“Mere Christianity” is a fascinating book. I tried to read it last summer and couldn’t get through it. I think I’ve come a long way since then, because this is soon to be one of my favorite books. A quote I just read that stood out to me is found on page 57 -
“We love and reason because God loves and reasons and holds our hand while we do it.”
Lewis is writing about our inability to be good and truly repentant people. We are unable to truly do good on our own. Just a young child needs a guiding hand to learn how to form letters when they write for the first time, we need the Lord to guide us in loving, repenting, forgiving, showing mercy, acting humbly, and giving unbiasedly. We are incapable of good on our own. But God is so faithful to work in us and guide us in righteousness.
I am so weak and incapable. But in that weakness, God is strong and faithful to complete in me what I could never do on my own.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Aliens
Today in Sunday school, the teacher read an excerpt from C.S. Lewis’ “Mere Christianity”. I had read it before, but once again found it very interesting. Lewis is writing about a Christian’s hope for heaven and eternity while he or she is on earth. So often I forget that earth is only temporary and that my focus and hope should not be in this earth or the pleasure I can find here. I was made for something greater. On pages 135 and 136, Lewis writes:
“Most of us find it very difficult to want ‘Heaven’ at all – except in so far as ‘Heaven’ means meeting again our friends who have died. One reason for this difficulty is that we have not been trained: our whole education tends to fix our minds on this world. Another reason is that when the real want for Heaven is present in us, we do not recognize it. Most people, if they had really learned to look into their own hearts, would know that they do want, and want acutely, something that cannot be had in this world. There are all sorts of things in this world that offer to give it to you, but they never quite keep their promise.”
Lewis goes on to state that there is only one correct way to respond to this truth:
“The Christian Way –The Christian says, ‘Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. If that is so, I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never mistake them for the something else of which they are only a kind of copy, or echo, or mirage. I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others to do the same.’”
I know this is a rather long excerpt, but I thought it was so good I wanted to share it. So much of what I’m searching for here on earth can only be found in the character of God and in Heaven, my eternal home. I’ve realized lately how earthly focused I am, and how much more heavenly focused I need to be. As Lewis states, “I was made for another world”.
“Most of us find it very difficult to want ‘Heaven’ at all – except in so far as ‘Heaven’ means meeting again our friends who have died. One reason for this difficulty is that we have not been trained: our whole education tends to fix our minds on this world. Another reason is that when the real want for Heaven is present in us, we do not recognize it. Most people, if they had really learned to look into their own hearts, would know that they do want, and want acutely, something that cannot be had in this world. There are all sorts of things in this world that offer to give it to you, but they never quite keep their promise.”
Lewis goes on to state that there is only one correct way to respond to this truth:
“The Christian Way –The Christian says, ‘Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. If that is so, I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never mistake them for the something else of which they are only a kind of copy, or echo, or mirage. I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others to do the same.’”
I know this is a rather long excerpt, but I thought it was so good I wanted to share it. So much of what I’m searching for here on earth can only be found in the character of God and in Heaven, my eternal home. I’ve realized lately how earthly focused I am, and how much more heavenly focused I need to be. As Lewis states, “I was made for another world”.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Contentment.
I have this grand idea of how I want my future to look: where I want to be, what I want to be doing, and who I want to be with. However, I’ve found that my plans aren’t usually God’s. Even when my desires are good, they’re not always best. I’ve been frustrated, upset, and impatient in the last year or so. I think I know what I want. I think I know my ideal plan for the future. And yet I have been convicted that God has something very different for me in store.
Right now I’m going to school. I’m majoring in Biology. I’m living in the United States. I’m considering medical school in the future.
If I had my own way, I would not be in school, I would not be majoring in Biology, I probably wouldn’t be living in the United States, and I wouldn’t think twice about medical school.
But for some reason I know I’m right where I’m supposed to be. This is right.
I think I’m finally coming to the place where I want God’s plan for my life more than my own. Ultimately, my life is not my own. I’m finally coming to the place where I can say that I want God’s plans to be my plans., even if this means giving up my idea of what life should look like.
This summer I went out to Indian food with my mom for lunch. During our conversation, I described to her my ideal future. I described to her where I thought I’d be the most content: where I’d be happiest. While she agreed that my plan did sound pretty awesome, she brought up a simple question that I had simply ignored. What if God has a different plan? Would I be happy then?
At the time I honestly don’t think I could have said yes. However, as I’ve spent more time in the Word and getting to know God, I think I can. The more time I invest in my relationship with Jesus Christ, the more I realize that I only want to be where He wants me. I only want to be doing what he wants me to do. And I only want to be with whomever He has for me.
There is no greater or more perfect a plan that the one God has designed for me.
I don’t think I ever realized before this summer that God only has good in store for those who love Him. Will His plan for my life be the most comfortable? Probably not. Will I be happy all the time? Not likely. Will I know that there is no plan more perfect than God’s? Yes. Can I find immeasurable joy in that? Most definitely.
Jeremiah 29:11-13
For I know the plans I have for,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Isaiah 40:28-31
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
Moving
Yesterday I spent most the day packing. I packed for school and then packed up the rest of my belongings into three or four boxes in preparation for the big move: my family was finally able to buy a house about 2 miles away from where we live now, so this summer has been dedicated to remodeling, packing, and preparing for the move.
Home is kind of complicated idea for me right now. I’m excited to be back at school, as I actually have a room to call my own there, but I don’t really consider it to be home. The house I’ve lived in for about 12 years no longer belongs to my family, and I won’t be living in the new one till I come back for Christmas.
This has made me think of my heavenly home. A friend I just recently met often states how he longs to be at home with the Lord and in the presence of this Maker. That is where home truly is. Home is not a box here on earth, but Heaven in the presence of the Lord.
If I truly believed that this earthly home is temporary and that my true home is in heaven, how would I live differently? Maybe I wouldn’t be so attached to all those trinkets and mementos that I’ve hung on to over the years. Maybe i wouldn’t get so caught up in planning my future. Maybe I would live so much more excitedly and expectantly for the beautiful future I have in Heaven with my Lord.
I pray that God gives me a new passion and vigor for my future with Him. I want to long to be with Him in Glory. I want to be so caught up in my love of God and future with Him that I focus only on what’s important here on earth: loving God and loving people. I long to long for Him :)
Home is kind of complicated idea for me right now. I’m excited to be back at school, as I actually have a room to call my own there, but I don’t really consider it to be home. The house I’ve lived in for about 12 years no longer belongs to my family, and I won’t be living in the new one till I come back for Christmas.
This has made me think of my heavenly home. A friend I just recently met often states how he longs to be at home with the Lord and in the presence of this Maker. That is where home truly is. Home is not a box here on earth, but Heaven in the presence of the Lord.
If I truly believed that this earthly home is temporary and that my true home is in heaven, how would I live differently? Maybe I wouldn’t be so attached to all those trinkets and mementos that I’ve hung on to over the years. Maybe i wouldn’t get so caught up in planning my future. Maybe I would live so much more excitedly and expectantly for the beautiful future I have in Heaven with my Lord.
I pray that God gives me a new passion and vigor for my future with Him. I want to long to be with Him in Glory. I want to be so caught up in my love of God and future with Him that I focus only on what’s important here on earth: loving God and loving people. I long to long for Him :)
The Sound of Silence
Yesterday I hopped into a strangers car and took off. Destination: Victory. Purpose: to visit family and to hang out with a group that came up from Ohio to work with my church, the church in Victory, and my old High School on their retreat this week. Result: I was reminded why I love this place. I haven’t been here in about a year and half. My uncle and his family live out here and some of my fondest memories have taken place in this cozy house snuggled up to a majestic mountain with an ancient pond in the front yard and moose that run wild through the yard almost every evening when the sun begins to disappear. During the winter we would skate on the frozen pond and sled down the enormous hill that runs right up to the stables. In the spring we would watch the snow melt and use the moist snow to form snow forts and snowballs. In the summer we would four wheel down to the river and roast hot dogs and smores. And in the fall we would pick blueberries and harvest the garden in preparation for a long, cold winter.
One of my favorite memories, however, took place when the rest of the family wasn’t around and it was quiet at the house. I climbed the wooded hill overlooking the pond and made myself comfortable amid the moss and fallen logs. I curled up with a book and read. It was lovely.
I’m beginning to realize that the less time I have for peace and quiet, for me the less time I am away from people (be it friends, family, or strangers), the less time I have to be still and to know that God is great and is good and is bigger than I can imagine. So often I forget to let God speak. I talk, and don’t wait for a response. How often am I still, knowing that God is who He says He is, trusting in is promises and listening for His voice? Here where it is quiet and peaceful, it’s easier for me to be still and quiet and to listen for His voice.
How will you silence yourself and listen for God’s voice today?
Psalms 46
One of my favorite memories, however, took place when the rest of the family wasn’t around and it was quiet at the house. I climbed the wooded hill overlooking the pond and made myself comfortable amid the moss and fallen logs. I curled up with a book and read. It was lovely.
I’m beginning to realize that the less time I have for peace and quiet, for me the less time I am away from people (be it friends, family, or strangers), the less time I have to be still and to know that God is great and is good and is bigger than I can imagine. So often I forget to let God speak. I talk, and don’t wait for a response. How often am I still, knowing that God is who He says He is, trusting in is promises and listening for His voice? Here where it is quiet and peaceful, it’s easier for me to be still and quiet and to listen for His voice.
How will you silence yourself and listen for God’s voice today?
Psalms 46
2 Corinthians 7:1
“Since then we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.
In this passage, Paul is writing to the Corinthians. If you check out 1 Corinthians, you’ll get an idea of where this church has been, what it has been doing, and why a couple of intense letters from Paul (along with a good deal of prayer and supplication) were necessary to get it back on the right track. The Corinthians were sinning hardcore: disgusting sexual relations, defiling the Lord’s Supper, and allowing divisions in the church, just to name a few.
Paul’s first letter is very confrontational. However, in 2 Corinthians we see a shift in attitude and in message. Paul is encouraging them and praising them! Paul sent Titus to the Corinthians to instruct and teach. Titus was very encouraged by there progress and evident love for the Lord and willingness to repent of their sinful ways.
In chapter 6 of 2 Corinthians, Paul reminds the church that the body of believers is a temple of the Lords, and because of this, believers should not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. Whether this yoking refers only to marriage or to both marriage and dating, I’m unsure. But the main idea is that believers are light and unbelievers are darkness, and the two do not and should not blend. Believers must continually separate themselves from sin and darkness by striving to become holy as God is holy. Remeber that God commands us to be salt and light in darkness, so living among and spending time with unbelievers is very necessary! However, conforming to the patterns of a fallen world is not. Love the unbeliever, but do not become like him.
So then we reach 2 Corinthians 7:1. This verse stuck with me this morning as I did my devotions. God promises in the previous chapter that He will dwell among His people and that He will make us sons and daughters! How awesome is that! What does God require in exchange for this love and endearment? That we, with fear and trembling, cleanse ourseleves from EVERY defilement of body and spirit (physical and spiritual) and that we become transformed more and more into the likeness of Christ, God’s Son.
The words that stood out to me most were the words “beloved” and “fear of God”. God uses a term of sweet endearment and love to remind us that this transformation is for our good and God’s glory. He is not demanding perfection as an angry father would, continually disciplining and rebuking his child as he messes up and fails. He has called us beloved. Beloved. Beloved of God. We are loved with a love that cannot be marred, destroyed, or taken away. We are truly loved. All rebuking and discipline is done in love.
The second phrase is “fear of God”. Often times I forget who I’m talking of and reading about. Just as C.S. Lewis described Aslan in his Chronicles of Narnia series, God is not a tame God, but He is good. Often I forget that God is a God of wrath, of jealousy, of righteous anger, and of perfection. He is a loving father, but He is also a just and holy God. When we strive to conform ourselves to the image of God’s Son, we need to do it out of the fear and respect for God, knowing that He commands obedience and holiness from his Church. His beloved.
So what is my response? After I finished my devotions, I grabbed a yellow index card from my moms desk and marked down five things that I need to change.
1. Continually assault my sins (the nit picky ones that I so often let go)
2. Don’t defend yourself
3. Always make time for God
4. Stop searching for and stressing about your future (school, jobs, men, etc). Wait for God’s perfect timing.
5. Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and don’t lean on your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways. (condensed version of Proverbs 3:5-6)
On the top of the card I wrote: “Lord, give me strength to change. I can’t do it on my own.” And on the back I wrote 2 Corinthians 7:1.
How are you going to cleanse yourself from every defilement of body and spirit today?
In this passage, Paul is writing to the Corinthians. If you check out 1 Corinthians, you’ll get an idea of where this church has been, what it has been doing, and why a couple of intense letters from Paul (along with a good deal of prayer and supplication) were necessary to get it back on the right track. The Corinthians were sinning hardcore: disgusting sexual relations, defiling the Lord’s Supper, and allowing divisions in the church, just to name a few.
Paul’s first letter is very confrontational. However, in 2 Corinthians we see a shift in attitude and in message. Paul is encouraging them and praising them! Paul sent Titus to the Corinthians to instruct and teach. Titus was very encouraged by there progress and evident love for the Lord and willingness to repent of their sinful ways.
In chapter 6 of 2 Corinthians, Paul reminds the church that the body of believers is a temple of the Lords, and because of this, believers should not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. Whether this yoking refers only to marriage or to both marriage and dating, I’m unsure. But the main idea is that believers are light and unbelievers are darkness, and the two do not and should not blend. Believers must continually separate themselves from sin and darkness by striving to become holy as God is holy. Remeber that God commands us to be salt and light in darkness, so living among and spending time with unbelievers is very necessary! However, conforming to the patterns of a fallen world is not. Love the unbeliever, but do not become like him.
So then we reach 2 Corinthians 7:1. This verse stuck with me this morning as I did my devotions. God promises in the previous chapter that He will dwell among His people and that He will make us sons and daughters! How awesome is that! What does God require in exchange for this love and endearment? That we, with fear and trembling, cleanse ourseleves from EVERY defilement of body and spirit (physical and spiritual) and that we become transformed more and more into the likeness of Christ, God’s Son.
The words that stood out to me most were the words “beloved” and “fear of God”. God uses a term of sweet endearment and love to remind us that this transformation is for our good and God’s glory. He is not demanding perfection as an angry father would, continually disciplining and rebuking his child as he messes up and fails. He has called us beloved. Beloved. Beloved of God. We are loved with a love that cannot be marred, destroyed, or taken away. We are truly loved. All rebuking and discipline is done in love.
The second phrase is “fear of God”. Often times I forget who I’m talking of and reading about. Just as C.S. Lewis described Aslan in his Chronicles of Narnia series, God is not a tame God, but He is good. Often I forget that God is a God of wrath, of jealousy, of righteous anger, and of perfection. He is a loving father, but He is also a just and holy God. When we strive to conform ourselves to the image of God’s Son, we need to do it out of the fear and respect for God, knowing that He commands obedience and holiness from his Church. His beloved.
So what is my response? After I finished my devotions, I grabbed a yellow index card from my moms desk and marked down five things that I need to change.
1. Continually assault my sins (the nit picky ones that I so often let go)
2. Don’t defend yourself
3. Always make time for God
4. Stop searching for and stressing about your future (school, jobs, men, etc). Wait for God’s perfect timing.
5. Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and don’t lean on your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways. (condensed version of Proverbs 3:5-6)
On the top of the card I wrote: “Lord, give me strength to change. I can’t do it on my own.” And on the back I wrote 2 Corinthians 7:1.
How are you going to cleanse yourself from every defilement of body and spirit today?
Hello?
The title of this blog, as you might have noticed, is “Hello?”. I’m not sure if this title holds significant meaning. But I do know that I need to write. I need to get some thoughts out and to share them with somebody, whether I know them or not. So if you’re out there reading this, if you know me or you don’t, if you care or if you don’t, I would simply like to say, “Hello?” and welcome to my blog.
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