HOW TO ENDURE THE HARD STUFF

 

While searching for our snow clothes last week, I bumped into our old house plans.  We’ve lived in the home my husband built for 10 years now, but until we got here these plans were the only indication that this flat land surrounded by eucalyptus trees was going to sprout a house someday.  

I remember those plans being rolled and unrolled over and over as my husband would talk to my uncles about the home he was going to build for us.  Having built homes before my uncles had a much better vision of the future house than I did.  They talked through the details and I poured the coffee but the plans always just looked like blue lines and an almost impossible amount of work to me. 

And it was a crazy amount of work.  Even while we were framing or installing insulation into what would someday be walls, the house didn’t take shape for me.  It still seemed like just a small box and I had no real sense of the size or wall height. 

But we had a kind of faith we worked by.  We believed two things.  First, we believed we were called to this place.  We had prayed and felt God lead us to this land.  That really helped us to keep going when the road got hard.  And secondly, we believed that that if we stuck to the plan, regardless of how painful, in the end we would move into our new home.  Which I guess was really a faith in the architect since we had never built a house before.   

For me, 2016 was a tough year.  There were stresses and discouragements that I really didn’t want to go through and as the new year approached I had a secret hope that trials know to follow calendar years and will now vamoose!  But through the difficulty, God keeps reminding me of this verse:       

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Jeremiah 29:11

Can’t you almost imagine God rolling and unrolling His blueprint for your future when He says this?  He is the Master Architect.  And even though we’ve never done this life thing before, He has.  He knows the plans He has for us and they are good!  His plans are to prosper you and to give you a future and a hope. 

So how do we walk by faith in the hard times?  First, if we’ve prayed and allowed God to lead us to where we are, we have to hang on to that truth.  It will get us through the rough spots.  So many times when we hit a hard patch in our marriages, finances, relationships and so on we think that if things are hard, we must be on the wrong road!  But that just isn’t biblical (check out how Paul felt in 2 Cor. 7:5-6!)  If you don’t think you have prayed and been led to where you are, pray now and ask for wisdom.  God loves that and He will lead you.         

And secondly, we hang onto faith in the Architect.  He has a plan.  As we live in His Word and trust Him through the difficulties that come to all of us, we endure.  And while “just endure it” isn’t going to be the top slogan for Nike or companies that value self-achievement anytime soon, enduring has its place in the lives of God’s people.  It’s the grit of real that holds still and doesn’t lose ground.   Jesus despised the shame of the cross but He endured it (Hebrews 12:2).     

“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”  James 1:12

God has a plan for whatever is happening today.  Regardless of how it feels, the Master Architect is right there doing a good work in you! 

 

 
_________________________

Rebecca Jones is a believer on Christ, passionate about God's Word and applying it to life.  She and her High School sweetheart have been married for 25 years and have 5 daughters (yes 5!).  Rebecca has a degree in Marketing, has been home educating for 15 years and writing since 2008.  Her oldest daughter is presently attending a Christian college while the other 4 daughters continue to school at home. 

RESPONDING TO CORRECTION

Have you ever given any thought to just how a worm gets into an apple? 

Maybe, like me, you have assumed that worms eat their way into an apple from the outside.  Or maybe, you have just been content with the fact that you haven't found yourself staring at only half a worm after taking a big chomp.  ;)

In either case, you might be surprised to learn that not all worms come in from the outside.  Rather, there is a species of fruit fly* that pierces an apple with a stinger and inserts what will later hatch into a worm.  Then, the worm finding itself inside the apple, will eat its way through the apple to the outside.  I know- weird.

I was using this illustration this week as I discussed the idea with our girls that sin comes from inside of us. 

Although we must choose our friends carefully, it is not our friends that make us sin.  And while we seek to keep ourselves away from temptation, it is not outside pressure that creates in us the desire to disobey God.  That sin is already there-  we were stung with it a long time ago.

So how do we respond when we are confronted with our sin? 

Certainly we should all be on guard, judging ourselves so we do not need to be judged.  But because of the very deceitful nature of sin there will be times when we are blind to our own sins and will need to be confronted by one of our brothers or sisters in the Lord. 

How will we respond?

We know how David responded when Nathan confronted him with sin:

"I have sinned against the LORD."

~2 Samuel 12:13

Not a lengthy excuse.  Not minimizing his offense.  He placed the blame squarely on himself.

Will we choose to respond like David or will we turn on the person who has come to us, saying things like "You know, you didn't correct me in the right way" or "You just don't understand me- I have a lot of pressure in my life!" 

Like David, we surround ourselves with good and godly saints.  People we admire and love.  So why is it when one of these good and godly people come to us we are so quick to turn on them? 

Well, it's not because of something on the outside.  It's because of something in us. 

One of my closest friends shared with me the premise of a book she recently read.  It was about an author who began to consider how his life would be different if he were to think of it in terms of a book he was writing. 

He began to process this idea and consider what he would want to change and how he would like his story to read in hindsight.

Isn't that an incredibly inspiring idea? 

Maybe your 'act 1' was filled with pain.  But what about 'act 2?'  Would you like the story to read that you forgave those who had hurt you and that your pain taught you to be gracious and kind to others?  That by diligent study of God's Word you were transformed in a new person? And how will 'act 2' position you to live 'act 3?'  Will the choices you make today position you toward freedom or bondage?  Toward helping others or toward needing to be helped? 

I think we need to remember that we don't despise David for his failings- and we don't excuse him because of his circumstances.  But we do rejoice in seeing his repentance and his merciful heart toward others!


Your wormy friend, 

* The Apple Maggot (Rhagoletis pomonella) uses its sharp ovipositor to pierce the skin of apples and insert its eggs. The female may live for a month and lay 300 eggs during that time.  The damage is at first only a pinprick, but the scars from these stings distort the shape of the apple as it grows, often leaving it lumpy and unattractive. On light-skinned fruits the skin is sometimes blemished from the presence of the tracks made by the maggots inside. Bagging the fruit prevents the fly from laying its eggs.

_________________________
Find the apple and worm illustration and many others in the book, With Children on Sundays.  I have to modify the lessons for our family, but the thoughts are good ones and helpful in discussing issues of character and conscience.

WHY MAMA? {Why do bad things happen?}

Hailey in her sling

I am typically a person who builds margin into our lives.  But there are certain seasons that are just unavoidably busy.  That has been the case here.  So when I saw the long 4th of July weekend coming I- somewhat sadly- didn't make outside plans.  Although we always love the chance to celebrate with friends and family, this year we just needed a quiet day at home... or so I thought.

As Tom was manning the BBQ and I was soaking in the view-  of little ones running through the backyard with a kite-  I was really looking forward to the idea of having a quiet night.  Soon the little ones were hollering from the trampoline asking if I would jump with them.  "Sure!" Ready to earn the title of Mom of the Year- or at least the hour- I hopped onto the trampoline ready to play.

The girls and I jumped, sang and ran around until I had worked up a sweat.  But we were having so much fun none of us wanted to stop.  Hailey laid herself down on the mat of the trampoline and squealed, "Bounce me, Mama!"  And so I did.  Soon she was really bouncing.  She was sailing a full foot off the trampoline mat, maybe more, and was having a great time.  What I didn't see was her little head band slip from her head and her arm instinctively reach back for it.  What I did see in that next moment was a look of shock and fear cross her face that made me stop dead in my tracks.

I quickly found out that her little arm was hurt.  I have had no experience with broken bones- I  have all girls I am supposed to immune from this sort of thing, right?- but I knew this was broken.  I called to Tom and soon the three of us were headed to Urgent Care and then the ER. 

Goodbye quiet night at home. 

Hailey was amazing.  God gave her grace and self control even through the pain.  As I was driving the car to Urgent Care I called back:   "I am so sorry you are hurt Hailey."  To which she sweetly responded through her tears, "It's alwight.  It's ok." 
 
Like I said, I have no experience with breaks and so it came as a complete shock to me to hear that Hailey would need surgery, pins and then therapy to regain her mobility.  That was if the surgery was a success- this was a bad place for a break we were told- where the bone becomes thin and makes it like trying to balance two knife edges on top of each other according to one of the surgeons.

The next thing I knew I was staying the night in the hospital, checking Hailey's reflexes every hour to make sure that her artery wasn't pinched and blocking blood flow to her muscles- a condition that could have caused her arm to become permanently paralysed.  I found myself awake most of the night- alone with nothing to do but pray.  So, I prayed.  I am not sure why I needed to be up praying, but I guess I did.

As exhausting as it was, there were certainly things to be thankful for.  In ER I asked the Lord to show Himself with us and He did.  He provided protection, some of the most amazing people to help Hailey through what could have been so very difficult for a four year old (IV's, surgery, recovery etc.) and really the best possible experience for Hailey. 

We are so thankful for the faithful prayers of our dear family and friends. 

Once home, one of our girls came to me confused. 

Why, Mama?  Why did this happen to our Hailey? 

I wasn't sure I had the answer for her.  I told her we know that we can trust God to work things together for our good- although we may not know the whys at the moment. 

Soon it was time for us to gather for Bible.  And what was in the chapter that day- my comments added in parenthesis?:

We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed;

we are perplexed (we may wonder why), but not in despair,

we are persecuted, but not forsaken;

struck down, but not destroyed-
always carrying about in the body the dying of
the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus
also may be manifested in our body.

2 Corinthians 4:8-9

Through our weakness, Christ is put on display.  Through being pressed; through persecution and perplexing situations Christ is manifested in us.  Weaknesses do not cripple the believer.  Instead- in the moment of pressing- we find strength in Christ.  Yes, we may be perplexed from time to time- even struck down.  But we do not need to despair or lose hope.  The Lord is with us and we can trust in Him. 


Blessings,

TRIALS {and how we can stand}

About twelve years ago, life was chugging along just as it seemed it would for years. I was a young mom with two little girls at home, living in a new housing community. Our home was sandwiched between my sister and brother-in-law's home on one side and one of my best friends and her husband's home on the other. Having been transplanted from the same church in another town, we began to meet from house to house Acts 2:42 style and reach out to the neighbors around us. All was well in my little world.

Then one day, while my sister, her husband and our dear friend were commuting together something happened that would change our lives forever. While their car was sitting in traffic merging from one highway onto another, they were hit from behind by a semi carrying forty tons of carpet. The big rig driver was both unlicensed and had fallen asleep at the wheel. The instant they were hit, my dear friend Christine and her unborn baby were transported home to be with the Lord. My brother in law suffered serious injuries and the status of his recovery was touch and go for nine days in ICU. My sister was also hospitalized both with personal injuries and concerns for the life within her- she was carrying her first child as well. Serious tests were run to see if the baby (now eleven years old and one of my favorite people in the world) would even survive.





It was during this season that the Lord impressed some things on my heart about trial that I seek to pass on to my children. 



1.  You cannot cram for a trial.   There are no cliff notes and no quick spiritual shot in the arm we can take.  We are either in relationship with Christ and navigating by the unchanging truth of His Word or we are not.  When we are hit, we will be hit just where we are.  If we are to be ready to face trials (big or small) we must expect them.  "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you."  - 1 Peter 4:12 

2. Trials filter out what we really believe.  When you see a man go through trial- that is when you truly see the man.  Trials are where the "rubber meets the road" so to speak. Before trial some of our theology may be more academic than practiced.  We may think- in theory- that God is working all things together for our good (Romans 8:28), that God is sovereign over every decision (Proverbs 16:33) or that God is our refuge and strength (Psalm 46) but until we are able to trust that in the midst of trial we lack a steadfastness that we need to be complete.  "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.  And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."  - James 1:2

3.  All believers experience trial.  Sometimes we think we are only supposed to experience happy times- we are to be joyful people after all.  But as I read the words of the Psalms when I am in trial and see that we are to weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15) as well as rejoice with those who rejoice, I know there will be seasons of trial in every believers life.   

4.  We receive grace when we need it.  The Scripture is clear that we must be faithful not to harden our hearts (Hebrews 3:8).  We must believe God's Word (Hebrews 3:19) and be diligent to enter His rest (Hebrews 4:11).  Yet, if we know our flesh at all, we know we can do nothing without God first working in us.  "It is GOD who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."  - Philippians 2:13  We will stand by God's grace alone.  And as we do, our hearts gain a personal confidence that He will complete the work He has begun in us (Philippians 1:6).  He is the ONE who will keep us faithful until the end.

Spafford's testimony, as documented in the hymn, "It is Well with My Soul" is a wonderful illustration of that truth.  Recently, our five girls learned the beloved hymn in American Sign Language (thank you Dana and Trish) and shared it with our church body.  A summary of Spafford's testimony and the girl's signing are in the following clip.

5.  Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.  I love the intro picture of my friend's daughters. As the girls and I have been working through the proper way to respond to trials- sometimes big trials, but often the daily 'splashes in the face,' we keep coming back to the quote that: Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it.  As we remind our heart that:  No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.  God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."  -1 Corinthians 10:13  we have a biblical perspective that can help us to stand.  The truth is, as believers we do have a choice in the way we respond. 




We will experience trials every day.  Sometimes the trials will be big, sometimes small.  But none will be outside God's control.  May our hearts be stayed on truth and encouraged in Him.

And after you have suffered a little while,

the God of all grace, who has called you to 

His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself

restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you.

- 1 Peter 5:10   

Blessings,

_________________

Looking for some gently used homeschool resources by Pearables, Saxon and more? How about if you could name your own price?  Our friend Kelly has some great homeschool items for sale here.  As always, we are never paid for our recommendations.  :)

THE HEART OF DAILY DEPENDENCE {faith, not fear}

Give us this day our daily bread

-Matthew 6:11

In our current economic environment people seem to be working harder than ever.  More people are competing for fewer jobs.  Our husbands willingly work overtime to make up for cutbacks, and at home there is pressure to stretch things farther and work harder than before.


Although many may long for physical and emotional buffer in life, at times it seems hard to come by.  


As helpmeets we'd like to know that we have more in the bank that just today's or this weeks provision.


As homeschoolers we'd like more wisdom and greater visibility into the future than just what we need to handle today's issues. 


And as moms we'd like to know that our children's futures are safe.  Yet with every news report we feel an added sense vulnerability to many things that seem completely out of our control.  But God.  

God has not given us a spirit of fear.  

-2 Timothy 1:7

As we look at the waves around us we can be sure that He has- and always will be- over all creation (Matthew 14:29-31).  


If we find Him leading us into a season of daily manna gathering (Exodus 16:4), we can trust it is to teach us the beauty of daily dependence on Him.  


There are times our souls need to be retaught the truths of His character- how He faithfully and tenderly He cares for His sheep- and as we experience His provision in various ways our hearts remember that we are safe in trial.  




GOD WILL SUPPLY


Have you read the account of George Muller's life and ministry recently?  His example of faith is such an encouraging one. 


One morning, while caring for hundreds of England's orphans, George was told it had finally happened.  


There were times when God had provided a years worth of provisions through the hand of a single donor and times when things had been hand to mouth, but this morning the worst had come and there wasn't a thing to feed the children for breakfast.  Certainly this was the time to fear.  But we read George's response:  

"George stood up.  'I'll take care of it.  Just give me a minute," he said. 

Before going to the dining room at Number One Orphan House, George walked out into the garden.  'Abigail, Abigail, come here,' he called.  (Abigail was his assistant's young daughter who had become like a granddaughter to George and his wife, Mary.)

Abigail ran up to him.  'What is it?' she asked.

George reached down and took her hand.  'Come and see what God will do,' he said as he escorted her into the dining room.  

Inside they found three hundred children standing in neat rows behind their chairs.  Set on the table in front of each child were a plate, a mug, and a knife, fork and spoon.  But there was no food whatsoever to be seen.  George watched as Abigail's eyes grew wide in astonishment.  'But where's the food?' Abigail asked in a whisper.

"God will supply,' George told her quietly, before he turned to address the children.  'There's not much time.  I don't want any of you to be late for school, so let's pray," he announced.  As the children bowed their heads, George simply prayed, 'Dear God, we thank you for what you are going to give us to eat.  Amen.'

George looked up and smiled at the children.  'You may be seated,' he said.  He had no idea at all where the food he had just prayed for would come from or how it would get to the orphanage.  He just knew God would not fail the children.

A thunderous din filled the room as three hundred chairs were scuffed across the wooden floor.  Soon all three hundred children sat obediently in front of their empty plates.

No sooner had the noise in the dining room subsided than there was a knock on the door.  George walked over and opened the door.  In the doorway stood the baker, holding a huge tray of delicious smelling bread.  

'Mr. Mueller,' began the baker, 'I couldn't sleep last night.  I kept thinking that somehow you would need bread this morning and that I was supposed to get up and bake it for you.  So I got up at two o'clock and made three batches for you.  I hope you can use it.'

George smiled broadly.  'God has blessed us through you this morning,' he said as he took the trays of bread from the baker.

'There's two more trays out in the cart,' said the baker.  'I'll fetch them.'

Within minutes, the children were all eating freshly baked bread.  As they were enjoying it, there was a second knock at the door.  This time it was the milkman, who took off his hat and addressed George.  'I am needing a little help, if you could, sir.  The wheel on my cart has broken, right outside your establishment.  I'll have to lighten my load before I can fix it.  There's ten full cans of milk on it.  Could you use them?'  Then looking at the orphans sitting in neat rows, he added, 'Free of charge, of course.  Just send someone out to get them.  I'll never fix the cart with all that weight on it.'

It took twenty strong older children to bring in all the milk that God had brought to their door.  And we find that George knew the heart of God- He would not fail the children.  They had breakfast and enough milk left over for their tea at lunch.  But most importantly, little Abigail had learned something.  God answers prayer and provides our daily bread.  In fact, she began to finish her prayers with, "like you do for George Muller.  Amen." 


How many times have I wanted the faith of George Muller, but haven't wanted to first see an empty plate in front of my children?

How many times have I wanted the faith of Moses, but not wanted to be thirsty enough to need water from a stone?

How many times have I wanted to be called a daughter of Sarah, but not wanted to venture into unknown territory?



Maybe the daily bread you need is not food.  In Scripture bread often symbolizes our attitudes, for example in Psalm 127:2 talks about the "bread of sorrows."  Maybe the manna you need to pick up each day is wisdom from the Lord or kindness.  Whatever the bread you need, the Lord may be leading you through a season of learning daily dependence (as He is with me).  

Whatever your daily need, my encouragement would be to look at the example of  George Muller and grab the hands of your children to bring them along with you.  

Don't try to hide every struggle or concern, but instead show them the Truths of Scripture you are standing on and let them pray with you for your needs.  Let them 'Come and see what God will do.'

My heart has often been encouraged as I have trusted God's Word in Psalm 34:10.  

"The young lions do lack and suffer hunger, 

But they who seek the LORD shall not 

be in want of any good thing."

-Psalm 34:10

Blessings friends,

 

__________________________________


From George Mueller, The Guardian of Bristol's Orphans pg.166-168.  To read the entire true story to your children, find the Benge's book here.

WOULD WE LIKE DAVID {really?}

When I was a girl I dreamed of being a career woman. I looked to magazines that depicted lovely ladies in business attire and to TV shows and commercials that advertised that women could have it all: they could bring home the bacon, fry it up in the pan and still be a woman to their man. ;)  It was an unreal dream, but at the time I wanted that. 

After High School, and while taking college courses at night, I donned my shoulder pads, knee high skirts and high heels and headed out into the world (yes a lot of the early appeal of the business world may have initially been the outfits...).  First stop was a receptionist position at a computer circuit board shop. I worked overtime and went in to work on the weekends until I understood the ins and outs of each department. Soon I was quality checking printed circuit boards at my desk.  Next, I was asked to move into a sales position in the division across the street.

I remember working countless hours to earn my way. On the nights when I didn't have classes, I worked late- sometimes getting home as late as 8 pm. I was driven and let's face it- I was young and had energy.

I knew I needed to work my way into a position I would be happy with before I got older and my energy died out. So I pressed on. I was zealous for achievement and just wanted to do the best job humanly possible.

My first month in inside sales I closed a record amount of deals. The VPs loved me. The VP of the division I left felt responsible for my success and the VP of the new division was pleased as punch.

Then one day my supervisor approached me privately. He said, "Something must be wrong if you feel that you have to work so hard. Maybe you are not productive enough during the day- and that is why you feel you need work at night as well." He urged that I needed to stop working so much- to slow down and pace myself. (As a funny side note- this supervisor actually had a list of excuses he would use on customers in his desk drawer. Instead of giving truthful answers as to why a product hadn't shipped, he'd just pull out his list and give one of his "tried and true" falsehoods. It saved him the trouble of getting out of his desk or making a phone call to find out the real reasons I suppose.)

Following that a co-worker also approached me (I think they were in cahoots) and told me that I was beginning to make all the other inside sales people look bad. I needed to stop all these late nights.

I was making others look bad? Well, that wasn't my motivation. I was working crazy hours and making a bazillion telephone calls each day to please my boss and to further my career. I was completely self focused, yes. But I hadn't realized I was hurting them. A light began to dawn in my thinking as I realized that they resented what I was doing. They were not happy with the increased sales I had brought to the department. I was doing my job too well.  The truth is, it wasn't work to me in the same way that it was work to them.  I didn't see it as a daily drudgery.  I had a goal and I was eagerly moving toward it- it all seemed pretty easy.

Well, in any case things at work were awkward for a while.  Then I was promoted on. 

__________________________________________

HOLINESS- KNOCK IT OFF!


What in the world does that story have to do with anything?  Well, there is a saying that no one cares how well you do, as long as you don't do better than them.

Is that true of us in the faith?

When we see a believer zealous for righteousness- reading the Word and putting it into practice; growing in holiness and putting their flesh to death in various ways are we excited with them? Or does it actually tee us off a bit? 

When someone is keeping their home diligently do we point them out as someone we admire or roll our eyes and compare them to Martha Stewart- as though her name is a bad word?

Do we sit by silently as others in the church point and accuse those who seek to obey God with titles like: "Legalist!" and "Self righteous!" Do they accuse out of insecurity?  And are we quiet because it eases our own consciences a bit?

Are we annoyed if others set a standard that we don't (even if it is based on Scripture)?  And do we instantly believe that they must be judging us or see themselves as better than others...even if they don't?  Do we want to take them down a peg or two and tell them to knock it off already? 



WOULD WE LIKE DAVID-- REALLY?


In my last article, I wrote a fictitious letter to the psalmist David advising him to "ease up a bit" if he was going to speak to the modern church.

I wrote in jest of course, but I was trying to make a point.  If you were fellowshipping with David in your local church today would you roll your eyes and believe he was "self righteous" if he said that he would "set nothing wicked before his eyes" and would "not know wickedness" (Psalm 101:3-4)?  What if he stood against secret slandering of others and only employed those who actually walked in a "perfect way?" (Psalm 101:5-6)  How tolerant would we be of that guy? 

It is so easy to be misunderstood when writing.  You cannot sense my tone, but trust me when I say that my heart is heavy over this.  I fear that the modern church would label Abel, Noah and Abraham "self righteous" because they obeyed the commands of God (Hebrews 11:7).  We seem to live in a time when obedience is frowned upon... in the church. 

But the LORD actually says of Noah "in holy fear {Noah} built an ark to save his family" and "by his faith...condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith."

Seeking to obey the commands of God is not self righteous behaviour.  Hebrews 11:7 is one of many places in Scripture that indicates obedience is faith.

Have you heard this new teaching in which obedience and faith are pitted against one another?  As if the grace we receive from God is nullified if we seek to obey God's commands. That Christ's sacrifice and Christ's commands are at enmity with one another. But is this the picture we receive from Scripture?

"...we all once conducted ourselves in the lust of our flesh,

fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind,

and were by nature children of wrath just as the others.

But God, who is rich in mercy... made us alive... For

we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for

good works..."

-Ephesians 2:3-10

 

Do not get me wrong.  I love grace.  I need grace.  If I am not in Christ I am most hopeless because I personally bring nothing to the table.  But the Lord is clear.  We are created for something- not just to be saved.  In the above verse we are told we used to fulfill the desires of our flesh and the desires of our mind, but now we are created for good works.

The saints of old- Abel, Noah and Abraham- their faith was seen in their works.  Is it so different today?  And yet I have seen believers divide over this issue.  Why?



DO GOOD WORKS SAVE?

Short answer? No.  Of course not.

We are saved by faith which is a gift of GOD (Ephesians 2:8). The real question is, does true saving faith obey?

It is recorded in John 14:15 that Jesus said:  "If you love me, you will obey what I command."

Obedience is the fruit (John 15:16, Matthew 7:18-19) that evidences God's work as clearly as an apple evidences an apple tree.
So, if the true believer will seek to obey the commands of Christ.  We have to ask- does GOD really care about what we set before our eyes or how we live (Psalm 101, Philippians 4:8)?

I think it is pretty evident that He does.  And yet I am not here to give you a list of what we should do in order to fulfill these biblical admonitions. I am not even here to say I do this perfectly (I wouldn't dare!). I get my conscience pricked along with the next guy when I read the bold words of David.

But I do see a danger to our own souls when our conscience pricks us and we silence it saying- that is "not salvational" rather than seeking to obey the commands of Christ.  And I do see a saddening trend that endangers the very unity of the Spirit (which we are commanded to keep- Ephesians 4:3) when we despise and disparage those who seek to obey God's commands.   

 

GOD does not call obedience a "works based salvation." He simply calls it faith.  Let us not create a new Jesus who no longer requires obedience.  And let us not divide over such things.

When I worked in the world I worked hard for a perishing prize.  Paul encourages the saints to work even harder for the prize that does not perish.  I don't believe he was advocating that we can earn our salvation.  I do believe he was calling us to run in such a way as to win the prize (1 Cor. 9:24).
What do you think?


 

Blessings,

___________________________

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the recent sermon entitled "The Law and the Gospel" covering Romans 13:8-14 by Pastor Steve Walker. 

DEAR DAVID {ease up Brother!}

Dear David, 

I was reading the passionate words of Psalm 101 the other day and, well,  I am just not sure how well you would fit into the modern church.  I don't mean to discourage you Brother, and I know that God called you a man after His own heart (Acts 13:22), but if you are going to talk to today's crowd... well, I'd like to encourage you to consider taming things down a bit.

"I will set nothing wicked before my eyes;

I hate the work of those who fall away;

It shall not cling to me.

A perverse heart shall depart from me;

I will not know wickedness."

~ Psalm 101:3-4

This is what I mean.  You say that you will set nothing wicked before your eyes- and you will not know wickedness.  No meditating on TV, movies or magazines that make a mock of sin?  Wow.  That is just going to earn you the title of legalist around here.  And while being known as someone who adheres strictly to the law of God may have been a good thing in your day- trust me when I say that type of title is seriously looked down upon today.  People are just not going to have patience with that kind of talk...

"Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor,

Him I will destroy;

The one who has a haughty look and

a proud heart, him I will not endure. 

My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land,

that they may dwell with me;

He who walks in a perfect way,

he shall serve me."

~ Psalm 101:5-6

Sigh- ok this too.  This type of talk is just going to be twisted by those who hear it.  We can't really expect to find people who walk in a "perfect way."  And the modern church really doesn't  want to hear talk about obedience- they see it as trying to earn their salvation, rather than the fruit that proves it (Colossians 1:10 and John 15:16).  

People want to hear about grace- and only grace.  Not obedience.  When you say that you would only hang out with those who walk in a "perfect way" and that you would not tolerate those who are secretly snarky and assassinate the character of others- well, I just need to warn you that you will be seen as intolerably prideful.  It is not popular to hold absolutes or to judge anything these days.  In fact, you will likely be accused of being in opposition to Jesus Himself who is seen as only grace and love.

Yes, I know that Jesus was hated because He testified against (rather than approving of) the evil of the world:
 

"The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me

because I testify that what it does is evil."

~ John 7:7

But we have a more... abridged Jesus today.  Jesus is now known as Someone who hung out with sinners, not as the One who called sinners to repentance.  We steer away from verses like :  

"Go now and leave your life of sin."

~ John 8:11

"I am the light of the world.

Whoever follows Me will never walk

in darkness..."

~ John 8:12

"If you love Me, you will

obey what I command."

~ John 14:15

Instead of repentance or change, we like to focus more on love and tolerance of all.    

I would like to encourage you privately by the Words of Christ when He said:

 

"If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me
before it hated you. 

If you were of the world, the world would love its
own; but because you are not of the world,
but I chose you out of the world, because of this

the world hates you."  ~ John 15:18
 

And by the words of Paul when he said:

"Now you are light in the world.  Live as children
of light... and find out what pleases the Lord.  
Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of
darkness, but rather expose them."  ~ Ephesians 5:11  
 

Again, I love your passion and appreciate your stance against evil, but... I just don't think you are going to do well as a popular speaker these days.  You might just want to consider toning things down a few notches if you want to be seen as truly relevant in today's culture.  And maybe even make an exception to all you have written and consider watching some popular witchcraft movies-- you know so that you will have relevant things to share and really be able to reach today's lost.  

Thanks so much for all the great Psalms and for your boldness.

Signed,

A Really Big Fan

_________________________

I hope it would be obvious that I intended the above as a bit of tongue in cheek humor and not that I would truly advise David to set aside his passion for godliness. :)

The sad truth is, I have long felt that if many of the saints of old were to come into the current

"Christian church" they would be received with less than a warm welcome.

To make sure that I am not misunderstood, I want to be clear to state that I in no way believe that by following the law we can earn salvation.  Faith is clearly a gift from God.  And although I believe that God first awakens a thirst in us, we see that Jesus' only criteria for salvation was simply that we thirst for it (John 7:37) and He tells us that whoever truly comes to Christ will not be turned away.  To God be the glory forever!

So, if it is not "salvational" then does GOD really care about what we set before our eyes or how we live?  We'll talk about that in our next post...

PRAYER REQUEST {for Lydia}

"It came to pass after these things that God did test Abraham."

- Genesis 22:1

One of my favorite people in Scripture is Abraham. He responds always as I wish that I would. 
 

When it was time for he and Lot to part ways-- he deferred to Lot and allowed him to choose what seemed to be the best land. Esteeming others more highly than himself.

When Lot was in trouble, Abraham rescued him with his trained servants-- yes, he was prepared and ready. Diligent in important matters.

When the king wanted to reward Abraham for returning the kidnapped people that his army was unable to save, Abraham refused-- he was faithful to what he promised God and would not even take even a sandal strap from the spoil. Abraham trusted God alone to provide for him.

And when God asked him to sacrifice his son-- his only son that he loved-- we are told he packed up and left the very next morning to obey God. No complaints. No discussion about how human sacrifice did not line up with his theology.
 

You may know that our six year old, Lydia has been having seizures since December. Every month since then they have been coming at a steady rate of one or two per month. We've come to expect them. But this past month- in August- she had eleven.

We have been searching for months to find the specific causes for Lydia's seizures. We've gone to various doctors and had tests run. And we have learned something. Epilepsy is not exactly a disease. There is no "one size fits all" cure. Really, it is a reaction by the body- a warning cry- that can be caused by a host of things. So while various people are helped some specific fix-- an increase of magnesium; the elimination of allergens, the treatment of an infection and so on... that is just not the fix for everyone.
 

Ultimately-- God is on control and He has a plan.
 

We meet with a new Neurologist today at 3:30 pm Pacific time. We will be praying for clear direction, but most of all to be faithful in trial like Abraham. If you would like to pray with us, we would be blessed.

As my friend Wendy wrote me today:

God is always loving.

God is always kind.

And God is always in control.

Amen.

Whatever the outcome- whatever the direction- that is the truth we desire to cling to.

Many blessings to you!

I DON'T WANT TO OBEY YOU!

Lydia (age 6) to Hailey (age 3):

Lydia: Hailey, aren't you supposed to eat that string cheese at the table?

Hailey: No...

Lydia: Don't you want to obey Mama and Pa?

Hailey: Ya, but I don't want to obey you!

 

When I heard the above interaction, it struck me a little funny. And then I thought, "That is typical though, isn't it?" It's often the same way in the big church.
 

Here Lydia was faithfully reminding Hailey of the rule that she is required to eat at the table and Hailey was rebelling against it- saying that she wanted to obey me... but not Lydia.

Of course, taking Lydia's counsel would be obeying me. It was my rule after all.

Do you think believers are receptive when people approach them with God's Word and remind them of the commands of God? Have you ever tried to correct someone privately and been attacked for it?

I think over time we learn to shy away from correcting those in sin because we fear their response. But in obedience we are to correct- and leave the repentance up to God.

The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged.

With gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth,

And they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

2 Timothy 2:24-25

Preach the world; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.

2 Timothy 4:2

Did you see these brave sisters addressing the issue of modesty in a recent film being marketed to Christians? It's a good read.
Blessings!