Drunken Rednecks And Boomerangs

Noah went through the storm after preaching to the people, while he built a ship for 100 years. Noah found grace in the sight of the Lord. He was a man of God who responded to God.  But then something happened, after the storm was over and life was smooth sailing again, Noah got hammered off his vineyard produce. He got so drunk that he was found naked in his tent by his son Ham.  The original language makes it clear that Noah was naked because of immorality of some sort.  So there Noah lies, like a drunk redneck--a perfect theme for a county music top-ten hit song.
Ham saw his sin and instead of covering it, went and told his brothers and left him exposed.  When Shem and Japeth heard, they went to the tent not to mock him, but to walk in backwards lest they see, and covered him with a blanket. The result was cursing for Ham's children and blessing for Shem and Japeth.

When we talk about the short coming of others, and point out the sin in others lives, there are little ears who are hearing.  Parents, when your kids hear you tear down brothers and sisters they will walk away and your sin will effect your children.  Ham's kids, later, would be called the Cannanites--the immoral, rebellious, pagan people.  If I talk to my wife about how horrible my boss is day by day, unbeknownst to my wife she begins to despise my boss, and at the next company picnic she'll have daggers in her eyes.  When brothers and sisters fall short we are to cover them with the grace we ourselves don't deserve either.
Jesus said to us in Luke 6, "Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap.  For the measure that you use will be used back to you."    
Most of us have heard this verse taught by preachers wanting your money, but this verse is talking about mercy.  Judgement is like a boomerang--the harder you throw it, the harder it comes back to you.
Love covers a multitude of sins.

Discontentment

Anxiety and worry, have much to do with an uncertainty of the future, whether it's short term (garbage flying out of the back of your truck) or long term (losing your job).  Frustration is usually the result of some immediate event, that is blocking my agenda and plans.  Discontentment, which is the subject today, most often arises from ongoing and unchanging circumstances that we can do nothing about.  Before I go further, it's important to recognize that not all discontent is wrong.  We should have a healthy discontent with our spiritual growth.  If we don't, we aren't growing.  We should also be discontent with injustice and suffering, when we have the ability to make a difference.  The discontent I am writing about is a sinful discontent, that negatively affects our relationship with God.
Here are some examples of unchanging circumstances......

• An unfulfilling or low-paying job where your boss acts like the c.e.o. from the movie The Incredibles.
• Singleness well into midlife and beyond.  
• Inability to bear children.
• An unhappy marriage.
• Physical disabilities and appearance.
• Continual poor health. 

In addition to these often painful circumstances we also fall prey to discontentment in trivial matters.  I am not good at administrative tasks, and when a certain week seems to be all about administration, I find myself tempted with discontentment.  Obviously, this is very trivial compared to the list above, but nevertheless a real battle, to the extent that I want to drop-kick my printer across the room.  

Yesterday, I mentioned Psalm 139:16 as a passage that helps me with frustration, but the same truth that God is in control, and has appointed all of my days, still applies to ongoing circumstances.  Psalm 139:13 can help us further, "You formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb." God has so directed our DNA and other biology to be exactly how he wants it.  I have a huge forehead because God wanted me to (my brother in law calls is a 5-head instead of a 4-head).

Amy Carmichael wrote a poem entitled "In Acceptance Lieth Peace" she writes of a person who is wrestling with their ongoing circumstances, and as you read the last two lines, you see how peace comes to him.

He said, "I will accept the breaking sorrow

Which God to-morrow

Will to His son explain

Not vain the word; not vain:

For in Acceptance lieth peace.

This is not resignation done grudgingly with a smoldering discontentment underneath.  As Amy Carmichael has pointed out so clearly-- it's not resignation or submission, but acceptance.   You will recognize a constant theme in anything that I write--the importance of a firm belief in the sovereignty, wisdom, and goodness of God in all the circumstances of our lives.  May all of us learn to accept the things we cannot change, for his glory, praise, and our own joy.   You might be thinking "if he only knew my situation he wouldn't be so annoyingly preachy,"  but I write as one who has had very difficult circumstances at times in ways I cannot share with you, and the truths I have typed have been absolutely helpful as I have struggled along the way.

Anxiety- Worry-Frustration

Life is often difficult and painful. I have been moving my family to a new house all week and found myself getting frustrated and anxious and worrisome throughout the week. In fact, as I was taking a truck load of junk to the dump, a box filled with hundreds of papers fell out while I was cruising along at 60mph. Let's be completely honest, I may not have voiced the words @#%^ but they were in my heart. As I stopped the truck, and ran to pick up every paper, some men got out of their car to help me--this was evidence of God's grace and provision. I quickly realized I was hauling around more garbage than was in the back of the truck, in my heart.

One of the most-taught character traits in the Bible is trust in God. It is blatantly taught some 13 or more times, and when it is taught it is not a suggestion like we so often encourage each other to do--it is command. The opposite of trust in God is anxiety, worry, and frustration.

Anxiety is a sin for two reasons.

1. Anxiety is distrust in God. In Matthew 6:25-34 Jesus explains how our heavenly Father takes care of the birds of the air and everything else and that he cares for us so much more. Furthermore, Peter told us to cast all our care upon him for he cares for us. So, if I am full of anxiety I am saying to God, "you don't care for me."

2. Lack of acceptance for God's providence in our lives. God's providence may be simply defined as God's orchestrating all circumstances and events in his universe for his glory and the good of his people. Some of our anxiety, worry, and frustration comes from not so much distrust in God, but an unwillingness to submit to and cheerfully accept his agenda for me. For example when my flight gets cancelled I am immediately angered at all the buffoons who organized this flight. Psalm 139:16 has helped me deal with my frustrations, "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." "Days ordained for me" refers not only to the length of my life, but to all circumstances of each day of my life.

I am learning that my anxiety, worry, and frustrations are sin, and not to be brushed aside and taken lightly as common reactions to difficult events in a fallen world. Here's how we can pray, "Lord I believe, help me with my unbelief! (Mark 9:24). "If it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will"(Matthew 26:39).

Investing in Hearts, Not Marble

Investing in Hearts, Not Marble

Eternal Judgement

I am broken over how often I come across "christians" who believe there is such thing as a gospel without eternal judgement. I have read numerous books that speak of hell as a state of mind that occurs throughout the day, and have even heard "mature believers" rebuke me for holding fast to the doctrine of hell. They say, "why would you want to talk about hell when you get to talk about heaven?" The reason is you cannot appreciate heaven without understanding the judgement you deserve. What are you being saved from? Grace means nothing unless we understand we don't deserve it, and so I will stay "tied to the mast" on what the Bible clearly teaches.

When my son Toby is slapped by a 5 year old girl at the playground there is something inside of me that screams NO! When my close friend gets a brain tumor something inside of me screams NO! When I think of little children being molested something inside of me screams No! It makes me shudder when I realize I respond with a resounding (NO!) to grievous evils that effect me, but when it comes to my own sin-- my emotions run dry. When Jesus was crucified along with the vilest of the world, he was crucified for the (NO!) in my life so that I will be delivered from judgement, because he carried it for me. For many others-they will carry their (NO!) for eternity. Here are 4 ways we can measure the love of God in Christ, heard in the scream of the damned in eternal judgement.

1. You measure love, by the magnitude of the evil, from which the beloved is rescued.

2. You measure love by the magnitude of the guilt or ill-deserve that you had to overcome. In other words, the greatness of how much you don't deserve is a measure of the love you have when your rescuer must love you in spite of it.

3. The extent of the suffering, of the act of love itself.

4. The magnitude of the gift obtained in the suffering for you.

Dear people,

Hell exisits--sin exists--heaven exists--cross exists--you exist. Grace is offered.

Biblical Metaphors For The Church

We are given 7 specific metaphors that describe the church. I will list them and then unpack why they are practically important for us.

1. Family- The fact that the church is a family (Eph.4) should increase our love and fellowship with one another.

2. Bride of Christ- The thought that the church is the Bride of Christ should stimulate us to strive for greater purity, holiness, and intimate love for Christ and submission to him.

3. We are branches and he is the vine- should cause us to rest in him more fully.

4. Agricultural Crop- Should encourage us to continue growing and obtaining for ourselves the proper nutrients to grow for ourselves and others.

5. God's Temple- The picture of the church as God's temple should increase our awareness of God's very presence dwelling in our midst as we meet.

6. Priesthood of Believers- Seeing the church as a priesthood of believers should help us to see more clearly how God calls us each to a joint service. We are all full-time in ministry--we just get our paychecks from different sources.

7. Body of Christ- Knowing we are a body should increase our interdependence on one another and heighten our appreciation of the diversity of gifts within the body.

Dorcas Was Not A Dorkus

I have been in 5 hrs of lecture today studying the concept of Christian community. It's late and I am tired wondering why I am wanting to write about an old lady named Dorcas. Here are two places that reveal her story.

Acts 9:36 "Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did."

Acts 9:39 "Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them."

The story is she fell ill and died. A bunch of widows in Joppa (a city) were devastated and sought Peter to come and pray over her. She was raised to life and the miracle was used to bring some to Christ.

Now I got interested in Dorcas because the old couple who is housing me in Seattle for Re-train this week had named their dog's squeaky toy Dorcas so that every time they heard that toy squeak they would be reminded of how Dorcas in her old age was so influential in the lives of the younger people. I thought this was ironic as this couples hospitality was so graciously offered to me. So this Dorcas woman made clothes for widows and they were missing her terribly.

This got me thinking, if I was hit by a bus in Seattle tomorrow would people be missing me in my community? Not just family or church--the city. If our church in Monmouth stopped existing would anyone in Monmouth/Independence/West Salem/Dallas.......would anyone cry? Would they notice a difference? Would anyone hold up evidences of grace from my life? I think we spend so much time trying to be cool, that we miss out on a life that leaves a legacy in Christ.