New Thoughts (6/18/02-6/20/02)
Last night, in our home group, we were discussing the issue of building up our self-image by belittling those around us. This we are forbidden, because it harms those we are belittling. Here, though, is the other side of the coin. We cannot seek self-approval by discrediting our fellows, but neither can we seek their approval when they are such as dishonor God. Every sin is a reproach to God. By corollary, every reproach to God, every dishonoring of Him, is a sin. What business can God's children have with the approval of those who disapprove of our Father? There is only One whose approval we must seek, Him who made us. His opinion of us alone matters. He has told us how He expects us to live our days, and He has also told us that if we will do these things not only will He approve of our actions, but also our fellow men will approve. A righteous life cannot be denied. It may well bring persecution, but it's righteousness cannot be denied.
In this particular passage, Paul is urging us, in the pursuit of that righteousness of life, to be willing to set aside the possible in deference to those whom our actions might offend. He is not suggesting that we should abandon our attempts at righteous living because it offends somebody. Again, our purpose cannot be to gain the approval of sinful man. However, we can certainly control ourselves when we know that our fellow pursuer of righteousness is perhaps not as far down the road, and might consider some of the things we know to be acceptable to be unacceptable. This is unnatural for us. We want to do what we want to do. We easily lose patience with those who can't understand the places we've reached. Oh, but impatience is the destroyer of hope. If it does not destroy our own, it will doubtless destroy the hope of him with whom our patience is lost.
Matthew Henry offers an exercise for us to pursue, so that we will be the more ready, willing, and able when we must restrain ourselves out of love for a brother. He learned this exercise from Jesus' own teaching. The exercise consists of practicing denial on ourselves. Self-denial is the one activity that can make it easier for us to deny ourselves. If we will work on that ability when nobody is requiring it of us, we will find it much easier when the situation does demand it. We will find that we have developed patience in those places of subduing the flesh. We will find that we can take the blocking of our desires with grace. We will doubtless find that the strength is not in us to accomplish this great feat. The strength is found in God alone. In Him alone are we enabled to comply with His call upon our lives.
Here, too, advance practice times can help to prepare us. If God calls us to suffering, if He calls us to a loss of worldly things, will we be ready? Will we be willing? If we have become accustomed to never denying ourselves our slightest desire, we're going to be in trouble when the time of sacrifice comes. If we have, on the other hand, been practicing self-restraint, self-denial, self-sacrifice, then we'll be found ready at His call, whatever He may call us to. Paul knew this practice intimately. Look at his comment from the passage in 2Corinthians 1. Here, he points out that he sentenced himself to death so as to stop trusting in his own strength. He considered himself as already a dead man so that his trust would be placed in God alone. In this, he was training his mind and body to a belief in the reality of the situation. His mind and body were not going to accomplish anything in their own power. Unless God powers the endeavor, unless God wills the ministry, nothing is going to come of it. The works of the flesh must fail.
Again, our hope requires patience. If our patience fails, our hope fails with it. If we would demand immediate results of our prayers, we're in trouble. First and foremost, to demand such immediate action is to presume upon our right to pray, to forget our relationship to God, to forget His holiness. Secondly, such a demand presumes the right to dictate the terms of the answer, as though we were able to out-think the all-wise God. Patience is a requirement of holy living, not only for this reason, but because the things God calls us to will often require endurance, perseverance. The impatient cannot persist in the course they have charted. The first resistance that comes their way will push them off course.
But where do we find the power to be patient amidst the storm? Paul tells us it is to be found in the encouragement of Scripture - in the paraklesis of Scripture. This speaks so loudly to me! We have been sent a Comforter, a Paraklete, in the Holy Spirit. He is the Holy Spirit of Scripture, imparting to our minds the understanding of what is written, revealing to our soul that which God has declared in His Word. This speaks also to the holiness of Scripture, for it was written as the Paraklete spoke to men, written for the express purpose of teaching those whom God has called, of being a comfort to them in their times of trial. Jesus came as the express Word of God, the living Word, filled with that same Holy Spirit who fills the Scriptures, the written Word of God. These are so intertwined that indeed, His written Word is a living Word, it is Words of life to those whom He has called His own.
Where else, then, shall we turn when we need support? Where else need we look for comfort amidst our sorrows? He has give us the Scripture and the Spirit to comfort us. Ours is to take what He has given us, and put it to work. He has given us a well-spring of comfort, understanding, and life. But a well is of little use if we won't draw from it. We will remain as parched and distraught as ever, if we will not lower the bucket of our mind into the well of His word and draw forth from it the waters of life. We will remain parched even then, except we put that water of life to work. If all we do is stick His teachings into our mind, and then refuse to use them, we're still in sorry shape. We must put His training, His encouragement, His comforting words to action. We must take His instructions in righteous living, and live by them. We must take His words of life, and live by them, or we will remain no more than highly intellectual dead men.
I would like to pursue just a few examples of this strengthening, edifying, instructing work of the Word. Among the many things God teaches us in Scripture, He has addressed the nature of His Church, what it's purpose is to be. In Ephesians 4:12, God tells us that the Church is intended to build up and equip believers. Isn't that interesting. The primary purpose of the Church is not to bring in the lost, so as to convert them, but to prepare the believer to go out among the lost and convert them, so that they can come in. An acquaintance of mine had brought this thought up in conversation recently, and I thought that his view was most incorrect. Certainly, that's where Puritan thought had led the Church, but in this enlightened age, we understood better, right? But Scripture appears to stand in support of this gentleman and the older viewpoint of the Puritans. There is to be a degree of exclusivity in the Church. It is in some fashion a clique, just not a clique that refuses to hear of any additions to its ranks, but rather seeks to see its ranks swell.
Another place where the Church of today seems to have wandered from the true course in many instances is shown to us in 1Corinthians 14:26. There, we are told that each member of the Church has something to offer the Church. The list of offerings noted there makes clear that these are offerings expected during the normal fellowship of the Church, for he writes of songs, words, and teachings. There are many things to notice about this particular passage. First, and perhaps most critical for today, the service of the Church is not a spectator event, it is participatory. We are being equipped, as we saw in the last verse we looked at, and part of the purpose of that equipping is that we can then go on to equip others. We're all called to be active players. Nobody stays on the bench in God's service.
There's a second aspect of this particular verse that I really love. There is not one member of the Church body who does not have something to offer that will contribute to my own growth! Here, the verse is addressing much the same topic as the present passage in Romans. The weakest member of the church body is yet capable of teaching me something. The strongest member of the church is not so far beyond me that I cannot learn a thing from him. We are all there for the same purpose, to grow and to help those with us to grow. This also ties together with our home study on the commandment not to murder. For if we are not to murder, we are to preserve life. And, if the prohibition against murder extends to calling our neighbor a fool, then the commandment to preserve life extends to doing all we can to strengthen that life, especially the life of the soul. This is what equipping is about. This is what the equipping is for.
Strength is given us, whatever our strength may be, to support those who are weak in that area. Not all of us are great singers. Those who are, ought not only to sing out to their utmost in the praise of our God, but ought also to be training up the weak singers to strengthen them. Those of us who have strong habits in study, who are blessed with an ability to dig out the truths of God's word, should not only be giving out freely of what we have found and learned, but should also be teaching others how to dig for themselves. The greatest service lies not in doing for others but in enabling them to do for themselves. This does not preclude doing for them, but there is yet a greater way.
The last verse I want to consider is 1Thessalonians 1:4. Know, be certain, that you are indeed God's beloved, that He has chosen you. What an incredible encouragement this verse is! Paul told us that Scripture was written for our encouragement, to bolster our hope, and what can make our hope more certain than to know that God Himself has chosen! We did not choose Him. If we had, fickle men that we are, we might just as easily choose against Him in a week's time. No, He has chosen, and He is not a man that He should change. His choices are eternal. His choices are backed by His omnipotent power. His choices are made in His omniscient wisdom. What He has chosen, He knows how best to accomplish, and He can and will do it. He, who knows best, has the ability, and wills as He will, has chosen you. He has chosen to know you as His beloved. What a great and certain hope we have in this knowledge. We know it! We know it with certainty! What trial can disturb our peace, when we get it engrained within our heart and mind that this is the truth, that the awesome and almighty God has already decreed that we will be with Him in eternity! Who can take us from His hand? Nobody! Nothing! Truly, He is our peace.
Lord, how I have needed that reminder of late. How I have needed to know that my strength means nothing in the long run, that it's Your strength by which I stand, and by which I will stand. How I have needed the peace of knowing that You are in control, that You are not unaware of our circumstances in this life, but are orchestrating every situation of our every day. How hard it is, Lord, to keep this in mind in the midst of things, but I know You can recall it to my thoughts. Help me, my Lord, to dwell in this truth, to rest in this great comfort and assurance. Everything is in Your hands. Where better could my circumstance be? Indeed, You will work all things for good. All things. You are wonderful, my God. You never cease to astound me with Your goodness, with Your infinite wisdom, with Your gentleness and mercy. May I never, my God, ever, grow over comfortable with You. May I never take for granted all You do on a daily basis to keep me from my own foolishness. May I learn to walk in Your ways, even in the workplace, even on the highway, everywhere and in every moment.
