Christians live not under compulsion, but from a cheerful heart
"Each man should give what he has decided to give in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Cor. 9:7)
I think this applies to more than just our money (which is the context of this verse), but rather our whole Christian life and service. Since God has already taken care of our eternal redemption, doing good isn't a matter of compulsion (do this or else burn!). And that creates the possibility of our freely and cheerfully giving ourselves to God, in whatever aspect of our life.
Showing posts with label spiritual growth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spiritual growth. Show all posts
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Thursday, January 03, 2008
I’m continuing to focus on God’s role in bringing about my spiritual development, as opposed to my own effort. I used to say “God has done his part, so I need to do mine.” I don’t think this was exactly wrong, but I think it may have caused me to miss how much it’s really about God’s actions primarily.
Here’s a portion of Psalm 119 that really emphasizes God as the effecient cause of our spiritual advancement:
33 Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes,
And I shall observe it to the end.
34 Give me understanding, that I may observe Your law
And keep it with all my heart.
35Make me walk in the path of Your commandments,
For I delight in it.
36Incline my heart to Your testimonies
And not to dishonest gain.
37Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity,
And revive me in Your ways.
38Establish Your word to Your servant,
As that which produces reverence for You.
39Turn away my reproach which I dread,
For Your ordinances are good.
40Behold, I long for Your precepts;
Revive me through Your righteousness.
Here’s a portion of Psalm 119 that really emphasizes God as the effecient cause of our spiritual advancement:
33 Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes,
And I shall observe it to the end.
34 Give me understanding, that I may observe Your law
And keep it with all my heart.
35Make me walk in the path of Your commandments,
For I delight in it.
36Incline my heart to Your testimonies
And not to dishonest gain.
37Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity,
And revive me in Your ways.
38Establish Your word to Your servant,
As that which produces reverence for You.
39Turn away my reproach which I dread,
For Your ordinances are good.
40Behold, I long for Your precepts;
Revive me through Your righteousness.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Do you agree with this statement?
"...all consists in one hearty renunciation of everything which we are sensible does not lead to GOD..."
-- Brother Lawrence: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/lawrence/practice.iii.iv.html
In the Christian life is there any place for diversion, recreation, etc? Is it part of God's plan for people that they simply enjoy themselves with no other purpose in mind?
A related question: is there any place for the Christian to spend surplus money on themselves when there are people dying from poverty?
"...all consists in one hearty renunciation of everything which we are sensible does not lead to GOD..."
-- Brother Lawrence: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/lawrence/practice.iii.iv.html
In the Christian life is there any place for diversion, recreation, etc? Is it part of God's plan for people that they simply enjoy themselves with no other purpose in mind?
A related question: is there any place for the Christian to spend surplus money on themselves when there are people dying from poverty?
Monday, August 27, 2007
Answered prayers?
Post your recent answered prayers, for the encouragement of others and the Glory of God.
About a month ago, I was thinking about how biblical discipleship seems to involve the discipler (e.g., Jesus) calling the disciple, and not the other way around. In the past I’ve sought out the people I wanted to mentor me (except for Larry, who I’ve mentioned before), but this time I prayed to God, “if you want me to be discipled, I’m just going to do nothing and wait until a someone calls me.”
About two days later, I received an e-mail from a man asking if I’d like to start meeting for discipleship.
Post your recent answered prayers, for the encouragement of others and the Glory of God.
About a month ago, I was thinking about how biblical discipleship seems to involve the discipler (e.g., Jesus) calling the disciple, and not the other way around. In the past I’ve sought out the people I wanted to mentor me (except for Larry, who I’ve mentioned before), but this time I prayed to God, “if you want me to be discipled, I’m just going to do nothing and wait until a someone calls me.”
About two days later, I received an e-mail from a man asking if I’d like to start meeting for discipleship.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
My good friend and mentor, Larry, has a blog where he's done a series of posts on church elders, which from a practical stand-point may be the most important aspect of a church because the congregation can only go where its leaders take it. Here's the link:
http://www.convictionofthingsnotseen.blogspot.com/
http://www.convictionofthingsnotseen.blogspot.com/
Thursday, August 09, 2007
The serpent’s craftiness (Genesis 3:1-5)
Three tactics of the serpent: 1) question the commandment of God, 2) deny the consequences of disobedience, 3) cast aspersions on the character of God.
The serpent is described as crafty, and his temptation of Woman shows this craftiness.
The serpent’s goal is to get the Woman to defy God and eat from the Tree. However, the serpent does not suggest this directly.
Tactic 1: question the commandment of God
The serpent questions the woman, like a lawyer, charting her understanding of the situation, and perhaps challenging whether God has issued a command at all
It is often suggested to us, either from an external source or even our own minds, that perhaps God did not issue a certain command at all. (“Did God really say ‘don’t look at attractive people’?” “Did God really say that it was wrong to be rich?” “By ‘thou shalt not steal,’ was God really thinking about office supplies or taking overly long lunches?”)
This questioning of the command seems to cause us to begin to deconstruct the commandment, as if it were up to us to judge the edicts of God. Also, stating the grounds for the commandment in this context opens up lines of attack (the serpent will next attack the rationale for the command), particularly if we’ve failed to know or understand the command.
What is the difference between a bad-faith deconstruction of a command and a good-faith inquiry into the nature of a command? Perhaps it is the motivation – if we begin questioning the command during temptation, that may be a sign of a bad-faith motive.
Tactic 2: deny the consequences of disobedience.
The second tactic, the undermining of the consequence of disobedience, is used perhaps even more frequently than the first tactic. The Woman says that if they eat of the tree they will die; the serpent denies this. (Notice that the line of attack was opened up by the initial questioning of the command – the woman explained that if they touched or ate from the tree they would die).
This is done today by believers and non-believers alike. From the non-believer, it often comes in the form of academic and popular criticism, and the most obvious current examples are in the realm of sexual activity, for example:
The command: sex must only occur in marriage. This is because it is good for people (for whatever reason, fill in the blank).
The counter-argument: “sex outside of biblical norms is not bad or harmful. In fact, it is good for you, and you should enjoy it, particularly if it is between two people who love each other.”
Similarly,
The command: lying is wrong. This is because (insert rationale).
Counter-argument: lying is actually often-times good for you and the person you lie to.
The underlying point is that these activities which are prohibited by God, are in fact good for you – and the underlying argument is that you should partake of the prohibited activity.
However, Christians often make this argument to themselves.
The command: do not sin. This is because of (name your negative consequence as described in the Bible).
Counter-argument: God will forgive your sin, so there will be no negative consequence.
However, we know that the Woman did die, even though it did not come to pass exactly as she may have expected.
Sometimes Christians even engage is offering reasons for a commandment, for example Christians will describe the hidden benefits of some of the stranger Levitical commands. We should be careful with this because the serpent may challenge our rationale, and we need to remember that the command is controlling, not the rationale.
Tactic 3: Cast aspersions on God’s motives.
Another tactic of the serpent is to cast aspersions on God’s motives for his command. ‘You will surely not die! The real reason for God’s command is that He knows you will become like him, knowing good from evil.’
This same statement is commonly recited now as ‘the reason for the commands of the church is that certain men wanted to keep everyone under their thumb.’ It was similarly stated that ‘Puritanism is the haunting fear that someone, somewhere is having fun.’
The Woman should have kept in mind the benevolence of God as testified to by the goodness of the garden, and the goodness of God’s treatment of her and Man. Further, she appears to have had access to God, and she should have talked to him about it.
We similarly should keep in mind God’s goodness to us, the goodness of even a fallen creation, and the sacrifice of his Son when we’re tempted to doubt God’s goodness. We should also keep in mind that this is a common tactic of the serpent.
Summary
1) If you see any of these tactics, watch out! There may be a snake nearby.
2) Don’t answer the Devil’s questions; do theology with Christians, not the Devil.
3) Obey the command, regardless of the rationale.
4) Remember God’s goodness; don’t believe lies about his character.
Three tactics of the serpent: 1) question the commandment of God, 2) deny the consequences of disobedience, 3) cast aspersions on the character of God.
The serpent is described as crafty, and his temptation of Woman shows this craftiness.
The serpent’s goal is to get the Woman to defy God and eat from the Tree. However, the serpent does not suggest this directly.
Tactic 1: question the commandment of God
The serpent questions the woman, like a lawyer, charting her understanding of the situation, and perhaps challenging whether God has issued a command at all
It is often suggested to us, either from an external source or even our own minds, that perhaps God did not issue a certain command at all. (“Did God really say ‘don’t look at attractive people’?” “Did God really say that it was wrong to be rich?” “By ‘thou shalt not steal,’ was God really thinking about office supplies or taking overly long lunches?”)
This questioning of the command seems to cause us to begin to deconstruct the commandment, as if it were up to us to judge the edicts of God. Also, stating the grounds for the commandment in this context opens up lines of attack (the serpent will next attack the rationale for the command), particularly if we’ve failed to know or understand the command.
What is the difference between a bad-faith deconstruction of a command and a good-faith inquiry into the nature of a command? Perhaps it is the motivation – if we begin questioning the command during temptation, that may be a sign of a bad-faith motive.
Tactic 2: deny the consequences of disobedience.
The second tactic, the undermining of the consequence of disobedience, is used perhaps even more frequently than the first tactic. The Woman says that if they eat of the tree they will die; the serpent denies this. (Notice that the line of attack was opened up by the initial questioning of the command – the woman explained that if they touched or ate from the tree they would die).
This is done today by believers and non-believers alike. From the non-believer, it often comes in the form of academic and popular criticism, and the most obvious current examples are in the realm of sexual activity, for example:
The command: sex must only occur in marriage. This is because it is good for people (for whatever reason, fill in the blank).
The counter-argument: “sex outside of biblical norms is not bad or harmful. In fact, it is good for you, and you should enjoy it, particularly if it is between two people who love each other.”
Similarly,
The command: lying is wrong. This is because (insert rationale).
Counter-argument: lying is actually often-times good for you and the person you lie to.
The underlying point is that these activities which are prohibited by God, are in fact good for you – and the underlying argument is that you should partake of the prohibited activity.
However, Christians often make this argument to themselves.
The command: do not sin. This is because of (name your negative consequence as described in the Bible).
Counter-argument: God will forgive your sin, so there will be no negative consequence.
However, we know that the Woman did die, even though it did not come to pass exactly as she may have expected.
Sometimes Christians even engage is offering reasons for a commandment, for example Christians will describe the hidden benefits of some of the stranger Levitical commands. We should be careful with this because the serpent may challenge our rationale, and we need to remember that the command is controlling, not the rationale.
Tactic 3: Cast aspersions on God’s motives.
Another tactic of the serpent is to cast aspersions on God’s motives for his command. ‘You will surely not die! The real reason for God’s command is that He knows you will become like him, knowing good from evil.’
This same statement is commonly recited now as ‘the reason for the commands of the church is that certain men wanted to keep everyone under their thumb.’ It was similarly stated that ‘Puritanism is the haunting fear that someone, somewhere is having fun.’
The Woman should have kept in mind the benevolence of God as testified to by the goodness of the garden, and the goodness of God’s treatment of her and Man. Further, she appears to have had access to God, and she should have talked to him about it.
We similarly should keep in mind God’s goodness to us, the goodness of even a fallen creation, and the sacrifice of his Son when we’re tempted to doubt God’s goodness. We should also keep in mind that this is a common tactic of the serpent.
Summary
1) If you see any of these tactics, watch out! There may be a snake nearby.
2) Don’t answer the Devil’s questions; do theology with Christians, not the Devil.
3) Obey the command, regardless of the rationale.
4) Remember God’s goodness; don’t believe lies about his character.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
VERY soon your life here will end; consider, then, what may be in store for you elsewhere. Today we live; tomorrow we die and are quickly forgotten. Oh, the dullness and hardness of a heart which looks only to the present instead of preparing for that which is to come!
Therefore, in every deed and every thought, act as though you were to die this very day. If you had a good conscience you would not fear death very much. It is better to avoid sin than to fear death. If you are not prepared today, how will you be prepared tomorrow? Tomorrow is an uncertain day; how do you know you will have a tomorrow?
Thomas aKempis, 'Imitation of Christ,' 23rd Chapter.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Friday, May 18, 2007
My favorite line from a novel comes at the end of 'The Power and the Glory.' The Whiskey Priest says, roughly, 'at the end of your life, nothing matters but to have been a saint. And it wouldn't have been so hard. All it would take is a little bit of courage and self-control.'
I really believe that, and I really identify with the whiskey priest. (I prefer scotch, but nowadays I'm not drinking at all).
When I talk with people about my difficulties sharing Christ, and not just with non-believers, people often advise me about tactics. (say "this" or don't say "that"). But my problem isn't tactics. What I need is guts. Courage. A little bit of self-control to keep my knees from knocking.
I would love it if you'd pray for me in that regard.
I really believe that, and I really identify with the whiskey priest. (I prefer scotch, but nowadays I'm not drinking at all).
When I talk with people about my difficulties sharing Christ, and not just with non-believers, people often advise me about tactics. (say "this" or don't say "that"). But my problem isn't tactics. What I need is guts. Courage. A little bit of self-control to keep my knees from knocking.
I would love it if you'd pray for me in that regard.
Friday, March 16, 2007
What do you rely on instead of God?
King Asa went to the King of Aram and made a treaty with him, emptying the coffers of Judah to buy his friendship. God then said to Asa, '"Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. 8 Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen? Yet when you relied on the LORD, he delivered them into your hand. 9 For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.""
It gets worse for Asa. He imprisons the prophet who brings him this message, and the oppresses the people. (See 2 Chron. 16).
But the question arises, 'what do you rely on instead of God?'
For me, it's a lot of things. My education for my daily bread. My relationships and hobbies for my happiness. Money for security.
Let's work on cutting out the middle-men.
King Asa went to the King of Aram and made a treaty with him, emptying the coffers of Judah to buy his friendship. God then said to Asa, '"Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. 8 Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen? Yet when you relied on the LORD, he delivered them into your hand. 9 For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.""
It gets worse for Asa. He imprisons the prophet who brings him this message, and the oppresses the people. (See 2 Chron. 16).
But the question arises, 'what do you rely on instead of God?'
For me, it's a lot of things. My education for my daily bread. My relationships and hobbies for my happiness. Money for security.
Let's work on cutting out the middle-men.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Not by effort, but by rest.
Watchman Nee states in "Sit, Walk, Stand" that we cannot advance in the Christian life until we rest in Christ. He says that all "effort" at the spiritual life is doomed to fail because of the flesh. However, he says that when we cease trying and instead trust in God to work in us and have faith that God already accomplished all things for us in Christ, then almost unconsciously we will begin to exhibit the divinity that lives in us via the Spirit.
The other approach I've seen to advancement in the spiritual life is through the spiritual disciplines: prayer, fasting, meditation, study, etc.
On one hand, I've seen the benefit of the disciplines. On the other hand, the disciplines are always undermined by the very thing they seek to master - the flesh (e.g., I fail to pray because my flesh is too lazy). This makes Nee's proposition particularly compelling to me. But it also seems dangerous to stop "trying" to improve at the spiritual life.
Watchman Nee states in "Sit, Walk, Stand" that we cannot advance in the Christian life until we rest in Christ. He says that all "effort" at the spiritual life is doomed to fail because of the flesh. However, he says that when we cease trying and instead trust in God to work in us and have faith that God already accomplished all things for us in Christ, then almost unconsciously we will begin to exhibit the divinity that lives in us via the Spirit.
The other approach I've seen to advancement in the spiritual life is through the spiritual disciplines: prayer, fasting, meditation, study, etc.
On one hand, I've seen the benefit of the disciplines. On the other hand, the disciplines are always undermined by the very thing they seek to master - the flesh (e.g., I fail to pray because my flesh is too lazy). This makes Nee's proposition particularly compelling to me. But it also seems dangerous to stop "trying" to improve at the spiritual life.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Unnecessary Selfishness
In Phillipians 2, Paul exhorts Christians “to do nothing out of selfish ambition, but consider others better than yourselves.”
This is relatively challenging for me to do even for my family and friends, the people I actually like. But sometimes I can pull it off, because I like them, and they deserve good treatment.
They deserve it. But what about those people whom I don’t like? What about those people who do not deserve special consideration?
Paul seems to anticipate this question by pointing out that Christ, who was God, put you, a mere mortal, ahead of himself. So whatever the distance in worthiness that separates me and the person I think undeserving of my consideration, it must be small relative to that distance between Christ and myself.
‘Yeah,’ I thought, ‘but it’s easy for Christ to be generous. He has all the resources of God to draw upon. Even his stint here on earth, as unpleasant as it turned out, must be a relatively small portion of his experience compared to what I presume was eternal heaven both before and after his time on earth. I, on the other hand, only have the meager resources of my own life.’
But then I realized that’s not true. My belief is that I too have eternity from here on out. So, if putting others ahead of myself requires a little of my time, that’s okay – I’ve got all eternity. My belief is that God has adopted me as a son, and is now overseeing my life and bringing to bear on it all his resources in heaven and on earth. So, if putting others ahead of myself costs me in money, or dignity, or whatnot, that’s okay – I’ve got all the resources of God behind me. I don’t need to be stingy; I can afford to put others ahead of myself.
In Phillipians 2, Paul exhorts Christians “to do nothing out of selfish ambition, but consider others better than yourselves.”
This is relatively challenging for me to do even for my family and friends, the people I actually like. But sometimes I can pull it off, because I like them, and they deserve good treatment.
They deserve it. But what about those people whom I don’t like? What about those people who do not deserve special consideration?
Paul seems to anticipate this question by pointing out that Christ, who was God, put you, a mere mortal, ahead of himself. So whatever the distance in worthiness that separates me and the person I think undeserving of my consideration, it must be small relative to that distance between Christ and myself.
‘Yeah,’ I thought, ‘but it’s easy for Christ to be generous. He has all the resources of God to draw upon. Even his stint here on earth, as unpleasant as it turned out, must be a relatively small portion of his experience compared to what I presume was eternal heaven both before and after his time on earth. I, on the other hand, only have the meager resources of my own life.’
But then I realized that’s not true. My belief is that I too have eternity from here on out. So, if putting others ahead of myself requires a little of my time, that’s okay – I’ve got all eternity. My belief is that God has adopted me as a son, and is now overseeing my life and bringing to bear on it all his resources in heaven and on earth. So, if putting others ahead of myself costs me in money, or dignity, or whatnot, that’s okay – I’ve got all the resources of God behind me. I don’t need to be stingy; I can afford to put others ahead of myself.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
What does God expect from us in this life? I mean this question practically, not theoretically. I know He expects us to love God, and our neighbor, and to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect. But I don't know a single person who claims to have achieved anything close to those goals. So what can we actually expect to achieve - in this life - in terms of our spiritual aspirations?
Monday, December 04, 2006
Messages from the Devil:
Given your current circumstances, you should feel insecure. Seek money and success if you want to be more secure.
You need to worry about yourself, otherwise no one will. If you think about others before yourself, then who will look out for you?
Are you important enough? It's important that you be important and successful, and that others know it.
Worry about your future: what is going to happen to you and your life? You should be scared.
You need to be more physically attractive to have more value as a human being.
Seek pleasure; it will make you feel better.
These are based on a recent conversation I had with my cousin.
Given your current circumstances, you should feel insecure. Seek money and success if you want to be more secure.
You need to worry about yourself, otherwise no one will. If you think about others before yourself, then who will look out for you?
Are you important enough? It's important that you be important and successful, and that others know it.
Worry about your future: what is going to happen to you and your life? You should be scared.
You need to be more physically attractive to have more value as a human being.
Seek pleasure; it will make you feel better.
These are based on a recent conversation I had with my cousin.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
I have every reason to be humble. Yet, somehow, whenever I manage to string together a decent number of days or hours in which I do well, or well enough, my ego starts to inflate. I become prideful and critical, judgmental and thus hypocritical. Fortunately, I suppose, events soon conspire to remind me why I ought to be humble. Still, I’d like to be able to tie down this balloonish pride of mine that seems so prone filling up with hot air and floating away. I want my perspective to be permanently grounded in the earth of knowing that for me, and probably for everyone else, life is a great struggle. And so, in our thoughts and feelings and actions, we should be kind to one another.
Monday, November 27, 2006
I constantly struggle with the story of Uzzah. The Israelites are transporting the Ark of the Covenant, and an oxen stumbles. The Ark is jostled and nearly falls over. Uzzah reaches out to steady the Ark, touching it. "The LORD's anger burned against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God." 1 Chronicles 13: 10.
How should I feel about and act upon the knowledge that God is so holy?
How should I feel about and act upon the knowledge that God is so holy?
Monday, September 04, 2006
Thorns and weeds
I've noticed during the past several years how much the worries of this world and the deceitfulness of wealth have had the power to choke out spiritual growth. When I was younger and had fewer concerns, fewer wordly responsibilities, fewer financial issues, I felt much more like good soil upon which the Word of God could grow into a bountiful crop. Now it's a struggle.
What I'd like to hear about is ideas on how to beat back the incursions into my life of these unwanted crops.
I've noticed during the past several years how much the worries of this world and the deceitfulness of wealth have had the power to choke out spiritual growth. When I was younger and had fewer concerns, fewer wordly responsibilities, fewer financial issues, I felt much more like good soil upon which the Word of God could grow into a bountiful crop. Now it's a struggle.
What I'd like to hear about is ideas on how to beat back the incursions into my life of these unwanted crops.
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