He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.
Psalm 25:9
Much has been written about how God guides us. Perhaps we should give more notice to who God guides.
The Pace: Mark Twain once said, “If the end of the world comes, I’m going to Ohio, because everything happens there ten years later.” Perhaps that was true during his lifetime (1835-1910). But it’s not true today. Today’s pace is fast, and getting faster, even in the “flyover” parts of the US. We must manage it to survive. I’m increasingly persuaded that slow is the new fast.
Radical Demands: Jesus makes radical demands of us, but only because He loves us. He never expects us to act against our own best interests. It’s that we often do not understand what is best for us. We think the first will be first. He knows otherwise.
The Gospel:
- The religious life is often compared to holding a beach ball underwater. Every once in a while, we lose control and our sin nature pops above the surface. It can be embarrassing so we shove it back under. It is exhausting to try to keep the ball below the water. The Gospel invites us to stop performing and pretending.
- Tim Keller writes: “The gospel is news about what has been done by Jesus Christ to put right our relationship with God. Becoming a Christian is about a change of status. I John 3:14 states that ‘we have passed from death to life’ – not that we are passing from death to life. You are either in Christ or you are not; you are either pardoned and accepted or you are not; you either have eternal life or you do not. This is why Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones often used a diagnostic question to determine a person’s spiritual under-standing and condition. He would ask, ‘Are you now ready to say that you are a Christian?’ He recounts that over the years, whenever he would ask the question, people would often hesitate and then say, ‘I do not feel that I am good enough [to say that I am a Christian].’ To that, he gives this response, ‘At once I know that . . . they are still thinking in terms of them-selves; their idea still is that they have to make themselves good enough to be a Christian . . . It sounds very modest but it is the lie of the devil, it is a denial of the faith. . . you will never be good enough; nobody has ever been good enough. The essence of the Christian salvation is to say that Jesus is good enough – and that I am in Him!’
- Lloyd-Jones’s point is that becoming a Christian is a change in our relationship with God. Jesus’ life, death and resurrection work – when it is believed and rested in – instantly changes our standing before God. We are ‘in Him.
Question of the Week: What does conformity cost you?
Iran in the News: Iran has been in the news a fair bit lately. If you Google news and Iran, up pops centrifuges, sanctions, hostages, drone attacks and more. But have you heard this? The fastest growing church in the world today is in Iran
Fear Not: Evil is real, but that does not mean we need to fear it. I am not suggesting indifference. Evil can lead us astray, and in some cases, it can cause us to suffer. But evil can only truly harm us if we react badly to it – e.g., by fear, worry, discouragement, refusal to forgive, bitterness, etc. Real harm does not come from external circumstances. The sins of others – both inside the Church and in society – do not become an evil for us unless we let it penetrate our hearts. As Jesus says in Mark: “There is nothing outside a man which by going into him can defile him; but the things which come out of a man are what defile him!”
The Beauty of a Spread Sheet: In this article, architect David Greusel – who designed the ball parks for both the Houston Astros and the Pittsburgh Pirates – celebrates the contributions and creativity of spreadsheets and those who design them. You might think this an odd article to reference here, but I have also thought spreadsheets to be things of beauty. And I have also been humbled by the quiet contributions of those who design them, and of others who advance many things via deft administration gifts. Romans 12 should not be overlooked.
Take the Happiness Challenge: Many believe that the happiest people are those who are determined to make others happy. (FYI, I prefer the term joy instead, but alas, those launching the happiness challenge did not ask my opinion). Do your best this week to make ten people happy and see if it works. (BTW, if you take the challenge, let me know how it goes).
Closing Prayer: Most merciful God, the Granter of all peace and quietness, the Giver of all good gifts, the Defender of all nations, who hast willed all men to be accounted as our neighbours, and commanded us to love them as ourself, and not to hate our enemies, but rather to wish them, yea and also to do them good if we can: Give to all a desire of peace, unity, and quietness, and a speedy wearisomeness of all war, hostility, and enmity to all of them that be our enemies; that we and they may, in one heart and charitable agreement, praise thy most holy name, and reform our lives to thy godly commandments. Thomas Cranmer wrote this prayer in 1548, during the war between England and Scotland.