Category Archives: Christian Living

Walk By The Spirit

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Galatians 5:16, “Walk by the Spirit..”

Paul’s understanding of the Christian life is that it is lived, it can only be lived from, by, and according to the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the fountainhead of Christian worship, ethics, relationships and ministry. Paul asserted that the Spirit alone is entirely sufficient and totally adequate to accomplish God’s purposes in and among His people. He therefore prescribed attitudes, postures, and behaviors toward and with the Spirit – imperatives. The believer has the opportunity (responsibility) to rely on and conform to the influence of the Spirit. This is not striving or laborious. Our part is to choose (say yes), to believe (confidently anticipate and trust in His power and results), and to give thanks.

Walk by the Spirit

The second imperative we will consider (the first one was “be filled”) is Paul’s urging to the Galatian Church that they “walk by the Spirit.” In the letter, Paul has implored the Galatians to live in the freedom Christ has secured for them, free from the obligation (and curse) of the law, and free from the tyranny of the flesh. Neither are life-giving. Both are replaced and displaced by the power of the Spirit.

Walk by the Spirit, Paul says, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. Note here that Paul is describing (prescribing) opposite directions. He is not presenting two parallel tracks – one pristine and other problematic – between which we might hop back and forth on life’s journey. No. He is saying, in effect, if you walk north, you will not walk south. Period.

We need not confabulate what Paul has in mind by “the flesh.” Rather than strictly define “the flesh,” Paul describes its influence in vv. 19-21. Walk by the Spirit and you will not indulge in or engage in any of that kind of stuff. It is worth emphasizing that Paul says, “You will not.” He doesn’t suggest that walking by the Spirit will “aid in your avoidance” or will help you “ease up on this stuff” or even “keep you from doing it as often.” The Spirit’s empowering influence is entirely sufficient to ensure that you will NOT. Wow. Those who seek to comfort the consciences of saints by telling them there’s no real way to live free, but just to do their darndest, might should reconsider Paul’s perspective of the Spirit’s power. That, I think, is the problem. Too many believers struggle on their own, leaning on methods, on accountability partners, or adopting rules to avoid or abstain from certain things, but never becoming free.  Freedom does not, cannot come from doing our darndest. It flows from the empowering, gracious, personal influence of the Holy Spirit of God. Freedom comes as we relax and rely on the Holy Spirit. Paul’s prescription for freedom, for victorious Christian living, is singular: walk by the Holy Spirit.

Walk

This word means “to tread all around.” To walk (present tense) implies the continual actions of everyday life, one’s way of life and manner of living. The whole of our life is to be immersed under the gracious influence of the Spirit. Not only is this Paul’s antidote to the influence of the flesh, but it is a summary of Paul’s view of the whole of Christian life. We live, and therefore walk, by the Spirit (v. 25). In v.16 Paul says to “walk” by the Spirit in terms of our whole way of living, and in v.25 he says to “keep in step” with the Spirit, which to me implies yielding to the Spirit, following Him, in all the decisions and details of life – every step.

Learning to Walk

Paul doesn’t follow the imperative with an instruction manual. He seems content to point us to the Spirit and say, “He is enough. Trust Him.” Walking by the Spirit isn’t about a set of rules or a list of things to do, it is a relationship. Relationships require vulnerability and trust. This is how we walk by the Spirit. We trust Him. It seems to me that the simpler we make learning to walk by the Spirit, the closer to Paul’s intent we are.

Because this is an imperative, it begins with a choice. I decide. I choose to submerge my will beneath the life-giving waters of the Spirit. Come, Holy Spirit, I yield to you. I choose your Lordship over my life, and my steps, today.

I believe He is fully present. I practice an awareness of His abiding, surrounding presence. Think about Him. Be confident that He abides. Honor Him. Delight in Him. Walk with Him.

I believe He is working.  I believe that He is not passively present, but actively influencing me. He, in full power, is working in and through my life, now. Wow. Selah. Don’t move on too quickly from this thought. It’s a doozy.

I believe His work is working. Paul has informed me what kind of results to anticipate (v.16, vv.22-26) from the Holy Spirit’s work in me. I believe His work is working – now. I trust Him. I rely upon Him. I know that He will produce these good results in my life. He is right now.

What if I blow it? What if I demonstrate all kinds of behavior that Paul ascribes to the flesh? I have two choices: One, I can beat myself up and pout in my failure for as long as it takes for me to get tired of it (and be no better off whatsoever). Or, I can trust more in the Presence and Working of the Spirit than in myself. I do not accept a failure on my part as evidence of His incapability. Stumbling doesn’t mean you give up walking. Just keep walking.

Paul inspires our hopes, our expectations. He points us to an ideal. He helps focus our thoughts and affections and values on these qualities and outcomes (16, 22-26). Abandon yourself to absolute hope in the total sufficiency of the Spirit to accomplish all of God’s purposes in your life. He is enough. Trust Him. Believe He is present, that He is working, and that His work is working. And, overflow with thanksgiving for it. Freedom lies in the next step as we walk by the Spirit.

If this or any of post on this site has encouraged you, please consider sharing it with a friend. And, as always, thanks for reading!

~ Dav

Faith – information or anticipation?

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an·tic·i·pa·tion (noun) the action of anticipating something; expectation or prediction

What if I used the word “anticipation” instead of “faith”? Perhaps “confident anticipation” is even better – so just assume I mean that when I say “anticipation.” Why mess with such a perfectly good word as faith? I don’t intend to replace it at all. I would simply like to look freshly at what faith is – and recognize what it is not, or at least not define faith poorly so as to diminish its transformational effect in our lives.

I am a fan of sound doctrine. Sound doctrine – truth – inspires and informs a robust faith. Faith requires sound doctrine. However, faith is not contained by or limited to doctrine. In fact, life-changing, God-honoring faith does not require perfect doctrine. Not at all. Good doctrine is better than bad doctrine. Bad doctrine can wreak havoc on people. But faith is not information. Information can be stored. It can be collected and organized. Information has the power to sit there and be accurate and accomplish absolutely nothing.

Faith is often understood as “what I believe.” That is true – but not true enough. Faith is not just a collection of things I think are correct about God, man, creation, fall, soteriology, eschatology, ecclesiology, and other-stuff-ology. It is a travesty to define faith as “correct information.” Certainly correct information is better than incorrect information. But if I limit faith to a collection of correct concepts, I have eliminated the catalyst. Such faith is akin to James’ statement that even the demons believe there is one God. Demons are monotheists. They are correct. But they are not obedient, not loving, not faithful, not kind, not joyful or grateful nor in any way do their lives glorify or enjoy God.  Correct information doesn’t save you (James 2:24). Correct information, alone, is dead. The pursuit of perfect doctrine more often than not leads to arrogance and argument (1 Cor. 8:1). I’ve had too much of both. Blech.

So I propose, even if for only my own benefit, to replace the word faith with anticipation. Confident anticipation. See, if I use that word instead, then I have immediately engaged my affections. I am leaning into expectancy, poised to act, ready to do something – anything. Here, I “do”- not in order to prove anything or earn anything – not at all. I “do” because anticipation is like the pulling back of a bow: hope-fueled eagerness compels the arrow of obedience. This is faith that believes not only that God is good all the time (an ontological reality) but that God is good right now (a teleological dynamic). I believe healing is in the atonement (information). I believe God wants to heal you, now (anticipation). I believe God is (information) and that He rewards those who sincerely seek him (anticipation). One of the New Testament metaphors for faith is a seed – the very icon of anticipation.

Isn’t it fascinating that Jesus almost always taught in terms of anticipation? The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! Give and it shall be given to you; ask you will receive; knock and the door will be opened; it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom; seek first the Kingdom and all these things will be added to you; let your light shine so that men will glorify your Father in heaven; your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you; how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him? All things are possible to him who believes… Jesus life and teaching demonstrate that faith is more than information – it is anticipation.

When I understand and apply faith as “anticipation,” I look for ways to obey and to serve. I look for opportunities to give thanks and rejoice. I expect God’s goodness to burst in upon the ordinary. I see acres of opportunity in front of me. All things are possible. Fields are white unto harvest. The Kingdom of heaven is at hand. There are people to love, mountains to move, seeds to sow, commands to obey, promises to receive, and dreams to realize. There is thanks to give, suffering to confront, and grace to give away. So I ask not only “what do you believe?” but “what do you anticipate?” See how much more fun that is?

 

If this or any article on this site has encouraged you, please consider sharing it with others. And, as always, thanks for reading!

~ Dav

 

Be Filled with the Spirit

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      The Apostle Paul unequivocally asserted that the Holy Spirit is God’s powerful, perfect provision for living in the freedom and wholeness that Christ secured for us. The Holy Spirit is God’s empowering presence* for all our worship, witness and walk.

The Spirit in Paul

I invite you to join me, in several entries to follow, as we consider what Paul had to say about the Spirit and us. What I set out to do is identify in particular how Paul prescribes the role and influence of the Spirit in believers’ lives. By way of introduction, this is the fundamental truth that will bear out: Paul’s understanding of the Christian life is that it must be lived, can only be lived, from, by and according to the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the fountainhead of Christian worship, ethics, relationships and ministry. The Spirit alone is absolutely sufficient to accomplish God’s purposes in and among His people. Paul, therefore prescribes attitudes, postures, and behaviors towards/with the Spirit – “Pauline Spirit Imperatives.” They are imperatives – meaning that these require the active will of the believer. I don’t mean that they require will power, just an act of our will. Walking by the Spirit requires decision and surrender by the believer. Believers do their part to rely upon His power and conform to His influence; that “part” is to give thanks, believe, and choose.

Be Filled With the Spirit

There are seven or eight unique imperatives from Paul regarding the Spirit, but let’s look at this one first. In a way it’s not just another imperative, it encompasses all of them. Paul writes in Ephesians 5:18, “Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Consider with me what this means, and perhaps just as urgent, how this happens.

Filled

What does it mean to be filled; what does Paul mean when he says this? A literal meaning indicates that we are to be actually, fully-filled with the Person of the Spirit: like an earthen-container burgeoning with divine life. Handfuls of other passages in the NT indicate that this understanding should be accepted – regardless of its mystical feel. We truly are temples, “dwelling places” of God’s Spirit. Consider that whatever a container becomes full of, that becomes the identity of that vessel. A water bottle. A coffee cup. A pop can. All those things are defined by their fullness. So are you. You are filled with the Holy Spirit.

We are filled individually and as a community. This imperative, as most Spirit-imperatives, is given in the second-person plural. “You all, each of you and all of you together, be filled with the Holy Spirit.” The “plurality of Spirituality” is often missed – that Spirituality is intended to be shared with others in community. The fullest ideal of Spirit-filled living really requires us to be part of a “body” – much like our organs rely on the exchange of life, blood and breath. I, we, are invited (expected) to be made full of God’s very self. Words fail to describe the wonder of this.

In addition to the “actual” meaning of filled, there is an “influential” meaning. The Holy Spirit indeed lives personally in me, and His presence is not without effect. He influences me, inspires me. In truth, He has come to fill me because He loves me just the way I am, but loves me too much to leave me that way. I am not merely a clay container of a foreign-but-blessed substance. He fills, saturates, permeates, and transforms every fabric of my being. It is not incidental that Paul begins this imperative by urging his audience not to be drunk with wine, “but” Paul says, be filled with the Spirit. Do not come under the corrupting influence of drunkenness-from-wine, rather yield to the sublime influence of the Spirit’s fullness. To be filled is to live under His gracious, empowering weight. Of further interest is that immediately following this imperative to be made full are concurrent verbs (present participles that connect to the main verb “be filled”): speaking to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs… singing and making music in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks to God…submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ (5:19-21). The Holy Spirit’s influence manifests in my relationships, attitudes, and the overall climate of my heart.

Finally, there is no inference here (or anywhere in the NT) to being “partially full.” There is no gradient of fullness. The Holy Spirit does not come partially to us, but fully. We do not possess more or less of Him, we do not contain limited measures of His presence. He is fully present. Jesus Christ paid for, prayed for, and poured out the Holy Spirit generously (Titus 3:6). The only “degree” or “measure” is our surrender, our confidence, our awareness, our choice.

Be-Being Filled

You might be saying, “Sounds terrific! But how?” The English text gives us a direct command, but can leave the reader wondering how to respond. The Greek syntax, I believe, makes it much clearer.  “Be filled” is a present, passive imperative in the original language. Unpacking this can help us see how simple and straightforward obeying this imperative is.

First, it is an imperative. That means the reader is responsible to choose. The action is a decision, initiated by one being commanded. Being filled begins with your choice. Second, it is a passive verb. That means it is something that happens to you, rather than something is done by you. Being filled is something you let happen to you. I have often likened it to the Nestea Plunge. Being filled is a decision to let God fill me. Being filled is not-not-not a result of my discipline, my energy, my striving or efforts. It is the result of surrender. So I take the plunge. Third, it is a present-tense verb. That means it is something that is happening right now. The present is happening now. It is always happening now. As is supposed to be the infilling of the Spirit. It is always happening right now. You are always a candidate to be filled – regardless of whatever you done or wherever you’ve been. No matter how stellar or how cellar your conduct – you’re a candidate to be filled. Right now. The present passive imperative means that being filled is something I choose to let happen to me, and it is happening right now. Believers are to be continually, completely filled with the Holy Spirit.

So, let me say it this way: Christ has made every provision for you to be filled with the Spirit. The Spirit is fully present to fill you and keep you being-filled. What is your part? That couldn’t be easier. Believe. Believe that Holy Spirit is filling you. Believe He is soaking you down in the depths of your person and flowing up and over the brim of your life. Believe it. And, give thanks. Just thank Him for His abiding fullness. Thank Him for His fresh filling. Just thank Him. Go ahead… give thanks for His filling right now.

Perhaps pray something as simple as this: “Lord, I believe you are filling me. I thank you for filling me now, and continuing to fill me. I choose to surrender and yield to you; I welcome your fullness now. Come, Holy Spirit, and keep on coming.”

Be (being) filled with the Holy Spirit!

 

If this or any of post on this site has encouraged you, please consider sharing it with a friend. And, as always, thanks for reading!

~ Dav

*Thanks, Gordon Fee

 

 

The Fallow Ground of Abandoned Hope

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Every acre of your life should glisten with the dew of hope. Hope, in fact, is one of the chief characteristics of our calling (Eph. 1:18). But sometimes the gap between promise and possession becomes fallow.

The fallow ground of abandoned hope.

Fallow ground is soil that has at one point been prepared, but then left inactive – abandoned – until it becomes resistant to seed and moisture. This is ground where we’ve ceased to expect results. These are places where disappointment has led to discouragement and even disbelief. Fallow ground is where you have stopped hoping things will be different. This is the fallow ground of abandoned hope.

The Path toward Fallow Ground

Have you ever been disappointed? Hope deferred makes the heart sick (Proverbs 13:12). Disappointment is tiring, wearying and can even be devastating – like a wound in our soul. Over time, disappointment leads to discouragement; the wound in the soul becomes inflamed or infected. Discouragement can be too painful or frustrating to face or fight, and eventually the scar of disbelief covers the wound in our soul. Fallow ground is left. We no longer bother with hope in that place.

After all, isn’t it easier to acquiesce to status quo than to anticipate change? Isn’t easier, less painful, less frustrating to cope than to confront? Because, after a while, it feels like it has been after a while. This is the fallow ground of abandoned hope.

This is the ground, I believe, of a father’s heart in Mark 9:14-24.  The story pivots on  Jesus’ statement to this desperate father that “all things are possible to him who believes.” The daddy responds with “I believe (I want to believe, I know I should believe, I am trying to believe); help my unbelief.” Help my unbelief? This was no willful rejection of faith. No, I believe the father was saying something much more like this:

I’ve been disappointed so often. The heartache of watching this boy’s life being destroyed has been overwhelming for me. I have tried everything – twice. It has been like this for too long. What hope I had ran out a long time ago. I brought him to your disciples, and not even they could help. And now… now YOU are standing in front me, asking me to believe?

Yes. Yes He is. He stands as the single greatest hope on the planet, as the savior of the world, God-become-man, the anointed One, and asks you to trust Him. And if you will permit me to project my view upon the story, I believe the father’s confession of faith, but request for help reveals that He heard something in voice of Jesus, that he saw something in face of the son of God that began to break up the hardened soil in his soul. There is something about Jesus and His perfect, pristine radiance of God’s glory and expression of His Nature (Hebrews 1:3) that breaks through the dark clouds of fear and pain and draws us to risk, to trust, to hope again. From the blazing love behind his piercing gaze, Jesus says, “all things are possible.” There is nothing that is not possible. His words beckon hope’s return.

How to Restore Hope to Fallow Ground

If the gap between possession and promise has dried and hardened, it needs be broken up. We can till the ground with truth: God’s person (who He is), His promise (what He has said), His Providence (what He has done), and His power (what He can do).

We strike the dry soil in our soul, reminding it of who God is, that He is Good, profoundly and exceedingly Good, and that his loving-kindness endures forever. We declare that He is faithful and He is Holy. (Pardon the grammar that follows) He is gooder, wiser, kinder, and better than I’ll ever know or can measure. We then remind our soul of all that this great-big-good-God has said, of His promises – and that each one is “yes” in Christ (2 Cor. 1:20). Further, we use the tool of God’s providence – we recall and recite what God has done for us and for others. We can be very generous in the application of providence; the testimony of the Lord is a powerful and practical tool to restore hope. Finally, we recall that what whatever God has done, and what He has said He will do, He has the power to perform. Like Abraham we stand in the place of barrenness and believe in “God who raises the dead and calls the things that are not as though they already were. Against all hope, with hope he believed…that what God had promised He was able to perform” (Romans 4:17-18, 21).

And we fasten hope to the soil of our hearts with the chords of perseverance (Heb. 10:36-39). Perseverance means we will not give up this ground again to hopelessness. We will not cease to till our soul with the truth of God’s person, promise, providence and power. We will not shrink back. Believing deeply, we hope boldly. And we persevere, because something has got to change, something has got to give, and it’s not going to be us: dry bones will rattle with life, springs will rise up in the desert places, light will break through the clouds; blind eyes will open; deaf ears will see; the lame will walk. Hope will rise and rest upon the landscape of our life as fresh as the morning dew.

Thanks for reading. I pray you are encouraged. Consider using the social media buttons below to share this post with others.
~ Dav

 

 

Don’t Lose Heart Doing Good

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What’s the use? Is there anything more deflating than the sense that what you are doing doesn’t matter? Have you ever felt that way? Or perhaps more accurately, how often do you feel that way? You’re trying to do what is right. You are trying to help. You are making things right. You are making things better – for a friend, a family member, for the whole family, for someone in need, for lots of people in need, for the church, for a stranger. You’re doing what feels like what should be done. You’re making sure, the best you can, things can keep going. You may even be doing what will only get done if you are the one doing it. And you keep doing it. You are doing what is good. And quite possibly, even probably, you get weary.

You are the person the Apostle Paul has in mind when he writes, “…do not grow weary in doing good” (2 Thess. 3:13). It isn’t unusual for Paul to say something like this (Gal. 6:10). He must have known a little something about doing what is good, and a little something about why sometimes we might get weary doing it. I think it might help to look at why we can get weary, and then to consider some rejuvenating truths about our well-doing.

Don’t Lose Heart

First, it might help to look more closely at Paul’s words in the text. He isn’t saying, “don’t get tired,” rather he saying, “don’t lose heart; don’t lose courage.” Paul is not just telling his audience to pound down an energy drink and get back to work. He is not telling us never to rest; he is urging us never to give up. He is speaking to our inner person, to our hearts, because that is the place where we get weary.

Why We Get Weary

We can run out of steam when doing good for several reasons. First, because we may not feel that we’re doing really matters – that it is making a difference. Is anyone or anything changing? Have we made any real progress? The dance of taking two steps forward and three back will wear you out in short order.

Second, we may get weary because we do not feel appreciated. It’s tough to feel like we’re doing what is right, and doing it with all our might, and have it go unnoticed or under-recognized. Right about then we often feel a bit resentful. Or we might wonder if no one is noticing because maybe it doesn’t matter after all. Maybe someone else could or should do this, and maybe do it better, if at all.

Third, we may get weary because we fear running out: out of energy, of resources, of ideas, of money, of time… that there just won’t be enough of what it takes to get it done. Fear of lack can squeeze the courage right out of our hearts.

Weariness, here, is a matter of the heart. Time-outs and time-off won’t help this, but truth will.

How to Overcome Weariness

Let me say that there is nothing wrong – at all – with a good nap. Without sleep the drama-factor increases by a bazillion. Everything feels worse without rest. Rest happens to God’s most natural means of assuaging weariness. So, when you’re tempted to give up, sleep on it and take a fresh look when you wake up.

Second, it is absolutely essential that we do everything unto and for the Lord. Whatever we do, we do it all our might as unto the Lord, and for His glory. There is joy in that. There is strength in that. There is even an assurance that regardless of what I can measure (or cannot measure) what I am doing for (and with) the Lord matters. It matters because He makes it matter. It matters because He is the master architect, builder and artist. He always makes things work out for good. He always uses the most apparently insignificant things to make the biggest difference. He wastes nothing: no person, no resource, no opportunity. There is no way anything we do for the Lord can “not matter.” Hear Paul tell the Corinthian church, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Cor. 15:58). The message bible says it this way, “being confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort.” Don’t get weary – because everything you do for and with Him matters.

Third, let us rest in the deep assurance of Heaven’s praise. It is normal and healthy to enjoy affirmation from others. Positive feedback, appreciation and sincere compliments are morale boosters and courage-builders. God made us this way. It’s one of the reasons that it is urgent that we constantly encourage others. However, people’s praise is often passing. Further, praise from men is hardly the gold-standard of well-doing. Depending on the situation, you could just as easily be despised for doing good. We must do good because we love people, not because we love their praise. All the honor, praise, and reward only matters when heaven says so. We must set our hope on heaven’s praise (2 Cor. 5:9-10), and do good.

So, dear friend, don’t get weary. Don’t lose heart. What you’re doing matters. The Lord sees, records and rewards. Keep up the good work.

Positive Gossip

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Gossip is a multi-billion dollar industry, just from the advertisement revenue.
No one admits to gossip; few acknowledge enjoying it. Even fewer appreciate being the subject of gossip.

Here’s the deal: if someone will gossip to you, they’ll gossip about you. And for sanity’s sake, don’t lie to yourself, believing that it’s anything less than ugliness. There is nothing helpful or healthy about gossip. It poisons the heart whether it enters from the lips or the ears.

But since we’ve found ourselves so conditioned to talk about others, here’s an idea: spread positive gossip.

Strike up a conversation by talking about the qualities or actions of a mutual friend or family member that you particularly enjoy or appreciate. Really pile on. And then, speaking of that, be reminded of how terrific someone else is. Then talk about them, too. Be careful – you might get really carried away. You also might fill your heart and mind with exceptional kindness toward and gratitude for others. You might delight the Holy Spirit by agreeing with Him about people He’s a fan of. You also might actually find yourself admitting to someone that you heard some really positive gossip about them.

And the same rule applies – if someone gossips positively to you, they’ll likely gossip positively about you.

Give it a try. Positive gossip may not be profitable, but it’s far and away more beneficial.

Keep your joy on

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Rejoice… for your own good? There is reason a plenty for us to rejoice – to honor God, to encourage others, etc. But I’d like to emphasize how important it is that we abide in joy – that we keep on rejoicing in the Lord – for OUR OWN GOOD.

It is not unusual for Paul to enjoin his audience to rejoice (Philippians 4:4, I Thess. 5:16). When he does, he urges their joy always. Paul’s priority of and purpose for joy is revealed in his letter to the church at Philippi (Philippians 3:1).  Here’s an augmented translation of Paul’s counsel there:  “Whatever happens, from here forward, keep on rejoicing in the Lord. I never grow weary of telling you this; I tell you for your own good, for your strength, to safeguard your faith.”

Believers should rejoice in the Lord, and keep on rejoicing, for their own good. Why should we be so serious about joy? Consider the following reasons:

To rejoice in the Lord is to agree with truth

When I rejoice, I am agreeing with heaven. I am saying “yes” to the truth of God’s nature—His Goodness, loving kindness, faithfulness, wisdom, and power.  When I rejoice, I am also responding to and agreeing with the glad consequences of the finished work of Jesus. It is finished; I am glad. Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before him (Heb. 12:2) – the joy on the other side of the cross. I am glad to be on that side with him, the joy side. When I rejoice, I am agreeing with the promises of God—all that He has promised to be and do for us in Christ. I rejoice because, like Paul, I know that God is causing all things to work together for my good (Rom. 8:28). That is grin-worthy.

Not incidentally, by recognizing that joy is agreement with heaven helps me see that joy – rejoicing – is a heart posture and mindset. It need not be loud or wild, it need only gratefully agree with truth. Joy is agreeing with Heaven.

Furthermore, I can (and should) agree with heaven anytime, all the time. Too often in times of frustration, crisis, and heartache it is easy to forfeit joy. I might argue, “Hey – this is a tragedy and no place for joy for cryin’ out loud!” But I would be wrong. Because Joy is agreeing with heaven. In crisis, joy looks like hope. In heartache, joy looks like compassion. In conflict, joy looks like gentleness and love and patience and forgiveness.  Even in broken-hearted grief, joy may mourn, but “not like those who have no hope” (I Thess. 4:13). I bring my joy with me into hard times, because there is no greater need for heaven than when we hurt. Keep on rejoicing – for your own good!

To rejoice is to strengthen ourselves

There are few things more devastating than despair, and the slow drain of discouragement can leave us empty. Melancholy moods, ambivalent attitudes and the drip-drip-drip of negative thoughts and words weaken our soul. We are left unprepared for challenge, distracted by the unimportant, and confused as to why we feel so grumpy.

The joy of the Lord, on the other hand (the joy that comes from Him and in response to Him), is our strength (Neh. 8:10). Joy strengthens our soul. Joy lifts our attitudes and sweetens our demeanor. Joy makes us optimistic and resilient. Joy gives us strength to endure, to overcome, and lets us enjoy the ride. We are most powerful when we are most joyful. Keep on rejoicing – for your own good!

Hope is a byproduct of joy

Without hope, faith is dormant. Faith is the substance, the currency, of things hoped for. Without a resilient hope, our faith isn’t reaching for or laying hold of anything. Robust faith requires resplendent hope. This kind of hope is produced and protected by joy. Paul prayed in Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you will all JOY and peace in believing so that you will OVERFLOW with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Overflowing hope is the product of being filled with joy. Hope thrives in the atmosphere of joy. Keep on rejoicing. For your own good!

Rejoicing repels the ugly and unhelpful

When I rejoice, I reject and displace other things that produce nothing good. Joy cannot coexist with ugly attitudes. Joy will not abide anxiety. Joy is not irritable. Joy is never pessimistic. This makes perfect sense when I remember that joy is agreeing with heaven, with truth. My mind is never as clear and calm as when truth is prevailing there. Joy keeps truth in pole position. For those who might struggle to overcome unholy habits or unhelpful behaviors, I boldly prescribe joy. You’ve probably tried to beat yourself up, struggled to abstain, or maybe even flicked a rubber band on your wrist. Behavioral modification might work on puppies, but joy is heaven’s antidote to your angst.

Rejoicing 101

What’s that look like? Well, there’s not much complexity to it. If I begin with the conviction that rejoicing is agreeing with truth – then I can simply decide to rejoice in whatever expression I choose. Seriously. Sometimes I just smile really big on purpose. (Smiling actually sends signals to and through your brain that triggers natural pleasant and happy feelings.) Sometimes I will breathe in deeply and find something to give thanks for or just begin to praise God. Most often, however, rejoicing is as easy letting out a good chuckle. Seriously LOL. “Hey Dav, I don’t want be fake.” No one does, and rejoicing never is – because it always agrees with truth. And furthermore, why would you feel so obligated to be loyal to a bad mood? What’s that bad mood ever done for you? So, laugh out loud. Laughing is worship. Laughing is agreeing with the Lord of the Cosmos. Laughing is celebrating the finished work of Jesus. Laugh with God. Rejoice.

Finally, in those moments when smiles and laughter are not on the menu, don’t forfeit joy – never do that. Rather, quiet your heart. In silent reflection, remember who God is, what Christ has done, what God has promised to be and do for us, and place your trust in His nature. And let your heart rejoice in Him.

Joy will protect your thoughts, guard your heart, strengthen your soul, sweeten your spirits, promote great hope, and keep you in agreement with Heaven.

Keep your joy on, for your own good.

How to become better encouragers

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better future ahead

No one can argue against the value and importance of encouragement. The former post on this blog affirms the role that encouraging others ought to have in our lives. Every believer should leave others, especially other believers, better than the way we found them.

But how might we become better encouragers? We live in a cynical, critical and competitive world—encouragement may not be first nature to many. There is a way to develop an encouraging nature, to ready our hearts and minds for every opportunity to edify. In light of the scriptural imperative to encourage, and the powerful impact encouragement can have on others, consider the following as one way to improve:

Intercession (prayer for others) builds an empathetic, eager infrastructure for a lifestyle of encouragement.

First of all, intercession is a great gig all by itself without forcing it to be a means by which another virtue is developed. But in this case, since the shoe fits…let’s see how this works. What we’ll see is that the same basic principles that are at work in intercession equip us to become better encouragers. Here’s how:

Intercession agrees with Heaven about another person

When I intercede for someone else, I begin by considering what heaven says about them. (Not incidentally, intercession helps me regularly and affectionately thinking about others, instead of keeping my radar focused on me.) What do the scriptures affirm as true with regard to how God sees them, what He has done for them, and what is true about them in light of the finished work of Jesus? And further, what does the Holy Spirit say about them? His voice always encourages (consider that 1 Cor. 14 explains that His voice edifies either the speaker or the spoken to – only and always). These things are true about the person not because of their conduct, but because of their identity, calling and inheritance in Christ (Eph. 1:17-18). I pray these things, these truths, over the person. I agree with heaven about them. That is intercession. And, coincidentally, that carries right over into encouragement. I can “say” the same truths that I “pray.” I can (should) speak to people about and in the light of who they are because of what God has done for them in Christ, and about the joyful, hopeful, powerful implications thereof. Encouragement is agreeing with heaven about someone to their face.

Intercession Follows Love’s Promptings

Having considered and agreed with heaven, I can intercede further by immersing my heart and mind into the love of God for a person, and then praying according to Love’s inspiration. What does Love prompt me to feel or think toward them in the moment? Pray accordingly. The same is true for encouragement. Trust the leadership of Love. This is fantastic exercise to cultivate divine empathy for others. Again, I can “say” the same truths that I “pray.” Listening and responding to Love’s prompting is a powerful means of encouragement, enabling me to become a conduit of the love of God.

Intercession Gives Thanks

Reading Paul’s prayers of intercession, one cannot miss that Paul expressed gratitude toward God for those he prayed, even as he asked for great things for them. When praying over others, it is powerful and practical to pause and deliberately affirm before God how and why we are grateful for them. This, again, will condition us to readily express our appreciation to others. Gratitude is very encouraging, whether general or specific. Use both. Express gratitude for the “general” things about a person (that will help shape and enforce their sense of identity) and for the specific things they are or do (that will affirm their uniqueness and value).

With intercession, you are not the expert

When I pray for others, I am not primarily expressing my opinion to God. I don’t treat my opinion as the primary objective standard by which God should act. The same is true for encouragement; it is not primarily about my opinion. Encouragement is rarely advice. It should never have as its goal the desire to control or direct someone’s behavior, getting then to say or do or decide what I think is right for them. That is mentoring or managing – and those are based on a set of shared expectations, where a measure of control is granted to another party by permission. Encouragement doesn’t require permission, because it is not an instrument of control.  I can pray for you all day (and you may not even know about it), and I can encourage at-will without even asking. I seek only to grace you and not govern you. Encouragement goes in the gas tank; it does not reach for the steering wheel.

Leaving  people better than we found them: 

            Intercession and encouragement go hand-in-glove; they work well together. Both are grace-gifts that help us leave people better than we found them. They are happy habits, practicing one helps us with the other. I’d suggest starting with intercession, but don’t wait to encourage. After all, it is “today.”

Leave People Better than You Found Them

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How many of you have ever needed the ministry of discouragement? I don’t mean talked out of a bad idea or steered in a different direction via the courageous confrontation of a faithful friend. I mean how often have you needed to have your courage revoked? No one ever needs that. Rather, people deeply and regularly need and benefit greatly from encouragement.

Encouragement is an essential, integral aspect of the Christian’s calling. The writer of Hebrews twice enjoins his readers to “encourage one another” (Heb. 3:13, 10:25)*. We are to encourage one another “as long as it is called today.” That means that if it is “today” then it is the right day to encourage someone. Encouragement is a regular, ongoing, daily exercise. Encouragement, in the context of chapter 3 of Hebrews, is a powerful means to keep our hearts soft and free from sin’s deceitfulness. In chapter 10, the readers are encouraged to encourage one another more and more as we see “the day” approaching – meaning the Day of the Lord. Encourage one another, more and more, with every day that draws us nearer to Christ’s return. That means that not only do we encourage one another daily, but that with every passing day we get better at encouragement, and that we do so more often. Daily, we should get better at leaving people better than we found them. Today is a perfect day to start.

* In 1 Thessalonians 5:11 and 5:14 Paul uses similar language, urging his readers to continue encouraging one another regularly, and especially the disheartened.

 

The Tears of the Oppressed and The Compassionate Commission

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tears of the oppressed

Ecclesiastes 4 begins with the teacher describing yet another meaningless situation.  He says, “I saw oppression, and the tears of the oppressed. The oppressors have great power, and the victims are helpless.” He responds to such sadness by saying, “So I concluded it is better to dead.” (My paraphrase of Ecc. 4:1-2)

He observes the pain and injustice of oppression, and the sad helplessness of suffering and concludes that the only response is to wait for death. Death is the solution to oppression and suffering. The dead can’t be hurt, nor will they have to endure suffering.

Most folks familiar enough with biblical literature know that by this point Solomon had polluted his mind and heart by indulging in debauchery and was pontificating from a poisoned point of view. We don’t generally accept his position that life is meaningless as reliable let alone inspiring.

However, I find some similarities in some Christian thought / teaching with the sentiment expressed here. We see oppression. We see the tears of the oppressed. We see the sick, the hurting, the tormented and the persecuted. Their tears stain our prayer altars and clinic counters. Other’s tears are well-hidden, their pain or addiction or personal torment is obfuscated behind affluence or well-managed-appearance. Most often they are offered means of coping with their problems. They are supported; they are pitied, they are accommodated. They may be offered the best tools available for managing their pain or controlling their addiction. Some of the best-hearted people on the planet are doing everything they can to help relieve some of the symptoms of the suffering.

But here’s the rub. No real hope is offered for a solution, no real means of dealing with the oppressor (the cause of oppression) seems possible. It is good and kind and appropriate for us to console the tearful, but we fall short unless we confront the tyranny behind those tears. Ultimately the hurting (or sick, or oppressed) are too often told to hold out until heaven. They are, essentially, “encouraged” that they will be better off dead.

On a larger scale, there is popular sentiment that this whole world is so bad and getting so much worse, and therefore “we just can’t wait for the first bus out of here.” Swing low, sweet chariot! I am glad for heaven; I rejoice that there is more Life than this life; I am grateful that death is not final. But death is not our hope, and managing suffering is not our mission.

Compare the Teacher’s (Ecc. 4:1-2) resignation against Christ’s compassion. In Matthew 9:35-38 the reader finds Jesus fully engaged in powerful, compassionate confrontation of suffering. “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.” Jesus came as a liberator, a deliverer, a healer—with a specific message and mission to the oppressed and their oppressor (Luke 4:18-19, Acts 10:38, 1 John 3:8). Jesus saw the tears of the oppressed, and He (like the Teacher in Ecclesiastes) saw that the oppressor was strong and the oppressed were helpless; “he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Harassed and helpless. The language here implies a third party – an aggressor, an harasser. Someone is harassing the multitude, and they are helpless against their oppressor. Jesus, in contrast to the Teacher in Ecclesiastes, responds with resolve. His solution was NOT to console the hurting with the hope of death, but to enjoin His followers to join Him in being carriers of hope and help.

Jesus said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” What was the harvest? The harvest was the mandate from heaven to powerfully, compassionately confront suffering. Jesus saw the oppressed and hurting as a harvest. Meaning, he saw bound people as potentially free people, and the sick as well, and the broken as whole. This is harvest. So, Jesus implores, pray! Ask Heaven to intervene because only Heaven can deal with hell. Specifically, ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into the harvest. In other words, Heaven is going to deal with suffering by sending you to do something about it.

And right away the reader finds that Jesus sends His disciples out to confront suffering exactly the way he did: He gathered His disciples together and “gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness” (Matt. 10:1). Notice the exact same depiction of Jesus’ ministry in Matt. 4:23-25 and 9:35. Their commission included the mission and means to drive out the evil spirits while delivering healing for hurting people. Christ commands them, “As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’  Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give’” (10:7-8). Christians have the mission of Christ (vv. 7-8) and the means of Christ (10:1).

God hates suffering. He has given us resources and responsibility to powerfully, compassionately, comfort the oppressed and confront their oppressor. It’s worthwhile to explore how we go about this, what this looks like in our life-settings, and even how to start. However, because the harvest is great, let the workers start working, even if we must learn on the job. But of first importance is that we embrace fully the belief that the suffering are not better of dead. They are the harvest.