You let the distress bring you to God, not drive you from Him.  The result was all gain, no loss.  Distress that drives us to God does that.  It turns us around.  It gets us back in the way of salvation.  We never regret that kind of pain.  But those who let distress drive them away from God are full of regrets, end up on a deathbed of regrets.  And now, isn't it wonderful all the ways in which this distress has goaded you closer to God?  You're more alive, more concerned, more sensitive, more reverent, more human, more passionate, more responsible.  Looked at from any angle, you've come out of this with purity of heart.

The Message, 2 Corinthians 7:9-12

I don't like making mistakes.  A panic rises in me that is indescribable whenever I think I have done something wrong.  Growing up, a small blunder could bring terrible beatings.  I've not fully recovered from that.  So when I do something wrong now, whether intentional or unintentional, I'm terrified.

The sad thing is, I'm not perfect.  Oh how I wish I were!  But sometimes I'm still selfish, or I'm irritable, or sometimes I just get careless and do something foolish.  I try to be perfect, but I can't pull it off.

This last week, I made a mistake.  (OK, I made more than one.  But I'm only going to talk about one!)  I started 12 flasks boiling on the distillation rack at work, then went into the cooler to get some samples.  I had trouble finding what I needed, and was in there too long.  When I got back out, my flasks had boiled down to nothing.  In a rush I turned them off and disconnected them, but it was too late.  Six of the flasks had cracks in them, and two of them exploded in my face.  I'm amazed I wasn't seriously injured by the flying shards of very hot glass.

I panicked.  My first thought was, "How can I hide this?"  What a foolish thought!  The noise from the exploding flasks was hard to ignore.  My coworkers ran to the scene to make sure I was OK.  That was bad enough, the embarrassment was intense.  But one of the other chemist alerted my boss.  Sheer terror exploded in my head, causing far more chaos and destruction than those flasks could every have caused.  My mind was racing as I desperately looked for a way out of this situation.

Jim came running, and said, "Are you OK?  Don't worry about the flasks.  We have more flasks.  ARE YOU OK?!!!"

I was stunned.  My expectation was punishment.  That expectation has been drilled into my head since I was a small child.  I spill my milk, I am beaten until I can't sit.  Surely if I make a mistake that destroys 8 flasks that cost a couple hundred dollars each, I am at the very least going to get fired!

Isn't it funny that after all these years as a Christian, after all this time with a good, kind husband, and after 2 years at a job where mistakes are understood (though clearly discouraged!), I still haven't internalized the message of grace.

This passage of scripture is about grace.  The Corinthians had a sin issue in their church that the apostle Paul had to address in a previous letter.  A man was living in sexual immorality, and instead of lovingly correcting them, they were proud of their tolerance as they embraced his behavior.  (There is a serious message for today's church in that situation...but that is another topic entirely!)

It hurt them a lot to be criticized.  It is never fun to face the truth that you have been wrong.  But once Paul pointed out that truth, they had a choice to make - how were they going to respond?

They could have become angry, defensive, and bitter.  I've done that so many times I'm ashamed to even think about it.  It isn't that I don't know right from wrong.  I just get so afraid of the coming punishment, I try to use the sheer force of my will to convince my accuser that I'm justified, and therefore OK.  The Corinthians could have done that.  

They could have made excuses, lived in denial, much like I wanted to try to hide the broken flasks.  They could have denied that they really understood what was happening, or that others may have approved, but not ME!

Instead, they did something that I struggle a lot with.  They accepted the criticism, and fixed the problem.  They modeled the concept of repentance.  It was a painful situation, but because they faced the truth and repented, they received grace.  Because with God, correction or discipline is much different from how I experienced it in my childhood.

Back then, discipline was not designed to teach me anything or to help me grow.  It served only as a release for my mother's anger and frustration.  My response was irrelevant.  Punishment continued until she felt some kind of release.  (My mother did the best she knew how to do, having been raised in the same type of atmosphere.  She made mistakes, and also deserves grace.  She is learning better responses now.)

When God disciplines, His intent is very different.  He has no issues with out-of-control anger.  So His anger isn't because His ego is hurt; it is because our sin is destroying us, His beloved children.  His love is so great He simply cannot let it go unchallenged, any more than I could allow one of my children to become involved in drug abuse without my intervention.  Love demands discipline, because sin destroys the sinner.  

God's desire in His disciplining is for us to grow closer to Him, and to become pure and holy.  His discipline is done in love, and with grace.  It is for our benefit, not just so He can vent His frustrations.

It is never fun facing mistakes and failure.  But it can make me stronger.  But that will only happen if I can be humble enough to admit my failures, and learn from them.  For me this takes a tremendous about of trust in the goodness and grace of God.

Struggles and Answers to Prayer

⁵ Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this illustration: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You would say to him, ⁶ ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ ⁷ He would call out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and we are all in bed. I can’t help you this time.’ ⁸ But I tell you this—though he won’t do it as a friend, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you what you want so his reputation won’t be damaged.

⁹ “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks.

¹¹ “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? ¹² Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! ¹³ If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997, c1996 (electronic ed.) (Lk 11:4). Wheaton: Tyndale House

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A week ago Friday, I had an answer to prayer.  It seems like a silly thing, but it was very important to me at that time.  You see, I had just read this passage that morning, and was struggling with all it says.

I didn't have good parents.  My needs were not only unmet, they were disdained.  My entire adult life, when I have read this passage, I wonder...what happens to those of us who DID get the snake instead of the fish, and therefore learned that nobody can be trusted?

(Admittedly, I'm seeing this from the eyes of a hurt child, not a good parent.  I would never treat my own children in such a way, and my perspective is totally different when I see this passage as Jesus stated it.  If my kids ask me for something, I'd move heaven and earth if possible to get them what they need.)

On Thursday, I ran into a problem at work.  I needed to run a test on a city water sample, but the sample was nowhere to be found.  I spent about an hour in a walk-in cooler, about the size of an average bedroom, looking for it.  I was frozen, and still without my sample.

On Friday morning, I read this passage, and perhaps foolishly decided to test God.  I told Him I really needed that sample, it was gone, and I was desperate.  Because the sad truth is, even if the sample is missing, if the results aren't in, I am the one in trouble.  

I prayed a ridiculously childish prayer, explaining that really, much more was at stake here than getting these results in on time.  What was really at stake was my ability to trust.  So many painful things have happened over the past few years in ministry, my faith has been shaken to the core.  I needed some evidence that God really does care about me.  I needed God to give me that sample.

The first thing I did when I got to work was to go into the cooler.  I didn't even go to my lab first to get my lab coat.  And sure enough...the sample was still not on the shelf it was supposed to be on.  So I prayed again, and started looking on all the shelves again, even though I had done that several times the night before.  After about 5 minutes, I found the sample, sitting all by itself at the back of a shelf, nowhere near where it was supposed to be.

I was stunned at first, and must have checked the numbers on the label a dozen times to make sure it was really what I was looking for.  Then I knelt down on the freezing concrete and thanked God for His answer.

I didn't realize just how important that answer to a simple prayer was going to be until the weekend, but God surely knew.  

On Sunday evenings I was in the cooler, getting some samples that needed to be set on a digester overnight, so I could run my tests for results due on Monday.  I can't really explain what happened, except that I had some sort of flashback from past abuse.  I had an intense panic attack, then I "forgot" what I had just thought of.  It is strange to say that I can remember forgetting, but I can't remember what I forgot...never mind...I'm confusing myself!

Anyway, whatever that was, it has left me off balance all week long.  And all week, despite the pain and confusion and panic, I have remembered these verses and God's answer to a seemingly meaningless request.  If God would listen to me, and help me when all I needed was to find a lost sample, then He surely knows what is going on now, even when I don't, and He will help me.

At times like this, God's promises can be like sand on the beach.  There is an endless supply, but when I try to grab onto it and hold on to it, it just seems to slip through my fingers.  But I can bury my hand in the sand, and then it is surrounded by it on all sides.  I can't grab God's promises and hold them and make them work how I want them to.  But I can bury myself in them and just wait this out.

About Temptation

Matthew 4:1-11

 Then Jesus was led out into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted there by the Devil. 2 For forty days and forty nights he ate nothing and became very hungry. 3 Then the Devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, change these stones into loaves of bread.” 4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every word of God.’ ” 

5 Then the Devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, 6 and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He orders his angels to protect you. And they will hold you with their hands to keep you from striking your foot on a stone.’ ” 7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘Do not test the Lord your God.’ ” 

8 Next the Devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him the nations of the world and all their glory. 9 “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will only kneel down and worship me.” 10 “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God; serve only him.’ ” 

11 Then the Devil went away, and angels came and cared for Jesus.

Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997, c1996 (electronic ed.) (Mt 4:1). Wheaton: Tyndale House.

Jesus quotes scripture here to resist temptation.  I’ve heard people say that this is the key to resisting temptation.  But in my experience, I can quote scripture but still am tempted, and often give in.  There has to be more than just saying the words.   

I'm sure that the Word of God does have power.  Satan can't stand before the word, the truth.  His lies fall apart, and he is defeated.   But if we are merely quoting scriptures without conviction, just repeating words, then what good does it do?    

Jesus was tempted when He was at His weakest, not His strongest. Satan knows when to attack! But He didn’t give in, didn’t make any excuses or rationalizations to allow Himself to indulge His own desires instead of doing what was right. Jesus had His mind made up.  He was going to do what He knew what His Father's will, no matter how tempted He was.    He wasn't trying to bolster His faith or determination in these quotes.  He was stating an undefeatable truth.   

My problem when I merely quote scriptures when facing temptation is that I'm waivering.  I'm trying to convince myself, as much as I am trying to defeat the enemy.  So even if temptation slacks, it comes right back.   

We have a choice to make.  We can obey, or we can be disobedient, and do what we wish.  Speaking God's word may have some effect, but if we are undecided, it won't help us much in the end.  It isn't a magic formula, guaranteed to make temptation go away.   

The victory doesn't come from quoting God's word at the source of temptation so we won't be faced with the choice any more.  The victory comes from facing the strength of our desires, and surrendering to God's truth despite them.  Then, when we quote God's word, we are not waivering but committed, and the enemy is defeated.

Appearances can be deceiving

^{Luke 6:12-16}

¹² One day soon afterward Jesus went to a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night. ¹³ At daybreak he called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to be apostles. Here are their names:

¹⁴     Simon (he also called him Peter),

Andrew (Peter’s brother),

James,

John,

Philip,

Bartholomew,

¹⁵     Matthew,

Thomas,

James (son of Alphaeus),

Simon (the Zealot),

¹⁶     Judas (son of James),

Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).

Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997, c1996 (electronic ed.) (Lk 6:11). Wheaton: Tyndale House.

In my last post, I talked about how important it is for us to pray.  It is how we know what God wants us to do.  Jesus did this, and because of that He always did the right thing.

I was reading the above passage this morning, and a question came to me.  Jesus spent all night praying before choosing which of His followers would become His closest companions, His 12 disciples.  The decision was an important one.  He wanted to make sure He was getting the right men.  He didn't want to chose based on His human perceptions or preferences.  He wanted the men His Father had chosen.

And amazingly, Judas Iscariot was on that list!  This amazes me!

It is so easy to believe that this was a mistake, an error in judgment.  He seemed ok on the surface, but little did anyone know that deep down he had the heart of a traitor.

The thing is, God did know.  And still it is who He had chosen.  Judas as one of the disciples wasn't a mistake.  It was an intentional choice.

Why?  I'm sure I don't know!  Maybe it is because someone had to be in a position to betray Jesus.  But that seems like too simple of an answer.  I really have no idea why God chose Judas, or how terribly hurt Jesus must have been when this man whom He loved and trusted turned on Him.

One thing I do know from this.  Appearances can be deceiving.  They were certainly deceiving when Jesus was choosing His disciples.  Most of us would have picked natural leaders, important people with good reputations, not tax collectors and fishermen.

But appearances can also be deceiving when we are looking back on events and second guessing ourselves.  If I were Jesus, I'd have wondered if I misunderstood what God wanted, if I made the wrong choice.  

I have a long history of second guessing myself.  I don't really doubt God, I do doubt my ability to correctly hear His word and follow His will.  I do my best but I feel so insecure, and when things go badly I'm convinced I blew it yet again.

But maybe...just maybe...in some of those situations, I got it right.  God doesn't always lead us in the direction that is the easiest.  He doesn't always put us in a place where everything turns out rosy and life is a breeze.  Too often, the right thing is hard, and it can even lead to pain.  

I have to remember not to judge by appearances.  

Our Need for Time with God

^{Mark 1:35-39}

³⁵ The next morning Jesus awoke long before daybreak and went out alone into the wilderness to pray. ³⁶ Later Simon and the others went out to find him. ³⁷ They said, “Everyone is asking for you.”

³⁸ But he replied, “We must go on to other towns as well, and I will preach to them, too, because that is why I came.” ³⁹ So he traveled throughout the region of Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and expelling demons from many people.

Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997, c1996 (electronic ed.) (Mk 1:34). Wheaton: Tyndale House.

Jesus was a busy man.  The day before this passage took place, Jesus had taught at the Synagogue, and then cast a demon out of a possessed man.  After that, he went to Simon and Andrew’s house.  Simon’s mother was ill, so Jesus healed her.  Then after sunset, many people showed up at the house seeking healing and freedom from demons.  Jesus must have spent much of that night ministering to the needs of the crowds that came looking for help and hope.

  He must have been exhausted.  Surely he had a good excuse to sleep in a bit.  But instead, Jesus was up early the next morning, seeking out some solitude.  He needed some quiet time to talk to His Father.

  It was vital, because there were so many people making so many demands on Him.  It would have been so easy to do what the crowds expected – demanded.  They wanted to be healed.  They wanted to see miracles.  They had His agenda all planned out, and it revolved around them and their desires.

  But Jesus had different priorities.  It is true that He came to minister to humanity, so these needs all around Him were important.  But He had limited time.  It would have been easy to give in to the demands all around Him, but He knew that He had a mission to accomplish, and that meant doing His Father’s will, not the will of the crowds.

  In the busyness of life, God’s voice is hard to hear.  With all the activity and all the demands around Him, Jesus needed to go to the wilderness, to pray.  Because of that, He knew that instead of giving in when the disciples said “Everyone is asking for you, “ He knew that it was time to move on to the next town.

  Nobody in history has had a closer relationship with God than His own Son, Jesus.  He knew the heart and mind of His Father, yet even He needed to get away from the noise and chaos of life’s daily demands, to communicate with His Father. 

  If Jesus needed that, how much more do WE need that? 

Be strong and courageous!

Joshua 1:1-9

After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, ² “Now that my servant Moses is dead, you must lead my people across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. ³ I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Everywhere you go, you will be on land I have given you—⁴ from the Negev Desert in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River on the east to the Mediterranean Sea on the west, and all the land of the Hittites.’ ⁵ No one will be able to stand their ground against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.

⁶ “Be strong and courageous, for you will lead my people to possess all the

land I swore to give their ancestors. ⁷ Be strong and very courageous. Obey all the laws Moses gave you. Do not turn away from them, and you will be successful in everything you do. ⁸ Study this Book of the Law continually. Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it. Only then will you succeed. ⁹ I command you—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997, c1996 (electronic ed.) (Jos 1:1). Wheaton: Tyndale House

In the first chapter of the book of Joshua, God tells Joshua to "be strong and courageous" twice, and once He tells him to "be strong and VERY courageous."  Why the repitition?

Joshua was in a situation that must have felt completely overwhelming.  The Israelites had been wandering in the desert for 40 years, and their leader Moses had just died.  

Joshua was to take over for Moses, and that in itself must have been a frightening prospect.  Over the years he saw the people turn on Moses whenever things didn't go their way.  If that happened to him, surely it would happen to poor Joshua as well.k 

But the task that God had for him was completely over the top.  He was to lead these stubborn, grumpy former slaves into the land that God has promised them.  In order to take possession, they were going to have to go to war against trained soldier, huge armies, and people who were, according to the scouts who checked out the land years ago, "giants."  The odds were completely against them.

But God was emphatic.  Joshua needed to be strong and courageous, not because he was arrogant or strong or wise.  He was to be strong and courageous, because he was about to carry out God's orders.  God wanted it done.  He promised it would happen.  Yes, things didn't look good at first glance, their foes were very intimidating.  But they weren't fighting Joshua and the Israelites.  They were up against God!  The victory was not even in question when you looked at it through the eyes of faith.

God had some specific advice on how to conquer the fear that surely went with this situation.  He was to:

1.  Remember that God was going to be with him - always!  God will not abandon him, no matter what.

2.  Obey God's commands.  He was to study God's word, think about it, and make it the foundation for his decisions and actions.

Both of these things were vital.  They are vital to us today, as well.  

We face problems on a regular basis.  Stress is our constant companion.  How do we cope?  How do we go on, when daily life feels overwhelming?

We can have hope, if we remember that God is more than just a concept.  He can be our daily companion.  The main point of God's message to Joshua is that He cared about what was going on.  He cares about us and our problems and challenges as well.

If we will let God's principles be our guide, if we will take our problems to Him in prayer, He can help us face them.  He can help us to do the impossible, because He is with us.  So be strong and very courageous!  You are not in this by yourself!