Because He Lives: “But There's So Much Evil!"

“BUT THERE’S SO MUCH EVIL”

 (Part of a series sharing my devotional thoughts from almost two decades ago. For the back story & links to other posts, see the first post in the series.)

If you are like most people who have experienced abuse and violence, you probably have some real questions about God. You may even have some wrong concepts about what God thinks of your pain. Would it surprise you to know that the Bible, the Word of God, very clearly shows that God always abhors violence, evil, and sin? He has an especially strong reaction when it is His own who suffer.

In fact, when we are hurting and experience the inevitable pains that come in life, we have the opportunity to experience God’s presence in a special way. Psalm 34:18-19 says, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” God’s Word is so powerful on this subject. Please just read the following verses, asking God to speak to your heart through them. My comments are in brackets [ ] to distinguish them from the Scriptures.

“For Thou art not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; No evil dwells with Thee.

The boastful shall not stand before Thine eyes; Thou dost hate all who do iniquity.

Thou dost destroy those who speak falsehood;

The Lord abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.” Psalm 5:4-6

“The Lord also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

And those who know Thy name will put their trust in Thee;

for Thou, O Lord, hast not forsaken those who seek Thee.”

Psalm 9:9-10

“For He who requires blood remembers them;

He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.”

Psalm 9:12

“For the needy will not always be forgotten,

nor the hope of the afflicted perish forever.”

Psalm 9:18

“O Lord, Thou hast heard the desire of the humble; Thou wilt strengthen their heart,

Thou wilt incline Thine ear to vindicate the orphan and the oppressed,

that man who is of the world may cause terror no more.”

Psalm 10:17-18

“The Lord is in His holy temple;  the Lord’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked,

and the one who loves violence His soul hates.” Psalm 11:4-5

[Remember: Your situation is never hopeless, because God is on His throne!]

“‘Because of the devastation of the afflicted, because of the groaning of the needy,

now I will arise’, says the Lord, ‘I will set him in the safety for which he longs.’” Psalm 12:5

“I love Thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.

The cords of death encompassed me, and the torrents of ungodliness terrified me.

The cords of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God for help; 

He heard my voice out of His temple, and my cry for help before Him came into His ears.

Then the earth shook and quaked; and the foundations of the mountains were trembling and were shaken, because He was angry. Smoke went up out of His nostrils, and fire from His mouth devoured; coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also, and came down with thick darkness under His feet. And He rode upon a cherub and flew; and He sped upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness His hiding place, His canopy around Him, darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies. From the brightness before Him passed His thick clouds, hailstones and coals of fire. The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered His voice, hailstones and coals of fire. And He sent out His arrows, and scattered them, and lightning flashes in abundance, and routed them. Then the channels of water appeared, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at Thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of Thy nostrils.

He sent from on high, He took me, He drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my stay.

He brought me forth also into a broad place; He rescued me, because He delighted in me.

The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God. For all His ordinances were before me, and I did not put away His statutes from me. I was also blameless with Him, and I kept myself from my iniquity.

Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness,

according to the cleanness of my hands in His eyes.

With the kind Thou dost show Thyself kind, with the blameless Thou dost show Thyself blameless. With the pure Thou dost show Thyself pure. And with the crooked Thou dost show Thyself astute. For Thou dost save an afflicted people; but haughty eyes Thou dost abase. For Thou dost light my lamp; the Lord my God illumines my darkness. For by Thee I can run upon a troop; and by my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, His way is blameless; the word of the Lord is tried. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.

For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God.”

Psalm 18:1-31

“For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither has He hidden His face from him; but when he cried to Him for help, He heard.”

Psalm 22:24

“How great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast stored up for those who fear Thee, which Thou hast wrought for those who take refuge in thee, before the sons of men! Thou dost hide them in the secret place of Thy presence from the conspiracies of man;

Thou dost keep them secretly in a shelter from the strife of tongues.”

Psalm 31:19-20

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”

Psalm 34:18-19

“I waited patiently for the Lord, and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. And He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and fear, and will trust in the Lord.”

Psalm 40:1-3

“How blessed is he who considers the helpless;

the Lord will deliver him in a day of trouble.”

Psalm 41:1

“For the Lord hears the needy and does not despise His who are prisoners.” Psalm 69:33

“For he will deliver the needy when he cries for help, the afflicted also, and him who has no helper. He will have compassion on the poor and needy, and the lives of the needy he will save. He will rescue their life from oppression and violence;

and their blood will be precious in his sight.”

Psalm 72:12-14

“Vindicate the weak and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and destitute.

Rescue the weak and needy, deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.”

Psalm 82:3-4

“I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and justice for the poor.”

Psalm 140:12

“He heals the brokenhearted,

and binds up their wounds.”

Psalm 147:3

[This verse shows how PERSONALLY God takes mistreatment of His own. Saul has been killing Christians. Jesus appears to Saul and says,]

“Saul, why are you persecuting ME?”

Acts 9:4

Because He Lives: Getting to Know God

GETTING TO KNOW GOD

 (Part of a series sharing my devotional thoughts from almost two decades ago. For the back story & links to other posts, see the first post in the series.)

God WANTS you to get to know Him. Whatever your background or beliefs are, He wants you to get to know Him as He really is. And if you are sincerely seeking to know Him, you will find Him. That is His promise. And here’s the first thing you must know about God: He ALWAYS keeps His promises.

“And you will seek Me and find Me,

when you search for Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13

“Let us hold fast the confession

of our hope without wavering,

for He who promised is faithful.”

Hebrews 10:23

Because He Lives: Introduction - Life in Christ: What's it All About?

“WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?”

(Part of a series sharing my devotional thoughts from almost two decades ago. For the back story & links to other posts, see the first post in the series.)

Is that your question today? Are you searching for answers, hoping to find some meaning in a world that has brought you pain? Are you longing to put your hope and trust in Someone other than yourself, yet hesitant because you don’t really know what God is like? Have you heard people talk about Jesus Christ, but you wonder who He was and why people still follow Him almost 2000 years after He walked the earth?

Or maybe you’re a Christian who long ago lost the joy of your salvation when you experienced shattered dreams, a broken heart, and a wounded life. Have you given up on Jesus Christ making a difference in your daily life on this earth? Are you trusting Him for your eternal salvation but doubting His ability to intervene in today’s circumstances? Does “abundant life” seem like an unrealistic promise?

Then this devotional is for you, my friend. In these pages you will learn something about the God of the universe who wants very much to be your personal Lord and Savior. He loves you! In fact, He loves you so much that He took on human form and suffered a very degrading, brutal death to make a way for you to have a relationship with God. Then He was resurrected, giving you the opportunity to live with Him in heaven for eternity and have a much more fulfilling life on this earth. Through Scriptural truths illustrated by word pictures, stories, and examples from my own life, you will discover a God who wants to make a difference in your life -- both now AND in eternity.

As you begin, pray for God to reveal Himself to you as He really is. Ask Him to help you understand how He provides eternal life and how you can have abundant life.

My prayer for you is that He will do such a work in your heart that you will never be the same.              

Because He Lives: A Celebration of Relationship

It's hard to believe, but I've hit the two-decade mark of seriously walking in relationship with God through Jesus Christ. I'm not one of those people who can pinpoint the exact date, time, and place, and I'm ok with that. I grew up in church three times a week and was baptized when I was six years old - but it didn't become real to me in a way that made a daily difference in my life until I was an adult. In 1996 I began reading through the Bible and dipping my toes into in-depth Bible study. I really didn't know what I was doing, but that's ok. Somehow between all the aha moments of seeing what Scripture said for myself and learning to break down the chapters in Romans, God moved in and took up residence. I look back at 1996-1997 as the formative days of my relationship with God, where I was born into new life. So now, I've decided I get to look at 2016-2017 as a two year celebration!

Once I began that serious walk with God and entered into relationship, He began to show me gifts and talents and began talking to me about using my writing for His purposes instead of the selfish ambition I always had for it. No, a Pulitzer by 30 would never be in His plans for me. He had something else in mind. Even as I struggled to learn that I couldn't just replace worldly ambition with Christian ambition (still selfishly motivated), and learned about giving Him glory in all things, and learned how to develop the gifts He gave me -- I started what would become a lifelong journey of chronicling my relationship with Him through words and communicating those words to encourage others.

On July 5, 1999, I penned the introduction to a devotional that I wrote over those first couple of years. Looking at it now I can see it is so rudimentary; there are many things I would change if I wrote it today. And yet it is precious to me, because it reminds me of those early days of discovering who He is and who I am in Him. It reminds me of studying Romans 12 and having His Spirit speak to me, without me even asking, that I had the gift of encouragement. It reminds me of my husband telling me that God wanted me to teach women - and of me being scared to death at the prospect. Mostly, it reminds me that no matter where He takes me, the truth is, as C.J. Mahaney said, "We never move on from the cross." Or as the old hymnwriter penned, "Tell me the old, old story/Write on my heart every word."

The old, old story was so new to me 20 years ago. Only a couple of years later I tried to process it to help others understand who Jesus was and why I loved Him so much. The result was a devotional, Because He Lives. I've shared it with maybe 30 people in the world. To celebrate what God has done in my life these 20 years, I'm sharing it on this blog, making it public for the first time.

As I post, I'll link all the posts below. I'll only lightly edit (any grammatical errors or typos only). My hope is that you'll see a heart that was learning to love Him. More than that, I hope you see HIM. I hope it helps someone come to know Him, or reminds someone of truths that we can so easily forget in the craziness of life. No matter what is happening we have hope - Because He Lives.

Introduction

Life in Christ

“What’s it All About?”

Part 1

Eternal Life

“Getting to Know God”

“But There’s So Much Evil”

“He Understands Your Pain”

“The Invitation”

“Fixing What is Broken”

“God in the Storm”

“My Self-inflicted Wounds”

“But I’m Scared of God!”

“The Best and Worst Things in my Life”

“Jesus Loves Me”

“The Perfect Bridegroom”

“What Jesus Did When He Died For Me”

Part 2

Abundant Life

“Thirsty ... or Satisfied?”

“The King’s Daughter”

“Experiencing Abundant Life”

“Do You Pass God’s Vision Test?”

“God Has a Plan”

Conclusion

New Life

“Because He Lives”

Hope-less or Hope-ful?

"My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus' blood and righteousness

I dare not trust the sweetest frame

But wholly trust in Jesus name"

- The Solid Rock

What does it mean to hope in Christ alone? 

Certainly, at its most basic level, it means that we know He is the only way to God. All our righteous acts add up to a pile of filthy rags. We sin in ways we don't even recognize. Even when we manage to be better than most people, we don't even scratch the surface of God's standard of perfection. We never will. We trust in HIS blood shed on the cross, HIS righteousness credited to our account. 

But there is another level to this hope and trust in Him alone that I'm learning more about these days. In the day-to-day world, where people constantly let us down and we constantly let down even those we love, where we can't find a decent candidate for president in a country of 250 million people, where the rule of law and rules of logic seem to have been tossed out of courts -- I'm learning to look to the One who saved me as my only hope. As our only hope. 

Scripture commands me to pray for my country and to work for the good of the place where I live. It does not, however, command me to focus those prayers and efforts into any political party or "ism". No institution outside of the church is guaranteed success. And, as I've looked deeper into political theory and philosophy in recent years, I find that they all break down at some point. Every agenda-driven effort defined by being this or that party member, or this or that philosophical idealist, will not succeed in the long run. I've come to realize this, and so for years I have prayed that God would help me be Biblical, not political. 

But underneath, I held onto an unspoken hope in our system. A hope that somehow, people would nominate a candidate who could Change Things. A hope that some appointee would speak truth into a courtroom debate and turn the tide of heartbreaking decisions to a more just direction. I was hoping in something other than Christ alone. 

Don't get me wrong. I'm not writing off our country. For all its faults, I believe in our republic, in representative democracy. I think our founders were wise. I pray, among many other verses, 2 Chronicles 7:14, that God will heal our land by returning His people to Himself.

But our Constitution isn't the Word of God. Our Supreme Court Chief Justice won't site on the bema seat. Our President won't rule and reign over 1000 years of peace before ultimately destroying Satan. All that is reserved for Christ alone. More than ever, I'm learning to put my hope in Him. Not just in some future time of perfection. I'm learning to hope in Him NOW. To be hopeful that He will stir His people like never before. To be hopeful that He will finish what He started in the church in this land. To be hopeful that He will raise up an Esther to speak truth to power despite personal risk. To be hopeful that, until all have heard the good news of the Gospel, He will keep us on the right track, for His name's sake, to accomplish His kingdom purposes.

More than ever, He's my cornerstone.

Don't be deceived!

"Don't let anyone deceive you in any way." - 2 Thessalonians 2:3

I spent too many years of my life believing lies, being deceived and deceiving myself. As God drew me to Himself and opened up His Word to me, I began to fall in love with Truth. As a result, it is so disheartening to watch people be deceived. Sometimes the reason for the deception is obvious; other times it is harder to understand. This political season has been harder than usual. When people swarm around someone despite logic, despite the person's own words and actions. When people are sucked in to the "cult of personality". When people think their hope is in a person.

We've seen this before. It isn't isolated to a political party or even to a democracy. The world is full of despots who convinced people they were the answer. History is littered with leaders who went into office on a wave of support and ended up revealing ugliness and evil previously unimagined.

What we, the church, have to realize is that all of this is just a foreshadowing. There is a greater deception yet to come, a great apostasy that will strike at the heart of what we believe. There is a leader yet to come whose smooth talk and deceitful, evil schemes are unparalleled. Whatever you believe about the antichrist and the Rapture, one thing is sure: A study of all the passages where he is mentioned in any way yields an understanding that he will be very smooth, persuasive, dynamic. He won't be saying wild and crazy things; people will follow him because they think he actually makes sense.

We have no assurance that his deception won't start while we're still here. So what is our protection? How can we follow Paul's admonition not to be deceived in any way? The answer is that we start now to train ourselves to be discerning (Hebrews 5:14).

• Know the character of Jesus as revealed in the Gospels. Every action the anti-Christ takes will be contrary to the heart and character of Jesus. Everything about the "spirit of antichrist" that is already at work in the world is contrary to Him. He had no special looks or standing that drew people's attention; He lived a poor and humble lifestyle; He said things to test his followers and even push them away if they weren't serious (see John 6 and Luke 4). He glorified God at every step and refused to let the people crown Him king. Constantly getting to know Him in the Gospels is a great protection!
• Be steeped in truth and regularly proclaim God as true over man's lies. Be THAT PERSON who always points out the lies media feeds us. We don't have to isolate ourselves from the world, from movies or TV or newspapers. But we need to be aware the worldviews and philosophies that are raised up against the knowledge of Christ (2 Cor. 10:5). We need to call them what they are, even if it's just to ourselves or those watching with us. We have to practice not being deceived. We don't do this by focusing on the lies, but as we are steeped in God's Word we will find ourselves increasingly aware when something doesn't line up with that truth. Gently, lovingly point that out when you have opportunity.
• Be part of the church. Be in a local church that is in close enough relationship to give and receive correction when we get "off". Have someone to bounce things off of if you aren't sure where it lines up with the Word. The command not to forsake gathering isn't so that we can have friends to hang out with - it's so that we will be encouraged and built up to do the right thing, even as things get hard. (Hebrews 10:24-25)
• Let yourself be "preached to." Specifically, sit under sound preaching that teaches correct views of God and protects you from every wind of doctrine. This is the purpose of the teaching and preaching gifts (Eph. 4:11-16). Don't choose a church based on a preacher's style but on the truth he proclaims. As someone posted recently - hopefully those who want a politician who "tells it like it is" attends a church where the preacher does the same (speaking the truth in love, of course - not treating Scripture like a hammer).  

The witness of Scripture is clear: we have to be radical about truth and love or we'll be deceived. We have to learn now to avoid deception, in order to be prepared for the greater deceptions yet to come.

"Don't let anyone deceive you in any way." Love Truth. Know what - and Who - you believe.

On the Politics of Anger and the Test of Love

Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. - James 1:20, NLT.

Several people have shared that God put James 1:20 on their hearts related to the current "angry American" political scene. We will never end up in a good place when our motivation is human anger. I was reflecting on this when I came across these words from Henry Drummond in The Greatest Thing in the World, an exposition of 1 Corinthians 13:

"Is life not full of opportunities for learning love? Every man and woman every day has a thousand of them. The world is not a playground, it is a schoolroom. Life is not a holiday, but an education. The one eternal lesson for us all is how better we can love." 

For years now one of my daily prayers has been that I will love well - God first and then others. The greatest and second commandments. Loving well doesn't have to do with feelings, it has to do with actions. It means being patient and kind, not irritable or resentful. It means rejecting envying, boasting, and pride. It means not being self-centered but thinking of others as more important than myself. It means not keeping a record of wrongs but walking in forgiveness. It doesn't mean rejoicing in evil but instead rejoicing in the truth, speaking the truth in love. Love is full of hope and perseverance. It trusts and it protects.

Anger isn't always wrong - there is a place for the righteous anger that we see in Jesus. But the path to righteousness isn't paved by anger, it's paved by love. We will know our anger is truly righteous if we are filled with love and driven by love, even while being angry. Any parent who has ever had a kid stay out too late and not call knows what this is like. Are you angry with the kid? Yes. But it's an anger borne out of love, and your first priority is making sure of the child's safety.

So much of the anger that is driving American politics today has nothing to do with love. It's about divisiveness. Some of it is class warfare - us vs them based on income. Some of it is prejudice - us vs. them because they look different or worship different. As Christians, we are called to a higher standard. We don't get to have knee-jerk reactions. We are called to pray and to live out our faith in practical ways. We are called to be counter-cultural. Sure, that means standing up for truth. But to be counter-cultural we have to see where our culture isn't lining up with truth. It's not just about the "social conservative" issues, as important as they are. Today it's counter-cultural to refuse to sue someone who wronged you. It's counter-cultural to be kind to the waiter who spills your drink. It's counter-cultural to take care of the elderly. It's counter-cultural to reject upward mobility in favor of deeper relationships. And yes, it's counter-cultural to resist the politics of anger.

So tonight, I'm joining with the voices of those reminding us of James 1:20. And I'm calling for us to test our assumption that our anger is "righteous" against the test Paul gave us: The test of love. For truly, if I am angry about all the right things, but have not love, I. Am. Nothing.

1 Corinthians 13New International Version (NIV)

13 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

In the Storm

 "And now I advise you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only the ship will be lost. For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve came to me and said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul! You must stand before Caesar, and God has graciously granted you the safety of all who are sailing with you.' Therefore keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will be just as I have been told. But we must run aground on some island."

- Acts 27:22-26 NET

In the midst of a violent storm, God's promise transforms the outcome. Standing on them requires work, sacrifice, and faith instead of fear. Paul goes on to lead the men in a hearty meal before tossing grain overboard to lighten the load. Whatever we have to cast out along the way, we have the presence of God with us and the assurance that those "sailing with us" will also come through.

This reminds me of the lyrics of a worship song:

"I will not fear the war
I will not fear the storm
My help is on the way."

Paul's experience in this chapter is a beautiful illustration of the help God gives us in the midst of the storm. Hebrews 4:15-16 fit into the context of a chapter that teaches us about entering His rest. Only after we enter His rest can we embrace Him as our faithful high priest. We have confidence to draw near and receive mercy and grace when we come through Christ, not works. But once we draw near, we find something that is so intimate, so precious, that it's hard to imagine.

For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help. -Hebrews 4:15-16 NET

He was fully God, but also fully man. In His humanity, His incarnation, He faced every temptation and overcame by the power of the Holy Spirit in His life. And by drawing near, the passage says, we will find "mercy and grace" to help when we need it most.

The help is in times of need, of weakness, of humanity. We get a rich understanding when we compare Hebrews 4:16 with 1:14 and 2:18. In Hebrews 1:14 "help" actually means “minister” or “render service”; this same word is used to refer to disciples and to practical acts of service. In Hebrews 2:18 "help" means “succor”, help in the idea of relief or rescue. But "help" as in Hebrews 4:16 is used ONLY twice in the New Testament, the other time in earlier in Acts 27:

After they had hoisted it up, they used supporting cables [literally = helps] in undergirding the ship; and fearing that they might run aground on the shallows of Syrtis, they let down the sea anchor and in this way let themselves be driven along. -Acts 27:17

 John MacArthur describes this: “They would throw ropes around during the midst of the storm. throwing ropes around and securing and tightening and...with winches, to literally tighten the boards together so the whole ship wouldn't fall apart.” In classical Greek this word was used of the device used to make a ship secure, to help in times like Paul experienced.

And the author of Hebrews uses that same word, a word that gives the picture of making a ship secure by supporting cables, to describe the help God gives when we are tempted.

What are our supporting cables? Mercy and grace. Mercy is not getting what we deserve. Grace is getting what we don’t deserve.

Jesus comes to our aid to relieve and rescue us from temptation – He knows what it is like. When the temptation builds, He provides the way out. (1 Cor. 10:13) However, there are other times when we need more than a way out. We need to be literally be held together! We need to be saved from falling apart due to our weakness. In those times He wraps His “supporting cables” around us to give us the two things we need most when we come face to face with our weaknesses: Mercy and grace.

I know God’s grace is there for my temptation – but sometimes I think my weaknesses don’t deserve it. Sometimes weaknesses aren’t even sins – physical illness; limitations due to disability; fatigue from having too many toddlers pulling at you all day; the demands of work and family life. At those times, I don’t just need “succor”. I need His supporting cables of mercy and grace to hoist me up out of myself so I can see the throne of grace – the throne where He waits with nailscarred hands to welcome me to His table.

We can be strong when weak, because He supports us. In the storms of life, He puts His supporting cables around us, lifts us up, and undergirds us with mercy and grace. Baldwin Hall Bible Study describes it this way: “For those who have trusted Christ for salvation, mercy and grace are available in these tempests. Instead of being beaten by the waves and taken away to isolation in the deep, the grace of God secures us in place. A rope has been tied to our boat to secure us so we do not drift away in the storm. We are helpless on our own, but the grace of God keeps us from sinking or wandering away. His grace does not promise that the storms will not come, only that He sovereignly keeps us through them.”
Are you facing a storm today? I hope this lesson God has taught me resonates with you.

How to Abide

In John 15 Jesus exhorts us to "abide in Me". We often hear teaching on this that points out the truth that this is "our part" - that the fruit-producing is up to Him, while our part is to abide. Did you know, however, that John also teaches us HOW to abide? Consider these principles:

We abide by receiving Jesus. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. (John 6:56). "Eating" and "drinking" is a vivid picture of partaking of or receiving Him, as John noted in John 1:12 "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name."

We abide by obeying Jesus. 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. (John 15:10)

We abide when His Word stays with us. As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. (1 John 2:24)

We abide by loving other believers. The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. (1 John 2:10)

We abide by confessing who Jesus is. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. (1 John 4:15)

Whatever we are going through, wherever we are in life, God desires that we seek Him. In the middle of a serious attack by the enemy, David heard a command from God: "Seek my face." (Psalm 27:8). Out of all the things he could ask in that difficult day, he said the one thing he wanted most was to "dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life" (Psalm 27:4). Only after seeking the Lord is he prepared to learn from Him ("Teach me your way", Psalm 27:11) and pray for deliverance (verse 12). The same principle is seen in John 15. Only when we abide do we know how to pray (John 15:7).

So it comes back to this: Learning to abide. John has shown us the way.

Bible 101, Question #7: The Word of God in the Church of God

Here we are - the last post of yet another series. When I initially planned this series I intended on six posts:

 1. Is the Bible the inspired Word of God? If so, what are the implications for its inerrancy and authority?

2. What texts should be considered Scripture?

 3. Why are there differences in translations?

4. What is the purpose of reading and studying the Bible?

5. How should I approach reading the Bible?

6. What are some basic principles for interpreting Scripture?

However, as is often the case, God showed me that the plan was incomplete. He had more to teach us -- to teach me -- about His Word. I hope you've learned as much as I have through this study. But I ask you to bear with me for one more lesson - one that I wasn't expecting to learn, but has turned out to be the most significant lesson of my personal study.

The Bible is not just for your personal growth
Maybe this is an "aha!" moment for some of you, as it was for me, but God didn't give His word to individual believers. He gave it to the community of believers. Whether the commandments imparted to Moses on Mount Sinai for the believers below, the words given to the prophets that became the Old Testament, or the words inspired to the apostles for the new church ... God's Word was inspired in the context of community. We lose a lot of this in modern English, because our plural for "you" is "you" (unless you are southern like me, then you get to use "y'all"). The King James Version captures the difference in many cases with the old plural form "ye". As you read the New Testament you will see many of the teachings we often take as personal in our individualistic culture are, in fact, plural - for the church! Examples abound but I will just give one - 2 Peter 1:1-11. The "you's" are plural - something you don't have to know Greek to know, as you see references to the church sprinkled throughout.

2 Peter 1:1-11 NIV 1 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: 2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. 10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Rather than pulling out a personal to-do list from this passage ("OK, I have faith, now I need to be good. OK, now let me grow in knowledge..."), this passage gives corporate encouragement and guidance for how the church should be characterized, and how the church can be characterized. Now, it is true that individual believers should have faith, be known for goodness and self-control, and persevere. But Peter's implication is that we will do that together. The Holy Spirit in each of us individually works in a unique way corporately.

In light of this series focus on the Word of God, then, what does that look like where the Bible is concerned? It's always been easy for me to understand corporate worship, prayer, and mission. But God has taught me the past few years about the word of God in a corporate context, taking me beyond my personal Bible study into a deeper understanding of His purposes for the word of God in the church of God. I won't even attempt a comprehensive look at this subject; instead I want to focus on two main areas where His word functions within His church.

Preaching
Probably the most obvious way we see His Word in most evangelical churches today is in the sermon. Preaching is unique from all other methods of studying the Bible that I discussed in the last post. While I can learn a lot from in-depth study, Bible reading, and even listening to the Bible, there are specific benefits from preaching that I continually need throughout my Christian life:

Romans 10:14-17 ESV 14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?" 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

We can't take verse 17 out of its context: Paul is speaking of the proclamation of the Gospel. In the overall context he is talking about those who have not heard the Gospel; a broad look at the full context of Scripture assures us that the Gospel is relevant not only for unbelievers but for Christians as well. Faith is birthed through the proclamation of the Gospel, but the continued proclamation of the truth of the Gospel to believers strengthens that faith and yields joy, as John so beautifully puts it:

1 John 1:1-4 ESV 1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life-- 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us-- 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

Luke 8:18 gives a profound warning. In the context of the lesson of lighting a lamp so it can be seen, Jesus gives this caution: Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them." This is given in the context of proclaiming truth. Jesus warns us to be careful how we listen to truth, because what we do with the truth we have is connected with receiving more truth.

What does that mean in the context of listening to a sermon? Assuming your pastor is preaching from Scripture and has a high view of the word of God, not denying any essential doctrines, you can approach each sermon knowing that he has been seeking God and that God wants to speak through him to your church. He might even have a personal word for you! Here are some tips I've learned over the years to maximize my ability to hear from God through my pastor's sermons:

• Expect to hear a word from God. Going into the sermon with the expectation that God has something to say to me is the single most important step I take to "listen well."
• Stay in the Word during the week. My ability to discern what God is saying is enhanced to the degree that I'm in the word personally. Often the sermon serves to reinforce something God is already teaching me.
• Take my pastor seriously. God has given him a huge job. He is responsible to God to give an account for my soul (Hebrews 13:17) and faces a more severe judgment because he teaches the word (James 3:1). Therefore, when he says "Read over this chapter this upcoming week", I need to read the chapter. When he says "Take this to the Lord in prayer", I need to pray about it. These are not just sermon fillers. These are important steps in the care of my soul
• Know my learning style. It's a simple thing, but knowing my learning style has greatly enhanced my understanding of Scripture. I'm a tactile learner, which means I have to write it down! I take notes during the sermon, then I come home and put a sermon summary on Facebook (part of communicating it to others, as we discussed in the last lesson). I may never open those notes again, but the act of writing cements it in my brain. You have your own learning style. Find away to connect it to the sermon. If it's auditory - you can learn just by focusing on the individual words. Visual learners might try picturing the story. Kinesthetic learners, who often have to be fidgeting or moving to learn, might consider volunteering to be an usher or greeter - these people often stand through much of a service and therefore have an excuse to move around. The ideas are endless. The key is to understand yourself and seek God's wisdom for how that can impact your ability to get the most from the message.
• Stay focused on the main thing. Your pastor might say some things that distract you. Maybe he tells corny jokes. Perhaps his story about the day his dog treed a squirrel means nothing to you. With all due respect, give the guy a break. He is teaching a hard passage of Scripture (they are all hard in some way!) to a group of people ranging from unbelievers to seasoned saints who have heard the passage dozens or hundreds of times. There are founding members of your church alongside newcomers. He is trying to break it down for the maximum benefit of everyone involved, trusting the Holy Spirit to do something with what probably feels to him like loaves and fishes. Often God is working on him even while he is preaching the sermon. Laugh at the jokes, latch on to the illustrations that help you, make note of questions that arise about his teaching and follow up later, and most importantly ...
• Pray for your pastor. During the week, pray for the message. During the message, pray for the message. After the message, pray for the message. Through it all, pray for the messenger. You get the idea! As you pray for him, you will be more connected to what's happening on Sunday morning. If you notice that he consistently starts rubbing his eyes, pray about that. Make note of the Sunday he doesn't rub his eyes at all and thank God for answered prayer. BE ENGAGED!!

Relationships Between Believers
Another key way that God's word works uniquely through the church, in a way it does not work from a solely personal perspective, is the relationship between believers. Hebrews 10:24-25 gives the classic purpose of gathering with other believers: And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. When we are in relationship with other believers, particularly in the local church where we meet together, we have regular opportunities to strengthen and encourage each other. It's said so much we often overlook its truth: When you have a bad week, you need the church. When you have a good week, the church needs you.

Every believer has one or more spiritual gifts (Romans 12) that always operate within the bounds of Scripture. The more we interact with each other, the more opportunity we have to exercise those gifts and see others exercise their gifts!

Finally, Scripture even tells us that our conversation should be laced with the words of God, as "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs" become a way that the word of Christ dwells richly within us and we impart wisdom and admonishment to each other. (Colossian 3:16).

There is so much more that I could say on this topic, and on the word of God in general. My prayer is that this series has sparked your interest to go deeper into His Word and its riches. May we join Paul in praying "that the word of the Lord spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was among you." (2 Thess. 3:1).

Bible 101, Question 6: Principles for In-Depth Bible Study

Assuming you have been with me through this series, you know why I believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God, that the Bibles we hold in our hands are accurate texts of the words God inspired, that the differences in translations should not trouble us, and that the Bible should have a place of priority in the life of a believer. The last post covered some ways to start making the Bible prominent in your life. In this post I want to zero in on one of those suggestions: In-depth Bible study.

What is in-depth Bible study?
When I use the phrase "in-depth Bible study" I'm not referring to a particular method or style. In-depth Bible study is any form of detailed Bible study that requires you to look seriously at the text and spend significant time understanding what it says (observation), what it means (interpretation), what it means in your life (application), and how to communicate it to others (proclamation). This can be guided, with a workbook or a teacher, or it can just be you and the Bible. The key to in-depth Bible study is that the Bible itself, not commentaries or other resources, always remains central. In-depth Bible study honors the inspired text of the Bible by making it the primary textbook. There are a number of excellent "How to study your Bible" books out there; rather than re-invent the wheel I am just going to touch on each of these four elements in an overview fashion to get you started and encourage you to follow the Holy Spirit's leading from there.

The first step is to pick a book to study. For simplicity I am going to refer to the book of Philemon as an example. This is a one-chapter book that is rich in treasures when we take time to dig them out. Don't rush it - you will complete this study over several days or even a couple of weeks. The more time you allow for study, the deeper you can go into the words of the Word. OK - grab a Bible, pray for spiritual insight, and let's get started!

Observation - what it says
Observation always comes first. You absolutely cannot understand accurately what a text means if you don't know what it says. So let's turn to Philemon (the book right before Hebrews) and follow the first step of observation: Read the text. Right now, read the book of Philemon at least once. (If you have a study Bible, resist the urge to look at its notes.) Before you are finished with observation, you will want to read it multiple times, possibly in different translations. I always like to read out loud, especially the letters since they were written to be read aloud. And often my final step in the reading phase of observation is to listen to the text read aloud (many Bible apps have audio versions). This is the one step of the process you can't really overdo. My pastor spoke Sunday of one pastor who reads the text 30 times before preparing a sermon.

Done reading? OK, let's go to step two. Look for key words and ideas. Having spent so much time in the text, you should be able to see recurring themes. What words, phrases, or ideas occur over and over? Find a way to note these - you can mark them in unique colors in your Bible, or make a list in a notebook. Somehow though, you want to be able to record what key ideas occur in the passage. In Philemon I noted words like love, appeal, slave, refresh, and useful. Some of these might not occur a lot, but in a very short book even one or two significant verses can make a theme important.

Once you have your key words, you want to start looking at significant transitions in the text. The "connecting words" of Scripture are big clues here. Words like "therefore", "so", "but", "for" signal potential shifts in thought or logical connections. These transitions will bring you to an outline of the text. Since paragraphs and verses are man-made, not inspired, don't feel like your outline has to correlate to the paragraphs in your Bible. It can even be helpful to do this initial observation on a printout of the Bible verses with no paragraph markings. In Philemon, I notice two major sections: verses 1-7, and verses 8-25. Within those sections are five paragraphs: verses 1-3; verses 4-7; verses 8-20; verses 21-22; and verses 23-24. How does that line up with what you observed? Don't worry about filling in paragraph descriptions or any outline details - that will come.

By the time you complete these three steps -- multiple read-throughs; key words and ideas; and an outline -- you will have a good idea of some basic questions to answer. Through your observation, answer the following questions:
What type of literature is it? Differences in genre will significantly affect the interpretation of the text. Some of the common Biblical genres include historical; biographical; poetry; proverbs; prophecy; epistles (letter); or a combination of genres.
WHO are the important characters in the book? Think not only of the author but of individuals featured prominently in the text of the book.
Where does this occur? Are there any geographical references?
When does this occur? What about timeframe? This will rarely be an exact year, but you will often see references to other events with words like "before" or "after" or "during".
What is the purpose of the book? Does the author state a reason for writing?

These are just a few questions. You can come up with your own. This of "who, what, when, where, why, how" to get you started asking questions of the text. Record all your answers and note where in the text you find them. In Philemon, you probably noted that this is a letter, written by Paul and Timothy to Philemon, Apphia, Archipus, and the church in their home (verses 1-2). The purpose of the book is stated in verse 9 - to make an appeal on behalf of Onesimus, who was formerly a slave but whom Paul is sending back with this letter asking Philemon to receive Onesimus as a brother in the Lord (v 16).  I won't give away all the answers, but that should be enough to give you the idea.

By the time you finish with observation you will have done a good day's or week's work! You might feel you are done because you will have a solid stack of notes. But this is where the fun really begins!

Interpretation - what it means
Once you understand the author's purpose in writing the book and have a solid foundation for what it says, you are ready to begin to interpret what it means. Think of observation like flying over a forest to get a broad look at the trees and flora. Now, in interpretation, we are going to land the plane and start looking at individual leaves, bark, grasses, etc. Ready? Keep in prayer, grab your Bible and notebook, and let the fun begin!

Taking your outline divisions one segment at a time, begin to focus on the individual words. Make a list of your key words and phrases and begin to list out what is said about each one. Pay special attention to what you learn about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Let the words draw out their meaning for you. Keep a separate page of questions that you need to find answers to. As you study a section, fill in the outline with a sentence stating the main point of that section of text.

As you seek to interpret the meaning of a text, there are a few key principles of Biblical interpretation to keep before you. It is easy to do "eisegesis" - that means to read something INTO the text. Anyone can make the Bible say anything they want it to, if they ignore the context. But "exegesis" - drawing out from the text what it says, without preconceived interpretations - is a lot harder. These principles of exegesis help you in your task:

1. Context rules! Always keep a verse in the context of the section you are in, the chapter you are in, the larger book you are in, and the larger body of that author's work, as well as the entire Bible. You want to ensure that you understand who the author was writing to, what the problem seems to be, what the historical or cultural context is, etc. If you spent ample time in observation, you will have a decent idea of the context before you do any interpretation.

2. Compare Scripture to Scripture. Always let God's word interpret God's word. For example John 15:7 says "ask whatever you wish and it shall be done for you." This verse has been sorely mishandled by people who failed to bring into their teaching other things in scripture about prayer. 1 John 5:14 tells us we have to ask in accordance with God's will, and James 4:3 says our motivation has to be right. Using a basic concordance will allow you to easily look at other passages about the subject you are considering.

3. Scripture will never contradict Scripture. Sometimes you will come across some hard things in the Bible. However, knowing that the Bible is the fully inspired word of God and that His truth is eternal, we know that He will not contradict Himself. Therefore, any apparent contradiction is a misunderstanding on our part, not a contradiction on the Bible's part.

4. Let clear Scriptures shine light on unclear Scriptures. Don't base doctrine on a random, obscure verse. Everything important in Scripture is repeated multiple times, sometimes hundreds of times. In almost 19 years of in-depth study I have found that when I stay focused on what is clear, over time God sheds light on unclear things. He knows I cannot handle it all at once!

5. Look first for the clear, literal, plain meaning of Scripture. Understanding the purpose of Scripture is for God to reveal Himself to us, we can assume that He inspired it in a way that is understandable! Don't fall for distracting teachings that complicate the simple words of God. Take it at face value, as the straightforward words of God, within the bounds of the genre. Does that mean there is nothing figurative? Of course not! Figures of speech are to be interpreted as such, just as poetic language is to be factored in. God doesn't literally have wings, for example, though Psalm 91:4 mentions Him covering the psalmist with his wings. But interpreting Scripture by Scripture, we can look at Jesus' words in Luke 13:34 and realize that God uses a similar image to speak of His desire to gather and protect His children just as a bird gathers and protects her young.

6. Look for the author's intended meaning of the passage. This is closely related to the idea of context. In the author's day, what was the purpose of this passage?

7. Utilize appropriate resources, such as word study tools and commentaries, only after doing your own research. There is definitely a place for study tools! I have word study books, concordances, books, and other resources that help me. Taking your understanding back to these sources is a good way to make sure you are not way off base. You don't even have to have a lot of resources! Just visit Blue Letter Bible and click on "Tools" next to any verse. You'll get a popup menu of word study tools, commentaries, sermons, etc. Use these with discernment, and only after doing your own interpretation, and you will be amazed at how much you've learned!

Those are just a handful of Bible study principles to get you started. For more indepth study on how to study the Bible, check out some of the books in the Bibliography.

Application - What does it mean to me?
Once you understand what the Word says and what it means, you can begin personal application. Again, questions are key to drawing out more than general points. Stay in prayer and ask God to show you what to do with the light He's given you in His word. Ask if there is a truth to be believed, a command to be obeyed, a warning to heed, a change to make. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us that "All Scripture is inspired by god and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." Application is incredibly personal, but any application truly guided by God will teach you, reprove you (revealing areas that don't line up with Scripture), correct you, and/or train you in righteousness.

In Philemon, one of my personal applications was a truth to be believed, from verse 3: We live in a context of grace and peace! Another was from verse 6: The more I understand what has been put in me for Christ's sake, the more effective I am in my faith. This gives me motivation to stay in the word to understand what He has equipped me to become! And from Paul's example in verses 8-10 I learn that a Godly leader will appeal to love instead of issuing a command when possible. You get the idea!

Proclamation - How can I communicate this to others?
This final step completes the circle of revelation. You see, God didn't give us His word for us to horde to ourselves. He wants us to be part of His great task of telling the nations of the glory of Jesus! So anything we understand in the word of God is meant not only to transform us personally, but to strengthen us corporately and impact the world in our circles of influence. We'll talk more about the corporate aspect of the word of God in the next (and final) post of the series, but for now I just want to put out the idea that your Bible study isn't complete until you have somehow shared it with someone else.

At the most basic this would be praying for God to give you a chance to share a verse or a truth with someone. It doesn't even have to be a "chapter and verse" quote. Speaking truth into a situation is powerful, even if the person doesn't know the source. But it does open a door when you share something and the other person asks where you got that idea, or why you believe that to be true.

Other ways to communicate Scripture to others abound. In our social media-centered world, you can be a voice of truth sharing your daily Bible study insights. You can disciple a believer younger in the Lord. If God seems to have so gifted you, you can help out in your church teaching children's church or women's/men's studies (under the authority of your pastor, of course). The most important thing to remember is to keep your eyes and heart open to how God would have you share with others the truth He has taught you!

There you have it - some basic steps in the four-step process of in-depth Bible study. However you approach it, understanding these four steps will strengthen your study. Please see the resources below if you want to go deeper!

Select Bibliography
Arthur, Kay. How to Study Your Bible. Harvest House, 1994.

Fee, Gordon, and Stuart, Douglas. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. Zondervan, 1993.

Graham, Mary Creswell. Inductive Bible Study Explained. Printout provided by William Carey International University for students in graduate program.

Morey, Earl Wesley. Search the Scriptures. Agape Ministry, 1993.

Piper, John. Biblical Exegesis: Discovering the Original Meaning of Scriptural Texts. Desiring God Ministries, 199.

The International Inductive Study Bible, Harvest House, 1992.

Wald, Oletta. The Joy of Discovery in Bible Study. Augburg, 1975.