Musings from a Christian Concert

On March 1, I was able to go with some friends to a Casting Crowns concert, also featuring For King and Country and Laura Story.

 I will say right off that I really hope Laura Story can come for a whole concert sometime – what an inspiring woman of God and incredible songwriter! (I had no idea that she wrote “Indescribable” and “Mighty to Save”!!!!)

This was my 3^rd Casting Crowns concert (2^nd in the last 6 months). I’ve been to a number of Christian concerts over the years, but they have been my favorite. They put all their lyrics up on the screen so it’s not just a concert – its a few thousand people all singing worship to the Lord.

 

As they are youth leaders most of their songs come from messages that they gave to their youth groups which explains why many of their songs are story-like. And why, Mark Hall (the lead singer) joked they can’t write a song shorter than 5 minutes! :-) 

 

For the past year especially, their music has really spoken to my spirit, encouraged me, I think because they speak realistically to life’s struggle and suffering, and bring the hope that only Christ can give. They have also led me to worship God and I greatly appreciate their heart and their lyrics. Some have said they’re lyrics are simplistic, and yes, they often are. But yet, I find them simplistically deep if there is such a thing. There are beautiful nuggets of truth in their songs, and words that speak deep to the soul.

If your eyes are on the storm
You'll wonder if I love you still
But if your eyes are on the cross
You'll know I always have and I always will

And not a tear is wasted
In time, you'll understand
I'm painting beauty with the ashes
Your life is in My hands

So when you're on your knees and answers seem so far away
You're not alone, stop holding on and just be held
Your worlds not falling apart, its falling into place
I'm on the throne, stop holding on and just be held
Just be held, just be held

  (-“Just Be Held”)

Here I am, Lord, and I'm drowning in your sea of forgetfulness
The chains of yesterday surround me
I yearn for peace and rest
I don't want to end up where You found me
And it echoes in my mind, keeps me awake tonight
I know You've cast my sin as far as the east is from the west
And I stand before You now as though I've never sinned
But today I feel like I'm just one mistake away from You leaving me this way

I know You've washed me white, turned my darkness into light
I need Your peace to get me through, to get me through this night
I can't live by what I feel, but by the truth Your word reveals
I'm not holding on to You, but You're holding on to me
You're holding on to me

Jesus, You know just how far the east is from the west
I don't have to see the man I've been come rising up in me again
In the arms of Your mercy I find rest
'cause You know just how far the east is from the west
From one scarred hand to the other
   (-  "East To West")

My favorite song of theirs at the moment (and it's not one they did at this concert either):  "At Your Feet"  -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yT6lFcM-Fv8

Reading List! (March 1, 2014)

Suffering was the theme this month. As God would have it, it was a focus for 3 weeks in my Biblical Counseling class, for which I had to read Why Does It Have to Hurt? Also, I happened to be reading through Shame Interrupted, and on my list to read was Walking With God Through Pain and Suffering! As I have been through an area of suffering this past year there’s also been so much comfort and hope in Christ I have received from this month's reading. If you've experienced suffering some of these may be helpful, and if you haven't... read to be prepared for when it does come.

Finished this month:

Shame Interrupted by Ed Welch (got this one on my Kindle!)

This book is loaded! It’s pretty long, but really gets into what shame is, the different kinds of shame and how we often confuse it with guilt. He discusses uncleanness in the Old Testament and how it’s associated with shame, but yet there’s a difference between them. And beyond just being clean, we can be made holy. This is really important book for anyone struggling with shame from their past.

 “We can be bold in the face of shame because shame can be removed, though not by something we do.” There is an answer, there is hope, and it’s found in the Gospel. “The character of God is the basis for our connection to him, not our intrinsic worth. Self-worth, or anything we think would make us acceptable to God, would suit our pride but it has the disturbing side-effect of making the cross of Jesus Christ less valuable. If we have worth in ourselves, there is no reason to connect to the infinite worth of Jesus and receive what he has done for us.”

 

“What is the way out of shame? Knowledge that leads to belief.

Belief that leads to trust; trust in Jesus.”

The End of the Spear by Steve Saint

This was such an interesting book – a really great read! Written by the son of missionary Nate Saint who with his four friends (Jim Elliot, Pete Fleming, Ed McCully and Roger Youderian) had been murdered by the Waodani Indians in Ecuador in 1956, this book tells Steve’s journey of going back to Ecuador years later, learning more about the details surrounding his father’s death and then moving to live with the very people who had taken his life. I loved learning more of this story, and the amazing work that God did in and through this tribe that formerly were greatly feared killers. If I was impacted by this story before (and I was very much), I am even more so now! You should read it - you will be greatly inspired!

“After learning in detail what happened on January 8, 1956 – while I was so anxiously waiting to see the speak of my dad’s little 56 Henry airplane appear over Penny Ridge – I believe God was much more involved in what happened than merely failing to intervene.” (p. 59)

Why Does It Have to Hurt? by Dan McCartney

This book was really insightful on the topic of suffering. He does a great job discussing what suffering is, the difference between the suffering we can bring upon ourselves, suffering we receive because of the actions/inaction of others, and suffering that is simply caused by living in a fallen world. He looks a Job’s suffering and his honest questions before God. He struggled, but yet in the end was still vindicated by God. He discusses God’s purpose in our pain and the hope that we have to cling to in Christ! It’s a weighty book, but what great encouragement!

“God’s sovereignty is the most important groundwork for any biblical dealing with suffering. If God does not have control over evil, then evil is only senseless and meaningless…” (p. 11)

 “People who are suffering usually do not get a great deal of encouragement from doctrine unless that doctrine is made personal somehow…. This is not to minimize the importance of propositional truth. But it will not be important to us until it is personal.” (p. 60)

Walking With God Through Pain and Suffering by Tim Keller

If there was one thing that I got out of this book, it would be enough to change me: “God is a suffering God.” Christ Himself suffered as we suffer, but He suffered it to the highest degree – so much deeper than we ever could. He entered into our suffering, and we enter into His. I have received SO much encouragement from this!

The book is divided into 3 sections. In the first Keller talks about what suffering is and how different cultures view it. It was really insightful to me on why Westerners/American’s are so concerned about avoiding pain and suffering at all costs, their worldview is primary about individual freedom and happiness so suffering does not fit. All other cultures see suffering as having a purpose of some sort, but western worldview doesn’t allow that option. It’s tragic really. Life that holds no meaning outside of yourself is deadly. He writes, “Nothing is more important than to learn how to maintain a life of purpose in the midst of painful adversity.” (p. 13) Only Biblical Christianity gives us this.

The second section looks at what the Bible has to say about suffering. The challenge it presents to our faith and God’s sovereignty over suffering and evil. It also discusses mans different responses to suffering and his responsibility in it. The last two chapters were very helpful as well: “The Reason for Suffering” & “Learning to Walk”. He writes, “Suffering will either leave you a much better person or a much worse one than you were before… the wrong strategy will usually mean that one’s character becomes weaker and less integrated while the right approach to suffering can lead to remarkable growth. Trials and troubles in life, which are inevitable, will either make you or break you.” (p. 190)

In the final section, Keller shares with us practical ways to walk with God through the suffering He’s placed in our lives. Weeping, trusting God, prayer, finding peace through thinking, praising God and loving others (this chapter was really good!) and then hoping in Him are all ways to help us walk through suffering and come out stronger.  He writes, “Job never sees the big picture, he sees only God. But that’s what we really need – for all eternity.” (p. 284) And, “There is only one thing that is immutable [unchanging]. It is God, his presence and his love. The only love that won’t disappoint you is one that can’t change, that can’t be lost, that is not based on the ups and downs of life or of how well you live.” (p. 304) CHRIST IS ENOUGH!

"Suffering will only make us better... if, during it, we teach ourselves to love God better than before. This happens by recognizing God's suffering for us in Jesus Christ, and by praying, thinking and trusting that love into our souls." (p. 322)

Reading plan for this month:

I said last month that I had something special in mind for this month. I’ve had a few people tell me they are anxiously waiting to hear this…. So here it is! One my goals that I set at the beginning of this year was that I would take the month of March and commit to reading ONLY the Bible (only with the exception of my assigned reading for my CCEF class, which will include a couple articles and one book: The Christian Life by Sinclair Ferguson).

My actual goal is to read the entire Bible in the next 31 days… I will be reading through a chronological Bible that I have and will require me reading 50 pages a day. A lot, but we’ll see how it goes!

But, an important reminder: “One bit of Bible prayed over, and bedewed with the Spirit, and made alive, though it be only a short sentence of six words, will profit you more than a hundred chapters without the Spirit.”   – C.H. Spurgeon

How about you? How about just committing to reading twice what you normally read each day, or x-number of chapters? If you’re not reading your Bible daily, than just start with 1! That’s what I did 15 years ago, I committed to reading at least 1 chapter a day, and now it’s a wonderful habit!

Happy reading!

The One that is God’s Best

 Over the past several months I have seen a number of blog posts and even videos addressing the question, does God have “one” person for me to marry, or, can I miss “the one” God has for me? Their conclusion was that God does not have one specific person for you to marry. Now, it’s not that these articles/video were not well written or don’t make good points, they are, and they make some GREAT points. I just don’t totally agree with the main point. While it is true that a spouse is not “the one” in that they will not complete and satisfy you (if you think that than there’s an idolatry issue), I do believe that God has a specific person that is “the one” for you to marry. I say this, and I'm nowhere close to being married yet!

In Scripture we find that God is sovereign over all of life, even, I believe, over our personal choices. It has been interesting to note that the one’s who are saying that God does not have one specific person for us are Reformed (have a higher view of God’s sovereignty). It’s rather bizarre to me that at least in this particular area my non-Reformed friends are holding tighter to God’s sovereignty than the others are. Really, if God is sovereign in one area, isn’t He also in another? If God is sovereign doesn’t He have a particular plan for your life – including who you should marry? (And vice versa I might add – either God is sovereign or He’s not!) Now it is right to address the fact that you can get obsessed with finding “the right one” and worrying before and after marriage if they are “the right one”. We should NOT go through our married life wondering if we married the right one or not. As far as I’m concerned, and Scripture would validate this, once you’re married – they’re the right one, (although with a few exceptions,¹ especially if a spouse dies, there very well may be another “one” that God has for that later time).

However, just because something happens or is ordained by God, doesn’t mean it’s the best thing. God is sovereign over our choices in that He is working all things according to His purpose and for our good (Rom 8:28), but I do think that you can miss out on something “better” if you are not walking in obedience and submission. The way I see it, God has two wills: an ordained will and a desired will, and these are not always the same.² His ordained will is what will happen. He has all the details of your life planned including where you will go to school, what jobs you will have, who you will marry. At the same time, God often has a “desired will” that may be different. For example, God does not want us to sin, but He allows it, ordains it (for what God allows He also must have ordained). God’s desire in situations like this is for us not to sin, but yet often we still do. It’s similar when we go through trials. God does not afflict His children “willingly” (Lam 3:33) but He still allows and ordains suffering to come into our lives. The reason is that He has a greater purpose. So we can see that God’s ordained will (what He ordains or allows to happen) is different from His desired will. When it comes to sin, I think we all realize that it’s “better” to just obey and not sin than to sin and deal with the consequences that result. To apply this toward the topic at hand, God has one specific person planned for you to marry (maybe more if they die), but it is possible for God to "desire" someone else for you that perhaps would been “better” and made life easier and nicer. We make choices every day and often have to take the consequences. While God makes “all things work together for good (Romans 8:28) that does not mean that another choice couldn’t have been “better” in the sense that there would be less conflict, consequences, etc. to deal with. (see footnote 2 at bottom.)

I want to re-emphasize that we should NOT go through life wondering if we “married the right one”³… what’s past is past, and you have to just trust that God's purpose is best, that He will use it for good in your life and keep moving forward. There is great hope in this! God forgives our mistakes and gives abundant grace for our future. We can not “fix” the past (and usually when we try to we end up sinning or making things worse). If you’re married, you’re married to the right one. If you're not married yet, stop worrying about "finding the right one" and focus on who you're meant to be. And who you're meant to be is a child of God, the bride of Christ. If God has someone He desires for you to marry, you don't need to worry about "missing" them if you are seeking Him first and foremost. Marriage is great and a beautiful picture of Christ and the church, but the reality is, there will be no marriage in Heaven. Our lives must be about Jesus, for that is what they were meant to be.  The point I’m driving at is that you need to trust that God is sovereign over this area of your life and has a specific plan. Pray, seek wise counsel, and walk in obedience and faith. 

Trust Him dear brothers and sisters, for He loves you more than any other could. Though you may have suffering, He is faithful and has a purpose for your pain. Trust Him and you will come through stronger. 

Footnotes:

1. From my understanding of Scripture, divorce is permitted if there is persistent or unrepentant sin in the breaking of marital vows. This would include (but not limited to): abandonment, emotional or physical affairs (by emotional I mean that the heart is involved - see Matthew 5:27-28), as well as emotional, physical, spiritual or other kinds of abuse…. Now, most or at least many will struggle with such sins, but again the key words here are persistent and unrepentant sin, not sin that genuinely is being fought against. If someone is in a marriage where there may be Biblical grounds for divorce, much wise counsel and prayer should be pursued. It should be remembered that it should be a last resort and that God “hates divorce” (Mal 2:16), but that it is allowed for the innocent party’s protection.

2. For more information about God’s two wills you might want to check out John Piper’s book Does God Have Two Wills?

3. Michael Patton does a great job addressing this on his blog: http://www.reclaimingthemind.org/blog/2010/11/is-it-possible-to-marry-the-wrong-person/

Reading List! (February 1, 2014)

 Finished this month:

On Asking God Why by Elisabeth Elliot

I love Elisabeth Elliot! We all ask God “why” at some point or another, we all have trials, suffering, loss, disappointments to walk through, and here Elisabeth shares some of hers. This was an encouraging book as we learn to trust God in the midst of life’s trials.

“My questions were not answered, but I wanted to ‘see’ God, to know Him. So I kept on reading the Book, kept trying to apply it to my life, kept bringing my own thinking and conduct under its authority, seeking God’s meaning in every event that touched me, including Jim’s death and other crises. As God had promised, His Word proved true. He instructed me. He kept me. He held me. He showed me all I needed to know for life and godliness, although He did not unfold all I wanted to know for understanding.” (p. 140-141, emphasis hers)

 “Oh no, don’t speak of things being lost. Say rather that they are hidden – received and accepted and taken up into the secrets of the Divine mysteries, to be transformed and multiplied…” (p. 26)

Addictions – A Banquet in the Grave by Edward T. Welch

This is a crucial book for anyone seeking to know how to help others with addictions (even less “serious” ones). It was helpful to me as well as we all have addiction-tendencies in our human nature! Sin can be summed up in the word: idolatry and our desires can easily give way to loving things more than we should.

It is filled some great really practical teaching and it has questions at the end of each chapter for personal application and to help apply it in helping others. I would highly recommend this book, you will find it to refocus or sharpen your Christian life and equip you to help others who are struggling with specific addictions or any other sin.

“Any earthly desire that doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer is a lust that surpasses your desire for Jesus himself.” (p. 225)

“If the problem of addiction is false worship, the answer is knowing the Lord, the One who deserves our worship. This is true theology, the study of God Himself.” (p. 141)

Temptation by John Owen

This has got to be one of the greatest Puritan Classics! It’s one of those books you have to read pretty carefully and slowly… otherwise much of it goes over your head. I don’t think I read it slowly enough, so I’ll probably read it again. Excellent though – John Owen is very discerning and led by the Spirit in how he teaches about the nature and work of temptation in our lives and how we can avoid and resist it.

“He who seeks to get the victory over any sin must also consider his temptations to it, and strike at that root. Without deliverance from this, he will not be healed.” (p. 53)

“And how does Paul come to have such an estimation of the most desirable things in the world? It is because of the very high estimation he had of the excellency of Christ.” (p. 102)

Les Misérables by Victor Hugo

A classic…. I confess I skipped over much of the historical chapters (it was a really long book!)

Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton

I started this, but then didn’t finish it… maybe at some point I will. Just a few comments… Please note that G.K. Chesterton was Roman Catholic so discernment is required while reading. It was rather interesting… very intellectual, although he claims to be more for mysticism (i.e. experience in his relationship with God) and more against intellectualism (for intellectualism’s sake).

In chapter 2 I found that he had a rather confused view of free will – thinking that it must be entire, and that we should not see so much “cause” in everything. However, he also says positively, “[The Mystic] has always cared more for truth than for consistency. If he saw two truths that seemed to contradict each other, he would take the two truths and the contradiction along with them… Thus he has always believed that there was such a thing as fate, but such a thing as free will also.” And: “The Christian permits free will to remain a sacred mystery.” I agree yes. But then, he repeatedly denounces the idea of “determinism” (known primarily today as Calvinism), calls it “alien logic” and compares it to madness. But wait… I agreed with the first… umm? (I think he’s a bit biased?)

He says in one place, “the madman is not the man who has lost his reason. The madman is the man who has lost everything except his reason.” At first I wasn’t sure about that, but as I thought about it, it’s quite brilliant. One who is mad can still be “reasonable” in many ways.

He also says, “Imagination does not breed insanity. Exactly what does breed insanity is reason.” I see what he’s saying, but I would say that it’s when imagination becomes reason is when there’s insanity. We need reason, and we need mystery, but if one supersedes the other then we have confusion.

Currently Reading:

Shame Interrupted by Ed Welch (on my Kindle)

Walking With God Through Pain and Suffering by Tim Keller

The End of the Spear by Steve Saint (seen the Movie, haven’t yet read the book)

Additional books I want to read this month:

For my CCEF class I will be reading Why Does It Have to Hurt? by Dan McCartney

The Joy of Fearing God by Jerry Bridges

Convergence by Sam Storms

I really want to finish all these this month because... well, you'll have to wait till next month to find out why! :-D

 

When Life Breaks Your Heart

“When you can’t see past the tears, trust His heart” – C.H. Spurgeon

Usually when we hear the term “broken heart” we think of it in terms of a broken romantic relationship, but the truth is our heart can be broken when anything our heart has hoped in is disappointed. We hope for a job, promotion, or opportunity and we don’t get it; we hope for a certain direction in life and are dissuaded by sickness, finances, family problems, or who-knows what else; we hope for happiness but often trials and heartache find us instead. Proverbs says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick,” (Prov 13:12) and when hope is disappointed the heart is indeed as if “sick,” we just tend to use the term “broken”. Emotional pain is very real… and you can’t put a band-aid on it. If it is not dealt with it can lead to depression and even physical illness. And then you can lose hope altogether which is why it has led some to their death or to the taking of their own life. It is possible to die from a broken heart.

However, as a Christian who believes in both the complete sovereignty and perfect goodness of God, I have often sought to understand His purposes for my trials. The path of pain is often mysterious but we do know that in all things God has one ultimate purpose, to conform His children to the image of Christ (Rom 8:28-29). Each time as I have allowed the Lord to work in my heart He has revealed things in my heart that He wanted to correct. This is not to say that we always bring hardship or pain on ourselves because of our sin, although that is sometimes the case. Often the Lord simply allows us to go through hard circumstances in order to grow our faith. If we never struggled, we would never grow. “No pain, no gain” is a motto that the Apostle Paul exemplified.

While there have been many things that I’ve learned through seasons of brokenness, the correction (teaching) has often centered around one question the Spirit whispers to my heart, “Beloved, where is your hope?” Psalm 42:5 says, “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted in me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.” I chose to use the KJV here because I love the beautiful language of the command: “Hope thou in God”. In Psalm 27:13-14 it says this, “I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait I say, on the LORD.” Without hope we lose heart, so we must believe. Believe in what? In the goodness of God! Hold on to your faith that God is good and that one day all will be made right. A.W. Tozer wrote, “Whether we are happy or unhappy at any given time is not important. That we be in the will of God is all that matters. We may safely leave with Him the incident of heartache or happiness. He will know how much we need of either or both.” Yes, feelings matter. And we shouldn’t just dismiss the hurt that someone feels. But feelings are not truth. We must look beyond how we feel to Christ who, by the way, suffered more than we ever could.

Jim and Elisabeth Elliot are two of my heroes. Despite their love and desire to marry they waited about 4 years before Jim finally sensed the Lord’s timing and leading them to be joined. Then, less than 2 ½ years later (when their daughter was only a year old) Jim was killed by the natives he was trying to reach with the Gospel. A few years later Elisabeth spent several years in the jungle with the very men who had murdered her husband teaching them the Scriptures. She remarried fourteen years later but then lost that husband to cancer after only 4 years. Having had her share of intense trials, loss, along with struggles with trusting God and forgiving those who had hurt her, she wrote this, “God never withholds from His child that which His love and wisdom call good. God's refusals are always merciful -- "severe mercies" at times but mercies all the same. God never denies us our hearts desire except to give us something better.”

I am awed by that truth, are you? It’s one of those truths that can be really hard to believe, but yet we must, for it IS true. And there is great comfort in that – that no matter what pain we go through, God has something bigger in mind. May God help us to embrace the hard lessons, for they are the way to growth.

I will close this by sharing my all-time favorite quote. This prayer by Elisabeth Elliot I have often found myself echoing, sometimes amidst tears and feelings of frustration:

Perhaps some future day Lord,

Thy strong hand will lead me to a place where I must stand

Utterly alone.

Alone, O gracious Love

But for Thee;

I shall be satisfied if I can see – Jesus only.

I do not know Thy plans for years to come

My spirit finds its perfect home sufficiency.

Lord, all my desire is before Thee now

Lead on, no matter where, no matter what – I trust in Thee.

Reducing God to a Mathematical Equation

Recently I overheard two people talking. I didn’t catch the beginning of the conversation but they were very evidently discussing how the Calvinist/Reformed view of God’s sovereignty (in sovereignly and decisively electing only some to salvation) was wrong and unbiblical. Being one who didn’t agree with their assessment I curiously listened to what their arguments were, especially since one of them was a pastor whom I knew.

In their conversation they made it clear that they believed God “sovereignly” chose to give man free will to choose salvation. That He “knew what I would choose” and He then apparently just helped things along. One of them made the statement, “I’ve made the choices I’ve made” and that anything that happened was the result of their own choosing. My pastor-friend then proceeded to compare the scope of atonement to a mathematical equation and election to physics – as if they could be explained using x+y=z.

I was shocked. Can we reduce God to a mathematical equation?

More that that, can we, SHOULD we, trust a God who has no real control over our lives? If we truly have free will than our choices are not really under God’s control… so when bad things happen it’s simply the result of someone else's free will and God just stood by rather helplessly? Or, maybe God allowed it simply because we chose it? Does God “will” things based on our choice, or based on His infinite wisdom? What about Proverbs 16:33 that says, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.”

And then there’s Isaiah who records God saying,

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

The Transcendence of God

“Transcendence” is defined as “Very excellent; superior or supreme in excellence; surpassing others” (Webster’s 1828 dictionary). God is infinitely bigger than our ability to understand. He cannot be explained by human logic or explanation. Psalm 113:4-6 says this about God:

The Lord is high above all nations, His glory above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God, Who dwells on high, Who humbles Himself to behold the things that are in the heavens and in the earth?

This last phrase is what we mean when we speak of God’s “condescension”. God came down to our level. He “stooped” to our plane of understanding and comprehension. There’s a theological term that we use when God refers to Himself it human terms it’s an anthropomorphism. Just because God describes Himself as a man with human feelings, emotions etc. does not mean that’s how we should take Him. He is not a god after our image. He is not like us.

In seeking to understand God, we cannot be reduced to human reasoning. We must have a proper fear of God – that is, a proper awe, respect and humility. One definition Ed Welch gives of the fear of the Lord is that “it goes further than an intellectual understanding.”  (Addictions, p. 175) We must see God as bigger and higher than what we can put into our minds and we must look at Scripture and accept it as so even when we do not understand it.

Is Christ fully man or fully God? Yes. Is God just or is He merciful? Yes. Are the Scriptures written by God or man? Yes. Is God completely sovereign or does He give man free will? Yes. The Scriptures are full of mystery, paradoxes abound, but we must seek to say yes to Scripture and not silence any of it! I love how John Piper put it in his book Does God Desire All to Be Saved?: “The Scriptures lead us again and again to affirm that God’s will is sometimes spoken of as an expression of His moral standards for human behavior and sometimes as an expression of His sovereign control even over acts that are contrary to that standard.” (p. 35) R.C. Sproul writes, “…divine sovereignty is not an issue peculiar to Calvinism, or even to Christianity. Without sovereignty God cannot be God. If we reject divine sovereignty than we must embrace atheism. This is the problem we all face. We must hold tightly to God’s sovereignty. Yet we must do it in such a way so as not to violate human freedom.”

To go back to the conversation I overheard, I will mention at this point that not once during this conversation did I hear these two friends quote or even allude to Scripture. Their arguments were based entirely on their own reason and logic. This also amazed me. When you start off basing your theological arguments on human logic rather than Scripture, you are on shallow ground. Now, they probably could have brought Scripture to the table if questioned, although their answers, I suspect, would probably contradict their belief system that they just tried to build. Why? Because God just does not make sense! His ways cannot be explained using human logic.

At the time I didn’t say anything to either of these people, partly from shock, but mostly I thought it wise to hold my tongue since I probably would have been a little more irritated than loving in my response. But I was rather dying to ask them a few questions…. If what you say is true, than why should I trust Him? Why on earth should I pray? Why should I ask God to guide me? If He just looks through time and sees my choices why do I need Him? Should I just take the gift of salvation and move through life on my own? I doubt they would agree with this, so, Why not? If God is not in control over my life why should put my dependence on Him?

But God CAN be trusted, because He is in control; because He makes promises and acts to fulfill them, and no human will can stand in His way. Isn’t that what gives us confidence? That no matter what He has a plan, and He is going to fulfill it for our good and His glory. And this is why He deserves our worship!

I just want to state in closing that I have many dear friends who reject the Reformed view of God’s sovereignty. I love them dearly and seek to not allow this differing viewpoint to sour our fellowship in the Lord. But I DO think it’s worth arguing about sometimes – especially when it comes down to how we view God. God’s character (don’t you think?) is worth defending. As I quoted above, John Piper wrote an excellent book called Does God Desire All to Be Saved? The answer is yes, but it’s not a simple yes. He goes on to explain and show that just because God “desires” something doesn’t mean He acts to bring it about. It’s the age-old question of “does God have two wills?” If you want to be versed in this debate you need to read this book! Its arguments are important for you to understand and be able to defend/refute. Hint: Read all the footnotes too! I welcome your comments – just please make sure you know what you’re talking about first! I don’t respond to disrespectful, or uneducated (notice I did NOT say unintelligent!) arguments. Although Spurgeon might not agree… but I’m glad he said it and not me. :-)

“The doctrines of original sin, election, effectual calling, final perseverance, and all those great truths which are called Calvinism – though Calvin was not the author of them, but simply an able writer and preacher upon the subject – are, I believe, the essential doctrines of the Gospel that is in Jesus Christ. Now, I do not ask you whether you believe all this – it is possible you may not; but I believe you will before you enter heaven. I am persuaded that as God may have washed your hearts, he will wash your brains before you enter heaven.” -- C.H. Spurgeon

Reading List! (January 1, 2014)

Happy New Year! December was actually quite a busy month, but I still got a LOT of reading done! And… I got a Kindle for Christmas. I have been quite against digital books because I really like “real” ones, but I must say… I love it! I still say I shall still never give up my real, paper and ink books for digital and there will still be books I shall want to get to hold in my hands and keep on my bookshelf!

“…the only knowledge worth having in the end is knowledge that leads to love – love for God and love for people.” (- John Piper, Does God Desire All to Be Saved? p. 11)

Finished this month:

When I Don’t Desire God – How to Fight for Joy by John Piper

This is my second time reading this book and it’s in my “top 10” list. It’s such an amazing book (unless you’re the kind of Christian who is just happy all the time and you never struggle…). One question he asks is one that I have sometimes struggled over: “How can all these good things serve joy in God, and not usurp the supreme affections of our hearts?” (p.178) This he discusses in some detail for a few chapters and it is very helpful. Convicting, yes, but that’s a good thing.

“… the way we destroy deceitful, joy-killing desires that threaten to overwhelm us with destructive cravings is to hear and believe the Word of God when it says that He and His ways are more to be desired than all that sin can offer.” – John Piper, When I Don’t Desire God, p. 105

The Jefferson Lies – exposing the myths you’ve always believed about Thomas Jefferson by David Barton

If you want to better know who the real Thomas Jefferson was, you should read this book! It’s amazing to me, that even with my classical Christian-based education I’ve still gotten some false information or impressions about Jefferson. It is so sad how so many people have taken his own writing (and other information spoken about him) out of its context and defamed him, his beliefs and character. I could write a whole blog post reviewing these lies… oh wait, I did here….

“My views… [are] very different from the anti-Christian system imputed to me by those who know nothing of my opinions.” (p. 83)

A Call to Spiritual Reformation by D.A Carson

I had started this book quite some time ago and never finished it… so I did! It was really excellent. When I first started it, it was a bit tedious, and then I got distracted by some other books so it got set aside. But it was a great book on prayer; why we should pray, why we don’t often pray, how Paul prayed and how we should imitate him.

“It takes nothing less than the power of God to enable us to grasp the love of Christ. Part of our deep ‘me-ism’ is manifested in such independence that we do not really want to get so close to God that we feel dependent upon him, swamped by his love. Just as in a marriage a spouse may flee relationships that are too intimate, judging them to be a kind of invasion of privacy when in reality such a reaction is a sign of intense immaturity and selfishness, so also in the spiritual arena: when we are drawn a little closer to the living God, many of us want to back off and stake out our own turf. We want to experience power so that we can be in control…. Our deep and pathetic self-centeredness is precisely why it takes the power of God to transform us…” (p.197)

Choosing Forgiveness by Nancy Leigh DeMoss

I have written a review of this book here. This book was something I really needed. Not only does it delve into forgiveness, but it goes deeper into anger, resentment and bitterness. It's a powerful book that every Christian should read!

“God has grace available to help us deal with the offense and forgive the offender. At that point, we have one of two choices: We can acknowledge our need and humbly reach out to Him for His grace to forgive and release the offender. Or we can resist Him, fail to receive His grace, and hold on to the hurt.” (Choosing Forgiveness p. 75)

Distinguishing Marks of the Spirit of God by Jonathan Edwards

This is the first thing I downloaded on my new Kindle that I got on Christmas day. It was .99! And I read it in 3 days! :-)

In the 1^st section he dispels arguments that some use to show that a work is not of the Spirit of God (example: “What the church has been used to, is not a rule by which we are to judge; because there may be new and extraordinary works of God, and he has heretofore evidently wrought in an extraordinary manner.” And “It is not reasonable to determine that a work is not from God’s Holy Spirit because of the extraordinary degree in which the minds of persons are influenced.”). In the 2^nd he discusses what clear indicators are that can make us quite sure a work is of God (example: “The surest character of true divine supernatural love – distinguishing it from counterfeits that arise from a natural self love – is, that the Christian virtue of humility shines in it; that which above all others renounces, abases, and annihilates what we term self.”), and the 3^rd section is application (here’s a great quote: “Lukewarmness in religion is abominable, and zeal an excellent grace; yet above all other Christian virtues, this needs to be strictly watched and searched; for it is that with which corruption, and particularly pride and human passion, is exceedingly apt to mix unobserved.”)

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

I don’t recall ever reading this before… it was free on my Kindle. A great classic!

“…now, when suffering has been stronger than all other teaching, and has taught be to understand what your heart used to be. I have been bent and broken, but – I hope – into a better shape.” 

– Estella to Pip.

Does God Desire All to Be Saved? by John Piper

This is a short book, but very intellectual. It was rather helpful to me though – and it led me to worship and love God more for His infinite love, wisdom and mercy! The introduction to the book was great – I love Piper’s humility about the whole thing!

“God’s expression of pity and His entreaties have heart in them. There is a genuine inclination in God’s heart to spare those who have committed treason against His kingdom. But His motivation is complex, and not every true element in it rises to the level of effective choice. In His great and mysterious heart, there are kinds of longings and desires that are real – they tell us something true about His character. Yet not all of these longings govern His actions. He is governed by the depth of His wisdom expressed through a plan that no ordinary human deliberation would ever conceive (Rom 11:33-36; 1 Cor 2:9). There are holy and just reasons why the affections of God’s heart have the nature, intensity, and proportion that they do.” (p. 49)

Currently Reading:

On Asking God Why by Elisabeth Elliot

Addictions – A Banquet in the Grave by Edward T. Welch (I was reading this as a study with a friend, and want to finish it this month!)

Additional books I want to read this month:

Temptation by John Owen

Walking With God Through Pain and Suffering by Tim Keller

Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton (on my Kindle)

Les Misérables by Victor Hugo (another Classic that I’d like to read on my Kindle)

Also, over the next 3 months I am taking a Biblical Counseling course through CCEF (www.ccef.com). The two books I’ll be reading for it are:

Why Does it Have to Hurt? by Dan McCartney & The Christian Life by Sinclair Ferguson

BONUS: If you’d like to know what my “top picks” are for this past year, here they are:

Dug Down Deep by Joshua Harris

When People are Big and God is Small by Edward Welch

When I Don’t Desire God – How to Fight for Joy by John Piper

Choosing Forgiveness by Nancy Leigh DeMoss