Crosswalk.com--The Devotional

[Judy Harder]

April 28, 2010

Rooting Out Neglect
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor

"So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!" - 1 Corinthians 10:12

Ah, spring. The smell of fresh cut grass before a rainstorm, the chance to bask in the sunshine, the taste of strawberries coming back in season. The opportunity to plant flowers around the mailbox. The task of clearing out the hundreds of pine and oak sprouts in the backyard. Yes, hundreds.

I wish I was exaggerating, but this is another "joy" of our formerly foreclosed home. We have several beautiful old trees in the backyard - mostly oak and pine - and we are contending with more than the pollen. The former owners let nature run its course. We've made piles upon piles of young pine trees pulled up with their taproot, so I can finally see the street behind them. I still find one or two little ones whenever I go outside though. The oak sprouts and saplings have only declared their presence in the last couple weeks, when the leaves unfurled. Currently, one side of the yard is a bed of green all under three feet tall. I've dislodged a few, but they don't give up nearly as easily as the pine trees. I'm tempted to let my husband just mow down the little ones every couple weeks.

According to neighbors, the backyard was an Eden five years ago. Judging by the azalea, liriope, and hosta I've uncovered under four inches of dead leaves, I believe them. But no Eden can withstand the effects of nature without a devoted gardener. After the gardening couple sold the house to new owners, the beauty disappeared. There's no grass, and the hundreds of trees certainly didn't root since September, when we bought the property. Like the house, which had been sorely neglected, the yard had suffered a similar fate. Sometimes I wonder when we'll stop cleaning up the previous owners' neglect and start the real progress.

The effects of neglect sneak up so gradually. I know little about the previous owners, but I doubt they made a conscious decision to abandon the care and repair of what was theirs. But as the weeks turned into months, the task of maintaining must have become even larger, as those little sprouts grew inch after inch. Soon, the enormity of starting must have subliminally dissuaded them from any real attempts. 

In her classic allegory "Hinds' Feet in High Places," Hannah Hurnard wrote of a similar plight facing her main character, Much-Afraid. The young woman, after finally making it to the Shepherd's altar, truly wants to sacrifice her own wills and desires. She wants to be free to follow the Shepherd without the choking vines of her old nature. But she discovers that that nature runs much deeper than expected:

" put out her hand and with one final effort of failing strength grasped the natural human love and desire growing in her heart and struggled to tear them out. At the first touch it was as though anguish pierced through her every nerve and fiber, and she knew with a pang almost of despair that the roots had wound and twined and thrust themselves into every part of her being. Though she put forth all her remaining strength in the most desperate effort to wrench them out, not a single rootlet stirred."

Much-Afraid begins to panic, as she realizes that the years she allowed those desires to creep - while she did nothing to stop their coming - have allowed that old nature to take a deep hold. She cannot break free of it herself, not anymore.

The longer the weeds are neglected, even in a yard that looks beautifully exotic and natural, the harder they will be to root out when the lazy gardener notices. This is what I hear Paul saying when I read 1 Corinthians 10:12. All of the sins he listed beforehand? I've pruned them away for a good while, haven't I? I'm going to church, walking the grounds, enjoying the company of other Christians. I'm "standing firm" in the faith, aren't I?

Paul's warnings come exactly to those of us who think we have the Christian life figured out. When we stop deliberately guarding against sin and neglect the garden, thinking it will be all right, that's when we've already fallen. When we forget the danger, we let it in.

Much-Afraid's inability to root out her old nature was not the end of the story. The priest at the altar takes it for her, and she finds Grace and Glory in place of her fear. We all rely on a great High Priest to intercede and enable us to make such sacrifices. And we're focused on tending his garden and our relationship with him, the weeds are choked out by the beauty springing forth.

Intersecting Faith & Life: It's so tempting to step back and let my life proceed as it will. And yet, this passive attitude not only makes me miss the little sins that will grow, it prevents me from seeing something even more beautiful. Who knows what God has planned for our lives if we will keep following with diligence? Let's pursue that beauty with all our hearts.

 

[Judy Harder]

April 29, 2010

Minds Wide Open, Eyes Shut Tight
by John UpChurch, Editor, Jesus.org

For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.  (Matthew 13:15, NIV)


By the standards of the day, these people had open minds. When John's baptism became the thing to do, they were on that. Sure, the river water didn't smell that great, but everyone needs to try new experiences, right? And if being dunked could get them set straight, they'd do it.

After John came a guy named Jesus—and none too soon. The whole water-plunge-and-locust-eating thing was great for a while, but it got old. Jesus had some rough edges, but they could handle that. After all, this guy healed people, and that was completely new. John never did that.

For a while, following Jesus proved exciting. He taught like no one else, kept on with the fixing messed-up people thing, and challenged the self-important Pharisees. Sometimes He tried to slip away, but they tracked Him down—which is when He got kind of weird.

They found Jesus sitting on the beach—nothing odd about that, and they liked the whole teach-on-the-beach vibe. Since the crowd kept growing, Jesus hopped in a boat and began teaching from there. Before that day His words had been mostly clear, though some of His stuff seemed idealistic, but suddenly He started talking in stories. If they'd wanted to hear stories, they could have stayed home.

They came to hear about the overthrow for Rome, but He spent tons of time talking about some guy tossing seeds all over the place. Tell the guy to aim and move on. But Jesus didn't move on—he launched into some story about weeds. Seeds and weeds, they could see those anywhere. They wanted the Jesus they'd heard on the hill telling them about the Kingdom of God; they wanted the Jesus who patched up blind eyes, smoothed out leprous skin, and whipped disease. That Jesus had been trendy. This parable Jesus grew tiring.

Being open-minded had led those people to the threshold of Truth. He called to them from a boat and gave them the keys to understanding the Kingdom of God. But He also knew them. They hastily latched on to whatever seemed exciting and relevant, and yet they kept their eyes closed tight. They wanted the healing but not the life renovation. They wanted the bread, but not the heavenly variety.

Intersecting Faith & Life: An old adage goes something like this: Their minds are open so wide that stuff falls out. However, in our modern culture, "open-minded" has become synonymous with being trendy, avant-garde, and—let's face it—right. "Closed-minded" people, or so the assumption goes, stick to something and won't seek out new ideas. They're wrong to rigidly abide by a creed.

Jesus doesn't advocate either. He came to teach what had "been hidden since the foundation of the world" (Matthew 13:35)—for those people open to the things of God. But He had no room for minds closed by passionless adherence to religious traditions either (Matthew 23:23).

After all, the point was never the condition of the mind—He's much too interested in hearts.

Further Reading

Matthew 13
John 6

[Judy Harder]

April 30, 2010

The Walking Wounded
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Psalm 147:3

Not too long ago, I noticed this quote on a friend's Facebook profile page: 

Be kind.  Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. — Plato

I had not heard that quote before—and perhaps it's famous, and I'm just now tuning in—but it definitely made me pause.  How true, Plato.  How true.

The next time I was around a lot of people that week, I scanned the crowd.  "I wonder who is dealing with something heavy and hurtful today," I thought.  "And ... I wonder if people can tell that I am not doing so well either."

At any one given moment in time, someone somewhere is undergoing something.  Yeah, profound wording, huh?  But you know what?  It's true.  Pain is pain.  Suffering is suffering.  What may be a big deal for one person may not be for the next.  But we should not treat another's wounds as if they are not hurtful to them.  This is not kind, and it is not how we are instructed to treat one another according to Scripture (Colossians 3:12).

I think about the times in my life that have been hard—times when it's been obvious to others, and times when I've tried to hide my hurts away and not tell anyone how I'm feeling or what is breaking my heart.

But we were never made to suffer alone—to bleed out, if you will, in silence.  To live out our days denying what it is that afflicts us, that causes us pain, that makes us curl up so that we are "protected" and that no one can get inside to hurt us anymore.  Where is the healing in that?  Where is the restoration?  Where is the living?

I must say that I am just as guilty as the next person in comparing wounds and judging someone else's pain.  "Oh, get over it!"  "Puh-leese.  There are much bigger things in life to get upset about."  "If they only knew what real suffering was."  And so forth.  Now, rewind to a painful time in your life and then press play.  How would it make you feel to hear someone say some of these judgmental comments to you when you have been hurting the most?

Thankfully, the Great Shepherd doesn't tend to his flock (you and me) in the thoughtless way that we might with each other.  No, he lovingly and tenderly cares for our wounds—whether they're major or minor, whether they're real or imagined, whether they're self-inflicted or a result of something out of our control.  It makes no difference.  He simply cares and makes provision for his sheep:

He restores my soul.  He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake (Psalm 23:3).

Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me (Psalm 51:12).

'But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,' declares the LORD," because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares' (Jeremiah 30:17).

Reading these passages is like a soothing balm being applied to your soul, isn't it?  No self-medication, no self-help book, no radio call-in hour, no television show with a "Dr." in the title can ever compare with how the Father heals his children.  Remember that today as you encounter others who are in need of his healing and restoration in their lives as well.

Intersecting Faith & Life:  With a strong faith and the support of friends and loved ones, surfer Bethany Hamilton made an amazing comeback after losing her arm in a shark attack in 2003.  Today, the 19-year-old surfer has learned to balance on her board and surf in a whole new way.  She brings her story of healing and restoration to a family with physically-challenged children on ABC's Extreme Makeover:  Home Edition this coming Sunday night, May 2, 2010.  Check your local listings for times. 

Further Reading:

Surfer Bethany Hamilton Inspires on Extreme Makeover:  Home Edition

Psalm 147

[Judy Harder]

May 3, 2010

Gifts from Above
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor

"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!" Matthew 7: 11

Have you ever had one of those rare moments in life where events play out just as you imagined them? You know, where all you hope for actually happens? About a month ago I had one of those moments. My boyfriend of two-and-a-half years asked me to marry him. At age 29, I've waited a little longer than some of my peers for marriage, and at times I thought it would never happen. So this recent development is a sweet one!

Then, a couple Sunday's ago, my fiance's family met my mom's side of the family. When you date a man for a couple years, you may imagine this day a few times. Such daydreams usually start right after the first time you sign your first name with his last name to make sure it doesn't sound like a mean joke.

So, about week three or so in our dating relationship, I began imagining that glorious day when his family would meet my family. Of course, in my dreams they just loved each other and couldn't hold back their excitement over our future together. Conversation flowed, laughter was plentiful, and the night went just a little longer than expected because, you know, nobody wants to leave.

And that's pretty much how things really went.

Even some of my seemingly "reasonable" concerns didn't materialize. For example, my stepfather is, shall we say, a mountain man. He could probably live in the woods for months on end, completely self-sufficient. So the thought crossed my mind, "What on earth will my nature-loving stepfather talk about with my fiance's suburban parents?" Silly me forgot that his father grew up on a farm. He's no stranger to rural living. And besides, what man wouldn't be excited over my stepfather's extensive tool collection?

Why was I worried again?

Do you ever do that? Create worry for yourself? I think sometimes we get especially talented at this when we've gone through an extended trial. We experience enough sadness, and we start to expect life to just be one disappointment after another. We think the good life must be ordained for someone else. We even begin to doubt blessings staring us square in the face. I can usually tell my personal volcanic ash cloud of doom has gotten too thick and dark when my voice starts to resemble Winnie the Pooh's friend Eeyore.

I have to be honest, being engaged is an exercise in learning to accept blessings with gratitude and without questioning. Yes, this is a skill I am actually having to learn and improve on.

My challenge to unreservedly embrace blessings from above reminds me of my earthly relationship with my father. My dad likes to give gifts to his daughters. It's one of his ways of expressing love for us. I used to be uncomfortable receiving gifts from my dad. I felt like maybe he would be better off spending the money on something practical instead of lavishing me with beautiful things.

It wasn't until a few years ago that I realized my perspective that Dad should "keep his money" robbed him of the joy that comes with showing love through gift-giving! He really wanted to do these things for his kids.

I think this applies to our Heavenly Father on an even grander scale. In the opening scripture, Jesus assures us of God's desire to give us good gifts and asks believers to trust. Pretty amazing - our holy God wants to bless us, not just dole out discipline and hard lessons. He desires us to receive his goodness, his blessings, and love with faith and excitement.

This is really good news for us "Debbie Downers." I love being Christian, but let me just say, there have been times when my melancholy nature has gone haywire thanks to the occasional well-meaning believer telling me that God's plan for me was to live in perpetual Lent for the next 80 years; to basically just expect suffering and nothing else and be thankful for the sanctifying graces.

It's thrilling to watch the clouds part and reveal that God really does have gifts waiting for us - and it's okay to receive them.

"For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude..." 1 Timothy 4: 4

Intersecting Faith & Life:  What gifts has God given you?

Further Reading

The Pursuit of Happiness: A Virtuous Life

[Judy Harder]

May 4, 2010

High Infidelity
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com

"...you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God."

Romans 7:4 NASB

Usually, we think of "having faith" as simply "trusting, believing." And while that is true, it can be incomplete if we forget that, as Christians, we are also joined to Christ as our Bridegroom. In other words, there is a real relationship with Him—the living Christ—that is at stake. It is not just a matter of possessing correct content of what we believe about the person and work of Christ. And although we never have a legitimate cause to do so, we often break faith with and betray our faithful Bridegroom.

Francis Schaeffer talks about this in chapter seven of True Spirituality where we continue our journey with him this week. Citing the passage above, he notes that since we have been rescued from the tyranny of the devil and placed safely in the arms of the Lord Jesus Christ—we are now positioned to bring forth His fruit.

Schaeffer expands upon the simple, yet remarkably powerful word picture in Romans 7:1-4 to make the point plain:

"Imagine a married couple both of the one color of skin. Suddenly the wife brings forth a child clearly of another race [sic]. All the world would know that she has been unfaithful to her proper mate. So it is with us."

When we do not bring forth His fruit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (per Galatians 5:22)—but bring forth immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these (Gal. 5:19-21), it is because we have broken faith with Him and are in the state of infidelity of the highest order.

What generally causes us to distrust Christ and leads us to break faith with Him and run to the arms of another is the fact that we often think that we have a better way. We think that, somehow, God really doesn't have our best interests at heart. I know for me, personally, this happens mostly when I am "Law-minded" in a way that discounts or obscures the gospel. One writer, Milton Vincent, in his A Gospel Primer for Christians provides a helpful counter to this erroneous and sinful way of thinking (p. 18):

"...when I begin my train of thought with the gospel, I realize that if God loved me enough to sacrifice His Son's life for me, then He must be guided by that same love when He speaks His commandments to me. Viewing God's commands and prohibitions in this light, I can see them for what they really are: friendly signposts from a heavenly Father who is seeking to love me through each directive, so that I might experience His very fullness forever." (see Deut. 5:29)

Not only are they friendly signposts, they are friendly love letters from our faithful Bridegroom who has done nothing to warrant our distrust. By His life-giving Spirit, He is actively seeking to love us and bring forth His fruit in us today. What is the state of your union with Him?

Intersecting Faith & Life: 
In light of today's devotional, contemplate afresh Schaeffer's summary of the life of faith: "The how of the Christian life is the power of the crucified and risen Lord, through the agency of the indwelling Holy Spirit, by faith moment by moment."

For Further Prayer & Study:
If repentance for spiritual infidelity is in order, reflect on Isaiah 30:15 "Thus the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said, 'In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength.'" For further study, read Romans 6-8.

[Judy Harder]

May 5, 2010

The Person Behind the Plan
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor

"O Lord, you have searched me and you know me!" - Psalm 139:1

Consider the last conference you attended. Or just remember back to your days at summer camp. If the event coordinator had any talent at all, you probably didn't spare a thought about this person's help in planning your activities. You bustled through your day and merely assumed that the schedule was planned so that you could reach each seminar, speaker, meeting, or perhaps the next camp activity in time. You assumed logistics would be properly worked out. Especially if you're remembering your camp experiences, you probably didn't stop to ponder the "big picture" of your week at the lake, the archery course and the rock climbing walls. You placed inherent faith in the plan, and perhaps gave event coordinators the obligatory applause at the end of the scheduled activities.

The knowledge that "God has a plan" provides me with great peace of mind and heart. Too often, however, I go through my little life with an automatic faith, giving God the obligatory kudos as the grand events coordinator and little else. In other words, I'm most prone to remember him when my "schedule" clashes with my agenda.

How often do you consider the person behind the planning? His personality? His motivation behind the scheduling and planning? The interpersonal relationship between you and him?

The miracle of the Gospel almost a paradox: God so loved the whole world that he would have died for only one sinner. Let me say that another way. God's grand plan for the universe complemented an intimate desire to know each of his people. Consider the way the psalmist talks to God in Psalm 139, as he remembers the Lord's plan for his life from the moment of conception. He stands amazed that this God of the universe will be with him wherever he goes. He sees God's grace not only in the Lord's plan for him, but also the Lord's relationship with him. In doing so, the psalmist discovers the mercy of God's care for him, and finds that the Master Planner also accounts for the smallest of our needs. A humbling juxtaposition, isn't it?

My daily challenge is to follow God's plan, yes, but it's so much greater than that. My daily calling is to better know this God who makes the stars spin while caring for the sparrow. When that happens, we can appreciate his plan all the more because we know the person behind it. Let's not scrap together the obligatory applause, but give him the heartfelt praise he deserves.

Intersection of Faith & Life: My mother often told me, "When you can't see God's plan, trust his heart." And how can we trust a person we don't know well? When push comes to shove, the authentic Christian life will be defined not by trust in a nebulous master plan, but by knowing the God who orchestrates all things for his glory and our good.

Further Reading

Ephesians 1:3-10
Psalm 139
What Trust Looks Like

[Judy Harder]

May 6, 2010

Lessons from the Red House
by John UpChurch, Editor, Jesus.org

For the king knows about these matters, and I speak to him also with confidence, since I am persuaded that none of these things escape his notice; for this has not been done in a corner.
Acts 26:26, NASB

The hunt for our first house stretched out for months. My wife and I scoured those shiny realty magazines with their cheesy catchphrases. We found such classics as "Cute as a button," "Investor's dream," and "Dollhouse" to be codes for "No cabinet space," "Good luck with that," and "Your head will bump the ceiling" respectively. We surfed by, drove by, and walked through dozens of potential homes, sometimes venturing into the deep recesses of pink-tiled bathrooms, smoke-filled dens, and "pet-loved" carpet.

Nothing worked—until the Red House. After all the websites and fliers and scheduled showings, we found our home because of a small sign flapping in the wind by the side of the road. To be sure, the Red House had its flaws. For example, all the power in the master bedroom ran through a single outlet—barely. One small jiggle and we'd be resetting the clocks for days until I could get it back into balance. But the good far exceeded the niggling qualms (especially when I went crazy with my lawnmower and chopped down the forest in the backyard).

At first, the Red House had a shimmering newness to it. The rooms echoed with space, the arched doorways dressed up our furniture, and the wood floors reflected the sunlight.

And then our lives hurried on.

When our first daughter came home to the Red House, those rooms that seemed so big suddenly shrunk. Those hardwood floors that once shined made tummy time troublesome and crawling a chore. The arched doorways still worked, but we hardly paid attention to them. We had become so familiar with our home that the excitement of having found it slowly lost out to thoughts about what didn't work for us anymore. By the time our second daughter showed up on the ultrasound, the Red House had become a nice—but outdated—relic.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Following Christ may have no greater danger than familiarity. During the early days of the Red House, the excitement boiled over because we'd spent so much time and energy getting there. But once we'd memorized the squeaky spots in the floor and gotten accustomed to the ever-growing vine (read: pretty weed) in the front garden, we lost that wonder.

The events in the Bible—even the miracles—lose the power to impact us if we get too cozy with them. Yeah, God created the universe. Sure, Jesus walked on water and Peter got to join Him. We've read those and heard sermons about them. But when was the last time we thought about them as actual events? Jesus spoke to people who couldn't walk and boom—they walked. Bones molded into shape, muscles filled out, nerves sparked to life. All around jaws dropped. He acted in real time and real space with real people and real pain. Really.

After all, it's not just the story of the empty tomb that makes the difference; it's the reality of that uninhabited grave.

Further Reading

Acts 26
Ephesians 3

[Judy Harder]

May 7, 2010

Mom's the Word
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor

Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Proverbs 9:9-10

Spelled forwards or backwards, there's no mistaking the word Mom. We all know what it stands for.

Turned upside down, though, it also reads Wow. And that's something I wholeheartedly agree with—especially now that I'm old enough to understand everything that my mom did and has done for me over the years. All I can say is "Wow!"

I also think of the word instruction when I think of my mom—or any maternal figure who was influential in my life. I probably didn't like it at the time. Okay, I know I didn't like it at the time, as I always seemed to have my own agenda. But years later, I greatly appreciate the words of instruction that were given to me.

Some of my mom's words included:

If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.

When in doubt, don't.

Chew with your mouth closed.

Because I said so.

So? Sew a hole in the ground.  (Not really sure what that one was for.)

Just do your best.

Did you wash your hands? Let me smell them.

Try it. You might like it.

Hide God's Word in your heart that you might not sin against him.

Now what did Mommy say?

I continue to hear these words of instruction in my head as an adult. They're part of my mom's imprint on my life. They impart lessons of kindness, perspective, right and wrong, responsibility, attentiveness and obedience. And if I show any signs of the beginning of wisdom, I'll continue to heed these words and hopefully someday impart them to little ones around me.

The Bible speaks of the great value and importance of instruction and how we should perceive such words and their meaning in our lives:

"Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life" (Proverbs 4:13).

"He who scorns instruction will pay for it, but he who respects a command is rewarded" (Proverbs 13:13).

"Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD" (Proverbs 16:20).

"Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise" (Proverbs 19:20).

"Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge" (Proverbs 23:12).

You may not have always agreed with the instruction imparted to you over the years. But, as I now am, I hope that you are cherishing the treasures given to you by your mother or anyone who has filled this role in your upbringing.

My mother sowed seeds into my life. She consistently worked my strong-willed soil. And the lack of an instant bumper crop didn't discourage her. Undeterred, she kept coming back and doing her part to ensure that good things were planted into my life. She added to my heart and to my mind, so that these instructions would hopefully take root and one day bring forth spiritual fruit.

I've not become a mother yet, but I've done my fair share of babysitting and taking care of children of all ages. So I have a tiny glimpse of what is involved in this process. To "train up a child in the way he should go" takes patience. Sacrifice. And most of all, a great great love.

A mother is an earthly example of how our heavenly Father takes care of you and provides life-giving—and life-saving—instruction through his Word. Thank God for your mother or a maternal figure in your life today and take time to honor her for all that she has done for you.

Intersecting Faith & Life:  I don't know what your relationship is like with your mother. She may not be here any longer. Or you may not have had a strong or healthy connection. This Mother's Day, however, think of someone (your mom, a relative, a teacher or any another godly woman you see as an example or mentor) who has given you valuable instruction. Let her know how much she has meant to you and what an impact she has made in your life. 

Further Reading:

Ephesians 6:1-3

Proverbs 31:30-31

[Judy Harder]

May 10, 2010

The Quest for Perfection
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor

You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5: 48

The Scripture above is one most of us would read with some perplexity. As Christians we know we're sinners in need of a Savior. Every Sunday at church we thank God for His divine intervention through Christ's death on the cross.

Yet the very One sent to die for us seems to be asking us here to be that which we know we can't: perfect. Not just really, really good. But perfect in the way God is perfect.

Now if you're a perfectionist like me, you may already have your pen out to list all your weaknesses so you can strategize the best plan to eradicate them from your life.

This isn't a bad exercise, but I've often become easily frustrated and tired when I set out to perfect myself. That's precisely the problem with this approach - it's all about me, myself, and I. An old friend of mine, in his quest to eliminate his selfish attitude, would often exclaim with much exasperation: "I keep trying to get rid of my selfishness but in the process of trying to improve myself, I end up focusing on my self all the time!"

It's hard to stifle a smile at his candor. It seems God has something better in mind for us than a glorified self-help program.

Perhaps the verse above is easier to understand when cast in a different light. Peter doesn't use the word "perfect" but instead calls believers to "holiness":

" ... but as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct: since it is written 'you shall be holy, for I am holy.'" (1 Peter 1: 15 - 16)

Holiness transcends what someone does (or doesn't do) and ties directly into who God is. As believers, we aren't necessarily called to be "perfect" by the world's standards, but instead to reflect God's nature to others. His goodness, truth, strength, and love.

The only way we can accurately reflect God to others is to strive daily to know God. To be in His presence. To meditate on His Word. Unlike the futile self-help approach, the more we focus on God, the less self-focused we become. And the more available we make ourselves to His transforming grace in our lives.

"Above all the grace and the gifts that Christ gives to his beloved is that of overcoming self." ~ St. Francis of Assisi

Intersecting Faith & Life: Do something this week that requires you to "forget" yourself and your struggles. Serving those in need is usually a good way to do this.

Further Reading

2 Samuel 22: 31
Matthew 19: 21

[Judy Harder]

May 11, 2010



Authentic Christianity
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com

"...be filled with the Spirit...
singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,
giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Ephesians 5:18-20 ESV

A number of you may recall that, months ago, we began a journey through the works of Francis Schaeffer beginning with the book True Spirituality. If you are just now joining us on Tuesdays, or if you have not been reading along in True Spirituality, there is still time to catch up to where we are (chapter seven), and I highly recommend that you do.

C.S. Lewis once wisely counseled: "First-hand knowledge [of great authors] is not only more worth acquiring than second-hand knowledge, but is usually much easier and more delightful to acquire" (from his Introduction in Athanasius, On the Incarnation, St. Vladimir's Seminary Press: Crestwood, New York, 1993, p. 3).

But it is not just your delight in acquiring knowledge of a great man that is at stake. Schaeffer's message is a much needed remedy for the anemic state of joy and authenticity that seems to plague many Christians. He should know. He was once joyless and empty himself. 

Schaeffer published True Spirituality in 1971 to help people experience the reality of work of Christ and what it means to Christians today, not just at the moment when they accepted Christ as Savior. The content of the book was first a series of Bible lessons that he taught to his family and students who gathered regularly in their home in the Swiss Alps. But before they ever became a set of lessons that he taught to others, Schaeffer taught them first to his own heart.

Before Schaeffer ever became the famous author and Christian leader that he eventually became and prior to the time that L'Abri began, Francis went through a period lasting several months during which he faced up to and worked through the problem of the disturbing disproportion he saw between the large amount of Bible data he knew and claimed to believe and the lack of genuine spiritual joy in his life.

Over those months as he walked in the mountains, Francis rethought his reasons for being a Christian and, at last...

"...saw again that there were totally sufficient reasons to know that the infinite-personal God does exist and that Christianity is true.

"In going further, I saw something else which made a profound difference in my life. I searched through what the Bible said concerning reality as a Christian. Gradually, I saw that the problem was that with all the teaching I had received after I was a Christian, I had heard little about what the Bible says about the meaning of the finished work of Christ for our present lives.

"Gradually the sun came out and the song came. Interestingly enough, although I had written no poetry for many years, in that time of joy and song I found poetry beginning to flow again—poetry of certainty, an affirmation of life, thanksgiving, and praise. Admittedly, as poetry it is very poor, but it expressed a song in my heart which was wonderful to me."  (from True Spirituality, p. 196 in The Complete Works of Francis Schaeffer, vol. 3 © 1982 Crossway Books, Wheaton, Illinois).

That time of crisis served to settle the issue of spiritual reality for the Schaeffers. Francis saw and believed that the finished work of Christ really is the source of the Christian's life. He grew deeply convinced that the Christian life is not just about conversion, but about moment-by-moment living out of the grace of God today, in the present by the power of the Holy Spirit.

What I've written here faithfully summarizes Schaeffer's main thesis in the book, but I suspect it carries little of the significant impact that reading True Spirituality would have upon you. There is something to be said for the transforming and Christ-glorifying progression of Schaeffer's argument, the clarity of his thought, and his judicious use of Scripture and illustrations throughout True Spirituality. It all combines in a way that sheds light and elicits faith.

Knowing something about the life and times of Francis and Edith Schaeffer goes a long way in helping the reader too. For instance, around the time when Schaeffer's teaching ministry began in Switzerland, a very significant and challenging question arose in his mind. Francis had been thinking long and hard about it when it came up in conversation one day with his wife Edith (she later recounted the words on p. 356 of her book, The Tapestry). He said...

"I wonder what would happen to most of our churches and Christian work if we woke up tomorrow morning and everything concerning the reality and work of the Holy Spirit, and everything concerning prayer were removed from the Bible?

I don't mean just ignored, but actually cut out—disappeared. I wonder how much difference it would make?"   

What difference would it make? He began to brainstorm a few things: there would be no reality of knowing God, of prayer, of daily dependence on God or of Christian fruitfulness. It would all be mere self-effort—utterly phony and joyless.

Sound familiar? Let me ask you this: If it suddenly became possible for you to be personally mentored by Dr. Francis Schaeffer, would you take the opportunity? You can. Pick up his works and read. Follow with us on the trail of his thought.

Further Reflection: 
Someone who knows you well is called to testify of the presence of spiritual reality in your life. What evidence would they give?

Spend time thinking through the reasons why you became a Christian. Reflect on what it means to have an authentic relationship—not a routine, mechanical one—with the infinite-personal God who is there.

Further Reading
Psalm 16
John 6:68
Ephesians 5:1-21