Trouble

I work in a State Correctional environment. Trouble is the word that best describes such an environment. What is funny is that Jesus describes the world this way, "In this life you will have trouble" (John 16:33). The good news is that He continues to tell us to take courage because He has overcome the world.

This sounds great!! But life is too hard. The writer of Hebrews meets this head-on. He shows that the only way to overcome is by faith (Chapter 11). In Chapter 12 he tells us that we have all the heroes of faith and the example of Jesus, who by the way is the source of our faith and the one who makes our faith more mature, to encourage us in the fight. Then, he punches us in the gut with this phrase, "you have not YET resisted to the point of shredding your blood" (12:4). I think it's saying - suck it up, stop whining. Life is going to be hard. We have found ourselves in the battle. The question is, how we are going to respond to the battle?

In this life you will have trouble...TAKE HEART ...He has overcome the world for us!

Psalm 46

“God will help her at break of day.” (Ps. 46:5b). This phrase has significant imagery attached to it. The Psalmist made many references to God’s faithfulness in his writings. This particular phrase most likely refers to a specific event in Israel’s deliverance from Egypt.

Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived. Exodus 14:27-28  

David uses an event that is imbedded in the Israelite psyche. He gives this event as support for his opening “God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble (Ps. 46:1, HCSB)”. Literally translated, “a helper in times of trouble he is found [to be] greatly.”

The break of day is a metaphor for God’s deliverance. Three other times the Bible refers to it (Ps. 30:5, Is. 17:14; 37:36). In Psalm 30, we are assured that God’s discipline is momentary (“weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning”), but that His favor lasts for a lifetime. Isaiah records a mighty deliverance in an impossible situation. “Then the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies!” (37:36).

God is the refuge of all who are in a relationship with Him. When life is overwhelming, when we feel like there is no hope, we must never forget Who He is! He is the God who controls everything by His word. All things are at His Command. “Yahweh of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.Selah” (Ps. 46:11, HCSB)

The Goal of Ministry

According to the Westminster Shorter Catechism, the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. I agree. My highest desire and aim should be to pursue God until I am consumed by Him. The difficulty is in the practicality of these statements.

In Luke 9:23-25, Jesus explains that I must crucify myself rather than be dedicated to myself. It is through interaction with people and relationships that I realize my weakness and my poverty (and theirs). It is through these that I am given an opportunity to exercise and grow. It is through these that I learn to crucify the flesh and submit to the work of the Holy Spirit in me. The more submissive I become, the more His fruit will grow in me. In John 15, Jesus tells me that I must abide in Him in order to bear fruit.

God does not need me. I need Him. However, He invites me to join His work. Being active in His work and His Kingdom is the catalyst or the avenue by which He changes me. The highest goal of ministry is to know Him deeper than ever before. The by-product of knowing Him deeper is that He will be glorified and His kingdom will expand.

5 Words For Discipleship

Submission - in (1) my relationship to Christ and (2) my relationships with others. To make Jesus Lord is to submit to a process that goes against my nature. A deep trust in Christ allows me to look after the needs and well-being of others rather than living from a self-centered perspective.

Discipline - While it is Christ who does the work in me, I must discipline myself to engage with Christ and others in ways that build relationship. I must discipline myself to cultivate and maintain a submissive attitude. I must continue in the growth process and be patient with the failures and weaknesses of myself and others.

Relationship - Key to all the other words of Discipleship. The primary relationship that informs the way I "do" all other relationships must be the one that I have with Christ. If I do the reverse, that is, allowing the way I "do" all other relationships to inform the way I relate to Christ, then I will experience spiritual sickness and will continue to experience relational dysfunction with the body of Christ.

Process - I chose this word because of Romans 12:2 where Paul uses the Greek word from which we get the word metamorphosis. Paul also speaks of God's will for believers is that they conform to the image of Christ (Romans 8). I must remember that transformation takes time. I must submit to the process no matter how long it takes. I must be patient with others and accept them as they are no matter where they are in this process.

Identity - Discipleship becomes easier when I embrace my identity as a beloved child of God. The circumstances and people in my life must not be allowed to define my primary identity. Secondary identities come and go. This can create identity crises if they are allowed to be primary identities. I must be first a child of God in every circumstance and every relationship.

How Strong Are You?

All battles in life begin in the mind and are won in the mind. I am learning this and trying to apply this to various areas of my life. I am going to win the battle against a half-marathon. See my fitness blog. Saturday I ran my first 5 mile distance. Trust me over the last two weeks I have been battling doubts. I have to talk myself through some of my runs. I am learning that I am strong. I am learning to call out to God to help me keep fighting. I have decided that losing and failure is quitting and giving up. Righteousness and winning is about getting back up and never quitting. The Old and New Testaments are full of examples and admonition both negative and positive that the righteous do not quit when things get tough. They train their minds, they honor their commitments, and they rely on God and godly people around them to win. So help us God to overcome!