Bits & Pieces (1/27/11)

January 27, 2012 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

 

 

  • Family Facts #1 - Joe Carter reports on research that reveals the association between holding to the spiritual significance of marriage and marriage quality.

 

 

  • Just Keep Going – Kevin DeYoung reminds us of the call to persevere and relates how doing so, brought about the end of slavery in England.

 

  • Success and Jesus – Ray Ortlund reminds us that “success” for the Christian looks different than we might anticipate.

Only A Whisper

January 27, 2012 in Hope with 0 Comments

I’ve longed been fascinated by the quietness of God. Perhaps it’s because of the hectic life that I tend to lead, but passages that remind me that God often chooses to speak, not in shouts of proclamation, but in whispers of direction encourage me to to quiet myself, in order that I may hear from Him (See I Kings 19:12, Isaiah 30:21)

However,  Job 26 recently reminded me that God may not be as “quiet” as I tend to think. After all, the Earth is a display of God’s greatness. He places the world in orbit, causes the sun and moon to rise, stirs up waves and cause them to crash. By His hand,  seasons are brought forth. These things and more scream of God’s majesty and splendor. They loudly tell of His greatness and might. They shout of His excellence. They boldly proclaim the goodness of our King.

Yet, they are only a whisper of Him (Job 26:14). They are but a trifle of what He can do. Creating the Earth wasn’t a stretch for God – it was something He accomplished with a word. What we rightly see as a magnificent display of God’s greatness, is only a small reflection of the power that He holds. The Earth isn’t His magnum opus; it was a project that He accomplished in just 6 days.

It’s important to quiet ourselves in order to listen to God. Yet at the same time, we need to recognize that His Creation is constantly telling the story of His greatness. And what we view as a loud proclamation of His majesty, is only a whisper from the perspective of Heaven.

Bits & Pieces (1/26/11)

January 26, 2012 in Uncategorized with 3 Comments

 

 

 

  • My New Problem with Rap Music - I thought this was both insightful and convicting. Jon Acuff reflects on making sure we read the rest of I Cor. 10:23

 

 

A Daily Renewal

January 26, 2012 in Relationships with 2 Comments

Earlier this week musician Seal and his supermodel wife, Heidi Klum announced that they were separating. Among the many things that the couple are noted for, one of them was their practice to renew their wedding vows on their anniversary. Each year they would choose a different location and, with their children in tow, recommit themselves to each other. They were so noted for this practice that other celebrities followed suit, giving credit to Seal and Heidi for the idea.

While I don’t know the reasons for the couple’s decision, I was struck by the fact that two people who annually commit to share their lives together would decide to separate. For a lot of couples it seems that their decision to end their marriage (or at least to live separately from their spouse) is a result of a slow deterioration in the relationship. One would be tempted to think that an annual vow renewal would prevent such an erosion. Then I realized that it was a foolish thought. An annual vow renewal is not nearly frequent enough. Instead, it needs to happen each and every day.

Now before you think I am suggesting an elaborate ceremony each day, I’m not. What I am suggesting however, is that just like we must daily die to our selves to pick up our cross and follow Jesus, we must daily remind ourselves of the commitment that we made to our spouse. Daily we must choose to sacrifice “me” for the sake of “us.” Daily would must commit ourselves to demonstrating love, even, maybe especially, when the other person isn’t lovely. Daily we must say “for better or worse; ’til death do us part.”

On your wedding day it’s easy to see only the best in the person that you are marrying. They are (usually) dressed in their snazziest clothes and you are reminded of all the reasons that you agreed to pledge your life to this person. Later on, in the grit and grime of daily life, that image can fade. Yet it’s in the most moments that your vows become most important. It’s in those moments that your promises hold weight.

An annual vow renewal is a nice idea – and I suppose it’s a memorable way to celebrate your anniversary. However, more marriages would be better served by a daily vow renewal – not one of ceremonial proportions but a daily commitment to live out the promises that were made on their wedding day. And if we fail at keeping them perfectly one day, to quickly forgive ourselves and our spouse, and vow to keep them when the sun rises next.  Til death parts us.

Bits & Pieces (1/25/12)

January 25, 2012 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

 

 

  • The Humanity of Christ Matters - Dr. Russell Moore asks the question “Did Jesus ever have the stomach flu?” and reminds that how we respond to this question demonstrates a critical point of our theology.

 

  • Tim Tebow’s Rabbit Foot – Shaun Groves reminds us that we can’t think of our faith as many pundits indicate that we do – like it’s a good luck charm and nothing more.

 

  • When Good Isn’t Good Enough  – Collin Hansen provides a more thorough treatment on a subject discussed here on Sunday and reminds us to ask whether there are things in our life left undone.

 

  • Nuance is Necessary - “Christians must be careful thinkers” and Kevin DeYoung explains what that means, practically.

Holding On

January 25, 2012 in Growth with 0 Comments

In the waves and shifts of life, sometimes it can be hard to remain steadfast. We think we’re heading one way, things changed and we’re knocked off balance. What we thought we knew for certain, now comes into question. The direction we thought we were heading becomes unclear.

When this happens, we’re tempted to revert to the things we know. For the Christian, this can mean their old way of living before they repented and put their faith in Christ. The things that were once familiar can become enticing again. We can cling to the patterns of live and behavior that helped us get through tough times before.

We usually think of sin as something that we do, not something that we have possession of. Yet, Colossians 3:8 states that we can put these things (anger, wrath, slander and obscene talk) away. Through the grace of God, He enables us to let go of these things that previously defined our lives (See Col. 3:7) And by His power, we can cling to Him instead.

Walking down the path that’s familiar seems comforting; we know what to expect and we know how to navigate the circumstances. Yet, when it comes to the pattern of our lives, God calls us to no longer walk in the former ways, because they no longer define our lives. He does. And when times are trying, we must not cling to what we once knew, but instead we must hold on to Him.

Bits & Pieces (1/24/12)

January 24, 2012 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

 

  • Don’t Waste Your Infertility - A hearfelt and heart-breaking reminder for those who struggle with inferility that this season (like all seasons) is an opportunity to bring God glory.

 

 

 

 

Beating Death

January 24, 2012 in Hope with 2 Comments

When I was younger, I wrote a poem about death. If I remember correctly it was shortly after I had written another poem on the subject and my parents, sensing a theme, started to get worried. After all, why was their 15-year old daughter focused on something that was ostensibly years away? I quickly reassured them that the subject of my poems were chosen by the nature of the assignment, and that alleviated their concerns. However, I learned then, there’s rarely a good time to write about death. It’s not something that people want to hear about, unless of course, they’re dying. In our youth-focused, age-repugnant culture, we want to avoid any mention of when our lives will end.

However, neither my parents’ concern or people’s lack of response has stopped me from writing about the end of this life, primarily because for me, as for fellow believers, it’s more than the end of life on Earth, it’s the start of life in Heaven. This looking-forwardness is appropriate because what this life has to offer is only temporary and transient. Even when things are going well, we know that things can just as quickly turn badly. For those who have repented of their sins and placed their trust in God, death isn’t a the final farewell, it’s a welcomed Homecoming.

I was reminded of this when, several months ago, I read a tweet by Louie Giglio who was remembering the life of a young man who had passed away the previous year. Louie wrote that, on that day, one year ago, John Evans had “triumphantly beat sickness and death to kneel at the feet of Jesus.” We rarely think of death in such terms, but for the believer, that’s exactly what it is. When we die, we don’t succumb to whatever ended our earthly life, we have overcome it, in order to enter the arms of Jesus. Death isn’t defeat but triumph. The disease, or the catastrophe, or old age hasn’t won; instead we have victory – bought for us on a cross at Calvary thousands of years ago, demonstrated by our Savior’s resurrection from the grave, and fully ours when we lay before Him all our crowns in order to worship at His feet. Death may feel like the end, but for the believer, it is the beginning of truly living.

And even if people don’t like to talk about it, that’s something worth sharing.

Bits & Pieces (1/23/12)

January 23, 2012 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

  • A Theology of Play - What does the Bible say about play and leisure? Is it true that Christians don’t want anyone to have fun? Some interesting thoughts to kick off your work week.
  • The Thud of Grace - A beautiful reflection on the woman who was caught in sin and what it must have been like to hear the stones thud to the ground.
  • Five Things You Can Do for the Unborn – John Piper gives us practical suggestions for what we can do on behalf of the world’s most vulnerable as we acknowledge the sanctity of human life.
  • Exposing the Dark Work of Abortion – Additionally, John Piper & Desiring God provide a short, free ebook to help readers speak out in defense of the sanctity of the life of the unborn.
  • Don’t Be Afraid to Pray “Whatever It Takes” - Do you refuse to pray for patience because you don’t want the situations that produce that fruit? John Bloom encourages us to pray for what God wants for us – even if we don’t eagerly look forward to the means by which it made be made manifest in our lives.
  • Do All Jobs Have the Same Value Impact? – Matt Perman shares with Tim Challies (and his readers) whether recognizing that jobs have different economic and moral value, can we also say that they have different impact value for the Kingdom?

Promises, Promises

January 23, 2012 in Growth with 0 Comments

We go through all kinds of hoops in order to try to ensure that someone will keep the promises that they’ve made. When we’re younger, we ask them to cross their heart or “pinky swear.” As we get older, we have contracts that are signed, and hands that are raised. We do these things because we want to convey the seriousness of the matter. We want to make sure that in this instance there is a commitment to the truth.

The ironic thing is that if we can’t accept what people say without making them going through these shenanigans there’s little reason that we can believe what they say with them. It’s why Scripture commands believers to “let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes” and your ‘no’ be ‘no’” (Ja. 5;12). There shouldn’t need to be extra provisions in order to ensure that Christ followers will do what they say.

Yet I find that sometimes the commitments that Christians are most flippant about are the commitments that they’ve made before God. Perhaps because I work at a college,  it’s not unusual for me to hear about people (usually girls) who have pledged to refrain from dating for a time in order to focus on their relationship with their Savior. Almost invariably, sometime during that time period someone will express interest in them, and, if the interest is mutual, the commitment to that promise will quickly evaporate. Maybe the thought is that God couldn’t have anticipated this great person who would have come into their life, and so they feel like they should be released from that commitment.  Or maybe they feel like they weren’t really that serious about the commitment to begin with. I’m not sure. Yet from the time I was in college until now, I’ve seen it happen again and again.

It’s not just in these commitments, however, that there is an apparent disregard for the vows we make to God. We pledge that if something we desire happens, then will respond in a certain way. We swear that if we just get this one thing, we’ll never ask for anything else again. We promise to sacrifice more, love better, give more and be different, yet we often break these commitments within minutes of giving them.

I supposed it’s because we can’t see the Person that we are making our pledge to. However, it’s been helpful to me is to think of the commitments that I’ve made to God in the same way that I think of my marriage vows.  Just like my husband rightly expects exclusivity as the result of the promises I’ve made, God has the right to expect that we would keep the promises that we’ve made to Him.  I wouldn’t be able to “justify” a relationship with someone else, just like someone who is single and has committed to abstaining from relationships for a time can’t “justify” pursuing a relationship simply because their circumstances has changed. God should rightly expect that we would be committed to keeping the promises that we’ve made to Him. The fact that we can’t see Him doesn’t mean that the promises we’ve made are any less real. He expects faithfulness to our commitments just like we expect from those who make promises to us.

The easy way to address this situation is to not take vows lightly – the vows that bring you into a relationship with someone else, or the vows that you’ve made to focus on your relationship with God, or any vows that you make standing before our great and mighty King.  There will be times that you’ll be challenged to keep those vows – where the promise you’ve made doesn’t seem worth the sacrifice to keep them –   but for the Christian the commitment should be to remaining faithful; after all God has and will continue to remain faithful to us.

 

 

 

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