to delay or fail to make decisions may be more sinful than to make wrong decisions out of faith and love‏

I absolutely adore men like Bonhoeffer.

Why?

Because I’m a coward, but God has given me grace to recognize courage in others and I desire it.

That’s one reason my second son is named Finneas after Phinehas from the Bible.

To dissect, discern and decide in the face of difficulty.

This is a trait I desire desperately.

(however, the pastoral gift of using repetitive letters in addressing people I’ve got down very well, thank you!)

Bonhoeffer wrote:

A decision must be made at some point, and it’s no good waiting indefinitely for a sign from heaven that will solve the difficulty without further trouble. Even the ecumenical movement has to make up its mind and is therefore subject to error, like everything human.

But to procrastinate and prevaricate simply because you’re afraid of erring, when others — I mean our brethren in Germany — must make infinitely more difficult decisions every day, seems to me almost to run counter to love.

To delay or fail to make decisions may be more sinful than to make wrong decisions out of faith and love. (Eric Metaxas,Bonhoeffer, [Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2010], 2180)

The majority of my life could be defined under the term, “because you’re afraid of erring.”

By God’s grace, He is teaching me to be free to fail. Not because I want to or because I take “the right” decision less seriously, but because I take myself less seriously, His cross more seriously and the Gospel of grace to be sufficient to forgive me in my indecisiveness.

I still want to perform well.

But I’m less anxious about failure.

I want to make right decisions, but not at the expense of being indecisive.

Indecision can be sin.

For me it was.

Because it was cowardice.

It was a distrust of Grace.

Praise God for men who in humility decide and act at the expense of being abused for the sake of doing what seemed best according to the counsel they received, the gifts they had access to, the Spirit within to comfort, and the mind they had to discern.

May more men be like Bonhoeffer acting to God’s glory for our good in grace by faith living in obedience to that which is revealed in order to bravely venture into that which is uncertain.

the skill and the will‏

Exodus 36:2

And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whose mind theLord had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to do the work.

God puts skills into the heart, mind and hands of men.

God stirs their hearts to come and do work for their good and His glory.

Our churches are filled with skilled people who do not come AND unskilled people who are willing to fill in the gaps left by the unmoved and skilled.

Things worth doing are worth doing poorly until someone more capable comes along. I learned this from Mark Arant a long time ago.

But by God’s grace, those He has skilled should devote themselves and their talents toward the good works He has prepared for them beforehand rather than burying their skills in the vault of themselves for safe keeping.

so tell me what you want, what you really, really want‏

Oswald Chambers tells us what we want (zig-a-zig, ah!)

We have become so self-centered that we go to God only for something from Him, and not for God Himself. It is like saying, “No, Lord, I don’t want you;I want myself. But I do want You to clean me and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I want to be on display in Your showcase so I can say, ’This is what God has done for me.’ ” Gaining heaven, being delivered from sin, and being made useful to God are things that should never even be a consideration in real surrender. Genuine total surrender is a personal sovereign preference for Jesus Christ Himself.

God is not your 6th out of 7th step to personal happiness and worry-free living. He’s not even the 1st step. He’s not even a step. He’s the reward: the aim.

It is not wrong to desire salvation, deliverance, utility, heaven, home, etc…

It is wrong to want them in a way that produces dissatisfaction with God when you fail to get them in the portion you pursue.

For example, if you desire deliverance to such a degree that you ditch God when deliverance is delayed, the problem is not with God, but with you.

I’m sorry.

I do love you.

I’m just not going to take your side against God on this one.

First of all, that’s ridiculous.

Additionally, we would both lose. 

To whom and for what are you willing to surrender?

Most of us only surrender to ourselves for the desires we have been trying to hold back by religious rigor. We cave in and click the link, utter the words, eat the cookie, etc…

We do, by nature, what we want.

We do, by will power, what we wish to wanted.

When our will power fails, we do what, by nature, we really want.

Why do you want God?

Do you want Him at all?

Do you still want Him when He withholds His hands?

Or do you merely miss His hands?

benediction = bene (well) + dicere (to speak)

Hebrews 13:20-21

Benediction

20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant,21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

For those of you playing at home, “No” the sub-title “Benediction” is not inspired, but added after –the-fact as a point of clarification or identification to the reader as to what is about to be communicated.

I remember the very first small group I joined. It was Spring and it was in Pastor Dodge’s living room that a group of people I did not know were finishing a study of the book of Jude. I had been working out at a local gym for a while and had gotten to know the staff there as I checked in and out quite regularly (sometimes 2 to the 3 times/day). I had began over the course of the previous summer to ride my bike outside for exercise in order to lose weight. When the winter came, I was in danger of losing my opportunity to work-out and joined the gym initially to continue working on the progress I had made. I had gained some weight upon moving to Ames and living on my own. I was up from 170 to 188 and none of it was muscle. By the time I joined the gym that winter, I was down to 150. I eventually got down to the 130’s (which was incredibly unhealthy, but impressive – which is more of what I was aiming for at that point). Carrie was the girl behind the counter. She went to the same church as I did and was attending a small group (Connection Group). She invited me to attend. She mentioned the lead teaching pastor, Jeff Dodge, was the group’s leader. I acquiesced and attended. Carrie was dating a guy named Jacob. I got to know him through the course of going to the gym and attending the Connection Group which he also attended regularly. Once the study in Jude was done, the group was going to disband for the summer and reconvene in the Fall. Pastor Jeff however pegged Jacob and myself for a continuation of our gatherings. He asked if we would be up for meeting with him weekly on Sunday afternoons to go through the book of Hebrews as Cornerstone was going to be teaching through it that Fall. We both agreed. In the course of that Bible study I came across these verses listed above and memorized them as part of the curriculum. I was reminded of them today and discovered in them grace I did not previously see. What a powerful truth to have anchored in your soul. By the by, Jacob was the best man in my wedding. I was the best man in his. Pastor Jeff is our spiritual dad who taught us about grace, faith, faithfulness, life, livelihood and all the other in-between that requires navigation. The book of Hebrews is forever synonymous in my mind as the place my faith began to grow and mature. It is also yoked entirely in sentiment to my Pastor and one of my best friends who both encouraged me and spurred me on further upward and inward into Jesus.

By way of putting a bow on the previous paragraph: Jacob did not marry Carrie. God broke my desire for control and helped me gain healthy weight in a life/balance of eating and exercise. And Pastor Jeff officiated my wedding.

Back to it:

20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant,21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Let the VVCSV have a crack at this one:

We have peace with God through Christ. God initiated the peace treaty as we were still firing away at Heaven with the weapons of our demise. Jesus is the Shepherd of all God’s sheep. Jesus was the Lamb who was slain and His blood eternally binds us to God in peace by grace through faith in Him alone. He is both the Shepherd and the Lamb. The sacrifice and the Priest. He grants us everything necessary to be pleasing to Him. He produces through our fumbling around fruit He is eager to pronounce “faithful” in rewarding us forever for what He has already done for us in Christ. In view of God’s mercies in extending this favor to us, may He be praised forever in our hearts, in our minds, by our tongues, through our hands, with our strength, in our weakness now and forever more. Amen. (VVCSV)

there is no effort without error and shortcoming

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great end of triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt

Nuff said.

Get to work.

meatloafing

Romans 12:9-21
 
⁹ Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.¹⁰ Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.¹¹ Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.¹² Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.¹³ Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.¹⁷ Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.¹⁸ If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.¹⁹ Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”²⁰ To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

After 11 chapters of theological beauty, the apostle Paul changes gears from orthodoxy to orthopraxy: from right believing to right living.

For those who spent the first 11 chapters shifting in their seats wanting more application, Paul explodes with practical here in Romans 12. It reminds me a little bit of Israel’s boredom with divine bread in lieu of their cravings for meat. God’s response was to give them a heaping helping of meat. More than they could handle.

Romans 12, in some ways, reminds me of this phenomenon. Anyone who begins their investigation into the Christian walk by beginning in Romans 12 should be discouraged.

Yes, it’s practical.

But man is it impossible to pull off perfectly without exception.

Without the foundation of Romans 1-11, there is no hope in being confronted by a list like the one fired at us in Romans 12.

Saturate yourself in the Gospel and His commands are not burdensome.

Belief necessarily comes before behavior.

Behavior necessarily follows belief.

Yes, there are imperatives in the book of Romans.

Yes, Paul expected people to apply these standards to their actual walks.

But we do not live my imperatives.

We live by the indicatives of what God has done for us in Christ.

Do not breeze past the Gospel in search of a new law.

You think you want meat.

But you live by manna.

cheer up. you suck!

John 16:32-33

³² Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me.³³ I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

If somebody told you that an extremely difficult ordeal was about to overtake you and that you would fail and fall short under the hardship, what would your response be?

Probably something like like: “Why are you telling me this? I'd rather not know this!"

Jesus tells His disciples that a trial beyond their capacity to endure is about to take place.
They would forsake Him and flee.

Why tell them this?
How could this news be good?

Listen to Jesus' words:

I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace.

There is no peace in our ability to endure.
There is peace only in the Person and work of Christ.

In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world

Jesus has overcome the external tribulations of hatred, persecution, dismissal, unappreciation, etc…

Jesus has also overcome the internal tribulations of faithlessness, cowardice, fear and the flesh.

Jesus has not only overcome those outside who may cause you harm.
He has overcome you and the harm you would do yourself.

Jesus forecasts our inability to stay loyal to Him not to discourage us from following Him now, but to encourage us to continue following Him even after we have fallen.

Jesus was never left alone because He had His Father. He depended upon Him only, solely, entirely and fully. He perfectly obeyed and sacrificed before His Father whom He trusted perfectly.

In the same way, Jesus says that in Him we are never alone. We are never on an island. We have Him and He overcame everything, even us.