I remember about three years ago walking out of service having heard an excellent sermon on the character of God. I forget now which attribute was being discussed. The portrayal was vivid and compelling. The biblical support was solid. But I was discouraged.
It was not a condemning sermon. I just had enough other pieces of God’s character I was trying to emulate. I didn’t need something else added to my plate; no matter how beautiful. If I’m honest, I was more than discouraged; I was little irritated. It was starting to feel like “one more thing” I couldn’t do.
What struck me that afternoon was this was not the right way to respond to God. I began to be more concerned about my reaction to a clear presentation of God’s character than I was about the fact that I fell short of that aspect of God’s character. I got the sense that I was missing something about the big picture that would never allow me to get this piece right.
From the reflection that began that Sunday afternoon, I have become convinced of a principle that has changed my approach to the Christian life – we will not consistently emulate a particular aspect of God’s character until we have first come to find rest and security in that aspect of God’s character.
Until I rest in God’s grace, I will only see His kindness as a standard I can’t reach. Until I find peace in God’s wisdom, I will only use it as the standard against which I measure my ignorance. Until I take refuge in who God is, then I will view his excellence as being against me.
Where might this be support in Scripture? I believe the emphasis upon change as imitation and the model for this imitation being children toward their parents supports the principle that rest is the best motivator for emulation.
Consider Ephesians 5:1, “Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children.” We are called to imitate God as children who know that they are well loved by their father.
Let me offer one of my favorite stories. When my oldest son was in pre-school, he had a classmate who was upset. Being a compassionate boy, he tried to ask his friend questions and console him. After several unreturned questions, he patted his friend on the shoulder and said, “I have a good book on anger you should read.”
He was in pre-school and barely knew his letters! But he had seen me interact with people who were upset in the halls of our church frequently. These conversations, being brief interventions, often ended with a word of encouragement and the recommendation of a resource. So not knowing how to read, he was offering a “good book on anger.”
I take this as a high, high compliment. My son felt loved and secure with his Papa (that’s what my boys call me). This drew his heart to want to be like me. Rest produced emulation. I am not proposing this as an alternative model for repentance and discipline. But those models of change are rooted in moral crisis.
That Sunday afternoon I was not having a moral crisis. I was viewing God as my standard (imposed authority) more than my loving Abba Father (my rescuing hero standard). For day-to-day change, I think the latter is essential and often neglected.
When I am resting in God’s character, then every time I see how He responds to people, then I can’t wait for my chance to do the same. No longer do shame and failure drive me; a child-like affection compels me. I long to have more of that sense each time I see a glimpse of God’s character.
Posted 5 months, 3 weeks ago at 12:20 pm. Add a comment
A Counselor Reflects on Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
“If God is like the Moral Law, then He is not soft. It is no use, at this stage, saying that what you mean by a ‘good’ God is a God who can forgive. You are going too quickly. Only a Person can forgive (p. 30).” Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
A bit of context for this quote might help us get started. Lewis is explaining that an argument for moral absolutes is not the same as proving the existence of the God of the Bible. We can prove that there is such as thing as right and wrong without validating the Bible. We can even prove that “all have sinned” against this moral code without pointing people to God as the solution for this dilemma.
Lewis’ point here (at least as I understand it) is that the Gospel is bigger than a set of truths; it requires a Person, because only a person can forgive. Trees, rocks, computers, nor ideas can forgive. They lack personhood.
In our day and age, we have depersonalized most transactions. The progression for bartering to cash to checks to credit cards to on-line banking means that we see less of what we are giving and of who we are giving it to in each transaction.
When we reduce the Gospel to a set of principles or “laws” we risk doing the same. No longer do we look into the eyes of the One who is taking our sin and giving us His righteousness in exchange. We just consider salvation “a great deal” like the ultimate e-bay bargain. We have depersonalized God so that we don’t mind ripping Him off if he is “dumb enough to make the offer.”
In depersonalizing God our salvation becomes an evidence of how clever we are. We begin to look for similar “bargains” in the Christian life, especially in the moral or missional domains. We do not want to bare the “cost” of our faith limiting our choices ethically (based upon the prohibitions of Scripture) or missionally (sacrificing to advance the Gospel).
Yet when we return the basic principle that Lewis sets forth “only a person can forgive,” we are rescued from these temptations. Passages like Genesis 12:1-3 make more sense:
Now the Lord had said unto Abram, “Go from your country, and your kindred, and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that your will be a blessing: And I will bless those that bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Abram was receiving a blessing from a Person (God) for a purpose (missions). Abram did not find a business strategy or a more effective purpose statement that he could own or use. Abram did not read a book that he could master or understand better than others. He met a Person who offered a relationship that would define the rest of his life.
As we seek to live out the Gospel and share it with others, I believe it is imperative that we consistently remember that the Gospel requires a personal God in order for it to be the real Gospel. We do not offer a deal that is “too good to be true” but a relationship that will redefine someone’s entire life.
Posted 1 year, 3 months ago at 12:51 pm. Add a comment
Dealing with Delays (32:1)
Before we throw Israel and Aaron under the bus, let’s ask ourselves, “How well do we deal with delays?” Think about the last several times you got stuck in traffic, had a doctor running behind, or had a kid jump in a mud puddle on the way to church. How was your reaction?
Now think about being stranded on a long journey in difficult terrain wondering if the only guy with wilderness experience (all the others were ex-brick makers) is coming back down the mountain. This was delay multiplied by fear of survival. “We have to do something, don’t we?” must have been the common refrain.
Reflection: Delay is one of the times when we are particularly called to trust in God. Yet it is also one of the times of a great deal of nervous energy and the feeling that “waiting” is just another word for passivity. In what situations have you recently been required to wait? How did you interpret the situation (i.e., a call to patience, a “closed door,” evidence of God’s failure)? How do you see yourself in the Exodus 32 passage and what do you learn?
A Stiff-Necked People (32:9)
Take a moment and stiffen the muscles in your neck. What expressions tend to emerge on your face? What dispositions begin to come to mind? What recent events with your kids, spouse, work, or friends do you remember?
Chances are the themes that emerge are: anger, defiance, battle-of-the-wills, resistance, condescending, etc… God says that is who we are. As a rule that is how we respond to anything or anyone who violates our best wishes – including God. God’s will and our will clash enough that a common description of humanity in Scripture is “a stiff-necked people.”
Application: This week pay particular attention to times when you tighten the muscles in your neck and facial region. Use these bodily responses as a trigger to reflect on your character before God. When you tighten these muscles ask yourself, “Am I loving God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength? Am I loving my neighbor as myself?” When God gives us such tangible alerts to our disposition we should use them personal alarms.
More of God Revealed
(BCH_Exodus_32_handout for Printable PDF Handout)
Exodus 34:6-7 is one of the most revered passages on God in the Jewish faith. Due to their love for the law, this description of God when the law tablets were (graciously) given back to them provides both the content and powerful example of God’s character.
In this passage five aspects of God’s character are revealed. In order to place yourself in the shoes of Israel, consider a time when your sin did or almost cost you something very precious. Allow both the content and context of these attributes minister to your heart.
- Merciful and Gracious – God does not give us the full extent of what we deserve. Even the consequences that we do experience are muted to the degree possible without removing the life lessons necessary to prevent further harm.
- Slow to Anger – Our every moment of non-awareness of God is deserving of God’s offense for trivializing His role in our lives. Yet God is patient with the finiteness of our attention, awareness, and understand… not to mention our actions.
- Abounding in Steadfast Love – God’s love is rooted in the constancy of His character. God’s love is as eternal and unchanging as His nature. God’s love fills the earth and our lives every bit as much as His presence.
- Forgiving Iniquity and Transgressions – Something must be done with our sin. An all-knowing, never-forgetting, just God cannot just look the other way or pretend something never happens. God acts towards sin with forgiveness.
- By No Means Clears the Guilty – With all that has been said of God, He is not a permissive Father. His grace is not cheap; not is it mocked. Our God, with love so tender and hand out-stretched, also has the will and power to right any unrepentant wrong.
As you reflect on these attributes of God, reflect on two things: (1) how these attributes relate to the situation in which they were revealed; and (2) the significance of these attributes for your current life context.
Introduction to the “Living Our Faith” series.
TOOL: “Using Prayer Time to Cultivate Ministry”
BLOG POST: “Teachers Equipping Ministers Through Prayer Time“
Posted 1 year, 9 months ago at 5:24 pm. Add a comment
God’s Presence (25:8)
For God to have a mobile home was about as odd sounding to Israel as it is to us today, but for different reasons. In ancient times gods were associated with places. For Yahweh to say, “My place is with My people,” was paradigm shifting. It reinforced and foreshadowed the words God would speak at the end of the Exodus journey, “I will never leave you or forsake you (Joshua 1:5).”
Likely we have become too comfortable with God’s presence to be appropriately moved by this verse. We are four stages ahead of where Israel was here – from sanctuary, temple, incarnation, to indwelling of the Holy Spirit. As any history teacher will tell you, “We must appreciate how we got here if we are to appreciate where we are.”
Reflection: How would having a God who was willing to travel with you have encouraged and challenged Israel? What aspects of God’s character are revealed through His command to build a tabernacle? When are you tempted to doubt those aspects of God’s character? How does this reflection on the tabernacle increase your understanding of and appreciation for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit?
Mercy On Top of Presence (25:21)
God’s presence is a double edged sword. Honestly, it is a blessing that none of us can handle on our own. The construction of the Ark of the Covenant reminds us of this. For this reason, on top of the Ark of the Covenant was the mercy seat where offerings would be made for sin.
As we read of the Ark of the Covenant’s construction, we should be struck by God’s holiness, wisdom, and grace. Holiness – as we recognize that the mercy was absolutely necessary due to the difference in God’s character and ours. Wisdom – as we see the foreshadowing of Christ’s sacrifice and God’s heart to prepare our understanding. Grace – as we realize what God saw (His Son) each time lamb’s blood was shed on the mercy seat.
Reflection: When you think of God’s presence in your heart do you also reflect on what Christ did to tear the veil in the temple of the Holy of Holies? Allow this to deepen the appreciation you have for the indwelling Holy Spirit. How does this imagery affect your identity as the “Temple of God”?
Sanctified By God’s Glory
(BCH_Exodus_25_handout for Printable PDF Handout)
Exodus 29:43 (ESV)
“There I will meet with the people of Israel, and it shall be sanctified by my glory.”
Ultimately, what is it that motivates us to put off sin and pursue holiness? There are many answers we could give which might capture some truth. We see here, however, that the final answer is – the glory of God.
Sin is living for self and now. It is only the glory of God that can penetrate the lies which seem so appealing, right, wise, good, understandable, or acceptable. With that said, how much do you know about God, His character, and His ways? Does your vocabulary stop with words like great, good, powerful, or smart? If so, then chances are your view of God has a hard time penetrating and impacting your moments of temptation.
If you want to have a more robust view of God which will shine forth and stand up in your moments of temptation consider reading one or more of the following books.
As you read, or as you just reflect on temptation, always be asking yourself the question, “How did a particular temptation diminish or discredit the glory of God in my life in order to make itself look more appealing?” Remember the fight against and away from temptation is always a flight towards and for God.
Introduction to the “Living Our Faith” series.
TOOL: “Using Prayer Time to Cultivate Ministry”
BLOG POST: “Teachers Equipping Ministers Through Prayer Time“
Posted 1 year, 9 months ago at 5:18 pm. Add a comment
GOD IS PERSONAL (A Definition): God has the ability to relate interpersonally and does so. God is neither aloof nor disinterested in His creation. God is aware of and concerned about the details of our lives. God is able to sympathize with the struggles we face in a fallen world. It is God’s nature to be active and involved.
Passages Describing God as Personal – Matt 10:28-31; Psalm 56:8-11; Rom 8:26-27; Heb 4:14-16
Questions About Your Ability to Rest in “God as Personal” – Do you struggle to believe that God cares for you personally? Do you believe God only loves you generically (because He loves everybody)? Do you believe God is only concerned about the “big events” of your life, making the day to day choices drab or meaningless? What would life and faith be like if God were not personal?
Questions About Your Ability to Emulate “God as Personal” – Do you avoid being vulnerable with others? When do you resist making yourself known because of a fear of rejection or giving others power over you? How does this reveal a desire to be approved by people (the fear of man) greater than a desire to be approved by God (the fear of the Lord)? How does being personal open conversation towards God and the Gospel?
For the larger article that walks through 16 attributes of God in a month long devotional click here.
Posted 2 years, 3 months ago at 3:07 am. Add a comment
Summary of Psalm 9:
Psalm 9 is a mix of praise and petition; celebration and setback. David is praising God (verses 1-2) for His power over his enemies (verses 3-8) and continual presence with David during the battle (verses 9-12). In the midst of David’s praise he is either reminded of old battle injuries or experiences a set back in battle (verses 13-14). Rather than giving into despair or questioning God’s love/power, David affirms the destiny of the wicked (verses 14-17). In conclusion David affirms God’s provision of hope for the downcast (verse 18) and petitions God for victory over this persistent enemy (verses 19-20).
Theme: God is more powerful than our enemies and concerned for our struggles. We can and should turn to God in the midst of our struggles. Even while we praise God and pray to God we may still suffer. This should not stop our desire to praise the God whose character never changes.
The Journey of Suffering Begins with Praise (v. 1-2)
David is giving us words for our suffering in Psalm 9. He is teaching us how to respond to hardship. He does this by beginning with words of praise. The context of the Psalm is battle, but the focus is the character and activity of God. One of the most debilitating aspects of suffering is that our focus tends to shrink to the size of our circumstances. The same thing can happen in our successes with the result of pride instead of despair. However, David gives us words that would protect us from both.
APPLICATION: When you are suffering begin your times of Bible study and prayer focusing on God’s character more than looking for a particular answer. Once your soul is at rest in who God is, then seek God’s answers with clearer eyes and mind.
RESOURCE: Article “Learning God in the Midst of Life’s Struggles” a month long devotion in the attributes of God.
Writing Your Own Psalm 9
(Click Here for Printable PDF Handout)
The Psalms are unique in that they seek to give us words to express our experiences more than they seek to give us answers to our struggles. The Psalms teach us to think of life with God at the center more than they teach us what to do in God’s world. Their function is more worship than instruction, but with the intent that worship would give life to instruction.
With that in mind, I invite you to write your own experience into the outline of Psalm 9. The goal of this exercise is to think as God would have you think, so that you experience the joy of God as you live as God would have you live. You do not have to be a great poet. You can write a letter using the outline below if that is easier for you.
- Verses 1-2: Write of God’s faithfulness. Give examples of God’s past faithfulness. What names or attributes of God are exemplified in these examples?
- Verses 3-6: Give specific, current examples of God’s activity in the midst of the struggle you are currently facing.
- Verses 7-12: Who is God? What is the reason for your hope? What is God’s position or role as it relates to the struggle before you? What images of God are most relevant to this struggle?
- Verses 13-14: How are you hurting or struggling? What form does it take? How does it affect you? What emotions does it generate?
- Verses 15-18: What is the end result for those people or things that afflict you? How is their temporary success ultimately empty?
- Verses 19-20: Call on God to arise and intervene. Cry out to the One who is Faithful and True. Write with passion, conviction and hope.
Introduction to the “Living Our Faith” series.
TOOL: “Using Prayer Time to Cultivate Ministry“
Posted 2 years, 5 months ago at 2:12 am. Add a comment
