Showing posts with label unbelief. Show all posts
Showing posts with label unbelief. Show all posts

Jul 12, 2009

The Tumbleweed and the Cottonwood


As Christians, there are two ways we can live: 1) according to the sin nature); or, 2) according to the Spirit (Galatians 6:7-9). We are given a vivid word picture of the contrast between these two lifestyles in the following Scripture.
Jeremiah 17:5-8

5 This is what the LORD says:
"Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who depends on flesh for his strength
and whose heart turns away from the LORD.

6 He will be like a bush in the wastelands;
he will not see prosperity when it comes.
He will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
in a salt land where no one lives.

7 "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.

8 He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit."


Have you been that bush in the wastelands? . . . just a dried up pile of twigs in the desert, burned out, isolated, and unable to see the good things in life? . . . I have. That’s the fruit of self-effort and self-reliance.

What a contrast we see between the tumbleweed in the desert and the majestic cottonwood by the stream. When we walk in the Spirit (relying in faith on God to live through us), hard times still come but we are not destroyed by them. We continue to bear fruit for God, and are free from worry. Our roots go deep, drinking in the Water of Life; we may be shaken but will not be torn down.

It may take 100 years to grow a cottonwood, so if you're still the dried-up bush, wait for the Lord (Psalm 27:13-14). If you continue to put your confidence in Him, you will eventually flourish!

Blessings,
Flowers
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Jun 20, 2009

You are safe!


I used to be terrified of losing my salvation. Years ago, God brought me to a total peace about it, for which I am quite grateful. I was reminded of this fear as I read Hebrews 6:4-9 this morning. I've always found it scary, but today, some things became apparent to me that I had never seen before. In a casual reading of the text it seems as if the author is talking about someone who is saved, who has committed her life to Christ, and then is lost. But I believe it is a warning, not to believers, but to unbelievers disguised in the Church. I have inserted a few notes of my own in [brackets] below:


Hebrews 6:4-9

4It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened [understood], who have tasted [but not eaten] the heavenly gift, who have shared in [but not received] the Holy Spirit, 5who have tasted [but not eaten] the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, 6if they fall away [see1 John 2:19 below], to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

7Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful [fruit of salvation] to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 8But land that produces thorns and thistles [fruit of the lost] is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.

9Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in your case—things that accompany salvation. [In other words, "We wrote down this warning but it is not for you (believers) but for those among you who do not have salvation.]

1 John 2:19

19They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.



It became abundantly clear to me that Hebrews 6:4-9 is a warning to the lost, not the saved. Being enlightened is not being saved. Tasting is not eating. If a starving man only tastes food he will die. These are people who know the Truth, but never received it and never bore fruit.

If you are wavering or exploring the faith, this is not about you either. This text refers to someone who fully understands all the wonders of salvation and then lives their entire life in unbelief.

I realize this text is controversial, however, a well-accepted rule of hermeneutics is to interpret the unclear in light of the clear. What could be more clear than the following verse:


John 10:27-28

27My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.


In the original Greek, "no one" is emphatic. It means "no one, in no way, never!" "No one" includes ourselves. Be at peace for you are safe.


Blessings,
Flowers
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Dec 31, 2008

My Faulty, Puny Image of God


Is our God big enough? Theologically, yes. But because I cannot wrap my human mind around Infinity, my image of God is, frankly, marred. That's where faith comes in because it is in the Unseen, the unfathomable.

My faulty, puny image of God causes me much unnecessary anxiety. I am presently faced with a choice about an upcoming trip. Most people would be envious of our destination. It dropped into our laps practically for free. We have been scrimping and saving in bits and pieces for over a year to have spending money. If I miss it, I will be throwing away a rare opportunity and deeply disappointing the person who loves me most.

But I have a chronic illness that for some reason is aggravated by travel. Thanks to the limitations of traveling via frequent flier miles, this trip has a rigorous start: 3 days and 4 cities to get there. My gut tells me I'm gonna bonk. My husband tells me I'm setting myself up to fail. My God tells me that if I miss Plan A, he has Plan B ready and waiting, full of favor and grace and perhaps even more glorious than Plan A.

Please allow me to wax theological for just a moment: We can never get around God's will. But He has what I believe theologians call a "perfect" will and a "permissive" will: Plan A and Plan B.

In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve missed Plan A. They sinned and ruined it. Plan A was for them to populate the earth with good, kind people who had never fallen and to set up God's glorious Kingdom full of light and love right on this planet. That didn't happen.

But in my humble opinion, Plan B, set up from before the beginning of time, is even more glorious. God became flesh and dwelt among us. He died a criminal's death for you and me: By one beautiful, horrific sacrifice Christ atoned for all men, for all sin, for all time. God's Son was raised again to sit at the right hand of God and will one day come again to defeat evil once and for all. He will rule with power and set up that perfect Kingdom on a New Earth where pain and loneliness and decay and suffering are demolished forever. God has revealed, and will continue to demonstrate to a watching universe who would never have known otherwise, His infinite love and kindness by the death, resurrection, and ascension of His Son.

OK, theology lesson over.

Now back to my trip -- and any decision you may be facing. Many years ago, I took a trip that made me so sick that I could have died. Other trips have left me confined to bed for months. Some have had no ill effect at all. (You can understand why I feel like I'm playing Russian Roulette here. Don't want to miss God's will on this one!)

What if I had discerned and chosen Plan A and not traveled at the wrong time on the wrong trip that made me so sick. What if I had never made some of the other choices that led to the development of my illness. I could have had a much easier life. But I never would have had the depth of compassion and understanding that I do now. I wouldn't have the ability to look across a room and see the pain that someone was hiding inside. I wouldn't have insight and hope to offer others who have suffered. There is no way I would know God in the intimate tender way that He has revealed Himself to me, and I certainly wouldn't be writing this blog. I believe I would be of much less use to God in general.

So maybe Plan B is Plan A after all. Maybe we're not big enough to screw up God's will for our lives. Maybe it all does turn out for the best even if it doesn't feel like it in the moment. Maybe the world is safe because God has it all under control. Maybe I am safe. Maybe, even if the worst happens, I'll be glad about it one day.

Maybe God is big enough. And maybe you and I can both dare to believe it!

With love,

Flowers
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Nov 14, 2008

My True Angel Story


My angel story happened back when I was a baby Christian. I got saved reading my Bible hiding in the bathroom. My only "fellowship" was a little Christian radio.

My fledgling faith was so fragile. Every time I'd read something difficult or confusing, I'd complain, "God! I can't believe in You if this is true! Please explain it to me." And graciously, after two or three days, an answer would always come.

This time I was crying out about poor Daniel who had to wait 21 days for his prayer to be answered because of spiritual warfare. I was discouraged. "God! Why even bother praying if our requests are hindered in this manner! Are prayers so futile?!"

Two to three days later I was playing softball and I'm no athlete. I worked for a very small bank that wanted to join a league. Literally every employee was on the team to make enough players.

Somehow I hit a ball and made it to first base. The person behind me hit another good one, and I sprinted for second as fast as I could go. An instant before I would have touched the base, the second baseman suddenly bent down right in front of me to catch a grounder.

I remember the fall in slow motion. I tripped over him and, at first, went up in the air about six feet. Slowly I turned in the air, feet swinging up toward the sky; head moving down toward the ground. Then gravity took over and I dove toward the dirt face-first. I hit hard and slid on my face, chest and arms two to three feet--on gravel. Immediately, knew I was hurt. So did every one else because the game stopped and they all came running.

Suddenly I sat up, examined myself, and realized I was OK. In fact, not just OK. I was completely unscathed. Not one scratch or bruise. Not even a sore muscle. Everyone was incredulous. "Someone upstairs is looking out for you," they said.

I knew an angel had "caught me."

Then God's still small voice spoke to my heart. He said, "Yes, sometimes it takes 21 days to answer a prayer. But I can also be there in an instant, when you don't even ask."


With thanks to Hazel for inspiring me to write this story ...

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If you have your own true angel story, post it to http://plaidflannelangels.wordpress.com/ !
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