The Promises of God…

There are hundreds, if not thousands of promises given to us in God’s word. Here are a few of those He has given to me over the years:

Given after realizing that the music ministry was not my calling, Joshua 1:9: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

Given when the Lord placed me in charge of the ushering and counseling ministry for the Maranatha! Concerts, Proverbs 22:19-21: “So that your trust may be in the LORD; I have instructed you today, even you. Have I not written to you excellent things Of counsels and knowledge, That I may make you know the certainty of the words of truth, That you may answer words of truth To those who send to you?”

Given upon entering the full time ministry in 1979, Psalms 91:14-15: “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.”

Given for my daughters (unknown to me, the same promise was given to my wife for my daughters exactly 10 years earlier), Isaiah 44:3: “For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, And floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, And My blessing on your offspring.”

Given while praying about re-entering the full time ministry, Hebrews 6:10, 15: “For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister…And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.” (Within a year, I would be back in the full time ministry).

Given after discovering a lump in my groin, Job 5:26-27, 16:22: “You shall come to the grave at a full age, As a sheaf of grain ripens in its season. Behold, this we have searched out;It is true. Hear it, and know for yourself…For when a few years are finished, I shall go the way of no return.” (The lump proved to be benign).

Given just before starting our new building addition, Isaiah 54:2-3: “Enlarge the place of your tent, And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not spare; Lengthen your cords, And strengthen your stakes. For you shall expand to the right and to the left, And your descendants will inherit the nations, And make the desolate cities inhabited.” (Within two months of starting construction on our addition, we bought the property to the right of us – we are praying for the property to out left – and believing God to provide).

These are just a few of the more that 50 personal promises given to me over the last 34 years.

I like to write the date next to the promise given to me by the Lord in the Word. Honestly, there was a time in my life when I was so discouraged that I erased out all the promises He had give me over the years. And yet, so far, He has fulfilled all that He has promised; and His past performance is always a guarantee of His future performance.

We would like to hear from you regarding some of the promises He has given you from the word…

A Word about Hope from Charles Spurgeon:

Psalm 119:49, “Remember the word unto Thy servant, upon which Thou hast caused me to hope.”

Whatever your especial need may be, you may readily find some promise in the Bible suited to it.

Are you faint and feeble because your way is rough and you are weary? Here is the promise-"He giveth power to the faint." When you read such a promise, take it back to the great Promiser, and ask Him to fulfil His own word.

Are you seeking after Christ, and thirsting for closer communion with Him? This promise shines like a star upon you - "Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled." Take that promise to the throne continually; do not plead anything else, but go to God over and over again with this - "Lord, Thou hast said it, do as Thou hast said."

Are you distressed because of sin, and burdened with the heavy load of your iniquities? Listen to these words - "I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions, and will no more remember thy sins." You have no merit of your own to plead why He should pardon you, but plead His written engagements and He will perform them.

Are you afraid lest you should not be able to hold on to the end, lest, after having thought yourself a child of God, you should prove a castaway? If that is your state, take this word of grace to the throne and plead it: "The mountains may depart, and the hills may be removed, but the covenant of My love shall not depart from thee."

If you have lost the sweet sense of the Saviour's presence, and are seeking Him with a sorrowful heart, remember the promises: "Return unto Me, and I will return unto you;" "For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee."

Banquet your faith upon God's own word, and whatever your fears or wants, repair to the Bank of Faith with your Father's note of hand, saying, "Remember the word unto Thy servant, upon which Thou hast caused me to hope."

The Real Source of Attack…

“But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!” (Galatians 5:15).

Why is it that Christians attack each other?

IMHO, there are a few reasons:

One reason Christians attach each other is because they feel that they have been hurt and that hurt justifies their attack. This is really a form of self-centeredness, pride, and a lack of faith.

First, self feels a right to react, to strike back at those who we feel have wronged us. After all, they deserve it.

Second, we feel that we are (in a sense) acting as God’s agent in executing punishment; we are His instrument of righteousness. This is nothing more than pride, plain and simple. While it is true that God does indeed use men to accomplish His work, His word is clear: “‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.” (Hebrews 10:30). Vengeance is the prerogative of God alone. Still, there is something within us that feels the need to right every wrong. Just who’s standard of right a wrong is in question here.

Third, when Christians attack one another it is a lack of faith. The Word clearly spells out what is to be the conduct and attitude of the believer:

Matthew 5:43-48, “You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” The problem is we like to hate our enemies and love those who love us. When was the last time you told your enemies that you loved him and that you were praying for him? The truth is that we would like to see him die a slow and painful death.

Hebrews 10:34, “for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven.” We place an inordinate value on stuff; and we don’t like people messing with our stuff. So we lock it up behind closed doors. When someone takes our stuff, we get angry. Have you ever heard of anyone joyfully accepting the plundering of their goods?

1 Corinthians 6:7-8, “Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong ? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren!” Now this is a big one – should Christians sue one another? Well, from the perspective of the Apostle, there should be at least someone in the Christian community that can provide a wise answer that will satisfy the parties involved. It is a shame and an indictment that all too often there is not.

Now none of this means that wrongs should not be righted or that we should leave our homes unlocked or that there is never an acceptable time to go to a court of law. (We do have an habit of going to extremes, don’t we?). But what it does mean is that we should behave like Christians.

Before we lash out, perhaps we should consider the example of God:

The desired result of the longsuffering of God towards men is salvation, Romans 2:4, “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering , not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?”

Your salvation is a direct result of the longsuffering of God, II Peter 3:15, “and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation.”

It was the wicked servant who, after having been forgiven an immeasurable debt, went out and had his fellow servant cast into prison for $25. (Matthew 18, The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant). Perhaps we should consider what we have been forgiven before we demand our due from others?

What is longsuffering?

The Greek word makrothumia (mak-roth-oo-mee'-ah) means, forbearance, patience, longsuffering (makros, long, thumos, temper).

God has demonstrated His longsuffering in history. He God kept back the flood 120 years while Noah built the ark; also Jonah cried to Ninevea, “40 days and then destruction..”, yet they repented and put off the judgment of God for 100 years.

The Christian is to seek to model the longsuffering of God:

Colossians 3:12, “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering.” This means that we must make the decision to be longsuffering.

I Corinthians 13:7, Love, “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” Love endures all things…

Ephesians 4:1-3, “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Here longsuffering is associated with humility. Pride hinders our ability to be longsuffering; only when we are willing to humble ourselves can we begin to be longsuffering.

How can I be longsuffering?

Well, there is good news and there is bad news. The bad news is, you can’t. It is not within our abilities, try as we might, to be longsuffering. The flesh demands it’s due, and the flesh dies hard.

However, the good news is that God has made a way for longsuffering to grow in our lives, by His Spirit:

Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering , kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”

Colossians 1:11, “strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy.”

If, and I mean if, we are to cease from biting and devouring one another, then we must surrender the hurts and wrongs of the past, forgiving one another, and allowing God to right the wrongs of the past. We must place into the hands of God those who have wronged us and leave their fate in His hands. Like it or not, He loves them and died for their sins as well. And just as with us, He is longsuffering towards them because He loves them.

There is within Christianity entirely too much fighting with one another. Historically, the most successful attacks against the Christian faith have come from within, not without, the church. The result is that we have divided ourselves, and have been a bad witness to the world.

So what is the real source of attack?

Jesus identified the true source of attack as Satan:

John 8:44, “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” Interesting that here Jesus is speaking to the religious who were attempting to justify their behavior through the twisting of the command (Law) of God.

Paul warns us not to be ignorant of Satan’s methods, II Corinthians 2:10-11, “Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.” Interesting that here the apostle links forgiveness with an awareness of Satan’s devices. Clearly one method Satan used to trap Christians is unforgiveness. When we refuse to forgive one another, we have fallen into one of Satan’s devices. The real danger is a contaminating of our lives with bitterness, Hebrews 12:15, “looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.” Bitterness towards those who have wronged us will eventually poison everyone of our relationships, given enough time.

I have said it before: If the Devil keeps us fighting among ourselves, then he has won and Christ has lost.

How then can we overcome the real source of attack?

“…For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” (I John 3:8). Jesus has overcome the enemy; we overcome in Him, I John 5:4: “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith.” Only our faith in Jesus, allowing the work of His Spirit in our lives, can we overcome the real source of attack and stop attacking each other.

The Practice of Tattooing

The subject of tattooing came up at youth group last night and I was asked what I thought. Well, I thought that it would make a good subject for a blog, so here goes:

Lev 19:27-28: “You shall not shave around the sides of your head, nor shall you disfigure the edges of your beard. You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the LORD.”

Adam Clarke's Commentary:

It was a very ancient and a very general custom to carry marks on the body in honour of the object of their worship. All the castes of the Hindus bear on their foreheads or elsewhere what are called the sectarian marks, which distinguish them, not only in a civil but also in a religious point of view, from each other.

Most of the barbarous nations lately discovered have their faces, arms, breasts, etc., curiously carved or tatooed, probably for superstitious purposes. Ancient writers abound with accounts of marks made on the face, arms, etc., in honour of different idols; and to this the inspired penman alludes, Rev 13:16-17; 14:9,11; 15:2; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4, where false worshippers are represented as receiving in their hands and in their forehead the marks of the beast. These were called stigmata among the Greeks, and to these Paul refers when he says, I bear about in my body the MARKS (stigmata) of the Lord Jesus; Gal 6:17. I have seen several cases where persons have got the figure of the cross, the virgin Mary, etc., made on their arms, breasts, etc., the skin being first punctured, and then a blue colouring matter rubbed in, which is never afterward effaced. All these were done for superstitious purposes, and to such things probably the prohibition in this verse refers. Calmet, on this verse, gives several examples.

Barnes' Notes:

Tattooing was probably practiced in ancient Egypt, as it is now by the lower classes of the modern Egyptians, and was connected with superstitious notions. Any voluntary disfigurement of the person was in itself an outrage upon God's workmanship, and might well form the subject of a law.

Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary:

…by tatooing; imprinting figures of flowers, leaves, stars, and other fanciful devices on various parts of their person. The impression was made sometimes by means of a hot iron, sometimes by ink or paint, as is done by the Arab females of the present day, and the different castes of the Hindus. It is probable, from the association of Lev 19:29, that a strong propensity to adopt such marks in honour of some idol gave occasion to the prohibition in this verse; and they were wisely forbidden, for they were signs of apostasy, and, when once made, were insuperable obstacles to a return. (See allusions to the practice, Isa 44:5; Rev 13:17; 14:1.)

Keil and Delitzsch Commentary:

It cannot be inferred from the words of Plutarch, quoted by Spencer, that the heathen associated with this custom the idea of making an expiation to the dead. The prohibition of writing corroded or branded, i.e., of tattooing-a custom not only very common among the savage tribes, but still met with in Arabia and in Egypt among both men and women of the lower orders - had no reference to idolatrous usages, but was intended to inculcate upon the Israelites a proper reverence for God's creation.

David Guizk Commentary:

To shave around the sides of your head or to disfigure the edges of your beard was to imitate pagan customs of that day; today, Jewish orthodox men are conspicuous by their untrimmed beards and long, curly locks on the sides of their heads. Cuttings in the flesh for the dead and tattoos were also pagan practices God wanted Israel to separate from. The trimming of the hair, the beard, cutting, and tattoos were all connected with pagan rites of mourning.

Part of this message to us today is that what our culture thinks and how they perceive things is important. If some clothing or jewelry or body decoration would associate us with the pagan world, it should not be done. This is a difficult line to draw, because the standards of culture are always changing. Some modern examples of changing standards are hair length and earrings for men. In Paul’s day, in the city of Corinth, only prostitutes went around without a head covering - so it was right for the Christian women of Corinth to wear veils, though not required to by the letter of the law (1 Corinthians 11:5-6).

Thoughts by Randall Slack:

There is no prohibition against tattooing in the NT – no mention if the practice whatsoever. Usually it is associated with Leviticus 19:27-28. However, we must remember that the Law was never given o Gentiles; rather it was given to the Jews to mark them distinct from the other nations.

The passage of Scripture usually associated with tattooing is I Corinthians 3:16-17: “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.”

Now if we are going to use this as a object text for tattooing, then we cannot limit it to tattooing alone. If indeed the body is the temple of God (and it is), then we must be concerned with all things that possibly defile that temple, such as (but not limited to):

Oral Hygiene (caring for your teeth)

Personal Hygiene (caring for you body)

Personal Indulgence (obesity, smoking, drinking, lack of exercise, elicit sexual behavior exposing one’s self to STD’s, etc.)

Sexuality (elicit through the avenue of the media, i.e., television, movies, magazines, advertising, internet, etc.)

This is just a short list of possibilities suggested by this interpretation of I Corinthians 3:16-17. However, the context suggests building our lives with the correct materials. Warren Wiersbe writes: “It is a serious thing to be a part of the building of God's temple. First Corinthians 3:16-17 warn us that, if we destroy (‘defile’) God's temple by using cheap materials, God will destroy us! This does not mean eternal condemnation, of course, because 1 Cor 3:15 assures us that each worker will be saved, even if he loses a reward. I think Paul is saying that each of us builds into the church what we build into our own lives.”

In this passage there is no mention of the physical man or his appearance, but rather of the spiritual man and how he is being built up in the Lord. I have found that those who are offended at tattoos or pierced ears on men, usually compromise in some other area of their lives (anyone of the above listed). And usually they are forcing their dislikes off on others as a legalistic standard, thus adding works to faith – clearly violating the orthodox teaching of salvation by faith alone (Sola fide) through grace alone (Sola gratia).

Now does this mean that we are free to do as we please with our bodies? No it does not, as Paul writes: “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.”(I Corinthians 6:20). Since we are not our own we should seek to glorify God with our bodies, i.e., with our lives we live for Him. It is interesting that those who promote Christian tattooing use this passage of scripture to justify the practice.

When I first got saved, the big Scripture used against us was I Corinthians 11:14: “Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him?” The KJV reads, “Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?” Notice that it is a shame, not a sin. Nowadays I look in the mirror and say, “What a shame.”

For me, I would not get a tattoo or earrings; that’s just not me. However, I will never refuse to proclaim the Gospel to one who has a tattoo or earrings or is overweight, or has bad teeth or doesn’t bathe regularly, of has long hair or no hair or…you get my point.

What a pity that the Devil often gets Christian’s so busy fighting over non-essential issues to the point where we forget about reaching others for Christ. Then he has won and Christ has lost.

Victory…

My breakthrough came in 1997. I had left the full time ministry some 18 years earlier, having been discouraged by a failed pastorate. We were lied to, lied about, abused, mistreated – you name it, it happened to us. I was so discouraged, I returned to secular industry for 20 years, only to fall deeper and deeper into depression. My anger at being disappointed poisoned my relationship with my daughters and drove them from me and from Christ.

In 1997 I told the Lord, “If you give me back my daughters, I’ll surrender my life to your will.” He responded in my heart, “Surrender to My will for your life and trust Me for your daughters.” Shortly thereafter, I called both my daughters and asked them to forgive me; thankfully, they both did.

We began the search for a church and in September 2000 accepted a pastorate here in Oklahoma. In November 2000, my father-in-law died and I did the funeral. After the funeral, Rachel (my first borne) asked to talk to me later that evening. We did talk and two weeks later she began attending church in Austin, recommitting her life to Jesus.

She wrote an email to her friends telling them of her decision to return to the faith of her childhood. She said that the major breakthrough for her was in seeing the love of God in her father – that he (I) was no longer angry, but that now he (I) was filled with the love of God.

She sent me a copy of the email and I cried, realizing that God had begun His work in my life, answering my prayer to trust Him for my daughters. What I didn’t realize was that at the same time I was trusting Him for His work in my life.

Victory had begun in my life, by the grace of God and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Because I had submitted to His plan and purpose for my life, my depression diminished almost completely. I still suffer from periods of depression, but I can tell you that it is mostly from a lack of trust. Now you might think that a lack of trust is not something pastors struggle with; but you would be wrong. I would venture to suggest that all pastors, from time to time, suffer from the same.

God is faithful; we have every reason to trust Him and no reason to doubt Him. He has proven His faithfulness in my life over and over again. I am grateful that His work in my life is not dependent upon my faithfulness, but rather it is dependent upon His faithfulness; and He is faithful.

I’ve still got a long way to go. I’m not who I’m supposed to be, and I’m not yet what I’m going to be, but by the grace of God I’m not who I used to be. And I, like Paul, “…press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14).

Anger 3

So, if the posts on anger have spoke to you, let us know. We would love to hear your story...

Anger 2…

If we are honest, most of us would admit to being angry at one time or another. If we are even more honest, most of us would admit to having a problem with anger.

There are some things about anger we need to know.

First, anger is a choice. We choose to get angry. It is not the result of DNA makeup, or heredity, or upbringing; anger is a choice – we choose to get angry. No one “makes us angry.”

Second, anger is a struggle between the flesh and the Spirit. Galatians 5:17: “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.” There is within the Christian, a constant war for dominance between the flesh and the Spirit. Our old nature was sufficiently dealt with upon receiving Jesus as Saviour, “knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.” (Romans 6:6). The old nature is our old selves, as we were in and from Adam. He represents the lusts, desires, and ambitions; that part of us that sought to satisfy only self, our sin nature. For the believer the old nature was crucified with Christ. The things that once attracted us, we now find no interest in at all. Instead of seeking to satisfy our sinful desires, we now have the desire to seek the things of the Spirit. The things of the old nature are no longer our motivation; now the desire of our hearts is to know and to please God. The body of sin has been done away with, gr., karatageo, to reduce to inactivity, to render useless, to put out of business. God has dealt with sin at it’s source, Matthew 15:18-19: “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.” Knowing this helps us understand that we are no longer to be slaves to our old nature, “For sin shall not have dominion over you…” (Romans 6:14). Just as we were in Adam when he sinned, so the believer is in Christ and we now identify with Him. When he died, we died with Him. When He arose, we arose with Him. He is seated in the heavenlies, so we are seated with Him in the heavenlies (Ephesians 3:1). Because of our living union with Christ we now have totally new relationship to sin – no longer under sins dominion, Romans 6:17-18: “But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”

Now it is important not to confuse our old nature with the flesh. While our old nature has been put out of business, we still have to deal with our flesh and it’s desires. The flesh is a very powerful force – just go on a diet and see how powerful the desires of the flesh are! The flesh is enmity with God, Romans 8:7: “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.” The believer is to deny and to crucify the flesh and it’s desires, Luke 9:23: “…If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me;” and Galatians 5:24: “And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

How is this accomplished? No amount of effort on our part can put to death the deeds of the flesh. Jesus said, “…without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). Anger is a product of our giving in to the desires of the flesh. No amount of willpower, desire, or effort on our part can overcome the desires of the flesh, including anger. I believe that Paul suffered from anger issues as well. In the book of Acts, Luke writes of a disagreement between Paul and Barnabus over whether John Mark should travel with them. Luke records: “Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus; but Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of God.” (Acts 15:39-40). The disagreement was so sharp that they divided and separated, each going their own way.

Paul wrote of his struggle with the flesh in Romans 7:15: “For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.” I appreciate Paul’s honesty as it encourages me in my struggle with anger. If Paul could struggle, each and everyone of us could (and do) struggle as well. However, Paul went on to write of the key to victory over the struggle of the flesh (and anger): “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.“ (Romans 8:13). It is the Holy Spirit that gives us victory over the flesh, and in turn, over our struggle with anger.

If you are like me, you have come a long way. Most of the time now, when I get angry, I get quiet. However, sometimes, I still have outbursts. I am not proud of this, but I am being honest. I still have areas to give over to the Spirit. I have the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish this: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13). And I have the ongoing work of the Spirit in my life, “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6).

Victory over the things of the flesh (and anger) is the work of the Spirit in our lives, Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” Victory is mine, not as I struggle in the flesh, but rather, as I submit to the work of the Spirit in my life.

The work of the Spirit in conforming us into the image of Jesus began the moment we believed. Having begun that good work, He will continue that work until we die or until Jesus comes again, Philippians 3:12-14: “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Holy Spirit, continue you work in our lives. Make us more and more like Jesus as you transform us into His image. May we cease wholly from our own efforts and willingly submit to Your work in our lives, bringing forth the fruit of the Spirit, which is love. In Jesus Name…

Anger

I have been encouraged by two new friends (el, maryb) to write on the subject of anger. I feel that I am qualified as, much to my shame, I have struggled with anger for most of my life.

I grew up in a home full of violence and anger. Family holidays were times of arguing and fighting – we put the “D” in dysfunctional. So, anger became a learned trait for me. I dealt with every issue, every problem, every issue with anger.

Coming to know Jesus as Saviour, I soon learned that anger was something that I would struggle with even as a Christian. The shame I felt was, at times, overwhelming. How could God use me? How could this work together for my good?

I have found that anger stems from at least two issues: Un-forgiveness and disappointment.

Un-forgiveness:

When you hold onto anger, you run the risk of a root of bitterness chocking out the grace of God in your life. You find yourself angry, not only at the one who wronged you, but also at those you love. You take your anger out on those around you, poisoning them with your bitterness in the process. The most ridiculous things can set you off; spilled milk (literally!); traffic (why do all these idiots need to be on the road and in my way?); anything and everything can and will set you off. The result is that you will soon find yourself alone.

There is a sick pleasure in holding on to un-forgiveness; after all, they have hurt or wronged you and therefore deserve your contempt and anger. Un-forgiveness stems from a lack of understanding the depth of forgiveness God has towards you.

Jesus in the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, tells the story of a man who was forgiven an immeasurable debt only to refuse to forgive one who owed him $25. The result? “Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?' And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. ‘So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.’” (Matthew 18:32-35, NKJV). I do believe that only those who have been forgiven can truly forgive; therefore if you cannot (or will not) forgive others, you must ask yourself, “Am I really saved?”

The problem is that there are those who call themselves Christians who deny major parts of the Bible they disagree with – those parts that threaten their desire to hold grudges or harbor hates or bitterness. Now, how can one call themselves a Christian and harbor these feelings? There are those who say they have forgiven others, yet they refuse to forget the sin against them. You cannot forgive without forgetting. Jeremiah writes of the forgiveness that God gives to those who seek his forgiveness: “For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” (Jeremiah 31:34, NKJV).

So how do you forgive others? Only by realizing the depth of sin that God has forgiven you. David refused to forgive his son, Absalom, for the murder of his other son Amnon (who had raped Absalom’s sister, Tamar. David allowed Absalom to return to Jerusalem, but refused to allow him to see him, failing to forgive Absalom; the result was the rebellion of Absalom against David and the ultimate death of Absalom. Had David realized the depth of sin the Lord had forgiven him, he would have had no trouble forgiving Absalom. We must allow the Spirit to convince us of the immeasurable debt we have been forgiven; then, and only then, will we be able to forgive others.

Disappointment:

Disappointment can, and often does, lead to anger issues. There are many disappointments in life, even in the life of the Christian. There are things that our heavenly Father knows that we should not have in life. In His love, he has denied us these things, knowing that they can hinder us in our relationship with Him.

Disappointment comes from a variety of sources; people fail us; people lie to us; people make promises they cannot keep. When they fail (and they do) our disappointment turns to anger because we fail to see that God is behind the disappointment, either purposing it or permitting it, as always for our good.

How can we overcome anger due to disappointment? Only by realizing that God has allowed it for reasons He may or may not allow us to understand in this life. Paul wrote, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (II Corinthians 4:17-18, NKJV). We must learn to see the invisible God who is always working behind the scenes on our behalf for our good. Until we see that, we will never overcome disappointment.

Finally, we must realize that God is always more concerned with how we handle the hurt than who has hurt us. God will deal with those who have hurt us; we need to leave them to Him. If we fail to properly handle the hurt that comes upon us, it will destroy us and all those around us.

“‘Be angry, and do not sin’: do not let the sun go down on your wrath.” (Ephesians 4:26, NKJV). Not all anger is bad; Jesus overturned the moneychangers tables in anger.

I got the anger part down; however, the “do not sin” part is what I still struggle with.

We need to deal with our disappointment before the sun goes down, not hanging on to it until it consumes us.

We must give it to God and trust Him to bring His plan and purpose for our lives to pass in His time. Either all things are working together for us or they are not. Our actions and attitudes are shaped by our answer to that question.

A death in the family…

Monday, April 7, 2008, my mother-in-law, Lois passed into eternity. I first met Lois when my (now) wife took me home to meet my future in-laws. Lois was always kind to me. My father-in-law, however was less than impressed. (He told the men at work that he was getting a hippie for a son-in-law. However, in time I won him over and we became friends. I even had the pleasure of conducting his funeral in 2000 when he went to be with the Lord).

Lois is a big reason why we are in the ministry in Oklahoma. Her financial assistance enabled us to afford living here. She quickly adopted the church family (and they adopted her too). Whenever she heard about a need, she would give them the money without their knowing that she provided it. She did not have a lot, but she freely gave without expecting anything in return. After the death of her husband, she came to live with us in Oklahoma. It was not always easy, especially as her health began to fail. Yet, we considered it a privilege to take care of her. One of the hardest things I ever did was to take her car keys away from her. Watching her lose her independence was very difficult for us and for her. In the end, she was bed ridden, unable to walk or care for herself in any way. I had the privilege of being there with her and holding her hand as she went to be with Jesus.

Thanks, Lois, for always being there. Thank you father for allowing us to be a part of Lois’s life.