God Works for Our Good

Romans 8:28. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

In this familiar verse, Paul reminds us that God works for our good in all things. Some things that we experience do not seem good, but God redeems them all and uses them for his good purposes. We have to remember that God sees the big picture across eternity, a perspective which is very different than our “here and now” view.

The assurance has two conditions. It is for those who love God and whom are called according to his purpose. This is not meant to be a test or some high hurdle over which we cannot jump. (Do I love God enough? Do I understand his exact purpose for my life?) Rather, it means that we are to be in a love relationship with God and surrendering our will to his.

Usually people who quote this scripture do not go on to consider the next verse, which says, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son.” This is very interesting. Our idea of good may be very different than God’s idea of good. We tend to think of good as being that which contributes to our comfort and pleasure. God’s idea of good is that our character conforms to Jesus’ character. And often it’s the tough stuff that builds character.

So we can be sure that as followers of Jesus, God works for our good. Just remember that the standard for good is Jesus!

How to Love God

John 14:21. “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.”

We have been talking about how God loves us. He gives us a full life. He saves us from the consequences of our sin – Jesus laid down his life for you and for me. He gives us spiritual gifts and talents that give meaning and joy to our lives.

So how are we to love God? Like a good parent, God simply enjoys the company of his children. We don’t need to come with a big smile and clean clothes. We can come as we are – with burdens and junk. He wants to hear about what we are going through, and he wants to comfort us. He also wants us to appreciate him, which is what praise and worship are all about. We can sing a song to him or recount his wonderful attributes.

Jesus also says that we love him by being obedient. Now this sounds a lot like the long list of dos and don’ts that we resist. But it’s so different than that. God’s commands are truly for our own good. We can all admit to taking things into our own hands and experiencing a bad result. Jesus knows what is best for us. He knows that avoiding certain things will save us from pain. He knows that doing certain things will bring us joy. So being obedient doesn’t mean abiding by someone else’s arbitrary rules. It is rather a prescription for a good life, full of love, hope, meaning and peace.

The Full Life

John 10:9-10. “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Do you think you need to be saved from something? Many people would say no, using the rationale that they are leading a pretty good life in comparison to “bad” people. Jesus says that we do need saving, and he is the person to do it. He makes it clear that the standard for needing saving is not our behavior compared to the behavior of others. Rather, if we sin – and we all do to one extent or another – there is a negative consequence that requires someone to save us. We’ll explore this more at a later time.

The particular point I want to make today is that Jesus wants us to have a full (other translations say abundant) life. His love for us and plan for our lives is rich beyond measure. Living with a sense of purpose and peace along with wonderful relationships are what this full life is all about. Sometimes we think of following Jesus as a bunch of rules to follow, many of which sound like our fun is being taken away. But God knows what will truly make us happy, what will make our lives full. All it takes is saying to God, “Your way, not my way. I yield to you.” I know this to be true because I see it in my own life. My idea of the full life was but a pale comparison to what God has shown me, and I gladly follow him!

Marriage

Mark 10:6-8. "But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one.”

Andrew and Mariah,
When a husband and wife have their first child, a million thoughts go through their minds. You fast-forward and wonder about what this child will grow up to be like. You have your own sense of what would be good for your child. But you also know that you’re not in control – you’re given a responsibility to love and train your child, and you trust that God will bring meaning and joy to your child’s life.

And so it is with mom and me, Andrew. You know that since you were born I prayed and hoped that you would go into full-time ministry. And here you are in South Africa. I always hoped that you would find a beautiful wife (as I did) who would share a strong faith with you, love you, encourage you and complement you. And here you are with Mariah. And I hoped that God would bring meaning and joy to your life. And so He has for both of you.

Mom and I joke that we are the “uni-couple” because we share so much of our lives at home, in ministry, and at work. God has given me a life partner who is a treasure of unquantifiable value. Based on my own wonderful experience with marriage, I am giddy (well, maybe filled with great joy) thinking about the wonderful life you two will have together.

May the Lord richly bless you all the days of your life together. Can’t wait to see you both in the new year!

Love,
Dad

Maybe There’s a Loving God

John 10:11. "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

This is for you who are wondering about whether you should follow Jesus. Notice I did not say join a church or adopt the Christian religion. This is about you and Jesus. We all need to understand who Jesus is (the four gospels lay this out) and then decide. Don’t make a decision based on religion or religious people, because anything man-made is imperfect. Jesus, however, is perfect. He led a sinless life, loved people deeply, cared for the poor and dispossessed, and ultimately gave his life for us.

Following Jesus is not conditioned on our good behavior. I believe that we all know deep inside that there is some pretty ugly stuff about us. It’s certainly true for me. If God is holy (we talked about this a couple of weeks ago), meaning he is perfect and awesome and hates sin, then how can he love us with all of our junk? It may be hard to comprehend, but he is both a loving and a holy God. And another thing I believe is that we long to be loved, to be understood, to be accepted, to be valued by someone. Jesus is that person – even to the point of laying down his life for us. You can believe that.

I came across a song called “Maybe There’s a Loving God” by Sara Groves that really touched me. Perhaps you can see yourself in these lyrics. http://www.rhapsody.com/saragroves

For God so loved the world (you and me) that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

More Than We Can Ask or Imagine

Ephesians 3:20-21. “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

I was thinking about this verse today because I am feeling inadequate about a task that is before me. Our church is out of space (a great problem to have!) and we are seeking God’s leading for what to do about this. The elders have asked me to head up the effort. I feel a bit like the kid with a few loaves and fishes whose lunch is supposed to feed 5000 people.

Scripture tells us that in our weakness God’s power comes though big (not a literal translation!). The verse above says that God is able to do more than we can ask for or even imagine. That simply blows me away, because I have a pretty big imagination! I can imagine a big facility that is ministering to all kinds of people who have all kinds of needs, where healing and reconciliation are occurring in the midst of great love.

Not only is God able to do even greater things, but the verse says that this happens through us. In other words, he will do mighty and miraculous things through ordinary people like you and me. Amazing.

Finally, the verse is actually a statement of praise to God, and we see that all of what God will do through us is to his glory. He deserves the credit. So I am comforted – and I hope you are as well – that God will do amazing things through you and me, despite our feelings of inadequacy. Show up with joyful hearts, a desire to love and serve, and with whatever gifts and talents we have – and God will do the rest. And to him be all the glory and honor!

All Are Equal in Christ

Galatians 3:28. “In Christ's family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal.” Followers of Jesus, especially in the organized church, don’t always get this right. Our human nature tends to classify people, and some classes are considered better than others. Scripture makes it clear that this is wrong thinking: there are to be no divisions and no hierarchies. We are equal in Christ’s family.

Scripture further describes us as God’s children and heirs to his kingdom. Even more than a good mom loves all of her children, God loves all of us. In fact he loves us so much that he was willing to allow his son Jesus to take the punishment for our sins.

So when we who follow Jesus call one another “brother” or “sister”, that’s exactly who we are in the eyes of God. I love using those terms because it’s a reminder that God isn’t interested in our divisions of people, he wants us to be one big, joy-filled, worshiping family!

So there is no higher or lower classes of people with God – he loves “the world”. God is in the business of reconciling all people to himself. As we think about followers of Jesus all over the world, of different races, genders, ethnicities, and socio-economic status – refer to them in your mind as sister and brother, for that’s who they are!

Test Everything

1 Thessalonians 5:21-22. “Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.”

A dozen words in three simple sentences. But they say a lot! First, we infer that are going to see good and evil every day. Our post-modern perspective gives lots of leeway to attitudes, beliefs, words and behaviors that are different than our own. And it is great to have an appreciation for our differences. However, scripture says that there is a line between good and evil. Every different opinion and behavior is not necessarily good, nor even okay. Some will be evil.

Which brings us to the second point: we need to make a judgment or evaluation. The common pushback to this thought is that we are not to judge others. And that is correct. God is the only judge of people, and he will judge you and me and everyone else one day. Then what are we to judge? We are to judge others’ words and actions. Paul says, “Test everything.” Measure the words and actions we encounter in our culture against the yardstick of good and evil. Is it good? Hold onto it. Is it evil? Avoid it.

Finally, we need to ask ourselves what yardstick to use. Personally, I use the yardstick of scripture, which is pretty clear on the subject. In simple terms, those words and actions that fulfill God’s two primary commandments to love him and love others are good. Those words and actions that tear down and abuse God and others are evil. So let’s not be afraid to name evil when we see it – and to avoid it.

Be Still

Psalm 46:10. “Be still and know that I am God.”
We are living in turbulent times to say the least. Rising energy prices, a soft economy, unstable foreign powers, poverty, disease, and wars abroad dominate headlines. In our own lives, we and those we love face health, job, relational, and other issues. We experience anxiety. We worry.

This is nothing new to God, nor is it a surprise. The names and dates and specifics change, but the same basic challenges to humankind persist. We want God to solve problems, especially our problems.

But God says to us, “Be still and know that I am God.” It’s not easy to be still when things aren’t going well. We tend to either put our heads down and grind toward a solution or allow anxiety to consume our thoughts. Instead, God wants us to be still – not in some idle way, but to be still in order that we might know that he is God.

When we stop what we are doing and contemplate God, he gives us perspective and peace. We remember his character – all-loving, all-knowing, and all-powerful. We remember that he sees backward and forward in time with equal clarity. We remember that he is a faithful God who works for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). We remember that in our own strength we cannot solve our big problems, and we remember that he says, “Trust me”. Not necessarily to solve every problem but rather to walk with us and guide us through life’s challenges. The best thing I can do when I am feeling overwhelmed with life’s challenges is to be still and remind myself of who God is, and once again simply say to him, “I love you and I trust you – may your will be done in my life.”

The Easy Yoke

Matthew 11:28-30. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

We love our independence. Freedom is a cherished value. And while there are many benefits that go along with freedom, there can be a downside. Paul puts his finger on that in his letter to the Galatians when he says, “do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature.” So we need to be careful that in our high regard for independence we don’t place ourselves and our self-interests above everything else, lest we think like a child who says, “I can do whatever I want – it’s a free country.”

Jesus shows us another way. He says, in effect, “Use your freedom to make an important choice – a choice to put on my yoke.” Now the idea of having a yoke around our neck like an ox is far from appealing. But voluntarily subjecting our freedom to one who loves us and knows what’s best for us starts to sound better. The fact is, we all put a yoke of one kind or another around our necks. It might be debt, or materialism, or quest for popularity, or desire to look attractive. It constrains us. We think we are free, but we’re not.

Jesus’ yoke is easy. It’s easy because he uses it to guide us toward what is best for us. His burden is easy for the same reason. I know from experience that the other yokes I’ve worn around are a lot harder than the one Jesus offers me. His fits fine and in fact feels real good.

Holy God

Isaiah 6:1-5. “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. ‘Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.’”

Last time we talked about God loving us so much that he runs to us when we turn back to him. Now we see Isaiah encountering God, and it shakes him to his core. Not exactly the warm, fuzzy father figure.

We often want to put God in a box, to say in effect, “I have God figured out.” But God is so big and so multifaceted that we cannot do that, simply because our human limitations make us incapable to fully comprehend him. But we need to try, because he wants a relationship with us and relationships mean we really get to know each other.

So one facet of God is that we need to understand is that he is holy. He is awe-inspiring. He is so perfect and great and glorious and powerful that he can easily cause us to profoundly sense our inadequacy and sinfulness. And that’s okay, because he already knows this and yet still loves us. So, like Isaiah, we confess, and we worship him as the King, the LORD Almighty.

God's Love

Luke 15:20. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” In the familiar parable of the lost son (or prodigal son), the father (God) allows his son (you and me) to exercise free will, and the son chooses to reject his father and goes on a wild living binge. Finally coming to his senses, he resolves to seek forgiveness from his father. He plans to tell his father that he is no longer worthy to be his son, and to ask for a job like the other hired hands. Upon returning to his father’s house, the son is amazed to see that his father is ecstatic, and the father promptly throws a party to celebrate his son’s return. It’s an utterly compelling message of God’s forgiveness and unconditional love.

Verse 20 touches my heart deeply. This is the God whom I want as my God. The one who knows I’ve just screwed up (again), and still loves me. The one who doesn’t even wait for a confession – he just wants me to come to him and he will run to me. The one who doesn’t look disapprovingly at my behavior, but throws his arms around me. He loves you in the same way.

Many years ago I turned back to God and experienced this love for the first time. Because I am a sinful man and tend to act independently of God, I find myself needing to turn back to him every day. And it’s not a bad deal to have the God of the universe run to me and throw his arms around me each day!