THE BUG OR THE BATTLE

J.C. Ryle says that one of the basic elements in our pursuit of holiness is to realize that, and really live like, we are in a battle. (He is speaking of our battle against sin, not against social issues.)  Ryle says, “To be at peace with the world, the flesh, and the devil is to be at enmity with God, and in the broad way that leads to destruction. We have no choice.

It seems to me that all too often my response to sin is to brush it off like a mosquito, rather than treating it like the mortal danger to my soul that it is. Scripture is very clear, and repetitively so, in presenting this mortal danger as a war.

Again, Ryle: “Let us take care that our own personal religion is real, genuine, and true. The saddest symptom about many so-called Christians is the utter absence of anything like conflict and fight in their Christianity. They eat, they drink, they dress, they work, they amuse themselves, they get money, they spend money, they go through a scanty round of formal religious services once or twice every week. But of the great spiritual warfare-its watchings and strugglings, its agonies and anxieties, it battles and contests-of all this they appear to know nothing at all…”

Can you imagine a soldier not spending any time to prepare for battle? Would he just walk out there, forget his gun, wearing sandals instead of boots, no helmet, no food, no supplies of any kind, no plan, no support, no idea of where the enemy was, his strength, etc.? If he knew anything about warfare, he would not treat this like a walk in the park, or a petty annoyance. Contrast that picture with the list of elements regarding spiritual warfare above; watching, struggles, agonies, anxieties, battles and contests. Nothing easy or yawn-inducing about it. Ducking bullets with your face in the mud does not promote indifference.  

Having said all of that, what is the key? I believe it is prayer. It’s not reading, even Scripture, as important as that is. I love to read. I can nod and underline good things. It’s not serving others, as much as that matters. It’s not preaching or teaching, though they are essential. If this is a spiritual battle, we must fight it on a spiritual level. Personally, it is the hardest thing for me to be consistent at. I don’t think that is a coincidence. That which matters the most will be both resisted the most, and probably the hardest to do.

"…The worst chains are those which are neither felt nor seen by the prisoner…"

We must guard against letting apathy, stagnation, deadness, indifference, or even just business, become just those sorts of chains, especially in the area of prayer.

TO DO, OR TO DON'T

                 TO DO, OR TO DON’T

I once read a book that used the phrase “The tyranny of the urgent”. While the source of that quote escapes me, the truth of it does not. I was struck by it the other day as I wrote my “to-do” list for the weekend. It is always a long list. It always contains things I just know are essential to accomplish, and to accomplish now! It is also almost never true. So far, at least, the world has never ended when my list is not finished. The work is never done. 

Several things enter into this thought.

-Some things don’t make the list, but will happen anyway: unexpected interruptions, distractions, and in these days a wide selection of electronic devices that clamor for our attention.   

-I will either consciously or unconsciously prioritize the list. 

-I will be often if not always be influenced, in varying degrees, by those things that feel “urgent”. 

     As I made my list that day, my conscience was pricked by the realization that something was missing. The list may have included some quiet time, but there was something else that at least should have had an “honorable mention”, as it were. When would I spend some time, some energy, some resolve to pursue God at a deeper level than just everyday quiet time? I own dozens of books, some unread, of great men of God. Their lives, struggles, triumphs, failures, lessons from life that would greatly impact my life, lay gathering dust. But I will tackle those projects around the house. I will watch that ball game. I will…well, you fill in the blank for your own life.

     For me, it has to be planned, intentional, and usually on paper. I’m a list kind of guy. That should be helpful, actually, because I could plan ahead. But it’s not automatic. For instance, I can write this, know that it’s true, have a bucket load of good intentions, and fail to follow through.

     So it does come down to priorities, but it is more than that. It is being intentional about that list. It is about the will to make the “tyranny of the urgent” bow to what really matters. Maybe I need to make a to-don’t list, those things that I will choose to position as optional, rather than letting them determine my schedule.

      J.C. Ryle says the following. “Boast not of Christ’s work for you, unless you can show us the Spirit’s work in you.  Believing and doing are blood-friends. I suspect that often complaining that we cannot do anything about our own corruption is only a cloak to cover spiritual laziness, or an excuse for spiritual sloth.” Ouch! Ryle usually doesn’t mince words. What he doesn’t say is that we don’t have time, or that other things are more important. It’s just laziness and sloth.   

     The thought that comes to my mind is this: If my schedule reflects what matters in my life, how does that stack up if I compare the amount of time spent? How does the time in study and reflection compared to the time I spend on electronics, watching TV, or in any of a dozen other pursuits? If you are like me, my success in this area is very far from impressive.

None of this is to say that we should not have time for relaxation. But squeezing in down time is not usually our biggest struggle, is it?     

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a list to write, hopefully with some thought of what really matters.

"EXTREME RELIGIOUS VIEWS"

I have recently been accused of having "extreme religious views". While the conclusions drawn from this accusation are absurd, and in fact provable lies, I found myself examining the charge nonetheless.

First of all, I have never heard of Calvinism being described as "extreme", though I suppose some would consider it so. But if I really consider my faith, it's source, strength, and impact on people's lives, it can be described in no other way. I would suggest that there were few if any at the foot of the cross of Christ who were shrugging, yawning, and indifferent while watching events unfold. The suffering was extreme. The claims Christ made were extreme. The reactions by the "religious" people of their day was extreme. (Kill him, he is blaspheming!) But most of all, the sacrifice of a sinless man was the most extreme act in all of history.

 Two things make His sacrifice extreme;

1.) The totality of our own sin is extreme. We are not just a little sinful, falling once in a while. We are spiritual cripples, once in a while with all of our strength struggling up to our knees, before we collapse on our face once again. We cannot even begin to understand the depth of our depravity, the sinfulness of our sin. Somehow we cannot admit this to ourselves, let alone find a way to escape the results of it. We don't think we're really that bad. We trust in our own strength, our own wisdom, our own wealth. We ignore Romans 12:13, "Don't think more highly of yourself, but with sober judgement." And in action, we act as if we deserve His grace.  

2.)His grace towards us, though totally, completely, immeasurably undeserved, is as extreme as any act man has ever seen. That totality of grace is the only thing that even gives our wicked hearts any desire to seek Him at all. It is not because we are smart enough to see our need of a Savior, strong enough to choose what is right, or wise enough to know the difference. It is grace alone.(Grace has been defined as undeserved favor. That seems to be a fairly good definition.)

The apostles apparently had "extreme religious views", for they were all killed for the message of grace that they preached. Although I have no claim to be an apostle, that's not a bad bunch to be lumped in with!

If my faith is not "extreme", I have missed the whole point of the gospel. The definition of the word "extreme" may be warped and twisted into something different than the above description, but that does not mean I should make it my goal to sink into the depths of mediocrity, striving not to offend anyone, and thus making the gospel totally irrelevant in the changing of lives. I will not apologize for the convictions that I have, resulting from at least a little recognition of this...

MY SIN IS TOTAL, IMMEASURABLE, AND CRUSHING. HIS GRACE IS OVERWHELMINGLY, IMMEASURABLY, UNFATHOMABLY  MORE.

That is the most "extreme" contrast that the world has ever seen, or in fact could ever imagine.

THE TWINS OF FEAR AND TRUST

                                                          

     Ever notice that God leads us towards situations that tempt us to fear, fret, and be anxious and distressed?  He does so purposely, in order to teach us to trust. We are slow learners, so He repeats those lessons over and over. As I was reading Exodus, I was struck by how fear and trust were linked. When I am at peace, without any storms in my life, living life at ease, I don’t need to trust. When life is difficult, and I am anxious and don’t understand, I need to learn to trust. And it’s not a one-time thing.

     Most of us know the story of the children of Israel and the parting of the Red Sea. But stop and read it with an eye toward them learning to trust. It starts well before they reach the Red Sea. They could have learned it from the plagues. Over and over those plagues afflicted the Egyptians and by-passed them. They could have learned it from the Passover, when God provided a way for them to escape the death of every first born child. They could have learned it as they left Egypt, and God guided them around the Philistines, though that was a longer route, because He knew they weren’t ready for war, and would be tempted to go back to Egypt. There is no denying that He was leading, with the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. I am sure that they learned to trust Him some, for these were huge things to face.

     But then God does something very interesting. Exodus 14 tells the story of God instructing Moses to tell the people to turn back, to a place where they would be pinned against the Red Sea, facing a very angry Pharaoh. Verse 4 says that God did this “so that I will gain glory…and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” It would appear that this was His primary purpose, but what about the Israelites? They had to be at least mildly scared to death, wouldn’t you think? It’s a good reminder that God is sovereign, and that it’s not always about us. That God can accomplish things in several people at once. The Egyptians would learn who was really God. And the Israelites would learn to trust at a much deeper level than they could have without being put in that seemingly impossible situation.

     Many Christians today think that they are assured peace and a life of ease. We can all slip into that thinking without realizing it. Scripture repeatedly shows a much different picture. God could have continued to lead the Israelites away from danger. But it would have denied them the opportunity to learn to trust. He is much more interested in our character than He is in our comfort.

     Believe me when I say that I fail to learn this more often than you can imagine. I know it, and so does He. So He leads me back again, with tender hands placing me in those circumstances that seem so painful and impossible. Because He loves me. Because He knows the importance of me trusting Him.

SAFE SIN

We are in danger of living a spineless, arrogant, self-centered and presumptuous life as Christians. Over-stated? Maybe, but I think not. We can be spineless, claiming to be believers, while unwilling to say that there are absolutes that God expects us to acknowledge and stand up for. That sin is sin, and as such has horrifying consequences and implications in our lives. Arrogant, knowing that we are right about what we believe and others fall so short of our enlightened doctrine or denomination. Self-centered and presumptuous, expecting the world, and even other Christians,  to be astounded and awed by our admirable and impressive  lives.  Of course we would never admit that any of that were true. We just live that way at times, legalistic and proud we're doing all the right things. We're not as different from the Pharisees as we would like to think, are we?
     All of this leads to so much of my appreciation for the writings of J.C. Ryle. He tells it like it is, and trusts God to lead you in sorting out how your own heart should respond. He says that... "a scriptural view of sin is one of the best antidotes to that vague, dim, misty, hazy view of theology that is so painfully current in the present age. (That current age was 1877, by the way!) ...Streams that once were narrow and deep have become wide and shallow, and what we have gained in outward show we have lost in quality.  ...it is entirely possible to live a careless, easy-going, half-worldly life, and yet at the same time to maintain evangelical principles and call ourselves evangelical people. (Ouch!)...I am convinced that the first step towards attaining a higher standard of holiness is to realize more fully the amazing sinfulness of sin."
     In contrast to his view, I fear we often treat sin as if it tolerable in small doses. We make it "safe" by discussing it intellectually, philosophically, theoretically, rubbing our chin with furrowed brow, shaking our head at how others allow it in their lives. We keep it at a safe distance from our hearts, instead of allowing it's presence to drive us humbly to our knees in repentance and sorrow. In short, we consider sin to be less sinful than God considers it to be, and are perfectly content to do so. And then we wonder why our faith seems irrelevant to some, anemic to others, and falls so short of the life-changing power that God intended it to have.
     The discussion of sin vs. holiness is a complete waste of time if there is no impact or change in our lives. My hope is that, as I re-read Ryles' book and share segments with you, it will impact my thinking and my actions as I more clearly see how God views these things, and that you will be encouraged in the same way.






                                                                                                                             

HOW UGLY IS UGLY?

You have to love automatic reflexes. I have discovered a way to make people roll their eyes. No, really. Just mention the word "sin". Talk about an old-fashioned word. If used in modern day conversation, at least 50% of your audience will tune you out. Of course it is not surprising that in a world of moral relevance, a word like sin, which is pretty absolute, has to be classified as a relic. (Absolutes can be so inconvenient!!)But whatever name you put on it, we see the results all around us. Murder, hatred, infidelity, greed, lust, and we all know that the list is endless. So for the sake of discussion let's just call it what God calls it...sin. If we admit that there is such a thing as sin, it requires us to take a look at our own soul, give up living any way we want, and even thinking about the possibility that there may be a God who requires something of us in response to that admission.

J.C. Ryle begins his book on holiness with a chapter on sin. If sin and holiness are opposite bookends, one makes no sense without the other. If we deny what he calls the "sinfulness of sin", we do two things. We minimize the destructive, horrifying impact it has on both our soul and our physical lives. And we dilute what holiness means, because we're really "not that bad". Lower the bar, and we don't miss it so badly. We don't want to admit how bad sin really is, largely because our hearts are "deceitful above all things". (Jer. 17:9) So we make excuses, justify our behavior, compare our actions and our lives with those who are "much worse" than we are. Sin isn't really all that ugly, is it? 

Ryle also says that "Sin will rarely present itself in it's true colors, saying I am your deadly enemy, and I want to ruin you forever in hell". Our society goes one step further, denying the existence of sin and of hell. How convenient! If we saw even a fragment of the horror of sin, we would see both why God calls us to holiness, and why he sent His son to make that possible. I continue to be astounded at my own behavior, not only in not pursuing holiness, but indeed turning my face away from God and towards those actions and attitudes that promise nothing but destruction and pain. The apostle Paul had it exactly right when he said in Romans 7 that "What I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate I do." (In fact the entire book of Romans contains many descriptions of both the nature and the results of sin. Phrases like: Their foolish hearts were darkened...They exchanged the truth of God for a lie...They invented ways of doing evil...the wages of sin is death...) 

Our pursuit of holiness should be in recognition that what God says about sin is true. That it will cause unimaginable harm to us, both spiritually and physically. That it is uglier, more grim, more horrific and more deadly than we can begin to imagine. Only then will the pursuit of holiness even begin to seem important to us.

Contemplations...

The week between Christmas and New Years is, as I suspect for many, a time that I try to stop and reflect on the old year and look ahead at the new. Looking back, the past year always has it's triumphs and it's hardships. That's just life. But as I get older, I am struck by the fact that my "New Years" are running out. There is a collision coming between my next heartbeat and my last breath. That might come today, or in 40 years, but it is indeed coming. As I thought about this, I pictured standing in eternity and looking back. Because I tend to look at my life as the many things I want to be and do, with eternity as a footnote. I should be looking at eternity as the reality, with my current life as a footnote. That is so difficult because this fleeting, temporary life is so close to my eyes that it blocks my vision.

My prayer for the New Year is that my goals would be less and less about losing weight, eating more healthy, accomplishing projects on the house, etc, etc, and more about clarity of sight regarding eternity.

One of the verses I have come to love is in Exodus 33:13.  "If I have found favor in your eyes, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you." Unless God softens my heart and changes me deep inside, I will not even desire to know Him. It is humbling to me, because I know that I don't deserve even that.

So happy New Years, and may it be one in which you join me in striving to see that eternity is what matters, and not a single thing that seems to be so important right now. Whether it be in joy or crushing pain, I serve a sovereign God that I can trust to be faithful.


Ken