Love each other as I have loved you.

Jesus, John 15:12

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“David was extremely thirsty and said, ‘If only someone would bring me water to drink from the well at the city gate of Bethlehem!’  So three of the warriors broke through the Philistine camp and drew water from the well (2 Samuel 23:15-16).”

“God led David to victory through all four battles mentioned in 2 Samuel 21:15-22, but He brought victory to David through someone else.  He saved David, all right, but He purposely made him dependent on someone else.

Several wonderful reasons might exist for the method God used, which we can pick up by reading through the list of David’s mighty men:

1.  For the sake of the people – Israel did not need David to be like a god to them.  He could not deal with being put on that kind of pedestal or subjected to that kind of pressure.  He was bound to disappoint them.  God will never allow any of us to be the only one through whom He appears to be working mightily.

2.  For the sake of King David – God protected David by not always letting him be the hero.  He gave David a few heroes instead…He humbled David and made him depend on them for his life.  None of us will escape this important life lesson.  God will force us to need help.”

From my study this morning.  I have been given a few heroes myself.  Women it is really hard to imagine not living life with at this point in my journey.  We help each other raise our kids, work through tough emotional times, encourage each other on in relationships.  I call them my people.  Not because I don’t love anyone else, but they’re the people God has given me right now to walk closely with.  I am loyal to them.  I depend on them in the healthy (I hope) interdependent way God designed. 

We help each other in this journey to simplicity of heart.  Sharing life with them is one way God has used to help us out of some of the consumer mentality.  I like how Jen said it in Spending Week of The 7 Experiment:

“This month was the hardest for me.  Checking spending – big, casual, small – was inordinately hard, indicative of what I cherish  The difficulty level was proportional to my entitlement…Vast consumption is so ordinary, that its absence was shocking…I’m missing the convenience of consumption, but I’ve missed the camaraderie more.  I’ve created conjoined twins out of buying and connecting. 

Eating a meal in a restaurant is one thing, but friends padding around barefoot in your kitchen and chopping carrots for your soup and sipping coffee on your deck is another creature altogether.  This exits the expediency of consumerism and enters the realm of hospitality.

There is something so nourishing about sharing your living space with people, where they see your junk mail pile and peewee football schedule on the fridge and pile of shoes by the front door.  Opening your home says, ‘You are welcomed into my real life.’  This square footage is where we laugh and hold family meetings and make homemade corn dogs and work through meltdowns.  Here is the railing our kids pulled out of the wall.  This is the toilet paper we prefer.  These are the pictures we frame, the books we’re reading, the projects we’re undertaking – the raw material of our family.  It’s unsanitized and truthful.  We invite you into this intimate place, saturated with our family character”  (pg, 143-144).

I know so many people who do this hospitality thing well.  God has used our friends to help us in this area, too.  We definitely need each other to do this life together.

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“The Philistines again waged war against Israel.  David went down with his soldiers, and they fought the Philistines, but David became exhausted (2 Sam 21:15).

“How do you relate to David’s experience of exhaustion in battle?  What old giants do you have to face?  And what’s it like when your giants keep coming back?

I am so thankful God chose to tell us David knew about exhaustion in battle!  I need to know others have experienced the weariness of fighting the same old enemy over and over.  The word for exhausted in Hebrew is uwph.  Uwph means ‘to cover, to fly, faint, flee away.’  It is the overwhelming desire to run and hide.

When was the last time you wanted to run and hide?  Few things make us want to flee more than the prospect of fighting an old battle.  The moment an old enemy reappears, we want to run into the nearest forest and never come out.  Have you ever noticed that Satan always chooses just the right time to haunt you through an old enemy?  When you haven’t had enough rest, when things have been emotional and turbulent, when you’ve been swinging from one extreme to the other, when you’re completely vulnerable – that’s when the enemy strikes.

Satan is the counterfeit god of perfect timing.  He’s watching for just the right moment to pull the rug out from under us; but even that rug is under God’s feet.  And God always has victory in mind!  He will never allow Satan to discourage you without a plan to lead you to victory!  We may not always follow Christ to victory, but He’s always leading!  ‘Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him’ (2 Cor 2:14).

One of the most important truths we can apply from David’s ongoing battles with the Philistines is that God will always lead us to victory – but He will lead us His way.

Father, thank you for taking away some of the giants in my life.  But because You’ve instructed me to give thanks in everything (1 Thess 5:18), I must thank You for choosing to leave some of my giants for me to keep dealing with.  Show me Your purposes in allowing repeat struggles to remain in my life, and teach me to be both patient and persistent in battle.”

My word this morning.

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I was talking with an acquaintance after church yesterday on the playground.  She was saying how the message our pastor gave was just what her unchurched friend needed to hear: about how we don’t earn our salvation.  How it’s not about focusing on ourselves and whether we’ve been naughty or nice.

So important to remember. 

I was thinking about how our church encourages training in Christlikeness.  They value the spiritual disciplines because they are activities “in our power that we do to enable us to do what we cannot do by direct effort” (Willard, pg. 200).

The first example that came to my mind was the discipline of fasting, which helps us long for our true Home with God (Matt 9:15).  It breaks the hold food and this world has over us, allowing us to dine on Him.

It reminded me of starting the fast our group did for The 7 Experiment.  I did not have the best attitude because I knew I would have to reorient some things in my life.  Jen nailed it when she wrote, “Fasting is an intentional reduction, a deliberate abstinence to summon God’s movement in our lives.  A fast creates margin for God to move.  Temporarily changing our routine from comfort jars us off high-center…It clears space for a fresh movement of the Holy Spirit…Every word from God purposes to transform us into disciples.  There is no waste, no superfluous commands…God did not invite me into this fast to condemn me; it was to liberate me.  This isn’t a guilt-mongering, finger-pointing, comparison game.  Nor is it some angry, cynical, holier-than-thou experiment to feel superior to others.”

I feel the same way in this complex issue of simplicity of heart.  It is one of many disciplines God can use our obedience in to transform our hearts and help us seek first His kingdom and His righteousness (Matt 6:33).  We do not naturally do that on our own.  Just as we don’t meet with Jesus daily to earn His love, we don’t seek to have single eyes to perform for Him.  We do it because He commanded us to.  And we love Him and want to love Him more.  We become ever more a fruitful vine that he can prune to bear even more fruit (John 15:2).  And this is “to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (John 15:8).

I appreciate how Foster continually points out how simplicity is the most outward of all the disciplines, and therefore most susceptible to corruption.  Therefore I am regularly doing a gut check on my motives in finishing this series.  It really does matter. 

Foster writes, “The first overarching principle is the necessity of precision without legalism.  No one knows more keenly than I the grave danger in giving specific outward application to simplicity.  How do you address such a wide variety of people with different needs and vastly different circumstances?

Some have large families; others have small families or no children.  Still others are single.  Some children have unusual needs that increase significantly the demands of time and money.  The needs of teenagers are different from the needs of children.

We are different emotionally.  One needs privacy; another thrives on crowds.  One is sensitive to beauty and symmetry; another has no interest in such matters. 

Different jobs make different demands.  The president of a university where I once taught needs a larger home than I do.  He regularly entertains groups of forty or fifty people; I panic if we top six.  Some jobs are so publicly oriented that absolute privacy in the home is a psychological necessity.

We also have the difficulty of the changing cultural and world scene.  We cannot – we must not – live in isolation from our world.  What was a prophetic expression of simplicity in one generation may become only quaint in the next.  Time changes issues, and we dare not close our eyes to that fact if we hope to be redemptive.

And most dangerous of all is our tendency to turn any expression of simplicity into a new legalism.  How quickly we calcify what should always remain alive and changing…Is it any wonder that we struggle and strain in an attempt to express exterior simplicity?  But we must not shrink back from our task…” (Foster pages 131-133)

So, the complexity of simplicity.  Seems so ironic. 

A friend and I were talking this morning about how when relationships get deeper, the issues don’t become easier or smaller.  In fact, because two people know one another better, we see the other’s flaws more easily.  But that doesn’t mean we shrink back or start over with someone else.  We travel that road together for His glory and our good in community.

All these lessons have been taught to me by His gracious hand in the excruciating realm of experience.  I hope to pass on a few things He has shown me.

Any thoughts?

“‘Why should I follow Scripture’s teaching on money and possessions when it is so much fun to have all the nice thins I want and do whatever I please with my money?  I’m a Christian, and I know I’m going to heaven anyway, so why get radical about the whole money thing?  Why not have the best of both worlds, this one and the next?’

Though few of us are bold enough to openly ask such questions, they accurately reflect a prevailing attitude in our society.  That’s why I’m convinced it’s necessary to deal with the subject of eternal rewards in this book.

The missing ingredient in the lives of many Christians today is motivation.  Given our false assumption that what we do in this life won’t have eternal consequences (apart from our decision to place our trust in Christ for salvation), it’s no wonder we’re unmotivated to follow God’s directions regarding money and possessions (and everything else).  When it comes down to it, what difference will it make?  According to the prevailing theology, everything comes out in the wash, so it won’t make any difference at all.  But according to the Bible, it will make a tremendous difference!  The doctrine of eternal rewards for our obedience is a neglected key to unlocking our motivation.

Moses ‘regarded disgrace for the name of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward’ (Hebrews 11:26).  Motivated by long-term reward, he chose short-term disgrace.

Paul ran his life’s race with his eyes on the prize, which motivated him to run hard and long.  He strove not to get a crown of laurel leaves that would rot, but ‘to get a crown that will last forever’ (1 Cor 9:24-25).  Paul was unashamedly motivated by the prospect of eternal reward, which he affirmed freely and frequently (2 Cor 4:16-18; 5:9-10; 2 Timothy 4:7-8).  He encouraged all believers to be motivated by rewards (Gal 6:9-10; 1 Tim 6:17-19; 2 Tim 2:5, 12).  Slaves, for instance, were to obey their masters in order to receive eternal reward (Eph 6:5-9; Col 3:22-25).

– Alcorn, Money, Possessions and Eternity pgs. 128-129

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I feel it again.

The temptation to get too task-oriented toward this blog. 

This can be not a good thing for me.  If I’m in the middle of dealing with details or tasks (which are not my strengths) and I feel pressure to complete whatever it is, I can get too rigid.  I can lack grace for others.  I can get a “just push through and get it done” attitude.

That’s not how I want to be or how I want these lessons to come across.

Ugh.  Why is balance such a hard thing for me?

Anyway, I told my people last night and they’re on the lookout.  Keeping me accountable in my actual real life and then reading this to warn me of anything coming across as legalism or pride.

I told you that God had a word of rebuke for me during our Beth Moore weekend. 

In studying Miriam’s life, we visited Numbers 12:

“Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite.  ‘Has the LORD spoken only through Moses?’ they asked.  ‘Hasn’t he also spoken through us?’ 

And the LORD heard this.”  (verses 1-2)

Beth said when we’ve got something to say because of our pride…you better believe God will hear. 

It makes me shiver. 

God hates pride. 

Psalm 34:13 says, “keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.”

She said the Hebrew is “Lashon Hara” meaning wrong, evil, or even worthless speech.  Using our mouth in a way that does not glorify God and benefit mankind. 

One of her main points was: “The fulfillment of our life purpose can be abbreviated or derailed by our mouths.”

To the glory of His tenacious goodness in my life, He and I have made some strides in the area of my mouth.  But it’s always a difficult thing (James 3).

And even though this blog isn’t a mouth, it is still words. 

1 Corinthians 1:4-5 (NET): “I always thank my God for you because of the grace of God that was given to you in Christ Jesus.  For you were made rich in every way in him, in all your speech and in every kind of knowledge…”

We can have blessed mouths!

God, give me holy fear of You.  Help us to have a proper view of You that leaves no room for pride.  I want to love what You love and hate what You hate. 

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Oh, I’d heard of him lots.

Seen him quoted in other books.

But I’d never read anything by him.

That is changing.

And I’m hooked.

Finally reading The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard.

Oh my word.

In light of yesterday’s post, I feel the need to quote him a bit.

See, the old me would have read that post and then panicked slightly.  I need to do more.  To serve more.  To make sure I don’t lose rewards.  (Okay, this is still a current struggle.)

But, as Foster points out, “Actually this reality is not something we can bring about by gritting our teeth and fortifying our will.  There are things for us to do, as we shall see, but they are more like getting in step with the Leader than blazing the trail for ourselves”  (Freedom of Simplicity, pg. 120).

It’s the internal transformation and walking in the Spirit that makes the difference.

Says Willard, “We have noted how he [Jesus] entered human history through the life of an ordinary family.  But then, as God’s flash point in reigniting eternal life among us, he inducts us into the eternal kind of life that flows through himself.  He does this first by bringing that life to bear upon our needs, and then by diffusing it throughout our deeds – deeds done with expectation that he and his Father will act with and in our actions” (Willard, pg. 27).

And here is the problem with an open-ended personality trying to tie up a series like this: I continually am picking up new books that shed important light on the topic.  I promise, though, this is the last one.  I need to work on the discipline of finishing.

So in an attempt to be public about this: Finishing a few points in Generous Justice.  A couple more topics in Money, Possessions and Eternity, a couple more thoughts from 7, and one main topic from Hybels’ The Power of a Whisper.  Probably with Willard and Foster quotes interspersed.

I know you didn’t need to know that.  I’m typing it for myself.

Do you struggle with finishing?  I like the ongoing act of learning and living.  Finishing is so…final.  But finish I must. 

Let me know any thoughts you have.  Help me soldier on!

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“We’ve been deceived into thinking works is a dirty word.  Not true.  God condemns works done to earn salvation and works done to impress others.  But our Lord enthusiastically commends works done for the right reasons.  Immediately after saying our salvation is ‘not by works,’ Paul adds: ‘For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do’ (Eph 2:8-10).

God has a lifetime of good works for each of us to do.  Many of these works he intends to do with our money and possessions.  He will reward us according to whether or not we do them.  ‘God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them’ (Heb 6:10).  The verses that follow in Hebrews 6 tell us that if we are to inherit God’s promised blessings we must not become lazy but diligent in our God-given works.

God gives us eternal rewards for doing good works (Eph 6:8; Rom 2:6, 10), persevering under persecution (Luke 6:22-23), showing compassion to the needy (Luke 14:13-14), treating our enemies kindly (Luke 6:35), serving him faithfully (Rev. 11:18), denying ourselves  (Matt 16:24-27; Matt 19:29), enduring difficult circumstances while trusting in God (Heb. 10:34-36), and living a life of godliness (2 Peter 3:11-14).  And when we extend hospitality and give a meal to those too poor or incapacitated to pay us back, Christ promises, ‘you will be blessed.  Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous’ (Luke 14:14).

Crowns are a common symbol of ruling power, though they may symbolize other rewards as well.  Five crowns are mentioned in the New Testament:

1.  The Crown of Life – given for faithfulness to Christ in persecution or martyrdom (James 1:12; Rev 2:10).

2.  The Incorruptible Crown – given for determination, discipline, and victory in the Christian life (1 Cor 9:24-25).

3.  The Crown of Rejoicing – given for pouring oneself into others in evangelism and discipleship (1 Thess 2:19; Phil 4:1)

4.  The Crown of Glory – given for faithfully representing Christ in a position of spiritual leadership (1 Pet 5:1-4). 

5.  The Crown of Righteousness – given for joyfully purifying and readying oneself to meet Christ at his return (2 Tim 4:6-8).

There’s nothing in this list that suggests it is exhaustive.  There may be innumerable crowns and types of crowns and rewards unrelated to crowns.  But all are graciously given by the Lord Jesus in response to the faithful efforts of the believer.

These crowns bring glory to Christ as they are laid before his feet (Rev 4:10), showing that our rewards are given not merely for our recognition, but for God’s glory.  Although God’s glory is the highest reason for any action, Scripture sees no contradiction between God’s eternal glory and our eternal good.  On the contrary, glorifying God will always result in our greatest eternal good.  Likewise, pursuing our eternal good, as he commands us to do, will always glorify God.  False humility that says, ‘I want no reward,’ effectively means, ‘I want nothing to lay at Christ’s feet to bring him glory.’

We are to guard our crowns carefully (Rev 3:11).  Why?  Because we can be disqualified from receiving them (1 Cor 3:15).  They can be taken from us (Matt 25:28-29).  We can seek our rewards from men, thereby forfeiting them from God (Matt. 6:5-6).  John warns, ‘Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully’ (2 John 8). 

What we do in this life is of eternal importance.  You and I will never have another chance to move the hand of God through prayer to heal a hurting soul, share Christ with one who can be saved from hell, care for the sick, give a cup of water to the thirsty, comfort the dying, invest money to help the helpless, rescue the unborn, further God’s kingdom, open our homes, and share our clothes and food with the poor and needy.

If we really believed that what we do with our money and possessions – and everything else – will have an irreversible effect on eternity…wouldn’t we live differently?”

Alcorn, Money, Possessions and Eternity, pgs. 118, 119, 121, 124, 125)

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Woo hoo.

Beth Moore brought it this weekend.

The whole thing was a jolt to my soul.  Lots of time with women – silly and lighthearted as well as serious and heavy.  Yummy food, fun shopping, good coffee. 

What I love most about a conference like this is the extended time of worship in song and the Word.  I came asking for a word from Him.  He is so faithful.

We camped out mostly in Exodus 15, the Song of Moses.  This is right after the Israelites crossed the Red Sea and the waters came crashing down on the Egyptians.  She backed us up to Exodus 14:13 where the Israelites look back and see the horses and chariots of Egypt coming back after them, and they are freaking out. 

Moses says, “Do not be afraid.  Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today.  The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.  The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (verses 13-14)

The next verse is so interesting. 

“Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Why are you crying out to me?  Tell the Israelites to move on.  Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground…'”

Translation?  “I didn’t tell you to stand still.  We are most certainly not going back.  I said to Move It.  We are going forward!  Move!”

She said we can be like that.  God has brought us out to take us somewhere and we’re standing still, “waiting on Him.”  We accuse God of not leading us and He’s going, “How many seas did I already part for you?  Move!”

Then she pointed out verse 19: “Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them.  The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel.”

She said sometimes it’s obvious God is leading you in a certain direction, so you follow.  But after you start moving that direction, suddenly you’re like, “Where’d you go, God?  I can’t feel you anymore.”  She said maybe that’s because He’s moved between you and your enemies, and is pushing you forward!

She pointed out that this spiritual life is harder than we ever thought, and if we are just sitting back, we’re going to get slaughtered.  If you are going to be victorious, you’ll be in a fight, sweating with some bruises.  But He’s so worth it.

It was such a kick in the pants.  I need to get moving in several areas of life and ministry.  But one that I’ve publicly committed to is wrapping up this series on here about simplicity of heart.  I have the time several days out of the week.  God has given me the lessons.  In His strength and endurance, I can move it!

(Oh, that’s probably not all I’ll say about the conference.  We camped out on Miriam’s life…she had some lessons to teach me and God had a word of rebuke for me as well.  I hope to share some more of that, too.)

The next little section that keeps tugging on me is the way Alcorn delves into the stewardship theme.  He challenges us to use the resources we’ve been given for eternal purposes.  It’s a tricky topic, one that seems personal.  But as Foster points out, “The Gospel demands more of us: it is obligatory upon us to help one another hammer out the shape of Christian simplicity in the midst of modern affluence.  We need to love each other enough to sense our mutual responsibility and accountability.  We are our brother’s and our sister’s keeper…Until we become specific, we have not spoken the word of truth that liberates (Foster, pgs 131 & 133).”

So, from Alcorn: “Scripture repeatedly states that all men, not just unbelievers, will be judged for their works (Proverbs 24:12; Ecclesiastes 12:14).  The Lord’s evaluation of the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 makes clear that he is watching us, evaluating us. To Christians, Jesus says, ‘I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds’ (Rev 2:23).

Scripture teaches that all believers in Christ will give an account of their lives to their Lord (Romans 14:10-12). We will be judged by him according to our works, both good and bad (2 Cor 5:10).  The result of this will be the gain or loss of eternal rewards (2 Cor 5:9-10; Rom 14:10-12).

‘If any man builds on this foundation [the foundation of Christ] using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light.  It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.  If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.  If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.’ (1 Cor 3:12-15)

Our works are what we have done with our resources – time, energy, talents, money, possessions.  The fire of God’s holiness will reveal the quality of these works, the eternal significance of what we’ve done with our God-given assets and opportunities.

Our sins are totally forgiven when we come to Christ, and we stand justified in him.  Nevertheless, Scripture speaks about a coming judgment of our works, not our sins…God is for us, not against us (Rom 8:31).  He has assured us we won’t face the Great White Throne Judgment.  He wants to commend us at the judgment seat of Christ.  He doesn’t want the works of our lifetime to go up in smoke.  He wants us to have eternal rewards – and he has given us every resource in Christ to live the godly life that will result in those eternal rewards (2 Peter 1:3).

For those who have served Christ faithfully, the judgment seat will be a time of commendation and celebration.  He will reward us for acts of love that no one else even noticed.”  (Money, Possessions and Eternity, pgs 116, 117)

Truth, Lord.  Joyful and free and loving Truth.  Be bigger than my lack of follow through.  Be my Follow Through.  For Your glory and our good.

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