I've finally finished reading Divine Providence: The Molinist Account by Thomas P. Flint (I started about a year ago). Interesting that it quotes St. Thomas Aquinas on the purpose of prayer:
When considering the problem of the usefulness of prayer, one must remember that divine providence not only disposes what effects will take place, but also the manner in which they will take place, and which actions will cause them... [W]e do not pray in order to change the decree of divine providence, rather we pray in order to impetrate those things which God has determined would be obtained only through our prayers.
- St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, 2a2ae, 83, 2
It appears, then, that Molinism may well be of some help in understanding why it is that our prayers sometimes appear to go unanswered.
At times, what we pray for may depend upon others' free actions, actions which are not in fact forthcoming.
At other times, it may be that God sees via his middle knowledge that we would not benefit should he grant us that for which we have prayed, and so, being a loving father, he doesn't give us that which would ultimately harm us.
Nor should God's activity in the wake of prayer be seen as utterly independent of those prayers, for what is good for God's creatures is in part dependent upon the circumstances in which they are placed, and prayer affects those circumstances.
- Thomas P. Flint, Divine Providence: The Molinist Account
Prayer changes things, not because God depends on our prayers, but because God responds to our prayers!
According to Molinism, middle knowledge is God's infallible foreknowledge (from eternity) of what we would freely do in all possible worlds, while free knowledge is God's decree of what we will freely do in this particular world - the world which God has created and we live in.
From a Molinist perspective, our (freely-prayed) prayers do not change God's free knowledge, which is determined by nothing except God's sovereign choice. However, they do change God's middle knowledge, which is determined by (but not dependent on) our free choices - including our prayers.
Whether God answers our prayers is up to God. Whether we pray the prayers for God to answer is down to us.
Links: Prayer Changes Things (26 Nov 10), Prayer According to God's Will (5 Dec 10)
Friday 31 December 2010
Monday 27 December 2010
Command and Control
"The breath of God produces ice, and the broad waters become frozen. He loads the clouds with moisture; he scatters his lightning through them. At his direction they swirl around over the face of the whole earth to do whatever he commands them. He brings the clouds to punish men, or to water his earth and show his love." - Job 37:10-13 (NIV)
"Listen to this, Job; stop and consider God's wonders. Do you know how God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash? Do you know how the clouds hang poised, those wonders of him who is perfect in knowledge? You who swelter in your clothes when the land lies hushed under the south wind, can you join him in spreading out the skies, hard as a mirror of cast bronze?" - Job 37:14-18 (NIV)
If God is in control of nature (not least the rain), how much more is He in control of our lives!
"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" - Matthew 6:28-30 (NIV)
"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." - Matthew 10:29-31 (NIV)
The more you know that you're not in control, the more you learn that God is in control.
"But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." - Philippians 3:20-21 (NIV)
"Listen to this, Job; stop and consider God's wonders. Do you know how God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash? Do you know how the clouds hang poised, those wonders of him who is perfect in knowledge? You who swelter in your clothes when the land lies hushed under the south wind, can you join him in spreading out the skies, hard as a mirror of cast bronze?" - Job 37:14-18 (NIV)
If God is in control of nature (not least the rain), how much more is He in control of our lives!
"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" - Matthew 6:28-30 (NIV)
"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." - Matthew 10:29-31 (NIV)
The more you know that you're not in control, the more you learn that God is in control.
"But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." - Philippians 3:20-21 (NIV)
Sunday 26 December 2010
Lessons from Proverbs 31:10
I'm reading the Bible in one year and the Wisdom reading for Dec 26 is Proverbs 31:10-20.
"A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies." - Proverbs 31:10 (NIV)
Lesson #1: A wife of noble character cannot be found except by God's grace. (6 Sep 10)
Lesson #2: Instead of focusing on finding a Proverbs 31 woman, focus on being a Psalm 112 man. (9 Sep 10)
Lesson #3: Seek wisdom before seeking a wife (or husband). (17 Oct 10)
"A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies." - Proverbs 31:10 (NIV)
Lesson #1: A wife of noble character cannot be found except by God's grace. (6 Sep 10)
Lesson #2: Instead of focusing on finding a Proverbs 31 woman, focus on being a Psalm 112 man. (9 Sep 10)
Lesson #3: Seek wisdom before seeking a wife (or husband). (17 Oct 10)
Saturday 25 December 2010
The Result of Christmas
This morning's message in church was on Matthew 2:1-12, in particular verse 12 - what happened to the Magi after they went to see Jesus in Bethlehem.
"And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route." - Matthew 2:12 (NIV)
And having been warned in a dream...
Because of Christmas, we are transformed by the Spirit (which may or may not involve the charismatic gifts).
"But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you." - John 16:13-15 (NIV)
"You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
"Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation - but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
"For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." - Romans 8:9-17 (NIV)
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" - 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
...not to go back to Herod...
Because of Christmas, we do not go back to our old lives.
"When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first." - Luke 11:24-26 (NIV)
"If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God." - Hebrews 10:26-27 (NIV)
"If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: "A dog returns to its vomit," and, "A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud."" - 2 Peter 2:20-22 (NIV)
...they returned to their country by another route.
Because of Christmas, we live new lives.
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." - Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV)
"All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country - a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them." - Hebrews 11:13-16 (NIV)
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."" - Revelation 21:1-4 (NIV)
Even as we think about the reason for Christmas, we should also think about the result of Christmas. Have you met Jesus? Have you really encountered Him?
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will." - Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)
"And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route." - Matthew 2:12 (NIV)
And having been warned in a dream...
Because of Christmas, we are transformed by the Spirit (which may or may not involve the charismatic gifts).
"But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you." - John 16:13-15 (NIV)
"You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
"Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation - but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
"For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." - Romans 8:9-17 (NIV)
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" - 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
...not to go back to Herod...
Because of Christmas, we do not go back to our old lives.
"When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first." - Luke 11:24-26 (NIV)
"If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God." - Hebrews 10:26-27 (NIV)
"If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: "A dog returns to its vomit," and, "A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud."" - 2 Peter 2:20-22 (NIV)
...they returned to their country by another route.
Because of Christmas, we live new lives.
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." - Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV)
"All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country - a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them." - Hebrews 11:13-16 (NIV)
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."" - Revelation 21:1-4 (NIV)
Even as we think about the reason for Christmas, we should also think about the result of Christmas. Have you met Jesus? Have you really encountered Him?
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will." - Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)
God is making everything new
When I hear the story
Of a God of mercy
Who shared humanity
And suffered by our side
Of the cross they nailed You to
That could not hold You
Now You're making all things new
By the pow'r of Your risen life
What can I do but thank You
What can I do but give my life to You
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
What can I do but praise You
Everyday make everything I do
A hallelujah
A hallelujah
Hallelujah
Are you single? God is making everything new. Are you married? God is making everything new. Are you in the prime of life? God is making everything new. Are you facing death? God is making everything new.
"I am neither an optimist nor a pessimist. Jesus Christ is risen from the dead!" - Lesslie Newbigin, Bishop of Madras (1965-74)
"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned... For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." - Isaiah 9:2, 6 (NIV)
As we celebrate Christmas, let us not just think about why we celebrate Christmas, but how the birth of Jesus brings light and life to the whole creation - by reversing the curse of death, the wages of sin.
Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace
Hail the Sun of Righteousness
Light and life to all He brings
Ris'n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"
God is making everything new - in and through Christ Jesus our Lord!
Link: A Wedding and a Funeral (18 Dec 10)
Friday 24 December 2010
Waiting on God
The Father in heaven is so interested in His child, and so longs to have his life at every step in His will and His love, that He is willing to keep his guidance entirely in His own hand.
He knows so well that we are unable to do what is really holy and heavenly, except as He works it in us, that He means His very demands to become promises of what He will do in watching over and leading us all the day. Not only in special difficulties and times of perplexity, but in the common course of everyday life, we may count upon Him to teach us His way, and show us His path...
A soul cannot seek close fellowship with God, or attain the abiding consciousness of waiting on Him all the day, without a very honest and entire surrender to all His will...
"Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him." - Psalm 37:7a (NIV)
It is resting in the Lord, in His will, His promise, His faithfulness, and His love, that makes patience easy. And the resting in Him is nothing but being silent unto Him, still before Him. Having our thoughts and wishes, our fears and hopes, hushed into calm and quiet in that great peace of God which passeth all understanding. That peace keeps the heart and mind when we are anxious for anything, because we have made our request known to Him. The rest, the silence, the stillness, and the patient waiting, all find their strength and joy in God Himself.
The needs be, and the reasonableness, and the blessedness of patience will be opened up to the waiting soul. Our patience will be seen to be the counterpart of God's patience. He longs far more to bless us fully than we can desire it. But, as the husbandman has long patience till the fruit be ripe, so God bows Himself to our slowness and bears long with us. Let us remember this, and wait patiently: of each promise and every answer to prayer the word is true: "I the Lord will hasten it in its time."
"Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him." Yes, for HIM. Seek not only the help, the gift, thou needest; seek HIMSELF; wait FOR HIM. Give God His glory by resting in Him, by trusting Him fully, by waiting patiently for Him. This patience honours Him greatly; it leaves Him, as God on the throne, to do His work; it yields self wholly into His hands. It lets God be God.
If thy waiting be for some special request, wait patiently. If thy waiting be more the exercise of the spiritual life seeking to know and have more of God, wait patiently. Whether it be in the shorter specific periods of waiting, or as the continuous habit of the soul; rest in the Lord, be still before the Lord, and wait patiently.
- Andrew Murray, Waiting on God
"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." - Galatians 2:20 (NIV)
I stand in Christ with sins forgiv'n
And Christ in me the hope of heav'n
My highest calling and my deepest joy
To make His will my home
Links: The Key to All Doors (30 Dec 09), He keeps the key (12 Aug 10)
He knows so well that we are unable to do what is really holy and heavenly, except as He works it in us, that He means His very demands to become promises of what He will do in watching over and leading us all the day. Not only in special difficulties and times of perplexity, but in the common course of everyday life, we may count upon Him to teach us His way, and show us His path...
A soul cannot seek close fellowship with God, or attain the abiding consciousness of waiting on Him all the day, without a very honest and entire surrender to all His will...
"Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him." - Psalm 37:7a (NIV)
It is resting in the Lord, in His will, His promise, His faithfulness, and His love, that makes patience easy. And the resting in Him is nothing but being silent unto Him, still before Him. Having our thoughts and wishes, our fears and hopes, hushed into calm and quiet in that great peace of God which passeth all understanding. That peace keeps the heart and mind when we are anxious for anything, because we have made our request known to Him. The rest, the silence, the stillness, and the patient waiting, all find their strength and joy in God Himself.
The needs be, and the reasonableness, and the blessedness of patience will be opened up to the waiting soul. Our patience will be seen to be the counterpart of God's patience. He longs far more to bless us fully than we can desire it. But, as the husbandman has long patience till the fruit be ripe, so God bows Himself to our slowness and bears long with us. Let us remember this, and wait patiently: of each promise and every answer to prayer the word is true: "I the Lord will hasten it in its time."
"Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him." Yes, for HIM. Seek not only the help, the gift, thou needest; seek HIMSELF; wait FOR HIM. Give God His glory by resting in Him, by trusting Him fully, by waiting patiently for Him. This patience honours Him greatly; it leaves Him, as God on the throne, to do His work; it yields self wholly into His hands. It lets God be God.
If thy waiting be for some special request, wait patiently. If thy waiting be more the exercise of the spiritual life seeking to know and have more of God, wait patiently. Whether it be in the shorter specific periods of waiting, or as the continuous habit of the soul; rest in the Lord, be still before the Lord, and wait patiently.
- Andrew Murray, Waiting on God
"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." - Galatians 2:20 (NIV)
I stand in Christ with sins forgiv'n
And Christ in me the hope of heav'n
My highest calling and my deepest joy
To make His will my home
Links: The Key to All Doors (30 Dec 09), He keeps the key (12 Aug 10)
Wednesday 22 December 2010
Dec 15 to 21
Dec 15: "Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul." - Psalm 143:8 (NIV)
Dec 16: "You have said, 'It is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the LORD Almighty?'" - Malachi 3:14 (NIV)
Dec 17: "Blessed are the people of whom this is true; blessed are the people whose God is the LORD." - Psalm 144:15 (NIV)
Dec 18: "But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets." - Revelation 10:7 (NIV)
Dec 19: "The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever."" - Revelation 11:15 (NIV)
Dec 20: "Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations." - Psalm 145:13a (NIV)
Dec 21: "He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them." - Psalm 145:19 (NIV)
Dec 16: "You have said, 'It is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the LORD Almighty?'" - Malachi 3:14 (NIV)
Dec 17: "Blessed are the people of whom this is true; blessed are the people whose God is the LORD." - Psalm 144:15 (NIV)
Dec 18: "But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets." - Revelation 10:7 (NIV)
Dec 19: "The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever."" - Revelation 11:15 (NIV)
Dec 20: "Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations." - Psalm 145:13a (NIV)
Dec 21: "He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them." - Psalm 145:19 (NIV)
Sunday 19 December 2010
Dead to Sin and Alive in Christ
This morning's message in church was on Romans 6:1-11.
"If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection." - Romans 6:5 (NIV)
"Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him." - Romans 6:8 (NIV)
"In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus." - Romans 6:11(NIV)
As Pastor Andrew put it, the cross without the resurrection is like being baptised (by immersion) and remaining in the water!
"If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection." - Romans 6:5 (NIV)
"Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him." - Romans 6:8 (NIV)
"In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus." - Romans 6:11(NIV)
As Pastor Andrew put it, the cross without the resurrection is like being baptised (by immersion) and remaining in the water!
Saturday 18 December 2010
A Wedding and a Funeral
This morning I was in church for a wedding rehearsal. Two of my church friends are getting married next month and I'm playing in the band. And this evening I attended the funeral wake of a granduncle.
Although they were not read out at either the wedding rehearsal or the funeral wake, the following verses came to my mind:
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
"I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God."
""He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."" - Revelation 21:1-4 (NIV)
Marriage
Apart from believing and being baptised, marriage is one of the most (if not the most) glorious moments in life (I imagine). It is a profound mystery, a picture of Christ and the church. Even so, it is a mere shadow of the reality it points towards - our union with Christ forever and ever.
Finish then, Thy new creation
Pure and spotless let us be
Let us see Thy great salvation
Perfectly restored in Thee
Changed from glory into glory
Till in heaven* we take our place
Till we cast our crowns before Thee
Lost in wonder, love and praise
*the new heaven and the new earth
Death
On the other hand, death is the wages of sin, the ultimate affront to life. Even so, it is a defeated foe which awaits its own destruction - the death of death itself.
"Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death." - Revelation 20:14 (NIV)
So marriage is good, but the new creation is even better. Death is bad, but the new creation conquers it.
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going... I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:1-4, 6 (NIV)
God knows if you will marry, who you will marry and when you will marry. He knows when you will die and how you will die. As the pastor preaching at the funeral wake said, "God is sovereign. He knows best."
He alone is faithful and true
He alone knows what is best for you...
God is too wise to be mistaken
God is too good to be unkind
So when you don't understand
When you don't see His plan
When you can't trace His hand
Trust His heart
"He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!"" - Revelation 21:5a (NIV)
Are you single? God is making everything new. Are you married? God is making everything new. Are you in the prime of life? God is making everything new. Are you facing death? God is making everything new.
"I am neither an optimist nor a pessimist. Jesus Christ is risen from the dead!" - Lesslie Newbigin, Bishop of Madras (1965-74)
Link: God is making everything new (25 Dec 10)
Although they were not read out at either the wedding rehearsal or the funeral wake, the following verses came to my mind:
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
"I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God."
""He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."" - Revelation 21:1-4 (NIV)
Marriage
Apart from believing and being baptised, marriage is one of the most (if not the most) glorious moments in life (I imagine). It is a profound mystery, a picture of Christ and the church. Even so, it is a mere shadow of the reality it points towards - our union with Christ forever and ever.
Finish then, Thy new creation
Pure and spotless let us be
Let us see Thy great salvation
Perfectly restored in Thee
Changed from glory into glory
Till in heaven* we take our place
Till we cast our crowns before Thee
Lost in wonder, love and praise
*the new heaven and the new earth
Death
On the other hand, death is the wages of sin, the ultimate affront to life. Even so, it is a defeated foe which awaits its own destruction - the death of death itself.
"Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death." - Revelation 20:14 (NIV)
So marriage is good, but the new creation is even better. Death is bad, but the new creation conquers it.
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going... I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:1-4, 6 (NIV)
God knows if you will marry, who you will marry and when you will marry. He knows when you will die and how you will die. As the pastor preaching at the funeral wake said, "God is sovereign. He knows best."
He alone is faithful and true
He alone knows what is best for you...
God is too wise to be mistaken
God is too good to be unkind
So when you don't understand
When you don't see His plan
When you can't trace His hand
Trust His heart
"He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!"" - Revelation 21:5a (NIV)
Are you single? God is making everything new. Are you married? God is making everything new. Are you in the prime of life? God is making everything new. Are you facing death? God is making everything new.
"I am neither an optimist nor a pessimist. Jesus Christ is risen from the dead!" - Lesslie Newbigin, Bishop of Madras (1965-74)
Link: God is making everything new (25 Dec 10)
Thursday 16 December 2010
True Gain
I'm reading the Bible in one year and the Old Testament reading for Dec 16 is Malachi 2:17-4:6.
"You have said, 'It is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the LORD Almighty?'" - Malachi 3:14 (NIV)
The answer is - everything.
"O greedy men, what will satisfy you, if God Himself will not?" - St. Augustine
"Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favour and honour; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you." - Psalm 84:10-12 (NIV)
Besides, instead of asking "What can we gain for ourselves?", we should be asking
"What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?" - Luke 9:25 (NIV)
and
"But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand." - 1 Chronicles 29:14 (NIV)
And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Saviour's blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain
For me, who Him to death pursued!
Amazing love! How can it be
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me!
"You have said, 'It is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the LORD Almighty?'" - Malachi 3:14 (NIV)
The answer is - everything.
"O greedy men, what will satisfy you, if God Himself will not?" - St. Augustine
"Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favour and honour; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you." - Psalm 84:10-12 (NIV)
Besides, instead of asking "What can we gain for ourselves?", we should be asking
"What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?" - Luke 9:25 (NIV)
and
"But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand." - 1 Chronicles 29:14 (NIV)
And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Saviour's blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain
For me, who Him to death pursued!
Amazing love! How can it be
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me!
Wednesday 15 December 2010
Dec 8 to 14
Dec 8: "Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life." - Jude 21 (NIV)
Dec 9: "I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." - Revelation 1:18 (NIV)
Dec 10: "Keep falsehoods and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread." - Proverbs 30:8 (NIV)
Dec 11: "To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations." - Revelation 2:26 (NIV)
Dec 12: "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." - Revelation 3:20 (NIV)
Dec 13: "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being." - Revelation 4:11 (NIV)
Dec 14: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth." - Revelation 5:9-10 (NIV)
Dec 9: "I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." - Revelation 1:18 (NIV)
Dec 10: "Keep falsehoods and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread." - Proverbs 30:8 (NIV)
Dec 11: "To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations." - Revelation 2:26 (NIV)
Dec 12: "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." - Revelation 3:20 (NIV)
Dec 13: "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being." - Revelation 4:11 (NIV)
Dec 14: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth." - Revelation 5:9-10 (NIV)
Sunday 12 December 2010
And on Earth, Peace to Men
This morning's message in church was on Luke 2:14, the verse which the Greater Doxology (Gloria in Excelsis Deo) begins with and is named after.
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favour rests." - Luke 2:14 (NIV)
How can we be at peace with God?
1. Believe.
"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal." - Isaiah 26:3-4 (NIV)
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." - Romans 5:1-2 (NIV)
"And again, Isaiah says, "The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him." May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." - Romans 15:12-13 (NIV)
2. Pray.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)
3. Know (and do) His will.
"Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." - Philippians 4:9 (NIV)
*****
"May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." - Hebrews 13:20-21 (NIV)
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favour rests." - Luke 2:14 (NIV)
How can we be at peace with God?
1. Believe.
"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal." - Isaiah 26:3-4 (NIV)
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." - Romans 5:1-2 (NIV)
"And again, Isaiah says, "The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him." May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." - Romans 15:12-13 (NIV)
2. Pray.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)
3. Know (and do) His will.
"Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." - Philippians 4:9 (NIV)
*****
"May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." - Hebrews 13:20-21 (NIV)
Friday 10 December 2010
A Time to Wait
Celebrating Advent means being able to wait. Waiting is an art that our impatient age has forgotten. It wants to break open the ripe fruit when it has hardly finished planting the shoot. But all too often the greedy eyes are only deceived; the fruit that seemed so precious is still green on the inside, and disrespectful hands ungratefully toss aside what has so disappointed them.
Whoever does not know the austere blessedness of waiting - that is, of hopefully doing without - will never experience the full blessing of fulfillment. Those who do not know how it feels to struggle anxiously with the deepest questions of life, of their life, and to patiently look forward with anticipation until the truth is revealed, cannot even dream of the splendour of the moment in which clarity is illuminated for them...
For the greatest, most profound, tenderest things in the world, we must wait. It happens not here in a storm but according to the divine laws of sprouting, growing, and becoming.
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, God is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas
"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." - Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)
"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." - Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV)
"Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm, and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure. For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter, though a man's misery weighs heavily upon him." - Ecclesiastes 8:5-6 (NIV)
Whoever does not know the austere blessedness of waiting - that is, of hopefully doing without - will never experience the full blessing of fulfillment. Those who do not know how it feels to struggle anxiously with the deepest questions of life, of their life, and to patiently look forward with anticipation until the truth is revealed, cannot even dream of the splendour of the moment in which clarity is illuminated for them...
For the greatest, most profound, tenderest things in the world, we must wait. It happens not here in a storm but according to the divine laws of sprouting, growing, and becoming.
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, God is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas
"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." - Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)
"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." - Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV)
"Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm, and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure. For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter, though a man's misery weighs heavily upon him." - Ecclesiastes 8:5-6 (NIV)
Wednesday 8 December 2010
Dec 1 to 7
Dec 1: "The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever." - 1 John 2:17 (NIV)
Dec 2: "Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law." - Proverbs 29:18 (NIV)
Dec 3: "Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him." - 1 John 3:21-22 (NIV)
Dec 4: "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." - 1 John 4:18 (NIV)
Dec 5: "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." - 1 John 5:14 (NIV)
Dec 6: "Many seek an audience with a ruler, but it is from the LORD that man gets justice." - Proverbs 29:26 (NIV)
Dec 7: "So he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty."" - Zechariah 4:6 (NIV)
Dec 2: "Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law." - Proverbs 29:18 (NIV)
Dec 3: "Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him." - 1 John 3:21-22 (NIV)
Dec 4: "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." - 1 John 4:18 (NIV)
Dec 5: "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." - 1 John 5:14 (NIV)
Dec 6: "Many seek an audience with a ruler, but it is from the LORD that man gets justice." - Proverbs 29:26 (NIV)
Dec 7: "So he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty."" - Zechariah 4:6 (NIV)
Sunday 5 December 2010
Prayer According to God's Will
I'm reading the Bible in one year and the New Testament reading for Dec 5 is 1 John 5:1-21.
"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." - 1 John 5:14 (NIV)
Do our prayers simply change us and align us to God's will, without having any bearing on His will? (Then why pray? For example, why pray for the salvation of the lost if the lost are saved completely apart from our prayers?)
Do our prayers have a bearing on God's will to the extent that our prayers determine His will? (Then what if two people pray against each other? For example, what if one person prays for sunny weather and another person prays for rainy weather?)
Or do our prayers provide the means by which God, knowing what we would pray for and how He would answer accordingly (be it yes or no), accomplishes His will - His good, pleasing and perfect will?
God answers prayer! He will answer yes when answering yes is for the best; He will answer no when answering no is for the best. And whether He answers yes or no, His will is exactly what we would desire if we knew all the facts.
Links: Prayer Changes Things (26 Nov 10), A Molinist View of Prayer (31 Dec 10)
"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." - 1 John 5:14 (NIV)
Do our prayers simply change us and align us to God's will, without having any bearing on His will? (Then why pray? For example, why pray for the salvation of the lost if the lost are saved completely apart from our prayers?)
Do our prayers have a bearing on God's will to the extent that our prayers determine His will? (Then what if two people pray against each other? For example, what if one person prays for sunny weather and another person prays for rainy weather?)
Or do our prayers provide the means by which God, knowing what we would pray for and how He would answer accordingly (be it yes or no), accomplishes His will - His good, pleasing and perfect will?
God answers prayer! He will answer yes when answering yes is for the best; He will answer no when answering no is for the best. And whether He answers yes or no, His will is exactly what we would desire if we knew all the facts.
Links: Prayer Changes Things (26 Nov 10), A Molinist View of Prayer (31 Dec 10)
Saturday 4 December 2010
Freedom and Boundaries
The question of the real content and meaning of the Christian faith is enveloped today in a greater fog of uncertainty than at almost any earlier period in history. Anyone who has watched the theological movement of the last decade and who is not one of those thoughtless people who always uncritically accept what is new as necessarily better might well feel reminded of the old story of "Lucky Jack".
The lump of gold that was too heavy and troublesome for him he exchanged successively, so as to be more comfortable, for a horse, a cow, a goose, and a whetstone, which he finally threw into the water without losing much more; on the contrary, what he now gained in exchange, so he thought, was the precious gift of complete freedom. How long his intoxication lasted, how sombre the moment of awakening from the illusion of his supposed liberation, is left by the story, as is well known, to the imagination of the reader.
The worried Christian of today is often bothered by questions like these: has our theology in the last few years not taken in many ways a similar path? Has it not gradually watered down the demands of faith, which had been found all too demanding, always only so little that nothing important seemed to be lost, yet always so much that it was soon possible to venture on the next step? And will poor Jack, the Christian who trustfully let himself be led from exchange to exchange, from interpretation to interpretation, not really soon hold in his hand, instead of the gold with which he began, only a whetstone which he can be confidently recommended to throw away?
- Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Introduction to Christianity (1968)
The lump of gold that was too heavy and troublesome for him he exchanged successively, so as to be more comfortable, for a horse, a cow, a goose, and a whetstone, which he finally threw into the water without losing much more; on the contrary, what he now gained in exchange, so he thought, was the precious gift of complete freedom. How long his intoxication lasted, how sombre the moment of awakening from the illusion of his supposed liberation, is left by the story, as is well known, to the imagination of the reader.
The worried Christian of today is often bothered by questions like these: has our theology in the last few years not taken in many ways a similar path? Has it not gradually watered down the demands of faith, which had been found all too demanding, always only so little that nothing important seemed to be lost, yet always so much that it was soon possible to venture on the next step? And will poor Jack, the Christian who trustfully let himself be led from exchange to exchange, from interpretation to interpretation, not really soon hold in his hand, instead of the gold with which he began, only a whetstone which he can be confidently recommended to throw away?
- Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Introduction to Christianity (1968)
Friday 3 December 2010
Training vs 'Tekan'
Today one of our trainers said that whether something is training or 'tekan' (Malay for 'punishment') depends on our attitude.
We think that doing 20 push-ups for exercise is training, while doing 20 push-ups for being tardy is 'tekan'. So what's the difference? It's not the act of doing 20 push-ups. It's the context in which the 20 push-ups are done.
But even if we end up doing 20 push-ups for being tardy, isn't it still a form of training? Doing 20 push-ups can be seen as training (positive) or 'tekan' (negative). It depends on how we look at it.
"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." - Hebrews 12:11 (NIV)
Trials vs Temptations
So it is with the will of God. Whether something is a trial or a temptation depends on our attitude. More precisely, whether a trial becomes a temptation depends on our attitude.
1. God does not tempt us.
"When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone." - James 1:13 (NIV)
2. Nevertheless, God puts us through trials to test our faithfulness to Him and - more importantly - to prove His faithfulness to us.
"But if I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him. When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him. But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold." - Job 23:8-10 (NIV)
3. A trial becomes a temptation when we start blaming it on ourselves, others and ultimately God.
"But each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed." - James 1:14 (NIV)
Something which we do not want can be seen as a trial (positive) or a temptation (negative). It depends on how we look at it.
""Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing." - Job 1:21-22 (NIV)
""Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" In all this, Job did not sin in what he said." - Job 2:10 (NIV)
"Then Job replied to the LORD: "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.' My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes."" - Job 42:1-6 (NIV)
4. Even then, God in His sovereignty and mercy will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear.
"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." - 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)
5. Furthermore, even when we are tempted and fall to temptation, God works our free choices for His glory and our good - if we repent and return to Him.
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28 (NIV)
Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged
Take it to the Lord in prayer
Can we find a friend so faithful?
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness
Take it to the Lord in prayer
"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." - Hebrews 4:14-16 (NIV)
Links: Discipline and Security (23 Oct 10), True Training (25 Oct 10), Training and Development (14 Nov 10)
We think that doing 20 push-ups for exercise is training, while doing 20 push-ups for being tardy is 'tekan'. So what's the difference? It's not the act of doing 20 push-ups. It's the context in which the 20 push-ups are done.
But even if we end up doing 20 push-ups for being tardy, isn't it still a form of training? Doing 20 push-ups can be seen as training (positive) or 'tekan' (negative). It depends on how we look at it.
"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." - Hebrews 12:11 (NIV)
Trials vs Temptations
So it is with the will of God. Whether something is a trial or a temptation depends on our attitude. More precisely, whether a trial becomes a temptation depends on our attitude.
1. God does not tempt us.
"When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone." - James 1:13 (NIV)
2. Nevertheless, God puts us through trials to test our faithfulness to Him and - more importantly - to prove His faithfulness to us.
"But if I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him. When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him. But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold." - Job 23:8-10 (NIV)
3. A trial becomes a temptation when we start blaming it on ourselves, others and ultimately God.
"But each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed." - James 1:14 (NIV)
Something which we do not want can be seen as a trial (positive) or a temptation (negative). It depends on how we look at it.
""Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing." - Job 1:21-22 (NIV)
""Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" In all this, Job did not sin in what he said." - Job 2:10 (NIV)
"Then Job replied to the LORD: "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.' My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes."" - Job 42:1-6 (NIV)
4. Even then, God in His sovereignty and mercy will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear.
"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." - 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)
5. Furthermore, even when we are tempted and fall to temptation, God works our free choices for His glory and our good - if we repent and return to Him.
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28 (NIV)
Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged
Take it to the Lord in prayer
Can we find a friend so faithful?
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness
Take it to the Lord in prayer
"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." - Hebrews 4:14-16 (NIV)
Links: Discipline and Security (23 Oct 10), True Training (25 Oct 10), Training and Development (14 Nov 10)
Wednesday 1 December 2010
Nov 22 to 30
Nov 22: "My heart is not proud, O LORD, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore." - Psalm 131 (NIV)
Nov 23: "He swore an oath to the LORD and made a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob: "I will not enter my house or go to my bed - I will allow no sleep to my eyes, no slumber to my eyelids, till I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob."" - Psalm 132:2-5 (NIV)
Nov 24: "Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers." - 1 Peter 3:7 (NIV)
Nov 25: "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." - 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)
Nov 26: "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." - 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)
Nov 27: "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." - 2 Peter 1:8 (NIV)
Nov 28: "Then Nebuchadnezzar said, "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God."" - Daniel 3:28 (NIV)
Nov 29: "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen." - 2 Peter 3:18 (NIV)
Nov 30: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:9 (NIV)
Nov 23: "He swore an oath to the LORD and made a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob: "I will not enter my house or go to my bed - I will allow no sleep to my eyes, no slumber to my eyelids, till I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob."" - Psalm 132:2-5 (NIV)
Nov 24: "Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers." - 1 Peter 3:7 (NIV)
Nov 25: "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." - 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)
Nov 26: "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." - 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)
Nov 27: "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." - 2 Peter 1:8 (NIV)
Nov 28: "Then Nebuchadnezzar said, "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God."" - Daniel 3:28 (NIV)
Nov 29: "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen." - 2 Peter 3:18 (NIV)
Nov 30: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:9 (NIV)
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