Membership Privileges

Recently I had to do the unthinkable: shop for health insurance. As I evaluated each program, I looked at the price and checked out what I'd receive in return. Some offered lower minimums, others covered more hospital and less doctor visits, others covered more doctor vists and less hospital care, and still others made the deal sweeter by offering "free" gym memberships. Today we get to look at the membership privileges of our great salvation!

As threatened before, I took some time this week to review 2 Peter 1:3,4 on a deeper level. What I found blew my mind. This is a passage that has already had dynamic impact on my life, but as I delved in, I found even more. Allow me to recommend listening (and reading along) to the sermon by John MacArthur called Our Precious Faith, Part 3. It is so powerful and appropriate for this series, that if you were to listen to that, I wouldn't have to do this blog. But since you might not read it, and might not get all of the impact that I received from it, I'll take a spin at challenging you with what I've learned.

First of all, let's look at what the passage says.

³ His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him ^fwho called us to³ his own glory and excellence,^4 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become^gpartakers of the divine nature, ^hhaving escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

His divine power could be - and probably will be - an entirely seperate post. For the moment, though, pause and think: what does his divine power entail? This is the power of God we're talking about. You know, the sovereign God of the universe. 

Has granted to us - this is a gift of God! I hadn't realized how much God WANTS to be generous. As John MacArthur pointed out, you're not going to find His generosity on a typical list of the attributes of God. But he LOVES to shower on us amazing things. I think one of the reasons that conservative Christians don't spend much time focusing on this is because of how far some HAVE taken it. God is Love. But so many have translated that in to meaning that he's just this grandfatherly figure in the sky, just there to hug us, give us treats, spoil us, and generally do whatever WE want him to do (which is also why they're so surprised when bad things happen).
While we have tried to, rightfully, focus on the Holiness of God, we've done so to the exclusion of the truth that He first loved us and sent his Son. That Christ died for us "while we were yet sinners". Realize that this is a GIFT to us! And this gift - this "granting" to us is a past AND continual action. It will keep going! He's already set it in motion, with no plans to stop this provision. 

What has he given us? "All things that pertain to life and godliness". So just a few things? Just our salvation? Or maybe he's given us enough for our salvation, and a tiny bit of sanctification? Or maybe he's just given us what we need for a hard trial once every ten years? Or maybe he's just given us enough skills to do a small part of the ministry to which he's called us? Rather, he has given us ALL THINGS. 

Again, MacArthur likened our faulty assumptions to us thinking that we were born again as a Christian Polliwog: We're just this little squiggle with a tail that only gradually grows "arms", legs, long tongue, etc. That assumption leaves us flailing around with no purpose or direction or abilities or gifts, until they are gradually added to our spiritual toolbox. Instead, this verse is saying that he HAS given and IS giving us continually everything we need for life and godliness. 

I believe that it was Martha Wright, then the VP of Education for Child Evangelism Fellowship, who said that "there's no Junior Level Holy Spirit". In context, at the time, we were talking about a child growing after salvation. So many assume that children just can't understand spiritual truths, or that they can't be expected to be convicted of sin, or empowered for witness, or... My question, though, is this: Do we sometimes think that we have a Jr. Level Holy Spirit when we look at the Super-Christians on TV, or radio, or in the pulpit, who must have the SuperChristian Holy Spirit? As I have entered each new challenge of ministry, I have had to fight to remember this truth that God HAS given me the same power, by the same Holy Spirit. That he has given me everything I need for life and godliness - including this new phase of ministry that he has asked of me as I serve him in life and godliness. Forgive me if I keep repeating the same phrases: I just want this to be really clear. As a believer, YOU HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO SERVE HIM!

Why would it be important to know this? Because often we doubt. We give in to sin because we feel we don't have the strength to say no. We turn away from the calling or opportunity that God is giving us, because we think we CAN'T do it. We settle for a lesser ministry because it's our comfort zone, rather than trusting God to strengthen us through the stretching. We get discouraged because we compare ourselves to others who seem to have it all together and to be that Super Christian we look up to. What faulty thinking have you allowed yourself to believe?

God may be needling the edges of your faulty thinking, but our first excuse is that we don't know how to access that gift. His answer to that? We are able to connect with that "through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence." 

Do you know him? I ask this question first in regards to your salvation, as that is the main question here: Are you saved? Then this applies to you! But assuming that we are believers here, can I challenge you a bit? If you're saved, you have access to this power, but how's the connection? To summarize a point that John MacArthur was making, the power is there, but are you plugged into it? 

How close are you to him?  I listened to a great message provided by Carol Johnson, speaking at a CEF Headquarters Chapel service.* She reminded me (and God convicted me) that even doing the expected bible reading and devotions and blogging, and church attendance doesn't make me close to God. It's a question of where my priority is - where my heart is. Are you going through the motions? I know that's enough of a struggle in itself, just to get into those habits! But is your heart in it? Are you in conversation with him throughout the day? Are you meditating on his Word? Are your decisions based off of "what the good Christian ought to do", or based on a passion and love for God, WANTING to do things His way? 

"Who has called us" - We know that our salvation isn't something we could instigate. But did you realize that since these gifts came in the "benefits package" of our salvation, even these are provided only by his grace? You haven't earned - and CAN'T earn these gifts. You'll definitely be better at using them with more experience, but Billy Graham didn't EARN the ability to preach. God provided it, along with everything else he needed to live a godly life at salvation. I will clarify here, that Billy couldn't necessarily preach powerfully in front of crowds the moment he was saved, but 10 minutes after he was saved, he had everything he needed to live a godly life, and ten YEARS after he was saved he had everything he needed to live a godly life. I hope this makes sense!

And one last phrase for today: "to his own glory and excellence". One purpose for that phrase is this: to let us see that it's through knowing his glory and excellence that God even brings us that calling to salvation. As we share the gospel, a powerful tool in partnering with the Spirit for conviction is to point to the awesome glory and excellence of our Creator. Think of those Bible Characters - Peter, Paul, Abraham - how did they come to God? By seeing his glory and excellence, which resulted in conviction, repentance, and belief. 

This phrase has another impact on our walk, too, but you'll have to wait for next week when we continue to consider the membership privileges that come with this great salvation!

Won't you share this blog with a friend? Maybe God would want to use it to challenge them in their walk, too!

*Available on the CEF app under resources/chapel messages.

Here I Raise My Ebenezer

(You don't KNOW how many times I sat down to work on this blog post this week! The last few days have been crazy-busy, so despite my best efforts, it is now Wednesday as I post this, rather than Monday… hopefully next week will be better!)

I love the soulful melody of the hymn "Come Thou Fount". This hymn was written in the 1700's by Robert Robinson, and has recently been making a comeback in many churches. Its lyrics offer a heartfelt, honest expression to God of our relationship with him. It humbly offers the confession that our hearts are prone to wander, yet pleas for God to "tune my heart to sing thy grace". And in the middle of this poem, there's a powerful sentence that gives us the "key" to living victoriously by faith, coded in a reference to an Old Testament word that few have heard much less understand.

He says

Here I raise mine Ebenezer;
hither by thy help I'm come;
and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.

Have you ever wondered what an Ebenezer is? Ebenezer is actually a PLACE where God gave a great victory to the Israelites, but the song refers to a specific stone that was erected. Ebenezer means "stone of the help". In 1 Samuel 7:14 we're told "Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, 'Till now the LORD has helped us.'"

For a little context, the Israelites had found themselves in such a jam with their enemies the Philistines that they'd finally realized they needed God's help (what a novel concept!). After begging God, repenting of sin, and asking Samuel to plead on their behalf to God, they found themselves rescued in a dramatic way. Verse 10 says that "…the LORD thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel" (1 Samuel 7:10 ESV). Lest they forget what God had done for them, Samuel erected the stone to remind them in a very visible way.

I know some of you have some great long-term memory, but I think human nature is truly prone to short-term memory, especially when it involves lessons God has taught us. If you doubt, just read the book of Exodus, or any of the "First and Second" books in the Old Testament (1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, etc.). The Israelites would humble themselves, bow, worship God, destroy their idols, repent in sack-cloth and ashes, and in the next chapter they'd be back to worshipping idols again. God knew that, and has found many ways to help us remember things that are important. Sometimes it's through repetition, other times through instruction, but very often through visible and tangible reminders.

Think of all the celebrations God established for the Israelites – each one was a vivid picture of one or more aspects of their relationship to God – they were celebrated annually as a reminder. Passover, while also a picture of the coming Sacrifice, was a vivid reminder of His powerful rescue from the Egyptians. I mean, after all of those amazing plagues and the angel of death, how could they EVER forget THAT rescue? And yet they did – even with God's annual Passover reminder.

In Joshua, we read that after they had crossed the Jordan, Joshua ordered them to set up twelve conspicuous stones. Joshua 4:6,7 tells us why: "When your children ask in time to come, 'What do those stones mean to you?' 7 then you shall tell them… So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever." From one generation to the next, they were challenged to pass on these lessons and the great acts of their rescuer to the children, lest they forget and serve other gods. Not that they would EVER forget and serve other gods… oh wait, they did.

But of course you and I would NEVER forget what God has done and turn to sin or disbelief! Of COURSE not! Oh wait… we do.

For our context in this blog, let's think about this: How do we learn to trust God? We KNOW those promises God has provided, but so often we struggle to live like they're true. I smile as I think about the patience God has with us: Like training a toddler, He so gently and graciously provides us with so many Ebenezers: tangible evidences of his promise keeping. Then the next time around, he is able to use that Ebenezer as a foundation for our next lesson. Pause for a moment: Has God ever kept a promise to you before in a recognizable way? He keeps his promises whether you recognize them or not, but think about the ones he's given you the privilege of witnessing.

For me, my favorite Ebenezer is my dog, Molly. When I first accepted the calling to be a CEF Missionary in Klamath Falls, I was daring to trust that it truly was his calling, but not so sure. From the time I was 16, when I met a cute long-haired dachshund named Olly, I had prayed for one of my own. By 2006 I was living in an apartment that wouldn't even allow pets if I wanted one. However, the day I announced my decision to move to Klamath Falls in faith (and thus, move out of the apartment!), I was given not an Olly, but a Molly – also a long-haired dachshund. She has now been with me through thick and thin, (she even decided that "we" were marrying Duane!). Now, if I ever doubt my calling, or wonder what in the world I'm doing in ministry (and believe me, that has been a daily occurrence at times), all I have to do is glance at the wagging tail that reminds me that GOD called me here, and by his strength I will remain. She's my "stone of help", my reminder that "Till now the Lord has helped [me]."

Sometimes those Ebenezers are traumatic or intense times in our lives. I remember one particular traumatic experience for me, when I couldn't imagine life going on because of how intense it was. As my friend encouraged me to embrace that opportunity for growth, I DID. I clung to his promises of faithfulness, his presence, and of growth, and I survived. And now, as other trials come, I again look back to that Ebenezer, and recognize that if God kept his promises to me in that time, he will keep his promises to me now.

If you struggle to trust his promises (don't we all?), stop right now, look back, and see the times that He HAS kept His promises. Maybe even pick out a rock. Or a plaque. Or a journal. Or set up an annual celebration or anniversary. Or some other tangible reminder. Put your Ebenezer on display where you can see it, and be reminded frequently of how he HAS kept his promises, and plead with him to help you continue to trust him.

In my own words, and with no poetic premise, that song at the beginning might go something like this:

I dedicate this tangible reminder, my Ebenezer, to you, God. Let it be a reminder of the help you've provided and the promises you've kept thus far. I've only come THIS far by your grace, and your provision. And by your grace, you will continue to provide and keep your promises til my earthly life is over. Please use this Ebenezer to strengthen my faith so I don't just survive until then, but THRIVE, trusting you.

Amen.

God’s Promises – Our Way

As a teenager, I knew God's call on my life… in general. I knew that I was called to missions, I knew that I had a heart for Africa, I knew that I wanted to travel the US in a semi, and I knew that I wanted to tell kids about Jesus. In my mind, I had it all figured out – mostly. I would travel cross-country full-time in that semi with a trailer modified to be a fold-out stage with puppets and my piano, and have kids rallies, telling them about Jesus. I wasn't quite sure how Africa would fit into it, so I thought maybe that was the alternative. I'd met ladies that were "lifers" in Africa as missionaries, so figured it would either be after my cross-country travels, or instead of my cross-country travels. But let me tell you, I loved to dream about it all. I even mapped out how I would design the trailer I would use, had assigned my siblings parts of the ministry team, and even started working on the puppet scripts I would use.

Funny thing is, God apparently had a different idea. I mean, imagine that!

Though God could still do anything he wants in my life, I can already use hindsight to see the humorous twists that GOD used to accomplish many of these same things – just not using my carefully planned methods.

I've been to Africa now – I spent a month there, with Child Evangelism Fellowship, teaching thousands of kids about Jesus and how they can spend eternity with him.

I'm a missionary, and have been for 13 years (officially – unofficially, it's more like 16 years).

I get to tell kids about Jesus all the time – and train others to do it.

Oh, and I HAVE been cross-county in a semi – that happened when I was on sabbatical, and got to go with my husband – who happened to drive truck! I still tease him that I just married him for the truck that he drove. Now that he doesn't drive truck anymore, I'm stuck with him. :-)

Now let's throw in a bonus, I get to teach – children, teens, and adults. My poor younger brothers were the brunt of my passion to teach, evident from a young age. I still remember at the age of 6 or 7 writing out math sheets for Seth to do as we played school!

When God makes a promise, or places a call on our lives, all we really HAVE is our imagination to try to figure out how God might fulfill it. And we can come up with some pretty cool ideas for how God should/could keep his promise. But it can't compare to GOD'S imagination, and how HE orchestrates our lives.

Abraham got a front-row seat to this. Remember how God made a promise to Abraham that he would be the father of many nations? God made that promise first when he was a young fighting man. But Abram and Sarai were childless, and remained so for many years.

My brief count shows at least FOUR times that God made the promise to give him abundant offspring. On the one hand, God must have seen that Abraham needed the reminder. On the other hand, we're told that Abraham believed God. So it wasn't a matter of Abraham not believing God… it was just that Abraham seemed to have his own ideas of HOW God would keep that promise.

At one point, Abraham suggested that the only possible offspring he had was a slave of his, that did great at running things for him. Another time, Sarah talked him into taking her servant, Hagar, as his wife, so he could have descendants that way. It wasn't until Hagar's son Ishmael was 13 years old that Abraham finally realized that God intended to fulfill His promise through a child that Sarah would bear. Being in her late 80's, Sarah did NOT present a great prospect for motherhood. Though Abraham bowed before the Lord at that time, he also laughed at the impossibility.

When Sarah was 90, SHE laughed when the LORD told her she would bear a child within a year. She was incredulous that such a thing could happen. She probably seriously doubted that this even WAS the LORD making such a promise.

Do we ever do that? God makes a promise, and we say "yeah, right, God!" Or maybe we doubt that God even made that promise?

We are limited by our human imaginations, and so we try to explain away how God should keep his promise. When He says He will supply all our needs according to his riches in glory, and we find ourselves without a job, how do we respond? Do we rush out and get the first job that crosses our path, even if it's not His best? Or on the other extreme, do we sit there and wait for God to start dropping money in our lap. Either way, we're presuming that God will keep his promise to provide in the way that WE want him to provide.

Sometimes we get in a hurry, thinking God will answer in our timing: Do you realize Abraham and Sarah had to wait about 25 years for his promise to be fulfilled to have even one child of the many offspring God had promised?

Especially during trials, we wonder how God is keeping his promises, since life doesn't match up to how we imagined life SHOULD be if he's keeping his promise.

Musical artist, Laura Story, came out with a song in 2011 called "Blessings". It talks about this concept. Listen to the music video as you read the following lyrics.

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering

All the while You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near?

What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

And all the while You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near?

And what if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?

When friends betray us, when darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near?

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst
This world can't satisfy?

And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise?


What a beautiful way of describing that dichotomy.

I'm encouraged that Abraham DID seem to learn that lesson. By the time God asked him to sacrifice Isaac on the altar, Abraham didn't hesitate to obey, even though this son was the way he THOUGHT God was keeping his promise, and there didn't seem to be any other options that his imagination could provide.

Can WE have that faith? Will you choose to trust God to keep his promises even when it doesn't match up to YOUR imaginations?

Our Promises to God

Well, with the best of intentions, I had hoped to have this week's post up on/by Monday, but it just didn't happen. Good thing I didn't PROMISE to write every Monday!

We've talked about THE Promise Maker in a different post, and how we can trust HIM to keep his promises. I thought that today we might pause for an evaluation of OUR promise keeping.

Several years back, there was a major push, complete with rallies, books, and other literature/media, focused on challenging men to be Promise Keepers. I was just a young lass when it had the emphasis, so I don't pretend to know or remember all the details of it, but the general idea was challenging men to keep their promises, especially to God, their wife, and their family.

Others have had near-death experiences and in that frightful moment have made promises (or more accurately "bargains") with God, promising that "if you let me live, I'll do X, Y, or Z for you". Some have followed through. I'd guess that most have not.

Most of us have also, at one time or another made some promise to God in the passion of worship offered to God a heartfelt offer of EVERYTHING. Whether it was the words of a song saying that "I Surrender All", or a sermons call to a particular act of sanctification, most believers have made some kind of promise to God. It was likely a commitment that it wouldn't be sin to NOT do it, but rather a promise to go above and beyond status quo. 

And… here's MY confession. Recently, out of gratitude for something that God had done, I had promised a full month without extra-curricular activities on my computer or my not-so-smart phone. For some of you this would be a relief, rather than a challenge, but with my habits, this would NOT be easy. I did great for the first week, and MOSTLY great for the second week. I enjoyed using the time to spend in the Word, develop my other hobbies, and generally not be bombarded by social media. By the third week, though, I was really starting to slide. By the time I reached the date that should have been my "I made it a month, God! See how grateful I am!?", I was instead trying to ignore it lest I feel the wave of guilt for not finishing out the month.

We all do it. And that thought might be a comforting thought on some level: "At least I'm not any worse than so-and-so!" But when we think about it, it doesn't matter if I'm better, worse, or the same as so-and-so! What matters is what GOD sees when he looks at my heart. Have I… have YOU… made a promise to God that you haven't kept?

God takes promises pretty seriously. Just look at how serious he is about his OWN promises! And how grateful I am for that seriousness!

Here's something to challenge us, though: Have you heard the story of Jephthah? He was going into a major battle, the odds were not in his favor, and he was desperate for God's help, so he promised God that

"whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the Lord's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering." Judges 11:31 

I'm not sure what he thought would be coming out of his door when he returned (what or who else would it be!?). Or if he was just so sure that even GOD couldn't give him victory in that battle that it didn't matter? I still don't get that. Lesson Number 1: Don't make a promise to God that you don't intend to keep! Lesson Number 2: Making a promise to God is a serious thing. Even Jephthah's daughter knew that it was important to keep a promise to God, even though SHE was the sacrifice! She told him

"My father, you have opened your mouth to the Lord; do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, now that the Lord has avenged you on your enemies, on the Ammonites." Judges 11:36

Woah! Her only request was that she have two months to go away with her friends and mourn first – personally, I would have just wanted it to be over and done with!

So… what have YOU promised to God? Hopefully it doesn't include sacrificing your only daughter!

Honestly, I think many promises that have been made should not have been made at all. I'm going to go out on a limb here. And I reserve the right to be wrong - in fact, I hope someone wiser than me will help to sort out any confusion. I believe that some promises, after evaluating them based on the Word of God, must be denounced – particularly promises that involve sin. But if it's NOT a sin, and you're just ready to dismiss a promise made because it was made rashly, in the passion of the moment, or some other excuse, I'd think twice, no, three times before shrugging off a promise to God. But talk to HIM about it! Good thing for all of us that I'm not the judge here!

So what about those promises that God has already been reminding you of as you read this? I would guess that God's reminding you of them for a reason.

Can I challenge you with this? James 4 reminds us that "whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." It may not be a sin for me to not do that thing that you've promised God, but for you, who knows that God has challenged YOU to [fill in the blank here], it IS sin.


Talk to God, confess to him, and ask for fresh strength to do what you know he wants of you.

And as for making promises in the future? I'll close with the surrounding passage in James 4, but starting with verse 13.

Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. James 4:13-22

Blessings on you!


(all passages are from the English Standard Version, my personal choice for Bible study)

Promises and Sin - how are they related?