Category: Devotions

A New Song

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“Sing to Him a new song . . .” – Psalm 33:3a

We are to sing to God a new song. Yesterday’s rejoicing will not do. Recalling only God’s past work is insufficient. Being content to bask in the goodness of God at rare, pinnacle moments is not right. At all times, a new rejoicing is to be in our hearts. Why? Because “all His work is done in faithfulness” (Psalm 33:4, NASB).

God is never unfaithful to His children. At all times – and in all things – He remains singularly focused on His purpose. There can never exist a moment of time that our God is not steadfast, holding to His plan. Of course, moments and hours and months and years of time can feel senseless or haphazard to us, but “the counsel of the LORD stands forever” (Psalm 33:11).

Our desperate clinging to the Word of God is our salvation, for “the word of the LORD is upright” (Psalm 33:4). Circumstances are upside-down, and people’s actions are unjust, but God’s Word is upright. We must focus unwaveringly on the truth of the big picture. It is the enemy’s sly plan to get us looking to the left and right, at every unnerving and changing circumstance. It is God’s command that we gaze into the very heart of our Savior, whose plans will last throughout every generation (Psalm 33:11).

Yes, the plans of God’s heart go on forever. For that reason, we must sing a new song. If we find no reason to love Him and thank Him in the newness of this hour, then our focus is misplaced. God has sustained us through yesterday, and His work in this last hour is just as faithful and loving as His work will ever be. Our shortsightedness does not negate His perfect working. The question is: are we looking at His steadfast love, or are we looking frantically and randomly all about us?

Unrest and confusion abound for now, but only under the dominion of the God who made the heavens by His Word and the host of the heavens by His breath. He will – at a definitive point in the future – make sense of all He has permitted. He will finally and definitively overtake the world. His Word proclaims, “The LORD nullifies the counsel of the nations. He frustrates the plans of the peoples” (Psalm 33:10).

Knowing God’s promises by knowing His Word, we are instructed to sing right now a fresh song – a song deriving from our observations of God’s goodness at this very moment. If we cannot rejoice in God right now with new adoration and love in our hearts, we need to reexamine our beliefs. Without equivocation, the LORD tells us, “the earth is full of [my] lovingkindness” (Psalm 33:5). Can we see it? Or do we need to get on our knees and ask God for better vision?

The Vital Connection Between Learning and Humility

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Our perpetually plugged in, multi-tasking culture poses some threats to deep thinking and learning. Barely able to focus for more than a brief period of time due to multiple technological interruptions and background noises, many people today lack the ability to explore and think critically about issues and texts. As Bauerlein (2011) states,

    An 18-year-old who has maintained a personal profile page for five years, created 10 cool videos, and issued 90 text messages a day may not be inclined to read 10 of the Federalist Papers and summarize each one objectively. He may be more inclined to say what he thinks of them than what each one actually says.
    Complex texts aren’t so easily judged. Often they force adolescents to confront the inferiority of their learning, the narrowness of their experience, and they recoil when they should succumb. Modesty is a precondition of education, but the Web teaches them something else: the validity of their outlook and the sufficiency of their selves, a confidence ruinous to the growth of a mind. (p. 31, emphasis mine)

Read the last sentence of Bauerleins’s quote again. Notice how he emphasizes the vital nature of modesty. Our world falsely portrays everyone as an expert in any area of his choosing. We are quick to speak, and slow to listen – let alone methodically and patiently digest deep thoughts and incredibly complex content. Ironically, God tells us to do the opposite. He says we are to be quick to listen and slow to speak (James 1:19).

Professor Bauerlein brings to light a biblical truth, even if this was not his intention. He reminds us that all truth is God’s truth when he declares that “modesty is a precondition of education.” God expressed this proverb in His Word, “When pride comes, then comes dishonor, but with the humble is wisdom” (Proverbs 11:2, NASB).

Furthermore, God directly expressed the heart of the matter when it comes to intelligence, wisdom, and learning. He says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10, NASB). In other words, wisdom cannot even truly get started until a person honestly reverences God. The beginning point for wisdom is humility – an understanding that God is big and I am small. Wisdom starts when I realize I do not know it all; in fact, I know nothing compared to the infinite wisdom of God, from Whom all reality flows.

We humans need put in our proper place; it is befitting that we grapple with our need for God and His ways. My mind was created to relate to God, and only in the context of that relationship can I learn to full capacity. As long as I ridiculously attempt to stay as the center of my world, my pride prohibits considerable understanding. People’s atheistic bents notwithstanding, the human mind was created in the image of God with a desire to learn, but only as it is rightly directed by God. It is part of human nature to be limited, and in need of the realization that it is in my best interest to admit the endless things I yet need to learn.

Though our culture promotes hyperindividualism, it is in our children’s best interest to promote the vastness of God and His world, and to impress on them the necessity of a desire to learn deeply. As a corollary, we must relate to them that learning takes humility and time. First, we must admit we have things to learn. Second, we must treat that need with respect, investing uninterrupted time in reading and pondering. This requires the realization that my sent or received text messages will not change the world. My ego does not need fed by innumerable email responses, tweets, or snippets of entertainment from the television set or iPod. Humility declares that I need to sit down for quite awhile and absorb the expertise of respected others.

Proverbs 9:9 (NASB) declares, “Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.” Truly wise people realize their need for instruction first from God, and secondarily from people God has gifted in areas of knowledge. Wise people will then persevere in wisdom, growing moment by moment. The righteous man is humble enough to seek learning no matter how smart others think him to be. He will become a person of insight, able to teach others.

God is a God of creation and discovery. He is the One who gave us the innate desire to learn, explore, and be creative. Our God created this world of fascinating things, from creatures of the deep to galaxies afar. He made us in His image to rule over this creation by knowing it and interacting with it (Genesis 1:26). The creativity we see in the natural order and the human mind is there because our God put it there. He intends us to enjoy learning.

True wisdom only comes when one rightfully fears the Lord. Though people of great intellect who ignore God may seem to accomplish much, their enjoyment of God’s image in them will abruptly end at a particular point in time (Psalm 1:5-6, Psalm 37:38, I Peter 1:24). Only those who come to God for salvation through Jesus Christ will continue on into the unending beauty and exploration of the New Heavens and New Earth (John 5:24, John 14:2-3). We were originally destined to live and learn forever in a world of righteousness. And that will happen for those who make their goal God’s glory and the righteousness that comes from Jesus.

Can you imagine entering our home of righteousness, where we will see Jesus face to face? Can you imagine learning and exploring and creating in a way unhindered by shortcomings and pain and time constraints? In God’s presence – with cares all gone – we will walk with our God and enjoy all that He intended as we take in wonder after wonder . . . forever.

Reference:

Bauerlein, M. (2008, February). Too dumb for complex texts. Educational Leadership, 68(5), 28-32.

Upsetting the World

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After being imprisoned in Philippi for sharing the Good News of Jesus, Paul and Silas proceeded to Thessalonica and were accused of something most peculiar. A mob gathered to come against Paul and Silas and said of them, “These men who have upset the world have come here also” (Acts 17:6, NASB).

What a wonderful accusation! The apostles were guilty of upsetting the world. Oh, that we would be known for the same, as this world certainly needs shaken. The world system is inside-out and headed in the wrong direction. It is on a fleeting, selfish, and deceptive course toward destruction. We need men and women who will follow God in swimming upstream, against the flow of sin and confusion.

Ads of all kinds attempt to convince people that more things and expensive things are necessary to be respectable. This notion flows from the false assumption that the respect or envy of other people won through materialistic efforts holds the potential to bring real joy. The glitz of fancier modes of entertainment pushes people to believe contentment is found when we have more time and ability to laugh mindlessly and to avoid reality as we deny the core questions of the heart. Recently, a television commercial portrayed a grown woman as amazingly excited to discover seven people were searching for her online. Does it really change our lives to know a handful of other mortals is looking for us? Can self-centered living bring peace?

When Jesus saves people, He turns them inside-out; He makes them new (II Corinthians 5:17). On this earth, Jesus begins to prepare His people for the new world He is someday making. Jesus begins to shape individuals who are no longer content to waste hours, days, and years accumulating things that distract us from the pursuit of God. Jesus molds men and women who radically race toward what is broken in order to bring healing. Jesus transforms people into those who embrace the greatest paradox – that in giving our lives away to God, we gain everything (John 12:25).

As a Christian, I ought to feel the friction of my travels in a direction opposite the flow of the current, unrighteous world system. When I undergo new birth in Jesus, every fiber of my being ought now to sense that sin is to be battled vehemently.

Our Jesus is coming back to make a home of righteousness (II Peter 3:13). In other words, He will invade again the space-time continuum to make a world that is as it ought to be. Obviously, right now this world is far from being as it ought to be. The earth is broken (as seen in natural disasters and the second law of thermodynamics), bodies are broken (by disease, disability, and aging), relationships are broken (by selfishness, impatience, and unrealistic expectations), and hearts are broken (in ways innumerable). But, the Maker of the universe will miraculously remake the universe. Only the God who made everything from nothing can make wholeness out of brokenness. The fixing of this world will come by no human endeavor. It will take the invasion into history of our God . . . and He will do it!

Meanwhile, Jesus remakes people one at a time as He redeems us from sin. And then He calls us to “upset the world” – to live radically different from this vanishing, sinful flow. Jesus has the power to overcome brokenness in your life. Sin pulls us away from wholeness in our hearts. Sin also set into motion the tendency toward disorder and disintegration we see in the natural world; scientists refer to this deterioration as the second law of thermodynamics. When we shake a puzzle box and then drop the pieces to the floor from a few feet above, the pieces land randomly – scattered all about. The more we shake the box and the higher from which we drop the pieces, the more randomness and separation we observe.

Picture your heart as those puzzle pieces. Left to sinfulness without Jesus, our hearts – our lives – fall shattered, making no sense. However, if Jesus shakes your heart, the unexpected happens – the pieces fall out and are fully connected! He overcomes the natural, and forms the whole picture, causing things to make sense! He fixes us – against every plan of the enemy and every apparent triumph of wrong.

We need to reflect our Savior in shaking the world in which we live. We need to pursue the wholeness Jesus intends. We need to go against the flow.

Upset your world with a heart of service instead of a heart of power, private integrity in place of facade, kindness in the midst of attack, value of prayer and Bible study above entertainment, truth-telling though it cost much, giving of resources in the midst of selfishness, gentleness though surrounded by harshness, forgiveness when revenge is easier, sacrifice of time for those in need, and love of God above love of all else.

May Christians be accused as Paul and Silas were – of upsetting this world.

Need a Better Word than the Word of Guilt?

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Many people are familiar with the biblical fact that Cain killed his brother, Abel. The physical act of murder being a sin most people do not commit, the story is sometimes incorrectly dismissed too quickly. This account has everything to do with me – and you.

First, God makes clear that from the start Cain did not have faith in His holy Creator. Hebrews 11:4 (NIV) declares that it was “by faith Abel offered a better sacrifice than Cain did.” For purposes of space and time, I choose not to diverge here in a detailed discussion of why Abel’s animal sacrifice was of faith, while Cain’s offering from his crops was not. However, the status of the hearts of both men is what was critical to their giving. This is always the case. Physical actions and spoken words brought from a wrongly motivated heart are ugly in the sight of God, and often in the sight of men. Clearly, of the myriad of things that might have motivated Cain, faith in God was not it. What a curious and critical insight. Many motivations of the heart stand wrong before God, and only one stands right – faith (Hebrews 11:6).

After having acted wrongly from his heart in regards to his offering, Cain was warned by God that the practice of sin leads to further practice of sin. In fact, God clearly informs, “But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it (Genesis 4:7). Instead of heeding God’s warning, Cain chose to focus on his discontent and the perceived reason for his discontent – Abel. Mind you, the true source of Cain’s unrest was his wrong standing with God. Had he run to God in repentance rather than to man in frustration, things would, no doubt, have turned out differently.

Standing in a field, with jealousy and the restlessness of rebellion against God in his spirit, Cain allowed sin to move from a crouched position to an all-out attack stance. Sin was no longer at the door; its damning fingers now crawl all over Cain’s back. He murders his brother.

And so do we; for, Jesus proclaims, “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, . . . But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment'” (Matthew 5:21-22). The anger and discontent and jealousy in our hearts that leads to anger toward others is in the sight of God subject to spiritual judgment just as murder is.

Wow. It seems a hopeless situation. So sad is it that God said to Cain, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground” (Genesis 4:10). And so it is with me. The blood of Abel cried out loudly about Cain, “You are guilty! You are condemned!” The results of my sin cry out loudly the same thing, “You are guilty! You are condemned!” Can you hear it? It drives us insane if we understand its implications. Hopelessness is all that stands before us if this is the final and strongest cry.

Enter Jesus! Blessed, wonderful, loving Jesus! Hear the Word of God, “But you have come to . . . Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel” (Hebrews 12:22a, 24, emphasis mine).

Did you hear that? The blood of Jesus speaks a better word than the blood of Abel! Abel’s blood cried out the horror of guilt and condemnation, but Jesus’ blood proclaims forgiveness! So powerful is Jesus’ blood to cleanse the human heart that the original languages tell us His blood simply “declares” its power, while Abel’s blood “cried out.” My friend, when your lack of faith, your sin, and your humanly-wrought disaster cries loudly your condemnation, let the blood Jesus shed on the Cross decisively and authoritatively declare, “You are forgiven.”

Do you need a better word than the word of sin and guilt? Jesus is the Word you need.

What If Every End Were a Beginning?

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What if we could find a way to ensure that every ending is really a beginning? What if we could promise that the phrase, “Something wonderful is right around the corner” is more than just a platitude? After all, is not one of the great dilemmas of humanity the “race against the clock”? Do we not dread the end of what is good even while we enjoy it?

Consider a mind-blowing statement from God: “In the way of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death” (Proverbs 12:28, NASB). Right goes on forever; it simply cannot be stopped. When I follow the way of right, I will suffer no final blow of death. My peace cannot die if it is right – based squarely on Jesus’ victory; my dreams cannot die if they are right – pleasing to the God who designed me; my hope cannot die if it is right – planted on God’s strength, not mine; and my joy cannot die if it is right – based on my God unseen, not on fleeting circumstances. Astoundingly, not even my physical body will ever be overcome by death in any final sense if this body is walking the path of righteousness. My God promises death will be swallowed up in victory, and my body will go on in glory to experiences untold.

Even now, in the minute details of life, right goes on unstopped. Righteousness is the original plan of God; and though a fierce war rages against it, right has unmitigated victory. Our responsibility is to ensure we are walking rightly, holding God’s standard as our only benchmark – not the ideas of men.

Though a long-term plan be cut short, do not dismay if you are in the way of righteousness. For right is the continuum of God’s plan – the thread stringing this moment of apparent disappointment to the revelation of the good about to burst on the scene. Though it feels your spiritual investment produced no valuable returns, hang on. If not the passing of years, then Heaven itself will reveal the solidity of the investment. Nothing done on the path of righteousness shall ever be lost.

The power of this promise is stated beautifully in Isaiah 9:7 (NASB), “There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace; on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore.” When Jesus finally steps to the throne and God rules this universe unhindered by the devil He will have destroyed, His peace and government will increase eternally. Things will finally be as they ought to have been all along. With Satan and sin conquered, the peace will multiply boundlessly. Our enjoyment of God, His new creation, and His righteous rule will go on forever and ever. We shall love and explore always, with no hindrance of wrong.

My appeal to every reader is that you run into the arms of Him who shed His blood to make you new and right (I John 1:9 and I Corinthians 5:17). Put off no longer the endless promise of a right life, brought to us by the God-Man, Jesus Christ. Live for what never ends.

My King Is In the Pit

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When I’m in the pit,
I look the lion in the face;
And I see Jesus’ mighty hand
Close tightly the beast’s firm jaw.

The lion that once roared
And threatened unknown dread
Stands helpless now before me,
As on the Creator’s strength I draw.

The pit is very deep;
While on its upper edge I wondered
How I could ever quite survive
The hungry brutes below.

But I found that if I walk
Up above or down so deep,
The God who promised care
Is the one whose mercies always flow.

That compassion can’t be hidden
By the darkness of the pit.
That compassion can’t be trampled by the enemy,
Though he be fierce and wild.

For the God who called me to Himself
Promised to stay with me,
And protect me,
Whether times be troubled or times be mild.

Oh, lion, you are hungry,
And your den is very dark;
But my King is so much greater
And to His power His creatures must submit.

So roar as you can
And threaten my undoing;
Your jaw will never know my flesh,
For my King is in the pit.

“My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths and they have not harmed me. . .” – Daniel 6:22a (NASB)

The Weakness of God

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The God of the Bible is both all-powerful and unchanging. He is not, therefore, weak. Having created the universe and every system within it, He upholds the same universe. Our God is strong, for sure. Why then does the apostle Paul clearly say, “The weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength”? (I Corinthians 1:25, NIV)

Beginning at verse sixteen of the same passage, Paul begins to tell us the world system simply could not understand the death of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. While the Greeks saw the message of a god dying on a cross as foolishness, the Jews saw it as weakness. The Jews – as Paul points out – demanded miraculous signs, as they wanted their Messiah to come in power and take over the governments of the world to set His people free in the here and now. Therefore, Jesus was a “stumbling block to Jews” because they had their eyes fixed on an earthly ruler. While running after that kind of a deliverer, they tripped over the real Jesus who came the first time to earth to pay for our sins. The full redemption of the universe is yet to come. Priority at the first advent of Christ was His sacrifice for our sins, without which we are eternally lost. This mission was painful beyond imagination and was viewed by many as weakness, but – in reality – it was the most powerful thing ever done. Perfect God takes on human flesh to provide the way out of sin’s curse for people. Eternal deliverance for those formerly hopeless is brought to the forefront; that is power!

Let us go back to that beautiful phrase, “The weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.” God is not weak – not even close. However, His power appeared as weakness to the world. The crucifixion did not make sense to the masses of unbelievers. Even today, we are largely taught to work it out for ourselves, to work hard, to be self-sufficient, and to get all we can. Antithetical to the selfish mind is this concept of a God who purposefully allows Himself to take on flesh and die for the sake of the world. Also antithetical to the sinful mind is the idea that we as humans can be truly forgiven and released from our sins because of God’s payment instead of our efforts. This kind of thinking – this amazing plan – appears to the world system as frailty. It is not – in fact – weakness, though many view it that way. It is – in reality – the ultimate power of a God both loving and holy.

What appears to be God’s inadequacy is actually the thing that saves us! In other words, God’s “weakness” is actually more powerful than the greatest strength of humans. People can accomplish many things, and our greatest efforts do contribute to the course of life. However, when it comes to the most essential areas of reality, our greatest strengths mean nothing. No person can save himself from sin. No person can overcome sin’s power in her life. No person can escape the curse of sin. No person can overcome death. We are doomed – despite our greatest accomplishments – unless the “weakness” of God rushes in. What appeared to make no sense – the crucifixion of Jesus Christ – powerfully pays for our sin!

The weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength. May we also remember this in everyday moments of life. Metaphorically speaking, God has more strength in His pinky finger than all the collective power of every human being who has ever lived. I need not worry about my life if He is my Lord. Furthermore, whatever part of God’s plan appears powerless or foolish is actually stronger than anything I can imagine. What God is currently “up to” in my life may not make sense to me, but at the times He seems to make the least sense, He is up to something incomprehensibly effectual! “The weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.”

When your strength seems gone, remember that the veritable weakness of God is more than enough for you. God works in paradoxes; He takes pleasure in turning things inside-out. The greatest story He has written is that of our salvation, and though it has often been interpreted as foolishness and weakness; it is the supreme work of an all-powerful God.

How will He now work when you feel weak and confused? We can only imagine!

“For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.” – I Corinthians 1:25 (NIV)

Seeing the Unseen: Reflecting on a Winter Sunset

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So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. – II Corinthians 4:18

Seeing the unseen. Catching a glimpse of the eternal while stuck in the mundane flow of life. Paul had this in mind when he wrote in his second letter to the Corinthians, chapter four, verse eighteen, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

How do we fix our eyes on the unseen? Are not our eyes made for seeing what is visible? Yes, our eyes of flesh look at the visible, but our spiritual eyes are intended to behold the invisible. “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible” (Hebrews 11:3). Aha, the essence of all we see in this world sprang from what we cannot see, God Himself. From God’s viewpoint, training ourselves to look at the invisible is of utmost importance.

I took time one evening to look for quite some time at a beautiful winter sunset that caught my eye as I entered a room of my house. It was nearly completely dark outside, and so the sunset shone brightly through the window while the lights in the room were turned out. I had to stand in the darkened room to fully appreciate the blazing red glory resting just above the horizon and the bright, hopeful blue sky set atop the red brilliance. After observing for more than a few moments, I reached for the light switch so that I could return to my chore, the reason for entering the room in the first place. However, I was quite distracted by that light, as it obliterated my view of the beautiful sunset, making the window appear black compared to the brightness of the room.

Very quickly I once again reached for the switch – this time to turn off the light. I had to walk to the window and view that sunset one more time, taking it into my heart as I drew a deep breath. And then I thought, “Only when this room and its immediate atmosphere right around me are dark can I appreciate the true beauty of the sunset in the distance.” So it is. We cannot see the real beauty of God’s work in our hearts and our world when we are focused intensely on our immediate needs, concerns, and selfish intentions. Usually closest to our hearts are our own needs. When we finally “turn out the lights” on the seemingly pressing selfish wants and mundane busyness of life, we will be able to behold the eternal working of God Himself in our life and world in which we live.

The goal is for us to forget what we deem important and focus on what Jesus deems invaluable. We need to “turn off the lights” on the immediacy of self and turn our eyes to the invisible intentions of God in our lives. Maybe then, we will begin to see the beauty for which we are longing.

Let us aptly say, “Beauty – real beauty – is in the eye of the beholder of invisible things.” To see the invisible, we have to sacrifice the self.

Thank you, Jesus, for that evening’s winter sunset.

The Implications of Worry

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The Implications of Worry: A Biblical and Research Discussion
By Shelli S. Prindle, M.A. Educational Leadership

Current brain research demonstrates that students under the distress of anxious thoughts do not learn as well as is possible. Stress and worry have a distinct negative impact on a person’s ability to process and work properly with new information. In fact, Willis (2006) notes in regard to PET scans and fMRI scans,

    [These] reveal significant disturbances in the brain’s learning circuits and chemical messengers when subjects are studied in stressful learning environments. In particular, the amygdala becomes overstimulated by stress, and in that hypermetabolic state, information cannot pass from sensory awareness into the memory connection and storage regions of the brain. (58)

Research is making clear that stress is a disruptor, causing a break in the normal processes of learning. If you will, it is as if the brain process becomes broken when anxiety appears on the scene. The emotional state rises to prominence, and deep and rational connections cannot be made. As Sprenger (2005) notes, “The brain is captivated by the emotion and turns attention to it. When these emotions capture the brain’s attention, working memory is flooded and cannot be effective in working with the task at hand.” In fact, Willis (2006) posits,

    If the state of anxiety and stress is prolonged, it can lead to destruction and loss of critical connecting dendrites and synapses in the hippocampus. This means that new information does not reach the brain regions where it needs to be processed, associated with previous knowledge and experience, and stored for later recall. (60)

Obviously, then, heightened and prolonged anxiety inhibits true learning. Our bodies are designed for optimal learning when a general sense of peace and safety is present. My mind goes to Adam and Eve in the garden, as they were given the entire created world to explore and learn and work. While walking unhindered with their Creator, this process was a beautiful one. However, human rebellion against our God has brought disruption and misery to all the processes of life. This world is now broken; and so are we and all the functions of body and life. Fear floods in when a heart completely yielded to God goes out.

Jesus instructs His followers in Matthew 6:25 (NASB), “Do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on.” The Greek word for worry in this quote comes from a root that means “to be drawn in different directions; to be divided, separated into parts, or cut in pieces.” Wow; to be worried is essentially to have a divided mind! That is precisely what worrying feels like – our mind is cut in pieces so that we cannot stay focused on what matters. We are distracted and irritable and may even begin to feel hopeless. The mind was not meant to be divided, but whole.

Recall that brain research informs us of the dividing nature of anxiety. Students who are under stress simply cannot learn well because the entire process of learning becomes broken. Recall also Jesus’ answer to worry in our lives: “But seek first [God’s] kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). Jesus tells us here to not allow our minds to be divided by giving undue attention to the basic needs of life. The stress of worrying about these things slices our minds and hearts into distracted pieces; we are no longer able to do what ought to be done – focus on God.

Worry is sin because it goes against the will of God for us. We are designed by God to seek His kingdom and righteousness with all our heart. Jesus proclaims the cure for worry is to unite our mind under one goal: Him! In fact, God promises to add to our life all that we need for daily living as we commit to an undivided heart and mind. If we seek His kingdom first, then He will properly align the needs of life for us underneath the main goal. I have sketched below a picture of the concept. On the left is a worried person having his mind divided by many future cares. On the right is a person trusting in God and focusing on His kingdom. Noticeably, the needs of life are brought to this trusting person by God.

As brain research tells us about classroom learning, so it goes with thinking for all of life. If my mind is to be used for God’s glory – focused on His Word and His will – my mind needs to be united and peaceful. The division of worry destroys the purpose for which the mind was created – to grow in God’s kingdom.

I submit to you another Biblical example of the truth concerning worry and learning. When Jesus spoke to His disciples about their future persecution, He boldly proclaimed in Luke 12:11-12,

    When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.

Jesus here tells us that our mind need not be divided because of the future. Jesus is instructing his disciples about a future event, and He wants them to be assured that He is already in the future. When the moment in time comes for the disciples to answer the authorities, God Himself (the Holy Spirit) will teach them what to say. Notice the use of the word teach. We can truly learn when our mind is focused on God and not divided by anxiety.

This Scripture passage is particularly amazing to me because of its clear implication: God connects our future needs with His present peace. Because our Lord is timeless, He is not bound to one moment or another. He is with us now, and He is in the future. He has the authority to assure us that our minds need not be preoccupied with future concerns. When the need arises, the power of the Lord for that particular moment will come to light. His available power for our tomorrow is as sure as His available peace for our today.

Teachers of our day ought to heed the Bible first and foremost. In doing so, they will marvel at the alignment of true scientific discovery with God’s Word. An atmosphere of peace and safety promotes better learning than an atmosphere of stress.

Moreover, people everywhere ought to heed God’s command to live a life focused purely on Him. The root of the sin of worry in the Biblical sense is the idea of a mind divided. This division keeps me from serving God wholeheartedly. This division also causes the human brain to function at a reduced capacity; the learning process breaks. God wants us to learn and learn well. Learning of Him and the creation He has graciously given is a blessing we enjoy now, and we will enjoy it eternally in a home of righteousness, if Jesus is our Savior.

References:
Sprenger, M. (2005). How to teach so students remember. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Willis, J. (2006). Research-based strategies to ignite student learning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Inaccessibly High Over “Indestructible” Anxiety

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I begin with a quote of Robert J. Samuelson in a December 2010 issue of Newsweek: “From CEOs to ordinary families, we are a nation that is more cautious, more fearful, and more risk averse. This widespread and – so far – indestructible anxiety has hobbled the [economic] recovery. . .”

“Indestructible anxiety.” Wow. Perhaps those words do not really need time to sink in to your mind, because the force behind them is already there. Our world is tumultuous and burdensome. The economy has gotten the best of many otherwise stable people and companies. The relentless pressure to do more and have more has catapulted otherwise content people to the brink of insanity. From anxiety over an unhealthy body type to concern for retirement years, people are restless; citizens are panicked.

May I remind Christians of their status? We are genuine citizens of another realm. The administration of our affairs currently takes place in a domain that is transcendent. Do not take lightly the truth of Philippians 3:20 (NIV), “But our citizenship is in heaven.”

Indeed, God superintends my life from the heavenly realm. Anxiety is not indestructible, for my Lord directs the moments of my life from the throne of His indisputable authority. No stock market crash, illness, unforeseen circumstance, or injustice can thwart the plan of the God who made the universe (Genesis 1:1), owns the world (Psalm 24:1), and drives all circumstances to serve His ultimate purpose (Ephesians 1:11).

Let us make this uncannily personal. Proverbs 18:10 (NIV) proclaims, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” It is true that our culture gives us much about which to be concerned. Samuelson (2010) posits, “There is a wall of worry whose cause transcends the recession’s severity. We now fear not only what we know but also what we don’t.” However, the Lord’s own name – His glory – is a strong tower to which the Lord’s children can run.

When we run, we are safe. The Hebrew term here used for “safe” means “inaccessibly high.” In other words, we run to the Lord, and He lifts us up so that we stand insurmountably above that which might destroy us! The tower of His glory is unavailable to the enemy. I picture in my mind all the worries of life reaching their icy fingers to snatch me, but they are unsuccessful because my life looms far above their grasp in the tower of God’s glory.

The key is to run to that tower. When someone runs, they are making a bold statement to all observers. A runner makes clear the necessity of his destination. When seemingly indestructible anxiety moves in on me, I cannot hesitate. I need to sprint to God’s tower without wavering. I cannot ponder other possibilities; there is no other safe place. Only God makes me inaccessibly high as He simultaneously and sovereignly rules both the universe and the intricate details of my life from His heavenly, transcendent throne.

God above is the Administrator of my affairs – not the national debt, the unemployment rate, the political landscape, the doctor’s report, the rising incidence of depression, the unjust boss, or any other entity.

We stand inaccessibly high over “indestructible” anxiety.

Reference:

Samuelson, Robert, J. (2010, December 20). The flight from risk: recession’s legacy stymies recovery. Newsweek, 20.

Stillness at the Windowpane

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Human solitude and quietness are popular concepts in today’s world, right? Wrong. Our culture is fast-paced, high-tech, and pseudo-connected. To speak of the grandeur of moments of human solitude and quietness is similar to speaking an alien language.

Our culture’s general averseness to quiescence should be no surprise to the child of God who is well aware of the enemy’s schemes. In this cosmic battle for the heart of man, Satan knows the power of preoccupation, restlessness, busyness, and noise. If we can be kept from outright meditation on the Lord and from serious introspection, the enemy will have his way in our lives.

“Be still and know that I am God.” These beautiful words of Psalm 46:10 (NIV) invite us to perceive, to understand, and to learn that God is God! How? We gain this knowledge sometimes through being still. The Hebrew root for stillness tells us to cease from our own attempts and acknowledge the bigness and holiness of God.

Recently I stood nearly motionless at the window of my home office as a gentle, steady snow began. The huge evergreens lining the back of our property provided a wonderful, contrasting background for the gigantic “snow globe” type of snowflakes descending from the sky.

I had been praying, and I felt the Lord prompt me to stay standing, arm leaning on the top of the lower windowpane. I know He wanted me to remain quiet and still, observing His creation and allowing Him to speak to me and calm my spirit. (So often we want to tell God things, but He also wants us to listen.)

I remained there purposefully for some time, watching glistening snowflakes. Actually, I tried following with my eyes a few individual flakes in their descent to the ground below. Against the dark green trees, the seemingly innumerable snowflakes amazed me. There was such an abundance of particles, but each one was traveling a unique path to join the others as they formed a white blanket on the grass.

I found myself in the middle of Job 37:14-16 (NIV), “Stop and consider God’s wonders. Do you know how God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash? Do you know how the clouds hang poised, those wonders of him who is perfect in knowledge?”

Standing in the quiet of my home, leaning on the windowpane, watching snow fall, and obeying God’s command to be still and consider Him; I was truly changed. I had been praying for days about many circumstances – some acutely troubling. As I stood at the window quietly knowing my Lord, He answered me without giving me exact answers. He filled my heart with courage. He renewed my strength and outlook as I allowed the noise of life to vanish in the stillness of moments given over to the Lord.

Amazingly, specific answers began to come in the days following. God directly reacted to my simple obedience with a cascade of answers, revelations, and peace.

My flesh wants to work so hard for answers. Sometimes we want to drown out the hurt with a myriad of activities. We may even try to evade conviction of God’s Holy Spirit with noise and preoccupation.

Please do not give in to these tactics of the enemy. Treat with precious respect the godly concepts of quietness and human solitude. God works in these . . . as He promised.

Cure for the Common Christmas Verse

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Oh, the careless treatment we often give the common “Christmas verse,” Matthew 1:21. Regularly presented to us in the month of December, the powerful words are frequently taken for granted, “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Since these are the words of the angel of the Lord to Joseph concerning the Son of God and His amazing placement by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, we rightly consider these words momentous. Here stands the announcement that our infinite God has chosen to put on human flesh! And why? The angel proclaims plainly the motivation right at the inauguration of this unbelievable, sacrificial season of God’s plan. The reason is so that we can be saved from our sins.

Notice God did not say, “He will save His people from their low self-esteem” or “from their lack of purpose” or “from their depressive hopelessness” or “from their illness” or “from their loneliness” or “from their economic hardship.” No, God sounds forth the real answer for the human dilemma – salvation from sin.

All other difficulties are secondary to the root cause, which is sinfulness. Please cease looking primarily for Jesus to build your self-esteem or give you purpose or make you hopeful or heal your body or grant relationships or make you wealthy.

Please, please, please . . . run to Jesus for the very reason He entered the bloody womb of a woman and grew to shed His own blood and sacrifice His life – to deliver you from sin.

At its putrid core, sin is selfishness. When I trust Jesus to deliver me from my self-centered plans and desires, I realize I now want what He wants. All other circumstances aside, I can now truly live, because my sin had been killing me.

Here is the clincher. He did not come to save us despite our sins, but from our sins. The Greek root is clear; Jesus came to separate us from our sin nature. He destroys that wicked union. The moment I run to Him, He obliterates the damning attachment of sin to my soul. His ultimate aim in the new world He prepares is to place an infinite distance of space and time between us and all sin’s destructive and debilitating effects.

Are we currently living to be free from sin? Are we as hard-nosed about the mission as Jesus is? I think we suffer so much discontent not because of dismal situations, but because separation from sin – the goal of God – is not our goal.

The most humane thing in the entire world is for a person created by God to have his or her union with sinfulness obliterated. Fear not other maladies, save this: a clinging to sin.

Live for that for which our Savior lives: detachment from sin and attachment to God. All other solutions naturally follow – whether today, tomorrow, or in the place Jesus is preparing.

What determination Jesus had to exit glory and enter this broken world to save us from our sins!

What determination will we have to refuse to gossip, to sacrifice that hour of time, to give that hard-earned money, to smile at that one who hurt us, to choose not to retaliate, to enter a sweet hour of prayer, to turn off the iPod and open up the Bible, to purposefully make Jesus the topic of dinner conversation, to put ourselves on the backburner tomorrow afternoon, to confess wrongdoing and ask forgiveness of a friend, or to distance ourselves from sin in any number of ways?

“Jesus came to save us from our sins,” said the angel of the Lord.