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.