Tuesday, April 29, 2008
You got me thinking..
God has this interesting way of getting us started on thinking about the things that really matter, to Him concerning us. Only His mercy could have paved the way for repeated warnings, revelations and exhortations. It is really true that as we continue to search for Him in all that we do - that is, we continue to make sense of everything that is happening around us from His perspective; regardless of how many times we hit brick walls - we will find Him. A lot of people will mistake that making sense of circumstances for disillusionment. I too fell prey to that many times. But as I continue to hit brick walls, God's faithfulness patiently produced in me discernment between the two in my own life. Disillusionment happened in two ways for me. In my bid to make sense of things and see how God fits into the whole picture, I jumped to conclusions based on common teachings and assumptions of Christianity. For example, when my girlfriend broke up with me shortly after I became a Christian, in order to cope with the loss, I spiritualized the happenings and rationalized that God had closed the door on an unhealthy relationship. In order words, I used God to cushion the effects of the loss. Disillusionment also swung to the other extreme for me; that I thought making sense of everything from His perspective was naive; that doing that was being disillusioned.
There is a point when you swing to both extremes so much that you will come full circle and find yourself back where God intended you to get to in the first place. So now I'm back again to considering with God things that really matter to Him concerning me. My views on my family, relationships, financial matters, ministry and how it can bring glory to Him. And it just happened through a series of events: Sunday's sermon, a book I had put aside for the longest time, and daily QT that seemed to speak so relevantly to my situations. His Word is alive and brings life. And His mercy endureth forever. A God of mercy must first have the power to judge righteously before being able to display mercy or mercy would just be a sign of weakness.
Whoa. This post is super preachy. Don't get it wrong. I'm not preaching to my readers but to myself. But I
am sharing what I'm preaching to myself to my readers. =) I read this book by John Piper called 'Battling Unbelief' and I like what he wrote about fighting the good fight.
"The great error that I am trying to explode is the error that says, "Faith in God is one thing and the fight for holiness is another thing. You get your justification by faith, and you get your sanctification by works. You start the Christian life in the power of the Spirit, you press on in the efforts of the flesh. The battle for obedience is optional because only faith is necessary for final salvation" ... Faith alone is the instrument that unites us to Christ who is our righteousness and the ground of our justification. But the purity of life that confirms faith's reality is also essential for final salvation, not as the ground for our right standing, but as the fruit and evidence that we are vitally united by faith to Christ who alone is the ground of our acceptance with God."
Lastly, a story from a friend that I thought was so true..
Several years ago, a preacher from out-of-state accepted a call to a
church in Houston , Texas . Some weeks after he arrived, he had an occasion
to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area. When he sat
down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a
quarter too much change.
As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, "You'd
better give the quarter back. It would be wrong to keep it." Then he
thought, "Oh, forget it, it's only a quarter. Who would worry
about this little amount? Anyway, the bus company gets too much fare;
they will never miss it. Accept it as a 'gift from God' and keep
quiet."
When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, and then
he handed the quarter to the driver and said, "Here, you gave me too much change."
The driver, with a smile, replied, "Aren't you the new preacher
in town?"
"Yes" he replied.
"Well, I have been thinking a lot lately about going somewhere
to worship. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you
too much change. I'll see you at church on Sunday."
When the preacher stepped off of the bus, he literally grabbed
the nearest light pole, held on, and said, "Oh God, I almost sold
your Son for a quarter."
Our lives are the only Bible some people will ever read. This is
a really scary example of how much people watch us as Christians,
and will put us to the test! Always be on guard -- and remember --
You carry the name of Christ on your shoulders when you call yourself "Christian."
Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
Mantou at 11:42 PM