Future Grace (Guest Post)

(A few weeks ago Brooke asked Pat if she would fill in for me when I was preoccupied with many things. Here is her post. Thank you Pat!)

This past week our ladies' Bible study at Colette's finished for the summer months. We have completed the book of Acts. As I was preparing the final lesson having looked back at the obvious providential hand of God, I was reminded that none of the Apostles or Paul and his companions knew what the next 30 years would be like. We have the benefit of seeing the whole story but they didn't. We also live in a story that is part of a bigger story and we don't know what the next chapter will be.

As I prepared my study I became aware of a sense of being "downcast" in my soul. What was it that was tugging at me? I realized that I had over the last several days been allowing some anxieties to roll around in my head. Not over anything I was dealing with today but some things I might deal with... perhaps in the next 30 years. Am I confident in God's sovereignty? Absolutely! So what was happening?

The Spirit directed me to an essay by John Piper about future grace. That was where I was getting tripped up. Like the Israelites in the account of the Exodus, I was trying to gather tomorrow's manna today and it was becoming maggot infested. The lesson I still needed to be reminded of through the narrative of Acts is that living by faith means I believe the grace I need for tomorrow will be there. That is the hope that will sustain me all the remaining days of my life. When Paul was at some of his lowest times grace showed up in an angel or the Lord himself. The grace I need tomorrow may not come in such dramatic forms but it will come nonetheless.

"Why so downcast, O my soul? Put your trust in the Lord" (and in future grace).


by Pat Bowditch

Contractions of the soul

Last week I wrote about keeping Christ as our focal point during trials, just as a woman in labor uses a focal point to keep her mind off the pain of her contractions. This week I want to write about those contractions and the good that those contractions produce.

Whether you're a mom or not; whether you've birthed your children or adopted them, who doesn't love the sight of a newborn baby? Who doesn't get emotional watching a movie with a birthing scene, especially the part when that baby is placed in the mother's arms? Apart from becoming born again is there any greater miracle?

We all know this miracle comes at great cost. It is literally through blood, sweat and tears that a baby is brought into the world.

I remember eight hours into the 16 hour laboring process wondering if I could go any longer. I remember feeling like I had to give up. There was just no way I could go on, I thought. But there was no going back. If I wanted this baby (and even if I didn't) there was no way I could change my mind. That baby had to come out, and I had to endure the contractions to get it out.

I also remember when I was expecting David, at age 38 (5 1/2 years after my previous pregnancy), wondering if I'd remember how to do labor and delivery. I remember waking up at night with the irrational fear that I wouldn't be able to do it again.

But all those fears had to be laid aside and I had to remember I had a job to do. I had been called to carry and birth this life. I had to remember if God had called me to this, He would provide me with all that I would need to fulfill this calling.

Spiritual contractions are the same way.

"Life is pain, your highness. Anyone who tells you otherwise is trying to sell you something." (the man in black)

We live in a fallen world. Until Christ returns or we go to heaven we will face "many dangers, toils and snares" that bring great pain. Sometimes we cry: "how long oh Lord?" sometimes we inaudibly groan: "I can't do it any longer." Sometimes we plead in prayer for the pain to stop. But the pain doesn't stop. It may subside for a while but when it returns we wonder if we can endure it again, or remember how to get through it.

But God gives us all that we need for our spiritual contractions. Here are the verses that I have had to remember during these painful times:

"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, so we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient but the things that are unseen are eternal" (2 Cor. 4:17).

"Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified." (Romans 8:27-30),

"Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning." (Psalm 30:5).

In these verses there is something we can hang on to. When the contractions of life that squeeze our hearts are over, when trials have completed God's intended purposes, there is an eternal glory, and a joy that awaits us in heaven. And even now there is good that is being accomplished through our trials. When the contractions are over, we will weep with joy for what God has done.

How have you found these promises (or others) to help you through your trials?

When Momma Ain't Happy (Uprooting Anger 4)

Do you have a happy home? By this I mean do the members of your family generally interact with each other with love, and respectful communication? Do you realize what an important part you as the woman of the house have in this? I'm sure you've heard the phrase, "When Momma ain't happy ain't nobody happy." It's true.

How would your husband and children describe you? As an angry woman or a woman who communicates with truth and grace?

Do you build your house up with kind words or do you tear down your house with your temper?

How do you handle unmet expectations? Do you give it over to God and have all necessary conversations with the individuals involved or do you yell, rant and rave?

When you are disappointed by someone do you draw near to them with humility and grace or do you quietly stew and withdraw? Our family members feel very keenly our negative (sinful) emotions. I remember as a child feeling the distance from my mother when she was upset about something. I usually never knew what was bothering her but I always thought it was about me. Children don't like to feel emotionally separated from their mother. But if they feel it often enough, or long enough, children will eventually distance themselves from their mother. This is one of the sad consequences of sinful anger.

In his book, Uprooting Anger, Robert Jones gives us a lot of biblical help for addressing anger. Though most of the examples in the book are taken from the marriage relationship there is good news for us all. This is in no way a book on marriage. It is a book on anger - a temptation we all face. Robert D. Jones tells us there is a way to process the sins in our hearts, the sins committed against us by people and the trials that come our way that tempt us to be angry with God.

Because I am a woman and I know the temptation women (including myself) have towards anger I cannot say it strongly enough: women need to read this book!! This book is founded on biblical truth and not pop psychology. This book provides many practical helps (for example, after forty-five minutes of working on this post, I lost all my work. Having just been reminded by Mr. Jones about responding to unmet expectations in a godly way, I was helped to let it go and find comfort in God's sovereign rule over lost time.)

If you are not sure if you are an angry person, here's a challenging assignment (one which I did several years ago): Ask your husband, children, father, or roommate if they are ever afraid to tell you something for fear of your response. And if they are afraid, what are they afraid of? It could be revealing.

Whatever the answer I hope you keep reading Uprooting Anger. It may make all the difference between an angry momma and a happy momma, or a happy home and an angry home.

Know Your Enemy

Common war strategy says to know your enemy in order to be able to counter his attacks and gain victory--know his strategies, his strengths, his weaknesses. The Apostle Paul seems to assume that Christians become very familiar with their enemy--Satan (2 Corinthians 2:11)--and his methods.

We've been looking at our current RMMR verses--Ephesians 6:10-20--which give us our instructions for battle, so to speak.

There are countless ways in which Satan attacks the church, some of them are obvious, while others are more subtle. One of my college professors, Dr. Jerry Hullinger, has studied much on the topic of spiritual warfare and has listed five (of the many) ways in which Satan shoots 'fiery darts' in our direction. The following are notes taken from Dr. Hullinger's chapel message called "The Five Schemes of Satan."

Scheme 1: the lie which distorts the nature of the Christian life--no more battles, struggles, storms; thinking it abnormal to struggle with sin, go through hardships

Scheme 2: the lie of sensationalism--looking for a 'quick-fix' instead of consistently applying the first principles of spiritual health; can't seem to 'defeat' sin

Scheme 3: a series of lies which will get us, as God's children, to belittle the cross; tries to persuade us that we have committed a sin that God won't forgive (willful sin, repeated sin...); think we have to do something to merit God's forgiveness

Scheme 4: the lie that tries to persuade us that we are being short-changed in the Christian life; the original lie; exchanging the glory of God for the 'broken cisterns' of this world (Jer. 3)

Scheme 5: the slow approach (multi-year plan); Satan is content to plant seeds all throughout our lives and wait for them to germinate and grow; 'one sin doesn't matter,' 'I'm strong enough to be exposed to certain things'; nibble around the edges, develop a taste for sin

Have you ever been taken as a 'prisoner of war' by any of these schemes??? (I have--all five!)

It has proven an immense help to study Satan's strategies. I am more consistently able to recognize them when confronted by them. Satan never tires of developing new strategies so we must persevere in our battle against the wiles of the devil. And we know, we do it through Christ.

"May God help us to be ever vigilant, walking in the victory that Christ has already provided for us!" --Dr. Hullinger

No Reason to Shrink

Our RMMR memory verses for May: Ephesians 6:10-11
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

I love these verses, particularly verse 10. Finally, be strong... Before I even have time to protest that I can't or become frustrated because I can't, it says "in the Lord and in the strength of His might." This is such a benevolent command. Who but a loving Father would tell us to stand--and then knowing that we can't, gives us His own indefatigable, unassailable strength.

In the strength of the Lord's might, bedecked with the armor He has given us, we can stand firm. As John Calvin noted, "If the Lord aids us by his mighty power, we have no reason to shrink from the combat." (Commentary on Ephesians)


How has memorizing these verses blessed you this month?

The belt of truth

This month we've been looking spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6:10-20 as part of TFC's RMMR reading plan.

A couple of weekends ago, TFC's pastoral staff and wives went into New York City to see Max McLean perform Screwtape Letters. If you're not familiar with Screwtape Letters, it's a short novel written by C.S. Lewis that's sort of a sneak peak into the activities of demons via letters exchanged between one demon and his "mentor" demon.

I'd say it was good timing.

We'd been in Ephesians 6 for a couple of weeks, and here was an opportunity to take a kind of real-life dramatic look at what Paul is talking about.

The biggest thing I came away with was Paul's appropriate use of the word "schemes" in verse 11. What is clear in Screwtape Letters is that Satan is the father of lies, and his demons seek to twist and distort every thought beholden to man.

Feeling disappointed with your husband as of late? If only he would be more like those men in the soap operas or in your favorite romantic comedy, then you'd be happy.

Things been going well in your spiritual walk lately? Well, shouldn't they? Look at all the reading you've been doing, and all the times you've been to care group, and how well you pay attention on Sunday mornings.

Struggling with anger because your children haven't been on their best behavior? Of course you should be angry! You're the parent and they show you no respect, and, well, they're just gonna get it. That'll show them.

He'll use anything, even the good stuff.

So what do we do about it? Well the first weapon mentioned in Ephesians 6:14 is the belt of truth, and there's no better defense for lies than the truth. 1 Peter 1:13 says, "Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." Focusing on the truth prepares your mind to fight against the lies of the devil, whether they come from the world outside or from your inward thoughts. And, if you remember from Gayline's post on sober-mindedness,

Sober-mindedness is processing all of life through the truth of God's word. It is being able to process a response, or an answer, or an attitude, a crisis or a counseling situation with a mind ready for action. It is a mind that is poised to speak and act wisely.

Luke 12:35 and Hebrews 5:14 remind us that we must persevere in our focus on God's truth. We must "stay dressed for action" and train our powers of discernment "by constant practice to distinguish good from evil."

When we check our outward clothing in the mirror every morning, may we remember to check for our spiritual clothing, especially the belt of truth.

Looking unto Jesus

It has been a few weeks since I've posted. I've needed a break for the purpose of looking unto Jesus. I'll share more of that with you, but first I'll state that you may not at first glance see the connection of this post (and possibly a few more) to the Titus 2 passage.

I left off in Titus 2:2 where Paul tells Titus that older men and women are to be "sound in faith, in love and in steadfastness." In other words (my words) our theology and our teaching is given credence by how our faith and love are lived out when the rubber meets the road. Can those younger in years and younger in faith see that our faith passes the tests of time? Can they see us love the unlovely with Gospel love? Can they see an unshakeable devotion to God and His Truth that doesn't crumble in the storms of life?

This is what we are called upon to do and be. It isn't easy. In fact, it is impossible - in ourselves. But, God is the one who gives the gift of faith, love and steadfastness. It is God who gives us such a deep appreciation for what Christ did for us on the cross, we actually can be sound (unmoveable) in faith, love and steadfastness - even in our trials. But we must keep our eyes fixed on Christ at all times. He must be our focal point.

I'm going to try to illustrate.

For over a month I've been severely tested with a particular trial. A week ago it occurred to me how much like labor this test has felt like. I've given birth to six children, so I have a keen appreciation what laboring feels like. Though I am sure my labor experiences were not as painful or complicated as many women experience, I did experience pain!!! But here is how Tim and I labored together for the birth of our children:

Tim is 6'4" tall. I am 4' 11 3/4" short. When Tim sits in a chair and I stand in front of him we can see eye to eye. As I was laboring for the birth of our baby, I freely walked about the room but when a contraction came I would lean on Tim's shoulders, letting the weight of my womb drop in front of me, off my back and hips. Tim and I would then lock eyes and breathe our way through the pain. Tim's eyes were my focal point to get me one contraction closer to seeing our baby.

Funny thing is, we didn't plan it that way. It wasn't something we learned in childbirth classes. It just was natural for me to lean on him and to look into his eyes for my help and strength for he had proven himself to be strong, trustworthy and full of compassion.

I'll share more next week. But I'll leave you with this scripture passage. Please read it over carefully and let the richness of the truth bless your soul. And if you find yourself laboring through a trial, I pray that you, along with me, will look unto Jesus for He has in all ways proven Himself to be a strong, trustworthy, and compassionate Savior:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood (Hebrews 12:1-4).

Uprooting Anger (3)

One of my favorite passages from this book so far:

The Bible portrays us as active moral agents--made in God's image--responsible for our own behavior. We must not blame our family members, our friends, our genes, our parents, our church leaders, society, our hormones, or the devil for our anger.

Instead, as we humble ourselves before God and confess that our anger is our own, arising from idolatrous lies and lusts, we find God's forgiving, enabling grace. We must meet God, draw near to God, have dealings with God, submit to God, and bring our anger to God. We must shift our functioning faith from worthless heart-idols to God's Son. (p. 71)

What has stood out to you?

When Christ Withdraws Himself

This week Brooke blogged about the grace of God being administered to us in and through our sufferings and trials. Jenn blogged on the grace of God that enables us to look to the future with hope and expectation.

Everyone who is born of the Spirit of God experiences grace--every moment of every day for the rest of their lives (and on into eternity!).

What about when God seems farther away than the farthest star in the sky? How about when the Scriptures seem boring and the last thing on the planet you want to do is to discipline yourself in prayer--where's the grace?

A child of God feels no greater unrest or fear than when they wake up to find Christ so far away they doubt whether they ever really knew Him at all! Intimate fellowship with Christ seems such a thing of the past, the Christian questions whether he truly had such a relationship with Christ or if he just imagined it all to fill some void in his life. I've been there.

Why would the Chief Shepherd distance Himself from His precious flock if He shows only love and grace toward it?

John Owen offers insight:

Whilst we are in this life, the Lord Christ is pleased, in his sovereign wisdom, sometimes to withdraw, and, as it were, to hide himself from us. Then do our minds fall into clouds and darkness; faith is at a loss; we cannot behold his glory; yea, we may seek him, but cannot find him.

...Why does the Lord Christ, at any time, thus hide himself in his glory from the faith of believers, that they cannot behold him?

...He does it to stir us up in an eminent manner to a diligent search and inquiry after him. Woeful sloth and negligence are apt to prevail in us in our meditation on heavenly things. Though our hearts wake in a valuation of Christ, his love, and his grace, yet we sleep as to the due exercise of faith and love towards him.

...Now, he knows that those with whom he has been graciously present, who have had views of his glory, although they have not valued the mercy and privilege of it as they ought, yet can they not bear a sense of his absence and his hiding himself from them. By this, therefore, will he awake them to a diligent inquiry after him.

...Christ commits himself to us, and we ought carefully to keep his presence...But whilst we are busy here and there, while our minds are overfilled with other things, he withdraws himself, we cannot find him. But even this rebuke is a sanctified ordinance for our recovery, and his return to us. *

Christ's temporary withdrawal from a believer is a means of grace, in that it draws us closer to Him by awakening our desire and love for Him. Let us draw comfort and encouragement from this. Should you find that Christ is far away, respond in the manner His distance is intended to produce: run to Him and find solace in His presence. You will find Him rejoicing over you.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation. Psalm 51:12a

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. James 4:8

*John Owen, The Glory of Christ, Christian Focus Publications (2004), pp. 194-196.

Longing for Eternity?

If experiences in life were wells of water, then it would be safe to say that every well has a source of pollution in it. I used to think that if I just didn’t work at Wawa, everything in my life would be in order. Well, I don’t work at Wawa anymore—and I’m exceedingly thankful for that—but—don’t be too surprised—I’ve still got problems. I’ve got an entirely new set of circumstances at which I look and say something like, “If only ______, then I would be content.”

I’ve heard a rumor that other people have this problem, too. That sometimes mothers would just wish for a night of uninterrupted sleep. Or for a clean house, or a more attentive husband. We wish for a dog and then we wish we didn’t have a dog. We wish for children. We wish for relationships. We wish for success, health, and a lifelong vacation from the pain and toil of work.

It kinda sounds like we’re longing for eternity. Discontent, in one way, serves a purpose in keeping our hearts and minds focused on eternal things. Every day when we experience the futility of life, we are reminded that life is a vapor and this world is passing away. We’re not supposed to be perfectly happy in this fallen world! It is by the discontent that we feel almost constantly that we see, as the Preacher put it, that God has put eternity in the hearts of man.

On the other hand, discontent can become a stumbling block to our joy, blocking our view of the gracious gifts that God has given us. And honestly, if God were to take away everything that we have, as He did with Job, still we could say with perfect truthfulness,

“Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
Ps. 73:25-26

Grace

"Beloved, our God has blessed and continues to bless, not by fits and starts but by a constant grace."
(Beside Still Waters, Charles H. Spurgeon, p. 138)

When you're going through hard times (a rebellious child, an angry husband, sickness, fatigue, spiritual dryness, etc.), do you ever get the feeling that maybe God has withdrawn His grace from you for some reason?

I would like to suggest that the better thought is that God has not withdrawn His grace; rather He is pouring out His grace upon you.

It may not feel like grace, but remember this: "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28), and "he gives more grace" (James 4:6).

I can't get enough of it. And I'm never without it.

If you are His, you are always under His grace.

Uprooting Anger (2)

First off, let us apologize for a blank week on the blog. With Gayline out of town, Brooke overnight at the hospital with the little guy on Monday, and a lot of busyness on the part of the Lawrence sisters, we just couldn't get a post out.


As for the book, just another question for you today--and hopefully this time someone will respond :-)

Where are you in the book and what have you found helpful so far?


p.s. Would you take a moment to go back and answer last week's question? We really would love to hear from you.

Uprooting Anger (1)

Just a quick question today since we're only getting started on the book this week.

What made you decide to join in on our 4th book, Uprooting Anger? We'd love to hear from you.

Didn't make it to the conference?

I had the privilege of going to the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology this weekend with almost a dozen folks from Trinity. We heard some great teaching by some incredibly gifted pastors and teachers.

The conference began with this thesis statement:
We are here to see Jesus, to learn that all things are set under His feet, and that one day His victory shall be visible--and one day every tongue shall confess He is Lord.

But the weather was a little hot, and my parking garage was a little far away from my hotel. One of two tiny elevators was broken. My room keys, on the other hand, worked just fine after the first two failures and replacements. Eight flights up stairs--up, down, up, down, up. My sister got sick, my friend was sick, and the entire city of Philadelphia didn't sleep, but chose to set off sirens outside my window all night.

But that doesn't change the facts: All things are about Jesus. All things--elevators, sickness, theology, me--are set under His feet.

Which answer is truer, DA Carson asked, did God cause my sister to get sick or did germs? Both are true. Which is more fundamental?

Phil Ryken said, "One of the most cursed things we suffer is the constant underlying discontent. While things seem to get better, people feel worse. The fundamental problem is a fallen world cannot satisfy."

A great theology conference in a fallen world cannot satisfy. A cool drink on a hot day cannot satisfy. A peaceful rest, a strengthening meal, a friendly conversation--all cannot satisfy intimately and infinitely. Only God can.

The moral of the story is not to guard your heart, DA Carson concluded. The point is to choose your treasure, because where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Don't plan for the next thirty years--plan for the next fifty billion years. But all of that with a spirit of hope, not of curmudgeonly slavery to duty: "We cannot be properly mature if we are not hope-oriented."

Some things to hope for: God hears and answers prayer. Jesus will return in great glory. There is a resurrection from the dead, far greater than we can imagine. We will not be capable of sin in glory. God is at work in us every day. Those who trust in Him will not be put to shame.

Spirit given self-control

Here are two children's songs. Their message is for us all. If you do not know the tunes, I'd suggest you download them from Sovereign Grace Music.

These are songs we all need to have tattooed on our minds and hearts. Notice how in the first song we confess we cannot have self-control unless the Holy Spirit gives it. How does the Holy Spirit give it? In response to our crying out to God for it.

The second song reminds us of the Gospel, our only hope (for self-control or any good thing). He, who was tempted in every way like us, never sinned. Because He didn't sin, He became a perfect sacrifice acceptable to God. Because He was acceptable to God, He now sits at the Father's right hand making intercession for us. Sitting at the Father's right hand means He has become our Great High Priest and as such He receives our prayers. When we pray for self-control, Jesus takes our prayer to the Father and the Father quickly responds with the Holy Spirit filling us with power to exercise self-control. And when we fail and go to God in genuine repentance, Jesus, through the merits of His Blood, pleads to the Father for our forgiveness. Once again, I say, "Amazing Grace."

Give Me Self-Control

Your Word tells me I have a need
To watch out for my soul
And every day it's clear to me
I need Your self-control
My hands and feet are quick to move
Before I even know
So Jesus make me more like You
And give me self-control

Lord, I'm needy
So I'm pleading
Come and fill me
Help me to be self-controlled
Help me to be self-controlled

When I say words I shouldn't speak
And hurt the ones I know
On mornings when I'd rather sleep
I need Your self-control
When I am told to sit for hours
And time goes by so slow
I need the Holy Spirit's power
To give me self-control

Lord, I'm needy
So I'm pleading
Come and fill me
Help me to be self-controlled
Help me to be self-controlled



Jesus, You're My Hope

Jesus, You were tempted
In every way like I am
But You never gave in - no!
You looked to Your Father
And the Spirit's power
For Your strength and self-control

Jesus, You're my hope
You will help me grow
I don't want to sin
I don't want to give in- no!
Jesus, give me self-control

Right at the beginning
When I feel like sinning
Help me look to You alone
Help me to obey, Lord
Follow in Your way, Lord
Jesus, give me self-control

New Book Tomorrow

Just a reminder that we start a new book tomorrow: Uprooting Anger by Robert D. Jones.

If you're married, you need this book.
If you're single, you need this book.
If you have kids, you need this book.
If you have parents, you need this book.
If you have a job, you need this book.
If you interact with other people at all, you need this book.

We hope that you'll join us.