A Payment Dear

He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all....

Romans 8:32 (KJV)

When I awoke this morning, after morning prayers, one of the first things I did was to check my iPad to see if there were any huge news stories or (as I like to call them) "flaming arrows".  This morning's article, If I Die Before You Wake, by @ewerickson (Erick W. Erickson) riveted me.  (See link under Sources: below.)  I've followed Erick's career for the past few years and love that boy like a son.

I knew that Erick's wife, Kristi, had had some health problems over the years, sometimes serious ones.  I knew of his recent crisis with blood clots in his lungs.  I did not, however, realize the drastic turn both of their healths had taken in recent weeks.  I learned from the article that his wife has been diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer that only affects non-smoking women.  And, Erick continues to suffer with serious cardiovascular issues.  In the article, Erick was also extremely transparent about the emotional collateral his family has suffered, due to his political stances on this presidential election. This godly, Christ-honoring family has been buffeted and battered by both health crises and our toxic American culture, in general.

Some of you have felt that, in your own life.  I was reading a post by Paige on Facebook a couple days ago.  She drolly said that she was not going to discuss politics anymore before the election because no matter whom she announced she was voting for, it would be wrong.  Others chimed in that over-zealous friends had made Facebook an unpleasant venue, due to hateful stances and comments.  It can certainly be that.

Currently, I am studying Hebrews with you, as you know, because you came here expecting another Hebrews post this morning.  But, what you may not know is that I am concurrently studying the new Beth Moore study, Entrusted.  I highly recommend it to anyone who is experiencing loss, due to his or her stalwart faith in Jesus Christ today.  Let me close today's post by sharing some thoughts from that study of 2 Timothy.

In this letter Paul drives home the point that Christians fellowship with each other in many things: worship, fellowship, marriages, meals, laughter, Bible study - - - but that we must also be willing to suffer together the EVIL launched against us for carrying the name and testimony of Jesus, and for standing for truth and righteousness.

Standing true to the Word of God will not only open us up to attack, it will make our hearts vulnerable.  Beth's words:

"The raw vulnerability of untempered love...of that handful of people who hold your heart - - - 

skinned alive - - - and could slay you with their absence.  Untempered love is terrifying.  

But what's life if we never love others past the rational sensibilities of our self-protection? 

Divine love does not spare itself.  And, a life that risks no loss is no life at all." 

Erick's words from this morning:

"My faith and politics are more and more irreconcilable. What matters more to me now is to do what I think is right, not to do what is popular. It is not to lead others, but to speak for those who cannot speak and do for others what they cannot do. I am no leader. I am just blessed with a platform where I say what I think is right and true and make sure those who agree know they are not alone.

The world wants believers to be alone and if my wife and I die before my children wake, they will feel alone and helpless in the world. So they must know Truth on the cross. That truth can guide them when I cannot and sustain them when I cannot and comfort them when I cannot."

Beth, in her study, emphasizes the "gospel" and the "gifting".  What Erick is saying here mirrors that because both of these contemporary giants of the faith are speaking Truth, based on the Word of God, the Bible.  Erick, like Beth, is using his Holy Spirit-given spiritual gifts to spread the gospel.  It permeates his life, and he is paying dearly for it.  The man is under severe spiritual attack.  I ask all you who read my words here to please, please pray for him and his family.

I also challenge you to examine your own heart, if you claim the Name of Christ, if you say you are His.   Two questions:
1.  Are you using the unique set of spiritual gifts the Holy Spirit gave you to spread the gospel?
2.  Do you have the courage to stand for what is right and true?  To stand even when it costs you dear?

Oh, Christian....as the days roll on and our world descends more and more into chaos and ungodliness, the choices we are called on to make are going to become increasingly costly!  For myself, I want to draw close to Jesus Christ and cling to him now, so that as more and more tests come I will be found standing firm alongside Him whose Name is Faithful and True, to Him who was and is our Pathfinder, our Trailblazer, our Pioneer....to Him who endured the cross and despised the shame (Heb. 12:2) .... to Him who tasted not only suffering but death, so that we, His brothers and sisters, could lay hold on eternal life.

9But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

10For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.

Hebrews 2:9-10 (ESV)

Dear Father,
While I certainly don't seek or crave suffering, I know that it will again touch me, as it comes to every Christian at one time or another - - not the general category of suffering common to every human at some point, but the specific kind of targeted suffering which results from bearing the name of Jesus Christ.  When those times come, may we follow in the footsteps of our Perfect Savior, allowing suffering to increase our faith, to purify our dross and to cause us to walk ... resplendent!  In Jesus' name, amen.

Sources:

1.  http://theresurgent.com/if-i-die-before-you-wake/

2.  Moore, Beth, Melissa Moore, and Kristi Smith. Entrusted: A Study of 2 Timothy. Nashville, TN: Lifeway Press, 2016. Print. 

Saving a Life

Have you ever saved someone's physical life?  I would imagine that doing so would be an incredible cause for rejoicing.  Medical professionals get to save people's physical lives frequently.  Other times, they lose the battle; the person dies.  A medical professional's life is filled with both tremendous celebration and horrific sorrow.  I have often wondered how they deal with that emotional roller coaster, day after day.

I heard a follow-up news story last night, about a little girl (6 years old) and her sister (14 years old) who were swimming in a park, near the AL-GA state line, around a year ago.  The swift current began to sweep the younger sister away.  The older sister struggled to rescue her, and in so doing, lost her own life.  She gave the ultimate sacrifice, to save her sister.

Today's text is Colossians 1:24-29 (NET).

24Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my physical body – for the sake of his body, the church – what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ. 25I became a servant of the church according to the stewardship from God – given to me for you – in order to complete the word of God, 26that is, the mystery that has been kept hidden from ages and generations, but has now been revealed to his saints. 27God wanted to make known to them the glorious riches of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28We proclaim him by instructing and teaching all people with all wisdom so that we may present every person mature in Christ. 29Toward this goal I also labor, struggling according to his power that powerfully works in me.

Christian: If someone asked you to describe your calling from the Lord, what would you say?  I imagine that your response would be colored by what you were going through at the time you were asked.  Still....
Here, we see Paul give one of the clearest descriptions of his life's purpose, since his conversion on that Damascus road.  And, it is startling in its intensity.  Let's begin at the end of the passage, and of this chapter, with verse 29.

Paul states that the engine for achieving God's purposes in his life is the power of Christ, that is, the Holy Spirit.  Paul does not attempt to do anything in his own puny power, because he knows that it would be a dismal failure.  This is echoed in his famous "I can do all things through Christ..." verse (Philippians 4:13).  Notice that his mission is not easy.  It is a titanic struggle.  Jesus described this as "taking up your cross daily", in Luke 9:23.  Sounds pretty depressing, doesn't it?  Why, then, does Paul, in verse 24 start this passage by exclaiming that he "rejoices" in his sufferings?

Remember: at the time of this writing, Paul was on house arrest in Rome, living out the last few years of his life.  It is not an exaggeration to say that he was suffering, and that he had suffered much. Why, then, his rejoicing?

God tasked Paul with carrying the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentile world.  This assignment was a "mystery" to the Jews.  Benson , in his commentary, described the word like this:  "not a matter hard to be understood, but a matter long concealed, and, when revealed, difficult to be believed, through the prejudices of men."  I've heard the word "mystery" would be better translated as "secret".  God had given Paul a startling secret to reveal: namely, that the gospel applied not just to the Jews, but to the whole world.

The crux of Paul's mission is in verse 28.  The ultimate goal is to save lives....not physical lives, but spiritual lives...What Paul is describing is not some kind of "fee" required to earn a place in Heaven. He is describing his "love offering" to his Savior, a love offering of souls whom he was used by Christ to bring to salvation and then to disciple to mature discipleship.

THIS should be the end result of all of our separate, diverse callings, Christian.  It is the most important work in the world, even more important than saving a physical life!  Jude (1:23) describes this calling, our ultimate goal, as "snatching them out of the fire" (of Hell, we might logically conclude).

One last point: that suffering aspect Paul mentions.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could fulfill Christ's great commission (Matthew 28:18-20) without the heartbreak of suffering, even to the point of death?  Often, we get lulled into a blissful stupor, just rolling along doing what Christ called us to do, unaware that Satan has us in the crosshairs of his rifle scope, that a spiritual target is on our backs, so to speak.  That becomes our "normal".  Then, the suffering hits.  And, we are surprised, amazed, flabbergasted!  "How can this be?", we ask!  We were doing as Jesus called us to do!  Why did this happen?

Paul states that obedient Christians can expect to share in the sufferings of Jesus Christ.  If we are faithful to our callings, as described in verse 29, we will become wounded in the cosmic, spiritual battle in which we are engaged.  We will receive wounds which will become battle scars.
The phrase "afflictions of Christ", used in verse 29, appears nowhere else in scripture.  It goes beyond the everyday burdens of life we encounter.  It is a "whole 'nuther level", even to the intensity of Christ's actual physical and spiritual sufferings.
Paul referred to this in 2 Corinthians 1:5, when he said "the sufferings of Christ overflow to us" or what Paul echoed in 1 Peter 4:12 - - -  

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which is taking place to test you [that is, to test the quality of your faith], as though something strange or unusual were happening to you.

Or, what Jesus meant when he spoke to the "sons of thunder" 's mother about "drinking from His cup", in Matthew 20:23.

Yet, do we not howl with a great howling lament when this comes?  Do we not tend to run from it, as if it signifies some sort of spiritual deficit?  Do we not avoid it by pretending it is not there?  These are worldly, spiritually-immature attitudes.  Yes, the world looks at us in our suffering and thinks, as the Jews thought in John 9:2, that we must have done something wrong to "deserve" such suffering, that we have perhaps "fallen out of God's favor".

Paul makes it clear that all of Christ's disciples have inherited such suffering, will experience such suffering, by virtue of our choosing to follow Him, to "save lives for all eternity".  The question for each of us is simply this:  will we embrace the titanic struggle as Paul did?  Will we rejoice in it?

Is the hot battle worth it all?  Oh, yes, it most surely is!

Father, may we not be surprised when the "fiery trial" comes upon us, as we fulfill Your calling on our lives by "saving lives".  Give us the strength, which can only come from your Holy Spirit, to embrace and rejoice in every aspect of being Jesus' disciple.  In His holy name we pray, amen.

Source:

http://biblehub.com/commentaries/colossians/1-24.htm

Benefits of Citizenship

Citizenship is the word that jumps out at me from today's passage, at the end of Philippians 3.  Every dweller on this earth has some sort of citizenship, and in most cases, multiple citizenships.  Here is an ordinary example.

A person is born somewhere on earth, in some country.  In some cases, the birth automatically makes him/her a citizen of that country.  Each sovereign country makes its own citizenship laws, but often being born in a country grants citizenship to the newborn, especially if one of the parents is also a citizen of that country.  Being born into a human family gives a person a type of citizenship within that family.

As the person grows, they usually accumulate other types of citizenship...clubs, churches, service organizations, etc.  In each case, citizenship confers certain rights but also carries responsibilities.
Citizens learn about their "group", to use a generic word, from its founding, guiding documents.  It is those documents which describe the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and also which give the group the principles that allow it to function in a healthy manner.  If the citizens follow the guiding documents, the organization is healthy (assuming the guiding documents are sound to begin with). 

In the Christian church, for example, what is the most foundational "document"?  The Bible, of course! It is full of God's precious promises, the benefits and rights of citizenship, membership in the Church Universal, the Body of Christ! Then, individual groups (in Southern Baptist parlance, we call them conventions, associations and churches) go beyond the Bible to establish governing documents, such as church constitutions and by-laws.  These tools further define local rights and help to ensure the healthy functioning of the citizens.  Properly crafted, when they are adhered to, order follows.  When they are not, chaos and enmity ensue.

Paul saw great power in citizenship.  He was a citizen of Rome, by birth. As such, he used his Roman citizenship effectively to open doors for the spread of the gospel, which other Jews could not.  His Roman citizenship carried many excellent benefits.  He also viewed citizenship as a great analogy for the Christian experience.  Let's look at today's scripture:

10  My aim is to know him, to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings, and to be like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

12  Not that I have already attained this – that is, I have not already been perfected – but I strive to lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus also laid hold of me. 13  Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have attained this. Instead I am single-minded: Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead, 14  with this goal in mind, I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15  Therefore let those of us who are “perfect” embrace this point of view. If you think otherwise, God will reveal to you the error of your ways. 16  Nevertheless, let us live up to the standard that we have already attained.

20  But our citizenship is in heaven – and we also await a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,  21 who will transform these humble bodies of ours into the likeness of his glorious body by means of that power by which he is able to subject all things to himself.

Philippians 3:10-16, 20-21

(NET) 

Despite all of Paul's confusing talk of "attaining", the key to this passage is verse 16.  By Jesus Christ's virtue, by His finished work on our behalf, by our being born into God's family spiritually, having accepted Jesus Christ as Redeemer/Savior, we have already "attained perfection".  That is, His perfection has been conferred upon us, as our heavenly citizenship.  This "attaining" happened at the moment each of us made his or her own personal decision to accept and follow Jesus Christ.

Paul goes on to affirm the ultimate benefit of possessing heavenly citizenship: eventually, we will see Jesus, face-to-face.  It will occur either at the time of our death or when Jesus returns to earth, whichever happens first.  Other benefits of heavenly citizenship, as we live our earthly lives, are:

• knowing Him more and more (as I blogged about in the last post) (vs. 10)

• experiencing His resurrection power on a day-to-day basis (vs. 10)

• sharing in His sufferings (vs. 10)

• living out His calling on our life (vs. 12-14)  "I strive to lay hold of that for which Christ laid hold of me"

• humbly "running for the prize" (vs. 14)

Some of these don't sound like benefits, do they?  But they are!  The reason they are is that they mold us more and more into the image of our Savior, Jesus.  Or, at least, they should, since that is what they are designed to accomplish.  Some of the benefits sort of "bleed over" into the arena called "responsibilities of citizenship", which I'll blog about tomorrow.

Lord Jesus, Father God has put all things under your feet, and I am so grateful that you "subject all things" to Yourself.  I pray for myself today, Lord, to learn You more, to love You more, to have my heart brought into greater alignment with Yours. I submit myself to Your calling on my life, even to share in Your sufferings, as my life is Yours.  I gave it to You some 50 years ago.  I ask that You keep me humble, Father.  Only in humility can I truly, single-mindedly "run for the prize".  Pride is a snare and a trap, which will trip up even the most dedicated and well-trained runners.  Thank you for "laying hold of me"!  Oh thank you, Lord Jesus!  In Your blessed name, amen.

How to Suffer

Don't know about you, but I am not a fan of suffering.  Not.a.fan.  Whether you are suffering with allergies or suffering from abject physical pain or suffering the loss of a loved one, it ain't fun.  In the picture above, a dreadful earthquake has occurred.  The shaking has been so severe that walls are cracked, ceiling tiles have been shaken down. Things are a mess.  Suffering and desolation are evident.

Yet, fans or not, suffering is part of this life.  It invariably comes, and indeed it provides a backdrop for joy.  In happy times, we enjoy life, but we often take them for granted.  Past suffering reminds us to appreciate times of happiness all the more.  This is common to both Christians and non-Christians.  Even though our text was written by Paul to the Christians in the early Roman church, I'm writing to both groups today, because we all experience suffering, no matter how long we live.

So, when we see suffering coming at us like a blazing asteroid...yikes!  What should be our response?
First of all, let's examine why suffering/hardship comes, in the first place.  Why can't life be all "roses and posies"?
Is it because God hates us?
Is it because God does not care?
Is it because ... there is no God at all?
The answer to all those questions is emphatically, "No".

God is not the author, originator of suffering.  Suffering is a by-product of the sin that pervades our world.  It is a result of our world's overall broken condition.  Because of the pervasiveness of sin, the effects/consequences of it (the suffering) often splatter onto the innocent, as the person on the city curb is drenched by the gritty street water flung from the wheels of a speeding taxicab.  We should not be surprised by suffering.

God does, however, allow suffering, in both His children and also in those who do not yet know Him. He allows it and harnesses it as a tool to draw us closer to His heart.  In the final analysis He wants us, our love, our worship.  Often, in our suffering, we more clearly hear Him calling to us and are willing to answer.

Getting back to today's topic, though, how do we get through it?   Part of our answer lies in our text for today, Romans 12:12 (NET) - - -

Rejoice in hope, endure in suffering, persist in prayer. 

We should begin at the end of this verse.  Our first action should be to turn to God, to run to Him.  He will embrace us in His loving arms and hold us during times of suffering.

A friend was telling me yesterday about how her grandbaby is teething and how miserable he is. When babies are feeling that bad, what do they want?  Most often, they want to be held.  They want to press their ear against their mother's chest, feel her warmth and hear her heartbeat.

God can't physically hold us, but when we go to Him in prayer, He is there, waiting for us.  To the unbeliever, He is there as Jesus Christ extending the invitation to the life-changing salvation relationship.  To the believer, He waits with spiritual comfort and healing in His arms.  This is why Paul tells the Roman church to "persist in prayer".  Although the human inclination is to run the other way, drawing close to God in times of suffering must be the first step.  (Why is it listed last, then?  I don't know!  They are listed in reverse order!)

The next admonition is to "endure".  Timothy tells us to "endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." (2 Timothy 2:3)  How do we do that?  Well, Believers, after drawing near to God through prayer, we must listen for His heartbeat.  He has revealed Himself to us through His Word. We can better endure suffering as we listen to Him in prayer and study His Word.  He will reveal tools to help us endure.  Invariably, there is something He wants us to see or to learn.  As in all things, He wants even our suffering to bring Him glory.

"Rejoice in hope"! What does this mean?  Let's remember that the English word "hope" as it is currently used is a very bad translation. In our vernacular, "hope" is sort of like "wishing, on steroids".  The original Greek word is ἐλπίδι, which is better translated "a certain future",  or "a strong and confident expectation".1
Usually, as in Romans 8:24-25, the direct object of the word "hope" is "salvation".
So, when Paul reminds us later in Romans (4 chapters later) to rejoice in hope, he is reminding Christians that our eternal salvation is our "end result" of life and of suffering, and that we should constantly rejoice in that certainty.
In other words, he is telling us to "reframe", to shift our paradigm, to alter our perspective.  Instead of focusing despondently on our suffering, which lasts only a little while (in light of eternity), we should "keep our eyes on the prize"... "looking to Jesus, who is both the Author and the Finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2). In making that shift of focus, we can once again find joy.
Psalm 30:5 says, "weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning".  This refers to the fact that, at this moment, we may be suffering, but "when the morning comes", when we are face-to-face with the One who saved our soul, eternal joy will rush in and last forever.
Now, that is a "hope" worth rejoicing in!

Father, first of all, I want to pray for those reading this who are not only suffering in some terrible way, but who are slogging through it alone, without your Holy Spirit in their lives.  I pray earnestly that they will study Jesus and come to claim Him as their own Lord, their own Savior.  So many times, we look for healing, for comfort, in other places, when only the Lord Jesus is the great Healer, the Great Physician.  So, Lord God, for those who don't know you, yet have read this far, I pray for them.  Oh! Let them find you, the everlasting Source of All Comfort!  You have promised in your Word that those who truly seek You will surely find You, and I praise You for that.  For those of us who are already Your Beloved, Your Children, Your Church, may we be encouraged today through Your holy Bible, and through drawing near to Your loving side.  Make us a praying people, O God! In Jesus' name, amen.

Source:

1  https://bible.org/article/hope

Rich, Pretty People

...who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

15Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16“Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”

Esther 4:14b-16 (NIV)

Last night, I was sitting by a dear friend at a wonderful concert.  She looked at one of the performers and said, "I'd like to hear her story."  Here this woman was, beautiful!  Talented!  She was one of the "pretty people".  

Let me put it to you straight this morning.  There are no pretty people.  Just like we put concealer on our facial blemishes or hair weaves over our thinning hair, much of our energy in "first world countries" goes to concealing our imperfections and hiding our pain.  We may look like movie stars or live like the saintliest of saints.  Don't ever look at another and think, "He has it all together." Even if he or she is a Christian, there is always some measure of conflict or pain. 

The Bible makes it clear that, even Jesus struggled with the burden of living the life of a human being.  In the Garden of Eden, His agony was so great that He sweat drops of blood!  Besides Him (as if we needed more examples), there is not one biblical figure I can think of who comes off as "Mr. or Ms. All That".  All are flawed.  All have challenges.  Most make terrible decisions at some point.

This is why it is so important for the Body of Christ to live radically, love radically, as The Body of Christ.  So that, from our "royal position", we can serve our fellow man and tell him the good news, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because although all flounder, flop and sometimes fail, there IS a difference between living this earthly life with Jesus Christ or without Him.  Regardless of the obvious issue of going to Heaven or Hell after physical death, there is the issue of the abundant life.

What does it mean to be rich?  It has nothing to do with money.  It has everything to do with abundance, with peace.  It is a wealth only found in the everlasting riches of Jesus Christ, that Prince of Peace, born a lowly Babe in a manger.  It is finding all our needs met by being accepted, forgiven and set free.  This past week, a well-known figure in my home county took his own life.  By all outward appearances, by all worldly standards he was successful and happy; he was "rich". Heartbreakingly, his pain was so great that he saw no other release from it than to remove his soul from this mortal world, in the most violent way.  Such tremendous suffering!

Oh people of God!  Treat every, single person as a bleeding soul.  Even the people of God are often "walking wounded", as opposed to the unsaved, who are the true "walking dead".  We, God's very own beloved, MUST be the bridge between the dying and the King - - whether our brothers or sisters in Christ or those who are still "on the outside of the gates to the kingdom".

In the past I have bought clothes for my sons - - - beautiful, expensive, trendy clothes!  And, I have taken them to a charity with the tags still attached.  They would not wear them.  Beautiful gifts, wasted.  How similar our Savior must feel, to see us wasting our gifts - - hoarding our physical and especially spiritual wealth - - when all around us are suffering people? 

"The poor in spirit are blessed, for the kingdom of Heaven is theirs."  

Matthew 5:3 (HCSB)

 Most of the time, being attuned to the needs of others (I started to say "the needy", but we are ALL "the needy") does not call for us to lay down our lives, at least not in the physical sense, as was the case with Mordecai and Esther.  Some have often wondered if they would be willing to make a similarly extreme sacrifice for someone else, what they would do in a "If I perish, I perish" moment.  I have the answer for you:  if you are tight-fisted in the small things, you will most likely be hard-hearted and selfish in the bigger things. If giving yourself away, being others-focused, is not the way you "roll" on a regular basis, your heart will be so hard when confronted with a major sacrifice that its muscle will not be able to respond as Jesus would.  

And, how DID He respond?  By laying down His very life, after living a life of magnanimous giving to others.  May we, His own, do the same.  Because, "for such a time as this..."

Father, open our eyes to the needs of those around us.  May we not stop with the seeing, but move on to the giving of our riches in Your Son, our Savior.  In this way, Lord, we celebrate Christmas, all year long, all our lives long.  In Jesus' name, amen.

Source:

Voskamp, Ann. The Greatest Gift: Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas.