Can you really handle it?

I always get a chuckle out of strong, Bible believing, Christians who utter these words; "God never gives you more than you can handle."  Fact is, that statement is unbiblical, I'll eat my left shoe if you can find those exact words anywhere in Scripture.  Its a misquote of 1 Corinthians 10:13 which reads, "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." That verse makes no promise that we will not be given events, circumstances and trials beyond our ability to bear up under.  In fact, we see time and again in the Bible where God is quite happy to give his people more than they are able to handle.  Read 2 Cornithians 12:7-8, mind you this is the same Paul that wrote the often misquoted verse I mentioned previously.  Paul pleaded with God three times that thorn in his flesh be removed from him.  I think its safe to say that he was dealing with something more than his mortal capacities were able to handle.

This should cause us to give thanks though, because if God were to consistently give us difficult things that we could handle then we would have a god who finds us to be without need of his guidance and provision.  That is, if we were to receive some circumstance we could totally handle, we would handle it ourselves, and rely upon self to solve all our woes and difficulties.  We would therefore have no need for the excellent direction and superior strength of God.  Like Paul says in 2 Cor 12:7 we would, in a word, become conceited.  That should give you some pause right there, God keeps us dependent to keep us from conceitedness.  Even suffering is a blessing from God and a guardrail to keep us from careening off the cliff of sin if understood correctly.  If it pleased God to crush his own Son under the undeserved burden of sin, so too can we expect to be crushed under a weight which we are unable to bear.  This is where 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 comes in, we are to lay our trials upon Christ, who is ready and able to help us bear our burdens.  When we are given those situations which we cannot handle, we must run back to God.  We may be prone to buckling under the immense weight of trial, but God is infinitely strong, and infinitely willing and able to help.  So next time you catch yourself trying to reassure yourself with the words "God never gives you more than you can handle." remember that you're cultivating the ugly weeds of pride, and removing God from his place of primacy.  Now, can you really handle it?

Knowing My Place in the Kill Chain

I just had a strange realization recently and it came after spending some time pondering on Scripture and having a conversation over lunch with a very bright and intelligent young man.  This post is specifically targeted at my occupation as a member of the armed forces.  The passage that caught my attention is Jeremiah 51, specifically verses 20 through 24, where God is speaking of how he will raise up the Medes to exact his vengeance upon Babylon after they had occupied Israel.  The passage reads as follows:

20 "You are my hammer and weapon of war: with you I break nations in pieces; with you I destroy kingdoms; 21 with you I break in pieces the horse and his rider; with you I break in pieces the chariot and the charioteer; 22 with you I break in pieces man and woman; with you I break in pieces the old man and the youth; with you I break in pieces the young man and the young woman; 23 with you I break in pieces the shepherd and his flock; with you I break in pieces the farmer and his team; with you I break in pieces governors and commanders. 24 "I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea before your very eyes for all the evil that they have done in Zion, declares the LORD.

I realized as I was reading this how God uses men as instruments not only to pour out mercy and blessing, but also to loose the arrows of His righteous fury on his enemies.  Then I was impacted by my place and my role in the dispensation of God's wrath.  The gravity of my position has shown me time and time again that lives are either saved or snuffed out based upon my work.  I always had a healthy appreciation of this responsibility, and a good understanding that it is not I, nor the marine, nor the bullet or the bomb that kills the enemy, but rather the hand of God that sets these events into motion.  I am reminded of General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson's quote at this juncture.  He said: "My religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God has fixed the time for my death. I do not concern myself about that, but to always be ready, no matter when it may overtake me." I take these words to heart, and it has given me great faith that there is nothing I can do by myself to ensure the life or death of any man, but rather it is the sovereign will of God, as such I feel no remorse or moral objection to making war.  If these men were not appointed to die, it would not be so.  However, as such, the realization that I play a part in that kill chain is what has impacted me with such veracity.

Just as God had lifted up the Medes to destroy Babylon in retribution for their occupation of Israel, so too are we, as a nation being used all over the globe as the hammer of God.  Not to say we are any more righteous or right as a nation, or any more favorable to God than the Medes were when compared with his chosen people, Israel.  But there is no doubt that God is using us as his hammer to shatter the teeth of the young lions (Ps. 58:6) that come against His people, and ultimately His will.  Understanding my place within that series of events that takes place within that chain is truly humbling.  I feel so very humbled when I realized the fullness of what it means to be wielded as a hammer that's sole purpose is that of shattering nations.  I want to echo Job when he responds to God's questioning by saying "Behold, I am of small account, what shall I answer you?"  There is certainly a joy in doing what I do in service of the Lord and my nation, but its is a very somber sort of joy each time the fruit of my labor ripens.  

Yet, even in all this, I am again reminded of the enduring kindness God has for man.  Ezekiel 33:11 reminds us of God's love and tenderness even in his judgment with these words: "Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?" Even Christ himself said it was his desire that everyone be saved.  What a kind deity it is who wishes that even his enemies would turn and come to him.  What a kind and merciful God that sends his own Son while we were still enemies, that we might be afforded an opportunity unto reconciliation. 

For: Dad

The apostle Paul wrote to the church in Thessaloniki because he did not want them to be uninformed about those who are asleep in Christ, so that those left behind may not grieve as others do who have no hope.  In the same spirit I would like to inform those of us who are left behind of the eternal inheritance my father has been ushered into.  We read the promise in 1 Corinthians 15 that states “Death is swallowed up in victory.” And we are told that there is no longer a sting associated with the grave.  We know that the sting of death is sin, but we have a hope because through Jesus Christ we have been given ultimate victory.  It is because of this that we can rejoice in the promise of salvation through the finished work of Jesus.   Dad has finished the race and he has had every tear wiped away in heaven where we are told there is no more sorrow and no more death.  While we may presently be sad because of his passing, we can rejoice as the angels are rejoicing because he is now in the presence of the everlasting God.  Dad very much enjoyed hearing about heaven when Tim would tell him of its beauty and promise.  I remember before I had to return home I told dad that if I didn’t see him again I would meet him there.  He asked; “Are you trying to bribe me?” He was enraptured by the description of the streets of gold, perhaps he thought he could pull up a brick or two, as if somehow it were worth anything compared to the rich mercies of our God.  I would like to end with the words of the prophet Isaiah and his description concerning our reception into the presence of the Lord:

He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.  It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.  This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”

I love you dad, I’m looking forward to taking a tour of those golden streets with you some day.

Hope's Assembly Line

I'm not going to pretend that I'm the only soul out there who has been subject to serious and intense trial.  That would be arrogant, but it is during trial that we find ourselves most conformed to the image of Christ.  He was "a man of sorrow, well acquainted with grief." We are called to be like Christ in all ways, so it should stand to reason that we not think ourselves any better than our Savior.  It seems in some modern evangelical circles there is a sort of "prosperity gospel" being preached.  We are promised joy and peace and comfort, and while these are indeed byproducts of a close walk with the Lord; we should remind ourselves that there have been many promises from Christ himself that we would face "many troubles." I find myself in some of these very circumstances and I am reminded of a few choice verses at this juncture in my life.  First I am reminded of the words of Paul when he wrote in Romans 5 that we are to rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces steadfastness, and steadfastness produces character, and character produces hope.  That is the assembly line process by which hope is produced.  We are to endure these sufferings and within the fire and pressure of trial, it is here that our metal is tested best.  We are stripped bare and the truest core of our person is exposed, we cling hardest to what we find at the very center of our heart.  For some that is bitterness, for some it is fleeting pleasures of the world, but he who builds his house on the Rock is not easily shaken.  This time of trial and affliction in my life has provided some opportunities for others to witness how a Christian responds to hardship.  They get to see the response under fire and the living of the promise that "I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus as my Lord." (Philippians 3:8)

Not as though I am exempt from grief during these times, that too would be arrogant to say that I was above the melancholy associated with the pain of loss.  But it is in this state that I get to see how much more impressive the promise is that states "For this light momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." (2 Cor 4:17) Or, how about the pleas of Moses in Psalm 90?  He is asking the God of the universe to provide succor and gladness in equivalent measure to the suffering that his people have endured.  I don't know about you, but I think it takes some serious intestinal fortitude to remind the God of the universe not to forget a promise.

Lastly, I would like to leave you with some encouragement that I received and found tremendously uplifting from a man who has long since beat me to his eternal weight in glory.

"The kingdom of God comes not into our souls with observation, nor does it grow in our souls with observation. And whether the good thus borne upon the raven-wing of trial, thus embosomed in the lowering cloud of some crushing providence, be immediate or remote, it matters little; sooner or later it will accomplish its benign and heaven-sent mission, and then trial will expand its dark pinions and fly away, and sorrow will roll up its somber drapery and disappear." -Octavius Winslow
The rest of his devotional on our present sufferings can be found: here.

You Better Watch Out

No, Santa is not coming to town.  The idea of some corpulent elf committing breaking and entering and leaving trinkets at the cost of a few Chips Ahoy and a glass of tepid milk is actually somewhat disturbing.  My purpose today, the day after we were all supposed to go poof like rabbits in a magicians hat, is to weigh in on all this rapture sensationalism of which the world cannot seem to get enough.

Christians are given pretty clear instructions on just about every topic, and the topic of the rapture is no exception in this litany of doctrines.  In fact, the instructions on this are clear to the point that they were words straight out of the mouth of Jesus himself, in no uncertain terms.  Since it is under the banner of Christ's name that Christians stake our claim, you would think that Christ's words would be a pretty good authority regarding the details as to his own reunion tour.  If you have a Bible, or even a google search bar, I encourage you to read Matthew 24:36.  Christ is abundantly clear on this point.  No one, not even Jesus, knows the hour of his return, except for the Father.  Trying to say that the Bible teaches a specific date or time is straying clear into the territory of gnostic heresy.  We are even warned of these heretics in the very same chapter.  Back up a bit and look at verses 11 through 13 in this same chapter.  Jesus himself says many will be lead astray and because of the increase in lawlessness in the world the love of many will soon draw an icy chill, but we are told to endure, holding fast to what is right, if you will.  Lets read a little further and perhaps we can glean some insight as to how the rapture will really take place.  In verses 37 through 44 of Matthew 24 we are told that it will be as it was when Noah had prepared for the flood.  Life will continue on at a normal rate, people will feast, they will get married, Christians will still be labeled as idiots and weirdos.  The tempo of the world will carry on in an otherwise normal fashion up until the moment that the Father has predestined.  We are called to be ready, and we are even told to anticipate the return of Christ (see James 5:7-11)  but we are called to be diligent in the meantime.  We are not however called to try to figure out some bizarre secret code that would grant us some "special knowledge" as to when and how Christ will make his reappearance.

So what is the Christian response to this flurry of speculation about the rapture?  Well, if you read just a bit further in Matthew 24 starting in verse 45 and continuing through verse 47 we are told to continue on as servants of our master, doing as He has instructed us.  The instruction we have received from our master states simply:  "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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matt. 28:19-20) Christians are called to preach the gospel in love, proclaiming the good news that Christ has come to this earth, as God made flesh, to live a perfectly righteous life.  This same Christ died on the cross as a sacrificial atonement for sin, and has been raised from the dead and now lives to make intercession on our behalf to the Father as our perfect and spotless Lamb.  There will be a day when Christ returns.  Make no mistake about it, it could be three seconds after I hit the enter key or it could be 3000 years from now, but there will be a judgement day.  Until then, I'm content to continue telling you about this Jesus who credits sinners with undeserved righteousness.  

Christians frequently get it wrong when it comes to being Christ-like, there might even be some heretics thrown into the mix to really muddy the waters, but the promises of God as found in his Word are always faithful.

The Final Countdown

This has been a tough rotation, and this news certainly did nothing to make life any easier.  It's especially difficult to plead with God in accordance with His promises in Ezek. 18:23 and 33:11 that He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn.  It is difficult to struggle with the understanding that God is sovereign, and knowing that He has the power to save but up until this point that salvation has been withheld from some of those whom I love the most, as far as I am able to observe.  I believe I’ve been granted special insight into Paul’s feelings as he penned Romans 9:1-5, that he would willingly be cut off from Christ if that meant salvation for his kinsmen.  I know he wrote that with the understanding that salvation can never be lost or revoked, but I certainly identify with the grieved spirit that was being displaying there.  I’m also understanding and having to grab hold of the sovereignty displayed in the rest of Romans 9, knowing that we are the work of the Potter, as such it is not our place to question His motives.  Just as a child does not have the authority to question the motives of a parent, so we must submit as children under the understanding and authority of God.  In all this, I also identify with the great sorrow in Jeremiah’s heart as he wrote Lamentations 3, sometimes I too feel as though my thirst is being quenched with wormwood, and even so there is hope in the midst of it all.  I have come to learn the bittersweet grief of Job 5:18 and even more than ever I cling to the promises of God’s willingness to display mercy.  I have seen firsthand the mercies God has doled out, providing many opportunities to sinners like me to repent, yet they still refuse His grace.  Lastly I’m reminded of Psalm 90, not only are we to count our days, but I am crying out that God not forget his promise to comfort us for the number of days He has afflicted us.  This deployment has been hard, as I stated earlier, I feel as though I am languishing in spirit and much of my joy has been sapped from me.  Yet, I must endure, marching ever forward toward not only my earthly enemies, but my spiritual ones as well.  It’s hard to want to be a pillar of strength for those back home as well as maintain a grueling ops tempo, all while I seek to encourage my mom and pray myself into exhaustion over my father.  I feel very tired, even when I turn to the Word for comfort many of the words feel hollow, as if God has separated himself as far from me as he has me from my sin.  Yet, even in the midst of all this, much of the time I find myself repeating Spurgeon’s quote on prayer, it's already posted on here, but it bears repeating.

Never give up praying, not even though Satan should suggest to you that it is in vain for you to cry unto God. Pray in his teeth; “pray without ceasing.” If for awhile the heavens are as brass and your prayer only echoes in thunder above your head, pray on; if month after month your prayer appears to have miscarried, and no reply has been vouchsafed to you, yet still continue to draw nigh unto the Lord. Do not abandon the mercy-seat for any reason whatever. If it be a good thing that you have been asking for, and you are sure it is according to the divine will, if the vision tarry wait for it, pray, weep, entreat, wrestle, agonize till you get that which you are praying for. If your heart be cold in prayer, do not restrain prayer until your heart warms, but pray your soul unto heat by the help of the everblessed Spirit who helpeth our infirmities. If the iron be hot then hammer it, and if it be cold hammer it till you heat it.

So here I am, in the wilderness, hammering that icy cold iron, in hopes that the heat will return, praying that I will one day be able to rejoice and bow before the throne of my heavenly Father, side-by-side with those who are most dear to me on this earth.

Can't Touch This

How quick are we as Christians to forget the power that Satan has?  More importantly, how quick are we as Christians to forget that we're given a suit of armor to defend against the devil's assaults?  How often are we convinced that the glitter of worldly practices, religion for religion's sake, legalism and other "shiny" practices will keep us safe from the fiery darts hurled at us every day?

The fact is that Satan can touch us, in fact there are instances where God allows Satan to bring a man's world down around his ears and gives the devil leeway to do everything shy of taking his life.  For those of you who are a little lost on this point, I suggest you go and read the opening chapters of Job.  Then I suggest you recalibrate your understanding of how we are to respond to Satan's onslaughts.  James 4:7 reminds us with these words; "Submit yourselves to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." The answer isn't in cloistering yourself away from all the evils present in the world.  If that were the answer God would never have sent his son for the unrighteous, but we see that God sent his son specifically for the unrighteous.  No giving yourself over to asceticism isn't the answer, the answer is to submit ourselves before God, with a resistant attitude towards temptation.  Furthermore, when we put up this resistance, clad in the whole armor of God, then we can begin to mount an effective counterattack.

A way to cultivate this attitude of defiance towards sin, and compliance towards Christ is to remember how we were prayed over right before Christ offered himself up as a living sacrifice on our behalf.  John 17:15-18 says, "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world." So forget that glitter, get into the Word!  Learn to use that sharpened blade of iron that is scripture rather than the blunt oak dowel of worldly reason.  Don't be afraid, quit watching the world go by while staying well within the walls of your sterile Christian bubble, make it a point to resist the devil, and promote Christ on every street corner.  Quit padding yourself with fluff and glitter and put on some real armor!  For lack of a better term, "Viva la resistance, resistez la temtation!"