I was reminded this morning again about the focus of being on Christ. I am seeing the value of memorizing Scripture. The times when we desperately need help are those times the Holy Spirit brings to our mind a verse, a passage, a phrase that meets our need. For me, this morning, full of discouragement, worry, and self focus, was one of those. The passage as Philippians 3, one that is written from the heart of Paul.
I love his words that he writes -- it is with such tenderness that they flowed from his pen onto paper. Paul writes about his credentials before knowing Christ -- and impressive they are. In today's terms, he would be a descendent of Washington, Jefferson, or Madison. He would have been educated at Harvard, Princeton, or Stanford. He would have worked under a cabinet member or a supreme court justice. He was on the fast track to being the next great Pharisee and teacher of the law -- in his own words, "a Hebrew of Hebrews". In our terms, he was on his way to being supreme court chief justice, or the next secretary of state.
But, his next statement reveals his heart towards Christ. "But whatever things were gain to me I count as loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." (v. 8a) How do we know this statement is true? In light of the very next thing he says… "for whom I have suffered the loss of all things." (8b) As an old man, hand perhaps trembling as this is written, eyes squinting to see in the light barely cast in his cell, Paul writes of the value of Christ, his Lord. It is personal. It is tender. It is true. It is backed by a life surrendered in the service of Christ. A life lived in that light -- the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus.
He goes on to say that those things, his family background, education, and former status -- are rubbish (I suspect 'rubbish' is the polite English translation for dung) -- in light of gaining Christ. Not only is Christ most valuable to him, but anything of gain to him belongs in the sewer -- and even more, is why a sewer exists (I threw that in). I wonder if what was brought to his mind regarding "surpassing value" was the words of Christ -- the parable of the pearl of great price -- when the finder of it sold all that he had in order to possess it (Matt. 13:44).
Now that he has gained Christ, what does Paul want? He wants to be found having a righteousness that comes by faith in Christ (v. 9), not through that which he had attained to before ("as to the righteousness which is in the law, found blameless", v.6). In light of that righteousness that comes by faith in Christ, I know him -- the power of His resurrection (and especially in Paul's case), the fellowship of His suffering (v. 10). So.. That He can one day be united with Christ (v. 11).
What does he want? "I press on to lay hold of that for which I was laid hold of by Christ." Here we find Paul's focus on the purpose of his life -- my goal is to do the very thing that Christ called me to do. I want to fulfill the purpose for which Christ called me. What a great goal. And one that took time -- we see in Galatians that Paul took three years in Arabia before beginning his ministry. I am sure that was a huge time of clarification of his purpose in preparation for this journey towards the goal.
Has Paul reached this goal at this point in his life? "Not that I have already obtained it or have become perfect" (v. 12) -- not quite yet. So what is the response? "One thing I do: I forget what lies behind and reach for what is ahead." He leaves the past behind -- the hurt, pain, and victory. What does he reach for? "I press on towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." It is this call -- the purpose that Christ called him for -- that he presses on towards.
What is my response? "Let us therefore… have this attitude." (v. 15a) I should feel the same way. What if I disagree? "If in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you." (v. 15b). If I disagree, God will "reveal" (read: discipline) that to me. And one final exhortation -- what if I am tired? "Let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained." (v 16). Don't backtrack, don't grow lax. Keep going forward, don't take a step backwards.
What is it that I am being asked to give up for the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord? I think I know the answer to this question. The answer is fear. I wonder if the current method that I am being offered is the very one I am resisting -- the path of medication. What is it that I fear about the medication? Is it the two to six weeks of adjustment when things could get bumpy, or is it the fear of what freedom might actually mean? Am I afraid of really being free? Of being able to experience freedom in a way I have tasted and enjoyed before? And this time, the taste could be sweeter, the joy more full, since it is founded in my growth of deeper walk with Christ. Am I afraid that finally, when I do not have fear to hide behind, of having to actually do that which I avoid?
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Codesmith
Codesmith rules. With a point, click, all of my stored procedures, transport classes, business objects, and data layer objects are generated. Very powerful. Right now I am using version 3.1 -- I highly recommend this for development!!! www.codesmithtools.com
Nullable Types/Generics
What was programming like without Nullable Types and Generics? What did we do before them? How could I ever go back?
Monday, October 17, 2005
Sermon
Yesterday's sermon at IBC was the best I have ever heard Pastor Andy give. Here is the link to the audio of his sermon:
http://www.irvingbible.org/resources/media/media_archive/2005/10/05-10-16_mcquitty.mp3
Our word of the week is:
Cacophony: Jarring, discordant sound; dissonanceSermon
http://www.irvingbible.org/resources/me
Our word of the week is:
Cacophony: Jarring, discordant sound; dissonanceSermon
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Encouragement
Tonight Anthony shared with us a verse from Hebrews that really made me think. The verse is Hebrews 3:13, and it says: “But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called ‘today,’ lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”
This passage speaks to me of two things regarding sin. The first is that in its deceitfulness, it makes us feel like we have lost, and the battle is over. By encouraging one another, we remind each other that the victory has been won by Christ, but even more important, others can see in a much clearer way the growth we have experienced in our lives. It is nice to have a “second opinion”, and even better to have one on the outside. How many times have I been discouraged by the lack of growth in my own life, when people around me see so much more?
The second thing I see about this verse is that sin can sometimes appear to be very attractive, and by encouraging one another to “stay the course”, we help remind one another that the race is really worth running.
Encouragement – definitely something needed by everyone. What a blessing it was tonight.
This passage speaks to me of two things regarding sin. The first is that in its deceitfulness, it makes us feel like we have lost, and the battle is over. By encouraging one another, we remind each other that the victory has been won by Christ, but even more important, others can see in a much clearer way the growth we have experienced in our lives. It is nice to have a “second opinion”, and even better to have one on the outside. How many times have I been discouraged by the lack of growth in my own life, when people around me see so much more?
The second thing I see about this verse is that sin can sometimes appear to be very attractive, and by encouraging one another to “stay the course”, we help remind one another that the race is really worth running.
Encouragement – definitely something needed by everyone. What a blessing it was tonight.
Monday, October 03, 2005
Payment for sin
God loves us, not because we are loveable, but because He is love. I want this to be the forefront of the thought process as I touch on the following subject.
A couple of months ago, during the single’s evangelism discussion, a few questions were brought up that I did not have the answer to. I have been thinking about these and feel that perhaps an answer may be provided. The questions are in reference to salvation and how it is paid for.
The first question, why can’t I pay for my own sin? The strange part of this question is that in part it is true, if we do not accept Christ’s payment for our sin. Hell, in whatever form it will be, is a kind of payment. But I don’t think that is its purpose. But on to the question – why the need for Christ to pay for my sin?
The word “pay” in the question stands out to me. If someone owes me money, my desire to collect is based on them having something I want (or need) – something that was once mine. What is it that we have that God wants or needs? What can we offer Him that would be sufficient? The payment must be of value to the receiver and nothing I have is of value to the Creator of all things. The answer to this is in the next point.
The other difficulty comes in the attempt to pay. Since God is the Creator of all things, is it not fair to say that He owns everything? What can we offer Him that isn’t already His? It would be like a dog bringing his master a toy that the master had purchased for him. Nothing I have is really of value to God, and what I do have already belongs to Him. So I am left in quite a bind. I can’t pay because a) I do not have it and b) what I do have (namely, me) already belongs to Him.
The second question that came up was why did Christ have to die? To put the question another way, was there another way? Why was death of God in human form necessary for the salvation of man?
The short answer to this question is: it is a combination of Who God is and how the system is designed. The long answer to this question begins with an examination of God's character.
It is Christian doctrine that God is just. Yet, I suspect we have very little idea of what true justice really means. But, our internal sense of fairness provides a gauge by which we can get an idea of what this might mean. One thing that seems to be common everywhere is the idea that if a law is violated, a punishment is required. Payment is required for the crime. In its current form, the payment may come in the form of prison time, financial restitution, or even death.
The above is in reference to the law of man. It is a fair statement to suggest that the law of God has more severe consequences, and worse, eternal consequences. Justice, part of God's character, demands that a price is paid for the violation of His law. In our sin, we died spiritually. And here is the second part to the answer. Payment of sin through death is by design.
I refer you to the following verse: "and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness [of sin]" (Hebrews 9:22). Interesting that it took one act of sin to condemn the entire human race, but only one act of righteousness to save it. (Romans 5:12-17). Lewis suggests in his atonement chapter (Mere Christianity) that the one act of righteousness can only be done by a truly righteous person… and that person would have to be God.
So what is the problem? It is this: we are already dead! How can we pay for our sin through death when we are already spiritually dead? What it required is Someone Who is truly alive, to die, in order to pay for that sin. But that Someone would not need to die. In a strange way, this ties back to the first question.
And so, in order to satisfy His justice, and yet also express His love, in light of our inability to pay what we owe, God took it upon Himself to make the payment for us. We can hardly admire a God Who would let people off. Have you ever criticized a judge for his or her less than firm judgment in a case? We rise up in our seats and cry "Not fair!! Justice must be done." And so it is with God. Might I also suggest that your sense of fairness comes from Him, because you are made in His image?
All I can say is: "but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 15:57).
A couple of months ago, during the single’s evangelism discussion, a few questions were brought up that I did not have the answer to. I have been thinking about these and feel that perhaps an answer may be provided. The questions are in reference to salvation and how it is paid for.
The first question, why can’t I pay for my own sin? The strange part of this question is that in part it is true, if we do not accept Christ’s payment for our sin. Hell, in whatever form it will be, is a kind of payment. But I don’t think that is its purpose. But on to the question – why the need for Christ to pay for my sin?
The word “pay” in the question stands out to me. If someone owes me money, my desire to collect is based on them having something I want (or need) – something that was once mine. What is it that we have that God wants or needs? What can we offer Him that would be sufficient? The payment must be of value to the receiver and nothing I have is of value to the Creator of all things. The answer to this is in the next point.
The other difficulty comes in the attempt to pay. Since God is the Creator of all things, is it not fair to say that He owns everything? What can we offer Him that isn’t already His? It would be like a dog bringing his master a toy that the master had purchased for him. Nothing I have is really of value to God, and what I do have already belongs to Him. So I am left in quite a bind. I can’t pay because a) I do not have it and b) what I do have (namely, me) already belongs to Him.
The second question that came up was why did Christ have to die? To put the question another way, was there another way? Why was death of God in human form necessary for the salvation of man?
The short answer to this question is: it is a combination of Who God is and how the system is designed. The long answer to this question begins with an examination of God's character.
It is Christian doctrine that God is just. Yet, I suspect we have very little idea of what true justice really means. But, our internal sense of fairness provides a gauge by which we can get an idea of what this might mean. One thing that seems to be common everywhere is the idea that if a law is violated, a punishment is required. Payment is required for the crime. In its current form, the payment may come in the form of prison time, financial restitution, or even death.
The above is in reference to the law of man. It is a fair statement to suggest that the law of God has more severe consequences, and worse, eternal consequences. Justice, part of God's character, demands that a price is paid for the violation of His law. In our sin, we died spiritually. And here is the second part to the answer. Payment of sin through death is by design.
I refer you to the following verse: "and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness [of sin]" (Hebrews 9:22). Interesting that it took one act of sin to condemn the entire human race, but only one act of righteousness to save it. (Romans 5:12-17). Lewis suggests in his atonement chapter (Mere Christianity) that the one act of righteousness can only be done by a truly righteous person… and that person would have to be God.
So what is the problem? It is this: we are already dead! How can we pay for our sin through death when we are already spiritually dead? What it required is Someone Who is truly alive, to die, in order to pay for that sin. But that Someone would not need to die. In a strange way, this ties back to the first question.
And so, in order to satisfy His justice, and yet also express His love, in light of our inability to pay what we owe, God took it upon Himself to make the payment for us. We can hardly admire a God Who would let people off. Have you ever criticized a judge for his or her less than firm judgment in a case? We rise up in our seats and cry "Not fair!! Justice must be done." And so it is with God. Might I also suggest that your sense of fairness comes from Him, because you are made in His image?
All I can say is: "but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 15:57).
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