December 18, 2002
A couple years ago at a writer’s conference I met a man whose speech was difficult to understand. English was not his first language. His accent added to my difficulty. To make things worse, when I told him I could not understand him, he repeated it — but exactly the same way he said it the first time. Then he smiled and nodded as if it was clearer to him. However, he seemed unaware that I could not grasp even the gist of what he said.
At one time, I thought “understanding and being understood” were universal needs. This man upset my convictions, yet this remains a firm need in my life. Even more important is that others understand what I am saying to them.
A child’s curiosity is based on this desire to understand. Our grandson often takes things apart just to figure out how they work. Even though he was reprimanded for constantly fiddling with radios or other technical appliances, at eighteen his curiosity remains strong.
Children also want to be understood. At two, our son knew “lellow” and “blana” were not quite right, so he practiced until they came out “yellow banana.”
Conversations like the one with that man at the conference are frustrating. One side thinks their speech is clear, but the listener is not hearing them clearly. Dare we be polite and pretend we understood?
A friend died but before she did, her daughter told the doctor her mother was a Christian and “ready to die.” The doctor understood her words, but not what she intended. He watched the mother put up a good fight to live. He didn’t believe she was ready at all to die.
The problem was not an issue of readiness, but of understanding and being understood. Christians who are ready to die have made peace with God. They know their sin is forgiven. They also have assurance of eternal life through their faith in Christ. Death is not a fearful thing. However, being ready to die does not mean that we hate life. After all, the Bible calls death an enemy. While Jesus conquered it (and we will too), being ready is not the same as simply giving up when death comes calling.
In thinking about the desire to understand and be understood, I’d have to say God perfectly models both. The Bible reveals how He understands us: “Oh Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar . . . You are familiar with all my ways . . . such knowledge is too wonderful for me.” David, who wrote this psalm, worshiped God for His great understanding. He was not afraid of being known like this; it satisfied this deep desire to be understood.
David also sought to know and understand God, but the Bible says such a desire is not natural: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.” The Bible explains this lack of desire to know God. It says each of us “turn to our own way.” We are quite happy to know our own minds, desires, and attitudes. We are content with our own understanding of things, and convinced that is enough. The Bible also says that this determination to do our own thing is what keeps us blind and deaf to the reality of God. Because we don’t want to know, we can’t understand.
To make matters worse, in our blindness we make up our own version of God, our own version of spirituality, our own version of religion. No wonder there are so many “faiths.”
God is willing to reveal Himself to anyone. We need to be willing to know and understand Him as He reveals Himself. Those who are content with their own understanding has no idea what they are missing!
Showing posts with label understanding God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label understanding God. Show all posts
Friday, July 20, 2018
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
Keys to wisdom ............. Parables 724
July 17, 2001
John D. MacDonald’s 1950 mystery, “The Homesick Buick,” has one character with an IQ of a genius but he was so unattractive that no one would accept that he could be smart. He solved the acceptance problem by retaking the IQ test until his score was average. This young fellow illustrates the difference between being knowledgeable and being shrewd. He used his smarts to benefit himself without anyone realizing the trick he played on them. Eventually, he also used his intellect to solve the mystery in the story.
Being knowledgeable also is not the same as being wise. A wise person is able to use their knowledge and experience with good judgement so it benefits everyone. Wisdom is not measured by IQ or Mensa tests but shows up in the way a person handles life.
The Bible says that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” This fear is not a terror that drives a person to flight but a feeling of awe mixed with respect and adoration. Almost every reference to the “fear of the Lord” combines it with knowing and obeying God. In other words, those who know God will also fear Him and do what He says. They do not offer Him mere lip service because knowing Him awes them into total allegiance.
This does not mean that a wise person never makes mistakes. King Solomon is said to have been one of the wisest men who ever lived but he disobeyed God. The Lord said that a king should guard against acquiring gold, horses, and many women. Solomon had more horses and gold than any king of his time and several hundred wives. Nevertheless, Solomon wrote “Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost you all you have, get understanding.”
In this search to become wise, people have done everything from perching on flag poles to living in a desert, but Solomon knew that wisdom comes from God. He said “the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding.”
One practical way to glean this wisdom is by reading words that God inspired Solomon to write, such as Proverbs or Ecclesiastes. Since Proverbs has thirty-one chapters, it is fairly easy to read one a day on the corresponding day of the month. If a chapter is missed, go to whatever one matches the date and catch the one you missed the next month.
If you search for His wisdom, God promises a positive payback. He says, “Listen . . . accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many. I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble. Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.”
Our words and ideas are limited to the input we receive. Imagine the difference when that input comes from God who is limitless. No wonder the psalmist wrote, “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies . . . I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.”
Fictional wise guys might be able to solve crimes but God can help us solve the mysteries of life. Our part is to know Him well. If we allow that knowledge of Him to fill us with awe, then we will want to do everything He says. As that happens, we will become far wiser than our best IQ scores.
John D. MacDonald’s 1950 mystery, “The Homesick Buick,” has one character with an IQ of a genius but he was so unattractive that no one would accept that he could be smart. He solved the acceptance problem by retaking the IQ test until his score was average. This young fellow illustrates the difference between being knowledgeable and being shrewd. He used his smarts to benefit himself without anyone realizing the trick he played on them. Eventually, he also used his intellect to solve the mystery in the story.
Being knowledgeable also is not the same as being wise. A wise person is able to use their knowledge and experience with good judgement so it benefits everyone. Wisdom is not measured by IQ or Mensa tests but shows up in the way a person handles life.
The Bible says that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” This fear is not a terror that drives a person to flight but a feeling of awe mixed with respect and adoration. Almost every reference to the “fear of the Lord” combines it with knowing and obeying God. In other words, those who know God will also fear Him and do what He says. They do not offer Him mere lip service because knowing Him awes them into total allegiance.
This does not mean that a wise person never makes mistakes. King Solomon is said to have been one of the wisest men who ever lived but he disobeyed God. The Lord said that a king should guard against acquiring gold, horses, and many women. Solomon had more horses and gold than any king of his time and several hundred wives. Nevertheless, Solomon wrote “Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost you all you have, get understanding.”
In this search to become wise, people have done everything from perching on flag poles to living in a desert, but Solomon knew that wisdom comes from God. He said “the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding.”
One practical way to glean this wisdom is by reading words that God inspired Solomon to write, such as Proverbs or Ecclesiastes. Since Proverbs has thirty-one chapters, it is fairly easy to read one a day on the corresponding day of the month. If a chapter is missed, go to whatever one matches the date and catch the one you missed the next month.
If you search for His wisdom, God promises a positive payback. He says, “Listen . . . accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many. I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble. Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.”
Our words and ideas are limited to the input we receive. Imagine the difference when that input comes from God who is limitless. No wonder the psalmist wrote, “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies . . . I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.”
Fictional wise guys might be able to solve crimes but God can help us solve the mysteries of life. Our part is to know Him well. If we allow that knowledge of Him to fill us with awe, then we will want to do everything He says. As that happens, we will become far wiser than our best IQ scores.
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
Understanding God .......... Parables 670
May 18, 2000
Millions of businesses use the Internet to advertise and sell products. Millions of ordinary folks use it to find information and to communicate with friends all over the world.
The Internet started as a convenience for government agencies. Soon other organizations saw its potential. Since the 1994 advent of Internet browsers, the number of web servers who feed information into cyberspace has exploded from a few thousand to over several million. They host uncountable personal and corporate web sites. With such rapid growth, no one has a handle on the actual size of the worldwide web. While most of us don’t care, some ambitious people are trying to draw a map of the Internet. They want to define and catalog it, somehow wrapping their minds around its size and content.
Imagine an even greater challenge: try to figure out God. The study is called “theology” and theology books are filled with finite human attempts to understand Someone infinite, Someone greater than the Internet or even the entire universe.
Theology tries to list God’s attributes and actions, dividing characteristics into those we can share — like mercy, and those that belong to God alone — such as the ability to know all things.
Theologians devote pages describing how God reveals Himself and how we can know Him. They describe and define His names and His triune nature. Some have perplexing titles such as “Essence and Attributes” and “Defenseless Superior Power.”
Besides chapters on His character, theologians describe the way God behaves. They talk of His mercy in sparing those who deserved judgment. They describe how He takes care of His people, sometimes in miraculous ways.
However, the best way to define God is the way He defines Himself. That is, what God is like is most clearly seen in His Son, Jesus Christ. Yes, Jesus was a human being. He was born just as we were, grew up, learned, and was subject to His parents and civil law. He got hungry, thirsty and tired. He was just like us in that He had feelings, thoughts, and choices to make.
However, if we study His life, it is not long before we realize He is not exactly like us, or rather, we are not exactly like Him. We make mistakes, talk out of turn, lose our temper, and get annoyed with people. We lose patience with our own sin and the sins of others. But Jesus said and did the right things — always. He reflects qualities that belong to God and God alone. If descriptions do not convince us that He is divine, Jesus also walked on water, healed the sick, turned water into wine, fed thousands with less than what is in my pantry, and raised the dead. He read minds and forgave sins. Only God can do that.
We may not understand words like immanent and eternal, but in Christ we can clearly see that God is loving and merciful. We can also see how He hates sin but cares deeply about sinners. That is, God pulled on humanity like a pair of pants and walked among us. He knew we could not grasp His nature by mere descriptions. He knew we would stumble if all we had were stories of His interaction with Old Testament Jews. Skeptics even discredit God and those miracles by saying they were superstition, coincidences or freaks of nature.
But no one can explain away Jesus. Real people saw, touched, and heard Him. They interacted with a living person who loved them and did miracles. They watched Him give Himself up to death on a cross for human sin. Over 500 of them rejoiced to see Him alive again when God raised Him from the dead. They knew He was God in the flesh.
By studying Jesus, we can begin to understand God as described in Scripture. By putting our faith in Him, we can experience God too. He will live within us and walk beside us. We never again have to struggle with long words and vague descriptions that always fall short because, in Christ, we can not only know who He is but we can know Him as our Savior and personal friend.
Millions of businesses use the Internet to advertise and sell products. Millions of ordinary folks use it to find information and to communicate with friends all over the world.
The Internet started as a convenience for government agencies. Soon other organizations saw its potential. Since the 1994 advent of Internet browsers, the number of web servers who feed information into cyberspace has exploded from a few thousand to over several million. They host uncountable personal and corporate web sites. With such rapid growth, no one has a handle on the actual size of the worldwide web. While most of us don’t care, some ambitious people are trying to draw a map of the Internet. They want to define and catalog it, somehow wrapping their minds around its size and content.
Imagine an even greater challenge: try to figure out God. The study is called “theology” and theology books are filled with finite human attempts to understand Someone infinite, Someone greater than the Internet or even the entire universe.
Theology tries to list God’s attributes and actions, dividing characteristics into those we can share — like mercy, and those that belong to God alone — such as the ability to know all things.
Theologians devote pages describing how God reveals Himself and how we can know Him. They describe and define His names and His triune nature. Some have perplexing titles such as “Essence and Attributes” and “Defenseless Superior Power.”
Besides chapters on His character, theologians describe the way God behaves. They talk of His mercy in sparing those who deserved judgment. They describe how He takes care of His people, sometimes in miraculous ways.
However, the best way to define God is the way He defines Himself. That is, what God is like is most clearly seen in His Son, Jesus Christ. Yes, Jesus was a human being. He was born just as we were, grew up, learned, and was subject to His parents and civil law. He got hungry, thirsty and tired. He was just like us in that He had feelings, thoughts, and choices to make.
However, if we study His life, it is not long before we realize He is not exactly like us, or rather, we are not exactly like Him. We make mistakes, talk out of turn, lose our temper, and get annoyed with people. We lose patience with our own sin and the sins of others. But Jesus said and did the right things — always. He reflects qualities that belong to God and God alone. If descriptions do not convince us that He is divine, Jesus also walked on water, healed the sick, turned water into wine, fed thousands with less than what is in my pantry, and raised the dead. He read minds and forgave sins. Only God can do that.
We may not understand words like immanent and eternal, but in Christ we can clearly see that God is loving and merciful. We can also see how He hates sin but cares deeply about sinners. That is, God pulled on humanity like a pair of pants and walked among us. He knew we could not grasp His nature by mere descriptions. He knew we would stumble if all we had were stories of His interaction with Old Testament Jews. Skeptics even discredit God and those miracles by saying they were superstition, coincidences or freaks of nature.
But no one can explain away Jesus. Real people saw, touched, and heard Him. They interacted with a living person who loved them and did miracles. They watched Him give Himself up to death on a cross for human sin. Over 500 of them rejoiced to see Him alive again when God raised Him from the dead. They knew He was God in the flesh.
By studying Jesus, we can begin to understand God as described in Scripture. By putting our faith in Him, we can experience God too. He will live within us and walk beside us. We never again have to struggle with long words and vague descriptions that always fall short because, in Christ, we can not only know who He is but we can know Him as our Savior and personal friend.
Wednesday, September 6, 2017
Living right now – with an eternal perspective .......... Parables 637
April 27, 1999
Christians are supposed to live with an “eternal perspective” (God says so) but mostly our efforts bring on accusations of having a “pie in the sky” religion.
An eternal perspective is an enigma. Who can define eternity? Is time measured there (or then)? How can something be without beginning or end? Perhaps it is a constant “now”? The Bible says God is eternal. Does He experience past, present and future all together? Besides, the very word “eternal” suggests that nothing changes. How can that be?
I cannot wrap my mind around these ideas. I had a beginning and I am stuck in time. Yesterday is a memory, today is a scramble and tomorrow is a mystery — but most of us can keep all three in their own boxes.
Changelessness is also unimaginable. Life is filled with change. I am not the same today as I was twenty years ago or even last week. What will the next twenty years will bring? Probably more wrinkles and hopefully a shorter to-do list, but nothing is certain.
God lives outside our box of time and constant change. When He peers in, what does He see? How does He view our past? Our busy days? Our future? Our changes? The Bible says if I can grasp His view of these things, then will I understand how to live with an eternal perspective.
As for the past, I could look back on the negative parts with guilt and shame but God looks at my past and says, “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” This is His way of saying He no longer holds all my mistakes against me. Once sin is confessed, it no longer clouds His mind or mine, now or in the future. If I can think like He does about my sin, then I too will hold an eternal perspective.
When I look at today, all I see is busyness and heavy responsibilities but God looks at it with interest, not only in what I do but why I do it. He says that in eternity, all my activities are examined according to their foundation. That is, if my busyness is built on Jesus Christ, then when those activities are “revealed and tested with fire” they will be “rewarded.” The Bible is not specific about what those rewards might be, but it does say all the useless stuff will be burned up.
If I can think about my activities in those terms, I have to ask whether or not they fit into God’s will, and also why I do them. This makes an eternal perspective is very practical. For one thing, my day and my attitudes can be greatly simplified. If something is no help to others or will not make me more like Jesus, then why do it?
This is not as easy at it sounds. Some activities are not wrong but pointless. Others are expected but seem without eternal value. For instance, cleaning out the frig today will not matter a hundred years from now. However, having the right foundation means I will do it for my family and for the Lord with a Christlike attitude and in obedience to His Spirit. When I build even ordinary duties on the foundation of Christ, the Bible says He gives them eternal value. Not only that, this is God’s focal point concerning change. His eternal goal for me is that I become like His Son. When I cooperate, I am living with an eternal perspective.
As for the future, I see it as if looking through colored glass. The Apostle Paul even wrote “now we see through a glass darkly.” The future is a faint shape of what others mock as “pie in the sky” and although I cannot quite make it out, Paul adds that some day “we will know fully.”
Yet God does not intend that my focus be on the someday without letting this heavenly hope give excitement to each day right now. While I can look forward to living forever with Him in His eternal realm, God also wants me to wake up every morning thinking that Jesus might come today and then live that day as if He will. And if He does not, I still get a taste of the eternal; no matter what the day brings, I have it on God’s promises that He is involved. For me, that is a huge slice of what it means to live with an eternal perspective.
Christians are supposed to live with an “eternal perspective” (God says so) but mostly our efforts bring on accusations of having a “pie in the sky” religion.
An eternal perspective is an enigma. Who can define eternity? Is time measured there (or then)? How can something be without beginning or end? Perhaps it is a constant “now”? The Bible says God is eternal. Does He experience past, present and future all together? Besides, the very word “eternal” suggests that nothing changes. How can that be?
I cannot wrap my mind around these ideas. I had a beginning and I am stuck in time. Yesterday is a memory, today is a scramble and tomorrow is a mystery — but most of us can keep all three in their own boxes.
Changelessness is also unimaginable. Life is filled with change. I am not the same today as I was twenty years ago or even last week. What will the next twenty years will bring? Probably more wrinkles and hopefully a shorter to-do list, but nothing is certain.
God lives outside our box of time and constant change. When He peers in, what does He see? How does He view our past? Our busy days? Our future? Our changes? The Bible says if I can grasp His view of these things, then will I understand how to live with an eternal perspective.
As for the past, I could look back on the negative parts with guilt and shame but God looks at my past and says, “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” This is His way of saying He no longer holds all my mistakes against me. Once sin is confessed, it no longer clouds His mind or mine, now or in the future. If I can think like He does about my sin, then I too will hold an eternal perspective.
When I look at today, all I see is busyness and heavy responsibilities but God looks at it with interest, not only in what I do but why I do it. He says that in eternity, all my activities are examined according to their foundation. That is, if my busyness is built on Jesus Christ, then when those activities are “revealed and tested with fire” they will be “rewarded.” The Bible is not specific about what those rewards might be, but it does say all the useless stuff will be burned up.
If I can think about my activities in those terms, I have to ask whether or not they fit into God’s will, and also why I do them. This makes an eternal perspective is very practical. For one thing, my day and my attitudes can be greatly simplified. If something is no help to others or will not make me more like Jesus, then why do it?
This is not as easy at it sounds. Some activities are not wrong but pointless. Others are expected but seem without eternal value. For instance, cleaning out the frig today will not matter a hundred years from now. However, having the right foundation means I will do it for my family and for the Lord with a Christlike attitude and in obedience to His Spirit. When I build even ordinary duties on the foundation of Christ, the Bible says He gives them eternal value. Not only that, this is God’s focal point concerning change. His eternal goal for me is that I become like His Son. When I cooperate, I am living with an eternal perspective.
As for the future, I see it as if looking through colored glass. The Apostle Paul even wrote “now we see through a glass darkly.” The future is a faint shape of what others mock as “pie in the sky” and although I cannot quite make it out, Paul adds that some day “we will know fully.”
Yet God does not intend that my focus be on the someday without letting this heavenly hope give excitement to each day right now. While I can look forward to living forever with Him in His eternal realm, God also wants me to wake up every morning thinking that Jesus might come today and then live that day as if He will. And if He does not, I still get a taste of the eternal; no matter what the day brings, I have it on God’s promises that He is involved. For me, that is a huge slice of what it means to live with an eternal perspective.
Friday, July 21, 2017
Are there answers in the trials of life? .......... Parables 617
November 3, 1998
A few months ago, an MD-11 Swissair jetliner plunged into the sea off the coast of the fishing village of Peggy’s Cove, killing all 229 people on board. Last week, Alaska Airlines Flight 261 failed, taking 88 passengers and crew to their death.
After the first disaster, Swissair chairman Jeff Katz thanked Canadian authorities for their help. He had a special word for the people of Peggy’s Cove: “The Peggy’s Cove experience has been perhaps the best part, if I can use that word, for getting them (families of those who died) in touch with what happened and dealing with the loss of their loved ones.”
Memorials to Flight 111's victims were held both in the fishing village and in Halifax. One pastor related that sharing grief with these families made them “spiritually part of our community. We won’t forget them.”
The Alaskan crash off the coast of California tore apart families and claimed families. Wives lost their husbands, children their parents. A man, wife and their four children all died.
Part of grief is the struggle to make sense of “senseless” tragedies. When they happen, we want to turn back the clock and change history. We want to understand what happened. With or without reasons or explanations, we must share our dismay and grief with others.
Tragedy’s question is “Why?” “Why a crash? Why do the children die? Why does anyone die? Why so horribly? If God is good, why did He let this happen?”
Even though the Bible says God is not the source of evil, it does show that calamity is under His control. For many, that fact is a stabilizing assurance.
For example, Job’s story is disaster in triplicate. First he lost his oxen and donkeys, then his sheep and his servants, then his camels and finally all his sons and daughters. His grief can hardly be described. Nevertheless, Job worshiped God. He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”
Then more calamity fell on Job. He was afflicted with painful sores and near death, yet the Bible says, “In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.”
Who can relate to this man? Job was not told God’s reasons for his trials yet he realized God would use it for good. At one point, he said, “He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.”
Christians often quote Job or cling to Romans 8:28 as their hope whenever disaster strikes: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
Key to understanding this promise is knowing what “good” God intends. His specific purpose is in verse 29: “For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son. . . .”
In all things, tragedies included, God is able to produce in His people a deeper faith and a deeper resemblance to Jesus. Trials tend to focus our minds on Him. If we see Him as He is, that has a transforming effect. In this way, God can use disasters for our good.
It is not fair to guess how God might use trouble in the lives of others, but we can be sure of one thing: everyone needs to hope in Him. All people need to know that God is good and that He intends good for us. All need to believe His promises and cling to the reality that He can bring positive results from the most negative situations.
Without the goodness of God, there is no anchor in the tempests of life. With it, the tempests still rage, but they cannot destroy the reality of God’s love. No matter what happens, we can still hope in Him.
A few months ago, an MD-11 Swissair jetliner plunged into the sea off the coast of the fishing village of Peggy’s Cove, killing all 229 people on board. Last week, Alaska Airlines Flight 261 failed, taking 88 passengers and crew to their death.
After the first disaster, Swissair chairman Jeff Katz thanked Canadian authorities for their help. He had a special word for the people of Peggy’s Cove: “The Peggy’s Cove experience has been perhaps the best part, if I can use that word, for getting them (families of those who died) in touch with what happened and dealing with the loss of their loved ones.”
Memorials to Flight 111's victims were held both in the fishing village and in Halifax. One pastor related that sharing grief with these families made them “spiritually part of our community. We won’t forget them.”
The Alaskan crash off the coast of California tore apart families and claimed families. Wives lost their husbands, children their parents. A man, wife and their four children all died.
Part of grief is the struggle to make sense of “senseless” tragedies. When they happen, we want to turn back the clock and change history. We want to understand what happened. With or without reasons or explanations, we must share our dismay and grief with others.
Tragedy’s question is “Why?” “Why a crash? Why do the children die? Why does anyone die? Why so horribly? If God is good, why did He let this happen?”
Even though the Bible says God is not the source of evil, it does show that calamity is under His control. For many, that fact is a stabilizing assurance.
For example, Job’s story is disaster in triplicate. First he lost his oxen and donkeys, then his sheep and his servants, then his camels and finally all his sons and daughters. His grief can hardly be described. Nevertheless, Job worshiped God. He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.”
Then more calamity fell on Job. He was afflicted with painful sores and near death, yet the Bible says, “In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.”
Who can relate to this man? Job was not told God’s reasons for his trials yet he realized God would use it for good. At one point, he said, “He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.”
Christians often quote Job or cling to Romans 8:28 as their hope whenever disaster strikes: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
Key to understanding this promise is knowing what “good” God intends. His specific purpose is in verse 29: “For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son. . . .”
In all things, tragedies included, God is able to produce in His people a deeper faith and a deeper resemblance to Jesus. Trials tend to focus our minds on Him. If we see Him as He is, that has a transforming effect. In this way, God can use disasters for our good.
It is not fair to guess how God might use trouble in the lives of others, but we can be sure of one thing: everyone needs to hope in Him. All people need to know that God is good and that He intends good for us. All need to believe His promises and cling to the reality that He can bring positive results from the most negative situations.
Without the goodness of God, there is no anchor in the tempests of life. With it, the tempests still rage, but they cannot destroy the reality of God’s love. No matter what happens, we can still hope in Him.
Friday, June 30, 2017
Compatible with God? .......... Parables 608
August 18, 1998
Back in the 80's, a computer wasn’t considered one hundred percent compatible with IBM unless it could run Microsoft’s Flight Simulator. How technology has changed! Computer usage has become far too complex to evaluate with such a simple comparison.
Word usage changes too. “Compatible” once referred to human relationships. When a man and a woman considered themselves compatible, they got married. Today, lack of compatibility is still given as a reason for marital breakdown.
Like two computers, in a compatible relationship two people have similar dispositions or tastes. They get along because they think alike or have learned to understand one another. Sometimes they anticipate one another’s words and finish each other’s sentences.
What couple does not want to be compatible? While some might settle at both cheering for the same football team, wives and husbands want to be understood by a partner who shares their interests and ambitions, yet married couples know this takes effort.
Compatibility of interests is more apt to draw people together, and even without shared hobbies or interests, two people can cultivate at least one mutual interest. Understanding another person’s character and deepest desires takes more work.
If being happily compatible in marriage involves hard work, what about compatibility with God? Is it possible to be involved in a relationship with Him that includes sharing a similar disposition? Can we be interested in the same activities and goals as He is?
Many people try to enter a relationship with God on their terms, supposing He thinks like they do. In their minds, He will wink at their lifestyle, support their ambitions and help them reach their goals. However, we err if we think God’s character is like our own or that His plans and desires are like ours.
The first clue is that the Bible is clear on how to enter a relationship with God. It must be on His terms. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.” The Apostle Peter adds, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” God tells us how to know Him; we cannot decide this for ourselves.
Secondly, God does not think or act like we do. He says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. . . .” Although we were made in His image, He is holy and we are not. Although He took on human flesh and became a man, those who observed Jesus said no man ever spoke or acted like He did. So how can we be compatible with God? We are not like Him in character or the way we behave.
Some say you simply do the things Jesus would do, imitating His actions. Some actions may make us give us an outward appearance of being like Him, but just as compatibility with your spouse involves far more than acting like them, so does being in harmony with God.
Our problem is with both “doing” and “being.” We have trouble doing godlike things because of who we are. It is a matter of the heart. To conform to His character or have the same interests as He does, we need to “be” like Him, think like He does. Who can say they know for sure the thoughts of God? Remember, God said His thoughts are not like ours.
Nearly every married person seeking compatibility has said silently or aloud, “I wish I could get into her (or his) heart—then I would know what she thinks and feels.” We might think if we could get into God’s heart, we would know Him, but we cannot do that.
However, God can get into our hearts, not to understand our thoughts and feelings because He already does, but so we can know His. Oddly enough, that is how to be compatible with God; we need to invite Him in.
Back in the 80's, a computer wasn’t considered one hundred percent compatible with IBM unless it could run Microsoft’s Flight Simulator. How technology has changed! Computer usage has become far too complex to evaluate with such a simple comparison.
Word usage changes too. “Compatible” once referred to human relationships. When a man and a woman considered themselves compatible, they got married. Today, lack of compatibility is still given as a reason for marital breakdown.
Like two computers, in a compatible relationship two people have similar dispositions or tastes. They get along because they think alike or have learned to understand one another. Sometimes they anticipate one another’s words and finish each other’s sentences.
What couple does not want to be compatible? While some might settle at both cheering for the same football team, wives and husbands want to be understood by a partner who shares their interests and ambitions, yet married couples know this takes effort.
Compatibility of interests is more apt to draw people together, and even without shared hobbies or interests, two people can cultivate at least one mutual interest. Understanding another person’s character and deepest desires takes more work.
If being happily compatible in marriage involves hard work, what about compatibility with God? Is it possible to be involved in a relationship with Him that includes sharing a similar disposition? Can we be interested in the same activities and goals as He is?
Many people try to enter a relationship with God on their terms, supposing He thinks like they do. In their minds, He will wink at their lifestyle, support their ambitions and help them reach their goals. However, we err if we think God’s character is like our own or that His plans and desires are like ours.
The first clue is that the Bible is clear on how to enter a relationship with God. It must be on His terms. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.” The Apostle Peter adds, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” God tells us how to know Him; we cannot decide this for ourselves.
Secondly, God does not think or act like we do. He says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. . . .” Although we were made in His image, He is holy and we are not. Although He took on human flesh and became a man, those who observed Jesus said no man ever spoke or acted like He did. So how can we be compatible with God? We are not like Him in character or the way we behave.
Some say you simply do the things Jesus would do, imitating His actions. Some actions may make us give us an outward appearance of being like Him, but just as compatibility with your spouse involves far more than acting like them, so does being in harmony with God.
Our problem is with both “doing” and “being.” We have trouble doing godlike things because of who we are. It is a matter of the heart. To conform to His character or have the same interests as He does, we need to “be” like Him, think like He does. Who can say they know for sure the thoughts of God? Remember, God said His thoughts are not like ours.
Nearly every married person seeking compatibility has said silently or aloud, “I wish I could get into her (or his) heart—then I would know what she thinks and feels.” We might think if we could get into God’s heart, we would know Him, but we cannot do that.
However, God can get into our hearts, not to understand our thoughts and feelings because He already does, but so we can know His. Oddly enough, that is how to be compatible with God; we need to invite Him in.
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
More about spiritual blindness .................. Parables 403
January 11, 1994
A remarkable musician named Clarence can play any piece of music on his accordion after hearing it only once. Clarence had his first music lessons as an adult. It took him three months to learn one number but after that, each one comes instantly.
Clarence is blind. He demonstrates how a person who has lost a particular ability sometimes compensates in other ways. While he cannot see, his hearing is remarkable, as is his memory of what he has heard.
The Bible talks about another kind of blindness, quite different than the inability to see with our eyes. It is a blindness to spiritual realities, invisible even to those with 20/20 vision. Furthermore, they cannot be felt, heard, or tasted either.
This type of blindness is the human inability to understand spiritual matters. Because it is so much a part of our natural state, many people do not realize they are blind in this way. Even those who do may not recognize that the ability to compensate is not a given. There is nothing that can be done with any of our faculties that will counterbalance this handicap.
This condition is caused by sin. Sin is turning from God and going our own way. By taking that turn, we become blind to the realities in His kingdom. However, even though all of us have sinned, not everyone is equally blind. That is, people have varying capacities to grasp the realities of the kingdom of God, depending upon their responses to God’s leading and revelation in their lives.
Others are quite unaware of those realities and quite aware they are spiritually blind. They may realize there is mystery concerning God, and that we should try to please Him but they cannot understand how, so like Clarence, they try to compensate. They do it by conjecture, deciding what He wants then setting about doing what they decided.
Some compensate for their blindness by adopting Christianity on a superficial level. That is, they say they believe in God, that Christ is the Son of God, and that a person should have good morals, go to church, be kind, and take care of the poor, all good things. The wrong in them is that these people tend to count on those things to earn them favor with God. It is in that area that they are blind.
They do not realized that God is holy and utterly perfect and anything we could offer Him is less than His glory deserves. While some behave more morally than others, without Christ we are without the capacity to be holy or to please Him. The Bible puts it this way: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Imagine a target on the other side of a great chasm. We use our finest arrows, pull back with all our might, aim carefully, but the arrows fall short, into the chasm. Our best efforts cannot bridge the gap, caused by sin, between ourselves and God. It is too wide and too deep. Everything we try to do falls short.
Spiritual blindness often makes people think their arrows are making it to the other side. They are blind to what God thinks about their efforts and to what He really wants.
Jesus came to open the eyes of the blind. He did that literally, but also offers spiritual sight. It is called “faith.” Through faith, we can see what God wants.
At first, that does not sound like good news. Just as a bowman would be upset if he saw all his best arrows falling into a bottomless pit, so would a sincere, moral person if they saw all their efforts ignored by God. However, that is only part of “seeing.” The other part is that Jesus gives Himself, and with Him, we have the glory we need to please God. He is our bridge across the chasm. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man can come to the Father but by me.”
A remarkable musician named Clarence can play any piece of music on his accordion after hearing it only once. Clarence had his first music lessons as an adult. It took him three months to learn one number but after that, each one comes instantly.
Clarence is blind. He demonstrates how a person who has lost a particular ability sometimes compensates in other ways. While he cannot see, his hearing is remarkable, as is his memory of what he has heard.
The Bible talks about another kind of blindness, quite different than the inability to see with our eyes. It is a blindness to spiritual realities, invisible even to those with 20/20 vision. Furthermore, they cannot be felt, heard, or tasted either.
This type of blindness is the human inability to understand spiritual matters. Because it is so much a part of our natural state, many people do not realize they are blind in this way. Even those who do may not recognize that the ability to compensate is not a given. There is nothing that can be done with any of our faculties that will counterbalance this handicap.
This condition is caused by sin. Sin is turning from God and going our own way. By taking that turn, we become blind to the realities in His kingdom. However, even though all of us have sinned, not everyone is equally blind. That is, people have varying capacities to grasp the realities of the kingdom of God, depending upon their responses to God’s leading and revelation in their lives.
Others are quite unaware of those realities and quite aware they are spiritually blind. They may realize there is mystery concerning God, and that we should try to please Him but they cannot understand how, so like Clarence, they try to compensate. They do it by conjecture, deciding what He wants then setting about doing what they decided.
Some compensate for their blindness by adopting Christianity on a superficial level. That is, they say they believe in God, that Christ is the Son of God, and that a person should have good morals, go to church, be kind, and take care of the poor, all good things. The wrong in them is that these people tend to count on those things to earn them favor with God. It is in that area that they are blind.
They do not realized that God is holy and utterly perfect and anything we could offer Him is less than His glory deserves. While some behave more morally than others, without Christ we are without the capacity to be holy or to please Him. The Bible puts it this way: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Imagine a target on the other side of a great chasm. We use our finest arrows, pull back with all our might, aim carefully, but the arrows fall short, into the chasm. Our best efforts cannot bridge the gap, caused by sin, between ourselves and God. It is too wide and too deep. Everything we try to do falls short.
Spiritual blindness often makes people think their arrows are making it to the other side. They are blind to what God thinks about their efforts and to what He really wants.
Jesus came to open the eyes of the blind. He did that literally, but also offers spiritual sight. It is called “faith.” Through faith, we can see what God wants.
At first, that does not sound like good news. Just as a bowman would be upset if he saw all his best arrows falling into a bottomless pit, so would a sincere, moral person if they saw all their efforts ignored by God. However, that is only part of “seeing.” The other part is that Jesus gives Himself, and with Him, we have the glory we need to please God. He is our bridge across the chasm. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man can come to the Father but by me.”
Friday, July 24, 2015
Pain has Purpose ................ Parables 304
February 11, 1992
A child is murdered. An arsonist burns a home to the ground. A car accident cripples a newlywed. And we, even we who believe in a sovereign God who controls all things, are at a loss to explain our out-of-control world.
Oh, we Christians say God has His reasons... but our pat answers offer little comfort to the child’s parents, the family who has lost everything, or the couple whose hopes and dreams have turned to perpetual pain and wheelchairs. They cry for a way out and question — how can a sovereign, loving God allow such horrid things to happen?
When in pain, our ability to reason often abandons us, yet reason has shown me some new ideas about pain and suffering. For one thing, I used to think pain was always something to avoid, but isn’t some pain necessary? Without it, no one would go to the doctor to have broken bones set, or yank their hand off a hot iron, or avoid sharp knife blades. All pain is uncomfortable, but not all pain is evil.
Furthermore, I used to consider death as utterly bad, however it does have two very practical purposes. One of them, admittedly heartless but nonetheless true, is that if every man, woman, child, dog, cat, and goldfish that ever lived still lived, there would be no breathing space left.
Our real problem is with UNWANTED pain and the UNAVOIDABLE separation and suffering involved with death. We want God to intervene, to change things so we don’t hurt any more. But reason says for that to happen, God would have to change the nature of the way the world works, more precisely, the principle of cause and effect.
Cause and effect makes life predictable. We flip a switch and a light goes on; drink some water and our thirst is satisfied; sleep all night and wake up refreshed. However, if cause and effect could no longer be relied on, we would never be sure what would happen. They light may go on, but then again, it might not.
Imagine the chaos of a world without this principle. We could never be sure about anything. Would living with unpredictability would more tolerable than living without pain? The pain of consequences at least keeps most of us from inadvertently destroying ourselves.
Our prayers often demand God to change our situation or take away our distresses but we forget one more thing: without pain to keep us in check, we probably would do even worse things to each other than we do. Actually, if we are going to demand anything of God, maybe it should be a solution for sin. After all, sin causes death (“The wages of sin is death...” Romans 6:23) and a large percentage of human pain and suffering.
Actually, God has provided a solution for sin and it relates to this whole issue. Follow this carefully: those who seek His forgiveness receive a changed life and an attitude that desires to alleviate pain rather than inflict it. However, God does not change the cause/effect principle. If we sin, someone suffers, even though God can use that for our good, to draw us closer to Him. Instead, God created another world — His full and final solution to the misery and pain of this world. It is a place where we can live forever in the pain-free environment we wish we could have here. Of it, the Bible says, “God will wipe away every tear... there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying... no more pain, for the former things (including the principle of cause and effect) have passed away.”
That is where the second practical purpose of death comes in. Death is the process by which we enter that perfect, eternal place. Without it, we would be stuck here. So, listen to what Jesus said, “I go and prepare a place for you and will come again and receive you to Myself... I am the way...” the way out...
A child is murdered. An arsonist burns a home to the ground. A car accident cripples a newlywed. And we, even we who believe in a sovereign God who controls all things, are at a loss to explain our out-of-control world.
Oh, we Christians say God has His reasons... but our pat answers offer little comfort to the child’s parents, the family who has lost everything, or the couple whose hopes and dreams have turned to perpetual pain and wheelchairs. They cry for a way out and question — how can a sovereign, loving God allow such horrid things to happen?
When in pain, our ability to reason often abandons us, yet reason has shown me some new ideas about pain and suffering. For one thing, I used to think pain was always something to avoid, but isn’t some pain necessary? Without it, no one would go to the doctor to have broken bones set, or yank their hand off a hot iron, or avoid sharp knife blades. All pain is uncomfortable, but not all pain is evil.
Furthermore, I used to consider death as utterly bad, however it does have two very practical purposes. One of them, admittedly heartless but nonetheless true, is that if every man, woman, child, dog, cat, and goldfish that ever lived still lived, there would be no breathing space left.
Our real problem is with UNWANTED pain and the UNAVOIDABLE separation and suffering involved with death. We want God to intervene, to change things so we don’t hurt any more. But reason says for that to happen, God would have to change the nature of the way the world works, more precisely, the principle of cause and effect.
Cause and effect makes life predictable. We flip a switch and a light goes on; drink some water and our thirst is satisfied; sleep all night and wake up refreshed. However, if cause and effect could no longer be relied on, we would never be sure what would happen. They light may go on, but then again, it might not.
Imagine the chaos of a world without this principle. We could never be sure about anything. Would living with unpredictability would more tolerable than living without pain? The pain of consequences at least keeps most of us from inadvertently destroying ourselves.
Our prayers often demand God to change our situation or take away our distresses but we forget one more thing: without pain to keep us in check, we probably would do even worse things to each other than we do. Actually, if we are going to demand anything of God, maybe it should be a solution for sin. After all, sin causes death (“The wages of sin is death...” Romans 6:23) and a large percentage of human pain and suffering.
Actually, God has provided a solution for sin and it relates to this whole issue. Follow this carefully: those who seek His forgiveness receive a changed life and an attitude that desires to alleviate pain rather than inflict it. However, God does not change the cause/effect principle. If we sin, someone suffers, even though God can use that for our good, to draw us closer to Him. Instead, God created another world — His full and final solution to the misery and pain of this world. It is a place where we can live forever in the pain-free environment we wish we could have here. Of it, the Bible says, “God will wipe away every tear... there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying... no more pain, for the former things (including the principle of cause and effect) have passed away.”
That is where the second practical purpose of death comes in. Death is the process by which we enter that perfect, eternal place. Without it, we would be stuck here. So, listen to what Jesus said, “I go and prepare a place for you and will come again and receive you to Myself... I am the way...” the way out...
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Understanding Parables ........................ Parables 058
Most of us think of Jesus Christ when we think of parables. He used them so effectively in His ministry. He told stories about lost sheep and lost coins to show God’s concern for lost sinners. He used stories about farming and seeds to illustrate that the Word of God grows when planted in the hearts of people. Parables are simply short anecdotes using illustrations from nature and everyday life to illustrate spiritual truth.
When Jesus spoke in parables, He said that those who did not believe in Him would not fully understand them. I’ve found that to be true. Before putting my faith in Him, His stories were, at best, moral lessons, or generalized truths that I did not know how to apply to my life.
Since then, His parables have become rich in meaning. I see now how verses like I Corinthians 2:14 have great implication. “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
The Spirit of God is essential to my comprehension of truth. I know by faith, and by experience, that without the Spirit’s ministry, the parables Jesus told (and even the attempts in this column), will be seen, at best, as moral lessons or general truths. It will be hard to understand what is meant by them. Also, what is understood may not be what is intended.
While clarity in journalism is important, in the realm of parables, I must admit that, while I strive to do so, I cannot always make plain the spiritual truths that God is teaching me. Some will dismiss my parables as foolishness. Others will see them as I once saw the parables that Jesus told... “general truth and good morals”, no more. I know that the limitations of human understanding cannot take any of us beyond that.
Because that is so, and because parables are only illustrations, several things are important to remember: First, God did not intend that we discover all truth from parables. The perfect revelation of truth is the entire Word of God. The Bible opens our eyes to US: our origin, our needs, our purpose, and our destiny. It cuts through our concepts and reasoning and “tells it like it is.”
In it we also find the truth about GOD: There is no other way to know Him. He was first revealed through the “forefathers and prophets, but finally through Jesus Christ...who is the exact representation of His person.” (Hebrews 1:3) The written Word describes God, first as the forefathers saw Him, then the prophets, and finally, as the Son reveals Him.
Secondly, even the parables that Jesus told have limited application. Not every one of them will touch every reader at their point of need. Keep reading!
Thirdly, we have a tendency to filter His stories through the grid of our own reasoning and experience. Because of that, we often misinterpret and misunderstand parables. Therefore, prayer before reading His Word (and before reading anything anyone writes about it), is vital. Asking God to give spiritual understanding and wisdom to make a correct application may open up things that were once confusing or senseless.
Also, it is my desire that whatever I write be true to the Word, helpful to the reader, and a tool of understanding for the Holy Spirit, but without His ministry to me, I am subject to all kinds of fumbling. Include me in your prayers.
When Jesus spoke in parables, He said that those who did not believe in Him would not fully understand them. I’ve found that to be true. Before putting my faith in Him, His stories were, at best, moral lessons, or generalized truths that I did not know how to apply to my life.
Since then, His parables have become rich in meaning. I see now how verses like I Corinthians 2:14 have great implication. “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
The Spirit of God is essential to my comprehension of truth. I know by faith, and by experience, that without the Spirit’s ministry, the parables Jesus told (and even the attempts in this column), will be seen, at best, as moral lessons or general truths. It will be hard to understand what is meant by them. Also, what is understood may not be what is intended.
While clarity in journalism is important, in the realm of parables, I must admit that, while I strive to do so, I cannot always make plain the spiritual truths that God is teaching me. Some will dismiss my parables as foolishness. Others will see them as I once saw the parables that Jesus told... “general truth and good morals”, no more. I know that the limitations of human understanding cannot take any of us beyond that.
Because that is so, and because parables are only illustrations, several things are important to remember: First, God did not intend that we discover all truth from parables. The perfect revelation of truth is the entire Word of God. The Bible opens our eyes to US: our origin, our needs, our purpose, and our destiny. It cuts through our concepts and reasoning and “tells it like it is.”
In it we also find the truth about GOD: There is no other way to know Him. He was first revealed through the “forefathers and prophets, but finally through Jesus Christ...who is the exact representation of His person.” (Hebrews 1:3) The written Word describes God, first as the forefathers saw Him, then the prophets, and finally, as the Son reveals Him.
Secondly, even the parables that Jesus told have limited application. Not every one of them will touch every reader at their point of need. Keep reading!
Thirdly, we have a tendency to filter His stories through the grid of our own reasoning and experience. Because of that, we often misinterpret and misunderstand parables. Therefore, prayer before reading His Word (and before reading anything anyone writes about it), is vital. Asking God to give spiritual understanding and wisdom to make a correct application may open up things that were once confusing or senseless.
Also, it is my desire that whatever I write be true to the Word, helpful to the reader, and a tool of understanding for the Holy Spirit, but without His ministry to me, I am subject to all kinds of fumbling. Include me in your prayers.
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