Investing Our Weaknesses

In a lot of ways, it doesn’t take God’s power to handle prosperity; most of us can handle life when things are going well. However, I believe that it takes God’s power within us to patiently endure seasons of suffering, pain, and uncertainty.

We just celebrated Easter last Sunday and if there is a greater story of strength arising from weakness, I would love to hear it. Jesus had been killed and His disciples were despondent. Jesus, who had allowed himself to be captured, was charged with false claims tortured for His failure to renounce what the authorities were saying about Him, and then ultimately was killed to appease the leaders of that time. It was officially the second act for Christianity as everything that had been worked for and invested in  throughout Jesus ministry was now destroyed. It was at this moment, the precise divine appointment, that God chose to demonstrate how the death of His Son become the greatest gift our world has ever known. 

Weakness. Powerless. Hopeless. We have or will experience these seasons in our lives, where darkness threatens to overwhelm us in our despondence and suffering takes up residence in our hearts. And just like that moment over two thousand years ago we are faced with a choice, how are we to respond during times of suffering and pain?

Here is a crazy thought, "What if those times of trouble could also be meant as a time of blessing?"

In fact, here is an even crazier thought, “How are we supposed to invest these gifts (God's Words, not mine) of our pain, suffering and weakness, thus allowing God to accomplish what we could never dream possible?"

On its surface this question seems riddled with paradox, people only invest in assets to increase their value, they try to eliminate or minimize or even cover up liabilities. And most of us would consider our weaknesses as liabilities — deficiencies to minimize or cover up. 

But, if you'll give me just a moment to explain, What if God, in his providence, gives us our weaknesses just as he gives us our strengths? Because in God’s economy, the return on investment He most values is “faith working through love” (Galatians 5:6). And in God's eyes, weaknesses are assets — we can even call them talents — to be stewarded, and to be invested into Kingdom work. A even more difficult truth is that the most valuable asset God has given you and me perhaps is not a strength, but a weakness.

The Curse of Being Certain

Lying. Murder. Sexual Immorality. Disobedience. These are but a few of the sins committed by the Bible's prominent pillars of faith. These were people who made epic failures in their moments of weakness, yet they are also people that God redeemed and used in powerful ways to build His Kingdom. 

Today, we are going to look at the life of the father of Israel, Abraham. A man credited with incredible faith and revered for his place in our heritage. Even so, he was still a man and like us, he made his share of mistakes.

What's interesting is that Abram (as he was originally named) didn’t grow up in a godly home or have a great spiritual influence. He didn’t start with the makings of being the great patriarch of Israel. In fact, Abram came from a godless home in a wicked nation. Not much to start with, which appears in the Bible to be the type of person that God loves to use in a mighty way! 

"Did the Israelites Really Live in Egypt?"

This blog is a reprint of an article written by: Samuel McKoy and Brad Macdonald (Link below to online article)

The Bible describes Israel’s time in Egypt in remarkable and vivid detail. It tells us roughly when the Semitic descendants of Abraham arrived in Egypt and where they settled. It tells us what the Israelites did while in Egypt and describes their interactions with the Egyptians. Finally, the Bible gives us a good indication of when Israel left Egypt and the dramatic events surrounding the Exodus.

Although the biblical text clearly and explicitly documents Israel’s sojourn in Egypt, some scholars reject the idea that the Hebrews ever dwelt in Egypt. One primary reason they reject this biblical account as fiction is because of a purported lack of archaeological evidence. “The Exodus is so fundamental to us and our Jewish sources that it is embarrassing that there is no evidence outside of the Bible to support it,” wrote archaeologist Stephen Rosenberg in the Jerusalem Post (April 14, 2014).

Is that true? Is there really no evidence outside of the Bible to support Israel’s sojourn in Egypt and the Exodus?

I Stand At The Door | by Sam Shoemaker

I Stand at the Door | by Sam Shoemaker 

I stand by the door.

I neither go to far in, nor stay to far out.

The door is the most important door in the world -

It is the door through which men walk when they find God.

There is no use my going way inside and staying there,

When so many are still outside and they, as much as I,

Crave to know where the door is.

And all that so many ever find

Is only the wall where the door ought to be.

Waiting

The Bible is filled with examples of waiting, but that theme is not reflected in the beginning of the first book of the Bible. God speaks and His will is accomplished. But after the introduction of sin and the fall of man, there is now the loss of the eternal to be replaced by the introduction of Time. Which is why I believe one of the few things that remains unchanged from God's original creation is His love. Everything else, from nature to mortality was radically and permanently transformed by that one act of disobedience. When God speaks about the ramifications and destructive power of sin, you don't have to imagine what the ripple effects of sin might look like, we are still living in the consequences of that one moment. In fact, the reality of time, this new dimension in God's creation, reminds us of this fact every second of every day.   

Which brings up an interesting question, since we are now slaves to time, why are there so many examples of waiting in scripture?

Let's Talk About Pain and Suffering

Life consists of many seasons: birth, growth, education, maturity, work, and death. Feelings and experiences often beyond our control are spread out between those seasons. And it perhaps the desire of all of us to be caught up in endless days of joy, happiness, and gladness because, as they say, a merry heart is a good medicine (Proverbs 17:22). 

But before we dive into the subject of this blog, please understand my intent. I am in no way advocating a shortcut or pie-in-the-sky philosophy that ignores the tremendous pain and suffering that so many are enduring all around us. And I am not lifting the banner that proclaims that we should all be happy and smiling, no matter our circumstances. 

In fact, I believe this belief has been undeniably harmful to the cause of Christ. But since it most likely our lot in life to have seasons of pain, challenges, and suffering, perhaps, it might be a good investment to view this subject from God's perspective. 

Let's start with how pain, as impossible as it might be to understand when drowning in the tragedies of life, can lead to a time of spiritual growth and even blessing.  

The Judgement Seat of Jesus Christ

While talking to some friends the other day, the subject arose about an upcoming event called the Judgement Seat of Jesus Christ. 

When I was young I remember vividly viewing a black-and-white cartoonish religious tract that depicted the Last Judgement as a vast humanity stand before Jesus, in front of a huge screen, while everyone, including the person currently being judged, witnessed all of that person's sins that he or she committed during their life. This imagery caused many a sleepless night as I sought to imagine, even at my relative innocent age, all my transgressions being broadcast for everyone to see!

Thankfully, that scene is nowhere to be found in the Bible. But there was an element of truth to that belief that it took many years for me to come to terms with. Let's take a closer look at what I believe the Bible teaches about this particular judgement from God. 

"Lord, make me pure, but not yet!" – Augustine

St Augustine's battle with chastity is as inspirational as it is well-known. For many years he struggled to change his life, while at the same time being so completely chained to his sin that he was unable to make the changes necessary. I encourage you to read on and learn how to overcome the persistent sins in your own life by following his example.

“Lord, make me pure, but not yet!” This infamous prayer of the young Augustine of Hippo (354-430) reflects the inner conflict of any soul who recognises the virtuous thing to do, yet fears the demanding struggle against human urges and passions. In his Confessions, St Augustine was not afraid to admit his utter powerlessness in the face of sexual temptation. As a young man, he had given in to the attraction of sexual pleasure and took a lover whom he would never marry but who bore him his only son, Adeodatus. He was brutally honest about why he chose to live with this woman: “I had chosen her for no special reason but that my restless passions had alighted on her”. 

When Augustine abandoned the Catholic faith of his youth, much to the anxiety and dismay of his mother, St Monica, he never ceased to search for truth, even if his search led him down a few blind alleys. This search was hampered not just by his lack of understanding but by the power of the favorite sin which blinded him. His conversion was delayed because his sin enslaved him and prevented him from surrendering to the truth of the Catholic faith which would, in turn, have meant the abandonment of his old sinful lifestyle. He wrote: “I was bound down by this disease of the flesh. Its deadly pleasures were a chain that I dragged along with me, yet I was afraid to be freed from it”. His friend, the chaste Alypius, tried to talk good sense into Augustine. However, vice is contagious, and curiosity together with Augustine’s ideas began to lead Alypius astray: “For my part, I was a prisoner of habit, suffering cruel torments through trying to satisfy a lust that could never be sated: while Alypius was being led by curiosity into a like state of captivity”.

"I Am"

"So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man on the cross, then you will understand that I Am He. I do nothing on my own but say only what the Father taught me." John 8:28

This is the word that Jesus pronounced at the end of an argument with his religious opponents. He no longer says, “I Am” this or that: the bread of life, the light of the world, the resurrection and the life, and so on. He simply says “I Am” without further clarification. This gives his declaration an absolute, foundational truth that is beyond reproach. I believe that Jesus is intentionally recalling the word of Exodus 3:14 and Isaiah 43:10-12, in which God proclaims his divine “I Am”.

There is also the aspect that Jesus being crucified is necessary to us understanding His Divinity. It is a required step toward the revelation of Jesus being awarded the authority over all things by God the Father. The name of Jesus is the name above all names, never to take a backseat to any of our "created gods" or any created being who exists anywhere in the universe. 

Playing The Ball Where The Monkey Drops It

Right out of the chute, I want to apologize if you have heard this story before, (in fact, if you are a follower of christian blogs you have probably read or heard this illustration a bunch of times). 

Quick recap, In Calcutta, India, a British company designed and built a golf course. However, there was a problem – monkey’s surrounded the golf course – there is confusion about the appeal but whatever it was about the game of golf, these monkeys really enjoyed both watching and taking part in the game of golf. So when one of the golfers took a swing and knocked the ball into the fairway, these monkeys would run along, grab the ball, and start throwing it around.

Obviously, the golfers didn’t like this, so they tried doing a few different things to solve the problem.

The first thing that they did to try to control this situation was to build high fences around the golf course – not such a great idea considering it’s was monkeys that they were trying to keep out! 

Not surprisingly – the monkeys just climbed the fences and carried on with their game.

The next thing they tried to do was to lure the monkeys away from the golf course but the number of monkeys made this a no-win proposition. The same failure occured when the plan shifted to capturing the monkeys, for everyone they managed to capture there seemed to be a dozen to take its place.

The British finally acknowledged that they couldn’t solve the problem and decided that they had to bring about an innovation – and the innovation was a ground rule that said – ‘We play the ball wherever the monkey drops it.

The Avoidance of Pain

If you are like me, as you journey through your life, you seek to avoid pain. This is true about the great and the least, and if you don't believe me check out this quote from Thomas Jefferson, “The art of life is the art of avoiding pain; and he is the best pilot, who steers clearest of the rocks and shoals with which it is beset.”

With all due respect to the genius of one of our founding fathers, he is wrong.

Jesus makes it clear that if we are to follow Him, we will encounter pain. This world is broken and we are linked to this destruction with an unbreakable bond. But He also makes it clear that pain and suffering are a gift, a pathway to connecting with others that would be impossible without that experience. “It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statues” - Psalm 119:71.

Hang on, we're just getting started . . . 

Starting Over . . .

It was not my intent, but I do find it interesting that my last post was titled, "Why Don't We Get The Story We Want?"

You see, my belief in that statement is even stronger now, than when I wrote those words almost seven months ago. 

It is not an understatement to write that my world, my life, looks radically different than it did then. And in this crazy, fallen world, I don't think I'm alone in my circumstances. 

You see, seven months ago, I was married. I owned a house. But I also lacked peace. And joy. And worst of all, I had long ago jettisoned my dependence upon God.

Let me be clear, my lack of peace and joy were my choices. And I was very much aware that I was helpless to navigate the challenges that were before me. I was calling upon Jesus on a regular basis to deliver me from the numerous challenges that I was facing. And I very much believed that the Bible taught that even in the middle of challenging circumstances, God will always provide a path that leads to peace and joy. However, when in the throes of chaos, I still sought my way before seeking Him.

And my way will never lead to true peace and joy.