Leaving it with God

Years ago, in another life when I was not a Christian, my first husband used to arrive for supper later than the time he said he would be there. This happened almost every night. I chewed him out, he mumbled his apologies and ate his cold supper. But nothing changed.

Then I heard on a radio program that if you do not react to such behavior, it can have a surprising effect. The idea is that when a person expects to be chewed out and it happens, they are satisfied and can carry on. If they do not get what they expect, their guilt does not go away because they didn’t get punished and they have to deal with it themselves.

I was not a Christian then, but I decided to do “this act of grace” so the very next time he was late, I served his supper without saying anything about his lateness. I acted as nothing was wrong and he had been on time. He never did the late-for-supper thing again.

This is a principle right from the Bible. We deserve the wrath of God for our sin. While the element of dread is there, we know in our hearts that we deserve some sort of punishment for the times we lied, hurt others and cursed God. But God did not do the expected. Instead, He sent Jesus Christ and . . . 

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:1–2)

Thinking about this, I wonder if this is why some people cannot accept this good news? It is far too distressing to be offered forgiveness and new life. Some even say things like, “I’ll take my chances” when it comes to God’s judgment of their lives.

For me, in those former days, the household law was “be late and be scolded” but that new law of “be late and get a hot supper anyway” was too much for my former husband’s conscience. He quit being late. While this story isn’t exactly like what God does and how salvation works, the grace given by God does have an effect on how we behave. Who wants to sin when God has so graciously accepts us, even put our sin on His Son that we might not be punished?

I’m not sure where I got the wherewithal to do this before I became a Christian. For me at that time, I wasn’t certain that “mercy” would work and may have had manipulation in mind. I didn’t know or recognize God’s power, yet in retrospect, He was teaching me something I needed later.

However, now that I am a Christian, I know that acts of mercy cannot be a form of manipulation. When someone does something that deserves wrath (or even a strong tongue-lashing) and God calls me to be merciful, I have to mean it. I also trust (without presumption) that He will take care of the guilt and punishment of those who wrong me. He says, 

Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:17–21)

Yesterday, I decided to do the mercy thing instead of blowing my top at two people who had hurt me. I needed help, but God gave me grace — even in my emotions. While I was not joyful about withholding anger, He did give me the strong sense of doing the right thing. For this, I am grateful.

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Lord, I’m also grateful that You are able to “avenge” if You so desire, but I would rather see you work in the lives of the two people that hurt me, one quite deeply. It would be good all around if You made them aware of their attitudes and convicted them of sin. It isn’t about what they did to me, but what they are doing with their relationship with You. I’d like to see repentance and changed lives, not coals of fire.

Thank You for granting me the grace to step back and trust You to take care of this. I could blow up, but You have other ways to deal with those who are inconsiderate and sinful toward You and Your children. Even if these two people never change, because You helped me obey You, I am at peace.

Abolishing slavery

Christians in the years before the U.S. Civil War could not settle on a definitive answer concerning whether the Bible condemns or condones slavery. Some historians feel that the disputes happened because black racial inferiority that was “so seriously fixed in the minds of white Americans, including most abolitionists that it overwhelmed biblical testimony about race, even though most Protestant Americans claimed that Scripture was in fact their supreme authority in adjudicating such matters.”

The Baptist Church and other denominations split into Northern and Southern organizations depending on their views. Later, most of them renounced the ideas that it was acceptable for Christians to own slaves. Even so, prejudices against race continue. So does slavery.

For me, the idea of keeping a person as property is repulsive. I’ve heard of parents who sold their daughters for money. I also know that the sex slave trade is alive in many parts of the world. These horrible practices came to mind as I read this verse today . . . 

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)

Interesting words in that the person reading is told not to submit to slavery. Most people would say they would never do that. Consider the Jews when Jesus said something similar to them.

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:31–36).

Slavery is usually thought of as something imposed on others, but the Bible reveals that there are two kinds. One of them is about masters and slaves, purchased or otherwise. The other is about personal choice and is a voluntary commitment. In this, the slave is the human heart and the master is sin.

Many think that being free means having no master at all. That is, if I can do whatever I want, then I am a free person. Such a philosophy disregards or is unaware of sin and its power. This taskmaster tends to deceive us, even in how we define it. Some think of actions like murder and lying, but the Bible says this about sin, 

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)

Sin is going our own way and doing our own thing. Apart from God and without faith, every choice I make is sinful, even those words and actions that most would call good. This is because our definition of goodness is not the same as God’s. We look at it as a relative thing. Compared to Hitler, I’m a good person. However, God compares us to the perfection of His Son, Jesus Christ, and all fall short.

Sometimes I draw a chart that compares goodness with godliness. It shows that goodness can look good to us, but without Christ in our lives, we are still on the “sinful” side of God’s ledger.

evil<----------------good   (cross of Christ/new life) >------------------->godly
(/faith/invite Christ in)

Personally, these verses focus me on the slavery part. As one set free from sin, I can now make a choice. I can give in to walking in my old ways and letting sin dominate my thinking and my life. If I do that, I might “have my way” for a time, but eventually it will turn sour.

If I choose to shake off that yoke, Christ will fill me with His Spirit and give me the power to say No to sin. This sounds great until I start wondering what I will lose, give up, and have no control over. If anyone wonders why Christians still sin, this is the crux of the matter. How hard is it to allow anyone to control your life? Yet this is what God asks — that I say No to sin and Yes to Him. It means letting Him be my Master instead of doing what I want and allowing sin to call the shots. It might seem easy to let God take charge, but if it is so easy, why is almost everyone still walking on the left side of this chart?

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God, You know my temptations today. I am upset with someone and feel like twisting off a head. I am also annoyed at another person and want to tell them a thing or two. My responses are closer to that ‘evil’ end of things than the ‘good’ but I’m also toying with the idea of ‘being nice’ and ignoring what they have done. That might make me ‘good’ or at least look good, but it does not make me godly. I have to let go of all my ideas and trust You. Allowing You to be Lord of my life is not always easy, yet slavery to sin lost its appeal a long time ago. Help me make the right choices, the first one being to simply yield to You.

Reasons to believe

Someone in my family occasionally says about Christianity, “Who needs it?” She is convinced that people can get along “just fine without that.”

The women in my Bible study group have talked about the reasons people give for rejecting Christ. This morning I’m thinking about good reasons for doing the opposite. Why say no when God offers all this?

Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD. (Proverbs 16:20)

Everyone wants a good, happy life. God doesn’t promise a rose garden, but He does give joy to those who trust Him. This joy is not based on circumstances. It wells up from inside and can be there even when life is crashing down all around us. How precious.

I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. (Jeremiah 31:3)

Another deep desire is to be loved. Human love is great, but it does come and go. God’s love is deeper. He says nothing can separate us from it (Romans 8) and this verse says it lasts forever. He also “shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Few people will die for their friends; Christ died for His enemies. No one loves me like He loves me.

I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)

Another deep human desire is competence. People want to be able to do well in whatever they do. Paul, and all those who love and serve Jesus, discover that God adds a new dimension to their resume — the Holy Spirit. With His power, abilities change. So does effectiveness. He supplies competence.

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)

God takes care of His people in every way. While this verse does not promise He will give us all our wants, He does supply whatever we need. He knows those needs before we do and whether physical, mental, emotional or spiritual, He covers every one. His resources are vast.

For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (2 Corinthians 6:14–16).

The promise that blesses me the most is that God is my closest friend. He lives in me and walks with me. He says I belong to Him. I am accepted and have that deep sense of belonging. I am never alone or lonely. Knowing Him is the best thing that ever happened to me.

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Lord, the only reason I can think of why people reject You is that their independence and pride is greater than their desire to have You supply all their deepest needs. At times, I struggle with the same pride and understand its power. However, Your goodness and love is more powerful. As I pray for all of my family and friends who do not know you, I ask You to remove the barriers and help each one see that You are a loving and merciful God who longs to be their Source, Resource, Savior, Redeemer and their best Friend forever.

First things first

While “don’t put the cart before the horse” has become a cliché along with “the tail is wagging the dog,” both refer to an important principle; avoid reversing the accepted order of things.

In the Bible, some things do come first, particularly in the issue of pleasing God. Almost universally, people assume that a person gets right with God and gets to heaven by doing good things. However, God’s Word says that we cannot do any good (good as defined by God) until we are first “born again” or have been regenerated. Until we are made new, or given new life from Him, our so-called good deeds are tainted by sin and selfish motivations. Notice that this order is outlined in these verses, 

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God... (1 Peter 1:22–23)

The operative word in these verses is “since.” It shows the order — first new life, then obedience and purity. The “horse” pulls the cart. Clearly, the power that makes “sincere brotherly love” possible is the fact of being “born again” or having new life. This happens “through” the Word of God.

“Born again” is not a popular term among other religious groups. Further, it has been misused to describe everything from politics to hair shampoo. But it is a biblical term. Jesus used it first when He described criteria for entrance into His kingdom. He was talking to a religious leader, someone who thought that he was already on God’s side. However, his conversation with Jesus went a different direction than he may have expected. 

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” (John 3:3–7)

In a recent conversation with a woman from a mainline denomination, I asked what she thought about the idea of being born again. She said, “I know it is in the Bible, but I don’t think it is necessary for everyone to get to heaven.”

This is opposite and contradictory to Jesus’ words. He said that without this spiritual new birth, no one could see or enter God’s kingdom. Peter affirms this by saying that love and obedience flow out of a reborn person’s heart. This is not what anyone does to earn the favor of God, but this goodness is the result of having new life that comes from Him.

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Each day, Lord, I am aware of the inadequacy of my old nature. I cannot love and serve You apart from the new life You have given me. At first, this seemed odd. I wondered if the “cart” would go anywhere. As my old abilities and strengths became weaker, I felt powerless to do good things. Yet You showed me that my old life with its abilities and motivations are unacceptable on their own. The new life You gave me changes all that. I am a new person, even “Your workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which You prepared beforehand that I should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10, personalized).

I’m not always aware that You are doing something through me, but I do know the difference between my old nature trying to be good and this new nature, the result of new birth, that does not have to try — goodness is simply there. How amazing!

You make all things new. When that newness shows up, I am often surprised and always blessed and humbled. I know that putting the cart before the horse does not work. I know that the tail does not wag the dog. I also know that even the most devout Christian cannot move, or live, or serve You apart from abiding in You. You make things happen. You pull the cart. Apart from You, I am nothing and can do nothing. Bless Your name.

Trying harder does not work

In our human independence, the tendency to think “if I try harder . . . I can overcome” makes little of the power of God to simply purge sin from our lives when we confess it.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

I’ve said it many times; this is probably the most important verse in the Bible for Christians battling with sin. It puts the onus on us only to confess. The rest of the victory belongs to God. He forgives the sin, meaning He sends it away, puts it off the ledger, does not hold it against us and applies to our lives all other descriptions of forgiveness. He does this because He is faithful and because Jesus already died for that sin. It has been paid for, atoned for. Confess and it is forgiven.

But there is more. He also cleanses us from all unrighteousness. The word means just what it says. He is faithful to make clean, purge, purify my life. This is huge. I don’t try harder to stop sinning. When I confess it to God, He somehow cleans me up.

Yesterday I confessed the food-craving thing to God as a selfish desire for pleasure when I should desire Him. I’ve confessed concerning this before, but more the action of self-indulgence rather than the motivation behind it. For the first evening in a long while, I had no battle at all because my desire to eat when full did not happen.

This may not be the end of this war. Jesus did say that in this world I will have trouble. If Satan and the sin around me are not battle enough, I will also struggle against my old sinful nature. However, even one day free from that fight is a reason to celebrate.

When I read Spurgeon’s selections for today, the morning devotional was based on this verse, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). How timely. Then the evening reading followed with this passage:

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah (Psalm 46:1–3)

My heart said amen and immediately I wanted to personalize it with a rewrite.

God is my hiding place and strength, always with me even when I am in trouble and being tempted. Therefore, I will not fear though the pantry beckons, though mountains of temptations are moved across my line of sight, though my cravings roar with “rise and eat” and though I’m distracted by the pleasures they offer.

The next two verses say, “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns” (Psalm 46:4–5). My rewrite says,

There is a source whose pleasure makes glad the child of God. I am the holy habitation of the Most High. God lives in the heart of me; I shall not be moved; God will help me when morning dawns and whenever this or any other temptation comes.

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Oh Lord God, as 1 John says, You forgive and cleanse because You are faithful. I trip and fall all the time, but You are always with me. You forgive me, pick me up and move me to start again. May I never underestimate the power that comes from You and Your grace — I just need to stop trying harder and simply confess my sin.

No to indulgence, yes to God’s pleasures

Some evenings I’ve had supper and am full, but want to eat. I’ve figured out that it is the pleasure of eating that I want, not the food. I’m reading a wonderful book by Elyse Fitzpatrick called, Love to Eat, Hate to Eat. She writes about this desire, then goes on to say that God offers me all the pleasure that I need.

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11)

In this verse, the word “joy” means a great mirth and pleasure. The verse expresses the idea of making a feast before God. No matter how tasty the snack from the pantry, it cannot compare to the delight that God gives. I agree.

Fitzpatrick also points to several verses that remind me that my desires should be for God and that I need to seek Him for all that I need. 

I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah (Psalm 143:6)

My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you. For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. (Isaiah 26:9)

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? (Psalm 42:2)

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. (Psalm 63:1)

These verses convict me. The author of this book likens my problem to a child wanting to play in mud when they could be on a white-sand beach.

Spurgeon also speaks about our desire for pleasure. He says that wanting to escape the cares and problems of this life is part of our desire for heaven. However, instead of wanting to be with Jesus, this desire to escape pain can become the greater motive. He then points to the saints of old who put up with their lot in life knowing that something greater awaited them.

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. (Hebrews 11:13–16)

God is preparing a better place. He did not promise a life free from care on this earth though. My heaven is not here. Part of learning to walk with Him is learning to accept trials as part of His plan for my maturity. Being like Jesus means suffering as well as blessing.

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Oh my God, as much as You have blessed my life, the better place, the greater pleasure waits for me. Can I wait for it? For You? Or will I sinfully and selfishly try to create my own pleasures? Self-indulgence is not the same has enjoying Your blessings. Is my life that difficult that I cannot say No to selfish habits?

I think of You, Jesus, on the cross when offered gall the first time. You refused because You didn’t want anything to numb Your senses. You refused to indulge any desire to be pain-free. Instead, You endured the pain as part of what You must do to pay the price for my sin. How can I be so selfish as to want food or anything else that I do not need — rather than seek You and experience the fullness of joy that You promise?

I am ashamed. I can see how my self-indulgence could lead me away from being in good shape now to bad health, huge weight problems, even death. Compared to the fullness of joy that You offer, this desire to eat when I’m not hungry is totally ridiculous. Help me replace it with that yearning for You described by the psalmist who said,

Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. (Psalm 73:25)

Insight, not seeing

Sometimes Spurgeon’s devotional is expressed in flowery descriptions of Christ that are lovely, yet beyond me. While I can say I love Him with words, His Word tells me that obedience is the better way to express my love for Him. In my experience, words can often be just that, words.

On the days that I cannot relate to those descriptions, I turn to Oswald Chambers and My Utmost for His Highest. Today, he focuses on obedience even when I have no vision of God at all. He uses the Moffatt translation which says:

I have to lead my life in faith, without seeing Him. (2 Corinthians 5:7)

My version is the more traditional, “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (ESV). A modern version says it this way, “It’s what we trust in but don’t yet see that keeps us going” (The Message).

All of them express encouragement to obey God even when I cannot see Him or the results of what I am doing. As Chambers says, I can be conscious of God’s attention, then plunged into trials and difficulties where it seems He is no longer listening or speaking. This is a test. Will I obey anyway? Or do I need His pat on my head to keep going?

Chambers describes this as God trying to make me do my duty as an obscure person. He says that none of us would be obscure spiritually if we could help it. I agree. I like the attention of His blessing on my life, and even if I can manage to keep those blessings to myself, I still relish in them. The question is, can I do my duty when God has shut up heaven? Am I relying on Him in faith, or on experiences?

Chambers says that an “illuminated saint with golden halo and the flush of inspiration. . . . is no good, abnormal, unfit for daily life, and altogether unlike God.” Rather, God put me here as an ordinary person, not an angel or some sort of superior being. I can obey Him because I have His life in me, not because I am anything special. 

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. (2 Corinthians 4:7)

The memories of mountain top experiences with God are often enough to carry me through these days when it seems He is gone, but if I try to recreate them, it shows that I am more interested in emotions and experience than I am in God.

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Father, I thank You for those times when You are silent. It shows me that You are pushing me to greater maturity. You desire that I walk by faith, trusting You no matter what. I know better than to try and force You to make Yourself known, but need forgiveness for those times I beg You to “do something” when I pray. I realize that if You did that, it would ruin the surprises. You always give me moments of inspiration, answers to prayer and the experience of Yourself when I least expect it. That way, I am not led away to self-glory by these wonders, but instead led to humility and worship. Keep my heart focused on You and obedience, not on inspiration and experience. You are my treasure, the One I can trust. I’m fully convinced that even when You hide Yourself, You are still here with me.