“The greatest enemy of hunger for God is not poison but apple pie. It is not the banquet of the wicked that dulls our appetite for heaven, but endless nibbling at the table of the world. It is not the X-rated video, but the prime-time dribble of triviality we drink in every night.” -John Piper
Lately, I've been praying Psalm 51:12: "Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit." It is very easy to let the mundane things steal the joy of our salvation! As I've been praying this I've been reflecting on why my affections for Him have cooled a bit. Part of it has been circumstance. Someone I loved and shared much with shattered me, a friendship broken as a result. And so with this I have been learning forgiveness and humility. I have all hope that full reconciliation can occur through Christ. Someone else that I love very deeply has told me recently of his lost state. He has believed himself to be saved for several years and now has realized that he is not. I have struggled with impatience and even anger with God over this situation. Why won't He just save him now? Why must we wait? God has been patient with me in my unforgiveness and pride and my anger toward Him which are all wrong. He has helped me to continue to forgive and has taken my anger away. But as I've been reflecting on this it hit me that these "major" events in my life have not been the causes of my cooling affections.
The cause? Lots of little nothings. A few months ago Eric and I subscribed to Netflix. It has been great and I have really enjoyed watching movies and documentaries on the nights he spends away. But, in retrospect, the more nights I spent watching movies, the more my mind has been lured away from Him. Please, do not read this as a condemnation of television or movies or media. It is not. I have been watching things that I can say are God-honoring. So how is it possible that they could steal me away? Well, just a little at a time I suppose. As I've been praying for God to restore to me the joy of my salvation, He began to impress on me to spend less time doing "nothings" that I think bring me joy and more time focusing on Him, the ultimate supplier of joy. There was nothing inherently sinful with the movies I was viewing, but I was starting to enjoy watching a movie more than spending time in Bible study and prayer. And at that point, it became a sin for me, an idol. (Exodus 20:3) "Whatever a man depends upon, whatever rules his mind, whatever governs his affections, whatever is the chief object of his delight is his god." -Charles Spurgeon
It's sad isn't it? That instead of spending time with my Creator, Redeemer, and God I would rather watch a movie. How shameful! I'm am not proud of this. There have been days when Eric has been gone and I have intended to have my time with God after the boys go to bed and then instead I decide to watch a movie. And so the day comes and goes with no real alone time, no intimacy with the One I claim to treasure above all else. On that day, I have proven Him not to be my treasure. All I can say is, praise the Lord that tomorrow His mercies are new! (Lamentations 3:22&23)
Media, as well as many other things, can be enjoyed to the glory of God, but these delights lie to us and tell us they are greater than He is. It is good and right to focus on big and obvious areas of sin and to avoid them, but we cannot ignore the "grey areas"; the things that seem good and can lure us away. So be careful and watchful of the sneaky ways by which sin can enter. "If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” (Genesis 4:7) Sin doesn't always walk in announcing itself as sin. It often crouches at the door looking for an opportunity to sneak in. So today instead of trying so hard not to commit the "obvious" sins, I'm just trying to focus on Him. Today, instead of trying not to drink the bleach under my kitchen sink, I'm just going to try to avoid the apple pie on my counter.
**Also, as a random side note, I find it interesting that I will write a blog and leave it saved but unfinished for weeks. Then in conversation, the very topic about which I am writing will arise and suddenly my blog is complete. God begins showing me an area in which I need to grow and then through His Word and friends around me, he cements it into my heart. God is good!
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
Pluralism | Is Oprah right?
Imagine that your friend is eating a bowl of soup. You are contemplating getting some yourself, but you are not sure it's still hot. You ask your friend if the soup is hot or cold and he responds, "Both". How would you respond to him? You would think he had lost his mind. That is because hot and cold are mutually exclusive. When they come together, they create something new altogether. We call it warm. Soup cannot be both hot and cold. That is absurd. In this situation a rational person would recognize that their friend might be a few fries short of a happy meal. But when it comes to religion suddenly we are willing to put aside all reason, all rationale and just accept anything. I've often heard, "As long as you truly believe that what you believe is true then that is all that matters". I can believe the sky is purple all day long, that doesn't make it so. Moreover, what are we really saying in this? We are saying that what's important is belief in...belief, hope in hope, and faith in faith. We are saying that it matters little, if any at all, what you believe IN as long as you really believe it. But belief alone is impotent. Its power is derived from the truth inherent in the belief, not the belief itself. If I believe a green chair to be red, that is worthless. My belief is only worth something when it is true; when the chair is, indeed, red.
If A is true then the opposite of A cannot be true. For example, believing in multiple ways the Earth was created is common, but fallacious. Some people believe in the big bang theory, some believe in intelligent design, and still others believe in the condensation theory or nebular theory. But no one believes all of them. Nor does anyone believe that they all CAN be true. And yet, with regard to spiritual matters and belief systems, somehow we find it perfectly reasonable to believe that they can all be true simultaneously.
That creates another question. If they can all be true and Christianity claims to be the only way, then can they really all be true? If you say that Buddhism, Hinduism, Pantheism, Wicca, Christianity, and Satanism are all true "if you really believe in them" it does not add up. How can Christianity, which claims to be the only way to God, be true and at the same time other religions be true? Does no one else have a problem with this? Moral Relativism uses an absolute to negate absolutes. It claims "There are no absolutes. All ways to God are valid". "There are no absolutes" is an absolute. "Truth is relative" is also an absolute statement. It implies that truth is absolutely relative. I hope you are seeing that pluralism is nothing more than fairy tales dressed up in robes and tassels. It is imagination masquerading as education. Often when you do not fall for the lies of pluralism you are looked down on as ignorant or uneducated.
Is it judgmental or arrogant to claim that there is only one way? No. Claiming that we know the truth does not prove that we know everything or that we are superior to those who believe in something else. We believe that since we have all sinned (Romans 3:23) and can only come to God through His grace and not of ourselves (Romans 9:16) then we have nothing to boast about. So, is it judgmental? Well, it is making a judgment call or discerning, but it is not judgmental in the way that most people use the word. Is refusing to call a belief false always the right thing to do? What if we did not call racism or Communism or Nazism wrong or false? What if we considered them to be alternative belief systems and lifestyles? Should we allow these false beliefs to propagate or should we denounce them? Tolerance is important in many circumstances, but refusing to call wrong, wrong is...wrong.
John 14:6 "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but by me."
2 Timothy 4:3 "For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear."
If A is true then the opposite of A cannot be true. For example, believing in multiple ways the Earth was created is common, but fallacious. Some people believe in the big bang theory, some believe in intelligent design, and still others believe in the condensation theory or nebular theory. But no one believes all of them. Nor does anyone believe that they all CAN be true. And yet, with regard to spiritual matters and belief systems, somehow we find it perfectly reasonable to believe that they can all be true simultaneously.
That creates another question. If they can all be true and Christianity claims to be the only way, then can they really all be true? If you say that Buddhism, Hinduism, Pantheism, Wicca, Christianity, and Satanism are all true "if you really believe in them" it does not add up. How can Christianity, which claims to be the only way to God, be true and at the same time other religions be true? Does no one else have a problem with this? Moral Relativism uses an absolute to negate absolutes. It claims "There are no absolutes. All ways to God are valid". "There are no absolutes" is an absolute. "Truth is relative" is also an absolute statement. It implies that truth is absolutely relative. I hope you are seeing that pluralism is nothing more than fairy tales dressed up in robes and tassels. It is imagination masquerading as education. Often when you do not fall for the lies of pluralism you are looked down on as ignorant or uneducated.
Is it judgmental or arrogant to claim that there is only one way? No. Claiming that we know the truth does not prove that we know everything or that we are superior to those who believe in something else. We believe that since we have all sinned (Romans 3:23) and can only come to God through His grace and not of ourselves (Romans 9:16) then we have nothing to boast about. So, is it judgmental? Well, it is making a judgment call or discerning, but it is not judgmental in the way that most people use the word. Is refusing to call a belief false always the right thing to do? What if we did not call racism or Communism or Nazism wrong or false? What if we considered them to be alternative belief systems and lifestyles? Should we allow these false beliefs to propagate or should we denounce them? Tolerance is important in many circumstances, but refusing to call wrong, wrong is...wrong.
John 14:6 "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but by me."
2 Timothy 4:3 "For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear."
Sunday, July 31, 2011
From Aversion to Adoption
My journey to salvation has been one permeated with tears and struggle and pride and ultimately, by the grace of God, surrender. I grew up in the church learning about God and serving God. I first prayed to receive Christ at the age of five. For most of my life I was very certain of my salvation. It was not until I was introduced to the doctrines of grace, particularly the doctrine of election, that I really began to doubt it. At this point, the journey really began. I wrestled with this idea of election very hard and very long. I had been taught that God was sovereign, but it is one thing to believe it and quite another to believe it in regard to salvation. A war broke out within me and it sent me into great distress. After much internal stuggle, I finally asked God to reveal the truth of the matter to me. I decided that I wanted to believe what was true- not what I wished to be true. God began to impress upon me the veracity of this doctrine. Now, I know that that this doctrine is not salvific, but this is just where it began for me. Once I believed it, it changed everything. The god I had served was not this God. I began to question whether God was just. Then, since I believed election be true, and I determined God was just, it led me to ask , "Is He really good?". After much wrestling with many attributes of God and continuing to doubt my faith I began to seek counsel. I suppose what I wanted to hear was, "No, you are not saved", but no one can make that determination for you. It is a matter that can be settled only between you and God. No matter how badly I wanted to just believe I was saved, I could not find peace or deep assurance of my salvation.
Growing up in the church is a marvelous thing! I am thankful and blessed to have this background. It can however lead to knowing all the answers but never having a relationship with Christ. Our hearts are so deceitful and it is especially easy to be deceived by a heart that has been primed for years with all of the right answers. Over time, though, God revealed to me that my relationship with him was non-existent. I was very hostile to Him. It's like this: I really like the idea of coffee. It's very romanticized in my mind. Sitting down with a book and a cup of coffee in a comfy chair sounds like the perfect way to spend an evening. The only problem is- I do not like coffee. It was the same with God. I was comfortable playing the part of a Christian. All of my friends were Christians, I knew the lingo, I only listened to Christian music. I enjoyed discussing God on an intellectual level, but I did not love God. In fact, many times I was very hostile to God. Just as with coffee, I was in love with the idea, not the reality. I was in love with the idea of being in love with God. In my mind I just kept thinking that I could somehow "learn" my way to Heaven. If I knew enough about Christ that was the same as knowing Him, right? Wrong. I was unknowingly trying to replace submission to Christ with knowledge of Christ. Though you cannot fully know God apart from doctrine, it can never replace Him. I remember thinking "If only I could pray sincerely enough" then I would be saved.
At that point, God showed me that I was not trusting in Christ for salvation. I was trusting in myself. I was trusting in the prayer, which is an action or work from my end, to save me. I cannot count how many times I prayed for God to save me and I was as sincere as I could possibly be, but salvation is not dependent on sincerity. It is dependent upon the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. I cannot lie to you, I resisted being humbled by God and it took a long time to accept the fact that I had been trusting in myself and not Him. Once He began to show me, I still would not admit it to myself- my pride would not allow it. After fighting it and fighting it I could no longer deny that I was lost. Then I wondered, "What will people think?". There came a point when none of that mattered anymore. I just wanted it settled. So what then? I began crying out to God to save me and the more I cried out the more distressed I became. Each night as I lay in bed it felt so urgent within my soul as though Hell were opening up to swallow me right then. Unlike many people, I cannot tell you the exact moment when my conversion took place. All I can tell you is that I spent my nights unable to sleep, imploring God to have mercy on me and save me, awakening exhausted and doing it all again the following night. On about the third night in the midst of my crying out I felt God give me a measure of peace. I fell asleep only to be awakened a few hours later. He began impressing upon my heart that I am His, that I belong to Him. There is much assurance in a salvation which is not dependent on me. When God is in control, I know I can trust in that. I have a peace I have not known before. He transformed my heart slowly over the course of about five years. He chose me when I would never have chosen Him. Christ imputed His righteousness to me and saved me from the wrath of God. I am so thankful that He humbled me to realize my lost state and follow Him. For this, I am eternally grateful.
My spiritual birthday: November 22, 2010
Growing up in the church is a marvelous thing! I am thankful and blessed to have this background. It can however lead to knowing all the answers but never having a relationship with Christ. Our hearts are so deceitful and it is especially easy to be deceived by a heart that has been primed for years with all of the right answers. Over time, though, God revealed to me that my relationship with him was non-existent. I was very hostile to Him. It's like this: I really like the idea of coffee. It's very romanticized in my mind. Sitting down with a book and a cup of coffee in a comfy chair sounds like the perfect way to spend an evening. The only problem is- I do not like coffee. It was the same with God. I was comfortable playing the part of a Christian. All of my friends were Christians, I knew the lingo, I only listened to Christian music. I enjoyed discussing God on an intellectual level, but I did not love God. In fact, many times I was very hostile to God. Just as with coffee, I was in love with the idea, not the reality. I was in love with the idea of being in love with God. In my mind I just kept thinking that I could somehow "learn" my way to Heaven. If I knew enough about Christ that was the same as knowing Him, right? Wrong. I was unknowingly trying to replace submission to Christ with knowledge of Christ. Though you cannot fully know God apart from doctrine, it can never replace Him. I remember thinking "If only I could pray sincerely enough" then I would be saved.
At that point, God showed me that I was not trusting in Christ for salvation. I was trusting in myself. I was trusting in the prayer, which is an action or work from my end, to save me. I cannot count how many times I prayed for God to save me and I was as sincere as I could possibly be, but salvation is not dependent on sincerity. It is dependent upon the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. I cannot lie to you, I resisted being humbled by God and it took a long time to accept the fact that I had been trusting in myself and not Him. Once He began to show me, I still would not admit it to myself- my pride would not allow it. After fighting it and fighting it I could no longer deny that I was lost. Then I wondered, "What will people think?". There came a point when none of that mattered anymore. I just wanted it settled. So what then? I began crying out to God to save me and the more I cried out the more distressed I became. Each night as I lay in bed it felt so urgent within my soul as though Hell were opening up to swallow me right then. Unlike many people, I cannot tell you the exact moment when my conversion took place. All I can tell you is that I spent my nights unable to sleep, imploring God to have mercy on me and save me, awakening exhausted and doing it all again the following night. On about the third night in the midst of my crying out I felt God give me a measure of peace. I fell asleep only to be awakened a few hours later. He began impressing upon my heart that I am His, that I belong to Him. There is much assurance in a salvation which is not dependent on me. When God is in control, I know I can trust in that. I have a peace I have not known before. He transformed my heart slowly over the course of about five years. He chose me when I would never have chosen Him. Christ imputed His righteousness to me and saved me from the wrath of God. I am so thankful that He humbled me to realize my lost state and follow Him. For this, I am eternally grateful.
My spiritual birthday: November 22, 2010
Monday, July 18, 2011
Psalm 69 and the Raging Waters
Back in December my friend Justin made the statement that when he prays he often prays "Thank you God for pulling me out of the waters". It is his way of reflecting on the futility of his efforts to save himself prior to his conversion. Any attempt he made to do good or try to "do better" was pointless. And not only was it pointless, it was leading him to death. It felt, essentially, like he was drowning.
I've thought on this concept often in regards to my own condition before salvation. Since marriage is a picture of salvation, my anniversary led me to ponder Psalm 69 and my own experience of being pulled fom the waters by the Savior. Eric and I went away to Blue Ridge for the weekend to celebrate and I spent most of Thursday on the drive up and in the evening after dinner contemplating the elaborate rescue mission Jesus had undertaken on my behalf. I must have read this particular passage in Psalms about fifteen times that day. There was an urgency in me to remember. And though David did not write this passage with spiritual salvation in mind, I don't think, it echoes my condition and lamentation as an unregenerate soul. I'm not encouraging you to take Scripture out of context or anything like that, but sometimes God can speak through a passage to something very personal in your life. Now, you would not want to draw any doctrinal conclusions about salvation from this passage since that is not its context, but God can still speak to savlation through it.
The following is an excerpt of the passage from Psalm 69:
"Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me. I am weary from crying out; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God...But as for me, my prayer is to You, O LORD. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of Your steadfast love answer me in Your saving faithfulness. Deliver me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters. Let not the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the pit close its mouth over me. Answer me, O LORD, for Your steadfast love is good; according to Your abundant mercy, turn to me. Hide not Your face from Your servant; for I am in distress; make haste to answer me. Draw near to my soul, redeem me; ransom me because of my enemies!... But I am afflicted and in pain; let Your salvation, O God, set me on high!... I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify Him with thanksgiving...For the LORD hears the needy and does not despise His own people who are prisoners. Let heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and everything that moves in them."
So I spent Thursday reflecting on this passage and then Friday we got up and headed out to go rafting on the Ocoee River. We had scheduled to raft the middle section. The first few rapids were no big deal. Well, maybe they were, but they did not seem to be. Our raft floated over even daunting rapids with great ease. And then we came to a rapid named "Double Suck". It is composed of two hydraulic currents. Before you read further here read this blog to get a better understanding of the nature and intensity of a hydraulic current. So wanting to have a little fun, our raft guide decided we would surf Double Suck with our raft. We swung around and went nose first into the current. It would pull the front of the boat down, where Eric and I were sitting, and flood us with water and then pop us back up. On about the fourth time when it popped us back up it bounced me out and immediately shot our raft about 30 feet away. The distance between me and the raft was getting larger with every second. Let me preface this by saying that I am a very strong swimmer. Drowning has never really occurred to me. But you should never underestimate the power of water or overestimate your own strength to fight it, as I did. As I entered the water, I saw the raft jolt away. I did not realize the danger I was in. I just thought I would swim until they came back to get me. My biggest concern was getting dragged across the rocks. But upon entering the water I quickly became aware of the severity of the situation. Without a full breath to begin with I realized this was going to be life or death. My first instinct was to begin to swim to the surface. There was no way that was going to happen. I could not physically surface. I could not. The feeling was akin to having one man sitting on your shoulders and another grabbing and pulling on your ankles as you are trying to stay above water; it just is not possible. I suspected, though I was wrong, that those in the rafts above me did not know I was drowning. I cannot tell you how alone I felt. Since I did not realize they were conducting rescue efforts I thought I was going to have to save myself or die.
Once I determined that I was not going to be able to surface, I tried to swim sideways out of the current. I was unable to break free. Still holding my paddle, I raised it into the air hoping someone would grab hold of it and pull me out. No one did. I tried to use the paddle to push off the bottom. There was no bottom. I released the paddle deciding at this point it was more of a hindrance than an asset. Shortly after this I surfaced for less than a second. I wish I could say I took a breath, but instead I tried to scream "Help". The word did not come out and I had less air than I did before I surfaced. I still was not panicking. I thought, "Okay, I'm going to die. Lord, you can take me. But like this? Really??" I was not scared to die, but I was very scared of the process. I did not think of Eric or my boys. Besides the thought that I was going to die I was just thinking of practical things I could do to stay alive. To put this in perspective, my own river guide had gotten stuck in this current before and quit rafting for 3 years as a result, and he was not under nearly as long as I was. Most of the time it will take a person down for a couple of cycles and then spit them out. It was not spitting me out and I did a lot more than two cycles.
Little did I know, above me two rafts had sailed right over me and tried to grab me with no success. My own raft had been trying to make it back to me by paddling against the current. They did not make it back until after I was out of the water. I started thinking, "Okay, I am about to pass out and that's it. This is the end." Just about that time I felt a rope brush my arm. It is a sheer act of God that I felt it. Remember, this current was violently jerking me around. And I knew it was a rope just from the feel of it across my arm, not even with my hand. Instantly the safety talk came back to me and I remebered to grab it over my shoulder and float on my back, which I did. I did not feel relief until I surfaced. The rope itself offered hope, but not relief for I thought that this, too, might be another failed attempt at getting out. A man from another rafting company pulled me into the boat and asked it I was ok. I think I said yes. I wanted to cry from fear and relief so badly, but there were so many rafts and kayaks gathered around and everyone was just looking at me...so I just smiled.
They began passing me from raft to raft to get me back to my own. There was so much adrenaline still coursing through me that I could not stand up. I kept falling and slipping as I made my way from raft to raft. Even now writing this, my fingers are tingling from adrenaline. In one of the rafts I was passed into, a guide apologized to me and told me he tried to grab me out as their raft went over me but he was unable. I remember saying, "My life is in God's hands and it can neither be taken nor saved without His permission. You owe me no apology." He gave me a strange look that I was too incoherent to decipher. When I made it back into my own raft and saw Eric the urge to cry was very intense, but I did not. My guide asked if I was ok and I said, "That was awesome!" And since I had survived it, it was pretty awesome. Eric told me he just knew I was going to die. I think he was traumatized just as much as I was.
In all of this Psalm 69 never entered my mind. But when we got back to the cabin that afternoon and I opened my Bible I began reading it again. Now THAT brought me to tears. The God that orchestrated this rescue for me has rescued me in a much greater way. My soul is far more important than my life. As I reflected back on my near drowning experience I could not help but see the similarities between it and the salvation of my soul. After being pulled out of the water on Ocoee people were telling me things like this all afternoon "You are our hero today" and "You have earned my respect". I knew what they were intending to say, but it still seemed odd. I'm your hero because I...didn't die? I could not save myself. Remember? Only when the guide threw me the rope was there any hope. Am I your hero because I grabbed a rope? Even though I grabbed it, the salvation was not in grabbing it but in being pulled in. For if he had not reeled me in, I would have simply drowned with a rope in my hand. I remember after I was saved someone told me "Good job!" and it struck me as being a very odd thing to say. Yes, there is responsibility on our part to "grab the rope", but that does not save us. If God never reeled us in, we would just die with a rope of good deeds and religiosity in our hand.
It also brought to mind particular redemption. If Christ died for all it is like He threw a rope into a pool of dead, not just drowning (see Ephesians 2:5 & Colossians 2:13), people and hoped we would grab on and save ourselves. That is absurd. But even grabbing the rope won't save you because you must be pulled in. What Christ actually did is more equivalent to Him coming to you individually as you are floating dead face down in the river and grabbing you by the life jacket into the boat. He then breathes life into you. THAT is the rescue He accomplished for us on the cross. It is not vague, it is clear and defined in intent and power. It is not generic, but specific to individuals. How would I have survived if the river guide had just thrown a rope in my general vicinity and left the rest up to me? Would I have survived if left to pull myself back to the boat? What if he had rescue in mind, but not for me in particular?
I am very thankful to be alive, but most of all for my soul to be secured in Christ. Thank You, Lord, for pulling me out of the waters!
"I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore.
Very deeply stained within sinking to rise no more.
But the Master of the sea heard my despairing cry,
From the waters lifted me, now safe am I.
Love lifted me! Love lifted me! When nothing else could help love lifted me!"
I've thought on this concept often in regards to my own condition before salvation. Since marriage is a picture of salvation, my anniversary led me to ponder Psalm 69 and my own experience of being pulled fom the waters by the Savior. Eric and I went away to Blue Ridge for the weekend to celebrate and I spent most of Thursday on the drive up and in the evening after dinner contemplating the elaborate rescue mission Jesus had undertaken on my behalf. I must have read this particular passage in Psalms about fifteen times that day. There was an urgency in me to remember. And though David did not write this passage with spiritual salvation in mind, I don't think, it echoes my condition and lamentation as an unregenerate soul. I'm not encouraging you to take Scripture out of context or anything like that, but sometimes God can speak through a passage to something very personal in your life. Now, you would not want to draw any doctrinal conclusions about salvation from this passage since that is not its context, but God can still speak to savlation through it.
The following is an excerpt of the passage from Psalm 69:
"Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me. I am weary from crying out; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God...But as for me, my prayer is to You, O LORD. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of Your steadfast love answer me in Your saving faithfulness. Deliver me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters. Let not the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the pit close its mouth over me. Answer me, O LORD, for Your steadfast love is good; according to Your abundant mercy, turn to me. Hide not Your face from Your servant; for I am in distress; make haste to answer me. Draw near to my soul, redeem me; ransom me because of my enemies!... But I am afflicted and in pain; let Your salvation, O God, set me on high!... I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify Him with thanksgiving...For the LORD hears the needy and does not despise His own people who are prisoners. Let heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and everything that moves in them."
So I spent Thursday reflecting on this passage and then Friday we got up and headed out to go rafting on the Ocoee River. We had scheduled to raft the middle section. The first few rapids were no big deal. Well, maybe they were, but they did not seem to be. Our raft floated over even daunting rapids with great ease. And then we came to a rapid named "Double Suck". It is composed of two hydraulic currents. Before you read further here read this blog to get a better understanding of the nature and intensity of a hydraulic current. So wanting to have a little fun, our raft guide decided we would surf Double Suck with our raft. We swung around and went nose first into the current. It would pull the front of the boat down, where Eric and I were sitting, and flood us with water and then pop us back up. On about the fourth time when it popped us back up it bounced me out and immediately shot our raft about 30 feet away. The distance between me and the raft was getting larger with every second. Let me preface this by saying that I am a very strong swimmer. Drowning has never really occurred to me. But you should never underestimate the power of water or overestimate your own strength to fight it, as I did. As I entered the water, I saw the raft jolt away. I did not realize the danger I was in. I just thought I would swim until they came back to get me. My biggest concern was getting dragged across the rocks. But upon entering the water I quickly became aware of the severity of the situation. Without a full breath to begin with I realized this was going to be life or death. My first instinct was to begin to swim to the surface. There was no way that was going to happen. I could not physically surface. I could not. The feeling was akin to having one man sitting on your shoulders and another grabbing and pulling on your ankles as you are trying to stay above water; it just is not possible. I suspected, though I was wrong, that those in the rafts above me did not know I was drowning. I cannot tell you how alone I felt. Since I did not realize they were conducting rescue efforts I thought I was going to have to save myself or die.
Once I determined that I was not going to be able to surface, I tried to swim sideways out of the current. I was unable to break free. Still holding my paddle, I raised it into the air hoping someone would grab hold of it and pull me out. No one did. I tried to use the paddle to push off the bottom. There was no bottom. I released the paddle deciding at this point it was more of a hindrance than an asset. Shortly after this I surfaced for less than a second. I wish I could say I took a breath, but instead I tried to scream "Help". The word did not come out and I had less air than I did before I surfaced. I still was not panicking. I thought, "Okay, I'm going to die. Lord, you can take me. But like this? Really??" I was not scared to die, but I was very scared of the process. I did not think of Eric or my boys. Besides the thought that I was going to die I was just thinking of practical things I could do to stay alive. To put this in perspective, my own river guide had gotten stuck in this current before and quit rafting for 3 years as a result, and he was not under nearly as long as I was. Most of the time it will take a person down for a couple of cycles and then spit them out. It was not spitting me out and I did a lot more than two cycles.
Little did I know, above me two rafts had sailed right over me and tried to grab me with no success. My own raft had been trying to make it back to me by paddling against the current. They did not make it back until after I was out of the water. I started thinking, "Okay, I am about to pass out and that's it. This is the end." Just about that time I felt a rope brush my arm. It is a sheer act of God that I felt it. Remember, this current was violently jerking me around. And I knew it was a rope just from the feel of it across my arm, not even with my hand. Instantly the safety talk came back to me and I remebered to grab it over my shoulder and float on my back, which I did. I did not feel relief until I surfaced. The rope itself offered hope, but not relief for I thought that this, too, might be another failed attempt at getting out. A man from another rafting company pulled me into the boat and asked it I was ok. I think I said yes. I wanted to cry from fear and relief so badly, but there were so many rafts and kayaks gathered around and everyone was just looking at me...so I just smiled.
They began passing me from raft to raft to get me back to my own. There was so much adrenaline still coursing through me that I could not stand up. I kept falling and slipping as I made my way from raft to raft. Even now writing this, my fingers are tingling from adrenaline. In one of the rafts I was passed into, a guide apologized to me and told me he tried to grab me out as their raft went over me but he was unable. I remember saying, "My life is in God's hands and it can neither be taken nor saved without His permission. You owe me no apology." He gave me a strange look that I was too incoherent to decipher. When I made it back into my own raft and saw Eric the urge to cry was very intense, but I did not. My guide asked if I was ok and I said, "That was awesome!" And since I had survived it, it was pretty awesome. Eric told me he just knew I was going to die. I think he was traumatized just as much as I was.
In all of this Psalm 69 never entered my mind. But when we got back to the cabin that afternoon and I opened my Bible I began reading it again. Now THAT brought me to tears. The God that orchestrated this rescue for me has rescued me in a much greater way. My soul is far more important than my life. As I reflected back on my near drowning experience I could not help but see the similarities between it and the salvation of my soul. After being pulled out of the water on Ocoee people were telling me things like this all afternoon "You are our hero today" and "You have earned my respect". I knew what they were intending to say, but it still seemed odd. I'm your hero because I...didn't die? I could not save myself. Remember? Only when the guide threw me the rope was there any hope. Am I your hero because I grabbed a rope? Even though I grabbed it, the salvation was not in grabbing it but in being pulled in. For if he had not reeled me in, I would have simply drowned with a rope in my hand. I remember after I was saved someone told me "Good job!" and it struck me as being a very odd thing to say. Yes, there is responsibility on our part to "grab the rope", but that does not save us. If God never reeled us in, we would just die with a rope of good deeds and religiosity in our hand.
It also brought to mind particular redemption. If Christ died for all it is like He threw a rope into a pool of dead, not just drowning (see Ephesians 2:5 & Colossians 2:13), people and hoped we would grab on and save ourselves. That is absurd. But even grabbing the rope won't save you because you must be pulled in. What Christ actually did is more equivalent to Him coming to you individually as you are floating dead face down in the river and grabbing you by the life jacket into the boat. He then breathes life into you. THAT is the rescue He accomplished for us on the cross. It is not vague, it is clear and defined in intent and power. It is not generic, but specific to individuals. How would I have survived if the river guide had just thrown a rope in my general vicinity and left the rest up to me? Would I have survived if left to pull myself back to the boat? What if he had rescue in mind, but not for me in particular?
I am very thankful to be alive, but most of all for my soul to be secured in Christ. Thank You, Lord, for pulling me out of the waters!
Very deeply stained within sinking to rise no more.
But the Master of the sea heard my despairing cry,
From the waters lifted me, now safe am I.
Love lifted me! Love lifted me! When nothing else could help love lifted me!"
Hydraulic Currents
God forbid any one of you should ever need this info, but just in case you do, here it is.
A hydraulic current (also known as a souse hole, a ledge hole, pour-over, keeper, or reversal) develops where water flows over a dam, waterfall, or ledge with enough volume and force to create a backwave that returns, on the surface, to the obstruction over which the water just flowed. These recirculating currents plunge water to the bottom of the river with such force that it sets up a cylindrical wave that returns to the surface and turns back toward the drop that caused it. Depending upon the height of the drop and the volume of water that is plunging over it, a hydraulic current can be very strong and can, in fact, be a "keeper" that grabs swimmers and boats, then refuses to let them go. It is much like the motion of a washing machine, but instead of being spun sideways the victim will be forced to the bottom of the river repeatedly. Because of this, it is often referred to as getting "Maytagged". In addtion to the current, another hazard is created by the curling back of the wave. As the wave curls in on itself, it forces air bubbles into the water which decreases its buoyancy by one-third. Even if the victim is wearing a personal flotation device (PFD), they will have a hard time staying afloat due to reduced buoyancy and literally being forced to the bottom of the river.
This particular image best captures the nature of Double Suck. It has a ledge with a pretty immediate souse hole and then some feet away is another souse hole, thus the name Double. The second of the souse holes is the stronger one in this particular instance and was the one in which I became stuck.
How to Self-Escape a Hydraulic Current :
1. Swim to the side and catch an eddy (a calm spot behind a rock) which will release you from the pull of the current.
2. Ball up and follow the current to the bottom of the river at which point you should sprawl out and allow the strong current at the bottom to flush you out. There is inherent risk in this techinique because you could become entrapped in tree limbs or other objects on the bottom. Also, I assume to fully reach the bottom you would have to remove your PFD. And lastly, there is no guarantee it would work and you have no idea how far down the riverbed is.
You can of course be rescued by rope, as was the case for me, or by holding on to some other object, like an oar or tree branch, and being pulled from the water. If you are being rescued by rope it is important to grab it over your shoulder and float on your back. If you are reeled in face down your body will act as a lure and sink down as you are being pulled.
And that is everything you never wanted to know about hydraulic currents.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
What is the Gospel?
What is the gospel? Well, it literally means "good news". But before we discuss the good news let's make sure we're clear on the bad news.
The Bad News:
1. You have broken God's law by lying, stealing, committing adultery, and probably much more.
Matthew 5:8, "But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart." God judges our hearts and intentions as evidenced in the previous verse.
2. Because you have broken God's law and, thus, sinned against Him, your penalty is death and Hell.
Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death..."
Revelation 21:8 "But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
The Good News: (The Gospel)
1. Christ has paid the debt for many on the cross by shedding His blood.
Hebrew 9:28 "so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him."
Leviticus 17:11 "For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life."
2. He became a propitiation for our sins. Propitiation means that He quenched God's wrath on behalf of those He chose.
Romans 3:25 "...whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith."
3. It is a gift that is initiated by God and God alone. The Father chose some, the Son died for the ones the Father chose, and the Holy Spirit regenerates those.
Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God."
Romans 9:16 & 18 "So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who has mercy. So the He has mercy on whomever He wills, and He hardens whomever He wills."
Hebrews 12:2 "...looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."
The first two points are collectively called justification. Justification- an instantaneous legal action of God wherein He thinks of our sin as forgiven and Christ's righteousness is imputed onto us. In justification God declares us to be righteous in His sight.
So what is required of you?
1. Come
Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
2. Believe
John 1:11&12 "He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." This is more than just a mental agreement to the veracity of the facts for, "You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!" James 2:19 It is putting your trust in Christ as your only hope for salvation, and then repenting.
3. Repent
Mark 1:15 "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."
If your soul is hanging in the balance, I pray that you would think deeply about this and plead with God to have mercy on you! If your soul is hidden in Christ, I pray that you would realize that there are many whose souls are not and that you would take seriously your responsibility to share the gospel with them! (Share the bad news first so they know why the good news matters.)
Romans 3:22- 26: "...the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."
The Bad News:
1. You have broken God's law by lying, stealing, committing adultery, and probably much more.
Matthew 5:8, "But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart." God judges our hearts and intentions as evidenced in the previous verse.
2. Because you have broken God's law and, thus, sinned against Him, your penalty is death and Hell.
Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death..."
Revelation 21:8 "But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
The Good News: (The Gospel)
1. Christ has paid the debt for many on the cross by shedding His blood.
Hebrew 9:28 "so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him."
Leviticus 17:11 "For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life."
2. He became a propitiation for our sins. Propitiation means that He quenched God's wrath on behalf of those He chose.
Romans 3:25 "...whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith."
3. It is a gift that is initiated by God and God alone. The Father chose some, the Son died for the ones the Father chose, and the Holy Spirit regenerates those.
Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God."
Romans 9:16 & 18 "So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who has mercy. So the He has mercy on whomever He wills, and He hardens whomever He wills."
Hebrews 12:2 "...looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."
The first two points are collectively called justification. Justification- an instantaneous legal action of God wherein He thinks of our sin as forgiven and Christ's righteousness is imputed onto us. In justification God declares us to be righteous in His sight.
So what is required of you?
1. Come
Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
2. Believe
John 1:11&12 "He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." This is more than just a mental agreement to the veracity of the facts for, "You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!" James 2:19 It is putting your trust in Christ as your only hope for salvation, and then repenting.
3. Repent
Mark 1:15 "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."
If your soul is hanging in the balance, I pray that you would think deeply about this and plead with God to have mercy on you! If your soul is hidden in Christ, I pray that you would realize that there are many whose souls are not and that you would take seriously your responsibility to share the gospel with them! (Share the bad news first so they know why the good news matters.)
Romans 3:22- 26: "...the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."
Monday, July 4, 2011
A Lesson in Glorifying God in All Things
This week I got an unexpected lesson in glorifying God in everything we do. Wednesday was a long day. Elliot was sick all day which left me exhausted and, naturally, I wasn't able to work in a nap. For some reason I was feeling pretty lonely and sad. I'm sure that fatigue was a big factor. I would've gone to church, but with Elliot being so sick I did not think that would be kind; not all things are meant for sharing. So I put the boys in bed and began to read a little, but I just couldn't shake my loneliness.
So, being the night owl that I am, I finally decided to give my treadmill a little attention at 11:00. Word on the street is that she was feeling lonely, too. ;) With the room lit by lamplight and my iPod in my ear I was ready to go. It never ceases to amaze me how sometimes God just comes out of the blue it seems. Studying His Word and praying are great ways to be with Him and I find great pleasure in doing both, but sometimes He seems to give me an extra dose of affection for Him at the most random times- at times when I'm not even looking for Him. My love for Him is expressed in my daily walk and communion with Him. His love for me, which was ultimately expressed on the cross, is often echoed in my heart when I least expect it. So here I was, jogging away, pumping songs into my mind with words that exalt Christ. The next thing I knew, I was crying and running (that was a first) and I just did not feel so alone anymore. He IS my comforter. He really is all I need, and I believe He delights in showing me that. Not every part of our walk with our Savior is "emotional". Not every encounter with Him is "sparkly", mostly due to our sin I'm sure. But sometimes it is. Sometimes it is very emotional. Sometimes it is very sparkly and overwhelming and spectacular. We do not always "feel" pursued by Him. But sometimes we do.
It also reminds me that music is a powerful force that can drive us to Him or away from Him. The first song I played was Psalm 62, which is actually really slow. It seems absurd to run to, but it wasn't. I found that the truth in the words gave me an excitement and energy. The songs began stirring my affections for Him. The one that really pumped me up, though, was "The Beauty of the Cross" by Jonny Diaz. It is such a beautiful song! Though we cannot base our relationship with Christ in terms of our salvation on feelings, much of the time the feelings are there and they are strong.
For the first time, running became an act of worship for me. My heart was humbled and seeking Him. It was bursting with affections for Him. It is such a reminder that nothing is a neutral action. You can run either to the glory of God or you can run with a sinful heart. What a powerful encouragement it was for me to do all things to the glory of the One who made me. How amazing that He can take such a mundane thing and turn it for His glory and cause my heart to worship Him! Besides the cross, I do not need another example of His love for me, but when He gives me one I'm thankful.
P.S. It was pretty much the best run I've ever had.
"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." -Colossians 3:17
"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." -1 Corinthians 10:31
So, being the night owl that I am, I finally decided to give my treadmill a little attention at 11:00. Word on the street is that she was feeling lonely, too. ;) With the room lit by lamplight and my iPod in my ear I was ready to go. It never ceases to amaze me how sometimes God just comes out of the blue it seems. Studying His Word and praying are great ways to be with Him and I find great pleasure in doing both, but sometimes He seems to give me an extra dose of affection for Him at the most random times- at times when I'm not even looking for Him. My love for Him is expressed in my daily walk and communion with Him. His love for me, which was ultimately expressed on the cross, is often echoed in my heart when I least expect it. So here I was, jogging away, pumping songs into my mind with words that exalt Christ. The next thing I knew, I was crying and running (that was a first) and I just did not feel so alone anymore. He IS my comforter. He really is all I need, and I believe He delights in showing me that. Not every part of our walk with our Savior is "emotional". Not every encounter with Him is "sparkly", mostly due to our sin I'm sure. But sometimes it is. Sometimes it is very emotional. Sometimes it is very sparkly and overwhelming and spectacular. We do not always "feel" pursued by Him. But sometimes we do.
It also reminds me that music is a powerful force that can drive us to Him or away from Him. The first song I played was Psalm 62, which is actually really slow. It seems absurd to run to, but it wasn't. I found that the truth in the words gave me an excitement and energy. The songs began stirring my affections for Him. The one that really pumped me up, though, was "The Beauty of the Cross" by Jonny Diaz. It is such a beautiful song! Though we cannot base our relationship with Christ in terms of our salvation on feelings, much of the time the feelings are there and they are strong.
For the first time, running became an act of worship for me. My heart was humbled and seeking Him. It was bursting with affections for Him. It is such a reminder that nothing is a neutral action. You can run either to the glory of God or you can run with a sinful heart. What a powerful encouragement it was for me to do all things to the glory of the One who made me. How amazing that He can take such a mundane thing and turn it for His glory and cause my heart to worship Him! Besides the cross, I do not need another example of His love for me, but when He gives me one I'm thankful.
P.S. It was pretty much the best run I've ever had.
"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." -Colossians 3:17
"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." -1 Corinthians 10:31
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