relevant: having significant and demonstrable bearing on the matter at hand; affording evidence tending to prove or disprove the matter at issue or under discussion. (Webster's dictionary)
This is how Jennifer tells her story of how Christ Is Relevant to her safety issues.
I remember when we got to chapter 6 of Desperate Dependency where we were talking about the 3 pillars of Christianity: God is real, God is love, and God is sovereign. It’s how we view these truths about God that effects how we live. It was during the particular section of “God is sovereign; therefore, He is trustworthy” that a phone call from my mom woke me up in the middle of the night saying that my brother was in the hospital. He was helping a friend move and was in the wrong part of town at the wrong time. He was attacked by a group of guys, and he had been beaten up. I lay awake that night trying to pray and understand this. In fear and frustration, I asked God, “If You are sovereign, if You are trustworthy, why didn’t You protect my brother from this? You could have stopped this from happening, yet You didn’t. Are You really sovereign? Can I really trust You with my life or even with my kids’ lives?” My mind knew this truth about God, but my heart didn’t believe it. Bad things happen all the time to people, and I felt tremendous fear knowing that if this happened to him, it could certainly happen to me. After all, I’m single, and I really need someone I can trust to protect me. I really struggled with believing this truth about God. But just because I didn’t believe Him to be trustworthy didn’t make it any less true.
This past November, while I was at work, my house was broken into. Being a single mom of two kids and living alone, this was terrifying for me. A stranger had invaded my safe place and suddenly it didn’t feel safe anymore. In the past my first thought would have been, “See, God, this just proves it. You may be sovereign, but You certainly can’t be trusted.” But thanks to my amazing God and His work in my life through the process of Desperate Dependency, I was able to trust in His sovereignty and His plan that night. My entire way of thinking about God and who He is has been changed through all this. All those distorted views I had about God are being replaced by the truth of who He really is. God’s will for our lives, what He wants most for us, is to be more like Him, and He loves us enough to accomplish this, even if it is through tragedy. God will take the bad things in our life, turn them for good, and in the process, draw us closer to Him. Although I didn’t sleep much those first few nights after my house was broken into, I was peaceful. I was able to rest in the peace of knowing that even if it’s bad, nothing will ever touch my life that doesn’t filter through God first because I am His child. Every day He is taking the bad and using it to shape me a little more into His image. The fear and confusion I felt all those months ago when my brother was attacked was replaced with peace and assurance that God IS sovereign, and because of that, He CAN be trusted.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
Christ is Relevant to Tornadoes and Loss
relevant: having significant and demonstrable bearing on the matter at hand; affording evidence tending to prove or disprove the matter at issue or under discussion. (Webster's dictionary)
(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)
Angie had attained her goal. They had moved into the perfect house in the perfect subdivision, and she was going to make sure everything stayed perfect. Her floors were polished with a perfect shine. The walls were painted with designer paint. The baseboards were repainted every time a scuff appeared. The children were delighted that they were not allowed to wear their shoes in the house, but not so delighted that they were only allowed to have one toy out of its designated location at a time. Their yard was meticulously manicured, with every pebble in place, and not a dandelion to be found. Angie was convinced her house was the evidence she was in right standing with God. After all, look at how He had blessed her! Her house gave her a sense of worth and value.
But then the tornado came. Within a few brief moments everything was lost, except the family’s lives. And even more devastating was the fact that the insurance company did not reimburse for losses occurring as a result of “acts of God.” Why had God left her with unhappiness, despair, disappointment, and jealousy?
Grieving is the process of adjusting your life because something is lost. As we adjust and reorganize our lives based on a loss, there are two avenues we may take. We may fall into toxic grief, or we may choose healthy grief.
Toxic grief results when we adjust our lives based on lies. Our choices are poisoned by the deception we accept as truth. The downward spiral of toxic grief may resemble this scenario: “I lost my job; I have no way to support my family; I am worthless; we won’t have any food; our house will go into foreclosure; we will be on the streets at Christmastime; my life is over.”
Healthy grief views loss from the perspective of God’s truths. The same scenario can result in praise and earnest expectation: “I lost my job because I stood for what is right; God promises He will supply my every need (Phil. 4:19); God declares He will never leave me or forsake me (Heb. 13:5); He knows the plans He has for me (Jer. 29:11); I can trust God (Ps. 28:7).”
Grief issues span the spectrum of what might be considered insignificant to some through extreme crisis situations. It is the essence of grief to coexist with what we cannot control, and it is essential that we are content in Christ while coexisting with what we can’t control. The intensity of the grief often reveals the value an individual has placed on a person, position, or possession. In the resolution of grief it is imperative to recognize Christ as relevant to every situation we encounter. “How does God expect me to adjust my life based on this loss and remembering His love, care, and trustworthiness?” Yes, this applies to tornadoes, cancer, divorce, death, and every other scenario we can conjure up. God is fully capable of handling us through everything!
(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)
Angie had attained her goal. They had moved into the perfect house in the perfect subdivision, and she was going to make sure everything stayed perfect. Her floors were polished with a perfect shine. The walls were painted with designer paint. The baseboards were repainted every time a scuff appeared. The children were delighted that they were not allowed to wear their shoes in the house, but not so delighted that they were only allowed to have one toy out of its designated location at a time. Their yard was meticulously manicured, with every pebble in place, and not a dandelion to be found. Angie was convinced her house was the evidence she was in right standing with God. After all, look at how He had blessed her! Her house gave her a sense of worth and value.
But then the tornado came. Within a few brief moments everything was lost, except the family’s lives. And even more devastating was the fact that the insurance company did not reimburse for losses occurring as a result of “acts of God.” Why had God left her with unhappiness, despair, disappointment, and jealousy?
Grieving is the process of adjusting your life because something is lost. As we adjust and reorganize our lives based on a loss, there are two avenues we may take. We may fall into toxic grief, or we may choose healthy grief.
Toxic grief results when we adjust our lives based on lies. Our choices are poisoned by the deception we accept as truth. The downward spiral of toxic grief may resemble this scenario: “I lost my job; I have no way to support my family; I am worthless; we won’t have any food; our house will go into foreclosure; we will be on the streets at Christmastime; my life is over.”
Healthy grief views loss from the perspective of God’s truths. The same scenario can result in praise and earnest expectation: “I lost my job because I stood for what is right; God promises He will supply my every need (Phil. 4:19); God declares He will never leave me or forsake me (Heb. 13:5); He knows the plans He has for me (Jer. 29:11); I can trust God (Ps. 28:7).”
Grief issues span the spectrum of what might be considered insignificant to some through extreme crisis situations. It is the essence of grief to coexist with what we cannot control, and it is essential that we are content in Christ while coexisting with what we can’t control. The intensity of the grief often reveals the value an individual has placed on a person, position, or possession. In the resolution of grief it is imperative to recognize Christ as relevant to every situation we encounter. “How does God expect me to adjust my life based on this loss and remembering His love, care, and trustworthiness?” Yes, this applies to tornadoes, cancer, divorce, death, and every other scenario we can conjure up. God is fully capable of handling us through everything!
Friday, April 22, 2011
The Hunt
(excerpt from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)
My (Melanie) Opi (German grandfather) always delighted in the fun tradition of an Easter egg hunt for all ages. For him, Easter was the second most festive holiday of the year. It was celebrated like a mini-Christmas. “Eggs” were hidden for all in attendance. The designated “Easter Bunny” would hide the treasures throughout the yard. Of course chocolates and other treats could be discovered, but gifts were also strategically located. Some were addressed to a specific recipient; others were fair game to all. If you found an egg with a name other than your own on it, you would quietly leave it in its place for the designated owner.
When no more loot could be found, eager hunters would sit to evaluate their bounty. The Easter Bunny would invariably oversee and notice that some prizes had not been claimed. Others would comment, “I saw an egg for you still sitting somewhere.” Enthusiastically, the hunter would begin his search again. If the prize still remained undiscovered, an offer of assistance was made.
The assistance was most often orchestrated by my Opi, who was a choir director. The hunter was instructed to begin heading in one direction or another. The singing from the “choir” would become louder or softer depending on whether the hunter was getting closer or farther from the destination. All were elated when the trophy was acquired.
This story illustrates the idea that God does not hide His will from us because He does not want us to know His plans. He desires for us to be active participants in relating to Him. “It is God’s privilege to conceal things / and the king’s privilege to discover them” (Prov. 25:2 NLT). There is great reward in pursuing a goal and attaining what the giver intended for us to have. We must simply look in the right place.
"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does." (James 1:5–8 NIV)
My (Melanie) Opi (German grandfather) always delighted in the fun tradition of an Easter egg hunt for all ages. For him, Easter was the second most festive holiday of the year. It was celebrated like a mini-Christmas. “Eggs” were hidden for all in attendance. The designated “Easter Bunny” would hide the treasures throughout the yard. Of course chocolates and other treats could be discovered, but gifts were also strategically located. Some were addressed to a specific recipient; others were fair game to all. If you found an egg with a name other than your own on it, you would quietly leave it in its place for the designated owner.
When no more loot could be found, eager hunters would sit to evaluate their bounty. The Easter Bunny would invariably oversee and notice that some prizes had not been claimed. Others would comment, “I saw an egg for you still sitting somewhere.” Enthusiastically, the hunter would begin his search again. If the prize still remained undiscovered, an offer of assistance was made.
The assistance was most often orchestrated by my Opi, who was a choir director. The hunter was instructed to begin heading in one direction or another. The singing from the “choir” would become louder or softer depending on whether the hunter was getting closer or farther from the destination. All were elated when the trophy was acquired.
This story illustrates the idea that God does not hide His will from us because He does not want us to know His plans. He desires for us to be active participants in relating to Him. “It is God’s privilege to conceal things / and the king’s privilege to discover them” (Prov. 25:2 NLT). There is great reward in pursuing a goal and attaining what the giver intended for us to have. We must simply look in the right place.
"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does." (James 1:5–8 NIV)
Monday, April 18, 2011
Christ Is Relevant to Eating Disorders
relevant: having significant and demonstrable bearing on the matter at hand; affording evidence tending to prove or disprove the matter at issue or under discussion. (Webster's dictionary)
Shirley was empowered in her job working as a human resource officer for a prominent company. Her husband was a local celebrity. She enjoyed all the food she wanted. Life was good. Until her husband left her for another woman, and she lost her job as a result of medical complications that were exacerbated by her obesity. This is how she tells her story.
I used to live my life waiting to find a way to beat the system. (God was the system.) I didn’t ask for much. I just wanted to be able to sin and get away with it. But sin has a way of eating at your heart with a silence so deadly you sometimes don’t even know it’s happening until you are almost consumed.
That was me. After hundreds of attempts to lose weight and control my life, I thought I would get my weight problem under control and come to feel better about myself and then everything would be peachy-keen.
God had other plans. He planned to rescue me from Egypt. That all sounded well and good, but I had no idea that between the good old hometown of Egypt and the wonderful Promised Land that I longed for, was a scorching hot, almost unbearable desert.
I remained there for a long, long time with nothing in sight but more desert. God took that opportunity to hold a mirror before me so I could come to see the depth of my sinfulness for the very first time. You see, I thought it was just a weight problem, and maybe I just needed some self-esteem. But God began to reveal to my heart that my problem was that I was living in complete deception and had been my whole life.
I guess we all spend some time on the edge. I’ve sort of lived my life there. I kept thinking that I could always change later. But God brought me to the end of myself and I was completely sickened by what I saw. It was the first time in my life that I could not find anything in that mirror but a reflection of filthy rags. What a horrifying moment that was for my self-centered heart. And what a liberating moment it was as God accepted me right where I was, asking nothing but that I put my complete trust in Him.
Somewhere along the line I started to long for Jesus more than I was afraid of losing control of the food. He had proven Himself faithful, and I began to trust this God that I used to fear with all my heart. At the point I finally gave it up and left it at the foot of the cross, I couldn’t find any words to say except, “God, save me from me.” I hold on to the hope found in Christ Jesus alone. May God continue to save me from myself.
Food occupied the God-place of Shirley's heart. But she found Jesus relevant when she chose an intimate relationship with Christ that satisfied the hunger of her soul. Trusting the love of God began to right all that was wrong and to heal all that was wounded as God, in His grace, moved her from perpetual starvation to finding fulfillment in His fullness.
Shirley was empowered in her job working as a human resource officer for a prominent company. Her husband was a local celebrity. She enjoyed all the food she wanted. Life was good. Until her husband left her for another woman, and she lost her job as a result of medical complications that were exacerbated by her obesity. This is how she tells her story.
I used to live my life waiting to find a way to beat the system. (God was the system.) I didn’t ask for much. I just wanted to be able to sin and get away with it. But sin has a way of eating at your heart with a silence so deadly you sometimes don’t even know it’s happening until you are almost consumed.
That was me. After hundreds of attempts to lose weight and control my life, I thought I would get my weight problem under control and come to feel better about myself and then everything would be peachy-keen.
God had other plans. He planned to rescue me from Egypt. That all sounded well and good, but I had no idea that between the good old hometown of Egypt and the wonderful Promised Land that I longed for, was a scorching hot, almost unbearable desert.
I remained there for a long, long time with nothing in sight but more desert. God took that opportunity to hold a mirror before me so I could come to see the depth of my sinfulness for the very first time. You see, I thought it was just a weight problem, and maybe I just needed some self-esteem. But God began to reveal to my heart that my problem was that I was living in complete deception and had been my whole life.
I guess we all spend some time on the edge. I’ve sort of lived my life there. I kept thinking that I could always change later. But God brought me to the end of myself and I was completely sickened by what I saw. It was the first time in my life that I could not find anything in that mirror but a reflection of filthy rags. What a horrifying moment that was for my self-centered heart. And what a liberating moment it was as God accepted me right where I was, asking nothing but that I put my complete trust in Him.
Somewhere along the line I started to long for Jesus more than I was afraid of losing control of the food. He had proven Himself faithful, and I began to trust this God that I used to fear with all my heart. At the point I finally gave it up and left it at the foot of the cross, I couldn’t find any words to say except, “God, save me from me.” I hold on to the hope found in Christ Jesus alone. May God continue to save me from myself.
Food occupied the God-place of Shirley's heart. But she found Jesus relevant when she chose an intimate relationship with Christ that satisfied the hunger of her soul. Trusting the love of God began to right all that was wrong and to heal all that was wounded as God, in His grace, moved her from perpetual starvation to finding fulfillment in His fullness.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Christ Is Relevant
(excerpt from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)
We took over a year to process Desperate Dependency with our small group of forty singles. Together we waded through deep waters of much hurt and pain as we struggled to find Christ relevant to daily living and a myriad of crises. As we looked through the magnifying glass of each other’s lives, we continuously asked, How is God relevant to this area of life? How will God receive glory from this issue? How will He be central instead of me being central?
The constant struggle is to die to our desires so that we might glorify God instead. Joel acknowledged the constant dilemma: “I’ve got life and all my issues, and I magnify that.” But the ultimate happiness in our lives is for God to get glory through our lives.
Do we trust God to redeem us from the evil that has touched our lives? Kauri noted that desperate dependency is not just about lying on the floor helpless in the fetal position, saying, “I can’t do this.” But going past that, saying, “No matter how difficult this is I want God to be glorified through my life.” “Yay, God!” God can be glorified no matter what! If one is born blind, God can be glorified (John 9:1–3). Even if we have chosen sin, God can still be glorified in our lives. We must be motivated to see how Christ is relevant to every situation. “Okay, Jesus, how are You going to make a difference here?”
We also challenged each other to not forget Christ is relevant in the joys and successes. If we do not see Christ as relevant in the good times, we will become prideful and self-sufficient and move back toward independence. Dependency is the only option for authentic Christian living.
No one in our small group, including Kirk and me, would say we have successfully arrived at the destination of desperate dependency and finding Christ relevant to every area of life. But we have grown in our awareness of His working in our lives to bring us to godliness, and we are striving to allow Christ’s redemptive process to function in our lives instead of self’s redemptive process.
"I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live.
"Knowing this, I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith. And when I come to you again, you will have even more reason to take pride in Christ Jesus because of what he is doing through me." (Phil. 1:20–26 NLT)
“So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do” (2 Thess. 1:11 NLT).
We took over a year to process Desperate Dependency with our small group of forty singles. Together we waded through deep waters of much hurt and pain as we struggled to find Christ relevant to daily living and a myriad of crises. As we looked through the magnifying glass of each other’s lives, we continuously asked, How is God relevant to this area of life? How will God receive glory from this issue? How will He be central instead of me being central?
The constant struggle is to die to our desires so that we might glorify God instead. Joel acknowledged the constant dilemma: “I’ve got life and all my issues, and I magnify that.” But the ultimate happiness in our lives is for God to get glory through our lives.
Do we trust God to redeem us from the evil that has touched our lives? Kauri noted that desperate dependency is not just about lying on the floor helpless in the fetal position, saying, “I can’t do this.” But going past that, saying, “No matter how difficult this is I want God to be glorified through my life.” “Yay, God!” God can be glorified no matter what! If one is born blind, God can be glorified (John 9:1–3). Even if we have chosen sin, God can still be glorified in our lives. We must be motivated to see how Christ is relevant to every situation. “Okay, Jesus, how are You going to make a difference here?”
We also challenged each other to not forget Christ is relevant in the joys and successes. If we do not see Christ as relevant in the good times, we will become prideful and self-sufficient and move back toward independence. Dependency is the only option for authentic Christian living.
No one in our small group, including Kirk and me, would say we have successfully arrived at the destination of desperate dependency and finding Christ relevant to every area of life. But we have grown in our awareness of His working in our lives to bring us to godliness, and we are striving to allow Christ’s redemptive process to function in our lives instead of self’s redemptive process.
"I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live.
"Knowing this, I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith. And when I come to you again, you will have even more reason to take pride in Christ Jesus because of what he is doing through me." (Phil. 1:20–26 NLT)
“So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do” (2 Thess. 1:11 NLT).
Monday, April 4, 2011
A Job for Job
(excerpt from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)
God assigned Job the job of demonstrating desperate dependency amid plenty and loss. Our lives are driven by the desire to be successful, and many viewed the life of Job as being a grand success with his ten children, leadership positions, and vast possessions. But when Job was stripped of the people, positions, and possessions, his friends and neighbors would have been hard pressed to label him as a success while he sat on the ash heap mourning his unspeakable losses. However, God does not define success in the same manner we perceive it. “The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7 NLT). God’s definition of success is submitting faithfully to His plan for the purpose of glorifying God. In the books of Kings and Chronicles, each king is evaluated on the basis of his commitment to God. Either “he did what was pleasing in the LORD’s sight,” or “he did what was evil in the LORD’s sight.” Job’s success stemmed from his commitment and willingness to unreservedly submit to the Lord.
As we are introduced to Job, he is characterized as a man who exhibited a relevant relationship with God. Submitting faithfully to God, he lived consumed by his connection to God. Every facet of his existence and the concerns of his heart evidenced a dependency on Elohim and an authentic desire to please Him. The community recognized Job as a man who was blameless, full of integrity, and one who feared God and stayed away from evil.
God was intricately involved in Job’s life because Job invited God into his life. Although we may not readily embrace this truth, when we invite Christ into our lives it is for better or for worse. The invitation for God to become part of our lives grants Him permission to transform our sinfulness into godliness through whatever means He deems necessary. God’s divine enabling shaped Job’s identity, molding a lifestyle that had a profound influence upon his society and moved people to take note of God.
The moral character of God held Job constant even though his mortal condition was completely in chaos. Overwhelmed by his limitations, he could only find comfort in total self-abandonment through trust. Delimited by his dependency, Job had no other choice but to interpret the nature of his anguish through the moral attributes of a holy, righteous, just, and good God who is full of truth. All of Job’s philosophical ponderings, including his frustration and confusion, were delineated by his dependence on God, making him more desperate than ever. In Job’s agony his dilemma was to understand life’s new normal consistently with the truth about God.
More than just an experience with suffering, God was perfecting Job’s relationship with Him. In the kiln of trials we must yield as God conforms us into the image of His Son. It is in the dark places that the metal of a relationship is hammered into the form God desires it to be. Crisis ignited the flame, which provided the necessary heat to forge Job into deeper desperate dependency on God. Suffering draped the backdrop and created the context and the impetus through which purification could occur. God views our limitations not in terms of how much we can withstand, but in terms of what will it take to bring His children closer to Him and produce simultaneously His likeness within us.
After a fresh encounter with God and His sovereignty, Job could see with new eyes the awesomeness of God. God is relevant to every area of life because He alone “causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (Rom. 8:28 NLT). Instead of striving to understand why, we should endeavor to know who God is. As we grow in our knowledge of Him we can move more easily past the barriers that obstruct a trusting relationship.
“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32 NLT).
Perhaps we are pawns on the chessboard of the Master, but we can choose to be participants and be confident that He has placed us as part of His strategic plan. Our sovereign God designates each person’s position—some to be kings, some to be queens, others to be bishops, knights, and pawns. But we are all mere servants of our great God and stewards of the ministry of Jesus Christ. In God’s government, even kings are pawns. He sets them up and takes them down to accomplish His purposes. God can do whatever He wants and, yes, we are supposed to be okay with that.
Are you willing to live for the glory of God? Many will equate this question with achieving excellence. Yes, they proclaim, I will be successful for His glory. However, God’s definition of success is submitting faithfully to God’s plan for the purpose of glorifying Him. God created and designed you so He could be in a relationship with you. Everything that happens is for the purpose of leading you into a deeper relationship with Him. Are you ready for that kind of adventure?
God assigned Job the job of demonstrating desperate dependency amid plenty and loss. Our lives are driven by the desire to be successful, and many viewed the life of Job as being a grand success with his ten children, leadership positions, and vast possessions. But when Job was stripped of the people, positions, and possessions, his friends and neighbors would have been hard pressed to label him as a success while he sat on the ash heap mourning his unspeakable losses. However, God does not define success in the same manner we perceive it. “The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7 NLT). God’s definition of success is submitting faithfully to His plan for the purpose of glorifying God. In the books of Kings and Chronicles, each king is evaluated on the basis of his commitment to God. Either “he did what was pleasing in the LORD’s sight,” or “he did what was evil in the LORD’s sight.” Job’s success stemmed from his commitment and willingness to unreservedly submit to the Lord.
As we are introduced to Job, he is characterized as a man who exhibited a relevant relationship with God. Submitting faithfully to God, he lived consumed by his connection to God. Every facet of his existence and the concerns of his heart evidenced a dependency on Elohim and an authentic desire to please Him. The community recognized Job as a man who was blameless, full of integrity, and one who feared God and stayed away from evil.
God was intricately involved in Job’s life because Job invited God into his life. Although we may not readily embrace this truth, when we invite Christ into our lives it is for better or for worse. The invitation for God to become part of our lives grants Him permission to transform our sinfulness into godliness through whatever means He deems necessary. God’s divine enabling shaped Job’s identity, molding a lifestyle that had a profound influence upon his society and moved people to take note of God.
The moral character of God held Job constant even though his mortal condition was completely in chaos. Overwhelmed by his limitations, he could only find comfort in total self-abandonment through trust. Delimited by his dependency, Job had no other choice but to interpret the nature of his anguish through the moral attributes of a holy, righteous, just, and good God who is full of truth. All of Job’s philosophical ponderings, including his frustration and confusion, were delineated by his dependence on God, making him more desperate than ever. In Job’s agony his dilemma was to understand life’s new normal consistently with the truth about God.
More than just an experience with suffering, God was perfecting Job’s relationship with Him. In the kiln of trials we must yield as God conforms us into the image of His Son. It is in the dark places that the metal of a relationship is hammered into the form God desires it to be. Crisis ignited the flame, which provided the necessary heat to forge Job into deeper desperate dependency on God. Suffering draped the backdrop and created the context and the impetus through which purification could occur. God views our limitations not in terms of how much we can withstand, but in terms of what will it take to bring His children closer to Him and produce simultaneously His likeness within us.
After a fresh encounter with God and His sovereignty, Job could see with new eyes the awesomeness of God. God is relevant to every area of life because He alone “causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (Rom. 8:28 NLT). Instead of striving to understand why, we should endeavor to know who God is. As we grow in our knowledge of Him we can move more easily past the barriers that obstruct a trusting relationship.
“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32 NLT).
Perhaps we are pawns on the chessboard of the Master, but we can choose to be participants and be confident that He has placed us as part of His strategic plan. Our sovereign God designates each person’s position—some to be kings, some to be queens, others to be bishops, knights, and pawns. But we are all mere servants of our great God and stewards of the ministry of Jesus Christ. In God’s government, even kings are pawns. He sets them up and takes them down to accomplish His purposes. God can do whatever He wants and, yes, we are supposed to be okay with that.
Are you willing to live for the glory of God? Many will equate this question with achieving excellence. Yes, they proclaim, I will be successful for His glory. However, God’s definition of success is submitting faithfully to God’s plan for the purpose of glorifying Him. God created and designed you so He could be in a relationship with you. Everything that happens is for the purpose of leading you into a deeper relationship with Him. Are you ready for that kind of adventure?
Monday, March 28, 2011
Choosing to Be Desperately Dependent
(excerpt from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)
Perhaps you can recall a little of the turmoil that invaded your teenage years. Engulfed in a multiplicity of struggles, we floundered to establish our identity. We grappled with a variety of fundamental philosophical questions that have plagued human existence: Who am I? Am I lovable? Where am I going? Because I was created to be dependent, I need someone to tell me who I am. I want someone to label me as lovable. I require someone to guide me. Whomever or whatever I allow to validate these issues establishes my identity. The defining force of my life becomes my god. Daily I choose to be desperately dependent on God, or a God substitute.
I (Kirk) remember my first traumatic encounter with my name. By the time I was four years old, I had enough social interaction with my extended family to know I was not being accepted as their equal. One day I stood by the window of our small house, crying. I remember saying over and over, “I hate my name. I hate my name. I hate my name.” Mama, concerned by my actions, came to me and asked, “Kirk, what’s the matter?” I looked at her and then back out the window. “I hate my name. Why did you name me Kirk? Why couldn’t you have given me a good name—a name starting with R like Ronnie, Randy, or Mark? Then everyone would like me.” At this early age I assumed the reason my cousins did not accept me as their equal was because of my name, who I was. This was my simple way of expressing my belief that something was wrong with me. My name must be ugly. That had to be the explanation. Their rejection must be about who I am.
Much to the dismay of my father, my mother wanted to name me Kirk because she was enamored with Kirk Douglas, the movie star. Dad protested and asserted that I would be named after him; thus, John. Mama, in her countermove proclaimed, “His first name will be John and his middle name will be Kirk.” As Dad yielded, Mom added this caveat, emphatically announcing, “But he will be called Kirk.” In spite of the confusion and conflict between my parents, I am astounded that my name perfectly parallels God’s call on my life. John, meaning sent by God, and Kirk meaning church dweller. In the midst of the domestic chaos, God’s sovereign love was at work, continuously attesting, “I love you and I have a plan for you.”
We are incapable of establishing our own identity. Therefore we need someone other than ourselves to validate us. God’s view of life dictates that He is the only one qualified to be our validating source. It is through God’s love for us that we receive His validation, establishing that we are lovable, significant, and secure. This God-centered identity leads to completion and fulfillment in Him.
Within our lives we each possess a sacred “God place”—that place designed by God for God. Only He has the right to occupy this position in our lives. From this God place He rules over our souls and replenishes our hearts with His validating love while establishing our identity. When any other entity occupies this place, we are guilty of idolatry. The Old Testament is replete with warnings and consequences that result when idols invade the lives of God’s chosen people. Although we may dismiss these passages because they are often connected with the pagan gods of Baal or Asherah, these admonitions also apply to modern life where we continuously allow other entities to fill our God place and dictate our lives. Any substitution for God we permit to establish our identity, love, significance, or security is an idol. These counterfeits break the heart of God. He aches as He watches our foolish endeavors to find completion in our lives through empty alternatives.
Recognizing Christ as our only source of abundant living establishes a desperate dependency on Him. He alone supplies unlimited love, because He is love. Nothing can offer greater significance than the identity as a child of God. No other position is more secure than in God’s care, where He states, “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you” (Deut. 31:8 NLT). Living with divine enablement for personal empowerment attains ultimate fulfillment. “Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts” (1 John 5:21 NLT). “That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty” (Eccles. 12:13 NLT).
“For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power” (1 Cor. 4:20 NLT).
What might take God’s place in my heart (1 John 5:21)?
Perhaps you can recall a little of the turmoil that invaded your teenage years. Engulfed in a multiplicity of struggles, we floundered to establish our identity. We grappled with a variety of fundamental philosophical questions that have plagued human existence: Who am I? Am I lovable? Where am I going? Because I was created to be dependent, I need someone to tell me who I am. I want someone to label me as lovable. I require someone to guide me. Whomever or whatever I allow to validate these issues establishes my identity. The defining force of my life becomes my god. Daily I choose to be desperately dependent on God, or a God substitute.
I (Kirk) remember my first traumatic encounter with my name. By the time I was four years old, I had enough social interaction with my extended family to know I was not being accepted as their equal. One day I stood by the window of our small house, crying. I remember saying over and over, “I hate my name. I hate my name. I hate my name.” Mama, concerned by my actions, came to me and asked, “Kirk, what’s the matter?” I looked at her and then back out the window. “I hate my name. Why did you name me Kirk? Why couldn’t you have given me a good name—a name starting with R like Ronnie, Randy, or Mark? Then everyone would like me.” At this early age I assumed the reason my cousins did not accept me as their equal was because of my name, who I was. This was my simple way of expressing my belief that something was wrong with me. My name must be ugly. That had to be the explanation. Their rejection must be about who I am.
Much to the dismay of my father, my mother wanted to name me Kirk because she was enamored with Kirk Douglas, the movie star. Dad protested and asserted that I would be named after him; thus, John. Mama, in her countermove proclaimed, “His first name will be John and his middle name will be Kirk.” As Dad yielded, Mom added this caveat, emphatically announcing, “But he will be called Kirk.” In spite of the confusion and conflict between my parents, I am astounded that my name perfectly parallels God’s call on my life. John, meaning sent by God, and Kirk meaning church dweller. In the midst of the domestic chaos, God’s sovereign love was at work, continuously attesting, “I love you and I have a plan for you.”
We are incapable of establishing our own identity. Therefore we need someone other than ourselves to validate us. God’s view of life dictates that He is the only one qualified to be our validating source. It is through God’s love for us that we receive His validation, establishing that we are lovable, significant, and secure. This God-centered identity leads to completion and fulfillment in Him.
Within our lives we each possess a sacred “God place”—that place designed by God for God. Only He has the right to occupy this position in our lives. From this God place He rules over our souls and replenishes our hearts with His validating love while establishing our identity. When any other entity occupies this place, we are guilty of idolatry. The Old Testament is replete with warnings and consequences that result when idols invade the lives of God’s chosen people. Although we may dismiss these passages because they are often connected with the pagan gods of Baal or Asherah, these admonitions also apply to modern life where we continuously allow other entities to fill our God place and dictate our lives. Any substitution for God we permit to establish our identity, love, significance, or security is an idol. These counterfeits break the heart of God. He aches as He watches our foolish endeavors to find completion in our lives through empty alternatives.
Recognizing Christ as our only source of abundant living establishes a desperate dependency on Him. He alone supplies unlimited love, because He is love. Nothing can offer greater significance than the identity as a child of God. No other position is more secure than in God’s care, where He states, “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you” (Deut. 31:8 NLT). Living with divine enablement for personal empowerment attains ultimate fulfillment. “Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts” (1 John 5:21 NLT). “That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty” (Eccles. 12:13 NLT).
“For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power” (1 Cor. 4:20 NLT).
What might take God’s place in my heart (1 John 5:21)?
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