An Apology for Faith (W.o.W. Rewind)

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation.

Hebrews 11:1-2

Do you remember that kid in your elementary school who believed in Santa Claus way longer than everyone else did? I do. At my school his name was Joshua, and he was a firm believer. His overzealous parents who had gone to extraordinary lengths to convince him Santa was real in order to squeeze a few more good Christmases out of him. He continued writing letters to Santa and getting responses into 4th grade or later. With each passing year instead of growing out of it, he seemed to only grow bolder in his confidence. The poor kid was a laughingstock.

The world isn't kind to childlike faith, is it? It is often perceived as gullibility or naivete. And in a world like ours it can make you an easy target. Take it from me. I have almost fallen prey to con men multiple times. Over time I have had to harden myself and learn to be more skeptical.

But this skepticism has taken a toll on my relationship with God. I don't doubt His existence or the truth of Christianity. Those were settled in my heart, in my experience, and in my mind long ago. But I find myself struggling to view any particular situation through the eyes of faith. I sometimes find it hard to believe that God is going to do some great work in a situation. I often feel like I am wasting my efforts. Instead of hoping for the best, or even looking to receive what God has promised, I often find myself expecting the worst. 

With this realization in my mind, I looked at Hebrews 11 with fresh eyes this week. I saw it for the first time not as a Hall of Faith- a list of all the great believers throughout history- but as an Apology for Faith- an argument for living by faith. As we read the chapter and the lives of those it references we find the following:

• From Abel's life we learn that God remembers faith. 
• From Enoch's life we learn that God is pleased with faith.
• From Noah's life we learn that God is patient with those who have faith. (I extrapolate this from both the many years it took for Noah to build the ark and from Noah's failure after the flood.)
• From Abraham's life we learn that God expects longsuffering faith and that he always rewards it, though on His own timetable.
• From Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Isaac we learn that God does test our faith.
• From Joseph's life we learn that God wants us to make plans and preparations in accord with our faith.
• From Moses' life we learn that God sets us free from fear by faith, that God gives us the faith to live for our future in Him and not for the present this world can offer us, that faith makes us bold, and that God does amazing things by our faith.
• Lastly, from Rahab's life we learn that God offers redemption to those who have faith.

While faith in the wrong things can be both naive and gullible, faith in God never is. In fact, faith in God is one of the most powerful forces for change our world has ever seen. So, let's give childlike faith another try. Remember what the Scripture says: “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame” (Romans 10:11).

Father, give me the faith of a child towards You. Help me to be confident in You that You might be pleased in me.

A Thoroughly Optimistic Religion

Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven’t eaten anything. Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.” After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves.

Acts 27: 33-36

What were you doing fourteen days ago? Go ahead and pull out your calendar; I'll wait. 

Now, can you imagine having not eaten at all in these past fourteen days? Not for lack of food but for lack of hope? The situation that Paul and his companions find themselves in is so dire that they have no reason to think they will live long enough for eating to matter. 

If I understand the passage correctly, their ship is being driven along by a storm. They are stuck somewhere in the midst of a storm of hurricane force (vs. 14) and are being driven along with it wherever it goes. Try to imagine the scene. These men are waterlogged. Their hands and feet are pruney and wrinkled from the constant dampness caused by wave after wave washing over the ship and dripping down between the boards to the lower decks. Everything stinks of the sea by now. All hope is gone. It seems that even the passing of time has stopped since neither the sun nor the stars have appeared for many days (Acts 27:20). These hardened sailors know that it is their fate to be battered by this storm indefinitely until it finally takes their lives. They are fourteen days in, and all hope is gone.

What could cause someone to find hope in a situation this dire? Sure, if the storm breaks they will feel better, but what could possibly cause them to find hope in the middle of the storm? Only Christianity! Their pagan religions gave them no relief. It wasn't until Paul spoke and told them of God's promise that they were even able to find enough hope to eat. 

But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.” Acts 27:22-25

Christianity is a thoroughly hopeful religion. This is no religion for the pessimist or the sour individual. No! God's goodness, His unchanging nature, and His commitment to keep His promises give the believer confident hope even when there is no other reason to hope. And that is okay, for no other reason to hope is needed once the Lord has said what He will do. His Word is all we need. The Lord has said it and that is enough. 

Consider how thoroughly optimistic Christianity is. God has said that He will work all things together for the good of those who love Him, whom He has called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). He has promised that He will never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). He has promised to one day return and take us to be with Him in paradise for eternity (I Thessalonians 4:16). That all may sound rather "pie in the sky" to some people, but take no notice of their opinion. He has proven Himself true to His Word over and over again. 

So, whatever you are facing today, however, hopeless it may seem, find a promise of God to cling to and get up! Wash your face. Eat some food. And press on. Choose to obey Him in hope as you eagerly wait for the storm to break and your refuge to appear. He has not abandoned you! And who knows, maybe your ability to find hope in God will be the light those around you need to take courage and find hope in the living God as well.

Harsh Words

Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.

Proverbs 25:15

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 15:1

This one's for me. This devotion wasn't written about some verses I pulled from my quiet time. No, this time I'm preaching to myself about something I have noticed springing up out of my own heart in my behavior that I do not like. Lately, I have been more frustrated than usual. I have had a shorter fuse. And I have been harsher with my family than I care to admit. 

Every time I tell my kids to do something, I get three questions, two arguments, and at least one complaint. To be clear, my kids are amazing! This is normal behavior for five and two year olds. And it is normal for me as a parent to be frustrated by it. But the problem is how I have responded to that frustration. As I push back on their disobedience I have gotten louder, I have used harsher tones, and I have gotten nowhere.

I can't be the only one. I know I am not. Even for those of you who don't have young children anymore. You know what it is like to deal with subordinates or even equals in the workplace. You know how frustrating it can be deal with other people too, even sometimes your spouse. But over this short span of time I have realized that this isn't the kind of father I want to be. Don't succumb to the temptation to railroad people. Don't raise your voice just because you are frustrated or angry at them. Learn to control yourself. Say what needs to be said but be gentle. Be soft.  

If you will give this a try you will find that more of what you are saying actually gets through when you are gentle. When I am gentle but firm with my kids, they listen. But when I allow my frustration to boil over in harsh tones, it triggers their defenses. Their walls go up. And no matter how right I am, they will never admit it. No matter how loud I get, they will only feign listening to me. 

Being loud is a great way to make sure you are heard, but it is a lousy way to get people to listen. If you feel ignored, try a different approach. Be gentle. Be patient. Be clear and be firm but be loving. Don't bully people by sheer force of will. Win their hearts. Make them want to follow you because they trust you.

Thoughts of God

   When I consider your heavens,

       the work of your fingers,

   the moon and the stars,

       which you have set in place,

   what is mankind that you are mindful of them,

       human beings that you care for them?

Psalm 8:3-4

If we aren't careful our thoughts of God can become so centered on ourselves that they reveal an arrogant and self-important perspective. We wonder why God hasn't given us this or that thing we want. We wonder why God allows bad things to happen to us. We wonder why He isn't answering our prayers. We wonder why He doesn't make Himself more known to us. All the while what we ought to be wondering is why He would be mindful of us at all. 

Think about it. Not a single world leader knows that I exist. No governor or state representative would take my phone call. There's not a mayor in the United States that knows my name. None of my local council members have any idea who I am. But the Creator of Heaven and Earth knows me!? He not only knows that I exist, but He created me. He knows my name, and He invites me to call on Him in prayer anytime day or night. He invites me into a personal relationship with Him through His Son Jesus. The Bible would even have me believe that He loves me.

It is all almost too much to swallow. It's too good to be true! In fact, of all the reasons people struggle to accept the Christian faith, this ought to be the top reason. It is too absurd to think that an all-knowing, all-powerful, and eternal God could actually care for me. The people who live on my street barely care to know me, how unbelievable is it to think that He would care to!? 

Yet this is the undeniable truth of God's Word. I don't want you to doubt that God cares for you. I want you to marvel that He does. Because until you truly marvel that God loves you, your thoughts toward Him will continue to be as entitled and self-aggrandizing as above. 

It is only when I begin to see how insignificant I am in comparison to Him that I find the joy in worshiping God. So, pause for a moment and marvel that God knows you, that He loves you, and that He is mindful of you. And be moved to joyful praise.

I Love the Church!

And who is like your people Israel—the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt?

2 Samuel 7:23

What David couldn't have known when he said these words was that a community even greater than Israel would come. A people taken from every nation, tribe, and tongue. A community redeemed not from slavery in Egypt but from slavery to sin and from living after the pattern of this world. This is the church. An imperfect group of people plucked from the hand of the enemy. 

Why has God done all of this for us? "To make a name for himself"! So it is truly a shame that so many refuse to give God glory for His church and instead enjoy heaping slander and accusations on His people. Even Christians seem to enjoy saying awful things about the bride of Christ, God's church. Do they not know that Satan is the one who slanders the saints? For 'slanderer' is what 'Satan' means in Hebrew, and that is his nature. He slanders and accuses, and they cast their lot in with the enemy to attack their brothers and sisters in Christ. They accuse the church of being hypocritical, fake and judgmental failing to see how they are hypocritically sitting in judgment of the church.  They are the proverbial pot calling the kettle black. They cast dispersion and judgment on all churches for the sins of but a handful of people they dislike.

I refuse to join in! Yes, the community of Christ is imperfect. We do often get things wrong, and we do need to become more like Christ; but often the reason why we struggle to live up to our lofty goals is because we are so open. We could kick out all those who struggle, but we do not. We accept people as they are and then seek to move them toward Christlikeness from there. This takes time and patience and grace. And oftentimes things get messy along the way.

In any church you walk into there are committed believers who were addicted to drugs just a few years ago. There are teens and children who have suffered so much that they have contemplated suicide. There are married couples struggling to hold it together. And there are senior adults whose children and grandchildren have broken their hearts and taken advantage of them. And there is probably a pastor desperately trying to serve the Lord without letting his own ego get in the way.

With all this hurt and weakness and imperfection and humanness, we don't always get things right. But it sure is beautiful to watch God's people try. What a sight it is to see a community of people offer one another grace and forgiveness when they fail. To watch people encourage each other to keep moving forward.

I love God's church, and no matter how often we get it wrong I know eventually we will get it right; because I believe in the power of God's Spirit. Ultimately, it is the Spirit who is conforming each of us individually and collectively into the image of the Son; and He will complete the good work He has begun in us (Philippians 1:6). So don't give up on the church. If you have had a bad experience with one then try another, or better yet stay where you were hurt and be the example of grace that church needs.