God does this and I do that?

A well-worn book is titled, “His Part and Ours.” The author did a commendable job of explaining what God does and how we ought to respond. While this is not an excuse, it seems to me that every aspect of being a Christian has far more to do with what God does. The longer I am walking with Jesus, the more helpless I see myself. For that reason, I am drawn to the conclusion of this short passage . . .

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12–13)

But there are other reasons to think God does most of it. The ‘fear and trembling’ has proven inadequate to produce obedience, as has my own determination. I’ve been through tests and temptations that have left me realizing that only by the strength and grace of God can I make it through this world maintaining faith and living a godly life. It seems all is against me, without and within.

Tozer’s devotional for today is called ‘A Disturbing Verse’ and it would be disturbing if I thought I had to do this myself. Yet as I read it, I am seeing more of what God does than the impossibility of what it asks of me.

“Therefore, lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled.” (Hebrews 12:12–15)

I droop. I’m weak. My path takes me wandering all over the place. I’ve no idea how to be at peace with everyone. As for holiness, all I can see is my lack of it. Yet these verses also speak of the grace of God. Grace is His doing, and by His doing all that is out of joint in me is healed. Holiness is totally a gift from the Lord!

Holiness is something like sanctification. God sets me apart for Himself and I cooperate by living for Him in righteousness and moral integrity. In Jesus Christ, I am made holy because otherwise I cannot be. My part is to behave in ways that reflect what God has done. Yet He works in me; He makes it happen.

Paul was able to say this of himself to the church in Thessalonica: “You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers.” (1 Thessalonians 2:10) He and those with Him knew they were holy in Christ and their conduct showed it to be true.

In the letter to the Ephesians, he explains God’s part and our part:

“Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22–24)

The new self is an act of God in which Christ is my righteousness and holiness. Then He proceeds to help me act like it by renewing my mind and changing my behavior. . .

“And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.” (1 Thessalonians 3:12–13)

“Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.” (2 Corinthians 7:1)

He also has another method to help me act like what I am . . .

“For they (our parents) disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he (God) disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.” (Hebrews 12:10)

^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, I am a carving. You use Your Word and the hazards and circumstances of life to chip away all that does not look like what I already am, Your child, holy and beloved. My part? Cooperate. And stop all resistance. I cannot hold on to any of those those chips!

Undivided and stable-minded

Attention deficit has been labeled an illness, a mental problem, an issue of socialization, a chemical imbalance, and even the sin of an undisciplined mind. As a person easily distracted, I’ve considered all of these. I’ve even been told, “You are likely a genius and easily bored” and “people with the gift of teaching like yours are interested in everything and often struggle to focus.”

Whatever of these is true (even all of them), I often feel unstable. I can be sincerely praying about a serious issue and in mid-sentence, my mind flips to total trivia. The Holy Spirit can keep me focused, but this is always in a childlike helplessness. He enables me to focus on praising God, yet I still struggle with consistency in any other cerebral endeavors.

On the topic of “No other gods” my devotional booklet points to the problem of being double-minded. While this is not exactly the same as being easily distracted, they do share some elements.

But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” Knowing their thoughts, he (Jesus) said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? (Matthew 12:24–26)

In context, this is about the attitude of the Pharisees against the healing Jesus did and the power behind that healing. However, it gives another important principle. If my easily turned thoughts are pitted against each other, something has to give. That is, I cannot hold to kingdom principles and at the same time hold to anything worldly or sinful. This kind of double-mindedness creates chaos and confusion. God did not create us to think that way.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:5–8)

The principle behind such instability is this: if the flip flops are opposing values such as honesty/deceit, purity/immorality, trust/doubt and so on, then my spiritual life will be unstable. Steadfast faithfulness will be difficult if not impossible, and consistency cannot happen.

Jesus talked about the love of money and said that if “your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Matthew 6:23–24)

This principle is true for the flip flops previous mentioned, but also true for a long list of similar opposing spirit vs. flesh values. Christians will struggle a lifetime with some of these back and forth matters. The best we can do is to stay as long as possible in the faith side of the equation.

However, this isn’t the point of today’s reading. The point is that no one can do both at the same time. As a recent television show illustrated, true multitasking is impossible. The mind flips back and forth because it cannot think of two things at the same time. While some admire those who can do that flip flop with skill, God doesn’t -- at least when it comes to faith and no faith, or pure thoughts and impure thoughts, or love for others and disregard for others. He wants stability of thought and action.

This is so serious that the Bible indicates that those flip flop fleshy thoughts can even be a form of serving Satan. He opposes faith, purity, honesty, and all virtue by encouraging doubt, sin, and lies. If I flip flop between these opposites, then I cannot be stable-minded.

You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. (1 Corinthians 10:21)

The answer to this battle is always the grace of God and the Word of God. By the power of Jesus Christ, I can put off that old self (which belongs to my old way of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires) and be renewed in the spirit of my mind. By that same power, I can put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:22–24)  

Regardless of what is at the root of ADD or any other form of mental instability, Christ is sufficient. He is able to stabilize the most unstable mind because of His amazing grace.

God grants the desires of a transformed heart

It is often said that women don’t know what we want. Usually it is men that say it, but sometimes I must admit that I don’t know what I want. This happens most often when I am in a spiritual battle about something, a battle between my old sinful nature and the new nature given to me by the Spirit of God. The Bible is clear which one should be allowed to win, but sometimes those old I-wants can be exceedingly strong.

The Bible says that if I delight in God, He will give me, or put into me the desires of my heart. That is, He will change my I-wants into things He wants.

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)

I’ve always understood this verse this way, that it is about changed desires, but this morning I looked up the meaning of the Hebrew word that is translated “desires.” It means “requests, petitions.”

I am surprised. Is this verse actually saying that God will give me what I want? My study Bible says that some take “the desires” as referring to the feeling of desire, i.e., “God will shape your heart so that it desires the right things”; but the sense is rather, “He will give you what your heart desires.” It is safe to say this to those who embrace the advice of this psalm, because as they delight themselves in the LORD, their hearts will desire the right things.

That means that right desires are assumed for the person who delights in God. This verse is not about desires,  but about assurance of answered prayer. God will answer the prayers of those who delight in Him. If I put Him in His rightful place in my life, then my prayers will align with His will and the answers will be given to me. More Scripture verses carry the same sense…

You have given him his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah (Psalm 21:2)

He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them. (Psalm 145:19)

Obviously, this is not talking about the desires of my old sinful self. When I am walking in the flesh, that list of I-wants is harmful if not disgusting. However, when I am obedient to the Holy Spirit, those I-wants align with the will of God. They are expressions of love for Him and others, and give me great joy.

Why then would I not delight in God all the time and thus have all godly desires fulfilled? Just asking that question shows a clinging ignorance of the power of sin and the need for the saving power of Jesus Christ. Some strongholds linger in my life, some “I want what I want” places that pop up every now and then and try to throw me off in my relationship to the Lord. I’m certain every Christian has them. We call them “besetting sins” and know their power. However, the Bible says to lay them aside, put them off.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us… (Hebrews 12:1)

Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:22–24)

The image is like a change of clothing. When I was in high school, I noticed that when I dressed up (rather than jeans or sloppy) I felt more like working. The same principle applies with putting off the old. When I do, it is much easier to delight in God — and to enjoy the answers He gives to the desires of my heart.

The power of a sanctified imagination

A man involved in annual outdoor presentations of the Passion Play said that most of his best ideas come from dreams. Some listeners were horrified because their own dreams are never creative and more like nightmares. However, the man explained the power of a sanctified imagination. When the mind is given over to Jesus and controlled by the Holy Spirit, who knows what grand things it could conceive?

Today’s devotional reading adds to the theme of yesterday, that God can do great things through our human imaginations. Because I am created in His image, I can be amazingly creative and able to love others. Today, the same writer says that because it is possible to have a holy imagination, God can use it to help me see the unseen.

Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:28–29)

No one is saved by their imagination. The world suggests that religion is only that, and that Christians have made up a God and a Christ. They assume both are figments of the imagination and manufactured by needy souls. If that were the case, how then can thousands of people from all walks of life and all nations and languages believe the same thing? How could so many imagine the same story of a Savior who was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died a horrible death, and rose from the dead to offer forgiveness and eternal life? It would simply not happen that way from mere human imagination.

Aside from that, God does use our imaginations to help us see the mysteries that He reveals. Because of this faculty, I have a vision of the grace and the beauty of Jesus Christ that envelopes my heart and will not let it go. It is that image, tender and loving, brave and patient, silent and unselfish, that casts a spell on my imagination and reaches my heart.

The devotional says that no worse curse can fall on a person than to have a corrupt imagination. I agree. I am able to imagine horrible sins and crimes against my enemies. I am able to imagine doing things I would never do except in the hidden places of my heart. My imagination can be a curse instead of a blessing.

But I also know that there is no greater power than an imagination that is pure. This God-given ability fills me with His ideas and ways to make them a reality. Not only that, a sanctified imagination has purifying power. The person who dwells in that inner communion with Christ has a vision of what is fair and lovely. A mind that is under the control of the Holy Spirit and filled with joyful and holy thoughts soon realizes that all things unclean and bestial, the base stuff of a sinful imagination, must “steal away” into the forests and gloom of the night.

The Bible says that before God destroyed the world with a flood, the people’s hearts were filled with evil imaginations. Little wonder that the New Testament gives instructions like this…

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2)

…put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:22–24)

Last week I asked God to help me with my wandering imagination and He has shown me how it can be used to love others, and to get a better grasp of the beauty that is in Christ. He challenges and renews my thinking and continues to charge me with a greater consecration to the Lord Jesus Christ.