Life's Opposition

Many Christians assume that if God really loves us, he will fill our lives with good feelings, satisfied desires and things that make us happy. That may be a common assumption, but it certainly isn’t what God told us he’d do. The Bible is clear that for now, because we live in a fallen world, function in fallen bodies and interact with fallen people, we will experience a life of difficulty. Yes, God loves us (so much so that he was willing to provide for our forgiveness by punishing his Son as though he was the sinner we are), but he has delayed his ultimate blessings until we are done drafting the rest of his yet-to-be enlisted followers. Our goal is to maintain our faith, hope and love until the job is done. In the meantime Jesus reminds us that “No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also” (Jn.15:20). Jesus experienced both, and so will we. Unfortunately, more people rejected, disdained and hated Christ than rightly responded to his call to be reconciled to God. But some did obey his teaching, and occasionally with us they do also. There are those choice few who hear us out, repent of their sin and trust in Christ – which makes all the opposition worth it. So when things in this sinful world make your life hard, know that it was the same for God’s beloved Son. We certainly can’t expect our earthly experience to be any better than the King of kings. But remember that just as Jesus finished his race and entered the perfection of “paradise”, we will too. When our job is done, the love of God will be manifest in uninterrupted good feelings, satisfaction and happiness.  Maranatha!

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Obedience

Obedience to Christ often comes down to whose reputation you care about the most. When God calls us to stand up for what is right, speak up for what is important, or be counted with his children the price will usually be debited from our reputation. On the other hand, obedience to God will promote the reputation of Christ. How many times have we refrained from the “right thing” because we were afraid of what people would think? Had we stepped up or spoken out, we would have in some way advanced the glory of Christ. Jesus is the ultimate example of obedience at the cost of acceptance and popularity. Christ was singularly focused on the glory of the Father (Jn.17:4), but it led to increasing opposition, betrayal and rejection. Jesus knew his followers would wish for an exemption. But the principle highlighted by Christ’s obedience can be expected in our own lives. At one point Jesus had to draw what should have been an obvious comparison: “If the world hates you, keep in mind it hated me first. No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also” (Jn.15:18, 20). So when we are faced with doing right and we are afraid it may cause us problems, we need to remind ourselves that we are to care more about the glory of God than our own glory. We need to clarify that we should value the advancement of Christ more than our own advancement. We should resolve that Christ’s reputation is more important than our own. Lastly, we must remember that the injustice will be short-lived. One day God will eternally honor those who honored him (1Sam.2:30). He will purpose to serve those who served his cause (Lk.12:37). While the world may shun us, ridicule us and persecute us, we know that “our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2Cor.4:17).

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Reliance on God

King Asa was a righteous leader of God’s people. This ancestor of Christ and third king of the divided kingdom was a devout reformer who abolished the worship of foreign gods, put an end to cultic prostitution, and even dethroned his family members who disdained obedience to Yahweh. The Bible says God brought peace to the land because of Asa’s righteous leadership (2Chron.15:15). But in the course of time Asa fell to a subtle sin. It was a sin that ultimately cost him his life. It is a sin that entangles many of God’s people in comfortable places and in peaceful times. After many years of trusting God for victory on the battlefield and amid crises at home, Asa’s confidence slowly shifted from God to people and to the resources around him. When battle sprung up near the end of his reign, he relied on military alliances instead of trusting God. When he faced illness in his latter years, he trusted in his physicians instead of hoping in God. Of course military strategies are vital in warfare and doctors are important in facing a health crisis, but in both cases these should be seen as tools in the hand of our God of hope and not the hope themselves. A few generations before, King David wrote the words that should have governed Asa’s mind: “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God” (Ps.20:7). This of course did not mean that David didn’t utilize the tools which were entrusted to him. But as his son, Solomon, had learned, “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord” (Pr.21:31). The sad and final chapter in Asa’s life reads, “even in his illness he did not seek help from the Lord, but only from the physicians; then in the forty-first year of his reign Asa died” (2Chron.16:12-13). So then, as God blesses you with doctors, advisors, consultants and investors, please always remember the battle belongs to the Lord.

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Loving God

When the call of God on our lives and the message for us in Scripture is distilled into one line it reads like this: “Love God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength.” This was the central command of Old Testament Judaism (Dt.6:5) and it was the primary imperative of the one whose name we bear (Mt.22:37). But when that clear and forthright standard is held up for comparison with modern Christianity, it seems that only a few are focused on this goal. It appears to be a paltry and seemingly “fanatical” minority among us, who would even name this central biblical command as a part of their life’s mission or current goals. But before we call this folk fanatical, remember that the responsibility to love God with all that we are cannot be erased or minimized under the guise of New Covenant grace. When some claim we are unfettered from this calling because we are “not under the law” they fail to realize the promised effects of grace. Jesus said when we have been forgiven much we love much (Lk.7:42-47). Grace doesn’t free us from the obligation to love God with all of our hearts, it is the fuel for doing so. The Apostle John penned an entire New Testament book based on the proposition that loving God is the sign of those who are actual participants in the grace of God (1 John). Lastly, it is important to note that this supreme love is not meant for the “god” of our choosing. Seeking to fulfill the primary biblical calling must be aimed at the only God who is – the God of the Bible. As John clarifies, this love will be measured by an honesty about our transgressions of his holiness (1Jn.1:8, 10) and our resolve and growing consistency in keeping his commands (1Jn.3). He exhorts his readers, “This is love for God: to obey his commands” (1Jn.5:3). So the next time someone asks you about the goals for your life or the plans for the year, be sure and respond with the fundamental Christian calling, “I am planning to love God with all of my heart, with all of my soul and with all of my strength!”

Isolation vs Encouragement

There is too much spiritual danger inherent in Christians choosing to be isolated. The New Testament model shows us Christians who are interested and involved in each other’s lives. Paul shared his joys and victories, as well as his hurts and struggles with his friends. He was transparent about his pain, even to the point of telling the Corinthians that at one point he “despaired even of life” (2Cor.1:8). When he was weak, he not only cried out to God, but he also called out for the help of his Christian friends. “Come to me quickly” he told Timothy because he was left without the support of those he formerly trusted (2Tim.4:9). And when he openly sought the needed fellowship of his spiritual family, he saw the hand of God and encouragement of the Holy Spirit in their voices and consolation: “God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us with the coming of Titus” (2Cor.7:6). When Paul sat with his Christian comrades, he wasn’t trying to keep up some kind of super-spiritual appearances, he was there as a real, vulnerable and transparent follower of Christ. We would do well to follow this biblical pattern. Spiritual trouble finds its fuel when we choose to be isolated. So reach out and be real. Seek to serve and be served. Look for the mutual encouragement and support that comes when real Christians truly get to know and love each other.

Light

Jesus said that people prefer darkness rather than light because people don’t want their sinful deeds exposed (Jn.3:19-20). Of course this is an analogy. Your willingness to sit in the sun or your desire to dim the lights in the family room has nothing to do with your sin or righteousness. Christ meant that one’s readiness to embrace him and his message constituted a willingness to step into the exposure of the “light” of God’s truth. On the other hand, one’s avoidance of him and his message was depicted as a selfishly motivated retreat into the “shadows” of one’s own opinion. On the surface, it is easy to read Christ’s words about sinners loving darkness with feelings of immunity. After all, every reasonable person loves the “light”. Right? Not actually. Consider some of the avenues through which the “light” of Christ’s truth shines today. The Bible is the brightest record of that light. A biblical sermon aimed at life-change can feel like a laser of concentrated truth. Christian friends who are quick to speak of Christ’s commands can be bright reflectors of God’s light. But how do most people respond to those conduits of God’s light? Most avoid their Bibles for days on end. Many look for excuses to miss church and those “convicting” messages. And who hasn’t heard the “Bible-thumping” Christians dismissed as “holier than thou”? We must see that simply imagining that “Christ would agree with me” while avoiding the avenues of Christ’s light, constitutes nothing less than hiding in the darkness of one’s own opinions. Jesus said “whoever lives by the truth comes into the light” (Jn.3:21). So then, it behooves us to give attention to how we are interfacing with accurate conduits of Christ’s light. Avoiding them is never a good sign. Eagerly and regularly diving into them is indicative of those who are actually living by the truth.

Contentment

Recently, after seeing a “Christian” book entitled How to Get Everything You Want, I was reminded of God’s call to contentment. The Apostle testified to living out God’s expectation for his creatures. He wrote, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation” (Phil.4:11-12).  God’s call for his people is not to utilize him or anything else to “get everything you want,” for that desire, if fed, will dominate our lives. Scripture says, “Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income” (Eccl.5:10). From the beginning God has commanded that we keep our desires in check. It was the archetypal sin and continues to ruin many lives (1Tim.6:9). The tenth commandment to resist all temptations to covet should be evidence enough (Ex.20:17). The goal then is to want less. Ideally, it is to only have one desire! Oh that there were more modern Asaphs to write true Christian books which we could entitle, Earth Has Nothing I Desire Besides God (Ps.73:25). His words and his values are desperately needed in an age that fails to detect the “loves” that God labels “the root of all kinds of evil” (1Tim.6:10). The New Testament teaches that compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ everything else is just garnish. God may temporarily bless your earthly plate with a few side dishes, and if so enjoy them. But when the garnish is providentially removed, no real problem. God is the main dish. He is “our portion forever” (Ps.73:26). We can do all things through Christ who gives us strength (Phil.4:13).