No reason to boast . . .

Most mornings I ask the Lord to give me something to think about and act on during the day. This morning He drew my attention to these verses. Paul is writing to a pastor with instructions on the teaching he should give to his congregation and why this is important:

Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior. (Titus 3:1–6)

This is timeless stuff. Yielding to authorities covers a lot of territory from obeying the law, not cheating on income taxes, and driving the speed limit. I am supposed to live that way because Jesus saved me from a heart of lawlessness that resists anyone telling me what to do.

This means obedience to God too. This seems a no-brainer yet anyone who believes in Jesus and reads the Bible knows that obedience is seldom easy. It requires abandoning all my I-wants to do the will of God. That means being on-call 24/7 to the God who wants my life to be distinct because I do good things.

He also wants me to not speak evil of others. Seems simple until I realize this includes evil people who mock God and those who live totally outside of His will, doing whatever they wish and even flaunting their rebellious lifestyle. How easily Christians fall into critical judgment against anyone breaking the laws of God. We say stuff like, “I’d never do that” — forgetting we ourselves were once foolish . . . .

Instead of the harmony that comes from a pretended agreement that refuses to speak my opinions, I’m to avoid spats and disagreements by having a gentle and quiet spirit, an attitude of heart that is loving and courteous, truly gentle and mild, even-tempered, not faking it to keep the peace but a genuine gentleness.

This should come from realizing that no matter how badly someone talks or behaves, I’ve been there. As these verses say, I have also been foolish, disobedient, completely caught up in doing whatever I wanted to do. I’ve been malicious, envious, hated and hating. When I remember the pit I was in when Jesus grabbed hold of me, I’ve no right or reason to be condemning anyone else or putting them down because “I’d never do that.”

Having a holier-than-thou attitude is the most off-putting attitude of all. People will accept complete honesty, even honesty about a sinful life before accepting that “I’m better than you” stuff. In my heart, I know it is a lie, not because of the spiritual pride it displays but because I know that all of us are in the same battle — we do stuff that we know is not right or good for us. The only difference between me and those who continue to live like that is the loving kindness of God my Savior who appeared to me and saved me, not due to anything I have done but totally according to His mercy.

Because I believe His grace is the only reason why I am a Christian, then how can I look down my nose on anyone? I do not deserve even the least of His mercies. For this, He asks that I show the same mercy to everyone else.

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Lord Jesus, help me to always remember that salvation is by grace through faith. I cannot look down on anyone, only look up to You, the most merciful God who loves me.

Today’s thankful list . . .

I can boast about Jesus.

God’s grace that covers all my sin.

All the changes in my past.

All the changes He will make in the future.

A nice slow day and a long nap.

Finally understanding a little bit about rugby.

Being able to cook once and eat twice.

Submission is not a bad word . . .

The meanings of words change across time and cultures. ‘Homely’ is an example. In North America today, it usually refers to a person who is unattractive in appearance. In Britain, it refers to a place that is simple but cozy and comfortable, as in one's own home.

Another example is ‘submission’ — a word is about yielding to someone else. However, some assume this is like a servant or being subservient, with images of a doormat for others to walk over. This is not the way the term is intended. In Scripture it is about yielding to God and trusting Him, a decision that sets people free from the tyranny of always needing to have their own way. One example is a strong-willed child who has temper tantrums every time his parents say he cannot have a candy. The child is ruled by his ‘I wants’ and a sweet tooth. Yielding means trusting his parents to make the best decisions.

Submission to God is about trusting Him. So is submission to those God tells us to submit to, like governing authorities. We do it, not because they are trustworthy but because we trust God who gave the command. However, if this word is interpreted as being a doormat, then God is not trusted at all. Instead, I would be trusting my own way according to my ‘I wants’ just like a child.

In passages like the following, many read ‘submission’ as ‘doormat’ and shut down the entire passage as being anti-freedom for women, thinking the Bible puts women into a sub-servient role and makes us less of a person than men. This is not the intent here, but years of misuse and abuse of what submission means makes the freedom God offers from self-centeredness look like slavery.

But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. (Titus 2:1–8)

In other passages, God says that marriage is a picture of the relationship between Christ and His church. He is the ‘groom’ and we are the ‘bride.’ Using that image, the idea of submission is a bit easier to understand. He loves us and wants the best for us. Any Christian who is growing in their knowledge of Him realizes that ‘the best’ is walking in His way, not insisting He allows me to do my own thing.

The problem is that the average husband is not like Jesus. He has desires to do his own thing too, and if the wife is in tune with God, she will see the sinfulness of those desires. Some men will ‘sell the farm to buy a folly’ or go for a lifestyle that causes suffering for his family. What then is she going to do? Give in to what he wants even if it means hardship and all sorts of problems?

When our children were small, my hubby would not let them ‘what if . . .’ partly because one of them had an imagination that would go on and on with his ‘what if.’  This sort of thinking can translate into anxiety, worry and a total lack of faith in the loving providence of God. God does not want women to ‘suppose’ themselves out of a submission that trusts Him and worry themselves with, “What if my spouse . . . .”

However, God does not want wives to submit to sin either. If they are being abused, lied to, or mistreated, saying yes to all of that is the same thing as telling their hubby that it is okay to sin, to be selfish, to ruin their relationship. Any man that is not ‘loving his wife as himself’ is totally unlike Jesus. Enabling this by nodding and saying, “Yes, dear” is not a loving response either.

All this said, how to work it out in day to day life is not about a set of rules. The deeper my relationship with Jesus, the more I understand what to say and do when people, not just my hubby, go contrary to what I think is right. Sometimes they are in the will of God and I am not, but if the opposite is true, God is able to give me the responses that fit with His wisdom. Submission is not about trusting other people who are in authority (including policemen, etc.) but about trusting God. He can change the situation so that His will is done, regardless of any stubborn insistence of someone wanting their own way.

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Lord Jesus, I know that many people are not going to agree with this, no matter how I understand or explain it. The idea of ‘having our own way’ is so deeply part of our sin nature and the battle is constant. The world, the flesh and the devil make strong appeals to trust ourselves and not let You govern our lives. Forgive me for taking so long to learn this and for the times I still stumble over it. Fill me with Your Spirit so I will be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, love and steadfastness. Enable me to model good works, integrity and sound speech that You will be glorified in my life.

Today’s thankful list . . .

That I can trust God about all things.

Wonderful time of worship and fellowship this morning.

A lovely drive in the green and gold countryside.

Ice cream cones on the beach.

Italian dinner with family.

Hallelujah

Our social life right now is busier than it has been in years. My renewed energy might be part of it, but I’m more convinced of God’s hand in our lives and realizing His will is perfect, even in the smallest things.

For instance, we expected family on Friday for dinner, but one got sick. Two came but had to go home early and did not eat with us. Two more came and did eat with us but we didn’t know they were coming until an hour before the meal. The one that was ill felt better yesterday and came with a friend. The amazing part was that all our upset plans turned out just right. We had three wonderful visits and the timing was wonderful. We have been singing Hallelujah ever since.

For most people, this seems like a minor thing, even a coincidence. For us, it was about answered prayer and about being yielded to the will of God. I was not ‘bent out of shape’ because things were not working out as I’d hoped. God had a better plan in these family events and seeing them happen helps me with trusting Him for other events, such as the mess the world seems to be experiencing. Who can guess what God will do? I am only certain that trusting Him makes a huge difference in my stress level.

Tozer puts it this way: “It is amazing how little outside stimulus we need if we have that inward stimulus. It is amazing how much God will meet our needs. It will not be God and something else. It will be God in everything.”

My favorite prophet lived at a time when God’s people were disobedient and doing their own thing. He wrote the Word of God as a promise and a warning:

“But this command I gave them: ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.’ But they did not obey or incline their ear but walked in their own counsels and the stubbornness of their evil hearts and went backward and not forward. From the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt to this day, I have persistently sent all my servants the prophets to them, day after day. Yet they did not listen to me or incline their ear but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers.” (Jeremiah 7:23–26)

These words sound stern but the Lord is a gentle teacher. His patience and persistence are incredible. As I look back over what He has taught me in the past 5-6 years, I’m overwhelmed at His goodness and at the way He has guided me. I am stubborn and often prone to do my own thing, but He has taught me to listen and be soft about having my way. I’m far more determined to follow His will instead. This is not perfected, but the improvement is huge and the reward is just as He says; when I walk in His ways, everything goes well with me.

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Jesus, there is such joy in strolling through life with You. I’ve jumped off the path, resisted, thought I knew what I was doing, been foolish and disobedient, yet You persist in lovingly grabbing hold of me. You never let me fall too far. You know how to show me the errors of my way and bring me back to walk alongside You, trusting You even when the way seems twisty or dark or confusing. My physical heart has returned to a normal pulse and my spiritual heart is happier than ever because it too is learning what it means to live a normal Christian life with that inner stimulus that Tozer writes about, the inner presence of a joyful and gentle Almighty God.