Faith Reflections

Continuing Our Conversion

“Conversion is a process” writes Kathleen Norris in her book Amazing Grace: a Vocabulary of Faith.  It’s a good reminder for all of us.  Frequently we think of conversion to Christ as an event.  There’s that moment when a person decides they need God’s forgiveness and that this comes through Christ’s redemptive work that was accomplished for them on the cross and that now they are to live for Him and no longer for self.  That is, indeed, often a once-and-for-all decision.

But conversion to Christ does not end at this point.  It’s only the beginning!  We keep on converting to becoming more and more like Christ, at least that’s to be the idea.  Norris writes, “In living out my conversion as a daily and lifelong process, I treasure most the example of my grandmother Totten, who dwelled in one marriage, one home, one church congregation for over sixty years.  Her faith was alive for anyone to see; her life demonstrates that conversion is no more spectacular than learning to love the people we live with and work among.” (p. 44)

Our ongoing conversion to being more and more like Jesus is going to have to happen in our ordinary day-to-day experiences, as humdrum as they might seem to be.  It will be played out among the people and in the midst of the circumstances we find ourselves today, for where else can it happen?

Norris concludes her thoughts on conversion by quoting the apostle Paul.  “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed — not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence — continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:12-13)

“Work out your salvation,” Paul says.  Of course he doesn’t mean we work to gain our salvation.  What he does mean is that once we enjoy the Lord’s salvation we commit to working it out in our day-to-day lives.  We act as if we really believe He’s acted in our lives, and continues to act in our lives!  Yes, conversion is more than a once-and-for-all event.  It’s an ongoing process.  Let’s keep converting!
Dave

Resisting Positive Change

We resist change for the better because we are more comfortable with a familiar and controlling demon than we are with an unfamiliar and beckoning angel.
Dave

Delayed Gratification of a Divine Order

I’m writing this on Wednesday morning because I’ll be in surgery for the removal of my gall bladder this afternoon (1:30). I appreciate your prayers! 

It’s rather strange preparing for surgery and hospitalization (hopefully, just one night) when I feel perfectly fine. The gall bladder’s caused me extreme pain on three occasions, however, and so needs to come out. 

This business of voluntarily subjecting myself to surgery when I feel great got me to thinking about how this is so much like our experience with the Christian walk. Following Jesus often seems to require of us that we think and act in ways that are difficult and seemingly costly. The easy way would be to follow our own whims and wishes which, often at the time, seem to be just fine, even desirable. The Lord’s teachings that we follow warn us, however, that we should know better. 

We try to teach children about the value of delayed gratification. Sometimes you have to put off what seems to be the good that is at hand for the very best which is in the distance. We call it part of growing up. This, it seems to me, is what the Lord often asks us to do. 

God frequently calls us to work hard and wait long. We, on the other hand, prefer results now, instant satisfaction and immediate gratification with a minimal of work involved. It may be something as simple as wanting to tell a person exactly what’s on our mind at the moment instead of holding our tongue and giving it some prayerful thought. It may mean we want to buy an item we really don’t need with money which we really don’t have, putting it on the credit card. It may mean fantasizing about the ideal friend, relative, co-worker, or mate instead of investing the time and effort in the relationships the Lord has put into our lives. 

Jesus is the ultimate example of seeing beyond the moment who“for the joy set before him endured the cross…” (Hebrews 12:2) Part of faith is trusting God when He says time and time again in His Word that we are to deny and resist that which would be easy to give in to and aim, instead, for His best that will take some time, effort and sacrifice. Jesus tells us, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” (Luke 9:23-24) 

The doctor says that the surgery should take care of my problem. I believe him. I’ll go through with it, though it won’t be easy. I believe Jesus even more! I want to carry through with His plans for me, though I know it won’t always be easy. You too?
Dave

“I Knew That!”

I was struck by something the apostle Paul wrote to the young preacher Timothy.  “Keep reminding them of these things.” (2 Timothy 2:14)  Young Timothy was to have a ministry of reminding!

If you listen regularly to me preach and teach, or any other preacher or teacher, you’ve probably thought to yourself partway through the presentation, or at least at the end, I knew that.

As a preacher, teacher, and writer, I’m well aware I’m not always dispensing new material.  That’s good!  My job’s not to come up with brand new material but to proclaim the best material ever put to paper, the Bible.

When someone’s new to faith much of what they hear and read is going to be new stuff.  That’s exciting.  At some point of spiritual growth, however, we discover we’re hearing and reading the same ideas over and over again.  We have a choice at this point.  We can become bored and tune it out or we can open up ourselves to deeper thinking on the familiar and greater application of that which we already know.

As a speaker and writer I try to come up with fresh ways of expressing the same old truths.  I’m OK with that.  It seems to me that God’s saying to all of us, “And I’m going to keep repeating myself until you get it right!”
Dave

More Input!

“More input!  I need more input!”  The words are from the main character in a 1986 movie called Short Circuit.  The main character was an endearing robot that had become conscious and self-aware.  He delighted in being alive and couldn’t learn enough.  He’d pick up a book and fan through the pages, absorbing the contents of the entire book within seconds, the ultimate in speed reading. 

It seems to me that we can be alive in this physical world but essentially dead to the spiritual dimension of life.  But when we make the choice to believe that there is more to life than what we can experience with our five senses, then we’re opening ourselves up to a whole new way of living.  Living with an openness to God means being open to more input, having a curiosity that grows into a desire that develops into a passion to hear from Him. 

And just how does God get through to us?  My own experience, which is no different from countless millions of others, shows me that there are five ways I can get input from God. 

Creation reveals the artistry of God, His power, His love for coming up with ways things almost always work that we call scientific law.  Creation reminds me of the creator. 

Circumstances are used of God to guide.  He opens some doors of opportunity and closes others.  He uses circumstances to teach.  We can learn so much by what happens to us.  We can grow through all circumstances if we believe we can. 

People are used of God to encourage us, to correct us, to give us advice.  He uses people to be both a good and a bad example for us.  Even the person who is resistant to God can be used of God as a positive instrument in our lives, even if the person has caused us pain. 

The Holy Spirit of God can access the very core of who we are, our soul.  He can relate to us because He can be, if we allow Him, to be in us. 

God’s Word, is what I and many others believe the Bible to be.  It’s a remarkable compilation of historical events, poetry, insights and the good news about Christ.  When it’s viewed as God’s letter to us we find it to be the ultimate way God gets through to us. 

God has never spoken to me, nor to most people, in a big, booming voice.  I suspect He does not see the need to do so, that He has many very effective ways to give us input! 

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.” (2 Corinthians 4:18)

Life’s a Journey, a Spiritual Pilgrimage

Many a great story has been all about a journey. Some have been movies such as Road Trip and National Lampoon’s Vacation. The movie, Lord of the Rings, based on the classic book by the same title, is a story of a journey to find a special ring. Many novels have been stories of a journey. I’ve even written one myself, Journey to the Emperor’s Throne. 

The Bible is filled with stories of journeys including Abraham traveling to a new place and Moses and the people of Israel traveling to the promised land. Jesus’ three years of active ministry were a time of almost constant traveling with His disciples following Him. Paul went on several extended missionary journeys. I give credit to Tony Jones in his book The Sacred Way for reminding me of all these Biblically reported journeys (p. 151). 

It’s not surprising, then, that living out the Christian faith has often been described as a journey, or a pilgrimage. It is, after all, a following after Jesus. It’s a good metaphor to use. We should never be staying where we are in our relationship to the Lord. He is always seeking to take us beyond where we now are. 

We may think we are traveling in circles most days (it’s called the daily routine) with our going through the same motions, doing the same basic things — brushing our teeth after getting up, eating, going to work, watching TV, brushing our teeth before going to bed, etc, but life is to be more than routine. It’s to be a road! We’re to be travelers, pilgrims on a journey. 

“Keep yourself a stranger and pilgrim upon the earth, to whom the affairs of this world are of no concern. Keep your heart free and lifted up to God, for here you have no abiding city.” (Thomas a’ Kempis quoted in The Sacred Way by Tony Jones, p.149) 

Even though we may find ourselves doing many of the same things each day we are to be moving forward in being more the person God wants us to be and being open to His new possibilities for us. Even when life doesn’t seem to be going well we shouldn’t allow it to set us back but, instead, choose to have it move us forward! Yes, we’re on a spiritual pilgrimage. By the grace of God we can enjoy the journey!
Dave

Church Sign Sayings

THERE IS A GOD, AND WE’RE NOT HIM!

An Eeyore or Tigger View of Life?

“Each of us must make a decision, best captured in A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh characters.  Am I a fun-loving Tigger or a sad-sack Eeyore?” So asks Randy Pausch in his Parade Magazine article (April 6, 2008).  Randy is most famous for his “Last Lecture” recorded at Carnegie Mellon University and which received millions of hits on YouTube.  He’s been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and has a short time to live but is facing his short life with joy and optimism.

His imagery of choosing between being an Eeyore or Tigger really impacted me.  Certainly for those of us who have a strong faith in a good God who is for us, we should be a Tigger when facing life and not an Eeyore.

“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure,  whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.” (Philippians 4: 8-9)  God has given us the choice of how to look at the life He’s given us.  I’ve decided I want to be a Tigger!
Dave

Prescription for Rest

Going through my mail this morning at the office, I opened a letter from Rick, one of the guys in my minister’s accountability group. It was a note to Diann and me. “Bonita and I just wanted you to know that we prayed for you today.” He included a “prescription” of a Bible verse to help us, as he put it, to “set your mind on things above…”

It was such a great prescription that I’m passing it along to you. Rick actually put the Bible reference on a “Prescription for Today” small piece of paper, like a real prescription! The verse we were to look up was Psalm 144:2. “He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge…”

Rick then scrawled the words, “Choose the description of the Lord that helps you rest right now.” I did.

How about you? Take a deep breath, relax, go over the descriptions. Use this brief moment as a time to let God speak to you. Which description of God best brings you a moment of rest right now –

“my loving God”

         “my fortress”

                   “my stronghold”

                               “my deliverer”

                                               “my shield” — ?

Why?

Now, thank Him for being THAT for you!
Dave

SeeSaw Faith

You might first think that the title of this blog entry is a negative statement, that you’re braced for me writing something critical about a person’s faith being a seeesaw faith.  Quite the opposite!

We human beings have a constant tendency to go to extremes.  We rarely achieve perfect balance in anything.  The only one who was perfectly balanced was Jesus.  The rest of us are in a constant state of adjusting from one extreme to another, from one focus to another focus.  It’s probably just as well that children learn to play on a seesaw because they’re going to be coping with a seesaw existence for as long as they live!

When it comes to our faith we need to recognize that we also go to extremes.  This is why there’s so much misunderstanding, even among Christians.  We have a hard time seeing the good or value in someone else’s ideas or experiences.

I have a goal to do serious reading in different “camps” of Christianity.  For instance, right now in my briefcase I have two books I’m reading.  One is The Sacred Way by Tony Jones, which focuses on the classic spiritual practices such as meditation, sacred reading, walking the labyrinth, spiritual direction, etc.  The other is Beyond Opinion by Ravi Zacharias, a book that is an in-depth apologetic of the Christian faith with intellectual arguments for the existence of God, the uniqueness of Jesus Christ, etc.  Very different books!  I’m enjoying reading both!  I’ve decided that, as I get older, I don’t want to get stuck in ruts of thinking.  I want to stay young, on the seesaw of faith!

(The photo is of our granddaugher Ruth enjoying her seesaw!)
Dave