Quality time with Jesus

Wow... it has been a while since I've posted anything on here - life just gets pretty busy sometimes, I guess. And I've never wanted to post anything on here just for the sake of putting up a post.

Lately, however, I've been thinking and reading about God's affection for us individually, and for us as the church; the body of Christ. It is good to focus on the theology of the gospel, as it is through the gospel that our minds are renewed and we are transformed into the likeness of Jesus. But in focusing on the theology, it can be easy to forget the significance and nature of our relationship with God. Because that's just what it is: a relationship! Whilst sorting through a box of old papers and mementos I've kept through my walk with God - notebooks, scribblings of great bible verses and quotes, notes taken from sermons, and prayers written from the heart - I came across a quote I pulled out of a book I read years ago by Joanna Weaver, 'Having a Mary heart in a Martha world':

"What an amazing thought that Christ wants to spend quality time with me. 

That he looks forward to our time together, and misses when I don't show up... 

A relationship doesn't just happen. It has to be nurtured, protected, and loved."

How true this is! When I compare this to my marriage with Marty (which I'm comfortable doing, because it is biblically a reflection of the church's relationship with Jesus), I suddenly understand the importance of time spent with God. I know that Marty and I struggle and we feel distant when we haven't had enough quality time together in a while. We will make it a priority, and even turn down invitations to hang out with other friends, or attend parties, if it means we can have that time to build our relationship.

Time spent with God is important - we know that - but to think about how much God wants to spend time with us transforms it from a duty ("I should do it...") to a delight ("I get to do it...").  It is no longer another item on the to-do list, but instead becomes something I get to do each day. We get to sit in the presence of the God of the universe, relating to him as our heavenly Father! We can pour out our anxieties, our pain, our joys, our grief, our hopes and our dreams to him, knowing not only that he cares, but also that He has the power to do something about it and He knows - with infinite wisdom - what is best for us, even when we don't. We know that when we open God's Word, it is living and active, and God can speak to our hearts directly through the words on those pages, if only we will stop and listen for a little while. And we know that when we delight ourselves in Him, he will give us the desires of our hearts, meaning he will transform our desires so that they align more perfectly with His.

What a joy it is (and I hope it will continue to be) to spend time in the presence of our Creator and sustainer.

Suffering = Sanctification

As I was praying this morning, I was reminded of the passage in 1 Peter about God's purpose in trials and suffering. I strongly felt the Spirit prompting me to look it up because it is so relevant to both Marty and I in each of our unique trials at the moment. I love it when God speaks through His word like that, and I can't get enough of reading it! Here it is...

"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while 

you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.

These have come so that your faith 

- of greater worth than gold, which perishes 

even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine 

and may result in praise, glory and honour 

when Jesus Christ is revealed...

 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, 

the salvation of your souls."

[1 Peter 1:6-7,9]

It is such a wonderful passage because it highlights so many truths:

1 |  Our suffering is only temporary. 

      God will carry us through it, and will bring us out the other side.

2 | When we come out the other side we will not be the same as we were beforehand. 

     He is refining our faith, just like gold is refined through fire.

3 | Our faith is God's priority. 

     He wants us to be growing and to be refined so that we are conformed to the likeness of Christ.

4 | The gospel doesn't end with us. 

     If it ended with us, we would be tempted to get puffed up with pride. 

     Instead, the culmination of all of our suffering and refinement is that God will be glorified when Jesus is  

     revealed.

I find it so encouraging amidst trials to read this and understand that there is purpose in what I'm going through, and that God is working perhaps even more intensively than if things were a lot easier for me. Looking back on seasons of my walk with God, I am most grateful for the times of trial and suffering because I can now see that it was in those times that I grew the most; that I was forced to my knees in submission to God's will, and I learned how to really, truly trust my Heavenly Father. Nothing compares to these times, and if God's priority is that we keep growing in our faith, then we should expect them, anticipate them, and rejoice in them because the Lord has our full attention and can work most powerfully in us through them.

"In the daytime there are stars in the heavens, 

but they only shine at night.

And the deeper that I go into darkness,

The more I see their radiant light.

So let me learn that my losses are my gain,

To be broken is to heal,

That the valley's where your power is revealed."

['In the Valley', Sovereign Grace]

Who do you say that I am?

Sometimes as Christians, Jesus can become so familiar to us that we can no longer see him for who he really is. I've been reading Mark Driscoll's 'Vintage Jesus', in order to look at him with fresh eyes and hopefully to improve my ability to convey his uniqueness and his majesty to those who don't yet know him. My quiet time today involved looking up claims that Jesus made about himself, drawn from chapter 1, 'Is Jesus the Only God'. They got me excited, so I thought I'd share them.

Jesus claims:
...he came down from heaven. No other religious figure has claimed to come from heaven, only to have visited temporarily.
(see John 6:38)

...he isn't just a 'good teacher'.
(see Mark 10:17-18)

...he is the Son of Man; the fulfilment of prophecy.
(see Matthew 5:17)

...he performed miracles. Opponents of Jesus outside Scripture even testify to his miracles.
(see John 10:36b-39)

...he is God.
(see Matthew 26:63-65)

...he was sinless.
(see John 8:46, 1 Peter 3:18)

...he can forgive sin. All sin is against God, and only he has the right to forgive it.
(see Luke 5:20-21)

...he is the only way to Heaven and eternal life.
(see John 14:6)

In response to Jesus' claims about himself, a response is essential. Jesus was either a 
liar, manipulating vulnerable people by claiming to be able to forgive their sins;
lunatic, claiming to be God even to the point of crucifixion; or 
Lord, deserving our repentance and acceptance as saviour and redeemer.

Hope this is encouraging!

My strength, my shield

It's funny - when God puts us in a position of teaching something from His Word, He won't let us teach it without first making sure we have learnt it ourselves. That's what I've found anyway.

While we were at mission recently we spent a week sharing Jesus with kids and families from non-christian backgrounds. During the week we taught several Bible stories to the kids, including David and Goliath. I realised that trusting God requires full submission to God's strength and ability, knowing that in his infinite wisdom He knows what's best and He has it under control. Like Saul, I tend to put so many safeguards in place (like his armour) to prevent me from slipping or falling - I try to organise everything and consider all possible scenarios, and I worry when things don't go to plan. But I am learning (bit by bit) to become more like David. He had complete trust in God because he knew His character in depth from past experiences. God saved him from the wild lions and bears while he was a shepherd, and He would come through for him when he faced Goliath.

I seek to know God's character more deeply so that my trust in Him becomes stronger. No challenge is too great for Our God, and nothing takes Him by surprise. He is good, and He is wise, and he is worth trusting completely - even without the flimsy armour we can be tempted to rely on.

It is well with my soul

"When peace like a river attendeth my way

When sorrows like sea billows roll

Whatever my lot, You have taught me to say

It is well, it is well with my soul"

Horatio Spafford, 1873

It's easy when we are young in our faith to say, 'I trust that God has the perfect plan for me'. But it becomes more difficult to say this when we face challenges and realise that God's plan might not actually entail all that we had in mind. It's a time like this for me at the moment, and while it would be tempting to throw it all in and think that God doesn't care, or mustn't exist at all, I can feel God holding on to me tightly because these thoughts don't stay for long. Instead the Spirit is challenging me to trust that even though the plans I have set out for myself might seem to be wonderful, they might not happen, and God has something even better in store for me. This requires me to relinquish the control I thought I had over my life and give it to the Lord in a much more real way than ever before.

It must seem absurd to a non-Christian that I would continue to trust in a God who doesn't give me what I want when I want it... Why should I pledge allegiance to a God who seems so unfair? But I know that seeking after God was never going to be an easy road. It wasn't always going to make sense. And I can't always see what's ahead of me. But that's the very essence of trust.

I can trust in God's character because he has shown time and time again through my life so far that he is wise, he is just, he is compassionate, and he is love. My heavenly Father knows what is best for me, and that is to grow in depth of faith and love with Him. He is teaching me that nothing else matters in comparison. 

The strongest bridge

I feel like it has been an eternity since I've even sat down to a computer, let alone logged in to make a new post. Life has been very hectic lately, but very enjoyable and satisfying amidst the craziness! I'm 3 weeks away from finishing work with Hi-5 - which is very sad - but I'm looking forward to a much needed break.

A couple of weeks ago I went with some others from our church to women's convention in Katoomba and God had a lot to say to me that weekend. We looked at Philippians and studied a life worth living with our eyes on the prize and our feet on the ground. One of the things that stood out to me was an illustration of God's strength. We can have really strong confidence in a rickety old bridge, but no matter how confident we are, the bridge won't hold when we walk on it. But in the same token, we can have very weak and shaky faith in a very strong, robust bridge and it will hold us every step we take. Our God is a strong bridge - the strongest bridge - and how wonderful that it doesn't depend on our faith as to whether God is capable of saving us and carrying us through the storms of life. Our God is able to do anything, and he has our best interests at heart.

That makes me breathe a sigh of relief! If God is able, and God has already gone before us, then I don't need to worry about the coming season of mission, or what next year may hold for me. I don't need to get nervous about what I'm going to say if the opportunity for a gospel conversation arises, but instead look forward to seeing what God will do. I can rest in the knowledge that God is more than strong enough to carry me through anything.

Praise our awesome God for he is strong, he is reliable, he is constant, and he is loving.

Our God is able.

The Beginning of Wisdom

Over the past few months I've been using my time driving to and from work by listening to sermons downloaded from Mars Hill church, and I'm so grateful for those precious times because I so often find that they spiritually prepare me for the day and help me to get a bit of perspective as I travel home. I definitely recommend it if you're a commuter! Much more edifying than the radio.

Anyway, the other day I listened to one on Proverbs (in particular, wisdom). Mark Driscoll was explaining Proverbs 111:10,

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom..." 

and he helped me to see it in a new light. In the past I have heard this proverb but have never delved into the meaning and practicality of it. I just thought 'Yeah, that sounds right. Good point.' Mark pointed out that the opposite to wisdom is foolishness, and the motivations behind foolishness and wisdom are what truly set them poles apart. The motivation behind foolishness is the fear of man; in childhood this is called peer-pressure, in adulthood it is people-pleasing. If we are putting other people on the throne which rightly belongs to God, we start doing foolish things. We do whatever it takes for others to say to us "Well done, good and faithful servant." But when it all boils down, we are using these people to make ourselves feel better and to bring affirmation to ourselves. That's foolish.

On the other hand, the fear of the Lord causes us to act with humility. It gives us a better perspective to see that God is the only one who deserves the glory, and we exist not to be praised, but to praise Him! When we really understand this, that's when we start becoming wise. This shows that we don't need to have instant gratification from our peers; we are willing to be patient, to run the race, and to wait for God to welcome us home with open arms because we have trusted in His grace.

As a result of having wisdom, we no longer use people, but instead we love them. A wise friend will not avoid giving or receiving a rebuke because they want their friends to always like them. They will love their friends by pointing them towards Jesus and encouraging them in sanctification. A wise person will not shy away from talking about Jesus to their workmates because they would rather be liked than judged. They will understand that on the Day of Judgement they will be accountable to a powerful and Almighty God, and not to man.

Abraham's faithfulness

I am astounded sometimes at how the Holy Spirit opens my eyes to Scripture in new ways according to where I am in life. I was reading the part of Genesis last night when God asks Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac as a burnt offering. Not only is this a big ask in itself because it's his son, but he and his wife Sarah have been waiting and waiting on God to bless them with a child. They are old, and they've finally had a son, and God asks him to sacrifice him. And he does! Well, until God stops him and gives him a goat as a replacement.

I've always read this story in the same way - comparing it with Jesus' death on the cross as a sacrifice for us instead of suffering the consequences of our sin. But last night I read in a whole new light. Isaac was Abraham's most treasured thing on earth. He had waited for him for so long, and God had promised that he would bless him with thousands upon thousands of descendants. It didn't seem to make any sense that God would ask him to sacrifice that part of his life that seemed to be filled with so much promise. If I am to identify that thing in my life - the thing that I love so dearly, and even (at times) put above God - it would be marriage and the hope of having a family. These things in and of themselves are good things, but would I be willing to sacrifice them as a 'burnt offering' for God? If he asked me to sacrifice them, would I? Because this is a good indicator of whether or not God is indeed sitting on the throne of my heart. Jesus said we have to be willing to leave our father and mother, our family, our home - everything to follow him. He may not necessarily ask this of me, but am I willing to do so? Or are these things that I won't sacrifice to Him?