THE OTHER JOB
When I read that Job was a “righteous man”, it is easy for me to put him in a different category than me. As if, being such a godly man, his response to pain in his life was automatic. And he does make some incredibly perceptive and challenging statements.
-Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.
-Shall we accept good from the Lord and not trouble?
I certainly don’t see myself responding with as much faith as he did. So it is good for me to slow down and “read between the lines” what God allows, even plans for, in his life.
Are we in danger of missing part of Job’s story? Most of us have read it many times. But if we read it too quickly, we miss his pain. And if we miss his pain, we miss a huge part of what God is telling us. I can’t imagine that Job effortlessly responds correctly through the circumstances of his life. He strives, with varying degrees of success, to trust God through them.
Let’s attempt to feel what he feels. He loses all of his possessions. All of his herds. All of his livestock. Everything materially that he owned. In one day.
Today’s translation...
-his job is eliminated through downsizing.
-his investments disappear.
-his car and house are repossessed.
Starting to feel it? And then comes the unimaginable horror. His 12 children are all killed. Not the shoulder- slumping, this can’t be true pain of losing one. But try to see what it would feel like to lose all of them. Can you even begin to imagine? I cannot. And I don’t believe that Job’s response, “the Lord gives, and the Lord takes away”, is an immediate reflex, uttered without a single thought, as godly as it is. I can only envision him saying, “No! No! Are you sure? Could there be some mistake?” And when it becomes clear that it is indeed true, slumping to his knees. Clenching his jaw. Pounding his fists on the ground. Weeping till his shirt is drenched. Then, getting a grip on his emotions, raising his head to heaven and acknowledging that God is sovereign, still worthy of Job’s trust.
Now I know none of this is in scripture, and I know I could be completely wrong. But I can’t imagine that Job is anything but a real man with real emotions. I believe he makes a choice. A choice to turn once again and trust God. The fact that it was not easy is indicated later when he says not to smile and pretend it isn’t so.
It seems to me that the story of Job shows us the link between God’s sovereignty and man’s pain. God is sovereign, but Job still hurts, really hurts.
So what’s the lesson for us? For one thing, don’t fall for the line of reasoning that would say the Christian life will be easy or painless. Scripture never tells us we shouldn’t feel real feelings. We are told not to be ruled by them. To make the choice, sometimes the soul-wrenching choice, to trust him. In the huge hurts, and in simple disappointments.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
OBSESSED WITH JOB
OBSESSED WITH JOB
I am obsessed with the story of Job. On many different levels. But mostly because his story shows me so much of what can be wrong with my theology. It is hard to understand how we can read about Job’s life and still so badly misconstrue who God is.
Job’s story talks about God’s sovereignty. About suffering. About sickness. About our perspective, and how limited it is. About how we judge people. About self-righteous pride. About the battle between God and Satan. And about so much more.
Much of my theology, and the life that I live based on that theology, comes in part from my understanding of Job’s story. It is stunningly humbling to see how my life is not about me. All that happens in this life is about glorifying God. ALL that happens.
It is not about Job’s children, or their death, but about glorifying God. It is not about Job’s righteous life. It is not about Job’s reputation. It is not about Job’s health. It is not about Job’s wealth, but about glorifying God. On one level, none of that matters, (though God in his grace cares about us in these things.)
Do we really get that, or do we get so focused on those things that we get side-tracked and forget it’s not about us? How we see all of this matters, and I think it matters a great deal. For if I misunderstand this truth, I will not understand when, (and not if, by the way) these things come into my life. Friends and loved ones will die. I will get sick. I may face financial hardship, slander to my reputation, all manner of hardship and pain. And it will be hard...gut-wrenching, sobbingly, knock me to my knees hard. Job tells us not to smile and pretend it’s not. (Job 9:27-28) But how will we respond?
The cry of my heart is that my life will glorify God. That I will understand just a little of who God is, and how I should respond. Do I fail? Trust me, you have no idea how often. All I see is the mirror. I think it’s all about me. I worry and wring my hands about stupid stuff. I am so pathetically weak and human. As, I suspect, are you.
Join me in becoming obsessed with Job. We have a lot to learn.
I am obsessed with the story of Job. On many different levels. But mostly because his story shows me so much of what can be wrong with my theology. It is hard to understand how we can read about Job’s life and still so badly misconstrue who God is.
Job’s story talks about God’s sovereignty. About suffering. About sickness. About our perspective, and how limited it is. About how we judge people. About self-righteous pride. About the battle between God and Satan. And about so much more.
Much of my theology, and the life that I live based on that theology, comes in part from my understanding of Job’s story. It is stunningly humbling to see how my life is not about me. All that happens in this life is about glorifying God. ALL that happens.
It is not about Job’s children, or their death, but about glorifying God. It is not about Job’s righteous life. It is not about Job’s reputation. It is not about Job’s health. It is not about Job’s wealth, but about glorifying God. On one level, none of that matters, (though God in his grace cares about us in these things.)
Do we really get that, or do we get so focused on those things that we get side-tracked and forget it’s not about us? How we see all of this matters, and I think it matters a great deal. For if I misunderstand this truth, I will not understand when, (and not if, by the way) these things come into my life. Friends and loved ones will die. I will get sick. I may face financial hardship, slander to my reputation, all manner of hardship and pain. And it will be hard...gut-wrenching, sobbingly, knock me to my knees hard. Job tells us not to smile and pretend it’s not. (Job 9:27-28) But how will we respond?
The cry of my heart is that my life will glorify God. That I will understand just a little of who God is, and how I should respond. Do I fail? Trust me, you have no idea how often. All I see is the mirror. I think it’s all about me. I worry and wring my hands about stupid stuff. I am so pathetically weak and human. As, I suspect, are you.
Join me in becoming obsessed with Job. We have a lot to learn.
Monday, July 15, 2013
How Sovereign is Sovereign?
How Sovereign is Sovereign?
John Piper wrote a book called “A SWEET AND BITTER PROVIDENCE”, and it is a terrific look at how God works sovereignly in peoples lives. He tells the story of Ruth and Naomi, saying that “behind a frowning providence” lies God’s sovereign plan, and that is a great comfort. He says, “It is not comforting or hopeful in their pain to tell people that God is not in control.” (Which by the way is our only other choice.) “Giving Satan the decisive control or ascribing pain to chance, is not true or helpful. When the world is crashing in, we need the assurance that God reigns over it all. Those who are exposed to the greatest dangers are those that most cherish the sovereignty of God.” Ruth, after all, is included in the lineage of Christ. Can we doubt that this is part of God’s sovereign plan?
Here is a somewhat startling example. Five missionaries were killed by the Auca Indians in Ecuador. One of their sons, Steve Saint, tells of learning details within the tribe that should have made prevented the killing of his dad. He wrote the following:
“As the natives described their recollections, it occurred to me how incredibly unlikely it was that the killing took place at all. It is an anomaly that I cannot explain outside of divine intervention.”
“I can only explain the spearing of my dad by virtue of divine intervention” Do you hear what this son is saying? “God killed my dad.” If you read more of the story,(the book THROUGH THE GATES OF SPLENDOR or the movie, THE TIP OF THE SPEAR)you see that the entire tribe believes in Christ when his mom goes back to share her faith with them. There is an account of a man in Africa that built a church for his tribe after hearing of this story. The repercussions of this event stretched far beyond what his dad could have imagined his ministry’s impact being had he lived. Is God 100% sovereign, in spite of the pain and heartache? It’s a little easier to believe when we see the results, but no less true when we can’t. There-in lies the problem. We tend to only believe if we can see the proof. Arrogantly telling God that he can only be allowed to be sovereign if we see it with our own eyes and approve. Really?
Recently Steve Saint was involved in an accident, leaving him with severe injuries. His faith is unshaken, and I can’t help but wonder that the circumstances of his childhood helped to mold his trust in God.
Ultimately, it all comes back again to trust. And that trust will be tested in new ways every day. Ways that we can’t imagine. Ways that we can’t predict. Ways that will seem trivial, and some that will stun us with the depth of their pain. I am so glad that even when I fail to learn to trust him, he never fails to be trustworthy. Even when I can’t see.
John Piper wrote a book called “A SWEET AND BITTER PROVIDENCE”, and it is a terrific look at how God works sovereignly in peoples lives. He tells the story of Ruth and Naomi, saying that “behind a frowning providence” lies God’s sovereign plan, and that is a great comfort. He says, “It is not comforting or hopeful in their pain to tell people that God is not in control.” (Which by the way is our only other choice.) “Giving Satan the decisive control or ascribing pain to chance, is not true or helpful. When the world is crashing in, we need the assurance that God reigns over it all. Those who are exposed to the greatest dangers are those that most cherish the sovereignty of God.” Ruth, after all, is included in the lineage of Christ. Can we doubt that this is part of God’s sovereign plan?
Here is a somewhat startling example. Five missionaries were killed by the Auca Indians in Ecuador. One of their sons, Steve Saint, tells of learning details within the tribe that should have made prevented the killing of his dad. He wrote the following:
“As the natives described their recollections, it occurred to me how incredibly unlikely it was that the killing took place at all. It is an anomaly that I cannot explain outside of divine intervention.”
“I can only explain the spearing of my dad by virtue of divine intervention” Do you hear what this son is saying? “God killed my dad.” If you read more of the story,(the book THROUGH THE GATES OF SPLENDOR or the movie, THE TIP OF THE SPEAR)you see that the entire tribe believes in Christ when his mom goes back to share her faith with them. There is an account of a man in Africa that built a church for his tribe after hearing of this story. The repercussions of this event stretched far beyond what his dad could have imagined his ministry’s impact being had he lived. Is God 100% sovereign, in spite of the pain and heartache? It’s a little easier to believe when we see the results, but no less true when we can’t. There-in lies the problem. We tend to only believe if we can see the proof. Arrogantly telling God that he can only be allowed to be sovereign if we see it with our own eyes and approve. Really?
Recently Steve Saint was involved in an accident, leaving him with severe injuries. His faith is unshaken, and I can’t help but wonder that the circumstances of his childhood helped to mold his trust in God.
Ultimately, it all comes back again to trust. And that trust will be tested in new ways every day. Ways that we can’t imagine. Ways that we can’t predict. Ways that will seem trivial, and some that will stun us with the depth of their pain. I am so glad that even when I fail to learn to trust him, he never fails to be trustworthy. Even when I can’t see.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
John Piper on Sovereignty
A Very Precious and Practical Doctrine
One reason this doctrine is so precious to believers is that we know that God’s great desire is to show mercy and kindness to those who trust him (Ephesians 2:7; Psalm 37:3-7; Proverbs 29:25). God’s sovereignty means that this design for us cannot be frustrated. Nothing, absolutely nothing befalls those who “love God and are called according to his purpose” but what is for our deepest and highest good (Psalm 84:11). Therefore, the mercy and the sovereignty of God are the twin pillars of my life. They are the hope of my future, the energy of my service, the center of my theology, the bond of my marriage, the best medicine in all my sickness, the remedy of all my discouragements. And when I come to die (whether soon or late) these two truths will stand by my bed and with infinitely strong and infinitely tender hands lift me up to God.
When George Müller’s wife of 39 years died, he preached her funeral sermon from the text “Thou art good and doest good” (Psalm 119:68). He recounts how he prayed when he discovered she had rheumatic fever: “Yes, my Father, the times of my darling wife are in Thy hands. Thou wilt do the very best thing for her, and for me, whether life or death. If it may be, raise up yet again my precious wife—Thou are able to do it, though she is so ill; but howsoever Thou dealest with me, only help me to continue to be perfectly satisfied with Thy holy will.” The Lord’s will was to take her. Therefore, with great confidence in the sovereign mercy of God, Müller said, “I bow, I am satisfied with the will of my Heavenly Father, I seek by perfect submission to his holy will to glorify him, I kiss continually the hand that has afflicted me…Without an effort my inmost soul habitually joys in the joy of that loved departed one. Her happiness gives joy to me. My dear daughter and I would not have her back, were it possible to produce it by the turn of a hand. God himself has done it; we are satisfied with him.”
In the Mighty Hand,
Pastor John
Monday, July 8, 2013
90% SOVEREIGN
90% SOVEREIGN
Can God be 90% sovereign? Most of us would roll our eyes and say that is absurd. Yet we live as if it is true. If he is indeed sovereign, then everything that we face in life is intentional. Our tendency is to label events in out lives as “good” or “bad”, depending on how that event makes us feel. We need to be careful that we don’t distort what scripture teaches us about God’s character. He is not sovereign because of how we feel, but because he is, regardless of how we feel.
I hear people limit his sovereignty even as they quote scripture.
Romans 8:28 says, “God causes everything to work together for the good for those who love god,” but we all too often view this as God coming in after hardship or disaster or pain, and then cleaning up the mess. Or being in the business of repairing that which has befallen us. If that were true, it would require us to say that he had lost his grip for a moment. As if during the time we are hurting, he wasn’t around, or was looking the other way, busy with something else. That he was only 90% sovereign.
But sovereignty is one of those all or nothing parts of what we believe about God. He is either in control of it all, (and indeed molding our circumstances for our intimate and personal good), or we are left to decide in what areas we can’t trust him. John Piper likens it to the difference between a surgeon who plans the incision for our good, and the emergency room doctor who will sew us up after a freak accident. One is in control of the situation, and the other is trying to fix the unexpected. With God, it can only be one or the other.
Our biggest challenge here is to really believe this. It is often very difficult, especially when we feel like life has risen up and slapped us in the face. Life sometimes hurts. It crushes us, pounds us down, and bewilders us. Which is exactly why it is so vital that we think correctly in this area. The bottom line is that if God is indeed 100% sovereign, then we can trust him 100% of the time. Not partially, not hesitantly, not sometimes. And as I look through scripture, the question I see all through history is just that. “Will you trust me?” I have yet to see a place where this isn’t God’s question to his people. And the extent to which I really believe in his sovereignty is the extent to which I will trust him. Automatically? Easily? Without pain and struggle? Not me, though I wish that were true. But it is good to be reminded of what is true, really true, and not just react out of what I feel.
I hope this is as comforting to you as it is to me. God is sovereign, and God is good. Not just when I see it, not just 90% of the time, but always. My prayer is for the strength and trust to believe it in the practicality of my daily living.
Can God be 90% sovereign? Most of us would roll our eyes and say that is absurd. Yet we live as if it is true. If he is indeed sovereign, then everything that we face in life is intentional. Our tendency is to label events in out lives as “good” or “bad”, depending on how that event makes us feel. We need to be careful that we don’t distort what scripture teaches us about God’s character. He is not sovereign because of how we feel, but because he is, regardless of how we feel.
I hear people limit his sovereignty even as they quote scripture.
Romans 8:28 says, “God causes everything to work together for the good for those who love god,” but we all too often view this as God coming in after hardship or disaster or pain, and then cleaning up the mess. Or being in the business of repairing that which has befallen us. If that were true, it would require us to say that he had lost his grip for a moment. As if during the time we are hurting, he wasn’t around, or was looking the other way, busy with something else. That he was only 90% sovereign.
But sovereignty is one of those all or nothing parts of what we believe about God. He is either in control of it all, (and indeed molding our circumstances for our intimate and personal good), or we are left to decide in what areas we can’t trust him. John Piper likens it to the difference between a surgeon who plans the incision for our good, and the emergency room doctor who will sew us up after a freak accident. One is in control of the situation, and the other is trying to fix the unexpected. With God, it can only be one or the other.
Our biggest challenge here is to really believe this. It is often very difficult, especially when we feel like life has risen up and slapped us in the face. Life sometimes hurts. It crushes us, pounds us down, and bewilders us. Which is exactly why it is so vital that we think correctly in this area. The bottom line is that if God is indeed 100% sovereign, then we can trust him 100% of the time. Not partially, not hesitantly, not sometimes. And as I look through scripture, the question I see all through history is just that. “Will you trust me?” I have yet to see a place where this isn’t God’s question to his people. And the extent to which I really believe in his sovereignty is the extent to which I will trust him. Automatically? Easily? Without pain and struggle? Not me, though I wish that were true. But it is good to be reminded of what is true, really true, and not just react out of what I feel.
I hope this is as comforting to you as it is to me. God is sovereign, and God is good. Not just when I see it, not just 90% of the time, but always. My prayer is for the strength and trust to believe it in the practicality of my daily living.
Monday, July 1, 2013
THEOLOGY (YAWN)
THEOLOGY...(YAWN)
I have a problem. If I am honest with myself, there are some words that have all of the allure and excitement of concrete. Words that should have real meaning and create a passion in me often make me want to yawn. Holiness, sanctification, justification, theology. Yes I know that they are important, even vital. But I don’t live like it.
I am, however, occasionally struck by the importance of how I think about these things. Theology, for instance, matters immensely. We live exactly what we believe. No more, no less. So we need to stop and think about what we say we believe.
For example, what do we really believe about the Christian life? I’m not talking about what we say we believe. I’m talking about how we live. Because that shows what we really believe.
Do we think that life should be easy? Painless? Comfortable? These things matter greatly, because the stability and depth of our faith depends on how we view them. If we think that we should never be in pain, and have chronic migraines, we are at risk for doubt and bitterness. If we think we are assured of “prosperity” because we live for Him, and lose our job, house, etc., we may face not only the pain and hardship that causes, but also the shame and bewilderment we feel for not prospering.
If, on the other hand, I believe that God is sovereign, and that all that happens in my life is intentionally crafted for my good, (and more importantly for His glory), I will minimize multiplying my doubt and confusion when things don’t go as I think,(in all of my vast knowledge and wisdom), they should go. Dustin Shramek says that “good theology is essential if we are going to suffer well.”
We sing a song titled “Blessed be the Name of the Lord”. I love it, largely because of how right on it is, as far as theology is concerned. It speaks of our response in all of the circumstances of life. “When the world’s all as it should be”, and “when my life’s filled with suffering” Faith that only stands “when the world’s all as it should be” is virtually worthless, powerless and shallow. Simply put, none of our lives are endlessly and totally like that. We lose a job, people hurt us, loved ones die, children rebel, the list goes on. Life can be messy and painful. If we sing only of bliss and tranquility, we risk not seeing life as scripture says it really is. So theology enters into every corner of our lives, whether we are thinking about it consciously or not. We need to, as it were, think about how we think.
Theology, boring as it may sound, does indeed matter.
I have a problem. If I am honest with myself, there are some words that have all of the allure and excitement of concrete. Words that should have real meaning and create a passion in me often make me want to yawn. Holiness, sanctification, justification, theology. Yes I know that they are important, even vital. But I don’t live like it.
I am, however, occasionally struck by the importance of how I think about these things. Theology, for instance, matters immensely. We live exactly what we believe. No more, no less. So we need to stop and think about what we say we believe.
For example, what do we really believe about the Christian life? I’m not talking about what we say we believe. I’m talking about how we live. Because that shows what we really believe.
Do we think that life should be easy? Painless? Comfortable? These things matter greatly, because the stability and depth of our faith depends on how we view them. If we think that we should never be in pain, and have chronic migraines, we are at risk for doubt and bitterness. If we think we are assured of “prosperity” because we live for Him, and lose our job, house, etc., we may face not only the pain and hardship that causes, but also the shame and bewilderment we feel for not prospering.
If, on the other hand, I believe that God is sovereign, and that all that happens in my life is intentionally crafted for my good, (and more importantly for His glory), I will minimize multiplying my doubt and confusion when things don’t go as I think,(in all of my vast knowledge and wisdom), they should go. Dustin Shramek says that “good theology is essential if we are going to suffer well.”
We sing a song titled “Blessed be the Name of the Lord”. I love it, largely because of how right on it is, as far as theology is concerned. It speaks of our response in all of the circumstances of life. “When the world’s all as it should be”, and “when my life’s filled with suffering” Faith that only stands “when the world’s all as it should be” is virtually worthless, powerless and shallow. Simply put, none of our lives are endlessly and totally like that. We lose a job, people hurt us, loved ones die, children rebel, the list goes on. Life can be messy and painful. If we sing only of bliss and tranquility, we risk not seeing life as scripture says it really is. So theology enters into every corner of our lives, whether we are thinking about it consciously or not. We need to, as it were, think about how we think.
Theology, boring as it may sound, does indeed matter.
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