the door using the nob even though the adult is stronger. Try it! What I am saying is that when we are tethered to Jesus He takes the lions share of the burden and the struggle. We still have to do our part. If the old bull did not do his part, the plough would simply go round in circles.

Perhaps another picture is helpful. Paul tells us that “God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). So again, what does this mean? Well, part of it is that we need to operate out of the perspective of heaven where there are no problems! What I am saying is that Jesus saw and used every negative thing as an opportunity to bring heaven’s perspective, and at times to bring heaven down to earth. So in every difficulty we (me too) need to understand that we are yoked and seated with Jesus, and that He knows how to think about these things, and how to act in that situation. We need to “see” what He is saying and doing and do that. This is what Jesus did “I do only what I see my Father do” (John 5:19). And He wants to teach us to do the same!

Father, this wisdom from above is so contrary to the way that we have been taught to think and act. It has been drummed into us over an over. So Lord please interrupt us over and over, like You did with me this morning. Be with us as we seek to practice taking Your yoke upon us. And Lord this morning please be for us wisdom and strength. And please love this wicked and hurting World through us Lord, And as always we will give You the glory in Jesus Name Amen

Was saved, am being saved, will be saved (II) Was saved

As a boy I loved CS Forrester's Hornblower stories. There is a story that I think illustrates well what I want to say this morning. In it captain Hornblower is tasked with recovering gold from a sunken galleon. The whole mission relied on a Filipino pearl diver who could hold his breath for up to five minutes. On the way to the location Hornblower’s hotheaded surgeon challenged the diver to a duel and shot him. In a rage Hornblower told the surgeon that if the diver died, so would he (the surgeon). Several days later, the surgeon went to Hornblower saying that if the diver was to live, he needed to operate to take the bullet out, and Hornblower repeated his threat.

The diver pleads to be released saying that if, at the most important part of the surgery, he (the surgeon) remembered the threat, it could cause his hand to tremble and what could be the very thing that sabotaged the operation. In his wisdom, Hornblower withdrew the threat. If Hornblower was wise, surely God is wiser still. In particular, He knows that the threat of hell, if we don’t measure up to His standards, could be the very thing that causes us to fail. We might not even try, knowing that we can never measure up to His standards. After all “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). What I’m saying, is that God gives us eternal life as a free gift (Ephesians 2: 8, 9). And like Hornblower, He does so in order to release us to do our best. And if we are sincere in our repentance, then surely it is absolutely unthinkable that we should “continue to sin that grace may abound” (Romans 6:1,2). More on this tomorrow.

It is God’s very clear intention that we know the security of this aspect of our salvation, and to know it in our spirit, and not just in our heads. John tells us for example, that the the very reason he wrote to believers is so that “you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). Jesus himself tells us that the one who hears His Word, and believe on the the Father, has (present tense) eternal life, shall not come into judgment, but has passed (past tense) from death into life (John 5:24). To put it another way, He has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints (believers) in the light (Colossians 1:12). And we are not only saints, we are sons and daughters, and the Father is our Abba, our daddy! Now God shows no favouritism (is no respecter of persons Acts 10:34). So then as brothers and sisters of Christ (Hebrews 2:11) we hear Him say to us what He said to Christ “You are my beloved son (daughter) in whom I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11).

Father, you invite us to see (meditate on and carefully consider) what manner of love You have bestowed upon us that we should be called the children of God, and that is what we are! Now the world doesn’t know us because the world does not know You. And the Evil One will come and causes to doubt our sonship, our adoption. I mean he tried to tempt Jesus with “if you are the son of God…” (Matthew 4:3). So this morning Lord I choose to believe who You say I am. And I thank You for the assurance that I will be with You for ever in paradise. So please inhabit my praises this morning Lord, and I will give You the glory in Jesus Name Amen

Was saved, am being saved, will be saved (I)

A Salvation Army girl once asked an Anglican Bishop if he was saved. “Do you mean was I saved" he asked, "am I being saved, or will I be saved?” Perhaps a little over simplistically there are three aspects to our salvation. I was saved when I believed. This is sometimes referred to as justification, before the bar of God it is “it is just as if I never sinned” (see Romans 5:1). I am being saved, sometimes referred to as sanctification, but it is just one aspect of sanctification, the aspect of being transformed from one degree of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18). Finally I will be saved, sometimes referred to as glorification, when I am taken from this earth to be with Him forever in heaven. It’s a little bit like the illustration of a man who was shipwrecked and was picked up (was saved). He is "being saved" as he is carried to safety but is still at sea, and finally when he docks, he is fully saved!

“Was saved” happens when we respond to the invitation “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved” (Acts 16:31). It is about being rescued from the penalty of sin, “But now we have been delivered from the law …. (Romans 7:6a), so that (sanctification) we "should serve in the newness of the Spirit” (Romans 7:6b). We are not saved by works, but we are saved unto good works (Ephesians 2:8-10). When Paul admonishes us to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12), he’s talking about the “being saved” aspect of our salvation. In particular we are not to be in fear and trembling about whether we will make it to heaven. Rather we should fear and tremble less we miss our destiny and what will really fulfill us.

Being saved is about overcoming the power of sin in our lives. But it is easy to think of this only as the outward appearance, merely “cleaning the outside of the cup.” The alcoholic has a lot more issues than his drinking. I have described the first twenty years of my Christian life as that of being a dry drunk. I had not dealt with the issues that led me to drinking in the first place. But it’s not just about alcoholism! We seem to have this tendency to want to live by rules “touch not, taste not” etc., etc. But as the Scripture says these things have an appearance of wisdom, but they are of no value against the indulgence of our sinful natures (Colossians 2:21, 23). And the stuff that needs to be dealt with is hidden deep within us. It’s called denial! Even after the eleven had been with Jesus for three years, He told them “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now” (John 16:12).

Father, thank You that when we full cooperate with You (as in working our our salvation with fear and trembling) You work in our lives in both our desires, and the wherewithal to do Your will (Philippians 2:13). We loose our life to find it, but we need Your help Lord. Thank you Lord that for those of us who have believed in You, that we have been saved from the penalty of sin. Help us to cooperate with You in Your deliverance of us from the power of sin, and to look to You with the sure hope that we will be delivered from the very presence of sin. For this and many other things we praise and bless Your holy name again this morning Lord, in Jesus Name and Amen

He waits for us and with us

The word “wait” usually translated wait in Isaiah 30:18, the verse we were looking at yesterday, can also be translated “longs for.” The Amplified Bible gives the first part of the verse as “Therefore the Lord waits [expectantly] and longs to be gracious to you.” Since the same word is used in the last part of the verse, it could rendered “Blessed are all those who longingly and expectantly wait for Him.” The blessing then, is promised to those who wait for Him in the same way that He waits for us. The point I am wanting to make this morning is that this verse links His waiting for us and our waiting for Him. God’s primary purpose in all that He does is reconciliation and relationship (Ephesians 1:10). And His purpose in longingly waiting for us is to draw us deeper into intimate relationship with Him. Since what concerns us also concerns Him, when we are waiting on Him we can be sure He is waiting with us.

The context makes it clear that He wants us to wait “In quietness and confidence.” This, He tells us “shall be your strength.” Israel's default however, is to “take counsel, but not of Me,” and to “go down to Egypt for help” ((verse 15; 31:1). But are we any different when instead of waiting in quietness and confidence, we fret and worry? We need to see this as our going down to our own “Egypt, ” our going back to our old ways. Picture a little boy at the babysitters. His mummy had to go to another city for an operation. It was successful and the the boy was told mummy will be back at such and such a time. But the flight was delayed, and the boy is becoming anxious. Knowing this, his daddy comes home from work to be with him. His daddy is calm, quiet and confident, and as His daddy waits with him, he too becomes quiet and confident.

God is always calm, He is always confident and He invites us into His embrace as we wait for Him and with Him. When I am in danger of becoming anxious I often “work” Philippians 4:4-7, replacing my anxiety with prayer and supplication, not forgetting to be thankful. I also seek to rehearse what He has done in the past. In this way, I feed on His faithfulness, and claim His promise that when I delight myself in Him, then my desires are right, and He will (in His time) give me the desires of my heart (Psalm 37:3,4). I also know that He has a purpose in the delay. In particular when, as a little child I chose to trust Him, and to take courage, then He is strengthening my heart (Psalm 27:14)in His embrace.

Father, I love this Psalm. I love the verse “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living" (verse 13). And I want to thank You for the worship song “Do it again” that I was listening to this morning. I agree with the line “You never failed me yet,” You never have. It’s not that You have always done what I wanted, when I wanted it, but You have moved mountains in the past, and You are the same yesterday today and forever. So I pray for myself and all reading this who are waiting on You to fulfill a promise, that You will give us the courage and determination, with Your help, never, never, never to give up as we wait for You and with You in Jesus Name Amen