Isaiah 64:4
written at Sunday, January 13, 2013The Bible is clear about the many different verses around the topic of service, servant-hood, and a servant-heart unto God. There are, however, these verses below which seem, at least at first, to mean otherwise.
How do we reconcile the verses from Acts 17:25? "“God is not served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.”Or Mark 10:45, "“The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
But there is this verse as well which seems to tie these verses in the right light, and that is an encouragement for us. Isaiah 64:4: “From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him.”
"The glory of God's self-sufficient power and wisdom shines most brightly not when He looks like he depends on the work of others, but when He makes plain that He himself does the work." - Piper
It is an amazing insight about prayer and service, I pray "Lord may you be glorified in my service to You and Your people", and maybe now I would better understand what it means to pray that. Because he invites us all to cast our anxieties on Him, to make our requests known to God, and this invitation by God takes on a life-giving powerful truth which shifts perspectives and transforms lives when we begin to even start to fathom God's glory, power, and wisdom.
The Right Pursuit
written at Sunday, December 23, 2012Although there are things that can be done to enhance corporate worship, there is a profound sense in which excellent worship cannot be attained merely by pursuing excellent worship. In the same way that, according to Jesus, you cannot find yourself until you lose yourself, so also you cannot find excellent corporate worship until you stop trying to find excellent corporate worship and pursue God himself. Despite the protestations, one sometimes wonders if we are beginning to worship worship rather than worship God. As a brother put it to me, it’s a bit like those who begin by admiring the sunset and soon begin to admire themselves admiring the sunset.
D. A. Carson
Luke 1:38
written at Saturday, December 22, 2012And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
The Message Of Matthew 23
written at Sunday, October 21, 2012The message in Matthew 23 is a strong one, Jesus repeatedly pronounces his "woe" on the Pharisees and teachers of the law, labelling them as "hypocrites" and "blind guides" and "blind fools", even likening them to "whitewashed tombs that look "beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean", they are the "sons of hell", a "brood of vipers".
The verses 5-12 and 25-32 highlight Jesus' ire, the love for the outward forms of religion with little experienced for a transformed life, a transformed character. To be greeted as a religious teacher, to be honoured by the community, to be thought holy and righteous, while inwardly seething with greed, self-indulgence, bitterness, rivalry, and hate is profoundly evil.
Even worse, a damning indictment, is that in Matthew 23, the passage highlights that they have a major teaching role, where they spread poison among those who around them, whether through speech or leading by example. Not only do they fail to enter the kingdom, but they effectively close it down to others as mentioned in verses 13-15. Hard truths makes for hard application, but it has to be applied, I come face to face with the words of Jesus.
We cannot escape from these words, they cut, and gnaw at our very nature, no number of leadership ministry retreats and get-together sessions can save us from this, we are in deep need of His grace and mercy.
But reading on in the chapter of Matthew 23, though Jesus brought to light this appalling guilt with such a fierceness and intensity, He weeps over the city.
More Important than Knowing God
written at Friday, August 17, 2012J. I. Packer:
What matters supremely, therefore, is not, in the last analysis, the fact that I know God, but the larger fact which underlies it—the fact that he knows me. I am graven on the palms of his hands [Isa. 49:16]. I am never out of his mind. All my knowledge of him depends on his sustained initiative in knowing me. I know him because he first knew me, and continues to know me. He knows me as a friend, one who loves me; and there is no moment when his eye is off me, or his attention distracted from me, and no moment, therefore, when his care falters. This is momentous knowledge. There is unspeakable comfort—the sort of comfort that energizes, be it said, not enervates—in knowing that God is constantly taking knowledge of me in love and watching over me for my good. There is tremendous relief in knowing that his love to me is utterly realistic, based at every point on prior knowledge of the worst about me, so that no discovery now can disillusion him about me, in the way I am so often disillusioned about myself, and quench his determination to bless me.
-Knowing God (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 41-42.
A New Journey Begins
written at Sunday, July 15, 2012You know the feeling? The feeling that comes when you have to leave a place you have known and grown to love after spending a good many years of your life living there? There will be many fond memories and experiences to leave you wondering and guessing if the "next chapter" will be in fact as good, as exciting, or as memorable. I guess that is a natural feeling, the feeling where you don't want to move on to the next stage of life and to a new place, the feeling that keeps you thinking that you will be in your comfort zone if you stayed put and not made any major changes or so-called "deviations" away from any form of familiarity. I would say that it is a natural feeling indeed.
The weekend farmers' markets with their fresh produce coupled with their welcome and greetings in the morning as they make their trade, or the old town hall of a country village with a population no larger than that of a small primary school, with old couples selling home-made relish and jam, hand-crafts and knittings. The vast desert road and the beautiful volcanoes and mountains a few hours drive away from the city.Tasting honey combs, buffalo cheese and organic fruit wines made lovingly by enterprising farmers. Wading up a meander and climbing to the top of a volcano in the cold winter only to find a stadium sized snow field at the top, and then grabbing a plastic bag and sliding back down to the bottom. These are the things that I will miss and will long to experience again one day.
But for now, the time has come to venture into something new, and it is exciting, a mix of longing for the good ole times and the longing to experience an adventure of a lifetime, it keeps me motivated and ready to start each new day open to new experiences. If people asked me which is the city I see as home to me, I cannot give a straight forward or proper answer. I have lived in two different countries, both for about 11 years each. I have experienced the culture and have grown to appreciate the life and the everyday in each, and not to mention how quirky and interesting it is when you make a comparison out of the two.
The two places are vastly different, but the most important
thing is that I have grown to appreciate each of them as they are, in their own
unique way. Maybe that's how it should be. And so in two days, it begins. One
thing is for certain, I will cherish the fond memories, the people and the
stories that were written.
A Prayer
written at Monday, July 2, 2012We may have education, but not compassion. We may have forms of praying, but not fruitful adoration and intercession. We may have oratory, but be lacking in unction. We may thrill Your people, but not transform them. We may expand their minds, but display too little wisdom and understanding. We may amuse many, but find few who are solid regenerated by Your blessed Holy Spirit.
So we ask You for Your blessing, for the power of the Spirit, that we may know You better and grow in our grasp of Your incalculable love for us. Bless us, Lord God, not with ease or endless triumph, but with faithfulness. Bless us with the right number of tears, and with minds and hearts that hunger both to know and to do Your Word. Bless us with a profound hunger and thirst for righteousness, a zeal for truth, a love of people.
Bless us with the perspective that weighs all things from the vantage point of eternity. Bless us with a transparent love of holiness. Grant to us strength in weakness, joy in sorrow, calmness in conflict, patience when opposed or attacked, trustworthiness under temptation, love when we are hated, firmness and far-sightedness when the climate prefers faddishness and drift.
D. A. Carson.
It Is Finished
written at Monday, June 25, 2012The season of my formal education now draws to a close, and I realise that it wasn't just about what was learnt in the lecture hall, but it was also a period where new perspectives and experiences were gained, and where faith was refined. It was unbelievable while at the same time believable, stepping out of the exam room for the last time, taking a stroll down the campus to the nearby clock tower, or the places where I used to have long and fruitful conversations with friends over a good meal.
I am thankful God's faithfulness and providence, for revealing
to me what I needed to see, for teaching me the lessons that I needed to learn,
and for discipline, something that seems somewhat painful rather than pleasant,
but yields the "peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been
trained by it." Hebrews 12:11.I am still work-in-progress, but He has
worked a work in me through these years for me to testify to His unfailing love
and grace.
And so a season ends and a new season begins. Simple but surreal. The adventure continues, and I am indeed excited for what's to come, and I hope that you are excited for what is ahead too.
And so a season ends and a new season begins. Simple but surreal. The adventure continues, and I am indeed excited for what's to come, and I hope that you are excited for what is ahead too.
In the midst of all of this, I hope and pray that I will sink
into all that matters, to not be self-seeking but to be selfless, to give what
I have received, to step out in love, to lift up the least of these, to
lean into something lasting and plant seeds, that may one day grow into trees.
Bridge
written at Friday, April 27, 2012Beneath the Waters by Brooke Ligertwood
I will rise as You are risen. Declare Your rule and reign.
My life confess Your Lordship, and glorify Your Name.
Your word it stands eternal, Your Kingdom knows no end.
Your praise goes on forever, and on and on again!
No power can stand against You, no curse assault Your throne.
No one can steal Your glory, for it is Yours alone!
I stand to sing Your praises, I stand to testify.
For I was dead in my sin, but now I rise!
Life After Inevitable Death
written at Thursday, April 26, 2012I have always wondered of the significance behind some of the life and death accounts, or genealogies in Genesis, most recently on Genesis 5. Again and again in the chapter, one always seem to come across the commonly occurring, "And then he died...and then he died...and then he died..." And this occurs through most of the chapter.
In scanning the passage, I had concluded that the only thing significant about the repetition was in fact its, well, repetition. It was as though the passage was trying to bring across the this morbid and wry message of, "Life is hard, then you die." I tried to look further, one observation was that the life spans of the characters in the passage were pretty long, Adam lived till the age of 930 years old.
But no matter how long the life spans were, these characters eventually died, death was certain and inevitable. Death takes hold of the human race. I think too, that in many occasions, we think of our faith as almost exclusively in terms of what it does for us now, rather than preparing us for eternity such that it transforms how we live now.
While death is inevitable, there is one bright exception in the chapter. "Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away." - Genesis 5:24.
And so it struck me, that it is almost as if God is showing us that death does not have the last word. That those who walk with God one day escape death; that even for those who die, there is a hope, in God's grace, and indeed, life beyond inevitable death. But of course, as the passage above indicates to me, it is tied to a walk with God. It takes the rest of the Bible to unpack what that means.
Carson's Moving Memoirs
written at Wednesday, February 29, 2012To read a part of the story of a man who lived a lifetime of faithfulness in the small things, who labored diligently without seeing a lot of earthly rewards. I was deeply moved after reading a segment of Don Carson's book on the life and reflections of his father Tom Carson. This exerpt served to encourage, strengthen, and remind me, of what it means to live a faithful Christian life.
http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/carsons-moving-memoirs
Don Carson’s forthcoming Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor is the most moving and inspiring book I’ve read in some time. Two things conspire to make this book a must-read for those with a pastoral heart: 1) Tom Carson’s honest and faithful life and insightful journal entries and 2) his son Don’s wise and soul-feeding narration.
Things weren’t easy for Tom Carson (1911-1992). Quebec was spiritually frigid in the 60s and 70s when he planted a church and preached week in and week out to twenty people. His journals are very honest. He wrestled with discouragement and seeming fruitlessness. But he persevered, staying the gospel course.
Don Carson clearly has a heart for today’s “ordinary pastors” who labor week in and week out and see little growth. They attend big conferences but aren’t the speakers. No one contacts them for radio or blog interviews. Few celebrate their fruitfulness. But they keep their nose to the gospel grind.
To provide the flavor of the book, nothing surpasses Don Carson’s memorable prose in these two extended quotes—one from the beginning, one from the end.
Some pastors, mightily endowed by God, are a remarkable gift to the church. They love their people, they handle Scripture well, they see many conversions, their ministries span generations, they understand their culture yet refuse to be domesticated by it, they are theologically robust and personally disciplined. ... Most of us, however, serve in more modest patches. Most pastors will not regularly preach to thousands, let alone tens of thousands. They will not write influential books, they will not supervise large staffs, and they will never see more than modest growth. They will plug away at their care for the aged, at their visitation, at their counseling, at their Bible studies and preaching. Some will work with so little support that they will prepare their own bulletins. They cannot possibly discern whether the constraints of their own sphere of service owe more to the specific challenges of the local situation or to their own shortcomings. Once in a while they will cast a wistful eye on “successful” ministries. Many of them will attend the conferences sponsored by the revered masters, and come away with a slightly discordant combination of, on the one hand, gratitude and encouragement, and, on the other, jealousy, feelings of inadequacy, and guilt.
Most of us—let us be frank—are ordinary pastors.
Dad was one of them. This little book is a modest attempt to let the voice and ministry of one ordinary pastor be heard, for such servants have much to teach us.
* * *
Tom Carson never rose very far in denominational structures, but hundreds of people ... testify how much he loved them. He never wrote a book, but he loved the Book. He was never wealthy or powerful, but he kept growing as a Christian: yesterday’s grace was never enough. He was not a far-sighted visionary, but he looked forward to eternity. He was not a gifted administrator, but there is no text that says “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you are good administrators.” His journals have many, many entries bathed in tears of contrition, but his children and grandchildren remember his laughter. Only rarely did he break through his pattern of reserve and speak deeply and intimately with his children, but he modeled Christian virtues to them. He much preferred to avoid controversy than to stir things up, but his own commitments to historic confessionalism were unyielding, and in ethics he was a man of principle. His own ecclesiastical circles were rather small and narrow, but his reading was correspondingly large and expansive. He was not very good at putting people down, except on his prayer lists.
When he died, there were no crowds outside the hospital, no editorial comments in the papers, no announcements on the television, no mention in Parliament, no attention paid by the nation. In his hospital room there was no one by his bedside. There was only the quiet hiss of oxygen, vainly venting because he had stopped breathing and would never need it again.
But on the other side, all the trumpets sounded. Dad won entrance to the only throne-room that matters, not because he was a good man or a great man—he was, after all, a most ordinary pastor—but because he was a forgiven man. And he heard the voice of him whom he longed to hear saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant; enter into the joy of your Lord.”
Gospel Wakefulness
written at Tuesday, January 24, 2012
If you want to find an instance of true
gratitude for the infinite grace of God, do not go to those who think of God’s
love as something that cost nothing, but go rather to those who in agony of
soul have faced the awful fact of the guilt of sin, and then have come to know
with a trembling wonder that the miracle of all miracles has been accomplished,
and that the eternal Son has died in their stead - J. Gresham Machen
Wonder & Amazement
written at Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Sometimes, words are not enough, words are
inadequate, they do not do justice in explaining the sense of awe, wonder, and
the amazement that we experience. And you know, it is perfectly okay if we
cannot find an appropriate word. Because God gave us more than just a mouth to sing.
An Adventure
written at Saturday, November 12, 2011My fifth semester in University is over, leaving one more semester to finish for my undergraduate degree. I thank God for the academic year that has been, including the many new opportunities, and of course, new beginnings.
And tonight, reflecting on the day, and all that has been, I was reminded today, "Heart of my own heart, whatever befall, still be my vision, O Ruler of all." This little line from "Be Thou My Vision" bleeds with earnestness. The acknowledgement of God's almighty reign over all things, reigning even over the things that man cannot control, the desire that He be the centre of every thought, motive, will and action, and the yearning to live more and more like Him.
And as I depart for another journey over the summer. I want this line to resonate within me. I want this to be a prayer that echoes in every mountain, and every valley. I know that this journey will be wonderful, because God, who is the Creator of all things good, will perfect and finish what He had started in all those who earnestly and diligently seek Him. That is a comforting thing to know. That is something that will give me peace and hope as I lie down to rest at night and that when I wake up in the morning, there will be a song, as another hymn writes, "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God almighty. Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee."
So goodnight for now, and will blog once again from the other side.
I'm ready for an adventure.
Thoughts On Discerning God’s Will for Your Life
written at Thursday, November 3, 2011
Excellent article. Andrew Byers, thank you
for giving me something to reflect on. http://abyers.wordpress.com/2011/08/30/thoughts-on-discerning-gods-will-for-your-life/
Ease of circumstances does not confirm divine calling. Not necessarily.
In seeking God in prayer for ten years about whether or not I should pursue doctoral studies in the United Kingdom, I found myself indeterminately waiting for the seemingly impossible circumstances to dramatically change, thereby signifying that I was indeed on the right path. In the recent weeks before the move to England, I embraced the sobering reality that an un-obstacled course was not assigned to me.
During seven years of college ministry work, one of the most consistent concerns students would express was that of discerning God’s specific will for their lives. What should I major in? Who should I date? Should my girlfriend and I pursue marriage? Am I called to do mission work? Should I drop out of school to chase my dream?
When you are 20 years old, these questions are freighted with such gravitas. For an emerging adult from a middle, upper-middle, or upper class background in the Western world, the options can seem so vast (what a luxury!), and narrowing in on one particular path—relationally or vocationally—can seem so limiting. As Christians, we are anxious to make the right decision. And a definitive choice at age 20 feels as if we are hurling ourselves irreversibly into one specific trajectory which will be nearly impossible to alter should we discover mid-flight that we were wrong.
One of the ways we tend to interpret God’s will for us is by favorable circumstances. “Open doors” we often call them. When everything falls tidily into place, our eyebrows are raised and the impulse is to assume that God is revealing His will for the immediate course of our lives.
But throughout Scripture, following the divine will often requires muscling through a heap of formidable circumstances that intensify in difficulty the more faithfully His saints march onward. If the Creator-God is in conflict with His wayward creation, then it serves to reason that following His call will often position us in uncomfortable tension with the circumstances and vicissitudes of life.
Paul makes this comment on “open doors” that has intrigued me for years—”…a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries” (1 Cor 16.9). A path crawling with adversaries does not sound like a very wide open path. Abounding adversity does not attend what we normally think of today as an open door.
In 2 Cor 2, Paul writes again about an open door. This time, the circumstances all seem favorable, but he does not avail himself of the opportunity before him—”even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, my spirit was not at rest…” (vv. 12-13). In spite of what clearly seemed to be God’s opening of a path before his feet, other concerns compelled Paul to turn away from the opportune moment.
From these two texts where Paul uses the metaphor of an open door, we can make these conclusions: 1] “open doors” do not necessarily indicate God’s direction. And 2] ease of circumstances does not necessarily clarify the path down which we are to trod.
Ease of circumstances does not confirm divine calling. Not necessarily.
In seeking God in prayer for ten years about whether or not I should pursue doctoral studies in the United Kingdom, I found myself indeterminately waiting for the seemingly impossible circumstances to dramatically change, thereby signifying that I was indeed on the right path. In the recent weeks before the move to England, I embraced the sobering reality that an un-obstacled course was not assigned to me.
During seven years of college ministry work, one of the most consistent concerns students would express was that of discerning God’s specific will for their lives. What should I major in? Who should I date? Should my girlfriend and I pursue marriage? Am I called to do mission work? Should I drop out of school to chase my dream?
When you are 20 years old, these questions are freighted with such gravitas. For an emerging adult from a middle, upper-middle, or upper class background in the Western world, the options can seem so vast (what a luxury!), and narrowing in on one particular path—relationally or vocationally—can seem so limiting. As Christians, we are anxious to make the right decision. And a definitive choice at age 20 feels as if we are hurling ourselves irreversibly into one specific trajectory which will be nearly impossible to alter should we discover mid-flight that we were wrong.
One of the ways we tend to interpret God’s will for us is by favorable circumstances. “Open doors” we often call them. When everything falls tidily into place, our eyebrows are raised and the impulse is to assume that God is revealing His will for the immediate course of our lives.
But throughout Scripture, following the divine will often requires muscling through a heap of formidable circumstances that intensify in difficulty the more faithfully His saints march onward. If the Creator-God is in conflict with His wayward creation, then it serves to reason that following His call will often position us in uncomfortable tension with the circumstances and vicissitudes of life.
Paul makes this comment on “open doors” that has intrigued me for years—”…a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries” (1 Cor 16.9). A path crawling with adversaries does not sound like a very wide open path. Abounding adversity does not attend what we normally think of today as an open door.
In 2 Cor 2, Paul writes again about an open door. This time, the circumstances all seem favorable, but he does not avail himself of the opportunity before him—”even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, my spirit was not at rest…” (vv. 12-13). In spite of what clearly seemed to be God’s opening of a path before his feet, other concerns compelled Paul to turn away from the opportune moment.
From these two texts where Paul uses the metaphor of an open door, we can make these conclusions: 1] “open doors” do not necessarily indicate God’s direction. And 2] ease of circumstances does not necessarily clarify the path down which we are to trod.
Abram was called by God to leave his country
and kindred for another life in another land. But when he got to that land, he
realized it was not only flowing with milk and honey, but also with hordes of
Canaanites. And soon after Abram spied those lovely hills and plains (and
Canaanites), a famine hit, sending him off to Egypt (Gen 12.1-10).
Canaanites and a famine: welcome to your lovely new home, Abram.
When God called Moses to deliver Israel out of Egypt centuries later, the message to the Hebrew elders was that God would rescue them and bring them into that good land once again. But God refused false advertising, describing the land not only as flowing with milk and honey, but also as crawling with Canaanites still (and “the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites” to boot—Ex 3.17). And following the divine will in the wilderness was so hard that the rescued Israelites on occasion regretted their rescue.
Ease of circumstances does not necessary confirm God’s call. It may actually be the evidence that we have missed a turn (the foxes have holes, and the birds have nests, but Jesus lacked a pillow to offer those following at His side).
Now, it must be acknowledged that God certainly does make the path strikingly clear and even easy at times—the psalmists rejoice over those moments. But I think we have to keep in mind this phrase from the Sermon on the Mount: “the way is hard…” (Mt 7.14).
The way is hard.
I taught on the Sermon on the Mount throughout the summer, and I was haunted by this phrase in Jesus’ teaching on the two ways, one broad (and easy), the other narrow (and hard). In recent months I found myself quite frustrated with God for not making the circumstances easier for my family and me as we set our faces toward England for a costly move and a costly degree program. But I kept reading that phrase over the summer—”the way is hard…”.
I don’t think I am writing this post to justify my move, or to valiantly declare that I have followed God faithfully. I think I am writing to sort through some lessons. And here they are again: ease of circumstances does not necessarily confirm God’s call, and “open doors” are not always indicators of God’s direction.
So counterintuitive….
Canaanites and a famine: welcome to your lovely new home, Abram.
When God called Moses to deliver Israel out of Egypt centuries later, the message to the Hebrew elders was that God would rescue them and bring them into that good land once again. But God refused false advertising, describing the land not only as flowing with milk and honey, but also as crawling with Canaanites still (and “the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites” to boot—Ex 3.17). And following the divine will in the wilderness was so hard that the rescued Israelites on occasion regretted their rescue.
Ease of circumstances does not necessary confirm God’s call. It may actually be the evidence that we have missed a turn (the foxes have holes, and the birds have nests, but Jesus lacked a pillow to offer those following at His side).
Now, it must be acknowledged that God certainly does make the path strikingly clear and even easy at times—the psalmists rejoice over those moments. But I think we have to keep in mind this phrase from the Sermon on the Mount: “the way is hard…” (Mt 7.14).
The way is hard.
I taught on the Sermon on the Mount throughout the summer, and I was haunted by this phrase in Jesus’ teaching on the two ways, one broad (and easy), the other narrow (and hard). In recent months I found myself quite frustrated with God for not making the circumstances easier for my family and me as we set our faces toward England for a costly move and a costly degree program. But I kept reading that phrase over the summer—”the way is hard…”.
I don’t think I am writing this post to justify my move, or to valiantly declare that I have followed God faithfully. I think I am writing to sort through some lessons. And here they are again: ease of circumstances does not necessarily confirm God’s call, and “open doors” are not always indicators of God’s direction.
So counterintuitive….
Student + Christian
written at Friday, October 28, 2011From Abigail's post on Josh Harris' sermon http://abigailyong.multiply.com/journal
Think about all the training that Nehemiah had engaged in through his life, all the study, all the cultivated skill - he didn't get this job as cup bearer to the king without much labour - to make himself intelligent enough to function in this capacity, skilled enough in the ways of men, knowledgeable enough about government, he had applied himself and gained this significant role by work, diligence and faithfulness.
There is a very important lesson for us all but as I was studying this passage, I felt such a burden to speak this to the young people of this church.
Do not be slack in your work. Do not be slack in your studies.You're going to school somewhere, you're giving yourself to study - it might not seem that important to you but it is very important! Because it's what God's using to shape you and prepare you so that you might be useful in His purposes and it is where God has chose to place you at this very moment.
So I challenge you:
Give yourself to your pursuit of education. View that as a very spiritual God-glorifying thing. Maybe you're at your first job and it doesn't seem that impressive and you're not that excited about it. Apply yourself. Be diligent as a labourer.
The church today needs men and women who have acquired the skills, and the abilities to place them in at the highest level in every field of our culture - in government, in law, in science, in industry, in the creative arts, in every craft!
It is meaningful and important for Christians to be diligent in working so that they are not just among the group but they are at the top of their field - their integrity and hard work should stand out to the glory of God.
And God will use those positions of influence, that faithfulness, the hard work put in as unto the Lord - for His greater purposes in ways that we cannot imagine.
Do you think as Nehemiah was going through all those processes and preparing to be a cup bearer could have imagined how significant that position could be for the purposes of God? Remember, he wasn't a scribe, a priest, or a pastor and yet, his so-called secular work was absolutely essential for the advancement of God's purposes.
And the same is true for every one of you - your work and your labour is an expression of worship. Work hard as onto the Lord God has placed you where He's placed you for a purpose.Work hard as onto the Lord and he'll use you in ways you might not understand or might not see for years. Pray for the impossible. Pray and be ready for action. Pray and prepare.
This story is such a powerful example that God is sovereign over all - not just over so-called spiritual things but also, over your boss (or in Nehemiah case, the king).
God was so sovereign that He was able to place the right person at the right role and move him along the job to enable Him to accomplish His purpose for His people.
Proverbs 21:1 - The kings heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will". No one has authority over God. God is the SOVEREIGN ruler over all.
Does the welfare of God's people grip your heart? Do we love God's glory in the gospel of Jesus so much that we weep when His name is not upheld? Are we willing to work hard and see our gifts, abilities, jobs as no accident but as God's placement for us to be a blessing, represent God and advance the purposes of God? Are we willing to take risks for the advance of God's purposes?
- Joshua Harris
Holding on tight to these lessons in Nehemiah as I persist in my pursuits in the academic world and someday, the vocational world (That day will come!). Somehow, it looks so much less daunting than before.You renewed and reminded me of my purpose! Nothing is ever a mistake. Thanks for reminding me of the why behind the what.
Music
written at Monday, October 24, 2011There's something about God's gift of music to man, the gift of creativity, that out of love for Him, out of the grace that He pours onto us, a new song He puts into our mouths, a hymn of praise to our God, a fragrant incense that rises.
You take the sinner's soul, and You make it clean
You make all things new
You teach our hearts to sing, redemption's symphony
And we rest in You
So like the sun at dawn
Your light will shine on all
For You are here, You are here O God
And we will not fear
For You are here, You are here O God
And when the waters rise, and the skies alight
And the earth still shakes
The solid Rock we hold, the Christ the saving One
All our hope's in You
So like the sun at dawn
Your light will shine on all
For You are here, You are here O God
And we will not fear
For You are here, You are here O God
Your Name is forever
Your Name is forever
Merely Normal Christianity
written at Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Heard a sermon from D. A. Carson. He had gone
through Psalm 37-40 and had expounded on the key themes and applications from
those passages. One of the most hard hitting of all and convicting of his
sermon was a story that he had shared about a missionary friend he knows, real
name not revealed so he's just called John. So this is coming from Carson's
perspective, slightly paraphrased:
John went out as a single missionary to Bolivia, and while he was there in his mid-late 30's, he married a missionary, and they had a child, a little girl around 3 to 4 years of age, when they came to Trinity Evangelical Divinity School to do a PhD. His mission wanted him to get advanced training so that he could go back and "up" the level of theological instruction in Bolivia. By this time, he knew the language well, knew the culture, wanted to be there the rest of his life. So the mission agreed to pay for his doctoral studies at Trinity.
He was there a bare 6 months, when his wife was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, she went through all of the wretched treatments, and look as if she was going to make it. He got back his studies again, seminars, trying to write and prepare for his compositions before his dissertation, when he was diagnosed with advanced stomach cancer. Chicago has a lot of cancer hospitals, they wouldn't touch him, they said it was so advanced there was nothing they could do. The mission agreed to send him to another clinic elsewhere and they took out 90% of his stomach and put him on rather experimental drugs used primarily for colon cancer, lo and behold they stopped it.
He came out of the hospital all 6'4 of him already thin, now as skinny as a bean pole needing to eat a little something every 2-3 hours because he didn't have any stomach to store things. And he came back to seminary, finished his compositions, started on his dissertation, and his wife's cancer returned, and she died. He was surrounded by godly people, they both came from godly families, the Trinity community helped every way they could. In due course he came back and finished his dissertation.
He came back to his home church in Illinois to speak there, just before going back with his daughter (who was now 9 or 10 years of age), to Bolivia as a missionary.And for half and hour, all he spoke about, using scripture, was the goodness of God.
And I want to tell you, that is merely normal Christianity. That's all it is. It's not heroic, it's merely seeing things in an eternal perspective, he spoke of the many manifestations of His goodness, of all the people who had helped, showered their time and energy on him during those difficult times, he spoke of the love that he and his wife shared with each other and their beautiful daughter, the Lord had preserved at least one of her parents to bring up this little girl. And he was telling people more urgently than ever on how we are all destined to die and then judgment. And at the end of the day, death may be the last enemy, but it does not have the last word for we know someone who broke the bounds of death, death is outrageous but it is not final. And he spoke of the goodness of God.
When you finally do come out of the other side of your miry bog, don't sling into an endless pity party. Give thanks to God in the assembly, and teach a new generation the goodness of God.
John went out as a single missionary to Bolivia, and while he was there in his mid-late 30's, he married a missionary, and they had a child, a little girl around 3 to 4 years of age, when they came to Trinity Evangelical Divinity School to do a PhD. His mission wanted him to get advanced training so that he could go back and "up" the level of theological instruction in Bolivia. By this time, he knew the language well, knew the culture, wanted to be there the rest of his life. So the mission agreed to pay for his doctoral studies at Trinity.
He was there a bare 6 months, when his wife was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, she went through all of the wretched treatments, and look as if she was going to make it. He got back his studies again, seminars, trying to write and prepare for his compositions before his dissertation, when he was diagnosed with advanced stomach cancer. Chicago has a lot of cancer hospitals, they wouldn't touch him, they said it was so advanced there was nothing they could do. The mission agreed to send him to another clinic elsewhere and they took out 90% of his stomach and put him on rather experimental drugs used primarily for colon cancer, lo and behold they stopped it.
He came out of the hospital all 6'4 of him already thin, now as skinny as a bean pole needing to eat a little something every 2-3 hours because he didn't have any stomach to store things. And he came back to seminary, finished his compositions, started on his dissertation, and his wife's cancer returned, and she died. He was surrounded by godly people, they both came from godly families, the Trinity community helped every way they could. In due course he came back and finished his dissertation.
He came back to his home church in Illinois to speak there, just before going back with his daughter (who was now 9 or 10 years of age), to Bolivia as a missionary.And for half and hour, all he spoke about, using scripture, was the goodness of God.
And I want to tell you, that is merely normal Christianity. That's all it is. It's not heroic, it's merely seeing things in an eternal perspective, he spoke of the many manifestations of His goodness, of all the people who had helped, showered their time and energy on him during those difficult times, he spoke of the love that he and his wife shared with each other and their beautiful daughter, the Lord had preserved at least one of her parents to bring up this little girl. And he was telling people more urgently than ever on how we are all destined to die and then judgment. And at the end of the day, death may be the last enemy, but it does not have the last word for we know someone who broke the bounds of death, death is outrageous but it is not final. And he spoke of the goodness of God.
When you finally do come out of the other side of your miry bog, don't sling into an endless pity party. Give thanks to God in the assembly, and teach a new generation the goodness of God.
Carbon Ribs
written at Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Cause I'm a dead man now with a ghost who
lives
Within the confines of these carbon ribs
And one day when I'm free I will sit
The cripple at your table
The cripple by your side
-McMillan
Within the confines of these carbon ribs
And one day when I'm free I will sit
The cripple at your table
The cripple by your side
-McMillan
Isaiah 55:8-11 (ESV)
written at Sunday, October 16, 2011
For my thoughts are not your
thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as
the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your
ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
