To Start Anew

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Thanks :)
Allie

God or Good?

We stand now among a people shell shocked in the wake of incidents in Boston, West, Texas, and now Oklahoma. Not to mention the unthinkable crimes revealed in Cleveland and in the recent Gosnell and Arias trials. We’ve barely recovered from the shootings in Colorado and Newtown, and we are slung yet again with inexplicable atrocities. In the face of the fear of terrorism, accidental chemical explosions, and the unpredictability of Mother Nature, to whom shall we turn? The government? But with the scandals surrounding Benghazi and the IRS, are they really to be trusted? Or do we rely on ourselves? Surely we cannot stand against the unexpected violence of a determined criminal or defend our neighbors against the devastation of a storm. Who then? Who can deliver us from the world that seems to be caving in around us?

We can try to deny the brokenness. We can turn off the news; we can close our eyes and ears to reality. But for all our wishful thinking we will yet live in a world that is riddled with injustice, disease, starvation, poverty, corruption, and death. Even the most imaginative forms of escapism cannot protect us against the evils that surround us. No government, no institution, and no individual can bar us against the harms that are sure to ensue.

So, what? Are we to simply mourn the fact that humanity is constantly being trampled by tragedy? We hear news stations asking for prayers. We tweet Bible verses and post Facebook statuses inviting others to join us in praying for whatever city has been afflicted. But to whom are we sending these prayers? Is it to someone who can do anything to actually help us?

Are we praying to some ethereal being, who we hope has still got things under control?

Are we praying to Comfort, so that those hurting will know they’re not alone?

Are we praying to Hope, so that the darkness of death won’t seem so utterly bleak?

Or are we praying to Power, that he might intervene and carry out justice for those suffering?

Is it a good God we’re praying to? Or is he a malicious tyrant seeking revenge on a rebellious people?

Is he a capable God? Or is he simply unable to stop misfortune from persisting?
Is he present? Or is he in some distant place, only attending to the needs of those closest to him?

Certainly, he cannot be all three. If God is good, powerful, and present, how do we account for the sorrow that’s saturating the world around us? If there is a God, he can either be good and powerful, but not present. Or he can be good and present, but not powerful. Or he can be powerful and present, but not good. He can only be two of the three that Christians claim for him to be in order for his existence to co-align with these unexplainable tragedies. Or so it seems.

I’ve heard people say, “Don’t blame God.” And, “It’s not God’s fault,” as if trying to shift people’s focus from God to other factors: bad karma, happenstance, or even from a Christian perspective, the fallen state of our world. But do we really need to let God off the hook? Do we, as Christians, really want to move people’s focus off of God onto other, much less important, parts of the equation? And if we do decide to point others to God by offering Scripture or prayers, to which God are we directing them?

In the midst of tragedy, Christians must be aware of two things:

1)   God is in control. He is the One to whom we should look during hardship, no matter how devastating or unjust the circumstance. He does not need to be relinquished of blame.

2)   The character of the God to which we are referring. Simply offering prayers up to an unknown, unspecified higher power is not sufficient. If we are praying to the God of the Bible, He is altogether good, powerful, and present. We must know how to reconcile these three attributes, as 1 Peter 3:15 reminds us to always “be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks for a reason for the hope that is in you”

So who is this God, who allows the death of innocent children, the devastation of homes, and murder of the masses? How can he be good, powerful, and present, and still let such brokenness remain unrepaired?

Well, I don’t have a concrete answer. But I do know that our God, the only true God, is good. There are countless descriptions in Scripture of the goodness of God. Perhaps most famously, Psalm 136 opens with, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.” The chapter then restates the endurance of God’s steadfast love for the proceeding 25 verses. Throughout history, God has displayed his faithfulness and love to His people; to expound upon each demonstration of his goodness would exceed the limits of this post, to be sure! He is a loving, compassionate Father, who cared for us so much that he sent his only son, Jesus, to live a sinless life and die a sinner’s death for our sakes. He so badly wanted to be reconciled to us, his estranged, rebellious children, that he allowed Jesus to be the acceptable sacrifice for our sins, thus restoring our relationship with him forever. All we have to do is acknowledge our sinfulness, trust in Jesus as our Savior, and receive God’s incredible grace. We are then in complete fellowship with God, and we get the gift of spending eternity with him in heaven. All because he loved us and wanted to forgive us. If that isn’t an awesome depiction of goodness, I don’t know what is! (See John 3:16, Ephesians 2:1-10)

God is also all-powerful. He is sovereign—he is in control of all that happens on this earth. Colossians 1:3 says, “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” He knew about the bombing in Boston, the explosion in West, and the tornadoes in Oklahoma before they happened. He knew how many lives would be lost and the sorrow that would follow. Yet he still allowed them. And, since he is in complete control, we can, in fact, hold him accountable. I know that gets a little uncomfortable—essentially blaming God for the misfortune in this world—but that’s not my intention. I’m simply pointing out that since he is all-powerful, he does not need to be released from responsibility. He is sovereign, even over the sin and sadness. (See Hebrews 1:3, Revelation 19:6)

The God who is good and powerful is also here with us. Genesis 16 refers to God in Hebrew as “Beer Lahai Roi,” meaning “The Living One who sees me.” This may be the hardest aspect for me to reconcile with the rest of God’s attributes. If he is good and powerful, how can he possibly be looking down upon our hardships and seemingly doing nothing? How can he allow such pain to persist? But if we are to believe in any part of God, we must believe in all of who he is. We must know and trust in the fact that he is here, he is with us, and he is moving. (See Psalm 139:7-12, Jeremiah 23:23-24)

So where does this leave us? Simply knowing that God is good, powerful, and present may comfort us, but it’s also confusing in the midst of such fearful times. Tim Keller paints an analogy that is much better than any that I could think of on my own. I will paraphrase:

When we are children—around 4 or 5—we are taken to the doctor to get our first round of shots, at least the first that we can remember. We feel dread as we see the doctor walk in with the needle that we know will inflict pain, and we look to our mother or father with a look of perplexity and terror. We kick and scream and ask our parents, “Why? Why do I need something that’s going to hurt so badly?” But instead of answering, they simply comfort us with their presence and words of assurance. They know that, despite how desperately we want to know the reason for our pain, there would be no point in explaining. How can we, at the age of 4 or 5, be able to grasp the necessity of such a seemingly horrid thing? If our parents had explained that the doctor was simply injecting our bodies with a concoction of chemicals and forms of a disease that will one day build an immunity to a greater disease, could we have understood? And would it have eased the pain? More than likely, we would have kicked and screamed all the more.

If this is the case between two finite beings, a parent and a child, how much wider, then, is the gap of understanding between us finite beings and God, an infinite Being? If he explained why we must endure pain and suffering, if he unveiled the greater purpose behind it all, would it help? Could we even comprehend? I don’t think so. (paraphrased from Tim Keller’s Reason For God)

This to say, God’s character is not conditional to our opinion, or what we believe is right and fair. He is who he says he is, not because it’s easy to comprehend, but because He Is. And really, we shouldn’t want it any other way. God is not God if we can fit him into our own imaginative boxes. He is good, he is powerful, and he is present. He has a plan, and we need not know what it is to know that it is working. Pain, rejection, loss, injustice—all these things exist, and they will continue to exist as long as there is life on earth. But what’s important is not why these things happen but Who is on your side.

We serve a God who is a loving, compassionate Father, near to the brokenhearted and a healer of their wounds. He is sympathetic to our weaknesses and gracious to our faults.

We serve a Consuming Fire, a mighty, powerful God who will not long stand to be mocked. He is an avenger of his people and will repay the wrong done to them.

We serve a present God, who sees us, who is with us, and who has given us his Spirit that we may draw near to Him at all times. All these things and more, God is a God of life and of hope.

And amidst tragedy and despair, to Him alone do we find solace and strength.

Are All Who "Wonder" Lost?

Tomorrow, I leave for Edinburgh, Scotland. I am privileged to be studying abroad there for the next four months, and I can't say I really know what to expect. So far, my little world has revolved around me. It has been built by my perceptions and has included only those I want to include. Even with the knowledge of God, whose throne is far above the trivial happenings of my life, I have but a faint idea of what the world looks like outside of planet Allie. This past semester, I have been faced with many questions regarding my faith. Propelled by the religion course I took, I wrestled with the scientific and theological issues of creation, miracles, Jesus' resurrection, and basically the accuracy of the Bible in general. As previously stated, I have thus far in my life been a victim of self-inflicted small-mindedness. I had not asked myself or others these questions before. They rattled me, and I didn't like it. But I fought the urge to suppress my wonderings with a simple "because it just is" and decided to dig deeper. While all these hefty scientific, biblical questions whirled around in my head, the subject I most wrestled with was that of Jesus Christ: who He is and what His purpose is for the world.

Now, just so you know, this is a shot to my pride to be confessing this. I have been in a relationship with Jesus for a while now. Well, not THAT long, but long enough to know who He is. I've talked with and about Him nearly every day since becoming a Christian. I've written about him, sang to him, and have told others about him. I've read books about him, have heard great teaching concerning him, and have paid money to attend retreats where I could learn more about him. Needless to say, He is my absolute favorite subject.  Yet here I am, four years after fully committing my life to Him, and I'm still asking myself, "Who is this Jesus?"

Talking with my friend on the phone yesterday, we began discussing what it means to really love Jesus. Furthermore, what does it mean to be in love with Him? Sure, it sounds good on paper, but how does that translate into my every day reality? I mean, how do I have such strong feelings for someone who died 2,000 years ago? What about Jesus makes me want him more than anyone or anything else?

I have heard girls reference Jesus as if he's their boyfriend. This makes me very uncomfortable. Jesus may be the Lover of my soul and Romancer of my heart, but he is also my King. He may be able to sympathize with my weaknesses, but he is also the Alpha and Omega. He is not my equal. And he most certainly is not my boyfriend.

Can I get a hallelujah to that?! PRAISE GOD that Jesus is not our boyfriend. He so far exceeds that. So if that's true, who is He and how do we love him?  We've already established that He's both my Master and my Friend, so where does that leave us? Is loving him a sentimental feeling? Or is it an obligatory choice? Or is it a choice based on feeling? Or is the feeling a consequence of the choice? Is it all of the above? If so, what does that look like in my life?

It's so easy to repress these questions and simply adopt the Christian-girl lingo. Those of us who are well-churched know what to say and do, even read and think, to make it seem like we love Jesus. But I wonder how many of us are looking at the other thinking, "Now she really "gets it."" I'd like to bet that most Christian girls wrestle with these same questions about Jesus, and if they haven't yet, they probably will. There are also many who will push aside these thoughts and continue to go through the motions, hoping one day it will just click.

Such questions are especially difficult for those of us who have been raised in Christian homes. Let me take a moment to share a little of my testimony, then I'll get back to that...  I have a wonderful, Christ- loving family who made sure I had all the Christian resources available at my fingertips. And while I didn't embrace Christ as Lord of my life until my senior year in high school, I still had a solid foundation. I knew who Jesus was, I knew some Bible verses, I journaled, and sang along to praise songs in chapel, but my heart was unsurrendered to him. Because of my lack of a "bad" past (to the world's standards), there was not a sudden life change, but rather a gradual renewal of my mind and resuscitation of my heart through the Holy Spirit. It was the summer before my senior year when I felt God slowly but surely taking the reigns of my life, and I haven't been the same since. I am so thankful for my testimony, and for the way God so graciously saved me from myself.

But it’s difficult to feel Jesus' love when you have been so loved by others your whole life. And it's hard to grasp the concept of grace when the standard of your sin seems "lower" than those around you. And it's nearly impossible to know Jesus as your only satisfaction when you have been so well provided for on earth. (Like a camel through the eye of a needle, as a matter of fact.) Yet we know that Jesus alone is infinite love, grace, and satisfaction. So how do we make this head knowledge true heart knowledge? And how do we translate this heart knowledge into action?

Besides simply learning more about Him, spending time with Him, and obeying His word, I don’t think there’s much else! I know that’s no surprise. Of course you and I both know this is how we get close to Jesus. But the great thing is, these things are more than enough to quiet our questions, though they are many.

And I could nearly cry of joy as I conclude this post. Not because of any grand revelation, but because I LOVE the bigness of our God. That he is able to handle our questions, our wonderings and wanderings, and our doubts. And I love that the more we know him, the more we will wonder about him. The more of his character that he reveals, the more mysterious he is. Each day spent with him is a day of recognizing how finite I am and how infinite, how eternal and marvelous, He is. I do not know all the answers to the questions on this post. I can direct myself to a dozen Scripture passages, could spout out quotes from countless theologians, but it takes a Spirit- powered registration of the heart to truly gain more knowledge of Christ. And he has grace to spare for my questions. He has patience and kindness in abundance for me. He loves when his children hunger and thirst for him, when they fight to know him more. So I encourage you to embrace the questions as well. Take them to Jesus, to His infallible Word, and all the while know that HE is the answer to all things asked. In the words of Rainer Maria Rilke,

“I would like to beg you . . . to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart, and to  try to love the questions themselves, as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.” (Letters to a Young Poet)

I trust that Jesus will help me live the questions in this next great season of my life. In Edinburgh, I am praying that he would expand my small-mindedness and let me see more of him through his world. I am praying that my me-centered universe would be continually obliterated, and that he'd keep giving himself all the glory in my life. In spite of all the unknowns, there is nothing I want more than Jesus' glory.  "Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!” Psalm 57:5

 

"I wonder as I wander out under the sky

How Jesus the Saviour did come to die;

For poor, on'ry people like you and I;

I wonder as I wander out under the sky"

("I Wonder as I Wander"- Hymn by John Jacob Niles)

For Freedom

“For freedom Christ has set us free…” says Galatians 5:1.

An interesting phrase: “for freedom.”

On the surface, it’s repetitive. If we rearrange the words of the verse, it could read,

“Christ has set us free for freedom.”

That’s a little anticlimactic, isn’t it? Of course we have freedom when we’re set free.

There’s got to be more than that.

For freedom He’s set me free?

Not for success?

Or peace?

Or happiness?

Not even for righteousness or obedience?

What good is freedom once I’ve already been freed?

Something inside us isn’t content with mere freedom. Of course we long for it- from the time we’re babies crawling out of our cribs to age 65 getting out of our jobs through retirement. But in order to experience real freedom we feel that we cannot just be freed from something; we must be freed for something as well. If we’re freed from a relationship, it’s so we can be single and look for other options. If we’re freed from work, it’s so we can either find a new job or retire. When we’re freed, we look to do the things we’ve been held back from doing.

And part of that is good. We are called to constantly strive toward excellence, working “heartily as for the Lord, and not for man,” no matter our phase of life. It’s founded in the American mindset that we must always be moving, progressing, advancing, and becoming more successful. To stop doing these things would be laziness, complacency, passivity.

So what does Paul mean when he declares that for freedom Christ has set us free? Surely he’s left something out.

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)

Ah. So there is something more. But maybe not exactly what we were expecting. Paul urges the Galatians to not only remember their freedom, but to stand firm in it. Not moving away from it or forgetting about it. If they do, Paul warns, they are in danger of falling back into bondage.

The bondage of which Paul speaks is the requirements of the Jewish Law, to which the Galatians were previously subject. For some reason, even after hearing the gospel of Christ and thus being liberated from the constraints of Jewish rules and regulations, they’re still having a hard time remaining in that freedom.

Crazy, right? Why would anyone ever want to be enslaved once they’ve already been set free?

But it seems the Galatians’ backslide toward slavery isn’t an isolated case.

Turn with me, if you will, to Numbers 13:25- 14:45.

This is a long passage, so I’ll try to summarize it concisely:

God, through Moses, has led Israel out of Egypt. He has freed them from slavery and rescued them from Pharaoh’s army using a variety of miracles, from a series of plagues to the parting of the Red Sea. Now, after following God through the wilderness, the people have finally arrived at Canaan: the Promised Land. The Lord commands Moses to send spies into the land to make sure it’s safe for the people to enter. At the end of forty days the spies return to the people of Israel. They report that the land is indeed good, flowing “with milk and honey.” (13:27) They even bring back a piece of fruit from the land.

“However,” the spies warn, “the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large.”

Caleb, a fellow spy and faithful servant of the Lord, objects, insisting that the people “are well able to overcome it.” (13:30)

But Israel will have nothing of it. They lash out in anger against Moses, Aaron and the Lord, saying, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? ... Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” (14:1-3)

Pause.

Let’s backtrack a little bit. So Israel, who was oppressed and subjected to slavery under the Egyptians for years and years and years, who was led out of Egypt by the Creator of the universe by way of their own personal Red Sea walkway, who has been given manna from heaven and has been daily provided for and led by “a pillar of smoke by day and a pillar of fire by night,” i.e. God Himself (Ex. 13:21), wants to go back?

After everything the Lord has done for them, all that they’ve been through, they want to go back into slavery? There they are, on the banks of the Jordan River, beholding the Land they’ve been waiting for for years. They’ve even seen for themselves the fruit this fertile land produces- something they probably haven’t seen since Egypt- and they would rather go back through the wilderness, only to end up in the wicked hands of the Egyptians?

How did they even think they were going to find their way back? Did they not notice that a PILLAR OF FIRE had been leading them ever since they left Egypt? Did they think they could make it on their own?

And what were they afraid of? Did they actually doubt that the God who parted the Red Sea for them couldn’t defeat their enemies? Did they really think He wasn’t faithful or strong enough to keep His promises?

To answer simply,

I guess so.

To summarize the conclusion of this story: the people of Israel, after hearing of God’s anger toward their disbelief, decide they will go to the Promised Land and strike down the enemies, just to prove that they do, in fact, trust the Lord.

But Moses warns them, “Do not go up, for the Lord is not among you, lest you be struck down among your enemies.” (14:42) The ever-stubborn Israelites, however, do not listen:
“They presumed to go up to the heights of the hill country, although neither the ark of the covenant of the Lord nor Moses departed out of the camp. Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and defeated them and pursued them, even to Hormah.” (14:44-45)

Huh.

Isn’t that interesting?

The people ended up doing what the Lord had wanted them to do. They go to defeat the enemies in Canaan, just as the Lord commanded them to do in the first place. So why is it that He isn’t with them when they do?

Because they’ve forgotten.

They’ve forgotten about freedom.

The Israelites have freedom in the Lord to conquer their enemies without fear of failure. But while looking ahead in anxiety, they forget to look back. They fail to remember all the Lord has done. They ignore the miracles, the provision, and the liberty march on which God has faithfully led them. They instead live in fear.

First, they fear their enemies. So much so that they long to go back to the old enemy (Egypt) and be enslaved under them.

And secondly, they fear God. Not in the respectful, reverent way, but in the I’m-scared-of-you kind of way.

Both fears, we see, lead to death. The first fear would have led the Israelites on a trek back to Egypt that probably would have killed them. And if the journey didn’t bring death, the vengeful hands of the Egyptians would. The second, as the story tells us, brings defeat. Since they are acting out of fear and not out of faith in the Lord, they do not have His help. And without His help, they are easily overcome. So it’s apparent that, in both cases of fear, destruction is the fate that awaits them.

Maybe that’s why Paul urges us to remember, “For freedom Christ has set you free…”
Because for some reason, like the stubborn, disobedient Israelites, we forget about our freedom. We forget that Christ has broken our chains, both to unrighteousness and righteousness.

Like the Israelites, when we forget about our security in the Lord and what He’s done for us, we fall back into one of the two fears:

1) Disobedience: Running away from the Promised Land and back to Egypt (i.e. going back to our former, sinful ways of life.) or

2) Legalism: Trying to defeat our obstacles through our own efforts (i.e. being more, trying harder, doing better, all in hopes of earning His approval.)

And as it is with Israel, so it is with us.

Both these errs lead to slavery:

Slavery to ourselves, to the opinions of others, to success, to school, to hooking up, to alcohol, to drugs, to food, to exercise, to the numbers on a scale, to jealousy, to anger, to gossip,

To all the things we think will give us freedom but, in reality, lead to death:

Death of confidence, of satisfaction, of contentment, of wholeness, of love, of joy, of intimacy, of our God-given potential.  

Slavery brings death to the person God calls us to be.

Jesus came that we may have life. He died so that we may live through Him. His death and resurrection means that we are no longer slaves to the sin that used to constrain us or the “goodness” that used to drive us.

When we look to the Promised Land and the Enemy looks too strong for us, we no longer have to run back to the past. While the old life might look easier than taking up our cross and following Christ, its outcome isn’t worth it. The satisfaction, the good things found in the “land flowing with milk and honey” is well worth the ensuing battle. And this is a battle Christ, our mighty warrior, promises not only to fight for us, but to claim victory over.

Which is why fighting a battle alone is just as dangerous as not fighting it at all. With our own strength, we cannot defeat the Enemy. We can’t overcome temptation or earn God’s approval by just doing the right things. Going to church, being nice to people, even not drinking or not partying or not having sex, are not going to help us win any battles or make God love us more. Just as we cannot find satisfaction in being “bad,” we will also find no satisfaction in simply being “good.”

That’s why Paul has to remind us that it’s for freedom we’ve been set free! The simple knowledge of freedom leads to the love and joyful obedience that the Lord longs for. Because, once again, Jesus is concerned with our hearts, not just what we do or don’t do. And he wants our hearts to be free! “It is finished!” were the words of Jesus’ dying breath. The battle has been won, the Enemy is defeated, the Promised Land is ours to enter! We don’t have to turn to the world when things get tough, and we don’t have to try to be better when we mess up. Jesus has made it possible that in both cases, we can have perfect, unconditional freedom in Him. We have been called to freedom... because it is ours!

Who Needs the Gospel?

Easy answer: EVERYONE!

But is that how we live? Do we share it as though we believe it? Or have we decided that some need it more than others? Are we compelled by Christ's love or controlled by our own insecurities?

Here are some wise words from my brother, Justin, on some of our natural shortcomings when proclaiming the gospel. He has incredible insight into Jesus’ teachings, both in interpretation and application, so you will do well to read what he has to say. Get ready to be challenged!

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In the past few months I have seen myself really grow in my willingness to share my faith. I have participated in prison ministry, international student ministry, and have even witnessed to the occasional homeless person. While I feel I am being obedient to Christ’s command by ministering to the poor, the alien and the imprisoned, I can’t help but notice all these people fit into the same category. They all are on a lower socio-economic rung than me. Given this fact it is easy for me to approach them because I do not fear their judgment or rejection. Some may see this position as bigoted or at least small minded. I think it’s just human nature. But just because it may come natural to me to think this way does not mean I should not war against it with every fiber of my being.

I recently heard a sermon by Matt Chandler where he candidly ran down a list of things that drove him crazy in regards to his congregation. One of them was, and I am paraphrasing here, why they cannot get to the place where they minister to those people who are closest to them in their lives, i.e. friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc. When I heard him say this my soul was pricked and I was immediately convicted of my pattern of similar behavior. I cannot think of the last time, if ever, I told one of my friends, neighbors, or co-workers about Christ. I’ve invited a few people to church and I’ve made it known that I am a Christian. However, in the buckle of the Bible belt that’s not really saying much. What does it say about my faith if I am not willing to share it with those I am close to and enjoy spending time with the most? Moreover, what does it say about the lack of transformation in my heart and mind that I am only willing to share my faith with those whose rejection I do not fear? If I have the best news on earth and if I believe everyone could benefit from hearing it why wouldn’t I tell everyone about it? The question really is do I believe I have the best news on earth or is it only the best news for those who have little to no hope of finding fulfillment anywhere else? I feel I may have reduced the gospel to a “last resort” for those who have little hope of accumulating the wealth or achieving the notoriety I have the opportunity to accumulate and achieve. It’s like I am saying “If you can’t be like me then you can settle for being like Christ.” How crazy, if not outright blasphemous, is that!?

I am not ashamed of my position in life. I do not bemoan the fact that I have been blessed to live in the greatest country at the greatest time in the history of mankind, and I do not wallow in self-pity whining about the money with which God has chosen to bless my family. I believe doing so would be just as much of an affront to God as it would to whine about having too little. I do believe, however, that just as being poor can cause one to doubt God’s presence, being rich can drive one to doubt the need for Him altogether. If I bemoan anything it is that no matter how much I have there will always be a way for me to marginalize God’s presence in my life.

As I have been mulling over these thoughts for the past few weeks the Holy Spirit has led me back to Christ in the scriptures. I have been inspired to go back and look at the instances where Christ, a peasant carpenter from an economically depressed region, boldly proclaimed the good news to everyone no matter their socio-economic status. Now I know some of you are going to say, “Yeah, but he was God!” which is true. However, one of the greatest miracles regarding Christ is that while he was fully God He was also fully man, meaning He had all the feelings, urges, and temptations you and I have every day. We know from the scene in the garden that Christ had fear. We know he ate, slept, and drank just like you and I, and we know He grieved like you and I grieve. It only stands to reason that there were times where He had to overcome a fear of rejection and/or persecution too. So what was it that made Christ soldier on as if He had nothing to lose? The Gospel of course, and because He truly believed the good news He preached He truly believed He had nothing to lose and could only gain by sharing it.

In John 3 we see Jesus having a conversation with Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish religious ruling class, where they are discussing salvation and specifically the concept of being “born again”. This has always been an interesting passage to me as it contains the simplest plainspoken synopsis of the gospel in verses 16 and 17, and at the same time muddies the spiritual waters with this concept of being “born again.” In a nutshell Jesus is trying to get Nicodemus to understand that in order to be saved new life has to be established. In his current life he lived in response to the flesh. Fleshly desires, urges and inclinations guided his actions. Yes, he could probably curb those desires for short periods of time, but ultimately he would return to them. In his new life he would live in response to the spirit. The spirit of God would guide his actions, and those actions, by and large, would all bring glory to God. Jesus goes on to explain the only way to become born of the spirit is to believe in the Son of God and the power of His sacrifice.

My point here is not really to break down the theological points of this passage. My point is more to display the fact that Jesus spoke plainly no matter His audience, never tickling their ears, and always speaking truth. The fact of the matter is Nicodemus had power and influence within the culture. There is a lot he could have said or done to inhibit the ministry of Jesus on earth. Some might say it would have been wise for Jesus to just forget about Nicodemus and move on to those that were “really lost”.  The fact of the matter is Nicodemus was as lost as anyone at this point in his life, even though he probably had significant power and resources. For some reason we often think only those who are physically impoverished are the ones who need Jesus. (Just as an aside, my great fear is that this mindset is born out of the belief that the main benefit to following Jesus is that He improves your physical circumstances.) When are we going to understand that there are worse things than being poor, like Hell?!! Jesus understood this, which is why He spoke so plainly and clearly to all men, including Nicodemus, regarding the condemned status of their hearts despite their societal position.

While we don’t get to see whether or not Nicodemus chose to accept Christ, in Luke 18 we do get to see how another man high in the social ranks chose to respond to Jesus’ call. This young man approaches Jesus looking to find out the one thing he must do to be saved. After listening to His request and knowing his heart Jesus tells him he must sell all he owns and give it to the poor. The young man leaves distraught at the thought of giving up all he has.

What I love about this passage is Jesus gets right to the heart of the matter. He doesn’t congratulate him for apparently keeping the commandments mentioned in verse 20. Instead he tells him, a man who has everything, materially and spiritually, he is lacking! This is absolutely amazing! I guarantee you this man had never been told by anyone that he did not have enough to get whatever he wanted. Yet when it came to achieving eternal life he was found lacking. I often wonder if he ever came around and understood what Jesus was trying to tell Him.

Why didn’t Jesus placate this guy? Why not string Him along for a while and have Him financially support His ministry? I bet this guy could have gotten Jesus tickets to some great concerts which would have provided some great opportunities for one on one “ministry”! Jesus never concerned himself with these types of things which is why he could speak so freely to people like this rich young ruler.

Men like Nicodemus and the rich young ruler truly had nothing to offer Him that would in any way effect his ministry, and this idea is at the crux of our modern dilemma. We believe that we have more to lose by losing the affection, approval, and esteem of our friends, family, and coworkers than we have to gain by being obedient to the call of God. If we are to be like Christ we must, like Christ, boldly proclaim the truth God has implanted within our hearts. For some reason I think boldness has gotten a bad rap and somewhere along the line became synonymous with harshness. To me boldness is synonymous with conviction. I would not say Jesus spoke to either of these men harshly, but I would say He spoke with clear conviction.

In speaking with conviction He did not couch His teaching as a theory, like it was one of many other acceptable theories. I think this is another way we get around really proclaiming the Gospel boldly to those closest to us.  We say things like “This is what I believe.” Or “I’m not judging, but this is how I’ve been taught.” I’ve caught myself doing this and it drives me crazy! The Gospel is not just what we believe, it is the truth and the only truth available to anyone anywhere. It is the absolute only hope for any man, woman, or child on earth no matter where they live, when they live or how they live.

I am tired. I am worn out from my own cowardice and inability to overcome my fears when it comes to sharing the Gospel with those I claim to care about most. Christ was willing to go to the cross to show His love, and I won’t even cross the street! I’d go to Africa or New Guinea tomorrow, but ask me to go next door and suddenly my schedule is booked. My prayer as I write this is that I may speak with the same conviction that Christ spoke with, and that I would allow the Spirit of God to take over and speak plainly through me as it did through Christ in these instances.

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Isn’t that convicting? I can’t say I had thought about this until Justin brought it to my attention. It goes back to pride, just like all sin does. How arrogant am I to think that, because of someone's 'inferior' socioeconomic or social status, they need something from me. It’s not that I don't have anything to offer, but who’s to say their physical neediness is necessarily a sign of their spiritual neediness? Because I have an education, money from my parents, and good friends and family, should my compassion only be for those who don’t have these things?   

Thinking back, nearly every time I’ve shared the gospel it’s been with either someone younger than me, poorer than me, or more lost-looking than me (i.e. tattoos, drinking, smoking… just being honest here). And the sad thing is, when I’ve done so, I’ve given myself a little pat on the back, thinking how much better off that person is because of what I’ve done for them. How condescending and shallow of me! Of course, now knowing the good news, they are better off, but my motivation is wrong. I shared with them because I saw them as impressionable either because of their youth or the visible affects of sin in their life. Not solely because of their eternal salvation. 

But for some reason, when I see people similar to myself, I assume they know Truth. And if they don’t, they at least have the means by which to attain it. They don’t need me to share the gospel with them. They’ll figure it out. I presume upon their outward appearance, thinking that material wealth and health probably signify a redeemed heart. Ha! Saying that out loud sheds light on how ridiculous it is. We’ve forgotten that it’s the rich man who has less of a chance of being saved than a camel trying to pass through the eye of a needle (Mark 10:25). 

Intimidation and insecurities aside, my desperation for ALL people to know Christ should compel me to share the gospel with anyone and everyone. From the well-dressed businesswoman to the child in rags on the side of the road, my desire for their salvation should be unbiased. For Christ, as we see in Justin’s Biblical examples, is no respecter of persons, but rather longs for all His Father’s children to be saved.

It seems impossible to see people how Christ saw them. He went past the outward appearance, straight to the heart. Let’s pray that the Spirit would allow us to see people through our Savior’s eyes. Let us renew our minds by reviewing his character and truth, and thus train ourselves to focus not on the outward appearance, but on the eternal state of one’s soul. Let us set aside our pride and obey God’s great commission by loving our neighbor- our bosses, teachers, parents, brothers and sisters, friends, coworkers, leaders and mentors. 'He who has ears to hear, let him hear!' (Matt. 11:15)

Judge Not

“Don’t judge me.”

We’ve all heard that one.

Sometimes said in jest, but mostly said in seriousness masked by an air of sarcasm. 

Where did this phrase come from? And how has it wormed its way into our society? And why, I must ask, has it most successfully invaded the daily vocabularies of college women, even Christian women?

Is it insecurity? Are we so unsure about our actions that we need a go-to verbal defense? If we’re confident enough to make a decision and follow through with it, why do we need to announce that others’ opinions don’t- in fact, can’t- matter? Are we so above reproach that our choices- even our bad ones- are excluded from all rebuke?

It’s a get-out-of-jail-free card. It’s pleading the “5^th” when put on trial. It’s saying,  “Yes, I’m going to call myself a Christian, but I would prefer you not hold me to the standards of Christianity. I’m going to live how I want to live, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.”

But is this the attitude Christ requires of us? Is this what He means when He commands us to “judge not?”

I don’t think so. As Christians, we are part of the body of Christ, and are therefore accountable to the other members therein. It’s not about appeasing the opinion of others. It’s not about trying harder or being better. It’s about using the power of the Holy Spirit to submit to the authority of Christ in all areas of our lives.

In John 14:15 Jesus says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

Therefore, if we love Him, yet are consistently breaking His commandments, we leave ourselves open to correction. It is simply not right to call ourselves followers of Christ yet not be expected to live as such.

Of course, people make mistakes- lots and lots and lots of mistakes. We all do. I probably make more mistakes than anyone.

And of course, judging people, the Bible clearly states, is wrong. I am not denying that. I also acknowledge that there are judgmental Christians out there, more than we would like to admit. We are all tempted to be judgmental, to look down upon others and thus think of ourselves ‘more highly than we ought.’ (Rom 12:3)

A couple years ago, a friend and I had a conversation about drunkenness. While I argued that getting drunk is not in accordance to Christ’s teaching, she retorted with Romans 8:1,“There is . . . no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” In other words, “you can’t judge me.”

And she was right. I can’t judge her, only God can. But what she wrongly assumed was that those who claim to be Christians can do whatever they want without consequences, accountability, or a need for repentance. She forgot, as we all do at times, Romans 6:1, which asks,

“Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?”

If we claim to be followers of Christ, that means we have died to our old selves and now walk in “newness of life” with Him. As I’ve previously stated, this does not mean a life of perfection. It means that by God’s grace, we “put on the new self, created after the likeness of God, in true righteousness and holiness.” (Eph. 4:24) This sanctification- this “new life”- requires submitting to God’s Word and to the loving rebuke of fellow believers. (See Matt. 18:15-17, Luke 17:3, 2 Thess. 3:14-15, 1 Tim. 5:20-21, 2 Tim. 4:1-2, Titus 2:15, Heb. 10:24-25)

But enough of my opinion. Let’s look to the true Authority on this matter- none other than Jesus Himself. 

In Matthew 7:1, Jesus warns,

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (ESV) (See also Romans 2:1, Romans 14:10)

Jesus doesn’t really need help with my interpretation. He’s pretty clear: pronouncing someone as guilty or wrong for their actions, their words, their appearance, etc. is not acceptable; it’s simply not our place. He points out that doing so is hypocritical: how can we seek to fix another’s problems when we haven’t even taken care of our own?

But the footnotes in my handy-dandy study Bible point out something I find interesting:

“Jesus does not forbid all evaluation or even judgment of others, for ultimately the one who feels grieved and humbled over his own sin can help remove the “speck” from others. What Jesus does rule out is pride that views oneself as better than others.”

Ah, back to the crux of all matters. The heart. Once again, it’s not so much the actions with which Jesus is concerned, but rather our motives behind them. He’s not excluding all admonition, instruction, or exhortation of those around us, but he is demanding a prerequisite of honest humility before doing so.

I think the life of the apostle Paul best verifies this. In 1 Timothy 1, Paul outlines his previous offenses: “I was a blasphemer, prosecutor, and insolent opponent.” As the self-proclaimed “worst” of sinners, Paul exudes the humility required of all who instruct and admonish the body of Christ. He teaches that we, too, after examining our own hearts, have the responsibility of rebuking our Christian brothers and sisters (see above references)…Notice I said Christian. Without digressing too much, I want to point out that Christians are not called to admonish non-Christians. We cannot expect non-Christians to act like Christians, or to hold themselves to the same standard that we do. It's not our job to point out their problems. That is pride. That is forgetting the grace by which we’ve been saved. That is the “judgment” Jesus warns us against.  (1 Cor. 5:12-13)

What it comes down to is this: first and foremost, Jesus has called us to love- first the Lord, then our neighbor. Love should be the motivation behind all the Christian says and does. According to 1 Corinthians 13, Christ-like love is patient and kind, it does not envy or boast, it is not arrogant or rude, it doesn’t insist on its own way, it isn’t irritable or resentful, it doesn’t rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all, believes all, hopes all, and endures all. This is the mark of a true believer. Criticism of others does not fall under God’s definition of love, but neither does tolerance. Our position as a Christian does not give us the right of condemnation, but rather it frees us to love, encourage, and “spur each other on” for the sake of the body of Christ.

If we truly desire to be like Jesus, we will welcome the humble rebuke of others. If we long to reach the “measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,” we will receive the admonition of our brothers and sisters with gratitude. If we want to build up the body of Christ, we will not shy away from loving exhortation. If our aim is to carry out Jesus’ greatest commandment, we will gladly submit to and carry out His instruction.

No one is perfect. I am far from it. No blog I ever write will be a reflection of my own perfection, but rather the perfection of my Savior. I praise Him knowing that His power is perfected in our weakness and that His success shines through our failures. I rejoice knowing that we don’t have to put our defenses up. We don’t have to justify our actions to others. If we are living for Christ, even our mistakes are used for good. There’s no need to pridefully announce, “don’t judge me” to potential critics. We are free to humbly listen and respond to the admonition of fellow believers, and we can thus be equipped to help others remove the “speck” out of their own eye. Let us pray to be stripped of defensiveness, fear of criticism, or any propensity toward prideful judgment, and instead be filled with the confidence, love, humility, and boldness that reflects Christ.

“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” –Ephesians 4:15-16

Waiting For My Boaz (Mistakes Christian Girls Make)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My92oE9RwRE

I’m sure most of you have seen this. And if not, you’ve lived it. This is us. Sad, but true. If you’re a Christian girl reading this, you know; I need not explain. So today, I want to relate to you as one stereotypical coffee-and-the-Word-Christian-girl to another.

Last week we talked about the less-than-fulfilling promises of the “Call Me, Maybe” lifestyle. We examined what it looks like to hang our hopes on the fleeting pleasure of guy attention, and how we can only find true satisfaction in the Author of romance Himself.

Maybe some of you read the last post and thought to yourself, “Duh! I already knew that. Now if I can only get (insert name of friend here) to read this…” Most of you, I bet, agreed with the truth I shared but did not see it as applicable to your own life. I know this, because if I were reading such a post, I would have made a list of all the girls I know that need to read it, not recognizing that I need to take a look at my own heart first.

“But Allie,” you may say, “I don’t hook up with guys. I don’t need guy attention to make me happy. I’m a Christian, and Christians don’t do those things. I’ve read all the dating books, I’ve listened to all the dating sermons, and I’ve done all the dating Bible studies.”

And to you, dear reader, I say,

Perfect!

You’ve come to just the right place.

No matter how “Christian” we may be, we all harbor in our hearts the same desire: to be wanted and loved. Not just today or tomorrow, but forever. Some try to fulfill this desire in obviously dangerous ways: having sex in order to validate your self-worth, getting drunk to make yourself “more fun” or “braver” in your pursuit of a guy, or going from one fling to another in search of lasting love and acceptance. But these are not the only ways to ineffectively fill that void.

Other not-so-obvious (but equally treacherous) ways are as follows:

Reading all the books on Christian dating.

Talking to every Christian woman you know about the topic of dating.

Following all the Christian rules on dating.  

And lastly, knowing all the Christian vocabulary concerning dating.

Yep.

You heard me.

You can be just as unfruitful doing the “right” things as you can in doing the wrong things.

I know that sounds crazy, but let me explain.

I’m reading a spectacular book by Tim Keller called Prodigal God, based on the parable in Luke 15 about the prodigal son, which I’m going to assume most of you know. (If not, read the story- it’s a great one!) In the first couple chapters, Keller highlights a truth that made me cringe with conviction. He points out that it is not only the rebellious, wayward son that is lost, but also the elder, obedient son. He explores the idea that the older son, resentful upon his younger brother’s return, is in need of just as much grace as the son who squandered his father’s estate. When the older son complains of not having his own feast thrown for him, he reveals the selfishness of his heart. You see, the older son believes that because he has been obedient to his father all these years, he has earned the right to a celebration. Which, in turn, proves that it’s not his father that the older son loves, but rather his father’s stuff. The son had not served him merely for the sake of service, but for what he would get out of it. Keller uses this analysis to prove that we can be push God away just as much through our righteousness- following all the rules, praying all the right prayers, saying all the right things, etc- as we can by our unrighteousness.

Ouch.

So what am I getting at here? That doesn’t seem like it has much to do with dating.

In the words of Elisabeth Elliot, “No one is pure apart from the righteousness of Christ.” In other words: we- Christian girls- need to hear the same truth as our non-Christian friends do. We can turn up our nose at the girls who are partying and hooking up every weekend, but we are no better than them by simply “being good.”

Because, as we’ve mentioned before, we must get to the heart of the matter in order for truth to be revealed. Satan wants nothing more than to keep us on the surface of things. He would rather distract us by a million outside factors than allow us to look into the depths of our hearts. For he knows that, there in the depths, is Christ. And where Christ is, the Enemy doesn’t stand a chance.

Satan uses good things- even godly things- to draw us away from intimacy with our Savior. He replaces the Creator with things created, and thus robs us of the lasting joy that God’s Presence offers. He uses this strategy to do what he always does: make us question 1) God’s goodness and 2) our identity in Christ. We are not the first victims of this crafty scheme. No, we have many a predecessor, one of them being Jesus Himself. If we look at Matthew 4, we see that Satan tempts Jesus not with bad things, but with good and even truthful things. He uses bread, God’s own Word, and the glory of the earth in attempts to pull Jesus’ attention away from His Father. Jesus, however, remembers the Lord’s promises and rebukes the Enemy by saying, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only you shall serve.’” (Matt. 4:1-11)

We would be wise to follow in Jesus’ footsteps. He is not enchanted by Satan’s offers, for his eyes are set on a Prize far greater than anything this life contains. Not even the wonders of the world could shake His confidence in the Lord.

In the same way, we must be careful to remember that while this world offers some great things, even Christ-centered things, they are nothing in comparison to Christ Himself. We can get all the advice, read all the literature, follow all the rules we want to, but until we learn to rest in the foundational truths of God’s goodness and our identity in Him, the do’s and don’t’s will get us nowhere. We must remember who it was Jesus most condemned- not the prostitutes, the tax collectors, or the wayward sons and daughters. No, Jesus’ ministry was against the righteous, the religious, the rule followers, and the ‘good’ elder sons.

So, what of the rules? Are we to do away with all of them? No, I don’t think so. For even Jesus Himself said that He came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. Rules and guidelines are good, helpful tools that can steer us in a godly direction. Psalm 19:7-11 says,

“The law of the Lord is perfect,

reviving the soul;

the testimony of the Lord is sure,

making wise the simple;

the precepts of the Lord are right,

rejoicing the heart;

the commandment of the Lord is pure,

enlightening the eyes,

the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;

the rules of the Lord are true,

and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold,

even much fine gold;

sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.

Moreover by them is your servant warned;

in keeping them there is great reward.”  

As we look at these verses, we see that the rules are not merely statutes to be kept; they serve as healing and rejuvenation of the heart. They are reminders of the goodness of the Lord and the confidence we can have in Him. Notice the passage never says, “Do what God says and you’ll get what you want”; His rules are not simply a roadmap to happiness. These truths promise something far greater: wisdom, joy, enlightenment, and satisfaction of the soul. In keeping them, there is great reward. This reward isn’t the perfect dating relationship or any other thing we may want in this life, but rather the Lord Himself. When God tells us that by delighting in Him we will get the desires of our heart, He doesn’t mean we can manipulate Him through obedience. Like the elder brother in Luke 15, our attempts to earn God’s “stuff” through “goodness” simply won’t work. Psalm 51:16-17 emphasizes this point,

“For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it…

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

It’s not our good deeds that our Father cares about. He places far more importance on our willingness to serve Him for who He is, not for what He can give us.

With this in mind, I don’t believe the Lord wants us to be crippled under the pressure of the romanticized Christian “pursuit.” For freedom He has set us free, not that we should be enslaved again- to sinfulness or goodness (Gal. 5:1). I don’t think He desires that we be dictated by a list of dating do’s and don’t’s that will inevitably leave us weary and frustrated. Jesus promises that His yoke will be easy and His burden light. Why would He then ask us to carry the weight of legalism? Why would He then expect us to meet an impossibly high standard that He’s already met for us? Why would He beg us to be still and know that He is God if He would rather us strive for perfection? Rather, He desires that we simply to rest in the knowledge of Him, knowing that He will guide us and help us, as in fact He “has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.” (2 Peter 1:3)

So now I am led to the same conclusion with which I finished my last post. Relying on our own relationship know-how just won’t work, no matter how strong our faith may be. Books and sermons and wise counsel are wonderful things, as long as they continually point us back to Christ.  Knowledge is beneficial, but we “elder sons” must remember that we will never be able to abandon the basics of Christianity in exchange for more “mature” truths. Those of us waiting for our “Boaz” need just as much instruction and grace as those seeking fulfillment from the hope that he’ll “call me, maybe.” Without a deep and intimate relationship with our Savior, both the righteous and the unrighteous are exactly where they don’t want to be- alone. 

 “And I, when I came to you, brothers and sisters, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” 1 Corinthians 2:1-2