If we rely on God, does that make Him a crutch?

I was listening to a 16 year old talk about Jesus, just before his baptism in front of hundreds of people, both believers and non-believers. He was asked the question: Who is Jesus to you? And he answered: Jesus is my crutch.

I couldn't help but squirm in my seat - why was a young, healthy young man at the beginning of his life with his whole future ahead of him confessing that he needed a crutch? Is Jesus a really a prop to enable weak or broken people to hobble around? Does a young, healthy, strong boy of 16 really need a crutch? What kind of a testimony was that to this independent, individualistic generation?

Later that week I was reading my Bible and God showed me something interesting. In Acts 3 verses 1-10 is a miracle story of healing. Peter and John, on their way to the temple, pray for a lame beggar to be healed. The beggar had asked for help. He expected some food or money to meet his immediate needs but instead was given a gift that would last a lifetime. What was it God gave the man? Did he give him a crutch? Did Peter and John say "I don't have any money but I have this branch of a tree to lean on so you can hobble around."?

No. They actually prayed, in the name of Jesus, for the man to get up and walk. Now see what God did as a response to that prayer: verse 7 says that Peter "took him by his right hand, raised him up and immediately his feet and his ankles were made strong." (ESV, emphasis added.)

God didn't give him a prop - He made him strong. He strengthened the muscles that were weak and restored them to do what they had originally be designed to do. He wasn't given something external to lean on that might break or wear out or get lost but he was given a new strength from within that would never leave him.

I think to call God or Jesus or Christianity a crutch is massively underestimating the work God does in our lives when we call on Him. Yes, our individualistic, independent generation hates to admit that it needs anything, much less a God who's strength would make them look weak in comparison. But when we finally humble ourselves enough to realise this and turn to Him, He doesn't give us a crutch, He gives us His strength.

He is a strong God and He is our strength, our might, our strong tower of refuge in times of trouble, He renews our strength when we are weary, and He never breaks or wears out or gets lost. He promises to never leave us or abandon us.

What do I say if people ask if God is a crutch? I say that on my own I would be weak but because God's Spirit lives in me, I am strong.

God is not my crutch; He is my strength. He makes me strong.

And what would I say to that young man? I would tell him the words of the disciple John who wrote:

"I have written to you, young men,
    Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you,
    And you have overcome the wicked one."

Your Identity: Which Voice Will You Listen To?

Have you noticed that anytime a big change happens in your life, you have an identity crisis? When I became a teenager, I tried to change my personality from being a loud-mouth to a demure, quiet girl (didn't work). When I got married I freaked out and questioned whether I was still the same me inside. I've moved country 4 times and each time questioned where is home? Then there was the all-too-common confusion of leaving my chosen career and becoming a full time mother - who am I if I don't have a job description in my passport any more?????!!!!???!!

It's like each new circumstance causes some sort of metamorphosis - a remoulding till I finally settle down into my new shape. Each time I have to remind myself of who I am deep down at my core, the part that doesn't change. It's exhausting. I'm only 32 so I know there are still at least one or two (dozen) more changes coming - how can I learn to live through them without all the drama? Who am I really, at my very core?

The Bible says that Jesus has never changed - He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8) and yet his outward appearance went through more changes than we will ever experience. He went from being the morning star (Rev 22:16), the glory of heaven, to a human baby of poor parents (Phil 2:7-8). He went through puberty and emerged as an adult.(Luke 2:41-52) Then he changed from being alive to being dead to being alive again! (Romans 8:34) After that His body could do all kinds of things it couldn't do before like walk through locked doors and ascend into the sky (John 20:19, Acts 1:9). So many transitions, so many changes in circumstances but His core identity never changed and He never forgot it, never had an identity crisis, never caved to external pressure to be someone He wasn't. How did He do that and can we possibly learn to do the same?

Let's look at 3 influences that try to tell us who we are and how Jesus handled each other these when he walked the earth.

Influence One
One being who tries to influence our identity is known as the father of lies. In Jesus's first few months of public preaching and healing, before anyone really knew who he was, he met a demon who shouted "I know who you are!" The demon cried out through the man it inhabited "The Holy One of God!" (Mark 1:24). Immediately Jesus told it to "Be quiet and come out of the man."

I sometimes find it confusing that Jesus tells the demon to shut up. Didn't Jesus want people to know who He was? But then if I was new in town, would I really want to be introduced to everyone by a demon? Jesus had enough trouble convincing people that he was not from the devil (Mark 3:22) without a bunch of groupie demons introducing him to everyone. But I also think there was something deeper going on.

The father of lies loves to try to tell us who we are. He loves to whisper in our minds things like "You're a failure." or "You're annoying/useless/unlovable/pathetic/unforgivable / ..." (don't fill in the blank!). The odd thing is, what the demon said about Jesus was true - Jesus was the Holy One of God. Sometimes, a lies starts with something that is true; perhaps a one-off occurrence that happened a long time ago but if we listen to it, the father of lies will twist it to suit his own purpose. He uses those evil words to label our identity till we believe that is who we are and can't ever change. Jesus would have none of it and neither should we. When we hear those lies in our minds we should immediately tell them to shut up and go away in the name of Jesus, just like Jesus did. Then fight back with God's word's of identity over us (see below). Our identity is not formed by our failures and mistakes. Our identity is not in the hands of the father of lies.

Influence Two
Sometimes the people who followed Jesus on the earth thought so highly of him that they were ready to make him their king after one of his greatest miracles. (John 6:15) Other times they are ready to stone him (John 8:59). One minute they are pledging their undying love and allegiance (Matthew 26:35) and the next minute they are crucifying him for heresy (Matthew 27:22). John 2:24-25 says that at the high points of his popularity, when many believed in him "he refused to commit himself to man because ... He knew what was in man."

This is huge. Jesus knew well the fickle hearts of human beings - human beings who could betray with a kiss, who could steal from you with one hand while the other shakes yours warmly. He knew. And so should we. We may be blessed with wise friends who can give us great advice but even they do not determine our identity. I'm sorry to break it to you but we are not who we are because of what has been spoken over us by others for good or bad. Have you experienced the cutting words of another over your life? Words that practically winded you with their force and finality? Did it change your actions? Did it change the way that you see yourself? Or did you cling to what the word of God says about you instead? I am guilty of listening to the praise of others to influence my actions and I am guilty of allowing the criticism of others to influence my actions. Am I also guilty of speaking these kinds of words over others? Probably.

Reinhard Bonnke once said "I am immune to the criticism of man because I am immune to the praise of man."

Rudyard Kipling's poem "If" praises this kind of person:

"If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

    And treat those two impostors just the same;"

 

Jesus thought the same. He was immune to man's praises and his criticism because they were not the source of his identity nor an influence over his actions.  

Influence Three
Paul knows the answer: "I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me." (1 Cor 4:3-4) Paul says men judge wrongly and even looking within ourselves (which is the answer we find in popular culture today) we are likely to judge ourselves wrongly too (Because we usually think we are better than we really are and at the same time we usually think we are worse than we really are too - ever asked a kid to pick their own punishment when they know they've done wrong? They tend to be a lot harsher on themselves than others would be.)

There is only one who knows our hearts and who we should listen to for our identity and that is the one who designed us (Eph 2:10)

Whose voice did Jesus listen to? Who did Jesus allow to speak words of life and hope and identity over him? Who did Jesus commit himself to, knowing that His words and His character was forever faithful and unchanging?

Matthew 3:16-17 says "When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”"

Jesus identity came from His Father and His Father alone.

Interestingly, Jesus's Father announced His "Well Done Son" from heaven, before Jesus had done a single thing to deserve it - that is, from a human point of view. So far he hadn't performed a single miracle and had not even one follower. His identity was not made by what He did but was based on who He was and confirmed by His Father.

We can know our identity because it has already been written. No matter the changes in your circumstance or surroundings, your job or your family position, God calls each of us by name (Isaiah 45:4) to live the life that He and He alone designed us for (Ephesians 2:10) and that core identity doesn't change.

If you believe in Jesus you have been given the right to be called a Child of God (John 1:14). When you are born again you get a new name (Christian, Child of God, Rev 3:12), a new family (with a father in heaven and brothers and sisters here on earth), an eternal inheritance (Romans 8:17, Hebrews 9:15) and every spiritual blessing that heaven has to offer (Ephesians 1:3). You are more than a conqueror through Christ (Romans 8:37), you are forgiven (1 John 1:9), you have been washed clean by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5) and you belong to Jesus and the Father (John 17:9-10).

When you speak to God, you have the right to enter his presence and say "It's me. Your .....[say your name here]." (Hebrews 10:19, Song of Songs 7:10) What more could we ask for?

There are always going to be those who want to put a label on us that God has not given us. We not only need to tell those influences to be quiet but we need to replace them with the truth. That means reading, speaking, praying, singing, memorizing, meditating and dwelling on words of truth as spoken by the Father about who you really are.

That's how Jesus did it - that is how Jesus remained secure in His identity despite the physical transitions he went through. Because He didn't trust to the fickleness of humans or the truth-twisting words of demons but stood firm on who He was at His core, the part that never changed as spoken over Him by His Father in heaven - He was God made flesh, the Saviour of the World.

What other verses come to your mind when you think about who your Heavenly Father says you are?

Shine for your children!

To all Christian parents and children's workers who pray for your children here's a massive, enthusiastic Well Done! and Keep up the Good Work! 

If you have ever doubted or worried that you have anything to offer your child or children then read on and let me encourage you.

 
We Christian parents and children's workers sometimes doubt ourselves when deciding how much or in what way to try to teach our Children spiritual values. There are plenty of non-believers in positions of authority in our Government, education systems and the media who try very hard to dissuade us from leading our little ones to Christ. That is because it is misleading to tell a child something is a fact when it may or may not be true. So for unbelievers, who do not know the Light of the World, they are wary of Him. Understandably so. It makes sense to be wary of the light if you live in spiritual darkness.
 
But we know the Light of the World (John 8:12). He lives in our hearts and we commune with Him every day. He shines bright like the sun and has told us to shine bright like stars (Philippians 2:15) so that we can lead others to Him and show them The Way (John 14:6). We are not misleading our children with false facts that deliver false hope and false expectations - we are leading them to a real person called Truth who loves them.
 
So I want to encourage you to shine as bright as a star to your children. Don't hide your light under a bowl but let them see it (Matthew 5:14-16). By doing so, you are giving them the kind of head start that many others have to catch up to later in life - if they even get in the race.

You are giving them a spiritual inheritance that you can both benefit from before you die! It's a gift to lead your children to Jesus. It's a privilege and a pleasure to lead them as a shepherd leads sheep, through lush green pastures and clear running water (Psalm 23:1-4). If you don't, you are leaving them to be led by the spiritually blind and you know what Jesus said happens when the blind lead the blind? They both fall into the ditch (Matthew 15:14).
 
Many of us are afraid of pushing our children so much that they rebel and run the other way and this is a valid concern. It does not mean, however, that you should do nothing instead.

Try doing what Jesus did. He led his disciples and invited them to follow him.(Matthew 4:18-25 & John 1:43-50) He didn’t force them but he attracted and intrigued them by modelling a lifestyle they could imitate. He taught them how to pray (Luke 11) but did not demand when or where or how many times, He left that bit up to them. He never forced a confession of faith of out them but when Peter announced Jesus was the Christ he rejoiced with Him! (Matt16:15-19) He let them watch while he prayed for people to be healed and delivered and then sent them out - all by themselves! - to have a go with remarkably few instructions (Luke 10:1-12). He showed them the Father by being like the Father in his words and actions and when they slipped up, he prayed fervently for them, that their faith would not fail and that they would have the strength to return to Him (Luke 22:31-32).

Go for it, Mum and Dad. Go for it kid's workers! In a world of spiritual blindness that squints when you shine your light, respectfully and patiently continue to lead your children anyway. Teach them to pray. Teach them what God is like from the stories in the Bible. Teach them about heaven (they love to learn about heaven!). Teach them that God sent His Son to die for them because He loves them (John 3:16) and teach them that they can have a friend in Jesus that they can’t see but who will live in their hearts and give them love, strength and courage when they need it most. Then wait for them to choose to invite Him in. 

When I was four, my Mum told me the gospel and asked if I'd like to pray a prayer inviting Jesus into my heart. I said no but when she went away I prayed it by myself and then went to tell her. When my daughter was three, she came up to me in church and told me she wanted to invite Jesus into her heart. I'd asked her before but she'd said no and now here she was, asking me of her own accord.

She said to me the other day, "I don't think some of the kids in my class believe in God." I told her how blessed she was to have parents who teach her about God and that most children do believe in God when they have someone to teach them (I read that in The Pilgrim's Progress 2 by John Bunyan).

I thought to myself, she really is so blessed that at so young an age, she already has a friend in Jesus. It's not a guarantee that she'll never rebel or turn away from God but it is a guarantee that if (or when!) she decides to continue her faith into adulthood, she won't have years of catching up to do. She'll already be a bright, bright burning star, leading others as she follows The Way.

How do you shine your light to your children?

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A Noah Perspective: Never Again

I promise I haven't seen the film Noah yet (it's not out till next week in the UK) or read many reviews but I thought I'd get my tuppence worth in before the big movie of the year is released and then compare inspirations! I suspect the movie WON'T follow my line of thought...

Before getting involved in Alpha in New Zealand, I never used to ask the question that so many other people ask: "Why God, is there so much suffering in the world?" That also meant that I didn't have an answer either so I made it my business to find out the answer. I read some amazing books that really helped - "The Case for Faith" by Lee Strobel was particularly insightful as well as "Aftershock" by Adrian Holloway. I soon found that there were plenty of opportunities to help others answer that question and for some it was life-changing.

So lately I've been thinking about that question with Noah in mind. So often the Bible encourages us to embrace trials, rejoice in suffering and endure through it to the end to gain the reward and I believe that with all my heart. But in the moment, how many times do we wish it would all just end? How many times have we wished it were all over? How much do we doubt while going through the tough times that it will actually be worth it in the end? How could any amount of good possibly be worth this much suffering?

The story of Noah and the flood tells us that the Lord himself can understand your thoughts and how you feel because for a brief moment in history, He allowed Himself to ask the same question. Before the Great Flood, He looked at the amount of sin in the world and was so grieved that he regretted even making us in the first place. (Genesis 6:5-7) In Noah's lifetime, there was so much sin that no one could be content because of all the greed, no one could be safe because of all the abuse of each others belongings and bodies, no one could be at peace because you couldn't trust even your dearest friend. There was a lot of sin and there was a lot of suffering too. Just like we do sometimes, God looked around and was so heartbroken at the state of things that He was sorry He had even started this venture called mankind. But that is not the end of the story.

Remember Leelo in the movie The Fifth Element who came to save mankind and lost heart when she saw the amount of destruction we have caused to each other over the years? She was reminded by Bruce Willis's character, Korban Dallas, that there is more than evil in the world - there is also love.

What was it that inspired God to take heart once again and believe in His creation, believe that we are able to live up to the great destiny He has designed for us? The destiny that involved preparing the way for the Messiah who would then in turn prepare a people to be His bride, to judge angels and reign alongside Him when He comes into His kingdom? Who was God's inspiration? Noah. "But Noah found Grace in the sight of the Lord." (Gen 6:8)

What was it about Noah? Genesis gives us this description of Noah: "Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God." (ch6:9). Who else in the Bible walked with God? Noah's Great-Grandfather, Enoch, walked with God and he was one of only two men in the Bible to be spared death - he was also taken at a relatively younger age than the rest of his family line so he was also spared the horror of living in a world that was so awful God wiped it out and started again with Noah. So walking with God was a pretty rare and special thing.

Who else walked with God? The first man, Adam, walked with God in the cool of the day, probably every day, before He and Eve sinned (Gen 3:8). Noah was a direct descendant from Adam - Adam actually died 130 years before Noah was born, when Noah's father, Lamech, was 56 years old.

Noah was a direct descendant from Adam - the ninth firstborn male from Adam - through that line would come the Seed that was prophesied to bruise the head of the snake prince of earth (Gen 3:15) and ultimately restore us back to right relationship with God, the earth and each other. If Adam had a title, Noah would have inherited it.

Perhaps Noah learnt something through his immense line of great-grandfathers about what it meant to walk with God unashamedly, unhindered in the cool of the day. Noah carried a mantle, an authority, a knowledge that his lifeline carried hope. He was taught well and He learnt what he was taught. In fact, he took it so seriously that when everyone else in the world was unjust, he remained just. When everyone else compromised, He remained perfect and when everyone else went their own way, He chose God.

God looked at Noah and saw a reflection of himself. He decided that there was Hope for mankind after all. He saw that human kind had not been utterly corrupted but could still live up to their divine destiny. Thank God for Noah!

Perhaps the heartache it caused the Lord to destroy all he made and start again was too great a cost - the massive death of people, potential, His own dreams He had dreamt for them, love He had invested in them, lessons he had taught them - all gone. Perhaps it was even greater than the cost God could see ahead - the cost of His Son. The cost of sticking with these humans for the future was going to be big but perhaps not as big as what the Flood would have cost if He had not chosen to save Noah.

Whatever the reason, after the flood, God brought a rainbow that was a symbol of promise - a promise to never again curse creation because of people (Gen 8:20-22). A promise not to wipe us out like that again (Gen 9:12-17). God make a promise in a rainbow to remind Himself that He had not given up on us and that He would never, ever give up on us again - ever. No matter how bad things would get, God decided to put all his grief behind him and invest himself 100% in mankind - He made covenants with Abraham and then sent His Son to suffer and die so we could follow Him through death to the resurrection and live forever as His bride. Why? Because He sees something in us and has decided we are worth it all - all the pain and sorrow Jesus went through was nothing compared to the Joy He knew we would bring Him afterwards (Hebrews 12:2). Isn't it wonderful to think that we bring Him joy?

God is so invested in your life and in mine - He never has any doubts about you or about me. He put any possibility of that behind him at the Flood and He never goes back on His promises. That promise to us was not conditional - it does not depend on our behaviour or how good we are - it is a promise that he will never again flood the earth. He will never give up on mankind ever - he will one day bring in a new heaven and earth but he is 100% committed to first getting as many of us through the door of Jesus that will come.

He is 100% committed to bringing about good from all the disaster that goes on around us (Romans 8:28). He is 100% committed to making sure that every trial and valley we go through will indeed be worth it. He is 100% committed and invested in me and in you. As long as we are living, He refuses to give up on us.

If you are ever tempted to give up on your dreams, your marriage, your life or give up on God because the situation is too dark to see any light in it - cling on to that promise that was first hinted at through a rainbow, spoken through a covenant with Abraham and finally sealed at Calvary: it will be worth it. He is 100% committed to making sure of it.

Worship 101

Worship 1:01

Have you ever gone to a church that worshipped in a different style to the one you are used to and struggled to engage with God because the worship was so distracting? Did you keep saying things in your head like ‘I don’t like this’, ‘this feels wrong or boring or over the top or ...’. Have you ever gone somewhere new, perhaps even to a different country, and wished that the worship could be more like what you have at home? Or perhaps you are one of the ones who loves the way the worship is done here and thinks that the others who don’t like it need to get over themselves and get with the programme?

This issue, these thoughts are not new. They are an ancient as Cain and Abel and when Jesus walked the earth, this issue was as big as it gets – two people groups, both of whom have ancestry from Abraham – believe the way they worship is the best way and this issue, among many others, blocks relationship, blocks reconciliation, creates contention.

Let’s look at the story again and see what Jesus has to say about the matter.

Jesus walks into the scene as a seemingly innocent bystander who just wants a drink but he is about to rock this woman’s world, transform her village and announce to her a profound truth that is just as relevant for us today as it was then.

In one part of their conversation, recorded in John's gospel, chapter 4 verse 20, the Samaritan woman asks Jesus a question, in the form of a statement – “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” Was she expecting the usual arguments the Jews gave on this matter, ones she probably grew up hearing and the ones her brothers learned to cleverly rebuff in their Sunday school class should they ever encounter a Jew?

Jesus answer is astounding (verses 23 and 24): “A time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

What is so astounding about this answer?

The Samaritan woman considered worship to be about the tangible facts: where should we worship? When should we worship? In what place, in what manner, at what time, in what order?

These are statements that still bring contention today – what songs ought we to sing, in what style, with what instruments, how loud, how many? Should it be on a Sunday or a Saturday night? What time on a Sunday? At what part of the Sunday service? Even wider than this, ,missionaries worldwide have faced issues of whether we should worship in round churches or square ones, with men and women separated or together, sitting down or standing up? Arms raised or arms prostrated out before you on the floor? In what language should we worship? Latin, English or our native tongue? You may think some of these issues are funny or bizarre but I assure you each one has actually brought division either recently or historically and prevented others from reconciliation with God because the Christians considered the style of worship to be more important than true worship.

Jesus cuts through all of this.

God seeks worshippers who worship in Spirit and in truth.

What does this mean?

For starters, are you really worshipping God when we come together to sing, pray, break bread? Or are you just going through the motions? If you are going through the motions, that is not honest or true. True worshippers mean what they say, sing, pray.

In Spirit – when God breathed life into Adam he gave him Spirit from his own spirit and the Spirit that lives within you longs to be reunited with God because as Jesus said, God is Spirit. How does your spirit worship God? I could write for hours on this but in a nutshell, when your head (thoughts) and your heart (feelings) and your soul (will) submit to God – i.e. GET OUT OF THEIR OWN WAY you find yourself in the Holiest of Holy places, the throne room of God with your spirit free to worship God.

If you find your brain going into overdrive thinking too much about the how, who, when, where then say “God, I may not like or understand this but I give those thoughts to you because I desire to worship you”. When you find your feelings are getting in the way of your worshipping God because you are upset the worship is not in the way you like it then pray “God, I feel upset/angry/disappointed/whatever but I give that to you because I desire to worship you”. When you’re stubborn will is fighting back saying “I won’t worship if it’s going to be this way” or your passive will is saying “Fine, I’ll go through the motions but I won’t really engage, I’ll just wait till it’s all over then go back to my own way of doing things” then pray “Father God, I am struggling to engage with you here. I give you my strong will/ my passive will and ask you to help me because at the bottom of it all, I desire to worship you.”

Then go for it. Worship God. Open up your heart, your mind, your body and worship God in the manner with which shows God you love him and glorify him - in spirit. 

It may - actually IT ABSOLUTELY WILL - look different for each person but the who, what, where, when, how doesn’t matter. If it is true and allowing your spirit to engage with God then it is worship and God LOVES it. Yes He does.

Joy

Last night, at my women’s small group, a friend brought a problem to the group so she could ask for some wisdom and help in figuring it out. The result was so eye-opening and insightful, I want to share it with you and give credit to these amazing women of God too.

This was the problem: James 1:1-5 says that we should consider it pure joy when we go through various trials because we know that the result of these trials is patience. James then encourages us to allow patience to produce in us everything we need so we lack nothing and then he gives some advice about what to do when you don’t know how to do this – ask for wisdom. So this is the point my friend was at – asking for wisdom.

How on earth, she said, do I count what I am going through as Joy? Instead, I am ready to give up on my situation and I need some understanding of this scripture. At first we had no clue what to say or how to answer, and I knew that I too have struggled to find Joy in the middle of trials but as the sun set outside, the light began to dawn on us inside.

What is Joy? Is it more than just an emotional response to a pleasant occurrence? Is it something more like contentment? When are some of the times when I have experienced pure joy?

My moments of highest Joy have been after I have achieved something amazing – like baptising a friend. For others it was after birthing their first baby. Jesus experienced times of exhilarating Joy like when the seventy disciples arrived back from the mission field with stories of success and overcoming demons. The disciples were elated and so was Jesus (Luke 10:21-22) – not at the fact that demons submitted to them but at the fact that his disciples were discovering profound truths that had previously been hidden and were using this revelation to win souls, to fish for men like He had promised, like He had trained them to do. Yes! The plan was working!

This got me looking into the Bible (when I got home) at Joy – there are different words for Joy in the Bible but the rarest one (agalliao) is saved for the times of most exquisite joy and is often used to describe the joy connected to eternity with God: the Joy of salvation (Acts 16:34, Acts 2:26), the Joy of our eternal inheritance (1 Peter1:6, Matthew 5:12), the joy of believing by faith in Jesus (1 Peter 1:8), the joy of the Saviour’s arrival on earth (Luke 1:47, John 8:56), and finally, the Joy on that day when the marriage of the Lamb has come and the Bride is ready! (Rev 19:7)

But most of all, this type of joy is not just a physical emotion. It is a spiritual one. When Jesus rejoiced over the seventy disciples, He rejoiced ‘In the Spirit’. When a person accepts Jesus and is saved the party is in heaven (Luke 15:7).

But James asks us to consider it Joy when we are in the middle of a trial – in the exact opposite circumstance that would normally, naturally bring us Joy. How can we do such a thing?

When I was in my final year of University, I was having a hard time getting back into study after a year of working with Youth With A Mission. I had experienced life after University and it was so difficult to go back and finish my degree. A friend helped me when she told me to picture myself graduating in a cap and gown, holding my certificate and let that image do its work in me – that image gave me the patience and endurance to continue and complete my studies with the joy that when it was over I would have achieved something amazing.

Again, last year, while Johnny and I were waiting to for God to reveal the next place he was preparing for us and we were struggling to keep the faith through such a long wait, I asked God to give me a glimpse of the future, something to focus my mind on, to hold on to when I couldn’t see hope. And He did. I used the image that came into my mind to focus my thoughts on when the going got tough. I allowed that vision of the end goal to bring me Joy in the toughest times.

How do you think Jesus endured the cross? The Bible tells us that he too kept his mind focussed on the Joy that was before him (Hebrews 12:2). He walked the road to Calvary and endured the cross without giving up or losing heart because He knew that he was accomplishing something that would bring so much Joy to him, his Father, you and me. The thought and knowledge of the Joy to come, brought Joy in the middle of the darkest valley. It worked its power in Jesus and brought endurance and patience so he could finish the great and mighty work he was accomplishing.

So Joy is more than just an emotion after all. In fact it is something quite amazing - it is a spiritual glimpse of something eternal that we get to experience in our here and now.
 

You see, there is Joy coming. If you have your name written in the Book of Life, there is great Joy over you and great Joy coming for you. There is a wedding coming at which you will be standing next to Jesus in perfectly clean, spotless white linen as His Bride (Rev 19:8). There is an eternity prepared for you with no pain or suffering and you are currently being prepared for your place there. In the meantime, you can do two things to help you experience a glimpse of this joy now.

One is to ask God for a vision or a revelation of the Joy that is to come at the end of your trial and fix your mind on it. James sums it up in these words: perfection of your character, completeness, lacking nothing. Three very happy thoughts indeed! The change of perspective will help you see your trial as God sees it – the trial is not the end, He will not leave you there. There is Joy coming in the morning. (Psalm 30:5)

The second is to ask for His Holy Spirit – ask for His Joy to fill you, supernaturally, spiritually, abundantly. Go back to paragraph six, click on the links and read each one of those scriptures and ask God to fill you with Joy as you do. Go on.

The trial will not disappear, but His Joy will give you the patience to endure to the end where salvation is waiting! Yes!

Graceful Character (When God Says No)

Have you ever had that wonderful experience of God saying No to your prayers? The proverbial door being closed or sometimes even slammed in your face when you had your heart set on going through? After offering to serve in the worship team at church and being rejected, a wise preacher told me, (while I was tearing my heart out trying to understand why) that God is more interested in my character than what I think I can do for Him. It changed my whole perspective on the situation.

I was 19 then and that lesson has helped through several other times when the Lord has asked me to set some really strong boundaries in my life or asked me to lay down certain activities I thought I was doing for Him. I’ve come to love Romans 5:3-4 that says we can rejoice and be happy when we run into problems and trials because we know they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character and character strengthens our hope of salvation (NLT version).

But why is character so important after all? Why is it more important than being happy, than fulfilling our dreams or by doing things that make us feel good? I thought Christ came to set us free so why do we still have to give things up or stop doing things we like – even Godly things like serving in church? It doesn’t make sense.

I think it has something to do with the verses that precede those wonderful ones in Romans 5. Here is verse 2:

 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege (Grace) where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. (NLT)

 

I believe that God has granted us an incredible privilege to live by faith, to stand under grace. I also believe that to live by grace successfully takes strength of character.

Let me explain:

The are two extremes of behaviour that Christians can fall into (or deliberately walk in) as a response to the Grace- legalism or lethargy. I have found myself wandering into each of these pathways in the last few years. Legalism is fuelled essentially by fear. It's the sin of the Pharisee who was so passionate and determined to do the right thing that they were terrified of ever doing the wrong thing. Therefore anything that even closely resembled the wrong thing or was once used by someone who once did the wrong thing... (you get the idea) was banned from their lives. One example of this Paul admonishes in 1 Corinthians 2:9-11 when the Christians began to disassociate themselves from non-Christians for being sexually immoral.

Legalism is a massive issue that takes many forms but the bottom line is that it's a trap that prevents us from living under grace and steals the joy that comes with Grace!

The other extreme is to abuse God's grace and use it as Paul describes later in the chapter, as an excuse for unrighteousness (i.e. to do anything we like regardless of whether it is right or wrong). I liken this kind of behaviour to living in the house of a rich person. Imagine you were in a foreign country and your passport and money had been stolen. With no where to sleep or turn to, a generous rich family allows you to stay with them and gives you free access to all areas of their house -  the bedroom, the kitchen the media room. There is a maid who will clean up your mess and a valet to dress you with clothes from the rich family's wardrobe. Paradise! 

Abusing God's grace is like going out from that house, getting all muddy and then walking that mud through the house with the excuse that the maid will clean it up so it doesn't matter. And the valet will clean my clothes so I don't need to mind about getting dirty. Yes, God will clean up your messes and cover you with his righteousness over and over again but what does that say about you and your character? God grace and His character don't change so He will always love you, forgive you when you say sorry and give you another chance. He can't seem to help himself He just loves us that much! But what does that say about YOUR character? It says your self-centred, undisciplined, disrespectful, unloving, unkind... is that really who we want to be?

You see, God longs to give us freedom but he knows that if we are to handle that freedom and still be a loving, kind, righteous person who will love God and others as themselves and who will lead others to Him we need strength of character.

So how do we get strength of character so that we can enjoy this freedom of living under grace while still remaining attractive to God, ourselves and others? Back to Romans 5 again: problems and trials. Like facing rejection and loss and yet still loving the Lord and trusting Him with your life, believing He will work it out for good. (Romans 8:28). Like accepting with Joy the closed door in front of you, trusting it is for the best.

The younger we are in our faith, the stronger the boundaries seem to be. Like a good parent, He trusts us more as more as we grow. He may say No to some of our prayers or ask us to give something up for a while even though it is something you love. Even if it is something good and worthwhile.

Why?

Because He is working on our character.

Why?

So that we can walk in freedom, stand in Grace and yet still remain attractive. So that we can experience the joy of our salvation and not live in fear. So that when we get the chance to live our dreams, we won't bring shame or disgrace to God but will be a shining star, showing others the way to Jesus.