When was the last time you told God how you really felt? Not the last time you spoke to Him, but the last time you bared your soul and told Him exactly how you felt? It seems every time someone is asked "How are you?", a "I am fine" or something similar is guaranteed. We have become very good at masking our feelings, our innerselves, and unfortunately we take that into our relationship with God as well. Sure we talk to Him at different times but how many of those prayers were petitions for things on our laundry list of needs? If we didn't have physical and/or material needs that we have to rely on Him to meet, would we find a reason to talk to God?
These thoughts came to mind as I read David's cry, "Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak" (Psalm 6:2a, KJV), and it occurred to me that we could just as easily substitute a number of words in place of "weak". For starters, how about "worried", "frustrated", "angry", "discouraged", "fearful", "troubled", "overwhelmed", "heartbroken"? For some of us, these are emotions that often go unacknowledged in our prayer times because we fail to realize and appreciate that God cares about how we feel. This is even more important in these challenging economic times when despite our best intentions we find ourselves troubled by life's uncertainties. However, regardless of whatever emotions we experience, we can rest assured that "As parents feel for their children, GOD feels for those who fear [H]im. He knows us inside and out, keeps in mind that we're made of mud" (Psalm 103:13-14, The Message). In other words, nothing about what we feel or the way we feel will surprises Him.
Someone may ask: "If nothing surprises Him why do we need to tell Him still?" One of the characteristics of functional relationships is vulnerability, the state of being vulnerable or exposed. In our natural relationships we want the people we care about to "expose" themselves to us when they are having those valley experiences that seem to sap their mental, emotional, and physical resources. Truth be told, we are hurt if they do not trust us enough to share those difficult times. It is that same kind of open relationship that God desires to have with us; one in which we trust Him enough to tell Him not only what is going on with us, but exactly how we feel.
From personal experience I can assure you that there is no greater balm for the soul than to bare our soul to the one who invites us to do so. The next time you speak with your Father, why not give it a try?
Monday, May 25, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
The Renewing of the Mind
The will of God for His children is that we be Christlike. Paul declares that the purpose of all the ministries and the provision of God is to bring us "unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13). The transformation of our individual lives to one that is acceptable to God is accomplished in the manner according to Romans 12:1, 2.
Most readers will know that Adam was created a spiritual being capable of fellowship with God. In order to communicate with God and fulfil his directive, Adam must have possessed great intellectual powers. After his fall, man lost his spiritual awareness and his mind was no longer dominated by the spirit, but by his senses; he became carnally minded and has been that way ever since. When we accept Jesus as Savior we bring to Him a mind controlled by the senses and filled with all of the ideas, biases, opinions, hurts, fears, and experiences of a time away from God. In our acceptance of Christ we become new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17); God forgave our sins and imparted to us a new life. The one thing that God did not do however was to blot out our minds. After conversion, we have the same mind full of stuff - good and bad - that we had before we were converted. The difference however is the awareness that we are now children of God.
Some have asked: "Why didn't God reprogram our minds?" If we were programmed, worshipping God in Spirit and Truth would be purely automatic. It would not require us to use the power of choice to choose to be true worshippers, the kind the Father seeks to worship Him (John 4:24). Though God did not reprogram our minds at the time of conversion, He made provision for its renewing by the power of the Holy Spirit who would lead us into all truths (John 16:13-15). He would create the mind of Christ within us, and enable us to become that which God has made us in Christ Jesus. As children of God we begin to understand spiritual things - those things related to the will and purpose of God - because we are partakers of His divine nature. We now have the mind of Christ. Providing we submit to His leading in our lives, the Holy Spirit is more than capable, and willing, to help us in our resolve to "adopt" the mind of Christ in our life here on earth.
What does it mean to be transformed? The word "transform" in the Greek is "metamorphousthe", from which we get the English word "metamorphosis" which means the change of something from one form to another. For example, a worm/larvae passes through various stages to become a butterfly. Mind renewal is not a one-shot deal. Paul's use of the word "renewing" - present tense - suggests that it is an ongoing process, and something that the child of God have to undertake every single day. In Christ we are like the butterfly, but to grow in that new life we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds.
What is the state of your mind? Is it being renewed day by day?
Most readers will know that Adam was created a spiritual being capable of fellowship with God. In order to communicate with God and fulfil his directive, Adam must have possessed great intellectual powers. After his fall, man lost his spiritual awareness and his mind was no longer dominated by the spirit, but by his senses; he became carnally minded and has been that way ever since. When we accept Jesus as Savior we bring to Him a mind controlled by the senses and filled with all of the ideas, biases, opinions, hurts, fears, and experiences of a time away from God. In our acceptance of Christ we become new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17); God forgave our sins and imparted to us a new life. The one thing that God did not do however was to blot out our minds. After conversion, we have the same mind full of stuff - good and bad - that we had before we were converted. The difference however is the awareness that we are now children of God.
Some have asked: "Why didn't God reprogram our minds?" If we were programmed, worshipping God in Spirit and Truth would be purely automatic. It would not require us to use the power of choice to choose to be true worshippers, the kind the Father seeks to worship Him (John 4:24). Though God did not reprogram our minds at the time of conversion, He made provision for its renewing by the power of the Holy Spirit who would lead us into all truths (John 16:13-15). He would create the mind of Christ within us, and enable us to become that which God has made us in Christ Jesus. As children of God we begin to understand spiritual things - those things related to the will and purpose of God - because we are partakers of His divine nature. We now have the mind of Christ. Providing we submit to His leading in our lives, the Holy Spirit is more than capable, and willing, to help us in our resolve to "adopt" the mind of Christ in our life here on earth.
What does it mean to be transformed? The word "transform" in the Greek is "metamorphousthe", from which we get the English word "metamorphosis" which means the change of something from one form to another. For example, a worm/larvae passes through various stages to become a butterfly. Mind renewal is not a one-shot deal. Paul's use of the word "renewing" - present tense - suggests that it is an ongoing process, and something that the child of God have to undertake every single day. In Christ we are like the butterfly, but to grow in that new life we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds.
What is the state of your mind? Is it being renewed day by day?
Sunday, May 10, 2009
"Mirror" Check!
As a part of our getting dressed routine, most people spend a bit of time in front of the mirror. Whether we are staying indoors all day or going out to face the world, we want to make sure we do the best with what we have been blessed with. The mirror allows us to see ourselves as we really are, and gives us opportunities to "fix" what needs fixing. For some of us the time spent in the mirror is determined by any number of factors, but as we are all conscious of what we look like, and how others see us, we primp and preen for as long as it takes; until we are satisfied that the "imperfections" have been taken care of.
As it is in the natural, so it should be in the spiritual. Every believer who desires to grow in Christ, and who desires to experience a deepening of his or her relationship with Him, must constantly check themselves in the mirror of the Word. In James 1:23-25 we read, "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed" (KJV). The true test of how well we are doing in our walk with Christ is not based on what others say about us, but on the what the Word reveals about who we are.
In his commentary on this portion of text, Bible Scholar Matthew Henry writes: "As a looking-glass shows us the spots and defilements upon our faces, that they may be remedied and washed off, so the word of God shows us our sins, that we may repent of them and get them pardoned; it shows us what is amiss, that it may be amended. There are glasses that will flatter people; but that which is truly the word of God is no flattering glass. If you flatter yourselves, it is your own fault; the truth, as it is in Jesus, flatters no man. Let the word of truth be carefully attended to, and it will set before you the corruption of your nature, the disorders of your hearts and lives; it will tell you plainly what you are."
As we go about our day to day preparations, let us remember to spend some time before the looking-glass of the Word. It will not flatter, "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12), but we can rest assured that if we look in it sincerely, what we see of ourselves - strengths and weaknesses - is exactly what is there. It is only then that we can ask for help and trust our Lord to help us in those areas that need "fixing". When was the last time you tried it?
As it is in the natural, so it should be in the spiritual. Every believer who desires to grow in Christ, and who desires to experience a deepening of his or her relationship with Him, must constantly check themselves in the mirror of the Word. In James 1:23-25 we read, "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed" (KJV). The true test of how well we are doing in our walk with Christ is not based on what others say about us, but on the what the Word reveals about who we are.
In his commentary on this portion of text, Bible Scholar Matthew Henry writes: "As a looking-glass shows us the spots and defilements upon our faces, that they may be remedied and washed off, so the word of God shows us our sins, that we may repent of them and get them pardoned; it shows us what is amiss, that it may be amended. There are glasses that will flatter people; but that which is truly the word of God is no flattering glass. If you flatter yourselves, it is your own fault; the truth, as it is in Jesus, flatters no man. Let the word of truth be carefully attended to, and it will set before you the corruption of your nature, the disorders of your hearts and lives; it will tell you plainly what you are."
As we go about our day to day preparations, let us remember to spend some time before the looking-glass of the Word. It will not flatter, "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12), but we can rest assured that if we look in it sincerely, what we see of ourselves - strengths and weaknesses - is exactly what is there. It is only then that we can ask for help and trust our Lord to help us in those areas that need "fixing". When was the last time you tried it?
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Off at the Next "Exit"
It was another afternoon's commute just like all the others. Or so it started out. God, as He often does, uses things around us to teach spiritual lessons and today would be one of those days. The highway traffic was moving fairly well in what was a pleasant drive, and as I prepared for the exit ramps that would take me home, the lesson went off in my being. Exit ramps along every highway were absolutely important; without them we would end up in places we didn't intend, and if we were headed in the wrong direction, there would be no way to get off in order to find alternate ways to turn around.
In that moment I was reminded of Paul's encouragement to the Corinthians: "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (1 Corinthians 10:13, KJV). The word translated "temptation" means "solicitation to do evil", and presents the picture of the believer being solicited (courted, romanced, wooed) to go against God and the things of God by the Adversary. However, isn't it comforting to know that God, in His sovereignty, not only knew that as we navigated through this life there would be all kinds of solicitations along the way, but He lovingly and graciously made provisions along the way for us to escape?
As I meditated on this, it occurred to me that the "way to escape" was God's exit ramp. These are not ramps that like exits ramps on an airplane we hope not to use, but God places them there because He knows that despite our best effors to walk in His ways, from time to time we will need to use them. As believers we are not immune to the temptations "common to man"; we are just as prone to demonstrating the fruit of the flesh as we yield to the Adversary's romancing (see Galatians 5:19-21). Our Heavenly Father knows that we do not always avail ourselves of His sustaining grace, and so while our testings may be equal to our abilities to bear them, we often find ourselves headed in the wrong direction. His "exit ramps" assures us that we can escape before we give in, but if we do give in they also provide ways for us to get out so we can get turned around and headed back in the right direction.
We can only stand in awe of God's love and care. "Like as a father pitieth [H]is children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear [H]im. For [H]e knoweth our frame; [H]e remembereth that we are dust" (Psalm 103:13-14, KJV). Are you making use of your exit ramps, or are you speeding contentedly along in the wrong direction?
In that moment I was reminded of Paul's encouragement to the Corinthians: "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (1 Corinthians 10:13, KJV). The word translated "temptation" means "solicitation to do evil", and presents the picture of the believer being solicited (courted, romanced, wooed) to go against God and the things of God by the Adversary. However, isn't it comforting to know that God, in His sovereignty, not only knew that as we navigated through this life there would be all kinds of solicitations along the way, but He lovingly and graciously made provisions along the way for us to escape?
As I meditated on this, it occurred to me that the "way to escape" was God's exit ramp. These are not ramps that like exits ramps on an airplane we hope not to use, but God places them there because He knows that despite our best effors to walk in His ways, from time to time we will need to use them. As believers we are not immune to the temptations "common to man"; we are just as prone to demonstrating the fruit of the flesh as we yield to the Adversary's romancing (see Galatians 5:19-21). Our Heavenly Father knows that we do not always avail ourselves of His sustaining grace, and so while our testings may be equal to our abilities to bear them, we often find ourselves headed in the wrong direction. His "exit ramps" assures us that we can escape before we give in, but if we do give in they also provide ways for us to get out so we can get turned around and headed back in the right direction.
We can only stand in awe of God's love and care. "Like as a father pitieth [H]is children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear [H]im. For [H]e knoweth our frame; [H]e remembereth that we are dust" (Psalm 103:13-14, KJV). Are you making use of your exit ramps, or are you speeding contentedly along in the wrong direction?
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