I’d like to nominate James 1:2 as one of the most outrageous statements in the Bible.
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.” Count it all . . . joy?
That is what James wrote, through the inspiration of God’s Spirit,
but it doesn’t add up from our perspective. Getting a more biblical
definition of joy really helps make sense of the encouragement to find
joy when life is hard. Joy is something very different than what we
commonly refer to as happiness. So when Scripture says, “Count is all
joy,” the Lord is not saying, “Be happy about your trials.”
You cannot make yourself joyful. Joy only comes from God. When James
says, “Consider it all joy,” he’s telling you, “Reach out to God. Get
God’s heart in this matter.”
So, what is joy? Here’s a definition: Joy is a supernatural delight in the Person, purposes, and people of God.
“Count it all joy . . . when you meet trials” (v. 2, italics
added). The New King James Version translates “when you meet” a little
bit better: “when you fall into.” Because that’s how it happens, right? I
was going along. Life was just rockin’ out, then BAM! I was flat on my
face. I did not even see it coming!” Is that how it’s been for you?
That’s been part of the pain for the MacDonalds—people we trusted,
circumstances we couldn’t see, events beyond our control and . . .
surprise! But here the Word of God is honest and true to reality.
“Of various kinds” (v. 2b). In the Septuagint, the Greek translation
of the Old Testament, various kinds is the same phrase that is used to
describe Joseph’s coat of many colors. Our trials are very different. My
trials are different from yours. Some trials are tough and some are
tragic. Some are difficult and some are devastating.
Watch out for the temptation to think, I wish I had her trial! It’s
never helpful to compare God’s work in others to what He’s doing in and
around you. To do so is to question God’s wisdom in what trials He
allows into someone else’s life. That is a very bad plan. Don’t get
between the hammer and the work on that one. Just leave other people’s
situations with God and focus on what He is doing in you.
“For you know that the testing of your faith produces . . .” (v. 3).
If you don’t know it now, you will know it tomorrow. Trials separate men
from the boys; sheep from the goats; wheat from the tares. The proof of
whether you are a true follower of Christ often comes with trials.
When life is hard, you discover whether you’re really in Christ or just an imposter who showed up for a sunny day at the beach. Matthew 7:20
declares, “By their fruits you will know them” (NKJV). One of the
fruits of a genuine believer is that you endure hardship. You continue.
You don’t give up.
Defection is proof of a false conversion. John said in 1 John 2:19 (NASB),
“They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had
been of us, they would have remained with us.” When the heat is turned
up, false believers run in a hurry. That’s why I thank God for
Bible-teaching churches that actually deepen people’s faith. Otherwise
when trials come, a lot of people who have been served up pep talks from
smiley preachers will bolt for the exits. They didn’t lose their
salvation; they never had it as their response to hard times testifies.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Messages From Heaven: How a Wife Can Change Her Husband?
Messages From Heaven: How a Wife Can Change Her Husband?: Now there’s a book title that women would buy! And it’s actually a plan a lot of women try—without much success. Here’s the deal: Changed ...
How a Wife Can Change Her Husband?
Now there’s a book title that women would buy! And it’s actually a
plan a lot of women try—without much success. Here’s the deal: Changed women help God change husbands. 1 Peter 3:1-6 includes four traits of a godly, changed woman and how they are powerful instruments for change in her husband’s life. The
real adventure isn’t what God wants to do in your husband’s life; the
jolts will come when you realize what He’s doing in your life!
The changed woman is submissive to her husband. “Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husband.” 1 Peter 3:1 The Greek word for submissive, hupotassõ, means to be subject or subordinate, to literally place under.
The best illustration of submission comes from traffic. When you see the “merge” sign, you know that someone has to go first and someone has to go behind. Too often the I’m-going-to-go first battle causes frustration. Everyone knows that soon or later there is only going to be room for a single file of cars.
Submission has nothing to do with equality. The Son is not pouting around heaven going, “Why can’t I be the Father?” The Son is in submission to the Father and the Spirit to the Father and the Son. Yet Scripture teaches they are equal. Headship has nothing to do with equality. Men and women are equal under God in every way.
Submission also has nothing to do with worth. I love Proverbs 31:10, “Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies.” It’s not about gifts. In certain areas, my wife has gifts that far exceed mine. It’s about God’s design for the order in the home. Changed women help God change husbands by being submissive to their own husband.
The changed woman is chaste in her conduct. Your husband is going to be “impacted when he observes your chaste conduct accompanied by fear” v. 2. This describes the effect of what you do in the kitchen, the car, the backyard, and in the bedroom—every activity in every place. Chaste means holy, righteous, or pure. Chaste means having godly responses to conflict, being pure in your dress, your language, your choices of entertainment and being righteous in decisions. Chaste does not mean self-righteous or judgmental; not uppity or prudish—just pure. A wife’s purity is a powerful tool God uses for change in the life of her husband.
The changed woman has a gentle and quiet spirit (see 1 Peter 3:4). Her attitude is gentle—that is, she’s considerate, unassuming, not pushy or demanding, not unnecessarily rigorous. The opposite of gentle spirit would be combative. She’s quiet—not loud-mouthed or known for speaking her mind. She’s not overpowering or blunt in her words or actions. She is soft-spoken and calm. She bears the disturbances created by others and does not cause or contribute to disturbances. She trusts God with her home and entrusts her husband to God. We all know from experience and from observation, that there is a woman who stirs the pot and there is a woman who stills the storm. A wife’s gentle and quiet spirit focuses God’s work on her husband.
A wife might insist, “Well, God didn’t make me like that.” Then like her husband, she needs to be changed. God is not trying to give her a different personality. He loves the one that He gave her, but He wants godliness to be expressed through it. As for her husband, no matter how clearly she sees how she can “fix” him, God has a better plan. A godly woman uses each impulse to “improve” her husband as a reminder to pray, “Lord, change me into the person You want me to be.”
The changed woman is submissive to her husband. “Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husband.” 1 Peter 3:1 The Greek word for submissive, hupotassõ, means to be subject or subordinate, to literally place under.
The best illustration of submission comes from traffic. When you see the “merge” sign, you know that someone has to go first and someone has to go behind. Too often the I’m-going-to-go first battle causes frustration. Everyone knows that soon or later there is only going to be room for a single file of cars.
Submission has nothing to do with equality. The Son is not pouting around heaven going, “Why can’t I be the Father?” The Son is in submission to the Father and the Spirit to the Father and the Son. Yet Scripture teaches they are equal. Headship has nothing to do with equality. Men and women are equal under God in every way.
Submission also has nothing to do with worth. I love Proverbs 31:10, “Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies.” It’s not about gifts. In certain areas, my wife has gifts that far exceed mine. It’s about God’s design for the order in the home. Changed women help God change husbands by being submissive to their own husband.
The changed woman is chaste in her conduct. Your husband is going to be “impacted when he observes your chaste conduct accompanied by fear” v. 2. This describes the effect of what you do in the kitchen, the car, the backyard, and in the bedroom—every activity in every place. Chaste means holy, righteous, or pure. Chaste means having godly responses to conflict, being pure in your dress, your language, your choices of entertainment and being righteous in decisions. Chaste does not mean self-righteous or judgmental; not uppity or prudish—just pure. A wife’s purity is a powerful tool God uses for change in the life of her husband.
The changed woman has a gentle and quiet spirit (see 1 Peter 3:4). Her attitude is gentle—that is, she’s considerate, unassuming, not pushy or demanding, not unnecessarily rigorous. The opposite of gentle spirit would be combative. She’s quiet—not loud-mouthed or known for speaking her mind. She’s not overpowering or blunt in her words or actions. She is soft-spoken and calm. She bears the disturbances created by others and does not cause or contribute to disturbances. She trusts God with her home and entrusts her husband to God. We all know from experience and from observation, that there is a woman who stirs the pot and there is a woman who stills the storm. A wife’s gentle and quiet spirit focuses God’s work on her husband.
A wife might insist, “Well, God didn’t make me like that.” Then like her husband, she needs to be changed. God is not trying to give her a different personality. He loves the one that He gave her, but He wants godliness to be expressed through it. As for her husband, no matter how clearly she sees how she can “fix” him, God has a better plan. A godly woman uses each impulse to “improve” her husband as a reminder to pray, “Lord, change me into the person You want me to be.”
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Messages From Heaven: Is Truth Worth Fighting for?
Messages From Heaven: Is Truth Worth Fighting for?: No idea is more politically incorrect among today's new-style evangelicals than the old fundamentalist notion that truth is worth fi...
Is Truth Worth Fighting for?
No idea is more politically incorrect among today's new-style evangelicals than the old fundamentalist notion that truth is worth fighting for--including the essential propositions of Christian doctrine. In fact, many believe that arguments over religious beliefs are the most pointless and arrogant of all conflicts. That can be true--and is true in cases where human opinions are the only thing at stake. But where God's Word speaks clearly, we have a duty to obey, defend, and proclaim the truth He has given us, and we should do that with an authority that reflects our conviction that God has spoken with clarity and finality. This is particularly curcial in contexts where cardinal doctrines of biblical Christianity are under attack.
Incidentally, the core truths of Scripture are always under attack. Scripture itself clearly teaches that the main battleground where Satan wages his cosmic struggle against God is ideological. In other words, the spiritual warfare every Christian is engaged in is first of all a conflict between truth and error, not merely a competition between good and wicked deeds. The chief aim of Satan's strategy is to confuse, deny, and corrupt the truth with as much fallacy as possible, and that means the battle for truth is very serious. Being able to distinguish between sound doctrine and error should be one of the highest priorities for every Christian--as should defending the truth against false teaching.
Take such a stand today, however, and you will be scolded by a cacophony of voices telling you that you are out of line and you need to be quiet. The "war" metaphor simply doesn't work in a postmodern culture, they insist. Postmodern epistemologies start and end with the presupposition that any question of what's true or false is merely academic. Our differences are ultimately trivial. Only the tone of our discussion is not trivial. Every hint of militancy is considered inappropriate in these sophisticated times.
Taking a stand for the truth was equally unpopular in the first century. But that didn't stop the apostles from confronting error head on.
Take the apostle Paul for example. Paul was certainly fair with his opponents in the sense that he never misrepresented what they taught or told lies about them. But Paul plainly recognized their errors for what they were and labeled them appropriately. He spoke the truth. In his everyday teaching style, Paul spoke the truth gently and with the patience of a tender father. But when circumstances warranted a stronger type of candor, Paul could speak very bluntly--sometimes even with raw sarcasm (1 Corinthians 4:8-10). Like Elijah (1 Kings 18:27), John the Baptist (Matthew 3:7-10), and even Jesus (Matthew 23:24), he could also employ derision effectively and appropriately, to highlight the ridiculousness of serious error (Galatians 5:12). He was a sacred-cow tipper in the mold of Moses or Nehemiah.
Paul didn't seem to suffer from the same overscrupulous angst that causes so many people today to whitewash every error as much as language permits; to grant even the grossest of false teachers the benefit of every doubt;and to impute the best possible intentions even to the rankest of heretics. The apostle's idea of "gentleness" was not the sort of faux benevolence and artificial politeness people today sometimes think is the true essence of charity. We never once see him inviting false teachers or casual dabblers in religious error to dialogue, nor did he approve of that strategy even when someone of Peter's stature succumbed to the fear of what others might think and showed undue deference to false teachers (Galatians 2:11-14).
Paul understood that truth is worth fighting for. He stood for the truth even when it was unpopular to do so.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Messages From Heaven: Eternity in Heaven Is God’s Promise to All Who Tru...
Messages From Heaven: Eternity in Heaven Is God’s Promise to All Who Tru...: Heaven is the final eternal destination for all who put their faith in Jesus Christ. Yet, many believers have unanswered and unsettling qu...
Eternity in Heaven Is God’s Promise to All Who Trust in Christ!
Heaven is the final eternal destination for all who put their faith in
Jesus Christ. Yet, many believers have unanswered and unsettling
questions about what this future home will be like, and whether they
will actually even make it there.
The writer of Proverbs 30:4 penned, “Who has ascended to heaven and come down?” The apostle John answers that question in John 3:13. “No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.” In any study of heaven, the focus must be kept on the One who alone opens the way there—Jesus Christ (John 14:6).
What did Jesus say about entering heaven? His message to the thief on the cross was, “Today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Today! Not in the distant future, but this very day you will be with me in Paradise. And that promise is for all who put their faith in Christ. If you are trusting in Jesus you will be with Him in Paradise when you die.
Because of this promise, there’s no need for you to fear death. Our Savior has conquered the enemy of death. “Death is swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54).
The Bible doesn’t answer every question we have about heaven. But it does reveal that God is going to make a new heaven and a new earth, which will be a perfect environment in contrast to this present, broken world. The best part about heaven is that Jesus is there!
Joni Eareckson Tada, the well-known Christian author and speaker who has been confined to a wheelchair since an accident in her teens, says, “I still can hardly believe it, I with shriveled bent fingers, atrophied muscles, gnarled knees and no feeling from the shoulders down will one day have a new body, light, bright and clothed in righteousness, powerful and dazzling. Can you imagine the hope that this gives someone spinal-cord-injured like me?”
You have probably experienced some of the pain and sadness that this life and your own brokenness can bring. But if you place your faith and trust in Christ, then your sins are forgiven, and you too are given this incredible gift of perfect, eternal life.
So whether Christ returns first or you die first, your final destination is the same: heaven is your eternal home. May this truth grip your soul and warm your heart. Rejoice knowing that soon, and very soon, you shall be forever with the Lord.
The writer of Proverbs 30:4 penned, “Who has ascended to heaven and come down?” The apostle John answers that question in John 3:13. “No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.” In any study of heaven, the focus must be kept on the One who alone opens the way there—Jesus Christ (John 14:6).
What did Jesus say about entering heaven? His message to the thief on the cross was, “Today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Today! Not in the distant future, but this very day you will be with me in Paradise. And that promise is for all who put their faith in Christ. If you are trusting in Jesus you will be with Him in Paradise when you die.
Because of this promise, there’s no need for you to fear death. Our Savior has conquered the enemy of death. “Death is swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54).
The Bible doesn’t answer every question we have about heaven. But it does reveal that God is going to make a new heaven and a new earth, which will be a perfect environment in contrast to this present, broken world. The best part about heaven is that Jesus is there!
Joni Eareckson Tada, the well-known Christian author and speaker who has been confined to a wheelchair since an accident in her teens, says, “I still can hardly believe it, I with shriveled bent fingers, atrophied muscles, gnarled knees and no feeling from the shoulders down will one day have a new body, light, bright and clothed in righteousness, powerful and dazzling. Can you imagine the hope that this gives someone spinal-cord-injured like me?”
You have probably experienced some of the pain and sadness that this life and your own brokenness can bring. But if you place your faith and trust in Christ, then your sins are forgiven, and you too are given this incredible gift of perfect, eternal life.
So whether Christ returns first or you die first, your final destination is the same: heaven is your eternal home. May this truth grip your soul and warm your heart. Rejoice knowing that soon, and very soon, you shall be forever with the Lord.
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