Rain

It's raining tonight. And it's cold outside. Sounds dreary, doesn't it? I went out in it for a few minutes to go to the library and print the revised syllabus for my political science class, and came back so much happier. My roommate thinks I'm a bit nutty for liking the rain so much (not to worry; I'm sure I'm the saner of the two of us). But as I reflect on the oddness of my reaction I'm realizing that it isn't the rain that I love—it's the reminder that God's in control. The rain matched the tone of my internal struggles when I started out, and realizing that made me recognize again how temporary, how minor the trials of life are. 

Sometimes we need a little discomfort just to clear our muddled mortal minds and remind us that our God is greater than our misfortunes. We need to be jolted out of our complacency; we need to remember that trials are indications of God's care for us. Those he loves he disciplines. (And sometimes the tiniest bit of physical discomfort makes more of an impression than weeks of mental anguish.)

There was a time when I liked the wind and the cold and the rain for a very different reason. I liked it in a desperate, slightly poetic way because it made me feel less torn apart. I liked it the same way sad people like sad songs, and for the same reason cutters cut themselves. After I gained a greater understanding of God and his glory that terrible period of my life ended. Oddly enough, after that I had much less tolerance for cold. And those sad songs—they are hard to listen to. I know how so many people still hear them: trying to fill emptiness with more emptiness, and trying to find comfort in sympathy instead of truth.

But every now and again the cold and rain remind me that I'm not cold and empty inside. Nor am I lonely. I have an awesome God, and the rain can pour down, the wind can blow—I am safe, and there's so much joy I have in Him that I can laugh at my problems and rejoice in His power no matter what I face! "I can do all things though Christ who strengthens me." I am overflowing with so much joy that I can barely contain it. It's not because I love the cold and rain in themselves, but because I see God's glory reflected in them. And they bring me back to His word, because it is only through Scripture that I understand God's sovereignty, love, and mercy, and glory.

I used to write poetry when I was especially sad. When I stopped being sad I stopped writing almost completely. I no longer need to write in order to cope with life. My journal has disappeared somewhere at the bottom of a stack of books. For a long time now I've wished I could begin again and communicate joy instead of sadness, but I have not known the words. Tonight I'm beginning to find them.

The LORD is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise him,
my father's God, and I will exalt him.

~ Exodus 15:2

How do we know God's will?

I cannot find an online article on this subject which is complete and clear enough for my taste, so I'll have to write one myself. If you're up for reading a book I can recommend "The Christian's Guide to Guidance" by Dr. Jay E. Adams. In lieu of that (though this is not a replacement for or even a summary of that book) here are my thoughts on guidance—

Let's make sure we know what we are talking about. What is the will of God?

If you are struggling with sin—say you are tempted to lie—you already know what God's will is. God commands us not to bear false witness (Exodus 20). He has clearly informed us of his will in this situation, and we are to obey. God's will is that which he has commanded us to do in his word. (If you question this then I must refer you to a good article on the authority of Scripture—inspiration, inerrancy. I'll update this to include links to such.) But is there more to this question than observing the clear commands of Scripture? Consider Joseph's brothers. Was it God's will that they sell Joseph into slavery? Surely not, if obedience to what God commands is the measure! What they did was wrong. And yet Joseph tells them not to fear his anger because, though they had intended to do harm, God had intended their actions for good, "to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives" (Genesis 50:20). And beyond this second aspect there can be even more confusion...because frequently there is no sin involved in either path we choose—even when we are faced with potentially life changing decisions! Choice of college, major, job, and so on. How are we to know God's will in such cases?

Perhaps it is clear from the above that we have been using the word "will" in two different ways. Recognizing that will get rid of a good bit of confusion! The conventional terms to distinguish between the different meanings are "revealed will" and "secret will." God's revealed will is the only one which we can know about beforehand, and the only one which we are responsible to understand and follow. The second, his secret will, is what Joseph was talking about when he told his brothers that God intended their actions for good. Nothing that happens is outside of God's secret will. Nothing we do can mess it up! "[My word] will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it" (Isaiah 55:11).

Now that is clear we can look at how we should handle our major (or not-so-major) life decisions.

God's secret will should not concern us—it will be fulfilled. It is not our responsibility to figure out how. Instead, we should be guided by God's revealed will. We should not be guided by our feelings; they are only helpful as far as they are based on a solid overall understanding of God's word—otherwise they are more likely to lead us into sin than anything else. We should not be guided circumstantially by "open doors," (or closed ones). Who is to say whether a closed door is a sign that we should stop trying or a difficulty we should attempt to prayerfully overcome? Perhaps we should even have the wisdom to turn away from an open door from time to time.

If we are to be guided only by God's revealed will, and if we understand that God has revealed his will to us only in the Bible, those tough decisions become a little easier. One can evaluate decisions first by the obvious: are any of the options contrary to what God commands? These should be eliminated. Then there are more subtle judgments to be made. How would your choice affect those around you, and those you are responsible for? It is your responsibility to live your life in a way which builds others up in their faith and does not tear them down. (Romans 14:13-23)  How would your choice affect your ability to glorify God? Your decisions should always be guided by this concern above all. Other questions could be asked, but that is the essence. Look at it in light of Matthew 22:36-40, where Jesus was asked, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" He replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Pray for wisdom in understanding and applying God's word to your life—it is the only way you can know God's will. So study it! And seek the advice of godly men and woman.

Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. (Proverbs 15:22)

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. (James 1:5)

Busy days!

It is difficult to find time to write, but that is partly because I have not acquired the habit of doing so. When I have free time I do not think "I could go write something!" No. That thought comes when I understand something important or think of something worthwhile and wish ever so much that I were not the only person to benefit from my breakthrough. It frustrates me, the fact that each person must figure life out on their own in so many cases. Even though I know God knows what each person needs to endure, my automatic reaction is still to wish...well; surely for someone else to have to endure the same thing as I did is inefficient! Or such is my thought-process at times. But if I did something about that my energy would be diverted from near-doubting God's plan to attempting to serve as a part of it, however incompetently.

But that's as may be. The fact is that I think of writing at times when I cannot spare the time, or do not have much of interest to say. That's a bad habit which a little concentrated effort may break. If thing are busy that is one thing—but I intend to write here periodically even if I don't have a great deal to say (as today), in hopes that it will serve as an ice-breaker of sorts between the Blog and me.

20 Ways To Maintain A Healthy Level Of Insanity.

[A collection I received  via email and found entertaining enough to keep.]

1. At lunch time, sit in your parked car with sunglasses on and point a hair dryer at passing cars. See if they slow down.

2. Page yourself over the intercom. Don't disguise your voice.

3. Every time someone asks you to do something, ask if they want fries with that.

4. Put your garbage can on your desk and label it "in."

5. Put decaf in the coffee maker for 3 weeks. Once everyone has gotten over their caffeine addictions, switch to espresso.

6. In the memo field of all your checks, write "for smuggling diamonds"

7. Finish all your sentences with "in accordance with the prophecy."

8. Don't use any punctuation at all

9. As often as possible, skip rather than walk.

10. Whenever you go out to eat, order a diet water with a serious face.

11. Specify that your drive-through order is "to go."

12. Sing along at the opera.

13. Go to a poetry recital and ask why the poems don't rhyme.

14. Put mosquito netting around your work area and play tropical sounds all day.

15. Five days in advance, tell your friends you can't attend their party because you're not in the mood.

16. Dip your carrots in ice cream.

17. When the money comes out the ATM, scream "I won!, I won!"

18. When leaving the zoo, start running towards the parking lot, yelling "run for your lives, they're loose!!"

19. Tell your children over dinner. "Due to the economy, we are going to have to let one of you go."

20. And the final way to keep a healthy level of insanity......send this to someone to make them smile. Its called therapy.

Happy Independence Day!

When we sang "America the Beautiful" this morning I first thought, is a patriotic song appropriate in church? It is a song in praise of America, and I would not choose it for a church service myself; in that context it seems to put love of country before love of God. But I realized as we sang that the song is also prayer. A beautiful and very pertinent prayer for our wonderful country in these troubled times.

America the Beautiful

O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed his grace on thee —
And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet, whose stern impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat across the wilderness!
America! America! God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control, thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life!
America! America! May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness, and every gain divine!

O beautiful for glory-tale of liberating strife
When once and twice, for man's avail, men lavished precious life!
America! America! God shed his grace on thee
Till selfish gain no longer stain the banner of the free!

O beautiful for patriot dream that sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam undimmed by human tears!
America! America! God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea!

first thoughts...testing

This is very much just a test post. I need to see what various themes do to the actual text of the blog, and so I'm typing random stuff to fill up space! Testing testing testing... I think that it is easy to spend too much time on the look of a blog, when the focus should be on what is said. And that is a weakness of mine because I love to design. However, a certain amount of care is worthwhile in order to be sure that the blog is presentable and readable. What I've already typed is probably enough to get an idea of these things—therefore I shall end this rather pointless rambling which came unedited from whatever was at the tip of my tongue. Or my fingers.