Dec 7, 2009 | Baby Photos, Stories, The Good Word
The Bear is in a wonderful stage of firsts right now. It is funny how I feel the need to document all these firsts. We brushed his three teeth for the first time yesterday (in the bathtub), and I was practically jumping over Mark to try to get a good angle with the camera for a photo.
He will probably be taking his first steps sometime soon. I suppose he was aspiring to be a clothing designer at about six months, because he once said the word, “gingham.” Â It seems he has set that dream aside…honestly we’re quite sure it was unintentional but we laughed at claiming that was his first word. The “Dadas” and “Mamas” are in full force right now, but a proper first word is probably coming soon. It is exciting to think about the billions and billions of words someone is going to say in their entire life and actually getting to witness the first one.
I was reading in a couple of different places this morning when I was convicted about my own words. I memorized Ephesians 4:29 quite a while ago (and it was part of my reading again today): “Let no corrupt word proceed outof your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” I try to let that Scripture ‘filter’ what’s going to come out of my mouth. If you stop before the first word, you don’t have to finish what you’ve started!
This morning, though, I wanted to tell Mark the story of a conversation I overheard at the gym, and although it was completely useless nonsense, and really not a very nice story to retell, I went against that ya-know-in-yer-knower-you-should-hush feeling and proceeded to tell the story anyway.
And then as I was reading in Proverbs later, I came across Prov. 11:13 —
A talebearer reveals secrets,
But he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.
Ouch! That’s clear enough, methinks. I asked the Lord to forgive me for going my own way and letting my mouth run with ungraceful talk, and I am thankful for the clean slate and the fresh opportunity to move forward with grace-filled speech instead.
Every word we speak is an opportunity to build up or to tear down — even if it’s just the tone and attitude we are using to deliver the message. Please, Lord, give me a greater measure of Your Holy Spirit — to direct my steps and my words. And help me to obey!
Dec 3, 2009 | Stories
Have you ever washed anybody’s feet? Have you ever had a pedicure and felt kind of sorry for the people washing yours? I am excited that as a part of our ministry here in South Africa, there’s a lot of footwashing in my future.
Every time I read the story of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet in John 13, I find it so striking. I suppose you might think it just takes lots of humility to be humble. But I think it also takes some confidence to be humble in the right way. Verses 13 & 14 explain that “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself.” And there takes place an event so strikingly beautiful, and so strikingly other-worldly to me: Jesus washes the Disciples’ feet.
A while ago I wrote a post about how contrary the ways of the kingdom of God are to the ways of the world. It is beautiful and intriguing to me, as I understand more and more about how the call to follow Jesus is so contrary to the call to live life the way the world might tell you to. Here we have such an incredible, tangible example of the mindboggling paradigm of our Saviour and King. He’s about to die for the sins of the world. He’s about to be denied by those dear to Him, abandoned in His darkest hour, even betrayed by one of those among them…and what does He do? He washes their feet.
And He explains: “You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.” And a little later He points out that this servant attitude, this love we demonstrate, when we love each other (which is obviously intertwined with serving each other) this is the love by which “all will know that you are My disciples.”
Does He tell us to chase after a bigger peace of the pie? No. Does He tell us to make sure we have enough for ourselves before we even consider sharing with anyone else? No. He says love each other. Serve each other. Trust Me to take care of you.
This holiday season, I want to aim to find myself in God. Can I encourage you to do the same? Find out who you are in God. Remember how much He loves you. Remember that’s why He came. And let that knowledge give you the confidence to be a servant. To be an agent for the love of God to flow into the lives of those who need it. I am confident that you will find it more blessed to give than to receive…and I’d encourage you to give not just out of your pocket, but out of your heart and your time. And not just to those who will give back to you, but to those who might be Peters and Judases in your life. That kind of love is the light that shines brighter than any other, and points to God. Tis the Season.
Oct 31, 2009 | The Good Word
So sorry this is so delayed in its arrival, dear friends and readers!  We have been sick sick sick — and it was a struggle to do more than make sure we all had food to eat the past few days. Please forgive me! We’ve finally made it to the last post of the Cost of Discipleship series from Luke 9! I hope you like the bite-sized portions. I don’t think you would’ve read it all if it wasn’t. I probably wouldn’t have written it either. Let’s press on!
So last, another person showed up and said, “Lord, I’ll follow You. Just let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.†But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.†In some ways similar to the second person, this guy wanted to follow Jesus on his own terms. We might as well say, “Lord I want to follow you, as long as I can keep on beating my wife and getting snockered on the weekends,†or “Lord, I will follow you, but just don’t call me to share my faith with my neighbours. I don’t like that evangelism stuff.†Maybe even, “Lord, I will follow you, as long as it doesn’t involve me doing anything other than going to church on Sunday and cutting back on my cuss words.â€
Horse Drawn Plow, Photo credit to lapstrake @ Flickr
Matthew Henry’s Commentary spells out the issues with this guy’s attitude really well:
First, he looked upon his following Christ as a melancholy, troublesome, dangerous thing; it was to him as if he were going to die and therefore he must take leave of all his friends, never to see them again, or never with any comfort; whereas, in following Christ, he might be more a comfort and blessing to them than if he had continued with them. I never would’ve picked up on this. Thanks, Mr. Henry!
Second, he seemed to have his worldly concerns more upon his heart than he ought to have, and than would consist with a close attendance to his duty as a follower of Christ. You probably picked up on that.
Third — seriously, I never would’ve thought of this — “he was willing to enter into a temptation from his purpose of following Christ. To go and bid them farewell that were at home at his house would be to expose himself to the strongest solicitations imaginable to alter his resolution; for they would all be against it, and would beg and pray that he would not leave them. Now it was presumption in him to thrust himself into such a temptation. Those that resolve to walk with their Maker, and follow their Redeemer, must resolve that they will not so much as parley with their tempter.” Wow. Enough said, methinks.
Jesus’ response to this is quite a rebuke. So what is this putting the hand to the plow and looking back stuff all about? Let’s break it down. Plowing happens before sowing. If you don’t properly plow the soil — for example, if you’re trying to push the plow forward while looking behind you — you can imagine that you’ll make a mess of the field you’re working, and it will not be fit to be sown in. You won’t be fit to receive the ‘seed’ of the kingdom of God, plowing and looking back, if we consider our hearts the field in this analogy. Or, you aren’t fit to scatter the seed, or the Gospel, if (in a different analogy) you are the sower. If your purpose is to ‘be about’ the work of God, you need to ‘be about’ it. I think Henry concludes these considerations very well:
“Those who begin with the work of God must resolve to go on with it, or they will make nothing of it. Looking back inclines to drawing back, and drawing back is to perdition. Those are not fit for heaven who, having set their faces heavenward, face about. But he, and he only, that endures to the end, shall be saved.â€
So if we tie all these lessons together, I think they meet in a pretty nifty conclusion: 1. You have a calling. 2. You should answer it. 3. You should answer the call of God, on His terms, under His conditions, in His timing.
The Cost of Discipleship is great. The path is narrow and there are few who find it. The road probably won’t be easy. (If it is, I have a feeling you’re on the wrong road.) But the reward is well worth it. To God be the Glory. Out of all of this, the Lord has been challenging me in my willingness to follow Him without looking back. That, too, is a story for another post — blessings as you continue your journey in the meantime!
Oct 28, 2009 | Stories, The Good Word
When we left off Monday, we were looking at the first of the three interactions described in the Cost of Discipleship section of Luke 9. I hope you’re enjoying it so far — if you missed the first post, you can check it out here. Let’s dig into part deux!
In the second interaction, Jesus does call someone. Real simple. “Follow me.†The hearer of this call replies with, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.†Mmmkay…? As they often are prone to disagreement, scholars have not come to a decisive conclusion about what this meant exactly. It is open to a couple of possibilities. This could mean this guy’s father had just died, or was sick and very close to it and he wanted to attend the services and be there for his family. However, it could also have meant that his father was perfectly well at the time, but he was waiting for his father to die, because he would then be coming into a good inheritance. He wanted to first receive his inheritance, felt like the call of God “came at a bad time†and therefore did not answer the call.
Image by Paul Bowman @ flickr
There’s also a third possibility, that his father was at home, and very sick, and he felt it his duty at that time to take care of him, and once that work was done, he would then set about the business of following the Lord. Whether he was waiting on an inheritance or not, consider this guy similar to any other person who might desire to obey the Lord in some thing the Lord has told him or her to do. The Lord might tell us to forgive someone. By His Spirit He might prompt us to speak to someone some word of encouragement or correction: but we in our own “wisdom” see it fit to wait a while, before doing the thing the Lord tells us to do.
Jesus responded to the guy’s excuse with, “Let the dead bury their own dead…you go and preach the Kingdom of God.†Does anybody else hear this and think, “Gosh, Jesus…a little harsh there.†?? Maybe it’s just me. Why should the dead bury their own dead? Well, we are continually instructed to care for our Mother and Father, to love our neighbours and our own relations. Jesus isn’t contradicting this — we simply are not to care for our relations to the point that it is a duty we place in front of our service to God. Even our service to our family cannot be an excuse for our non-service toward God. Perhaps if the guy followed Jesus, Jesus would’ve led him to his own house, healed his Dad, and they would’ve been on their merry way. Perhaps the guy had six brothers and sisters, also totally able to take care of their Dad on his deathbed. One way or another, we can trust that in the sovereignty of God, the issue was all worked out.
What does this mean for us? Well, it doesn’t sound like there are very many good excuses for not obeying the call of God. If God calls you to do something and you choose not to, perhaps because you care about what people think or you know there will be a cost involved, or because you’re waiting on some finances coming your way, or there’s something else on your plate that you think is more important, you are disobeying a Holy God. Each day has enough trouble of its own — and some new excuse will always be available, which will make us think we have just cause for not obeying. But we should obey God, (and seek His kingdom first) not because He will bless us or there will be a great reward (though the reward is great in heaven and I believe we will see God’s goodness in this lifetime as well). We should obey God because He is God. End of story. He has already shown us how much He loves us, in sending His Son to die for us. Obedience is a reasonable response! And though this potential disciple may have received his inheritance in his lifetime, or just pleased his family by sticking around instead of following Jesus, he missed his eternal reward as a result. Whether or not that was a good decision, I think you know the answer.
Considering the amazing goodness and exceeding mercies of God, and considering the sacrifice He made to give us life in Him — we have no excuse but to respond with thankful hearts, love and obedience. And the old hymn surfaces again! Trust and obey, for there’s no other way…
So we learned from part one, just because the call doesn’t sound the way you think it should doesn’t mean you don’t have a calling from God for your life. And from part deux, there is really no reason that will hold up in the day of judgement, as a suitable excuse for you not following Jesus. Now we can put these lessons together, quite simply:
1. You have a call. 2. You should answer it.
We will dig in to Part Three tomorrow! Feel free to read ahead. 😉
Oct 17, 2009 | South Africa, Stories, The Good Word
How do you feel about gun control? Or having weapons in the home in case someone breaks in? Mark and I had some interesting conversations about these issues with some friends while we were home in the States. (Thanks, Frank & Sharon!)
Mark was pondering the idea of needing a weapon in the home since break-ins are rumoured to be a bit more common in South Africa. ahem. Although we didn’t come to any definitive conclusions, one issue that we discussed, which always comes up, is the safety of having a weapon in the home, especially when there are going to be children present.
The thing about weapons is, they can often be used for good purposes, but also for evil ones. They can be useful, and they can be destructive. And it is interesting that the Word of God is often spoken of in the Scriptures as a weapon – as a sword.
Like any other object, the sword can be wielded as a weapon for good – for one’s protection or self-defence, or for evil. I don’t think examples are needed for that. But for the Word of God to be called the Sword – what does it mean, if a sword can be used for good or for evil?
Image by rbeforee @ flickr
We find one answer in Luke 4. Jesus has just headed on this seriously long spiritual retreat. He has fasted for 40 days in the wilderness – I think it was some serious ‘man’ time. And at the end of it, He was hungry. No surprise there, He was human after all. The enemy shows up on the scene with a fairly simple suggestion: “If you have all these supernatural skills, why not turn a stone into some bread and then you can eat something.â€
But Jesus has His Sword with Him – and He is aware that this is not God’s will. So He speaks to the enemy from Scripture: “Man doesn’t live just on bread. We live by God’s Word.†Which I think is basically saying, “It’s more important for us to live by God’s Word than to have something to eat.â€
The battle of intellects continues with the suggestion that Jesus worship the devil, and in return be given the kingdoms of the earth. Jesus wields the Sword again – “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.†Pretty straightforward there.
Then it gets really interesting. Satan suggests Jesus jump off the top of the temple, if He is the Son of God, because “He will tell His angels to take care of you†and “They’ll catch you, so that you don’t even stub your toe.†Slight paraphrase. Wait – what just happened? Yes, you might’ve picked up on it – the devil just wielded the Sword. He quoted Scripture, at Jesus. That was pretty bold.
Jesus’ response (wielding the Sword again): “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.â€Â Plain and simple.
The interesting thing about this last section of the conversation is an actual demonstration that the Sword – the Word of God can be wielded correctly, and incorrectly. God’s Word can be used for good, or for evil. It can be used to heal, and it can be used to kill. It can justify slavery or polygamy, and instruct us to love and forgive one another.
So Scripture, on its own, is just words on a page. We need the revelation of the Holy Spirit to rightly discern and understand Scripture, and as Jesus demonstrated, we need to let Scripture clarify Scripture for us. Satan could’ve justified Jesus’ attempted suicide with the Scripture he quoted, but Jesus rightly discerned God’s will. God tells us not to test Him. And that’s that.
While I’m still not sure what all the answers are regarding gun control or having weapons in the home, I am certain that the Word of God is true. If we are willing to rightly receive it – not to justify our own preferences, but with the intent of truly understanding the will of God – then we can rightly wield the Sword God has given us and fight the good fight we’re here to fight.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12: 2)
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