• IP addresses are NOT logged in this forum so there's no point asking. Please note that this forum is full of homophobes, racists, lunatics, schizophrenics & absolute nut jobs with a smattering of geniuses, Chinese chauvinists, Moderate Muslims and last but not least a couple of "know-it-alls" constantly sprouting their dubious wisdom. If you believe that content generated by unsavory characters might cause you offense PLEASE LEAVE NOW! Sammyboy Admin and Staff are not responsible for your hurt feelings should you choose to read any of the content here.

    The OTHER forum is HERE so please stop asking.

In step

RiverOL

Alfrescian
Loyal

Acts 27

Today’s reading recounts Paul’s journey to Rome. Because the fall was upon them, it was “already after the Fast” (9; in AD 59, the fast was Oct 5. Sailing in the Mediterranean was considered dangerous after Sept. 14. The wisest course would have been to wait until the Spring to venture onwards.


Despite the fact that Paul warned them of danger if they were to sail on (10), they did so anyway. The result is that they encountered a hurricane (14). After two weeks they managed to arrive on the Isle of Malta (28:1).

Note: the extensive details of Paul’s voyage to Rome is likely the result of Luke’s presence.

Questions to ponder/discuss:

  • Note that Paul’s speech before Agrippa and his upcoming appearance before Nero fulfills what Ananias was told about Paul: he would bear witness before “kings” (9:15). Doing so as a prisoner is probably not what Paul envisioned.
 

RiverOL

Alfrescian
Loyal

Acts 28

Paul eventually arrived in Rome (AD 60-62). There he was allowed to have his own rented apartment (16, 30), which enabled him to have all the visitors he would like. Paul remained in Roman custody for 2 more years (30). This is perhaps the setting of four of Paul’s letters: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon.


There is some debate as to whether or not Paul was freed from this imprisonment. It is generally thought that Paul was released from this imprisonment (whether he met Nero or a delegate of Nero is not certain) and that Paul then ventured on to Spain and perhaps back to some of the churches he established previously. If this is so, then he ministered for 2 more years (AD 62-64) before being arrested in 64 (it is believed that Peter and Paul were arrested in 64 by orders of Nero for the burning of Rome). Paul either died in AD 62 or 65.

Questions to ponder/discuss:

  • What do you do when life doesn’t go as planned? Paul may be the single most important person in the history of Christianity (aside from Jesus of course: and Peter for those who are Catholic), yet he spent a significant portion of his ministry years in prison. Surely, he must have thought that he would be more valuable to the kingdom if he were free to travel to Spain and who knows where else.
  • I can only speak for myself, but I am quite certain that I would have been beyond frustrated—though if they had Wifi in his rented house in Rome maybe I could have got some work done! Perhaps, Paul’s time in prison enabled him to train others to go out and do the work of the kingdom. Regardless, there is much to learn from Paul and the fact that he spent so much time in prison.
  • This raises the question that we should all ask: why does God have me here (or allow me to be where I presently am)? and how does He want to use me in the present? Should we be appealing to Rome in order to get out of our present circumstances? Whatever the answers may be, do it well!
 

RiverOL

Alfrescian
Loyal
With Whom Do You Gather?

[ 1 min read ★ ]

For where two or three are gathered . . .
there am I among them—Matthew 18:20


We men often find it hard to gather with other men in Christian community. Calendars are full: "I just don’t have time for one more thing." Pride is high: "I’m good . . . I’m doing fine on my own." Aversion to vulnerability is strong: "Oh, man . . . I’m just not that good at opening up." If we are followers of our King, Jesus Christ, though, we must gather—"not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some" (Hebrews 10:25).

But . . . why? Why is community so important for men? Well, a couple reasons. "Two are better than one," Scripture tells us—we are stronger, less vulnerable, together (Ecclesiastes 4:9).

"For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up" (Ecclesiastes 4:10).
Even more important, though, Jesus tells us that he is uniquely present when we gather in his name (Matthew 18:20). You see, God the Holy Spirit dwells within each follower of Jesus. (John 14:17) Therefore, when we gather, the power of the Spirit flows from one to another and back. When we gather, the work of God is done: confessions are made; sins are repented; love and compassion are expressed; hearts are healed; encouragement is given; lives are transformed. Men are lifted up, up out of sin and rebellion, into life and identity and calling. Work is done that just cannot be done in isolation.

Okay, so what do we do?

Grab some other guys . . . one guy, even. Start meeting on a regular basis, weekly is best. Fight for community, brother—against calendars, against pride, against fear. King David sang: "Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!" (Psalm 133:1-3). This is so very important.
 

RiverOL

Alfrescian
Loyal
Brother,

Today, I’ve been thinking a lot about how important it is to be connected with other men in authentic community. In fact, I firmly believe we can’t live the abundant lives God wants for us without connecting with our brothers.

When we live in honest, transparent brotherhood, we gain courage to fight for what’s on God’s heart and accountability to stay focused on Jesus. The moment we lose sight of that is the moment we begin to get comfortable and make ourselves vulnerable to the enemy.

But although many men know they need community, it can be really tough to know how to do it. That’s why I wrote about what brotherhood really looks like in a recent WiRE devotional:

We can’t live the full lives promised to us by our King, Jesus Christ, if we’re not in regular, authentic community with other guys. And the Church can never be the Church—not as God intends it—if men aren’t connected in that kind of brotherhood.
There are many ways the Church is supposed to work, but through men in community is a primary one. …
Paul wrote that we must commit to honesty and transparency (Ephesians 4:25; 2 Corinthians 12:9) and accountability (Galatians 6:1-2). Community doesn’t work without these three elements. It just doesn’t.
And we must not presume we know how to “fix” each other but rather should trust God the Holy Spirit to do all the work that needs doing (Romans 12:3).
Paul continued, writing that we must encourage one another to live boldly and confidently in our faith, keeping each other “fueled and aflame,” and we must support one another, so that no man burns out (Romans 12:11 MSG).

mail
In response to that devotional, I received a message from a reader named Mitch. He said:

Thank you for your ministry! We all get discouraged at times in life, right? Whenever I do, I look for one of the WiRE emails, and it encourages me.
I’m thinking and gathering details to start a men’s connection group in my church. It’s greatly needed everywhere, and I’m seeing the need in my church community.
I’ll probably be leaning heavily on some of your short and powerful messages to help me reach other guys. Again, thank you for your hard work, and please don’t stop. It seems God has given you a great anointing.
God bless!
Isn’t that incredible? It inspired me to see Mitch taking steps to bring the power of Christ-centered brotherhood to his local church. He knows that when life is too hard for us, we need encouragement—we need each other.
“Love one another with brotherly affection” (Romans 12:10 ESV).
Mitch’s response is a powerful reminder that the Holy Spirit is truly moving through the work we do here at Gather—and it’s only possible because of the prayers and financial support from friends like you.

Take a moment to think about the brothers in your life who may be discouraged. Who are they? Who in your circle needs the encouragement and accountability that authentic community can provide?

We would love to reach thousands of more people like Mitch—men and women who are hungry to walk more closely with God and ready to help their spiritual family do the same. Will you help reach them, too? If so, please consider giving a generous donation as Holy Spirit leads.
I’m so grateful for your prayers and the gifts you’ve given so far, brother. And if you decided to give today, thank you again—you’re helping us do this God-given work.
 

RiverOL

Alfrescian
Loyal

What Does It Mean, “Work Out Your Own Salvation?”​


Paul says we should work out our own salvation, so does this mean we’re saved by our own works?



Salvation




Jesus Christ introduced the gospel by saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15), so apparently, repentance and faith are two sides of the same coin that allow us to receive eternal life, and this is received only through Jesus Christ (John 6:44; Acts 4:12). Salvation is not by works or trying really hard, but it is only “by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Eph 2:8). Clearly, “it is not [our] own doing,” but it is from being born again or born from above (John 3:3-7), so this is a free “gift of God.”

If you receive presents on your birthday, can you really say you deserved them because you had everything to do with when and where you were born? Of course not. In the same way, we cannot take credit for a gift that’s been given to us, so all glory goes to God alone because we are not saved by doing. It is “not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:9). If it were, we might always be plagued by doubts about whether we had ever done enough works to save ourselves, but we know that if we offer our works to God as part of our salvation, God considers them as nothing more than filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). We must trust in Christ. Jesus said that is the only works we can do to be saved (John 6:29). That does not mean we won’t have works, because works will be a natural byproduct of the Spirit of God’s work in us (James 2:14-25).

Works and Salvation

James wrote that, “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:17), and that makes perfect sense because we do good works out of our salvation, but not for our salvation, so what works do we mean? They are the works that God has sovereignly placed before us (Matt 25:35-36; Eph 2:10). It’s not enough to say you believe in Jesus because “Even the demons believe that—and shudder” (James 2:19b).

If you say you believe but have no works, then you’ve just qualified to become a demon because demons believe in Christ, but the only works they have are evil. We are saved by faith alone but not by a faith that stands alone. It is our “reasonable service” (Rom 12:2) that accompanies salvation. Jesus said, “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples” (John 15:8). Bearing fruit proves whether someone is Jesus’ disciple, but they don’t bear their own fruit out of the soil of humanity, but rather from the Spirit of God. Jesus said, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me” (John 15:4), meaning, “apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5b). And the last time I checked, “nothing” is not even a little “something.”

Work it Out

The Apostle Paul wrote that “even as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12), but if we’re not saved by self-effort or works, why does Paul say, “work out your own salvation,” and to do that “with fear and trembling?” Many have interpreted this as meaning we must work with God and cooperate with His Spirit in trying to become more like Christ and striving to sin less, although never being sinless in this life. It is a progressive sanctification that God works in us through His Spirit, but also through His Word and through His Son. These three all agree. We do not get saved only to become the “frozen chosen.” One man said that there are already too many pew potatoes in the church. The lost rarely come to the church so the church must go to the lost (Matt 28:18-20).

Resisting the Devil

Working out our own salvation also means working with God’s Spirit as we strive to resist the Devil and submit to God, so the Devil will flee from us (James 4:7). We can only do anything through Christ (Phil 4:13), but thankfully, “it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Phil 2:13). We are to work out our own salvation, but God’s Spirit will help us. I believe that also means we are not called to work out other people’s salvation. We have enough to work on with ourselves! We can help others in their walk with Christ, but we cannot get them saved. They must work it out themselves, but never in isolation though (Heb 10:24-25). We can share the Word of God with them and pray for the Spirit of God to illuminate the Son of God, but that’s all the work we can do to save others. For us, it is about us submitting to God, having a daily intake of the Word of God, keeping constant contact with God through prayer, and yielding to the Spirit’s prompting to follow through on God’s will. God is the One working in us, but He needs our cooperation.

Conclusion

If you are still working on “you,” then welcome to the club. We must work out our own salvation, and it’s not easy. That’s why we must do it with “fear and trembling.” The word “fear” is more about having a reverence or deep respect for the Word of God and the God of the Word. The word “trembling” has more to do with being in a state of humility and submission. Even Paul came to the Church at Corinth with “weakness and fear, and with much trembling” (1 Cor 2:3) because he was responsible for teaching them the oracles of God, so we work with God’s Spirit in become more Christ-like, but we do good works which God has laid out before us to do, or when we come across an opportunity. That’s when we know we’re in the will of God. Now the question is, “Will we do them?”
 

RiverOL

Alfrescian
Loyal
We're Here, Now What?



Love one another with brotherly affection—Romans 12:10

We can’t live the full lives promised to us by our King, Jesus Christ, if we’re not in regular, authentic community with other guys. And the Church* can never be the Church—not as God intends it—if men aren’t connected in that kind of brotherhood. There are many ways the Church is supposed to work, but through men in community is a primary one.
Okay, so what do we do?

The Apostle Paul gave us a framework. He wrote that we must be devoted to one another (Romans 12:10). We must make a handful of other men a priority in our busy lives, setting them above and ahead of other things—not God, of course; maybe not our families; but, really, most everything else (Philippians 2:3-4).

Paul wrote that we must commit to honesty and transparency (Ephesians 4:25; 2 Corinthians 12:9) and accountability (Galatians 6:1-2). Community doesn’t work without them. It just doesn’t. And we must not presume we know how to "fix" each other, but rather should trust God the Holy Spirit to do all work that needs doing (Romans 12:3). Without meaning to, we can do damage—spiritual, relational—when we offer fix-it advice to men who’ve been vulnerable in sharing struggles. It’s much better to listen and ask open, non-judgmental questions and pray—something else which Paul says we must do together . . . a lot (Romans 12:12).

He wrote that we must encourage one another to live boldly and confidently in our faith, keeping each other "fueled and aflame," and we must support one another, so that no man burns out (Romans 12:11 MSG). He wrote that we must stand with one another, helping each other through hardship, so that no man falls away from God in hard times (Romans 12:12; Galatians 6:2).

* Note: The word "Church" here does not mean any building or denomination, but rather all of the people gathered together by God the Holy Spirit to follow Jesus Christ.
 

RiverOL

Alfrescian
Loyal

Why do optimists live longer? Trusting God when it’s hard to trust God​


Here’s some good news: to live longer, focus on good news in the news.


A study now being reported by the Washington Post notes that people with the highest levels of optimism enjoyed a life span between 11 and 15 percent longer than those who were the least optimistic. Research links optimism to eating a healthy diet, staying physically active, and being less likely to smoke cigarettes. Optimists also tend to manage stress in healthy ways.
We can use such optimism these days.

In this news this morning: A California woman was caught on video dousing a man with gasoline and then setting him on fire. A fifteen-year-old boy was charged with murder after allegedly stabbing a fourteen-year-old to death on a subway platform in New York City. A wildfire in Yosemite National Forest is uncontained at this writing; at least eighteen were killed after a Russian missile struck an apartment building in eastern Ukraine; at least fifteen are dead in a mass shooting in South Africa.
Since studies clearly link religious commitment with a more optimistic outlook, you and I should be especially positioned to benefit from such positivism even in challenging times. But as I have learned personally in recent days, trust in God does not guarantee optimism, especially when God does not do what we are trusting him to do.

Why I am disappointed with God​

I underwent four-level spinal fusion surgery on July 1. I will be limited in activities and mobility for the next several weeks; full recovery is expected to take nine months to a year.
My wife has been beyond amazing through all of this. Janet prepared our home in advance, walked with me through the surgery and four-day hospitalization, and is caring for me at home with her usual brilliance, humor, and servant-hearted generosity. I have seen as never before how far I “overmarried” and am so grateful to her and for her every day.

My surgeon did an exemplary job with a very complex procedure. The staff at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Plano, Texas, were outstanding.
Our ministry team has been terrific as well. I’m deeply grateful to Dr. Ryan Denison for writing the Daily Article brilliantly in my absence and to our Denison Forum colleagues for the outstanding content they continue to produce each day. Jen Abohosh and our Denison Ministries team are doing their usual superlative work in fulfilling our mission day by day.

As grateful as I am for each of them, I am still disappointed to be in this position today.
I first injured my back eight years ago. For eight years, as my condition deteriorated, I prayed for God to heal me using medical or even miraculous means. I have witnessed such healings in my personal ministry over the years, so I asked the Lord to do for me what I know he has done for many others in Scripture and in our world today.
But he did not give me the answer for which I prayed.

“Deceive yourself no longer”​

How do we trust God when he doesn’t do what we’re trusting him to do?
Each of us experiences disappointment with God on occasion; only the most naïve would expect the Lord to give them everything they ask for every time they ask for it. However, when a true challenge arises and God does not give us what we ask, our faith can be shaken to its foundations.
We can question whether God is who the Bible and the Christian faith claim him to be. For example, responding to his wife’s death to cancer, C. S. Lewis wrote in A Grief Observed, “The conclusion I dread is not ‘So there’s no God after all,’ but ‘So this is what God’s really like. Deceive yourself no longer.’”

Or we can question whether we are who the Bible and the Christian faith claim us to be. Scripture teaches that Christians are the children of God by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9), that there is nothing we can do to earn or forfeit his compassion and love. Why, then, has God not done for us what we know he has done for others?

“Has God forgotten to be gracious?”​

You are either where I am today or afraid you will be one day. So, I’ll close with reflections on a biblical text that has greatly encouraged me over the past week in hopes it will help you as well.
I believe that God redeems all he allows. As a result, I know he is redeeming my back surgery for a greater good than would have been the case if he had healed me prior to surgery. However, I have no biblical assurance that I will understand this “greater good” on this side of heaven (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:12). But I do understand two practical principles from Psalm 77:
One: It is normal in hard times to question our faith.
The writer testifies, “I am so troubled that I cannot speak” (v. 4) and asks of the Lord, “Has his steadfast love forever ceased? . . . Has God forgotten to be gracious?” (vv. 8–9). Jesus similarly cried from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46, echoing Psalm 22:1; cf. Isaiah 1:18).

Two: On the hard days, remember the good days.
The psalmist pivots from his present questions to his previous experience: “I will remember the deeds of the Lᴏʀᴅ; yes, I will remember your wonders of old” (Psalm 77:11). He proceeds to list God’s “mighty deeds” in creation and Jewish history (vv. 12–20). In light of all God has done, the psalmist finds the strength to trust God for all he will do.

The faith to have faith​

This week, I have been reflecting on the many ways my Lord has previously demonstrated his omnipotent love in my life. I believe that my unchanging Father (Malachi 3:6) loves me as much as on the day he sent his Son to die on my cross to pay for my eternal salvation. As a result, I am trusting that when his “ways” are not my “ways,” this is only because they are “higher than [my] ways” (Isaiah 55:9).
And I am asking God for the faith to have faith where I need faith most (Mark 9:24).
I invite you to join me today, to the glory of God.
 

RiverOL

Alfrescian
Loyal

4 Things to Consider When Expressing Your Needs to Your Partner​


Many couples come to my office for counseling looking for advice about how to express their needs effectively to their partner. For good reason, they often express frustration about not getting their needs met. For instance, Alison was tired of asking Steve to get off of his X Box and go for a walk with her, and to help cook dinner for their family. She had tried many tactics but nothing had worked so far. More importantly, Steve didn’t seem to listen or change his behavior, and she needed strategies to be more assertive and less resentful.

Alison put it like this: “We’re both working full-time and have two boys, 6 and 8, but Steve thinks the housework will magically get done. I’d even be OK with him not doing chores if he’d spend time with me – like watching a movie or walking around our neighborhood.”
Steve responds, “It’s true that Alison does more chores but I’m the one who does homework with our sons and I work more hours since I own my own business. Because of this, I usually work 10 hours a day and Alison gets home a few hours before I do.”

After meeting with Alison and Steve, Steve said he was willing to cook dinner a couple of days a week if Alison would communicate to him in a positive way and they could work on the menu together (and she’d do the grocery shopping). On of the keys issues with this couple, appears to be that Alison tends to hold in her feelings and then explode, while Steve often withdraws and spends time with their sons when this occurs. This has become a vicious cycle and neither one of them communicates effectively when this happens.

Being vulnerable means being authentic and being able to risk expressing your thoughts, feelings, and wishes without fear of rejection. It means you are in control of yourself, not the relationship. Many people complain that they aren’t getting their needs met with their partner, but they don’t feel comfortable sharing their desires. Or, they fail to make requests in a positive, non-blameful way to begin with.

One of the first things to consider is: how do you treat yourself? No one is going to treat you with respect if you beat yourself up. Get rid of all those self-defeating thoughts in your head – such as calling yourself “stupid” that won’t help you express your needs effectively.

4 Things to Consider When Expressing Your Needs to Your Partner:

1. Examine your own way of communicating and ask yourself
: Do I hold in my feelings and then explode or retreat? Do I have abandonment issues or mistrust? Counseling and keeping a journal can help you in overcoming a tendency to communicate poorly.
2. Accept that you simply can’t be liked by everyone. There will always be those who don’t agree or approve of your words or actions. You can’t control what others think of you or their behavior. We all have unique perceptions based on our personalities and upbringing. Challenge your self-defeating thoughts about yourself and your partner. You don’t need to prove yourself to others so don’t dig your heels in.
3. Treat yourself and your partner with respect and compassion. Begin with paying attention to your own needs and feelings rather than ignoring them. Extend empathy to your partner and assume the best of them rather than the worst of him or her.
4. Practice giving a voice to what you want by being more assertive: Asking for what you need from your partner is about being vulnerable and inviting intimacy. Be sure to start with an “I” statement such as “I would love for you to plan a night out for us. I am longing for more time alone with you.”
“I” Statements
When one partner communicates effectively it encourages his or her partner to do the same. That said, communication affects how safe and secure we feel in our relationship and affects our level of intimacy. In other words, it’s a challenge to be vulnerable and honest with a person when you can’t trust they’ll respond in a positive or appropriate way.
For instance, because Alison fears Steve will be critical of her, she doesn’t speak up or share her feelings honestly. Then when this happens, Steve feels angry and resentful and the vicious cycle of poor communication continues. Now that Alison and Steve are aware of this dysfunctional pattern, they are working on ways to listen and respond more positively to each other to improve the quality of their communication.

One highly effective way of stopping this negative cycle of relating to your partner is the use of “I” messages or “I” Statements when communicating important information to your partner. An “I” statement is an assertive statement about your thoughts or feelings without placing blame or judgment on your partner. It makes it more likely your partner will hear what you say and not get defensive in contrast to a “You” message which is negative and lacks integrity.

An “I” statement is a style of communication that focuses on the feelings or beliefs of the speaker rather than thoughts and characteristics that the speaker attributes to the listener. For instance, when Alison says to Steve, “I feel overwhelmed and stressed when I have too much to do” she communicates clearly. Instead, a “You” message is critical, such as “You’re so selfish, you never do your share.” Further, “I” messages are a good way to ensure that partners are accepting responsibility for their feelings and actions. There are three aspects of using “I” statements effectively according to experts.
  1. Emotion: “I feel…” (state your emotion): It’s a self-disclosure, referring to yourself and expresses a feeling. It must be expressed by stating how you feel not “You make me feel” etc.
  2. Behavior: “When you…” (describe their behavior or describes the conditions that are related to your feelings). Refer to the other person’s observable behavior or the conditions that are relevant for you to feel the way you do. State the facts without opinions, threats, criticism, ultimatums, judging, and mind-reading. Avoid words or behaviors that might create defensiveness in your partner.
  3. Why: “Because…” (explain why those conditions or your partner’s behavior cause you to feel this way). Explain why you experience this emotion when your partner does the behavior. Also, include how you interpret their behavior and any tangible or concrete effect his or her behavior has on you. Be especially careful about being critical when you describe the “because.”
By using assertive communication, you are opening the door to a loving relationship with your partner. Love means risking occasionally getting your feelings hurt; it’s a price you have to pay for intimacy because you and your partner are being open and vulnerable with each other. Conflict will happen and differences don’t have to lead to a breakup. Real love starts with you. The more you know and understand what makes you tick the better prepared you’ll be to invite a partner into your life to create a successful relationship.
 

RiverOL

Alfrescian
Loyal

A CHRISTIAN IS ODD FOR GOD: A Study in 1 Peter​


Most non-Christians see Christians as odd. Giving your money to God is odd. Not having sex outside of marriage is odd. Not getting drunk or high is odd. Forgiving your enemy is odd. And, having a personal relationship with someone you cannot see sounds like kids having an imaginary friend, and that’s really odd.

Conversely, living in this world as a Christian is odd for us. Paying for insurance that covers murdering babies but not taking vitamins is odd. Paying the public schools to undermine most of your values is odd. Paying for politicians to erode your freedoms to live out your faith is odd. Seeing the rainbow God chose as the sign of the Noahic covenant to never flood this sinful planet again is odd to see on guys dressed up like the Village People. Constantly being invited to pride parades, the very problem that got Satan kicked out of heaven and unleashed hell on the earth, is also odd.

Living as a Christian, feeling odd, in a world that considers you odd, is an odd place to be. This is why 1 Peter was written and why we need to study it. After years of wearing a reversible jersey and repeatedly changing from Team Jesus to not Team Jesus, as a seasoned older man Peter had finally learned some lessons the hard way and was ready to coach the new members of Team Jesus. Peter’s lesson is that our life is filled with troubles, trials and temptations that cause problems, pains, and perils. The good news, however, is that, like a gardener, God uses the manure of this world as fertilizer to increase the fruitfulness of our lives in four ways:
  1. Your test is for your testimony.
  • “You have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:6–7)
  • “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” (1 Peter 4:12)
  • “The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials.” (2 Peter 2:9)
  1. When people judge you, don’t worry as Jesus will judge them and vindicate you.
  • “And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile.” (1 Peter 1:17)
  • “They will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.” (1 Peter 4:5)
  • “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” (1 Peter 5:10)
  • “But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.” (1 Peter 4:13)
  1. Don’t treat them as they treat you, treat them as He treats you.
  • “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.” (1 Peter 2:23)
  • “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” (1 Peter 2:12)
  • “In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.” (1 Peter 3:15–16)
  1. This is as close to hell as you will ever get, so keep going ‘til you’re Home.
  • “. . . in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ . . .” (1 Peter 1:2)
  • “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory.” (1 Peter 1:6–8)
  • “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.” (2 Peter 1:3)
  • “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” (2 Peter 3:18)
To encourage someone is to put courage into them. At some point, every Christian needs courage to continue to stand up for Christ in our falling down world. You need courage if you want to live with, for, and like Christ. The Perfect Spirit says it perfectly through the imperfect Peter, “My purpose in writing is to encourage you and assure you that what you are experiencing is truly part of God’s grace for you.

Stand firm in this grace” (1 Peter 5:12 NLT). Like any soldier in a battle, you need to stand firm and hold your ground until you see Jesus coming on the clouds of Heaven riding a white horse wielding His sword to end the battle. For those who want it, God’s grace is available to put steel in your spine as it did Peter. Life is odd. God is good. That’s the message of Peter.
 

RiverOL

Alfrescian
Loyal

How to Destroy an Idol​


By definition, an idol is something that is not true. Something to which we allow inaccurate importance, improper worship, and/or undue worth.


We all have idols in our lives. Some of our idols have made plain their inadequacies and we are fighting every day to rid ourselves of their hold. Others have promises on loan that we are clinging tightly to. Idols are a poison in our lives because they are untrue. They cause us to drift from reality, from the value of truth. They pervert our worldview and our ability to self-assess. Idols highjack our purpose and subvert our relationships.


They must be destroyed. But getting rid of an idol is like kicking an addiction. It is much harder than it seems. Even when we know it is destructive, it can be hard to let go. Here are a few tips for destroying an idol.

The Naming

It might sound simple, but naming your idol accurately is an essential step. One of the things we love to do is hide our idols behind symptoms or false names. That way we can attack people or circumstances, political agendas or less precious weaknesses without having to truly risk our false love.


This is why we develop victim mentality, blame, and defensive walls. We focus on our circumstances rather than our idols. Because the truth is, we want to rid ourselves of the negative realities our idols have brought into our lives while still clinging to the hopes and promises the idol provides. We are double-minded. And so, we treat the symptoms rather than the disease. We imagine our struggle is against this person at work rather than our idol of control. We imagine our battle is with people who disagree with us rather than the idol of comfort.
Humans are so good at self-deception. If we want to destroy an idol, we have to face it down. Idols fester in darkness. As scary as it is, you have to bring it to the light in order to destroy it.

Re-Frame the Narrative

All of our idols have one thing in common – they are a perversion of something good we desire. That is why they are so hard to let go of. They have just enough of a hint of truth to keep us hooked.


If you want to destroy an idol, figure out what good thing it is you are really after. Is it belonging or acceptance? Purpose or peace? Your idol is a false path to a good destination. It is the trick of idolatry. The idol of performance won’t gain the acceptance you truly desire. Just look at celebrities mired in scandal, divorce, and drug addiction. Most lottery winners (something like 85%) end up bankrupt and wishing the whole thing never happened. Sex isn’t the prerequisite for love (it’s the other way around). Controlling circumstances won’t bring you peace. Convincing people you are perfect won’t force them to love you.

We need to recalibrate our narrative. The journey needs to align properly with the destination. If you are struggling with an idol, figure out what you are truly after and scoot back to square one. What is the proper, healthy, legitimate way to reach that end? No shortcuts, no tricks, no lies. What are you after and how do you really get there?
Idols also have a tendency to jump. They change masks and rename themselves. What was once performance now turns into malaise. What was once an aggressive kind of power turns into a subtle kind of manipulation. Truth is your friend. And truth is the only thing that will chase these idols away for good, even as they try their chameleon tricks on you.


The Mood Curve
All idols feast on one lie – there is an easier way. You don’t have to suffer and struggle. It doesn’t have to be so hard. You don’t have to thrive or be confused.

Purpose is hard work. Living a dream takes effort. Thankfulness is a perspective not a perfect alignment of external situations. If you start to accept that struggles are a part of the journey, neither a definitive end or an avoidable inconvenience, your idols will find themselves on wobbly legs.

Your idols won’t give up without a fight. They have lied well to earn their spot in your life. It is not circumstance or setting that destroys idols, it is perspective. Adopting a proper perspective is not easy. As you try, you will find your idols put up a fight in defense. But a commitment to your true values and the true path to get you there will see those liars slowly exposed and destroyed.
 

RiverOL

Alfrescian
Loyal
Want More Persevere(ability)?
[ 1 min read ★ ]​
Your adversary the devil prowls around
like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour—1 Peter 5:8

The ability to persevere—to remain strong and steadfast in the face of difficulties and delays and distractions—is a fundamental skill, necessary for any man choosing to devote himself to our King, Jesus Christ. He showed us how in the wilderness and against the temptations that followed (Matthew 4:1-11). Like him, we too must bear up against the pressures of the world, and not only for a while, but until the very end of our days. Though any one trial or temptation may be short lived, there’s always something out there capable of our destruction.

Preparedness is paramount. You see, when we’re unprepared and trouble comes (at work, in our relationships, our finances, our health) it takes us down: into anxiety, anger, bitterness, despondency, depression, isolation. When we’re unprepared and temptations come (material, carnal, moral) they too take us down: away from God and into sin. Compounding our lack of preparedness, the enemy is always quick with interference and misinformation.

“You won’t make it.”
“This’ll be long and difficult . . . too long, too difficult for you.”
“You’re alone, forgotten.”
“You won’t have strength enough to persevere.”
“You should just give-up/give-in now, and avoid the grief of waiting, just to give later.”
Okay, so what do we do?

Perseverance isn’t innate; it’s learned. All of us can do it if we train. So, brother, manufacture some pressure and train yourself. Push your limits, physically, mentally, spiritually: climb a tough summit; tackle a hike of many miles; fast for a period of days; turn devices off and embrace quiet and solitude and prayer for an uncomfortable period. Remember, God designed you for perseverance. So, by training, you’ll simply learn what you’re made of (plus you’ll expose the lies of the enemy). It doesn’t take much to learn a whole lot about yourself.​
 

RiverOL

Alfrescian
Loyal

Let’s Anticipate the Incredible Experience of Worshipping in Heaven with All God’s People​


Most people know that we’ll worship God in Heaven. But they don’t grasp how thrilling that will be. Multitudes of God’s people—of every nation, tribe, people, and language—will gather to sing praise to God for His greatness, wisdom, power, grace, and mighty work of redemption (Revelation 5:13-14). Overwhelmed by His magnificence, we will fall on our faces in unrestrained happiness and say, “Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!” (Revelation 7:9-12).

Will we always be on our faces at Christ’s feet, worshiping Him? No, because Scripture says we’ll be doing many other things—living in dwelling places, eating and drinking, reigning with Christ, and working for Him. Scripture depicts people standing, walking, traveling in and out of the city, and gathering at feasts. When doing these things, we won’t be on our faces before Christ. Nevertheless, all that we do will be an act of worship. We’ll enjoy full and unbroken fellowship with Christ. At times this will crescendo into greater heights of praise as we assemble with the multitudes who are also worshiping Him.

So the next time you’re singing in church, expand your mind to anticipate worshiping with the entire assembled body of Christ. Imagine it now, with the following scene from my novel Edge of Eternity spurring on your thoughts. The scene occurs on the day Nick observes— and joins—Heaven’s army in its final cosmic campaign against the forces of darkness:
We rejoined our comrades in the great camp of Charis, embracing and shedding tears and slapping each other on the back. Then warriors around me turned toward the masses of untold millions gathered in Charis. The army began to sing, perhaps hundreds of thousands, perhaps a million.
I added my voice to theirs and sang the unchained praises of the King. Only for a moment did I hear my own voice, amazed to detect the increased intensity of the whole. One voice, even mine, made a measurable difference. But from then on I was lost in the choir, hardly hearing my voice and not needing to.
As we sang to the gathered throngs of Charis, the sheer power of their voices, our voices, nearly bowled me over.
Then suddenly the multitudes before us sang back to us, and our voices were drowned by theirs. We who a moment earlier seemed the largest choir ever assembled now proved to be only the small worship ensemble that led the full choir of untold millions, now lost to themselves. We sang together in full voice, “To him who made the galaxies, who became the Lamb, who stretched out on the tree, who crossed the chasm, who returned the Lion! Forever!”
The song’s harmonies reached out and grabbed my body and my soul. I became the music’s willing captive.
The galaxies and nebulae sang with us the royal song. It echoed off a trillion planets and reverberated in a quadrillion places in every nook and cranny of the universe. The song generated the light of a billion burning supernovae. It blotted out all lesser lights and brought a startling clarity to the way things really were. It didn’t blind, it illuminated, and I saw as never before.
Our voices broke into thirty-two distinct parts, and instinctively I knew which of them I was made to sing. “We sing for joy at the work of your hands…we stand in awe of you.” It felt indescribably wonderful to be lost in something so much greater than myself.
There was no audience, I thought for a moment, for audience and orchestra and choir all blended into one great symphony, one grand cantata of rhapsodic melodies and powerful sustaining harmonies.
No, wait, there was an audience. An audience so vast and all-encompassing that for a moment I’d been no more aware of it than a fish is aware of water.
I looked at the great throne, and upon it sat the King…the Audience of One.
The smile of His approval swept through the choir like fire across dry wheat fields.
When we completed our song, the one on the throne stood and raised His great arms and clapped His scarred hands together in thunderous applause, shaking ground and sky, jarring every corner of the cosmos. His applause went on and on, unstopping and unstoppable.
And in that moment I knew, with unwavering clarity, that the King’s approval was all that mattered—and ever would.
 

RiverOL

Alfrescian
Loyal

5 Purposes God Created You For​


We were created for a very specific purpose, and here are four specific purposes for which God created you.


To Glorify God


Everything was created for a purpose…including us. The Bible is clear about one of our purposes, and that is that we are to glorify God. For example, if we get into trouble, we are told to “call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me” (Psalm 50:15). The psalmist knew that it was “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness” (Psalm 115:1).

Answered prayer gives God glory, so the Lord our God is to be praised and we should seek to glorify His name. We certainly have nothing to boast or brag about. The Lord says, “I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols” (Isaiah 42:8). If you look at the creation, you can see for yourself that “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1), so rightfully we should say, “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens” (Psalm 8:1). The first purpose for which we were created was to give God glory and make His glory known to others, which brings us to our second purpose…we were created to make disciples for Christ.

To Make Disciples

When Jesus gave the Great Commission, which in essence is an imperative command, He didn’t give them a second option or Plan B. He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt 28:18b), and since God has given Jesus all authority in heaven and on earth, He is passing this authority on to them, which is why He can say, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt 28:19). That doesn’t mean everyone that they share Christ with will become disciples of Christ.

They are only told to go and make disciples, but it is generally understood that God will use them as a means to make disciples (Acts 2:47), and He did. He sent them into different parts of the world to bring the gospel since they had God’s authority, but the Commission is not quite finished yet. Jesus tells them that they are to be “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt 28:20).

Teaching of His Glory

You don’t have to go very far to find out what Jesus taught His disciples (Gospels), and what He taught them to observe (i.e. John 13:34-35), but it’s more than just making disciples. It’s teaching them to observe the same things we learned in the New Testament. So how does making disciples glorify God? The more there are to worship and praise God in the kingdom, the more glory He will receive. In a prophetic Scripture, the psalmist writes, “All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name” (Psalm86:9).

In the kingdom, “they [will] sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb” (Rev 15:3a), asking, “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed” (Rev 15:4). That is one of our purposes. It is to bring as many to Christ as the Lord our God will save, knowing that He alone saves (Acts 4:12), but He is still pleased to use us as a means to save some.

Works for His Glory

We know that we were created to glorify God, and part of that is done through disciple-making. God grants eternal life by His Spirit, and by means of someone sharing His Word. After that, they are taught the same things that Jesus taught His own disciples, and we find those teachings in the Bible. After they become His disciples, they do what He commands them to do (i.e. Matt 25:35-36).

In fact, God has prepared works for them to do after they have been saved. The only question is, Will they walk in them (Eph 2:10)? Jesus told His disciples, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples” (John 15:7-8). Fruit never glorifies us but it always glorifies God, because we can do nothing without Christ (John 15:5). We must remain in Him or abide or dwell in the Vine (Christ) or we will only bear wax fruit, and not genuine fruits of the Spirit, but we will also begin to bear good works as a by-product of our salvation, but even this is from the Spirit of God, therefore, all works we do give God glory. There is no good we can do in our own human strength (Isaiah 64:6).

Transformed for His Glory

You’ve probably heard Romans 8:28 multiples times, where Paul writes, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” It doesn’t say that all things are good, or that only the good things work out for our best. It says all things, and I believe that means good and bad things, will work out for our very best. It’s just a matter of time.

At the time, it may not look or feel best, but only later will we see clearly that it was for our best…the good, the bad, and the ugly. Despite what it looks like today, we focus on the coming kingdom, because “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory” (Eph 2:11-12).

It never says we will always completely understand that purpose, but I believe we can trust His purpose, even if we don’t fully understand at the moment. After a person is brought to repentance and faith (Rom 2:4; 2 Tim 2:24-26), they become a new creation in Christ (2 Cor 5:17), but the struggle is not over. We are told, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom 12:2), and this transformation runs deep. It makes us desire to live a life that is pleasing to please God, and not to please self all the time.

Conclusion

Paul says, that “whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor 10:31). That about covers everything, doesn’t it? God seeks glory for His name and that’s the reason He created us. “Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made” (Isaiah 43:7), should bring Him glory. There are more than just 4 purposes that we were created for, but there are no less than these four. If you can think of another one, please leave a comment so we can share it with the readers. For example, we know that the day is coming when “The nations shall see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory, and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will give” (Isaiah 62:2)…and all of this will give God glory, and that’s just what He deserves.
 

RiverOL

Alfrescian
Loyal

7 things happy couples do daily​


Harold and Louise have been married for half a century, but they still act like a couple of teenagers in love. When I first met them at a marriage conference where my wife Ashley and I were speaking, I asked Louise, “What’s your secret? Whatever you two are doing is working and we all want to know how we can have the same thing fifty years into a relationship.”






She smiled as she winked at Harold and then she looked at me and said, “Well, there’s isn’t just one secret, but I’ll tell you a big part of it…”

She went on to tell me a story of how they started, “On the one month anniversary of our first date, Harold brought me a rose and told me that he had loved every minute of our first month together. I thought it was a sweet gesture, but I never expected it to become a habit, so it took me by surprise when he brought me another rose on the second month anniversary of our first date. The roses continued each month as we were dating, but I thought the roses would stop after we married and he might not feel the need to keep pursuing me. Luckily, I was wrong!”

She smiled and squeezed his hand and I noticed there were some tears forming in her eyes when she said, “It has been 648 months since our first date, and Harold has never once forgotten to bring a rose.”
Wow! I honestly felt like a jerk when she told me that, because I admittedly haven’t done anything that consistently thoughtful for Ashley in our fifteen years of marriage. Harold and Louise inspired me and also challenged me to create some new habits. It’s our habits, after all, that create our relationships. Big, one-time romantic gestures can be nice, but it’s what we do with consistency that really makes a lasting impact in a marriage.
As I’ve interacted with couples from all over the world, I’ve noticed some common trends among the happiest, healthiest couples and I believe we can all learn from their examples. They consistently implement the following habits and we can grow in our own marriages if we’ll do the same.
Happy (and healthy) couples consistently…

1. Make uninterrupted time together a priority.
Maybe you’re like me and you’re in a season of life with you kids and bills to pay and a ton of stuff on your schedule. In those busy seasons, it’s tempting to put the marriage on autopilot until things calm down, but it’s during these busy seasons that you and your spouse need uninterrupted time together more than ever. Each day, find time to unplug your devices and turn off your phones and just talk. It will do wonders for your marriage.

2. Touch each other every chance they get.
This isn’t just about sex (although sex is another consistent habit of happy couples). Physical touch includes cuddling, kissing, hugging, foot rubs, shoulder rubs, holding hands and putting your arm around each other. The simple act of touch binds a husband’s and wife’s hearts together like nothing else. If you are one of the many in a “touch-starved” marriage, make it a priority to bring more affection and physical touch to the marriage.

3. Share a passion or mission beyond the children.
If you have kids, then your children are an obvious place of shared passion and focus, but for many couples, that’s where it ends. When the kids grow up and move out, you have an empty nest AND an empty marriage because all of the attention was focused on the children. Happy couples find places of shared passion. Their hobbies and interests aren’t just “his” and “hers” but they are intentional about having some that are “ours.” For Ashley and me, serving together in our church and now in marriage ministry has helped others, but it’s also done wonders to help us grow together as a couple. If you don’t have some shared passions, make it your mission to find or create one.



4. Disagree but never fight.
This one sounds impossible, but it’s not only possible; it’s vital to the health of your marriage. Every couple has moments of disagreement, but the healthiest couples have discovered that there’s not reason to “fight” because a fight has a winner and a loser. You and your spouse are unified, so you’ll always share the same fate. You’ll either win tougher or lose together, so look at every disagreement as an opportunity to work together with mutual respect to find a solution where you BOTH win.

5. Flirt with each other but never with anyone else!
Happy couples never stop flirting with each other and never start flirting with anyone else. Like Harold and Louise, they find ways to keep the spark alive through all the seasons of life together and they protect that spark by making sure it’s always exclusive. Don’t open the door to infidelity by guarding their hearts, minds, eyes and bodies. They don’t look for outside fantasy that doesn’t exclusively involve their spouse. They only have eyes for each other.


6. Tell each other the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth!
Honesty paves the way to intimacy. In marriage transparency is vital and secrecy is toxic. The happiest couples don’t hide anything from each other. There are no hidden passwords, hidden financial purchases, hidden text messages or hidden motives. Strong couples are willing to make a “secret-free guarantee” with each other.

7. They don’t take themselves too seriously or their commitment too lightly.
Happy couples know how to be silly. Laugher fills the soundtrack of their life together. There’s lot’s of fun and lightheartedness even in the challenging seasons of life, but though they don’t take themselves too seriously, they never take their commitment to each lightly. They have a rock-solid commitment to each other and they’ve removed all exit strategies and the word “divorce” from their vocabularies. The security that comes from that kind of commitment gives them the freedom to enjoy marriage the way marriage should be enjoyed for a lifetime.
 

RiverOL

Alfrescian
Loyal

What Christian Growth Looks Like​


What Christian Growth Looks Like

Philippians 1:9-11​

When you look at a person, you can estimate the biological age. A baby crawls and cries dada, mama, gaga, googoo. A child walks and speaks innocently. A teenager has grown in height and with more vocabulary and slang. An adult is fully formed. As an adult age, there are other characteristics that show their age. The hair grows a different color or falls out. Wrinkles and age spots develop. Eyesight diminishes and hearing loss starts to happen. So you can discern the biological age, even though technology has advanced where one can mask the effects of aging for a time.

You can even create an avatar on Facebook. You create the face, the hair, clothes, and anything else you want for other people to notice. Yet, you can’t really see how a person really is.
However, you can’t look at a person and determine their spiritual age. Here, Paul outlines in his prayer the spiritual aging process. It is all defined by Christian love. A Christian grows in the love of Jesus. In other words, a Christian grows in proportion to the growth of their love for Jesus. Paul lists seven markers of effective Christian growth.1

SEVEN MARKERS OF EFFECTIVE CHRISTIAN GROWTH​

1. Love to grow
And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment,” (Philippians 1:9, CSB)
Christian growth is built upon the foundation of God’s love. This love is the sacrificial love that God showed when He gave His Son. It is the same love Jesus showed when He went to the cross. It is the same love that God tells husbands to use when they give to their wives. Christian love is not a sexual love, it is not emotional love. It is sacrificial and giving love. Christian can only grow by demonstrating love. These marks of maturity are ways that a Christian exhibits the love that God called us to share with others.

This is a prayer for maturity, and Paul begins with love. After all, if our Christian love is what it ought to be, everything else should follow. He prays that they might experience abounding love and discerning love. Christian love is not blind! The heart and mind work together so that we have discerning love and loving discernment. Paul wants his friends to grow in discernment, in being able to “distinguish the things that differ.”

The ability to distinguish is a mark of maturity. When a baby learns to speak, it may call every four-legged animal a “bow-wow.” But then the child discovers that there are cats, white mice, cows, and other four-legged creatures. To a little child, one automobile is just like another, but not to a car-crazy teenager! He can spot the differences between models faster than his parents can even name the cars! One of the sure marks of maturity is discerning love.2

2. Accompanied with full knowledge and moral insight
And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment,” (Philippians 1:9, CSB)
Knowledge is spiritual wisdom found in Scripture. Insight is the application of this spiritual wisdom to practical living. Christian love must be rooted in wisdom from God’s Word if we are to love both God and man in greater ways.3

Every spring, 35 million Americans get hay fever. Springtime allergies occur when the body’s immune system incorrectly identifies pollen as bacteria or viruses and releases antibodies to fight against it. This releases chemicals called histamines, which trigger allergy symptoms like runny noses and itchy eyes.
It isn’t enough to combat irritants; we must have the discernment to recognize what is dangerous and what is harmless.4 5
Discernment is kind of like x-ray vision, to be able to look into situations and to size up people and to know what their real needs are, and how to reach out and love them. It is one thing to have the desire to love another person. It is something else completely to know how to best come alongside of them, and to give that love to them. This word “discernment” means, “powers of mental judgment.” It means, “a practical understanding of people and situations.” And the word “all,” “all discernment,” means all types of situations and all kinds of people. And so, the idea is, in this context, Paul is praying for the Philippians to have spiritual eyes to see with spiritual insight into the lives of people around them regarding how they were to apply God’s love.

Knowledge and discernment must be kept in balance.
Both are equally important. Grow in too much knowledge and a Christian’s love becomes too hard, unteachable, and legalistic. Grow in too much discernment by the Spirit, and a Christian’s love becomes too loose, too easily able to accept the whims of false teaching. Yet, when a Christian learns from both the head and the heart, the Word and the Spirit, then the Christian has balanced growth.

3. Approve the things that matter (Excellence)
so that you may approve the things that are superior…” (Philippians 1:10, CSB)
“Excellent” means “to differ.” Believers need the ability to distinguish those things that are truly important so they can establish the right priorities. sincere and blameless.

This excellence is like a balanced meal. When a person eats a balanced meal that contains meat, milk, vegetables, fruit, and grains, the body grows in a healthy way. However, when the meals are unbalanced with too much sugar, or starches, or anything unhealthy, proper growth does not occur. If a person doesn’t eat, then they become anorexic. When a person doesn’t eat properly, they become obese. A balanced diet is key to proper nutrition for the physical body. Proper spiritual nutrition is necessary for the Christian. The Word and the Spirit must be consumed in correct portions and in balance.

4. Be pure and blameless (Integrity)
“…may be pure and blameless…,” (Philippians 1:10, CSB)
“Sincere” means “genuine,” and may have originally meant “tested by sunlight.” In the ancient world, dishonest pottery dealers filled cracks in their inferior products with wax before glazing and painting them, making worthless pots difficult to distinguish from expensive ones. The only way to avoid being defrauded was to hold the pot to the sun, making the wax-filled cracks obvious. Dealers marked their fine pottery that could withstand “sun testing” as sine cera—”without wax.” “Blameless” can be translated “without offense,” referring to relational integrity. 6

5. Do Good Works – “fruit of righteousness”
filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ….” (Philippians 1:11, CSB)
We don’t do good works to get God’s approval. We do good works because God has approved us. Good works is the natural outflow of a Christian. This fruit of righteousness is the result of right living. Jesus said it this way:
I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.” (John 15:5, CSB)

One can picture the essentials to pursue a Christian life like a fruit that grows on the vine. There is the root, then the vine, then the branches and then the fruit. A farmer spends time nourishing the plant so that the fruit will grow. The farmer provides the right environment and the fruit grows naturally.

6. Effected by Jesus
“…that comes through Jesus Christ….” (Philippians 1:11, CSB)
Jesus is the beginning of my salvation and He the end of my salvation. He brings about my salvation by His work on the cross. Jesus keeps me saved until I am with Him forever in Heaven.
I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6, CSB)

7. Brings glory to God – “to the glory of God”
“…to the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:11, CSB)
The difference between spiritual fruit and human “religious activity” is that the fruit brings glory to Jesus Christ. Whenever we do anything in our own strength, we have a tendency to boast about it. True spiritual fruit is so beautiful and wonderful that no man can claim credit for it; the glory must go to God alone.7

And I pray this: that your love…” (Philippians 1:9, CSB)
John MacArthur notes the following about prayer:
There is no truer indicator of a Christian’s level of spiritual maturity than his prayer life. Paul’s prayer life reveals more of his true spirituality than all of his preaching, teaching, and miracles—marvelous and divinely blessed as those were. He was compelled to pray by the continual and powerful working of God’s Spirit in his heart.8
One of the fruits of righteousness is praying for others. Paul shows his maturity by sharing a prayer for his church. He wants them to experience the same wonderful spiritual growth that he himself experienced.

The best way to apply this message to your lives this week by partnering with another believer. The best way to show Christian maturity is to pray for another person. As you pray, pray their love will increase, pray they will receive wisdom, and pray their lives will produce fruit.9


1 Gordon D. Fee, Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm.B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1995), 96.
2 Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 66.

3 Max Anders, Galatians-Colossians, vol. 8, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 208.
4 “Spring Allergies,” http://www.webmd.com/allergies/guide/spring-allergies.
5 Jim L. Wilson and Yuet S. Flavia Wong, “Allergies Are a Failure in the Body’s Ability to Discern,” in 300 Illustrations for Preachers, ed. Elliot Ritzema (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2015).
6 John F. MacArthur Jr., The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006), Php 1:10.
7 Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 66.
8 John F. MacArthur Jr., Philippians, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 2001), 38.
9 Robert J. Morgan, Nelson’s Annual Preacher’s Sourcebook, 2005 Edition. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, n.d.), 129.
 

RiverOL

Alfrescian
Loyal
Don't Forget the Invite

[ 1 min read ★ ]

. . . and he will give you another Helper—John 14:16

With his time on earth ending, Jesus told his disciples, "I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever . . ." (John 14:16-17). This Helper "will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you" (John 14:26). He will "guide you into all the truth" (John 16:13).

Jesus was comforting his disciples. "Let not your hearts be troubled," he said (John 14:27). Though he was going away, they would not be abandoned. There’s someone coming, he told them, who’ll be with them all-the-time and forever. A constant companion. One who will actually occupy a place deep within their inner machinery. He "dwells with you and will be in you" (John 14:17). This "someone" is, of course, God the Holy Spirit—and he was not just for the disciples. He is for us too. He is our constant companion. He abides with us and occupies a place deep within our inner machinery too.

Okay, so what do we do?

When you gather in Christian brotherhood, you mustn’t forget to invite, into your gatherings, the input and influence of your Helper, your Teacher, your Guide. You needn’t invite him. He’ll be there already, for sure. But he won’t force his input and influence—you’ll need to ask for them. You’ll need to invite his goodness and light . . . and especially into the dark places you’d prefer to keep hidden. Few of us want help in those places, but we must ask nonetheless. It’s in those places that we most need it. It’s in those places that the Spirit most wants to work. And, as reluctant as we might be, it’s sure easier to trust and ask for help together, with brothers standing by us, doing the same.
 

RiverOL

Alfrescian
Loyal

How to Let Go of Resentment and Achieve a Happy Marriage​


Sitting in my office, Felicia, 35, described the bitterness and resentment she has toward Erik, 37, because he invited his mother to visit for two weeks without consulting her. She has never felt close with her mother-in-law, who she feels is intrusive and gives unsolicited advice.

As is the case with many mother-in-law and daughter in law relationships, Felicia feels like she has to walk on egg shells around Erik’s mother, Karen. Their relationship is very complicated and has been a touchy topic throughout Felicia and Erik’s ten-year marriage. Felicia feels that Erik gets defensive when she brings up her feelings about wanting to set boundaries with his mother.

Felicia put it like this, “I told Erik when we were engaged that I’m a private person and that I was worried that I would clash with his mother who has no filter. When she visits, she often gives me advice about how to raise our two young children and I resent it. It makes me feel that she is judging me. Erik had no right to invite her to stay with us for two weeks without checking with me.”

Erik responds, “My father died last year and my mother just sold our family home. She’s getting ready to move into a retirement village and needs a place to stay while the escrow closes. When she asked if she could stay with us, I didn’t have the heart to say no. I realize that I should have checked with Felicia first but she won’t let go of her resentment about it and it’s destroying our marriage.”

Truth be told, many mistakes are not intentional, so it is best not to make them into something they’re not. One of the biggest problems with ongoing resentment in a relationship is that it often leads to withdrawal and poor communication. And if you are bottling up feelings of anger, sadness, or disappointment often, this can lead to feelings of resentment.

If your resentment toward your partner is persistent, it can cause you to hold a grudge, which is usually deep seated and often the result of an injury or insult that has occurred. People hold grudges due to both real and fancied wrong doing. Either way, the bitterness that comes with a grudge – even if understandable – comes with a price because it can lead to emotional distance between partners.
5 Ways to Let Go of Resentment Toward Your Partner
  1. Write down three ways your hurt feelings have impacted (or are still impacting) your life. Gain awareness of the emotions you experience about your past hurt. Talking to a close friend or therapist can help facilitate this process.
  2. Find a way to dislodge yourself from negative emotions. Examples include therapy, yoga, improving your physical health, and practicing expressing thoughts, feelings, and wishes in a respectful way. Resentment can build when people sweep things under the rug, so be vulnerable and don’t bury negative feelings.
  3. Take small steps to let go of grudges or grievances. Repair the damage by finding ways to soothe hurt feelings. This might include writing a letter or release to the person who injured you – even if you don’t mail it. Your letter might read something like: “I release you from the pain you caused me when we used to argue.”
  4. Don’t let wounds fester. Challenge your beliefs and self-defeating thoughts about holding on to hurt feelings. Processing what happened briefly will allow you to let resentments go so you can move on to a healthier relationship. Keep the big picture in mind.

  5. Accept that people do the best they can and attempt to be more understanding. This does not mean that you condone the hurtful actions of others. You simply come to a more realistic view of your past. As you take stock, you will realize that all people operate out of the same basic drives, including self-interest.
Studies show that letting resentment fester can lead to depression, anxiety, and also a variety of health problems such as cardiovascular disease, immune system problems, and put you at a higher risk of stroke. In Felicia’s case, her resentment was causing emotional distance and bitterness between her and her husband Erik. Even though Erik apologized for his ack of thoughtfulness when he invited his mother for a long visit, Felicia was unable to forgive him.

Rather than holding on to resentment, it’s a good idea to practice forgiveness. Do your best to listen to your partner’s side of the story, and avoid blaming or criticizing him or her when you confront them with your concerns. Apologizing and granting forgiveness are about giving yourself and your partner the kind of future you and they deserve. It is about choosing to live a life wherein others don’t have power over you and you’re not dominated by unresolved anger, bitterness, and resentment
 

RiverOL

Alfrescian
Loyal

Dead Christians Are of No Value To The Devil: Reflections On Joseph, Propaganda and The Church​


A dead Christian is of no value to the Devil. Only a Christian who is still alive is worth Satan’s time and efforts. This is an obvious truth, assuming the particular, physically deceased person in question was indeed a true man or woman of God. For upon the physical death of the truly faithful and genuinely regenerate person, they enter into the presence of Christ and are forever secure from Satan’s attacks. But for those who still live, they are in the Devil’s crosshairs and ever susceptible to his attrition. The Devil’s plan of attack is always twofold: to discourage the true believer from being effective for God’s kingdom, and to use the false convert to destroy the Church from within.

As to the latter aim, the Devil realizes that the best and most effective way to attack God’s Church on earth, is through those who consider themselves “Christians,” but who deep down know they are not (Acts 5:1-8). Or, the Devil can work through those who are so self-deluded, they genuinely believe themselves to be Christian, yet have so forsaken God’s Word and God’s ways, that in reality, and in spite of their belief, they are not (2 Cor 13:5).

There are biblical precedents for both kinds of claims (Matt 7:14-16, 21-23 & 15:8; Mk 4:16-17; 1 Jn 2:18-19, 14:23-24; 2 Cor 13:5; 2 Tim 4:3-4; Jas 4:4; 2 Pet 2:2), and it seems both obvious and unfortunate that right from its outset, the Church has been infiltrated by a corrupting power. This power usually takes the form of false converts of one of the two aforementioned types.
Ultimately then, for any particular church to crumble or fade into irrelevance in a particular culture or epoch of history, the Devil will work through Christians, or at least those “inside” the church. Attacks from the outside, from obvious enemies, are never what ultimately take out the Church in a culture. As with any physical war, the most dangerous enemy is always found within the ranks.

Potiphar’s Wife and God’s Man​

The story of Joseph is one of the most paradigmatic narratives in the Bible. There are more lessons to learn from this pericope alone than most human beings could digest in a lifetime of learning. One subtle point that doesn’t often get preached, revolves around the events occurring between Joseph and Potiphar’s wife. In this section of the Joseph narrative, Joseph has overcome the initial shock of being sold into slavery to become the head servant of a rich and aristocratic household. As Nahum Sarna points out in his commentary, the prophecy of Genesis 15:3 is being fulfilled.


Yet in this narrative a seemingly marginal figure in history, the unnamed wife of Potiphar, tries to undermine God’s providential plan for Israel by undermining the moral character of His servant Joseph. We all know the story. Joseph, the “well built and handsome” (Gen 39:6b) foreigner has attracted the notice of the nobleman’s wife. She desires to be with him, sexually. However, Joseph, the authentic man of God, is not only not interested, he sees the entire advance as an affront both to his master and ultimately to God (Genesis 39:7-10). Joseph’s stalwart faithfulness, also a sign of his increasing spiritual maturity, affords him the opportunity to be the vehicle through whom God’s promise to increase Abraham’s seed will be fulfilled.

Sarna, commenting on Joseph’s firm rejection of the wife’s adulterous proposal, says:
Joseph’s spontaneous response is a categorical no. His moral excellence can be appreciated all the more if one remembers that he is a slave and that sexual promiscuity was a perennial feature of all slave societies. Moreover an ambitious person might well have considered that the importuning woman had presented him with a rare opportunity to advance his personal and selfish interest.
In sum, Joseph’s convictions about God and God’s moral law, preclude him from falling into base concupiscence or from using the moral weakness of Potiphar’s wife to his own long-term advantage. Of course, it is more than just his conviction at this point. It is more than mere intellectual assent. It is who he has become that prevents him from doing so.

The story of the aging temptress and the young, vigorous hero is not new, not even to the Bible. It can be found throughout human literary work. In more recent versions, like Mike Nichols’ award winning 1968 film, The Graduate, the moral decision is however reversed. In this modern retelling, Benjamin Braddock (played by a young Dustin Hoffman) succumbs rather quickly to the temptings of Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft). In the post-modern world of 1960’s America, there is little reason not to give in; life is, as the movie shows us repeatedly, rather meaningless and absurd. As such, any “hero” is only a hero in the Nietzschean sense, as the amoral man (or woman) grasping for the elusive “élan vital” and for nothing higher or transcendent to their own subjective desires. Of course, Hoffman’s “Braddock” is very much the real-world exemplar of Nietzsche’s idealized “Übermensch.”

The model for Christian life, however, is not Benjamin Braddock but Joseph son of Jacob. Although the juxtaposition seems appropriate, since many churches today cater to the former type and marginalize the latter. But God’s good plan for the life of the Christian is not one of “self-fulfillment” or “self-actualization” in the Nicholian sense. God’s good plan is instead one of self-sacrifice in the biblical sense. It is one that cannot genuinely be achieved apart from God, for in our flesh we would never choose it.

And so it is exactly this latter type of person, the man or woman of God who is prepared to sacrifice everything for God, that the Devil has in his sights. Thus, Potiphar’s wife, as a tool of Satan, must react to Joseph’s impeccable moral stance in the same way her master would: she lies.

Who Satan Is, And Who Satan is Not​

In John 8:44, Jesus provides the only direct predicate of God’s main spiritual enemy, the Satan. According to Jesus, Satan is fundamentally the “father of lies.” In other words, of all the things Satan does to foil God’s plan of history, to undermine God’s desire for the holiness of His people, telling lies is his primary strategy. Jesus does not call Satan “the father of violence,” although we can assume Satan does foment violence. So although in the passage Jesus does refer to Satan as a murderer, what Jesus seems to be saying, given the context, is that what he (Satan) is the murderer of is truth itself. We have no evidence, after all, that Satan ever murders anyone directly. And so what Satan kills is not physical bodies, but a body of Truth.

Jesus also does not call Satan “the father of greed,” although He does talk about mammon in other places. Nor does Jesus call Satan the “father of inequality,” although we also know that there is a unique place in the heart of God for those who suffer unjustly. Ultimately, then, this is what Jesus tells us clearly about Satan: he lies. Satan is the ultimate deceiver of men, and it is through the lie that he works most effectively to harm God’s people and destroy His creation. And so Satan is not primarily a brutish aggressor, or a sensuous spirit or even a haughty creature (although he is all these). More than all of these Satan is a slick con-man, a mendacious speaker of untruths and half truths, a teller of unfounded exaggerations and tall tales.
Paul, in 2 Corinthians, speaking about false teachers, says this about Satan’s abilities:

13 For such people are false apostles,deceitfulworkers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
Since deception is the primary attribute of Satan, it is the primary means by which he accuses (the meaning of his Hebrew name) God’s people. And so Potiphar’s wife concocts a lie meant to disgrace Joseph (a common practice in our own day, one usually carried out over social media for maximum effect). That lie is the false accusation of, in her first account, rape (v. Gen 39:14); and, in her second account (v. 17), sexual harassment. Indeed she changes her story depending on her audience (another common feature of any effective lie). Sarna points out this noticeable difference in the way Potiphar’s wife relates her lie to the other household servants as compared to her husband (who retains the legal authority to judge and sentence Joseph):

Significantly, she [Potiphar’s wife] does not repeat to her husband her previously stated charge of attempted rape. This omission was probably a powerful factor in saving Joseph from the executioner. Perhaps she secretly nourishes the hope that, by having Joseph incarcerated, she might be able to break his spirit and finally get him to succumb to her.
JPS Torah Commentary, Genesis, 275
Potiphar’s wife is a perfect tool in the hands of the evil one, for she understands that the better thing would be for Joseph not to die. After all, if the man of God simply dies, then he cannot be converted into an instrument for evil. Instead, she changes her lie, reducing it in severity, so that Potiphar will restrain himself from exacting capital punishment for the alleged offense. This is something he clearly would have had the power to do. Potiphar’s wife, i.e., Satan, still hopes to sink her talons into Joseph. A dead Joseph makes this impossible. With a living, imprisoned Joseph, however, there are opportunities. Perhaps a midnight visit to the dank, fortress prison, making the same offer but in light of Jospeh’s new circumstances, would succeed this time around. Would not Joseph’s will in prison be far weaker than it was in the aristocrat’s palace?

Satan Wants His Enemies Alive​

In C.S. Lewis’ masterpiece on spiritual warfare, The Screwtape Letters, the elder tempter, Screwtape, is indignant with his nephew, Wormwood, regarding Wormwood’s naive attempts to lead his patient, the Christian man, astray. The main weakness in Wormwood’s unsophisticated strategy is thinking that the patient’s physical death is of primary importance. Screwtape repeatedly has to chastise Wormwood for his foolishness. The goal for any tempter of mankind is not simply to kill his patient. The goal is to conquer his patient’s soul and win over his allegiance from God to Satan. Only then is any real damage done.
In one of Screwtape’s letters, Screwtape castigates his nephew for relishing in the sheer physical destruction caused by war, the kind of destruction that really has no bearing on the spiritual battle that rages between the forces of good and evil:
When I told you not to fill your letters with rubbish about the war, I meant, of course, that I did not want to have your rather infantile rhapsodies about the death of men and the destruction of cities. In so far as the war really concerns the spiritual state of the patient, I naturally want full reports. And on this aspect you seem singularly obtuse. Thus you tell me with glee that there is reason to expect heavy air raids on the town where the creature lives. This is a crying example of something I have complained about already—your readiness to forget the main point in your immediate enjoyment of human suffering. Do you not know that bombs kill men? Or do you not realise that the patient’s death, at this moment, is precisely what we want to avoid? …
If he [the Christian man] dies now, you lose him. If he survives the war, there is always hope.

In the same way, from the vantage point of Potiphar’s wife and her demon master, a dead Joseph is no good. A living Joseph, however, a Joseph who has been compromised, becomes of great value to the kingdom of darkness. A Hebrew who has compromised the law of God, who has given himself over to Egyptian unrighteousness, is now an inside asset able to be used against God’s people and God’s plan. We can only imagine how a compromised Joseph would have treated his brothers upon their arrival into the land–likely he would not have received them with mercy, but with vengeance.

False Converts & The Nature of Propaganda​

In military intelligence it is also assumed that the gravest threat to any operation or campaign is the infiltration of friendly forces by an unseen or unidentified enemy. It is not the legions or battalions that can been seen outside the front gates (as intimidating as they may be) that cause the greater concern on the part of commanders and generals. It is the enemy within the ranks who can open the gate for the larger force to move in that generates the constant need for “counter-intelligence” in the history of human warfare. This principle holds for spiritual warfare in the same way it does for physical battle.

To have an “inside man” is one of Satan’s most sought after prizes. We see it in the Gospels, when Peter, only moments after recognizing Jesus as the Messiah, is immediately tempted by Satan to say this about the Messiah’s mission:
21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
Matthew 16:21-23
Of course, Jesus recognizes Satan speaking through Peter immediately. And this narrative is preserved for us today, so that we too can recognize how easy it is to fall into deception and worldly ways of thinking about God and God’s plans.

It has been said somewhere by someone, I believe here, that in Communist Russia every third priest of the Russian Orthodox Church was KGB. That may be an exaggeration, but, if at all true, it is certainly one form of infiltration. But that is a rather direct form. There are more subtle ways to infiltrate God’s Church than simply planting nefarious agents who know they are not part of it.
The more subtle way is, of course, through propaganda. That is, through the slow and gradual process of using Christian morality itself, especially Christian social teaching, as a way to convert the faithful into a compromising position. Marxist agitators and critical theorists have know this for years. They have even openly written about it. One of the more explicit mentions of this tactic was made by the father of modern American activism, Saul Alinsky, in his classic work on revolution, Rules for Radicals. In a chapter entitled “Tactics,” Alinsky enumerates the basic tactics for marxist agitation. One of those rules states the following:
The fourth rule is: Make the enemy live up to their own book of rules. You can kill them with this, for they can no more obey their own rules than the Christian church can live up to Christianity.

This propagandistic tactic is rife in American Christianity today. Instead of arguing over truth and falsity, over goodness or beauty or even over feasibility, positions are advanced simply by pointing out other people’s moral failures. But in order to use other people’s moral failures against their idealist positions, they must obviously be alive. The dead Christian, the one who has already paid the ultimate sacrifice for their biblical faith, is not only useless, his or her sacrifice is counterproductive to Satan’s plan of corruption.
This dynamic is portrayed with great depth in Terence Malick’s 2019 film A Hidden Life, where the Austrian peasant, the blessed Franz Jäggerstätter, is tempted by his own parish priest to compromise his position by signing the Hitler oath. The priest, thinking he is doing right, tempts Franz to save his own skin by signing the oath as a mere formality. The idea being that “God knows what is in your heart,” so who cares what man thinks. But Jäggerstätter will make no such compromise (like Joseph son of Jacob), knowing that what is right cannot be hidden away in the heart but must be shouted from the rooftops. After all, just as one cannot hide a lamp by putting it under a bowl, so too must one not cover up truth for the sake of compromise.

Live Not By Lies​

In the end, God’s plan for Israel, a very uncomfortable one at that, was realized through Joseph. Potiphar’s wife may only have thought it would be pleasurable to sleep with such a strapping and exotic Hebrew boy. Perhaps like “Mrs. Robinson,” she was simply bored with life, seeking to find some mundane pleasure that might reinvigorate in her a sense of meaning or purpose. However, Joseph, the authentic man of God, saw much more in her proposal than just an indecency. He was able to discern the attack of God’s enemy, Satan– whose name may have been obscure to Joseph, yet whose intentions were not.
In his resistance to Potiphar’s wife, Joseph remains pure and true in God’s sight. In his purity and his trueness before God, Joseph also remains strong and resilient in the face of persecution.


This strength becoming not only the foundation for his own success, but for Israel’s salvation (from famine) and eventual redemption (from Egypt). This is antithetical to the disenchanted, dysphoric and solipsistic modern man, Benjamin Braddock, who gives into the moral turpitude of the age and, in so doing, relinquishes his moral strength. It is exactly this type of man who becomes susceptible to propaganda. For the man who cannot sacrifice is also the man who cannot suffer. And the man who cannot suffer is the man willing to accept whatever is told him. It is this kind of man who becomes a vehicle for Satan.

Shockingly, this is another truth known even by the godless agents of Soviet Russia. In a harrowing 1984 interview with former KGB agent and specialist in propaganda, Yuri Bezmenov, Bezmenov can be heard saying repeatedly that it is the morally weak, egocentric person who is most susceptible to propaganda, i.e, to lies (mins. 57-59; 1:10:00 to 1:14:00, etc). It is the man or woman who lives without morals, without a sense of anything that transcends his or her own ego, like a transcendent moral law, that was the prime target for soviet-era propaganda (Although little has changed today in America, except the source of the propaganda and the technology that disseminates it.)

It is the Benjamin Braddocks of the world, not the Josephs son of Jacob, who fall for lies. And so it seems to be a real historic fact that even atheist Communists came to understand something that the Devil has known since the beginning, namely, that man without God is utterly gullible.
It is also the recognition of this spiritual truth that motivated Alexander Solzhenitzyn to write shortly before his own incarceration the following:
And therein we find, neglected by us, the simplest, the most accessible key to our liberation: a personal nonparticipation in lies! Even if all is covered by lies, even if all is under their rule, let us resist in the smallest way: Let their rule hold not through me!

Ultimately it is the will of man that Satan needs to break, the body of man being worthless to him (unless he can break the will through the the body). As such, Satan would prefer you alive than dead. Alive you can become his tool, his “useful idiot.” But if you die, you may die a martyr, a man or woman who refused to allow the lie to go through them, but who instead rebuked the lie at its source. And so for the Christian it is always better to die, than to live by the lie.
 

RiverOL

Alfrescian
Loyal
Got Risk . . . Discomfort?

[ 1 min read ★ ]

For a day in Your courts
is better than a thousand elsewhere—Psalm 84:10


Years spent in luxury and comfort can’t compare to one day spent with God—in his presence; experiencing his love; living his truth; doing his work. And, astonishingly, God doesn’t offer us just single days . . . mere glimpses, fleeting encounters. He offers himself "more abundantly than all that we ask or think" (Ephesians 3:20-21). He offers all of himself, all the time—as much as we want, as much as we choose.

One proven method of choosing him is to strip away worldly comfort, strip away predictability and self-sufficiency . . . and intentionally move into situations we can’t handle on our own. Jesus sent his disciples into such situations: "I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves" (Luke 10:3). He told them to travel light and resist taking anything that could provide comfort, predictability, self-sufficiency: money, extra clothing, extra stuff (Luke 10:4). They had to rely on him. And they returned full of joy (Luke 10:17). Because they’d been willing to move, in faith, into risk and discomfort, they got to spend precious days with God. Jesus told them:

"Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it." (Luke 10:23-24).

Okay, so what do we do?

Ask yourself, what am I doing—right now—that requires faith? We get used to choosing risk and discomfort by practicing. So, look for ways to practice, brother. Look today for what moves your heart. Reach out to someone who needs help. Spend time with someone who needs a friend. Commit to a service project. Sign-up for a short-term mission trip. If you do, you’ll too have great stories to tell.
 

RiverOL

Alfrescian
Loyal

“Emergence” and “Emergency” Go Hand in Hand in Life.​



Emergency physicians conducting a trauma resuscitation. July 9, 2016, Hoot504; Creative Commons.

I love the word “emergence.” I have far more positive vibes with “emergence” than I do with “emergency,” as I suppose you would expect. Still, in our family’s life situation, I wouldn’t be thinking as much about “emergence” if it weren’t for an emergency.


My son Christopher is seeking to emerge. He may not comprehend at this juncture most of what his body is doing in trying to emerge and recover from his traumatic brain injury suffered in January of this year. But we see various small signs of emergence along the way since the emergency surgery that spared his life, and our own.
In our experience, emergence and emergency go hand in hand in life. What are some of those new signs of emergence for Christopher? New and varied facial mannerisms, an apparent increase in vocal sounds, a more steady gaze and more synchronous movement of the eyes and eyelids in response to stimuli. We were also told Christopher moves himself. He is often found facing the window, even after he has been repositioned in a different direction to guard against the development of pressure wounds.

To the casual or infrequent observer, these varied patterns may mean little, but not to those of us who have been with Christopher on a daily basis over the past several months. These patterns, while small, are still huge. It’s all a matter of perspective. If only you knew where Christopher was then in January and where he is now. Call it rudimentary growth at this stage, if you wish. But please put the emphasis on “growth,” not “rudimentary”. It would be rude or at least inappropriate to expect a person suffering and recovering from TBI or another serious condition to respond just like we do on a daily basis. As with other ordeals in life, we need to look at where each person is coming from, what challenges each one is enduring, and how they might be overcoming and emerging. Context is everything, or nearly everything.

Each person is unique in how they respond or do not respond to traumatic brain injuries and other psycho-somatic ordeals. The fact that we see apparent signs of increasing complexity, no matter how slow or non-linear, is encouraging. We will take whatever Christopher gives us on a daily basis and do whatever we can to aid the process of recovery.

The human body adapts. Like emergence, I love the word “adaptability.” Neurons fire and rewire. That’s adaptation. I love words like “flexibility” and “resilience.” I love it when I see people and nature find new pathways for rejuvenation after enduring catastrophe.
The greatest emergency situation in life may be when people give up, throw in the towel, quit. May we never quit. May we keep going. May we ever live with a sense of urgency. May an indomitable spirit, fortitude, and gritty determination filled with love for life all around us emerge and mark the core and extremities of our being and energize the traumatized world round about us.

We will all face emergencies in life. How will we emerge in the midst of them? What will help you emerge? My prayer for all of us is that the last words won’t be the emergencies, but how we emerged resiliently in the face of them. May emergency go hand in hand with emergence in our lives.
 
Top