Questioning

Photo Courtesy: Duncan Hull

Lately, Isabella has been doing this...thing.

"Momma, do you want me to put that on the counter?" 

I answer for Beth, "No, thank you."

So, she asks again, "Momma, do you want me to put that on the counter?"

Beth answers for herself, "No, baby. Thank you anyway."

I had not given it much thought until now, but tonight that same sort of exchange happened and I saw it in a new light. I think it's the Holy Spirit's way of getting my attention in a somewhat unconventional way.

See, I've thought since she started doing it that it was just Isabella being rude. She completely ignores my answer and asks again. I honestly don't know if she asks again because she really wants to hear the answer straight from Beth or if she thinks she'll get a different answer. Maybe it's something else that only her four year old mind can explain. Either way, I had new insight tonight when it happened.

We do the same thing with God.

We have a burning question about our life or God's will or whatever. We try to find the answer. And, whether it's yes, no or maybe, God answers. Sometimes it is directly through His Word or the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes it is indirectly through the wisdom of fellow believers. But, regardless of the answer, there are times when we respond as though God didn't answer at all.

So we ask again.

In Acts, questioning is shown as a great quality. The example of the Bereans is one in which Paul and Silas came to town proclaiming a word from God, but they went straight to the Scriptures to judge whether it was true. This is a good form of questioning. This is the kind of questioning that I wish more Christians, myself included, made it their habit to do.

Even today, we remember Martin Luther raising some very good questions about what the Church believed and why. And our remembering calls to mind the countless other individuals who stood up to ask good questions - questions that sought to bring people back to God's Word.

But, there is of course another form of questioning. It is the questioning that Thomas is now infamous for - doubtful questioning. It is the "I need to see it to believe it" kind of questioning. It is a faithless kind of questioning. It is a form of questioning that I fear I am all too often guilty of.

Lesson learned. Sometimes I don't like the answer God provided, so I ask again. Or I think I can find a better one somewhere, so I ask again. Or I wonder if God is even able to answer at all, so I ask again. But that's not the kind of questioning that is rooted in faith, trust, and waiting on the Lord in His infinite wisdom. All I'm really doing is pretending to be a Berean.

So, that thing you've been grappling with God about, perhaps even asking Him over and over again hoping that the answer will be different? Maybe the answer is staring you in the face. Maybe He has already answered and you simply need to trust that His answer is true, His plan is sure, and His purposes for your life are much greater than you can imagine.

Are you really a Berean? Or are you a Thomas just masquerading as one?

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That you might know Christ,

Used

I'm going to go ahead and state the obvious: it's election season. Some people really love politics and debates and trying to determine the best candidate. Honestly, I could take it or leave it, but at the very least, I think we as citizens should take advantage of our right to vote and do so in an informed manner. Anyway...yesterday I checked the mail and, literally, every last piece of mail was political in nature.

Vote for me!

No, vote for me!

He's dumb, vote for me!

Well, he hates women, vote for me!

Well, he hates babies and women, vote for me!

He's lying to you and he hates babies and women, vote for me!

No, he's lying to you, hates babies and women, and he just kicked your grandma down a flight of stairs because she was in his way as he tried to shake hands and kiss babies in an effort to convince people to vote for him when he really isn't even qualified to run in this election...oh yeah, and vote for me!

It's an endless onslaught of, to put it bluntly, hate mail directed at one another and filtered through my mailbox.

And I found myself incredibly frustrated about the whole thing, longing for November 7th to come and wishing that there had at least been some sort of note from a friend mixed in with all that mess. I'd have even taken a bill over all that! As I stewed for a moment, a thought floated across my mind:

"I feel used. They don't care who I am or what concerns I have. They just want my vote. If they really cared, I would hear from them more than just during election season."

Now, most politicians probably don't intend that message. But you can imagine my frustration with the whole situation. You've probably even felt it in some form or fashion, and not even necessarily about politics. Maybe you're walking through the mall and those kiosk workers perk up as you walk by. You can practically see the dollar signs on their eyes. You wander around a car lot and the salesmen are fighting over who "gets" you - again, you're just a paycheck to them. It's a common phenomenon, but it's true.

Long story longer, we were driving down the road and I was telling Beth about my frustration over the whole thing and she responded this way,

"People probably feel the same way about us as Christians."

Ouch. That really stings.

And yet, she is absolutely right. We can feel used by politicians or valued only for a sale in the mall, but the same is true for the message that we proclaim. People don't really want to hear what we have to say about the gospel until they can see that we really value them for who they are. Otherwise, they just end up feeling like the next sale.

It is true that we ought to love God. But it is also true that our love for God will show itself in our love for people. Jesus calls it the second greatest commandment. We must truly love and invest in people. The people you are trying to share the gospel with are, after all, people. They have questions and concerns, problems and solutions, joys and sorrows. They are real people with real issues and when you cross their path you have two choices: you can sell them some product they don't need or you can show them a Person they can't live without.

But the only way they'll know they can't live without Him is if they see how desperately you can't live without Him. And the only way they'll see that is by walking through life alongside of you.

Jesus modeled this very thing. He lived life with His disciples and among the people to whom He ministered. And as the people came to Him in droves, they watched Jesus miraculously meet their physical needs while offering the perfect solution to all of their spiritual ones. They watched Him absolutely love them as they were while divinely calling them to something greater than themselves.

And so my challenge to you is this: live life. But live life with people so that they can see just how much you love them for who they are, no matter what. So that they can see that you value them as a person, not as a statistic. And when they see how much you care for them, flaws and all, then they will truly hear what you have to say about the one Person who loves them more than you ever could.

Do you truly love people?
Or are you just using them to get a crown in heaven?

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That you might know Christ,

Shadows

Photo Courtesy: Becky Brewer

The other morning I was coming back from a run and I looked down and saw a rather large shadow on the ground. It startled me a bit because it was moving along in step with me. Creepy...

I looked a little closer though and realized that it was just a bug, a tiny one at that. I could have easily crushed it without a thought. It certainly wasn't anything to be startled or creeped out about.

It's kind of dumb now, looking back on it, but the whole thing got me started thinking those "deep thoughts." At least, perhaps, they're the deepest thoughts a person can have at 6 a.m., worn out from a run and just trying to get home.

Anyway, I thought to myself, "Aren't most shadows like that?"

Deceptive.

Larger than life.

My point is that a shadow is made up of darkness, it's the absence of light. They shift and shuffle as light moves and they scatter immediately if you shine a light on them. In the shadows, you really can't see well and they deceive you into thinking something is there when it's not or something is bigger than it really is.

Satan deceives us in the shadows.

They're like lies - its not the blatant ones that draw you in. It's the subtle, mostly true ones. Shadows do the same thing. It's not the dark, black, scary places where you get caught up and lost in sin. Those places are obvious and much easier to avoid. It's the gray places, the subtleties of life, that drag us right down into the pit. They're just dim enough to see, and just dark enough to deceive. You think you see something that you need or want or desire. And you pursue it. After all, it's not that dark. You can see enough to get there and get right back out again.

But once you get there you realize it's darker than you thought, it's deeper than you imagined. All of a sudden you find yourself trapped in the mire - you're stuck before you even realize what's caught you.

Scripture describes shadows in many ways. Our lives are like shadows, death is a land of darkness and deep shadows, and there is a valley that lies in the shadow of death.

If that were the only way shadows were mentioned in the Bible, shadows wouldn't seem very good to me at all. Yet, Scripture also talks positively about shadows - they speak to the very shadow of the Almighty God.

"How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings." Psalm 36:7

"He who dwells in the shelter of the most high will abide in the shadow of the Almighty." Psalm 91:1

"And I have put My words in your mouth and covered you in the shadow of My hand, establishing the heavens and laying the foundations of the earth, and saying to Zion, 'You are My people.'" Isaiah 51:16

"They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow; they shall flourish like the grain; they shall blossom like the vine; their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon." Hosea 14:7 

We hide in the shadow of His wings because in Him there is no darkness, there is no shadow. The shadow of God is as bright as the morning sun, so even as we run to hide there we can see exactly where we're going and Who we're hiding in.

There is no deception.

There is no trap.

It is exactly the size it seems - HUGE beyond all imagining - but it's not scary because the very bigness of God is what comforts us. It gives us a peace that passes all understanding because we know that in Him there is no fear or worry. And His Word gives us assurance that all the blessings and pleasures of this life are found when we take refuge in the shadow of God.

Run from the shadows you face in life, whatever and wherever they might be, into the shadow of God.

You will find no safer refuge.

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That you might know Christ,

Tangles

Every morning before heading off to school, Isabella and I sit down to brush her hair and fix it so that it's out of her face. And more often than not, whether its from sleeping hard or food she got in her hair while eating, it's inevitable that she has tangles in her hair.

It's funny, though. I don't normally think of brushing the tangles out of Isabella's hair as an object lesson, but today Isabella said something that really caught my attention.

"Can we just leave them alone?"

It's an innocent question, but one that is definitely worth pondering. See, as inevitable as it is that she will have tangles in her hair, it's just as inevitable that she won't like it when I brush them out.

"It hurts!" she says and runs away from me.

I know it hurts. But I also know it'll hurt worse if I don't brush them out. The tangles will get tangles, even to the point of getting knots, and that hair session will be practically unbearable - not to mention how Isabella might feel about it!

Her question made me wonder whether or not I had ever used that same excuse with God. Maybe I'm spending time with Him, praying, reading the Bible, and I feel convicted of a particular sin.

"Can we just leave that alone?" God convicts me even more. He starts to carve away at that area of my life.

"It hurts!" I say and run away from Him.

Of course it hurts - removing sin is never painless. Growing in holiness is like carving a log down to a beautifully designed figurine. The deeper the cuts, the more progress you make. The more detailed the carving, the more time it takes to sand down the rough edges.

I'm sure that God could leave our sin alone. He could definitely leave us to our own devices. And He does at times if we insist on rejecting Him. But, the sin will get worse. And the process of cutting it away will be even more painful as a result.

So, what does all this rambling mean? Well, for me, it means that I've been thinking a lot lately about a certain passage in the Bible - Colossians 3:1-10, especially verse 5 - and this morning was just the reminder for me that I can't just think about those verses. When I'm confronted with truth, I must also act on that truth. And what is that truth?

If we are in Christ, then we must not excuse or ignore sin. We must kill it.
          Without mercy.
                    Without delay.

To delay is only to make it worse later. To excuse it is to ignore God's standard for holiness. And neither is acceptable in God's eyes. Over and over God tells us in His Word that we are to "be holy as I AM holy." That means every day is a choice - to give in to sin or to kill sin.

What will you choose today?

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That you might know Christ,

A Grief Observed

"Jacob...it's B-Mom...she's gone..."

          "Jacob...Poppa Tom died..."

                    "Jacob...Marianne died in her sleep."

                              "Jacob...Memaw passed away this morning."

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Photo Courtesy: Alberto Lauretti

This morning I received the phone call that no one really wants to receive, that no one ever really seems prepared for. Even when a death is expected, it's still a shock. Ever since college I've been getting phone calls like that. I know deaths have happened in our family before then, but they never seemed personal until I was on my own and I had to deal with the news by myself.

There is always that dreadful, weighty, and interminable pause. You can almost sense that this phone call is different than all the others you've received before. There is always the attempt to break the news in a way that divulges information yet preserves the dignity of the individual and protects the emotions of the hearer. "Died" seems so harsh at times so we soften the blow with "we lost him," "she went to sleep," "they passed away," "he went home to be with Jesus." It all means the same thing, but somehow it makes things easier to swallow.

And what do you say in a moment like that? How do you respond? "I'm sorry" seems to be the most common thing that comes to mind, but it just never seems to cut it. "Ok" feels less than human and devoid of emotion. You certainly can't say, "Oh good!" - at least not out loud. Surely even the most awful people deserve a little sympathy......Right?

Then there is the flood of emotion. First come waves of grief that practically bring you to your knees in sorrow. No one looks forward to the death of a loved one. Subsequent waves of guilt and denial are soon to follow. In the case of an extended illness, perhaps even a bit of relief from the stressful role of caretaker sneaks its way into your mind.

This time, however, it's different. For me, the relative is not by blood but by marriage. At times I feel overwhelmed in the same flood of emotion for the loss of a loved one. I want to cling tightly to each member of my extended family to show them my love and support during this time of sadness. I want to be strong and brave for my wife, yet at the same time empathetic and gentle. But other times I feel almost like an outsider, looking in and observing the grieving process of a family that is not entirely my own. I feel the sharp pain of Memaw's death because she reminded me so much of my own grandmothers - each in their own way. But at the same time, there is not nearly so great a hole left in my heart as there is in Beth and her family. Blood ties more deeply than marriage.

Torn between feeling like both an insider and outsider, it has allowed me the opportunity to think about death from a new perspective. Before I just felt the emotions of grieving. Now I realize that while those emotions are a normal, natural, and healthy part of the process, I must move past those emotions to the question that everyone asks in the event of a death. What happens when you die? Is death the end? 

Death is not the end. Each time I experience loss I am reminded that there was one Man who died and didn't stay dead. He returned to life. He is Jesus Christ. He died the perfect, substitutionary death for all who would believe in Him as Lord and Savior. He made a way for life where there was no way but death. While we were dead in our sins, God made us alive in Christ.

Lois Tisdale: Daughter, Sister, Friend, Wife, Mother, Aunt, Memaw - you were so many things to so many people. You are loved and cherished. You are grieved and mourned by those who remain here on this earth, our temporary home. But we also rejoice in death because death has lost its sting! Death has lost its victory! While we may weep and groan, longing for heaven and home, mostly we are jealous. We are every bit of green with envy for you have gotten that sweet reward of a life lived faithfully in service and worship of the King of Kings. You have gotten to taste the riches of heaven and we must continue to wait. We remain here, if only for a little while, until physical death or the return of King Jesus calls us to our heavenly home. "Come, Lord Jesus!"

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That you might know Christ,

Missed

Yesterday, Isabella came home.

We had been out of town and with all the logistics of drop off and pick up, Isabella had been gone from home for a little more than a week.

It was a momentous occasion, to say the least.

She got out of the car, we came out of the front door, she saw us, we grinned ear to ear and called out her name, she screamed excitedly, and she started running as fast as she could to grab and hug and kiss us. In a torrent of information over the next several hours, she wanted to tell us about everything she had seen and done while we were gone, but mostly she just wanted to hold us and tell us she missed us.

Yesterday's 'homecoming' left a permanent impression on my mind.

How excited one person can be to see another. How eager one person can be to share everything that has happened since the last time they saw someone.

It's something I think that we lose with time, with routine, with familiarity.

As I think about the joy that I felt to see my little girl and hold her in my arms and for her to not want to let go, as I meditate on that experience to soak it in and never forget it, I cannot help but think that perhaps I saw just a glimpse of what God feels when one of His children comes running home to Him. The Parable of Lost Things (sheep, coin, & son) in Luke 15 comes to mind. What rejoicing there is in heaven when one who is lost is found!

I never want to forget that joy.

I think so often we get comfortable and familiar with the people we love and we forget the joy that it is to know and love them. Familiarity breeds contempt, right? Even when they are gone, we so quickly forget the hole that only they can fill and that they are sorely missed.

Yet, with God we do this very thing. We spend so much time in church that we begin to feel contempt for His people. We spend so much time serving that we begin to feel deserving of service ourselves. We gradually work our way away from the church, or just leave it altogether, and we forget that the hole God fills can never be filled by anything or anyone else. We get to the point of spending so much time away from God that we forget that He is even missing - and yet He ought to be desperately and undeniably missed.

When you truly understand "how deep the Father's love for us," you will never want to leave Him again.

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That you might know Christ,

The Lord

"Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it—the Lord is his name: Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. [Jeremiah 33:2-3]

The Lord.

The One who made all of the earth.

Who formed and crafted it into existence...

With. A. WORD.

The Lord is His Name!

Why would we NOT call out to Him?

Why would we NOT trust Him with all that we fear?

With all that concerns us?

With all that we are?

He is awesome. He is mighty. He is sovereignly reigning over all things.

Trust Him. Cry out to Him. Worship Him.

He is worthy to be praised.

Understatement

"'Had it not been the Lord who was on our side,'

Let Israel now say,

'Had it not been the Lord who was on our side

When men rose up against us,

Then they would have swallowed us alive,

When their anger was kindled against us;

Then the waters would have engulfed us;

The stream would have swept over our soul;

Then the raging waters would have swept over our soul.'

Blessed be the Lord,

Who has not given us to be torn by their teeth.

Our soul escaped as a bird out of the snare of the trapper;

The snare is broken and we have escaped.

Our help is in the name of the Lord,

Who made heaven and earth."
Psalm 124

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More often than not, I think I severely understate God. You might ask, "What do you mean by that?" It's a valid question.

Here's what I mean:

I say "God's in control." so casually!
Or "He knows what He's doing." so nonchalantly!

Talk about the understatement of the millenium! More often than not I just flippantly toss these phrases around without actually thinking about the implications of what I just said. Think about this for a moment.

GOD. IS. ALL. POWERFUL.

That means He's bigger than my problems. He's bigger than my stress. He's bigger than me in every single way and entirely more capable of dealing with things than I ever could be. The psalmist reminds me here, perhaps more convictingly than I've felt before, that God really, truly is inconceivably BIG.

Why is that so convicting? It seems like such a simple thought.

It's so convicting because I was reminded as I read through this passage that if I really believe that what the Bible says is true, if I really believe that God is who He says He is, then there ought to be an appropriate response from me as I live out my faith.

Do my prayers reflect trust in a God who is bigger than any of my problems?

       Do my actions reflect that trust?

              Do my thoughts reflect that trust?

I think there's something to be said for praying over a situation. Absolutely. But how many times do we pray for something and not really expect God to do anything about it?

How many times do I ask the Lord to show me the opportunity to share the Gospel, but then never leave the house? Can I really blame God for not presenting me with an opportunity to tell someone about Him when I didn't even go where people were in order to share?

In Psalm 124 David is praising God for deliverance, but he closes with this powerful truth, "Our help is in the name of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth."

How often do I say I'm trusting in the God who made heaven and earth but actually place my trust in the god of self?

Is not our God bigger than that?
Is not our God more worthy than that?

This passage should bolster our confidence in the Lord of all creation. It should lead us to believe Him when He says He will do something. This Psalm should lead to a confidence in the Lord that completely and utterly trusts in Him, even when we don't understand His purpose or plan.

Deeper still is the resulting boldness of the believer. How bold are you when it comes to trusting God to do what He says He will do? How bold are you when it comes to accomplishing things for the sake of God's kingdom? If we really trust God, if we really believe Him, then that should lead to action. Our lives should reflect the complete trust that we have in our God - to save us, to sanctify us, and to send us out in His name.

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That you might know Christ,