Finish the Race

Jacob, my son joined the cross country team this year.  It was a bit of a surprise as he had never shown any interest in running and I was certain he wouldn’t enjoy it.  But, having several of his friends also on the team was motivation enough for him.  At first, we told him to keep his goals simple.  We didn’t want him to get discouraged.  All we wanted for him to try to accomplish was to finish the race.

In one of the most moving stories of the New Testament, Paul is saying farewell to a group of elders in Ephesus.  This was a place where Paul had served “with great humility and tears,” and had been tested severely.  But, he had obviously become quite fond of the people in this particular church.  Paul was going to Jerusalem, but he had been shown by the Holy Spirit that, once there, he would be facing prison and hardship.  As Paul shared this with the elders, he also told them he would never see them again.  They began to weep, to embrace Paul, and to kiss him.

A scene such as this might have led Paul to want to abandon his trip to Jerusalem.  I imagine the thought had to have crossed his mind that if he stayed in Ephesus he would be safe.  These people loved him and they would protect him.  And, he could continue to minister to them.  But, Paul would have none of it.  His words to them were, “I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace (Acts 20:24).”

So often, we may be tempted to quit.  The race is difficult.  It takes everything we got to keep living our lives in the way that we have been called to do.  The temptation may be to take an easier path, settle into a lifestyle that is more comfortable, one that is safer in some way.  But, what have we been called to do?  Where have we been called to go?  We, too, must finish the race, to continue to allow the Lord to use the circumstances of our lives, the difficulties we face, the obstacles we have to overcome, to His glory and to accomplish His purpose.

Couldn't God...?

In the recently popular book, “The Shack,” the author has the character portraying God (referred to as Papa) say, “You can have understanding or you can have God, but you can’t have both.”  There is a certain element of truth to what the author is saying.  We won’t always understand God and His ways.  This can sometimes lead to frustration or even anger towards God.  However, there are two reassuring things that we can know about God.  David wrote in Psalm 62:11-12, “One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving.”

Several times this week, I spoke with individuals who wondered why God would allow certain events to happen in their lives, knowing that the consequences would be difficult for them.  It wasn’t that they denied doing something that perhaps deserved the consequences, because they knew they had done something wrong.  But, all of us have seen situations where others deserved consequences, when they weren’t forthcoming (e.g., the guy who passes you doing 85 mph on the highway and doesn’t get a ticket).

God’s ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts.  We will not always understand why God does or doesn’t act in the way that we think He should.  God could…but He doesn’t always choose to do things the way that we would prescribe.  For us to challenge or question the ways of God is to judge God, to find fault in Him.  In the story, Papa tells the father to give up being God’s judge and know God for who He is…”embrace His love (even) in your pain, instead of pushing Him away with your self-centered perception of how you think the universe should be.”

Zorn notes in his commentary on this passage, “The power of God makes certain that the outcome of events will be according to His will; the love of God assures that His will is righteous and just and compassionate.”  We wouldn’t want it any other way.

What's wrong?

Today, I saw a colleague who had recently entered the mission field.  Being interested in his work, I asked how things were going.  “Terrible,” he said.  He proceeded to tell me how his wife had her purse stolen, they had totaled their van, and just yesterday, their toilet pipes had broken and flooded their home.  That was a lot to deal with, but he seemed to misunderstand that I was asking about his ministry.  I offered him some emotional support, and eventually, we did talk about that.  The ministry was going great.  But, all this other stuff had become a distraction.  I could see how it could be.  It was probably very discouraging.  I have to confess, that is sometimes how I feel when things seem to go wrong.  Discouraged.  Distracted.  While I didn’t want to seem indifferent to his difficulties, I felt the best thing I could do was to try to help him to gain a perspective, similar to the one that I wrote about in my last blog.

First, I wanted him to be able to see that the enemy was behind this distraction.  The enemy wanted him to be discouraged and to lose his focus.  I wanted him to realize the enemy hadn’t been able to keep God from working through him in his ministry and from giving him success.  And the enemy wouldn’t be able to interfere with what God planned to accomplish.  When I feel attacked, it has helped me to see that God is still at work and to know that the enemy cannot prevent God from being successful.  Oswald Chambers, in his classic, “My Utmost for His Highest,” wrote that the enemy knows he can win if he is able to distract us.  What he wants is to be able to “make us lose…the possibility of being of value to God.”  But, he can’t stop us if we keep our focus.  Jesus told His disciples that “not even the gates of Hell” will be left standing when God’s church is on the attack (Matt. 16:18).

A young Joshua, getting ready to lead the nation of Israel was told by the Lord, “Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go (Josh. 1:9).”

Jesus tried to prepare His disciples in a similar way.  “In this world, you will have trouble (John 16:33), He said.”  “But take heart!  I have overcome the world.”

Why do the wicked prosper?

Have you ever wondered why those who don’t appear to have a relationship with Christ still seem very happy, prosperous, and successful?  I mean, doesn’t it seem like that should be the reward for those who are trying hard to be faithful?  David seemed to wonder about this as well.  In Ps. 73, he admits he envied the wicked because of their prosperity, their apparent carefree life, their good health and even their good looks.  They seemed to have nothing to worry about; whereas, David felt as though he was continually struggling.  He went so far as to say he felt like he was being “punished every morning.”  He felt as though his attempts to live the right kind of life were “in vain.”

Have you ever felt this way?  As though it wasn’t worth it to be honest?  To do the right thing even when it may end up costing us?  To be considerate of others and what they wanted?  How do we justify being good when it does seem like a struggle and there doesn’t seem to be any payoff for doing so?

What helped David was going to God and gaining a change in perspective.  It helped him to see that unlike the wicked, God was always with David, giving him counsel and showing him His will for David’s life.  David wrote, “You hold me by my right hand.  You guide me with your counsel.”  Knowing that God was with him, guiding him, led David to say “…and being with you, I desire nothing on earth.” However, instead of looking only at the immediate, David looked a little further down the road…towards eternity.  That change in frame of reference helped him to see that “their final destiny” was going to be quite different than his own. 

When we find ourselves envying the wicked, wanting what others have, we need to remember what we have already been given, as well as what is promised.  We need to draw near to God and experience the relationship that is available to us.  Like David, we can say, “As for me, it is good to be near to God.”  Further, we need to recall that we will spend eternity with Him.

“For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish (Ps. 1:6).”

If you have the opportunity, spend some more time with Psalm 1 this week.  It is quite rich.

What are you worried about?

A young child in my office once told me that when she gets in the shower and shuts the curtain, she is afraid that sharks and alligators might get her.  Pretty silly, right?  But, aren’t all our fears pretty silly as well?

Paul wrote to the Philippians, “Be anxious for nothing (4:7).”  We might interpret that as don’t be afraid, but literally the Greek could be translated as, “Don’t be concerned.”  How is this possible?  Is it possible to live without concern, without worry, without being afraid of what might happen?

Most of us think that in order to have no fear we must be in control.  In some form or fashion, our fears are related to feeling that we don’t have control over something and, as a result, there may be consequences that we don’t desire.  We spend an enormous amount of energy trying to keep that from happening, by attempting to control everything that might affect us in some way.  But, as the young people are apt to say, “How’s that working for you?”

We are delusional if we think we have that much control in the first place.  The circumstances of our lives are often not of our own doing.  Things happen.  What we do control is how we react to what happens to us; but for the most part, the circumstances are outside of our control.  However, there is one who really is in control.

What Paul is suggesting in this letter to the Philippians is for them to pray, to bring their concerns, their worries, and their fears to the Lord.  Today’s English Version simplifies it by paraphrasing this passage as follows, “Ask God for what you need.”  How does this help?  Asking God for what we need puts God in control of our situation.  When we do this, Paul writes, God’s peace will cause our hearts and minds to feel safe; because we know that God cares for us.

David wrote something similar in one of my favorite Psalms, “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.  Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart (Ps. 37:3-4).”

What makes you happy?

It's been one of those weeks.  Three days of the flu put me behind at work and I didn't feel very productive when I did get there.  I can't say that I was feeling very happy.  Too often, when I am feeling like that, I look to find something that will make me happy, make me feel good.  Often, it's an iced mocha-flavored coffee.  What makes you happy?

Paul admonished the Philippians to rejoice in the Lord always (Phil. 4:4).  Today's English Version reads, "May you always be joyful in your life in the Lord."  I am sure if you have been a Christian for any length of time, you have heard that to be joyful isn't the same thing as being happy.  I feel like, in some ways, that is a cop-out, as though following Jesus isn't supposed to make me happy.  It may be harder to get to that place of actually smiling, but I have plenty to be happy about, even if it isn't always what I turn to make me feel that way?

What is there to rejoice about?  We can rejoice because we have heard the good news.  We can rejoice because we have been delivered from our sin.  We can rejoice because He paid the price for our salvation by dying on the cross and He lives again.  We can rejoice because we can have new life as well as the hope of eternal life in heaven.  There's more.  We can rejoice in the abundant life that we can have here and now.  We can rejoice even in our suffering because God is at work bringing about good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28).  We can rejoice because He has promised that He would always be with us.

Maybe it isn't the same thing as being happy; but I have to say, when I stop to think about it,  I am glad for all the Lord has done for me.  I am happy for all His promises that are true for me today, and for the hope I have in the future.  I just need to remind myself of these things.  What about you?  Are you happy?

If you are happy and you know it...say Amen!

What do you want?

What do you want?  If I had asked that question of you a year ago, 5 years ago, ten years ago, would you say today that you have what you wanted?  How would you describe the state of your heart?  Are you satisfied? Happy? Frustrated? Waiting for the next thing to come along?

What should determine what we want for ourselves?  Some Christians have a hard time with this question because they have read the passages about denying themselves, considering others interests as more important than their own, not loving the things of this world.  These are passages that have significant relevance to the growing Christian, but they need to be read in context.  These passages are not saying that we should not want anything.  Denying ourselves and looking out for the interests of others has to do with helping to bring them into a relationship with Christ.  They also have to do with growing ourselves in our knowledge and understanding of Christ and His will for our lives.

However, we are cautioned against becoming too attached to the things of this world.  John writes, "Do not love the world or anything in the world...For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world (I John 2:15-16)."  Instead of loving these things and allowing them to become too important, we need to learn as Paul exhorts us, to be "content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want (Phil. 4:12)."

It isn't only things that we become attached to as John points out.  We can also become proud of what we do, our jobs, our status in the community, even in the church.  So, what should we want?  Above all else, we should want to be growing in our relationship with the Father.  We should want anything that would assist us in becoming more like Christ.  We should want the things the Lord desires to give us, the things that He has already blessed us with, the things that He has entrusted to us to accomplish His purpose.  Anything beyond that, as Paul would say is "rubbish (Phil. 3:8)."