True Humility

What happens when all is said and done, when no one else is looking, and God is the only one left to see your heart? Do we put on a show for Him, like we try to for everyone else - saying all the right words, doing all the things we are supposed to do - and wait for God to say, "Well, done, Jennifer, you are certainly a humble servant," as we then bask in our own pride for being humble? Somehow, I do not think this is the standard Christ calls us to when He says in Matthew 5, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." (5)

God's call for us to be humble is far above what the world thinks humility is. On one hand, the world does not treat humility (even in the wrong sense of the word) as something to be desired. According to the world, those who are humble will never succeed in life because they are never agressive enough to make something happen. On the other hand, when the world does recognize humility as a desireable trait, it is usually a fake humility that even the most proud person can pass off on others. This happens when people appear to "pass" on credit "due" them by saying, "It was really nothing" or "You would have done the same for me" when questioned about a particular action.
However, while we may outwardly say that to people, on the inside we're really thinking, "Well it's about time you noticed something I did, because I certainly didn't do this NOT to get some recognition for it!" Some people will say this aloud, and on one hand, at least they are telling the world the truth about what they think, instead of trying to disguise their motives by hiding behind a fake humility like the rest of us.

So how are we to be humble in a world that doesn't even know what true humility is? Let us look to Christ, the perfect example of humility embodied for us in the Gospels. Often we think being humble means not talking much, not insisting on our own opinions, and not taking a stand for ourselves, but that is actually the exact opposite of what Jesus, the perfect humble man, did on earth. Not only did he speak a lot about the truth of God, but He most certainly insisted everyone believe Him, and stood entirely against the Jewish Pharisaical concept of humbleness. He called the Pharisees "whitewashed tombs" exactly for the reason that they gave the appearance of holiness and humility while having dead, rotting hearts, set only on themselves!

Now that isn't exactly our idea of what it means to be humble, but really it should be - Jesus spoke the truth and had nothing to gain for it -- Actually, he had everything (in the material sense of the word) to lose! Remember, the Pharisees didn't really like Him as it was, much less after He calls them rotting tombstones. Yet Jesus did not speak to gain recognition for His actions - He spoke because the Pharisees offended God by their appearance of holiness, and the Jewish people needed to see that their way was not God's way.

So before we think we are humble, consider Christ's words in Matthew 23:
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence...First cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also... You are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." (25-28)

Trusting God

What an idea..."Trusting God". Do I even have any clue what that encompasses? I say I trust God, but really I think it is more trusting in myself to get things done. Then, when they do get done, I congratulate myself on a job well done, and of course throw up some haphazard thanks to God for helping me (if I remember). ..."Helping" me? He's basically doing it for me, and I just happen to be following His direction, if it happens to be the same direction I'm going! Only by the grace of God does anything get resolved in life. And yet whom do I place my trust in? Myself. [Yeah, that makes sense...riiiiight]
So what exactly does trusting in God mean? Well, for starters, it means that when we have no idea where life is taking us, we can have comfort in the fact that God has a plan and a purpose for us that are better than we could ever put into place ourself. It also means that not only do we need to trust God with those things that are out of our hands, but also trust God with the things that are IN our hands! (That's the hard part!) So whenever we have to make a decision, we need to look to our Guide for direction, and then actually follow where He leads us, in full knowledge that HE knows what He's doing (we don't!).
In the end, life becomes so much happier - we stop worrying about things we can't control (big relief!), and we stop worrying about things we CAN control, because we trust God's Word and direction to lead us in making the right decision. Wow! What a relief! If only it were as easy as I say it is, right? :) Well, it is - Just look what God himself tells us ---

"Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more precious than they? ...Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin...Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ...Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." -- Matthew 6:25-34

More thoughts on Passion

As I think about the whole idea of having a passion in life, it continues to astound me how easily we are distracted by our other "passions". Whether they are for work or play, though they may be good things to do, they still must be subordinate to our first passion, or love, for Christ. It may be that we have these good passions because we love Christ, but they must not become more important than Him, or they will cease to be good and instead become idols. The fine line every person must learn to define is when a passion becomes an idol.
Good questions to ask are, "Does this passion of mine draw me closer to Christ or farther from Him?" "Does this passion cause me to think about myself or it more, and Christ less?" "Is my life, thoughts, time and energy directed towards this passion more than Christ?" Passions can very easily turn into idols, especially under the disguise of being "spiritual" passions. May we be discerning in evaluating our loves and likes, and learn to focus on our true passion - Christ.

God's Call to Holiness

How many times a day do we think about what we want to do? Well, I'd have to say pretty much 24/7. I mean, when don't we think about what we want to do? If we don't think about ourselves, chances are we're trying to please someone else, and usually that someone else isn't God. But amazingly enough, God calls us to think about and pursue what He has commanded above EVERYTHING else. And just what has God commanded and demanded of us? Holiness.

Wow - so basically, when I'm thinking about everything I need to do for this reason and that, and when I'm rationalizing my actions because I think my own desires are more important than God's commands, God says, "What?! You think you know better than the Creator of the Universe? You think that anything you could think of would be better than doing exactly what I have told you? How much you have to learn!" (Actually, God wouldn't be surprised, because that man-centered attitude is typical of me and everyone else who calls himself human.)

Of course I have much to learn! So I must continue to press on toward the goal - not towards life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, but towards God's perfect standard of holiness. Though I know I will never reach it in this lifetime, I am still expected to move towards it with all my strength, which I have only through Christ Jesus. May Christ strengthen each of you who seek to move towards holiness, further from the old man, and closer to the new.

Recovering a View of the Cross

How often do we ponder why the cross was necessary? Do we ever think about how it was our sins that put Him there? That even if we only sinned once, it was enough to cause Him to face death and the abandonment of God?
My guess is, you, like I, do not always take the time to ponder the significance of the cross. Though it is an essential doctrine of faith, it is often not brought home to us as individuals. Often it is construed as Jesus dying for the sins of His people, which is entirely true, but it takes away from the essential message of Jesus dying for our own sins of gossip, idolatry, meanness, envy and lust. And even if we had mastered living an outwardly pure life, how often would we be convicted, tried, and found guilty by God of having an impure thought life? Equally sinful are our thoughts, words and deeds.
C.J.Mahaney makes an excellent point in his book, Living the Cross-Centered Life, that each of us were part of the spiritual 'crowd' that yelled, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" when Pilate offered to free Him over Barabbas.
Each day we make His death necessary, and each day we must realize the abundant mercy of God towards us, His children, in sending His own son, part of Him, to die and face ultimate judgement in separation from God, because He considered us as His own sons. Praise God for His amazing act of mercy and grace towards us!

We may try to wash our hands of responsibility like Pilate,

but our attempt will be futile, as futile as his.

For there is blood on our hands.

John Stott

De-sensitizing our Conscience: The Nature of Sin

"If our feelings could be trusted - if we felt good every time we did something good, and felt bad every time we did something bad - we would need neither biblical guidelines of right behavior nor a community to help hold us accountable to those biblical standards. In other words, if we felt lousy every time we sinned, there would be a lot less sinning in the world, And if we felt great every time we did something good and worthy and true, there would be a lot more prayer and giving of charity." -- Lauren Winner, Real Sex

How many times, I wonder, do we come before God to pray, and sinfully think, "I don't really feel bad about anything, so I guess I haven't done anything that wrong. Sure, I've messed up somehow, and I'll ask God for some blanket forgiveness (which supposedly covers everything I don't think of confessing), but there's really nothing that I feel will impair my relationship with God. I mean, if I don't think it's that bad, why would He?"
Hmmmm, lets think about that for one moment---yup, I think the answer would have to be, "Well, because He happens to be God - that all-knowing, perfect being who requires us to live up to His holy standard of perfection - and beyond that, can we, even for one moment, pretend to think that we have a conscience that convicts us of our sin to the extent that we would feel all sin to be wrong?"
The sad fact of life is, because we are sinful human beings, we won't feel bad about every sin we commit, or even realize that we are committing sin. That is just one of the reasons why WE don't determine what is right or wrong, and why the idiom, "If it feels good, do it." doesn't work. What we have to come back to is what God says is right - which is found in one place - His Word (the Bible!). So, perhaps the saying, "Let your conscience be your guide" isn't the best advice in the world - instead, "Let the Bible be your guide", or, as the Psalms better put it,
"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." (119:105)

"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividion of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." -- Hebrews 4:12-13

Things to Think About...

While reading Josh Harris's "Stop Dating the Church", I was caught once again thinking, "How much more passionate are we about the things of this world than the things of God?" I can start the long list of things that are in my top priorities, and I wonder how often I squeeze God out so I can make room for them?
John Stott said, "If the church is central to God's purpose as seen in both history and the gospel, it must surely also be central to our lives. How can we take lightly what God takes so seriously? How dare we push to the circumference what God has placed at the center?" Thinking about that in relationship to our priorities, but also with respect to how we worship God in His house, how can we know what God desires and expects of us except through His Holy Word? Will we choose to dictate to God how we will run our lives and how we will worship Him? Who are we to say this to God, who has created us and formed our innermost being?
The next time we want to push God out so we can fit our activities in, we should ask ourselves, "Do I live for myself, or for Christ Jesus, my LORD and Savior?"

Thinking Before You Speak

Ever wonder what it was like before the fall, when all communication was perfect, honoring to God, and free from evil motives? Can you imagine being in perfect communion with God, coming to Him without caring about your own interests, but instead fully intending to glorify Him and advance His purpose? How wonderful and awesome it must have been for Eve to be able to talk to her husband, Adam, and for him to be able to understand her, because both of their objectives were to obey and glorify God!

When we realize that most of our communication struggles come from the sin in our own hearts, it makes a big difference in how we think about people. When we finally see that our own sinful motives and desires are both keeping us from saying what we need to and causing us to say what we should not, we would take extra care in saying things, and perhaps would not be nearly as outspoken as we once were.

When we complain, we speak out against God, and when we get angry with another, we are angry at God for not giving us what we think we deserve - which in fact is death! Praise be to God that He does NOT give us what we deserve!

Some closing verses to dwell on:
When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise. Prov. 10:19
A fool finds no pleasure in understanding, but delights in airing his own opinions. Prov. 18:2

Identity (Found in ourselves, others, or Christ?)

Who am I? How do I think of myself? Oftentimes, young adults and adults alike define themselves by their "marital status" - single, dating, courting, engaged, or married. That might be the first thing they think about in describing themselves, or the last thing they think about before going to bed, but (thankfully) God doesn't view that as the most important characteristic in our lives, and it certainly isn't something that we are judged by.

There are many "titles" (Dr, Mr, Mrs, Miss) or descriptions (brother, sister, son, daughter, boyfriend, girlfriend) that may or may not apply to us, but these are all only in submission to the most important descriptor of our life - that of being a Christian. Being single describes me only after my being a Christian and a woman, for while salvation and gender do not change, status can change several times throughout life. Thus, it should also not define our life, but instead be an aspect of, or, as Paul calls it, a gift.

As we know, all gifts come from God, and have a purpose, whether or not we know what that purpose is. So, all we can say for certain is if we are single, it is because it is God's will for us Right Now. Now, I know that I have heard (and perhaps, at times, myself thought) that "God will not give us a spouse until we are content with being single". While it is certainly important for us to be content with our position in life, thankfully God doesn't base His gifts to us on our work of being content - singleness and marriage are both gifts, not obtained from our own works.

In much the same way, our usefulness in the church is not contingent on our marital status either (isn't that a relief?!) - each of us, as part of the body of Christ (married or single) has a unique and important purpose, that is shown in how we serve God. That said, we should be diligently at work in the church, serving others, seeking God's plan for our lives (while we may be waiting for God's man for our life) by being active in His kingdom.

One other thing that is helpful to keep in mind is this: we don't know all the circumstances! Because we have no idea what the next year, day, or even hour will bring, we must trust and have faith that God knows best; and, that perhaps He is trying to teach us something even greater by not sending us a spouse at this point in our life. We must not expect Him to work by our own time table, and remember that God's "silence" in this area is not necessarily "No" - it may be a "Wait on Me, Trust Me, that I have your best interests in mind". Would God withold blessings from His precious children without good (perfect, actually) reason?

In closing, here is something that C.J. Mahaney said that really stuck with me:
"Your greatest need is not a spouse. Your greatest need is to be delivered from the wrath of God - and that has already been accomplished for you through the death and resurrection of Christ So why doubt that God will provide a much, much lesser need? Trust His sovereignty, trust His wisdom, trust His love."

- Written in reflection of Carolyn McCulley's chapter "Sex and the Single Woman", taken from Sex and the Supremacy of Christ, edited by John Piper & Justin Taylor

"As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." - 1 Peter 4:10

About the Name - Pure Passion

Inspired partly by a favorite book of mine, Elizabeth Elliot's Passion and Purity, this is also something I strive for in my life. Looking at those two words individually, here's what I found:

pure: (adj.) 1. Free from adulterants or impurities 2. Free of dirt, defilement, or pollution 3. Having no faults; sinless
passion: (n.) 1. Boundless enthusiasm 2. A powerful emotion, such as love or joy 3. The suffering of Jesus at the crucifixion

Putting those two words together, having a "holy desire", shows that which I must continually seek after, day in and day out. My thoughts are summarized nicely in the praise song below, as one believer speaks in earnest to his Holy God:

Give me one pure and holy passion
Give me on magnificent obsession
Give me one glorious ambition for my life
To know and follow hard after You

To know and follow hard after you
To grow as your dicsiple in your truth
This world is empty, pale, and poor
Compared to knowing you, my Lord
Lead me on and I will run after you.

How often are my desires holy and blameless before God? How often do I even desire God? Oh that I had the faith to passionately pursue God above all else, instead of my own sinful desires.

What would this world be like if the Church had this passion? Can you imagine the impact Christians could have on the world if we truly had this "pure passion" for Christ and His kingdom?

"The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the LORD, but the words of the pure are pleasant." - Proverbs 15:26

"Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God wich lives and abides forever..." - 1 Peter 1: 22-23

Do we yearn for heaven enough?

I just finished this book, "10 Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health" (I know, it sounds cheesy, and not very 'reformed', but it actually was quite insightful), and the 10th question is just that - Do we yearn for heaven? As "youth", I think I express the thoughts of most when I say that most of the time, we can't wait for the next event in our lives to happen. We live our lives in anticipation of the next 'big event' (college, marriage, kids, etc...the list goes on), and rarely do we actually anticipate 'the end' of life. Or, are we so busy anticipating the next event on earth that we almost completely forget about the glory awaiting us in heaven?

Next question - even if we do actually desire to be in heaven with Jesus, why and what exactly are we desiring? Are we seeking only to escape from our troubles here on earth? Are we looking forward so much to our 'new body' that we forget about our new pure heart? And how much are we actually desiring to dwell with God? Whitney points out that, as growing Christians, we should not only be desiring our holy hearts in heaven, but we should also be striving after holiness on earth.

What are you striving after? The grade, the paycheck, the girl/guy, fun, or something else altogether? How much effort to we put into these "earthly treasures", and yet perhaps lack motivation to... be in the Word daily? commune throughout the day with God?


Final thoughts: "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." - Colossians 3:1-4

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit." -- Psalm 51:10-12