In times of uncertainty....

And do when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His authority, but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be My witnesses, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” Acts 1:6-8

Very familiar passage. Jesus had just died and been resurrected. The reality of Him was increasingly resonating with them. He appeared to not only His disciples, but also hundreds of His followers over a period of 40 days. Things had really seemed dark and dismal for a while but now the disciples were hopeful things had taken a dramatic turn for the better. I can track with their thinking that certainly the tough times for God’s people were over and Jesus was ready to fulfill all those prophecies they had been waiting for. Surely the Kingdom of God was in effect - and they were poised to rule with King Jesus! If this had been a national championship, the t-shirts were already printed and ready to be distributed!

They just needed a “go” from Christ….

But that’s not what they got.

Instead of nodding affirming assurances to their question about timing of the Kingdom, Jesus responds strangely. Actually feels abrupt.

He not only says “no, it’s not now” - He also says “and you don’t get to know when it will happen, either”. They were plunged into uncertainty. Deliberate uncertainty.

Scripture doesn’t record the response of His disciples to this. Maybe by now they had learned to expect the unexpected from Jesus but I have to believe there was at least a gasp or two. Surely they had to feel a little emotional whiplash at the ups and downs they had experienced over these six weeks!

Although we are not told the flow of the conversation, it doesn’t appear that Jesus left them in the state of perplexity for long. While He doesn’t give them the answer they were looking for, He gives them something better. He tells them that they don’t need to know what and when and how anything is going to unfold because He is giving them power. The Holy Spirit. Power to live in the uncertainty. Power to be sustained. Power to have confidence and peace without knowing all the answers.

Jesus not only gives them power in uncertainty - He gives them a mission. To be His witnesses all over the earth. He doesn’t tell them how they will accomplish it - He just tells them to do it and He supplies the power. Power to not only live in the uncertainty but also to be fruitful and victorious.

And we know the rest of the story. We are living proof that they carried out His mission. And the baton has been passed from that generation of Christ-followers to the next. All through the ages. And, Lord willing, that will continue until the Father tells Jesus it is time to get His Bride:)

As I read those verses and put myself in the mindset of the disciples, I was struck by how much I am like their question in verse 6. More often than not, I find myself acting like a child facing an unknown event or schedule. I ask questions (and not just of the Lord!!) like what time, where, how, who, what do I need to do. And I do it over and over again, just to be sure I get it. I really really really like knowing what I am about to face before I face it! I am seeking comfort and security in knowing what to expect and what will be expected of me. In times of uncertainty - whether it’s plans for a family trip or teaching schedule or who’s coming for dinner or the results of medical tests - I feel unsettled until I know some answers.

I felt the Lord speaking to me in the rest of that passage, telling me that I can live in the uncertainty - of small things AND of big things - because I don’t need the answers. I need JESUS. And He is available to me all the time because He gives me His Holy Spirit. I can trust that I will have the strength and wisdom and confidence I need for whatever may come because He has promised me POWER. The power to live victoriously in the uncertainty. The power of the Holy Spirit.

And this power He gives is not just for my peace (although that is a humongous part of it!) but also for my participation in His mission. I won’t have to stumble along in fear and confusion - He will guide me into the places He wants me so His Kingdom will be furthered. It’s all bigger than “me” - it’s about HIS plans, not mine. And there is no need for me to know the details of those plans in advance.

So, I may still pester my people to give me an ETA for holiday dinner, but I am more content to live in the uncertainty of life. To seek to be filled - controlled and directed - by the Holy Spirit more than I seek the answers for the details of the unknowns.

God's Who's Who

Ever since I was a teenager, I've read books and heard talks that sought to inspire the recipients to reach for the stars, dream the big dreams, do the impossible.  Those messages are appealing and inspirational indeed.  And I am all for doing things excellently, not shabbily.  But today, I'd like to examine these messages through the microscope of Scripture and see if perhaps we need to exercise caution in our reaching and dreaming and doing....

First, I concur that we should heed Colossian 3:23  Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.   Christians should be known for being the best workers, most cheerful attitudes, and of greatest service to the organization.  The problem I have with some of these books and talks, though, is that the last phrase of this verse is often unheeded.  They don't encourage us to do great work for the Lord's reputation, but rather to enhance our own.  How to "get ahead", how to "succeed", how to "have a great career/marriage/kids" etc. Including "how to have a big church...." as opposed to how to advance HIS fame.

Next, on the "dream big" thing.  Check out this verse and see if you think it is consistent with that mindset.....

I Thessalonians 4:11,12

11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, 12 so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need.   

I know I am in unusual territory.  I know it doesn't sound right for me to suggest to teens and young adults "Don't aspire to be great.  Just aspire to lead a quiet life and work hard and treat people right"  I now that doesn't make for great conference speeches or book titles or conversation fodder.  But isn't that exactly what this passage teaches? 

Work hard, yes.  But not to advance your own interests.  Be ambitious, yes.  But let your ambitions be to lead a life that is not "grand" or "admirable" but rather one that treats others right.  Sometimes grand things do indeed come but they should come from God's hand, not from our pursuit, for His fame, not our pleasure.

The world will probably not make note of our accomplishments if we obey these verses.  Most likely, we won't be applauded or acclaimed or emulated very much.  At least not here.  But check out what God says in Malachi 3:16  Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and who esteem His name.

A book of remembrance written for the Lord Himself.  Better than any earthly listing in Who's Who.

Root of all evil?

Such a familiar verse. I Timothy 6:10 - For the love of money is the root of all evil and some, by longing for it, have wandered from the faith and have pierced themselves with many a pang

Direct. Sobering. Unsettling. Intended to make us examine our own hearts.

Let’s unpack it….

First of all, note that some translations seem to soften the blow a bit by saying that the love of money is A root of all sorts of evil. I believethe original KJV is the most accurate but nonetheless, it is a sobering truth. What does any of it mean? How could loving money be the source of evil such as gossip or violence or anger? Let’s examine it together…

Notice that Scripture doesn’t say that having money is the issue. It’s LOVING money. This means that we cannot look at an amount of money and conclude that there is a love of money. We have a tendency to consider opulent lifestyles like billionaire CEOs or Middle Eastern sultans as hearts that love money. But that would be deceitful. Folks with lots of money and folks with no money can have a heart that loves money.

Money is just a means of exchange. Money is exchanged for what we value. That can be spreading the Gospel or purchasing cars. Money can be used to decrease our fears, send a message of our importance to others, and make us feel comfortable. Or it can be used to bear the burdens of others instead.

When we love money, it means that we prize and long for what it can be exchanged. It means we admire (love) what money has bought others and we want that for ourselves. Whether we have much of it or not, we place our confidence in hoping that money will be what gives us security, significance, value. In other words, money stands for what we can get from man as opposed to what we can get from God.

Therefore, this kind of heart - a heart that places confidence in what money can do for us instead of treasuring Christ - is not a heart of faith. Anything that is not of faith is sin (Romans 14:23) and from this kind of heart, comes evil. ALL evil. This kind of heart causes us to wander away from the faith - notice the wording here. It implies not only a rejection or abandonment of faith but also a subtle departure. Think about that for a moment. This should sober us to realize that a heart that values what money can get us can manifest itself as a serial killer as well as a seemingly upright law-abiding citizen whose heart does not belong to Jesus. Loving money lures us away from loving God and that results in all evil.

The result of loving money is that we don’t get what we were after in the first place. Instead of security or significance or comfort or pleasure, we get sorrow. Pierced with many a pang. That is a picture of pain and alot of it! Believing that money will deliver on what it promises leads not only to disappointment but also disaster.

So now that we’ve unpacked the meaning of this verse, how do we apply it? How can we avoid having a heart that loves money? How can we have a heart of faith, one that treasures God?

One of the preceding verses in this passage clues us in. Verse 6. Contentment. That is what will sever us from loving money and free us to love God.

OK, sounds great. But how can we have contentment??????

The apostle Paul told us that he LEARNED the secret of being content(Philippians 4:11) . Which means it didn’t come naturally! That’s a relief :) If he could learn it, so can we.

We will only be truly content with what we have when we know that we have Him. When we are assured of His love and generous care for us. When we place our confidence and our faith in knowing Him. When we are not alarmed or dismayed by whatever happens to us because WE TRUST HIM.

And such faith comes from hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17).

We need to saturate our hearts with the truth of God. We need to speak this truth over and over to ourselves and others. We need to surround ourselves with people pursuing this same contentment (whether they HAVE money or not) and we need to ask our gracious, generous, loving Heavenly Father to enable us to KNOW HIM. And when we increase in KNOWING HIM, we need to remind ourselves over and over and over what He has said and done for us.

This is how we keep our hearts free from loving money. This is how we avoid many many many sorrows.

What does it mean to share in the sufferings of Christ?

Recently I was reminded of a passage that I have seen hundreds of times. But this time it hit me differently. So of course I wanted to share it with you <3

A couple of passages, actually. About the same subject.

Sharing in the sufferings of Christ.

The first passage that the Holy Spirit brought to mind was I Peter 4:13 - But to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing so that at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation.

As I meditated on that verse, I was reminded of a similar one in Philippians 3:10 - that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.

I had always thought of these as referring to the suffering we can expect as persecution for righteousness’s sake. And certainly the context of the verse in I Peter underscores that. idea. But I think there is a richer depth to the idea of sharing in His sufferings that I just now grasped.

Some backstory to help convey my thoughts….

I was immersed in gratitude for God’s goodness in my life. I was praising Him and was awash with thankfulness and humility at how undeserving I am for His abundance to me. I knew then and I know full well now that, while obedience certainly brings blessing, only God’s generous grace can account for the gifts He lavishes on me. Above and beyond what I can ask or imagine.

My mind rightly went to the knowledge that much of the good I experience is due to His faithfulness to me through other people. The prayers of grandmothers and mothers. The integrity of parents. The kindness of friends. The generosity of family members. The unselfishness of others. On and on I went, thanking Him over and over.

This gratitude bubbled up into a longing to bless others in the same way. For my faithfulness and prayers and giving to be means of grace to those around me. As I prayed that very idea, a bit of fear gripped me. Fear that my mistakes, my neglect, my sin, would cause a loss of blessings, especially to those I hold dear.

This was sobering. And I wanted to wriggle out of this thought, but the Holy Spirit held me there for a while. A needful reminder of how all our actions affect others.

I let myself reflect on the fact that, while I have certainly been the recipient of God’s goodness through the lives of others, I have also experienced loss and pain and hurt because of someone else’s sin. That’s when the Holy Spirit whispered I Peter 4:10 to me: “sharing in the sufferings of Christ.” As I reflected on the verse, I thought about what and why He suffered. He suffered physical and emotional pain because of the sins of others. His death, as we all know, was not because HE deserved it but because WE DO.

So, to share in His sufferings means that I experience pain because of the sins of others. I incur loss that was not of my own doing. I absorb hurt due to someone else’s actions.

And, to the extent that I do so willingly, without complaining, even joyfully, I experience intimacy with Him. I become transformed to be like Him. And one day, I will share in His glory.

I don’t know about you but this changed how I see suffering.