Crazy Busy . . Time Flies. . Guest Post

Well friends.  I didn't realize it had been THIS long!  Yikes.  I have had lots of things happening but haven't really thought to post anything.  I am thankful for my friend Taylor Phillips from Fortify who asked me to write something on radical trust.  Joseph certainly fits into that category.

Our Vacation Bible School has been studying the life of Joseph. This story is taking hold of me. Joseph’s life is all about radical trust (and brokenness). Often, I think we hope that radical trust means that once we are “all in” we will have a smooth path towards our goal and life plan. We think if we just caught the vision we could withstand anything. Well, let’s review Joseph’s life.

to read the rest click on over to Fortify.  

I hope that you are enjoying your summer.

Thoughts on Self Control

Self control is a real struggle.  I am constantly trying to find control, control myself, encouraging young ones around me to control themselves.  Then, I realized that I have a worldly definition of this word - not a Biblical understanding.  I am still trying to figure out what all the implications of this shift are for me and mine.  

Let's talk science for a minute.  Remember when you started doing experiments there was always the "control".  The control is the thing that you compared your experiment to so that you could notice the change that occurred as a result of your work.  That is closer to the original definition of control.  In the 1828 dictionary the primary definition of control is "a book, register or account, kept to correct or check another account or register."  The secondary definition gets into what we think of more often - to check, restrain, or govern.  

So the issue with self control is twofold.  First, there is a standard.  Second, that your "self" compares itself to that standard and needs to meet it.  So which standard is your control?  Which law?  How are you going to keep that account correct?  How are you checking yourself? 

Here's the deal.  Most of us check ourselves (and our kids) against a standard that will make us fail every time.  It is called "law" or morality and maybe sometimes doctrine.  Often these laws are cultural norms that we don't even realize we believe.  Sometimes they are even Biblical ideas.  In our pursuit of meeting this standard we do one of two things.  Some of us choose "laws" that we can easily meet or pretend there is no law - I make my own laws.  God is pretty clear that he has written laws on our hearts and that you can't change them.  We think this method can work, for a while.  

I tend to err on the other side and add "extra" laws, like the Pharisees, to make sure that we don't get close to breaking the "big laws".  We say to ourselves, as Eve explained, God said don't even touch it.  Wait!  That's not what God said.  Eve added that extra bit in there.  That's what we do to help us stay out of trouble with the law and show "self control".  These "extra rules" help us feel like we have self control and are meeting the standard. This is also not a permanent fix.  We will fail when the "control" we choose is law.  We can't make it work. We can't be perfect enough. It will crush us.  We know that God's perfect law is the right standard but . . . 

all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  Romans 3:23 

On our own terms, our way to "self control" is to either minimize the standard or set up extra standards to keep us safe.  But both fail and crush us. If we can't change the law - how will we meet the standard?  If we believe in the grace, mercy and the blood of Jesus - it's a totally different ball game.  If you have faith in Jesus instead of the law you can rest easy - he took care of it.  He fulfilled all of the law in your place.  His standard was perfection, he met it - every dot and tittle.  When you trust in Jesus you trade your mess for his glory.  He did it.  It is finished.  

and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  Romans 3:24

"Justified" - just as if you never fell short, your report card and the control or standard match!  

"Freely by his grace"  it wasn't free for Jesus (keep reading - "God presented Christ as a sacrifice, of atonement, through the shedding of his blood" Romans 3:25)  But you can't pay for it, it is "to be received by faith" Romans 3:25.

Redemption - another word for that is ransom - Jesus paid the ransom with his blood 

This sounds ridiculous.  How can we just "trade" like that?  Why would the system be set up this way?  One reason for the law was to show us our need for Jesus.  We need a standard and his perfect law shows us that we can't "control" ourselves to meet that standard.  Thank you Jesus!  This is the folly of grace and the difficulty of the Gospel.  He perfectly fulfilled the standard for "self control" according to the law.  Not only that, he did one better and leaves us a deposit called the Holy Spirit.  The same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, if you believe in that, lives in you and still works in the world today. 

If there is a standard that we can't reach it on our own - only through Jesus - then why does Galatians say to have self control?  

Well the two parts of control are a standard and a way to meet that standard.  Are you beginning to see why self control is a fruit of the Spirit?  Our goal is NOT to meet the legal standard to show self control - Jesus did that for us because we never could.  Our new "control" is to match ourselves with the Holy Spirit.  

This is a totally different way of approaching self control.  It is not about trying harder, doing more, denying yourself.  It is about tapping into the resurrection power of Christ available to us through the Holy Spirit and walking in line with that.  There is no law against what the Spirit of God will tell you to do - he leads us into all truth.  Leading a "self controlled" life is about aligning yourself to the Spirit as your standard - not the law.  It is also about teaching your kids the same. 

Take a look at Acts to get a sense of what this might look like.  Towards the end of his journey Paul talks about how he has no problems with his conscience.  Why is this?  Was he perfect?  The Jews were irate about this because clearly he wasn't fulfilling the standard of the law.  Paul had a different control -  the Holy Spirit. He knew he had walked in step with the Spirit and allowed the spirit to check, restrain (don't go to Asia) and govern him.  When he doesn't walk in step, he repents.  

Over and over again in Romans Paul explains how this freedom from the law is not an invitation to license but an open door to life with God.  If you are still trying to show self control by living according to the law, morality or straight doctrine and you are a Christian you are trying to re-do what Christ did for you.  STOP!!!   Christian "self control" is about following the Spirit as our standard and allowing his life in us to be our guide. 

Misunderstanding Comfort

I have been thinking about comfort recently.  I have known many people who need comfort - sickness, death, bad news in general, tough times.  Today, I realized my struggle with comfort.  I have confused the verb with the noun. 

The verb comes from the Latin word for "strength".  From the 1828 dictionary it means "to strengthen, to invigorate, to cheer and enliven". 

The noun means "relief from pain; ease; rest or moderate pleasure after pain, cold or distress or uneasiness of body".  The second definition explains how this can also apply to mental anguish.  Often we really are aiming at being comfortable again, "being in a state of ease or moderate enjoyment". 

Do you see the problem? 

Often when I try to "comfort" people I think my goal is to help return them to that state of ease or rest.  Well, you can't go back.  It makes me think of Job's friends, whom he chastises:

"I have heard many things like these;
     you are miserable comforters, all of you!
Will your long winded speeches never end?
     What ails you that you keep on arguing?"    Job 16:1 -2

Remember, the best thing Job's friends did was show up and BE QUIET with him in his misery.  It was when they started talking that all of these unhelpful things spewed forth. 

When we truly speak comfort we need to be giving people the courage and strength they need to bear under their new circumstances.   Focusing on the why me? if only? should I have? don't bring comfort.  Neither does blame, shame or guilt.  There is room for Godly repentance (depending on the circumstances) but it is the Holy Spirit who brings conviction - that's not your job. 

What is our role then?  Comforting people means that they leave with a renewed strength and faith in God.  They are reminded that He never leaves us or forsakes us. That in their weakness, he will show up, be faithful, love them, lead them, care for them and be bigger than they are.  It isn't our timetable or our path - it is learning to walk in step with Him.

At the end of the passage Job reveals the best thing we can do.

My intercessor is my friend, as my eyes pour out tears to God;
on behalf of a man he pleads with God as one pleads for a friend.   Job. 16:21

The intercessor is the one who moves or passes between two people - who mediates.  A good friend takes us to Jesus when we can't get there ourselves.  A good friend cuts a hole in a roof so that you can get close to Jesus.  Praise God if you have friends who will stop at nothing to help you see Jesus (even if you end up in a sycamore tree).  He can forgive sin and heal every hurt.

We live on the other side of the cross so we have this comfort - Jesus is interceding for us.  Beyond that, we are promised that "the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans."  Romans 8:26 

If you are at the wordless groaning stage - know that you are not alone.  Remember, one of the names for the Holy Spirit is the Comforter. 

If we truly want to comfort others, let us give them the strength to face whatever is up ahead.  Remembering their comfortable life or trying to return there too quickly (or ever) will do nothing to help them in their current place of pain. Let us lean into intercession, trusting that bringing our friends to Jesus will bring them the comfort they need to walk the road ahead.  Pray for them and mean it!

Lost Metaphors: Light (Part 1)

Be careful what you write about!  Last weekend, inexplicably, for about 16 hours we lost most of the water pressure in our house (if I was smelly at church - now you know why).  We had a little water and it further emphasized just how fortunate we are to have easily accessible, clean water.  Hubby somehow fixed it and all is well again.

This past summer we listened to Bill Bryson's Short History of Nearly Everything as we traveled to see the solar eclipse (my father in laws dream come true).  We are huge fans of Bryson.  He writes for adults so some content is inappropriate for younger ears - but we just skip those small sections.  We were somewhere in the middle of Arkansas as he told us about Einstein's brilliant understanding of the universe (sorry I can't give you a page number).  Essentially he said that Einstein explained that it is all about light. 

Bryson might be a Christian but his book isn't Christian (I guess this is where I should warn you the book talks a lot about evolution).  As I heard that Einstein believed it all came down to light it made me think of the first words, "Let there be light."  If you've read the Genesis 1 account you probably wondered how does God created light on the first day but there wasn't any sun or moon in place until the fourth day?  Aren't they pretty much the same thing?  For those less tutored in science, like myself, they are. 

Apparently, there is an understanding of light that goes much beyond the stars; Einstein got it, I don't, God did -from the beginning.  Light is the most fundamental part of our universe, it does more than make sure that plants grow. I honestly can't explain it, but I get that it is a mystery beyond me and I am okay with that.

I also thought of Jesus proclaiming "I am the way, the truth and the light".  We aren't talking about a flickering candle - this is something much more essential than that. 

Our most brilliant minds can catch a glimpse of what God purposed from the beginning - it starts with light and He is the light.  Next time we'll look at this metaphor from a different perspective.

Lost Metaphors: Living Water

This past week my kids and I read A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park.  I haven't cried that often while reading in a LOOONG time.  We read lots of books about people in hardship but normally they are distant. - in time or culture.  In this book every chapter shows the dates and these are my dates - when I was in high school, after my sons were born, just a few years ago.  It made it more immediate.  Water is still precious to SO many in our world. Reading about the change that pure, living water can bring was amazing. 

In this village it meant:
  - the end of many preventable diseases - HEALTH
  - a chance for the children to go to school (since they don't have to walk to get water) - EDUCATION
  - opportunity to serve their neighboring villages - SERVICE
  - a place to gather (taking gathering around the water hole to a new level) - COMMUNITY
  - a chance to grow crops more easily and then begin a market - MEANINGFUL WORK

Living water - not stale, dirty, infested water - meant new life on so many levels in this dry and dusty land. I have never wanted for water a day in my life.  As I compared this young girl's life - providing water for her family; to my son's life - focused around play dates and great experiences.  The contrast was what brought the tears. I was so grateful and convicted.  

As I read, I realized just how powerful the image of "living water" would be to this community.  Dirty water means lack of opportunity and death.  Jesus' listeners knew the value of living, fresh water.  streams of living water - no wonder they wanted to know where this was and how they could get it. (John 4)

The depth of this metaphor was lost on me until I realized what a community without water suffers.  I realize I am latecomer - but hopefully my boys heard the message and better realize their privilege - the chance to easily get clean water - every day.  Something so simple and essential but not available to so many.

This past year the first graders memorized Psalm 23.  We talked about the shepherd making sure that the sheep weren't caught up in the current and sent downstream - thus leading beside still waters. My kids loved demonstrating the sheep rolling down the river.  Later, I realized that I had an English version of shepherding; the middle eastern version is not nearly so verdant and water is not nearly as abundant.  A place of abundant water is a place of health, wealth, relief, and life.

Now, listen to what Jesus says, "Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” (John 7:38)   Do you see what this metaphor really means for the people around you?  It means that His Spirit in you brings life, health, education, community, service and meaningful work to those around you.  This is God's heart; that those who love him will be like an oasis in the desert for those around them.   

Are you an oasis to those around you?
Are you in a place that needs living water?
Is there something that is stopping those waters from flowing out of you?

I encourage you to find an organization you trust and think about helping to provide clean water somewhere in the world this season - out of thankfulness (you can search clean water projects and find a TON).  Also, consider if you are allowing His life to flow through you to bring life, health and  community to those around you. 

Don't let this metaphor be lost on you any longer!