It is probably not news to you that life has no shortage of tribulations. I personally know of many who are currently undergoing severe trials of physical health, broken relationships, and troubled finances. I’ve also searched the Word and discovered it's difficult to find anyone noted for holiness and wisdom that enjoyed a life of privilege, ease, and comfort, as we define them. And yet, a spirit of thankfulness is an attribute the Bible reveals as one of the most pleasing to God. What is the crux of his intention when the Lord says, “in all things give thanks”—1 Thess. 5:18. Why does God require thankfulness from people who suffer? Is God just insensitive and full of himself? Can it be as simple an issue as the old song suggests, Don’t Worry, Be Happy? I tend to think not.
What may be news to you is that God is not so much interested in delivering us from our tribulations as he is producing in us the wisdom and strength to endure them. There is nothing on earth more powerful than having true peace in times of trial and trouble. But admittedly, it is hard to slide over into thankfulness when you are in the midst of suffering. In fact it is a fistfight to achieve—not that I know. I fight the battle on a minute-to-minute basis. I don’t want to give thanks when my heart and mind are not thankful. From scripture, and from personal experience, it seems to me that God is immeasurably concerned about the end product of our lives. How much do I desire wisdom and strength over ease and comfort? I honestly cannot tell sometimes. But the good thing is the ball is not entirely in our court, so to speak.
God is fully aware of the difficulty in rising above our circumstances and sends us the Helper. The Spirit of God searches the earth for the spirit of thankfulness within us and pours his strength over those who feebly attempt to give thanks through their trial. In other words, the Spirit takes over where our effort fails and gives us the push we need to get over the rise in the road. Suddenly, and miraculously, peace and strength appear where there once was only fear and hopelessness. Then, as if peace and strength weren’t enough, our eyes open to the world turning around us and to people who suffer beyond their ability to rise up.
Thanksgiving here in SoCal is about over-eating, dieting, beating traffic, social networking, presentation, football, drama, melodrama, and getting an early jump on Christmas shopping. But somehow, giving thanks to God in our weaknesses enables us to gain the things that cannot be seen with the eyes, touched by the flesh, or purchased with the card.
11/25/10
11/17/10
The Catch Basin
Some time ago, at the end of one of my morning bike rides up to a vantage point in the foothills, I sat down to talk to God. It was one of those “desperate and alone” times when you feel completely lost and willing to do just about anything to change the way things are going. From my vantage point, on a clear day, I can look across the stretches of Los Angeles County and daydream about deliverance from the tent.
On one particular morning, as I sat and rested, I glanced just to my left and I observed, like many times before, the huge hole dug out by city engineers directly behind the 25-foot high dam—commonly called a “catch basin”.
“I feel like I’m stuck in that stupid mud filled, smelly hole!” I complained to the Lord.
Because of its elevation against the foothills, above the city, anything unfortunate enough to be found stuck in a catch basin was out of the line of sight of people in the city below. Concealed behind a great wall, no one below would be the wiser of your dilemma. In effect, anything trapped in that hole would only be visible from above it.
“That is exactly where you’re supposed to be”. I heard the Lord reply.
I knew, from growing up in that area, that the purpose of building the catch basins was to prevent the inevitable flooding and destruction of the town below when the rains came. A catch basin “catches” the run-off from the mountains and holds it safe behind the dam. The water is then allowed to flow through the dam’s gate at a rate that is safe for the people below.
I hated feeling desperate, alone, and unseen in that hole, but I knew at that moment God was revealing his thoughts to me. He allowed to see that my time stuck in loneliness and discomfort was to prepare me for the storms that were surely coming. In other words, this difficult tent life was creating me into a catch basin.
“So what do I do now?" I asked the Lord.
This is what the Lord said to me: “I have created many catch basins in this city. I have placed them all around the city. They too have felt alone and utterly incapable of going on by themselves. Find the other catch basins—live with them, learn from them, and love them. The rain is coming.”
“I feel like I’m stuck in that stupid mud filled, smelly hole!” I complained to the Lord.
Because of its elevation against the foothills, above the city, anything unfortunate enough to be found stuck in a catch basin was out of the line of sight of people in the city below. Concealed behind a great wall, no one below would be the wiser of your dilemma. In effect, anything trapped in that hole would only be visible from above it.
“That is exactly where you’re supposed to be”. I heard the Lord reply.
I knew, from growing up in that area, that the purpose of building the catch basins was to prevent the inevitable flooding and destruction of the town below when the rains came. A catch basin “catches” the run-off from the mountains and holds it safe behind the dam. The water is then allowed to flow through the dam’s gate at a rate that is safe for the people below.
I hated feeling desperate, alone, and unseen in that hole, but I knew at that moment God was revealing his thoughts to me. He allowed to see that my time stuck in loneliness and discomfort was to prepare me for the storms that were surely coming. In other words, this difficult tent life was creating me into a catch basin.
“So what do I do now?" I asked the Lord.
This is what the Lord said to me: “I have created many catch basins in this city. I have placed them all around the city. They too have felt alone and utterly incapable of going on by themselves. Find the other catch basins—live with them, learn from them, and love them. The rain is coming.”
11/11/10
Workout Your Faith
When I was a teenager I used to lift weights. I guess you could say I was REALLY into it. I spent the better part of six straight years working out 4-5 times a week. Needless to say I got pretty strong—lifting well over 200% of my body weight. It took some effort to achieve that level and a lot of dedication and discipline to overcome the obstacles. In the end I was able to easily handle weight that initially would have crushed me.
Acquiring strong faith is very different from acquiring physical strength. If it were not true, then there would be chances to prepare for various tribulations through some kind of endurance/faith training. In that scenario I could go into the “faith gym” and work my “faith muscles” long before I had to use them in real life. The problem is living in strong faith can only be accomplished through one way: by living in faith in real life. You cannot exercise faith without the presence of hardships—and by then, it’s too late to backpedal. That’s the gist of it.
Yesterday I became aware of some bad news just moments before the news was announced. In my heart I just knew the bad news was coming and in that instant I began to argue with God—complaining that he was not fulfilling his end of the bargain. I made my case that I was too weary to deal with what was about to happen. Suddenly, God confronted me with a simple, “What will you choose to do with this news, Glen?” Fortunately, at that moment, I chose to exercise faith and maintain hope. Sure enough, the bad news came and, even though it was hard to swallow, I learned something about faith: faith CAN become easier with time and exercise. Don’t get me wrong; this is not to say that life can become a total cakewalk, but only to say that there is the potential to overcome certain setbacks that once held the power to destroy me.
Following the Lord is the most difficult course a human can attempt to embark on. First, you must leave all presuppositions at the starting gate—God can, and will, change your expectations of him on the journey. Along the way you’ll find no secret formulas, undisclosed passwords, or hidden doorways, which circumnavigate the extreme difficulty in learning to live by faith. It is a moment-by-moment undertaking and you must implement faith in the moment. But don’t forget; the prizes along the journey are peace of mind and, eventually, contentedness of heart. What could be better than that?
Acquiring strong faith is very different from acquiring physical strength. If it were not true, then there would be chances to prepare for various tribulations through some kind of endurance/faith training. In that scenario I could go into the “faith gym” and work my “faith muscles” long before I had to use them in real life. The problem is living in strong faith can only be accomplished through one way: by living in faith in real life. You cannot exercise faith without the presence of hardships—and by then, it’s too late to backpedal. That’s the gist of it.
Yesterday I became aware of some bad news just moments before the news was announced. In my heart I just knew the bad news was coming and in that instant I began to argue with God—complaining that he was not fulfilling his end of the bargain. I made my case that I was too weary to deal with what was about to happen. Suddenly, God confronted me with a simple, “What will you choose to do with this news, Glen?” Fortunately, at that moment, I chose to exercise faith and maintain hope. Sure enough, the bad news came and, even though it was hard to swallow, I learned something about faith: faith CAN become easier with time and exercise. Don’t get me wrong; this is not to say that life can become a total cakewalk, but only to say that there is the potential to overcome certain setbacks that once held the power to destroy me.
Following the Lord is the most difficult course a human can attempt to embark on. First, you must leave all presuppositions at the starting gate—God can, and will, change your expectations of him on the journey. Along the way you’ll find no secret formulas, undisclosed passwords, or hidden doorways, which circumnavigate the extreme difficulty in learning to live by faith. It is a moment-by-moment undertaking and you must implement faith in the moment. But don’t forget; the prizes along the journey are peace of mind and, eventually, contentedness of heart. What could be better than that?
11/6/10
Was It the Response You Were Looking For?
There is a story about a guy who lived around the time of Jesus. From a very early age this guy knew he was destined to give his life to ministry of some sort. He wasn’t particularly gifted at anything nor was he uniquely charismatic. He didn’t spend a lot of time worrying about his lawn, eating well-balanced meals, or what was cool to wear. His name was John and he was kind of considered a geek in his day.
I think John was able to foretell the future because he was always talking about things that were yet to happen. He would tell people to get ready for a deliverer, who would help them get through their pain in life, make the difficult things of living make more sense, and one day reunite us all in eternity. He was convinced the deliverer was standing at the doorstep of history.
John spent most of his life wandering around from place to place talking to anyone who would listen. Many times he would even talk to people who couldn’t care less about him or his message. But that was his life and he knew very well that his ministry would someday be the reason that important people, who didn’t like him very much, would throw him in prison and take his life from him.
Toward the end he decided to send a couple of his guys to find Jesus and ask him one of the most important questions anyone can ever ask—Are you the Messiah or should we expect someone else? In other words, is living my life this way going to be worth it in the end? I guess he wanted to make sure, if he were going to be executed, it would not be for anything half-baked.
If I were wrongly imprisoned, first and foremost, I would want to know that the deliverer could come and get me out of prison! I would want him to blast open the cell doors, haul me out of there, and then prosper me by getting me a book deal. To me, that would be ample proof that he was, in fact, the deliverer. That’s what a deliverer does, right? Sadly, to us, the mark of a good savior is his ability to save us from our troubles.
The most amazing part of this story, though, stems out of Jesus’ response to John’s question. Jesus says to John's guys, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.”
Jesus’ response seemed more than enough for John. The response set John's heart at peace and emboldened him to bow his head and allow his captors take his life with a sword.
Is Jesus’ response enough for me, or do I require more from him?
I think, from now on, I might be asking him if I can see more of the good stuff he was talking to John's guys about.
I think John was able to foretell the future because he was always talking about things that were yet to happen. He would tell people to get ready for a deliverer, who would help them get through their pain in life, make the difficult things of living make more sense, and one day reunite us all in eternity. He was convinced the deliverer was standing at the doorstep of history.
John spent most of his life wandering around from place to place talking to anyone who would listen. Many times he would even talk to people who couldn’t care less about him or his message. But that was his life and he knew very well that his ministry would someday be the reason that important people, who didn’t like him very much, would throw him in prison and take his life from him.
Toward the end he decided to send a couple of his guys to find Jesus and ask him one of the most important questions anyone can ever ask—Are you the Messiah or should we expect someone else? In other words, is living my life this way going to be worth it in the end? I guess he wanted to make sure, if he were going to be executed, it would not be for anything half-baked.
If I were wrongly imprisoned, first and foremost, I would want to know that the deliverer could come and get me out of prison! I would want him to blast open the cell doors, haul me out of there, and then prosper me by getting me a book deal. To me, that would be ample proof that he was, in fact, the deliverer. That’s what a deliverer does, right? Sadly, to us, the mark of a good savior is his ability to save us from our troubles.
The most amazing part of this story, though, stems out of Jesus’ response to John’s question. Jesus says to John's guys, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.”
Jesus’ response seemed more than enough for John. The response set John's heart at peace and emboldened him to bow his head and allow his captors take his life with a sword.
Is Jesus’ response enough for me, or do I require more from him?
I think, from now on, I might be asking him if I can see more of the good stuff he was talking to John's guys about.
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