I have been so excited to write this blog since I received the devotional from "grace gems" last week. There are some things in God's economy that send my mind into a whirlwind because no matter how hard I try to comprehend them, well, I just can't. One of those is the providence of God. Isn't it amazing how God works in the lives of His children?! It excites me every time I think about it. I can sit down and think back on the last 24 years of my life and see God's providential hand in so many things, some of which I totally understand now, and some of which I don't fully grasp, but know and trust happened because of His providence. I guess you could call those a mystery.
I think I get so intrigued by providence because I am a very curious person by nature. I like to KNOW, and I like to try and put all the pieces together and figure out what's going on in every situation. God, in His love for me however, has decided that in order to humble me and keep me dependent upon Him, the way I figure out things will never be the way they really are, well most of the time anyway. You see, He wants us, His kids, to remember Romans 8:28 constantly, in EVERY situation and outcome of life-"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God--to those who are the called according to His purpose." Easier said than trusted. His providential hand is enacting EVERY event of your life, down to the smallest detail to make it WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD for you. What good? The Christ likeness He is molding you into.
The original language in this passage is quite unique. When Paul says we "KNOW" he is speaking in definitive terms. It isn't an "I hope so" or "most of the time" it is a FOR SURE. When he says "ALL" it is comprehensive from the largest to the smallest, EVERYTHING! And as the great puritan John MacDuff said, "And they all work together in the most complete and beautiful harmony. The various wheels in the great machine of divine Providence, may appear to be opposed to each other; and yet every movement is directed by infinite wisdom, and tends to the accomplishment of the end proposed. And what is that end? "For good to those who love God." What an incredible Truth! This reality, although incomprehensible, should drive us to our knees in worship and leave our hearts at peace, in rest, trusting the all powerful and perfectly sovereign and GOOD God!
Providence is a glorious reality, a precious promise that we as believers can cling to in a world or even a life that seems to be filled with confusion and broken puzzle pieces. God is at work, ALWAYS, and in EVERYTHING, for YOUR GOOD!
"And when the books will be opened;
and when all the mysteries of Providence will be solved;
and when the whole of our own history will be explained;
and when all the turnings of the wilderness will be accounted for;
and when all the dangers to which we have been exposed will be made clear;
oh, we shall then be astonished beyond measure! And if its greatness will allow us to give expression thereto--our adoring cry will also be, "He has done all things well!""
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Fruit
'The apple doesn't fall far from the tree'...we've all heard this trite phrase countless times and well most of the time it stands true. There seems to be something so foundational about the roots in which one comes from, and in all honesty it makes sense. But this becomes even more real and so much more crucial when we look at the Biblical picture of this idea. You see as Spurgeon said, "The fruit of the branch is directly traceable to the root", and if we are united with Christ in God than it would only be logical to conclude that the fruit that we produce should be a reflection of that root.
Jesus brings this illustration to life in John 15:4-11:
"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full."
When I go to an apple orchard and see the countless rows of trees I expect to see apples on those trees. The same goes for the Christian. When someone claims to be a Christian, we should EXPECT to see fruit reflecting the new birth. Now I am not saying that there will be perfection by any means, for until we come into glory with Christ in heaven we will still be marred by the sinful flesh, BUT, there will be CLEAR evidence that a transformation has happened. And the fruit will be produced throughout the life of the believer.
We must realize that our fruit is only produced because of the precious union we have with Christ. For He is the source by which all fruitfulness will flow. It is by His grace that we bear fruit to reflect Him. Our fruit, although inwardly occurring, manifests itself externally. We began to have new desires, we began to show new characteristics, and we begin to walk differently. And God is our gardener in it all. He is the vine dresser who will prune when necessary in order that fresh, beautiful fruit might abound.
So do I reflect Christ in who I am in, in how I live/walk, in how I talk, in what I think etc.? Is the master gardener working in me to produce fruit? Is it visible? Has the apple fallen far from the tree?
Jesus brings this illustration to life in John 15:4-11:
"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full."
When I go to an apple orchard and see the countless rows of trees I expect to see apples on those trees. The same goes for the Christian. When someone claims to be a Christian, we should EXPECT to see fruit reflecting the new birth. Now I am not saying that there will be perfection by any means, for until we come into glory with Christ in heaven we will still be marred by the sinful flesh, BUT, there will be CLEAR evidence that a transformation has happened. And the fruit will be produced throughout the life of the believer.
We must realize that our fruit is only produced because of the precious union we have with Christ. For He is the source by which all fruitfulness will flow. It is by His grace that we bear fruit to reflect Him. Our fruit, although inwardly occurring, manifests itself externally. We began to have new desires, we began to show new characteristics, and we begin to walk differently. And God is our gardener in it all. He is the vine dresser who will prune when necessary in order that fresh, beautiful fruit might abound.
So do I reflect Christ in who I am in, in how I live/walk, in how I talk, in what I think etc.? Is the master gardener working in me to produce fruit? Is it visible? Has the apple fallen far from the tree?
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
A Pointed Finger
"Every time you point a finger there are three fingers pointing back at you," said the sixth grade student last Sunday morning. Although the saying might be trite, the truth is something that hit me heavy. In that moment the Lord reminded me of a vital principle found in Matthew 7:5 "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye."
You see it is so easy to point the finger-to notice the sin of another individual. It isn't a new concept, in fact, it began way back in Eden when Adam and Eve both pointed the finger instead of humbly confessing their own part in the sinful act. And as many times as I have heard this Truth exhorted, I so easily forget. It is so much easier to recognize the err of the other and not my own. But why?!
Truth be told, we are still encased in a fleshly body, that despite regeneration and sanctification, is marred until the day we are glorified. Christ promises us the ability to say no to sin, that we might sin less, but on this side of heaven, we will never be sinless. Jeremiah recognizes the sinfulness of the heart in chapter 17, something we too must constantly remind ourselves of. Although we are redeemed, we still have a bent towards pleasing ourselves, satisfying our cravings, and believing the best about who other than ourselves. And what is even more, Christians seem to want to believe that because we have been saved we are somehow "good". A wrong view of ourselves as believers will lead us to pointing the finger at the wrong person. It should be pointed right back at you.
If we would only take the time to ask the Spirit to humble us so that we might recognize our err in situations FIRST, much hurt because of further sin will be avoided. If we would humble ourselves to say sorry first, to recognize responsibility, and to seek reconciliation FIRST, Christ might receive that much more glory!
Let us take a lesson from a sixth grader, but more importantly from the Word of God, and stop, search our hearts, and seek God's strength before we ever point a finger.
You see it is so easy to point the finger-to notice the sin of another individual. It isn't a new concept, in fact, it began way back in Eden when Adam and Eve both pointed the finger instead of humbly confessing their own part in the sinful act. And as many times as I have heard this Truth exhorted, I so easily forget. It is so much easier to recognize the err of the other and not my own. But why?!
Truth be told, we are still encased in a fleshly body, that despite regeneration and sanctification, is marred until the day we are glorified. Christ promises us the ability to say no to sin, that we might sin less, but on this side of heaven, we will never be sinless. Jeremiah recognizes the sinfulness of the heart in chapter 17, something we too must constantly remind ourselves of. Although we are redeemed, we still have a bent towards pleasing ourselves, satisfying our cravings, and believing the best about who other than ourselves. And what is even more, Christians seem to want to believe that because we have been saved we are somehow "good". A wrong view of ourselves as believers will lead us to pointing the finger at the wrong person. It should be pointed right back at you.
If we would only take the time to ask the Spirit to humble us so that we might recognize our err in situations FIRST, much hurt because of further sin will be avoided. If we would humble ourselves to say sorry first, to recognize responsibility, and to seek reconciliation FIRST, Christ might receive that much more glory!
Let us take a lesson from a sixth grader, but more importantly from the Word of God, and stop, search our hearts, and seek God's strength before we ever point a finger.
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