The Benediction Project

Moral Absolutes—Do They Conflict?

2012-01-30T20:11:00.001-06:00

Bob Rakestraw

“The Benediction Project”
http://bobrakestraw.blogspot.com

After a two-month bypass on “What I Most Love Doing,” I now return to the series on “Books That Have Shaped Me.” As I stated previously these are not necessarily the best books on their respective topics, nor were they at the time they were published. They are however, the books that have had the greatest influence, one way or another, on my life, thinking and ministry.

9. Ethics: Alternatives and Issues, by Norman L. Geisler (Zondervan, 1971), 270 pp.

This was my first book on Christian Ethics. It’s primary value to me is that it gave me a framework to think about approaches to God’s moral absolutes, and how these differing approaches influence one’s whole life in this world.

Geisler’s book consists of two parts: ethical alternatives (part one) and ethical issues (part two) such as war, sex and euthanasia. In the first part, which was the most eye-opening to me, and the focus of my remarks here, Geisler lays out the six basic views on moral norms. Norms are ethical laws, rules, commands, guidelines or (in some cases) absolutes. They are statements that tell us what to do or not do, such as “Do not defraud another person” or “Be kind to others.”

Antinomianism says that there are no moral laws. It is neither right nor wrong to steal something; just do what seems most convenient for you. Situationism (sometimes called situation ethics) says that there is only one moral absolute—the law of love. You may steal if it’s the most “loving” way to help a needy person. Generalism claims that there are some general laws but no absolute ones. It is generally wrong to steal, but in some cases one may make an exception.

Bible-believing Christians rightly reject (in theory) these three options, but the latter two tend to infiltrate the church and corrupt Christian behavior when God’s people do not live in close fellowship with him nor read and meditate in the scriptures regularly.

The following three ethical alternatives are more acceptable to Christ-followers. Non-conflicting absolutism (sometimes called unqualified absolutism or the third-alternative position) believes in many moral absolutes which never conflict. They may appear to conflict at times but in truth do not. There are apparent moral dilemmas but no genuine moral dilemmas. A hungry man should never steal because “Thou shalt not steal” is an absolute moral norm.

Conflicting absolutism (sometimes called ideal absolutism or the lesser-evil view) holds that there are many moral absolutes that truly do conflict at times, and in such cases one is obligated to do the lesser evil. If you have a very hungry family at home, and you work in a silver mine but will not be paid for several days, it is better for you to steal some silver ore to sell for food money than to let your family go hungry.

Hierarchicalism (sometimes called graded absolutism or the greater-good view) affirms that God’s many absolute moral laws actually do conflict at times, and in such cases we are to obey the higher law. In conflicting absolutism, mentioned above, we are to choose the lesser evil, while admitting that it is an evil deed, and confessing it as sin.

With hierarchicalism we choose between two options, each of which is good. We need to determine which is better. In the case of the poor silver miner, if you believe that taking some ore is the greater good, then you are not sinning. You are doing what is morally right, because the absolute to provide food for one’s hungry family is a higher norm than the absolute not to steal.

Most Bible-believing Christians who give thought to the matter prefer non-conflicting absolutism (my view) or hierarchicalism (Geisler’s position). A smaller percentage opt for the lesser-evil approach, although the idea that we are morally obligated to sin in certain situations seems so bizarre that this view will probably never have a large following among Christians.

I hold to my position rather than Geisler’s because, although we both believe that God reveals numerous absolute norms in the Bible, I do not believe (as does Geisler) that these moral absolutes actually conflict. I find it extremely difficult to be convinced that God has given absolutes in such a way that, at times, one of them must (not “may”) be disregarded.

In a conflict situation such as stealing to save lives, I believe that God, who is a wise, compassionate and powerful lawgiver (Psalm 119), and who knows we are weak and ignorant of many things (including possible outcomes), will strengthen the heart, mind and will of those who trust in him to care for their starving loved ones without requiring theft to accomplish that.

Having said all this, I am very grateful for this book. Even though I disagree with the author I hold him in very high esteem as a brilliant and faithful servant of Jesus Christ. Also, Norm, I thank you for treating me to the delicious Vietnamese egg rolls at the busy lunch spot by Dallas Theological Seminary when I visited you there a long time ago.

To conclude, I need to mention that the book under review has been replaced by Geisler’s more recent work, Christian Ethics: Options and Issues (Baker, 1989). While his basic approach to the apparent conflict of moral absolutes remains the same, he has updated and modified some of his views on specific ethical issues such as abortion. In addition, if you wish to pursue the complexities of this topic further, you may refer to pages 113-176 in Readings in Christian Ethics, Volume 1: Theory and Method, edited by David K. Clark and myself (Baker, 1994). These pages contain selections from Geisler, from me, and from other scholars on the subject matter of this posting.

What I Most Love Doing – Part Two

2011-12-30T09:02:00.001-06:00

Bob Rakestraw

“The Benediction Project”
http://bobrakestraw.blogspot.com

Greetings to each of you dear readers! I trust that your celebrations of the birth of Jesus included some awareness of and experiencing of the gentle yet powerful grace of God unleashed by the miracle of the Incarnation.

In this posting I will offer five more categories of “What I most love doing.” You may wish to read the post of November 30, 2011 before reading these thoughts.

Spending Time with Family and Friends

While actually an introvert by nature, I am still a “people-person.” It is a privilege and pleasure to talk with, eat with and play with my dear family members, and to interact with good friends. Substantial, stimulating conversation is a special treat. In the interest of full disclosure, however, I should add that time with family and friends, while priceless, is becoming more and more difficult for me due to my failing heart and difficult breathing.

Spending Time with God

This activity and the one following are my favorites of the ten items in these two blog postings. Which of these has priority? Well, they intertwine quite a bit, but I have to say that spending time with God is what I love doing most.

I find that sitting in bed, stretching out on a recliner, and sitting at my home office desk are three postures/places that are most conducive to listening to God, confessing to God, offering praises to God, and discussing with God the needs of others and myself. Sometimes I am reading the Bible during this time, sometimes I am reading stimulating literature, and sometimes I am just floating along weaving in and out of the above practices and subject matter.

Resting and Thinking Good Thoughts

As indicated above, this activity overlaps significantly with the previous one. One way I distinguish these two is my posture. In resting I am more horizontal, while in spending time with God I am somewhat more vertical (from my waist up, that is—I rarely stand or kneel, and I walk only enough to transport my anatomy from point A to point B).

I call this category “resting and thinking good thoughts.” Some of the time I fall asleep, but often I lie on the bed with no need for sleep—just rest and restoration. I love these times, not because I can simply “do nothing,” but because I can do everything—in my mind. I might close my eyes and recite a list of things very important to me (such as my top twelve scripture texts) or place myself (in my thoughts) in the middle of an adventure story that I make up as I go along. Or I teach a class or preach a sermon. I am in my glory (actually God’s glory) during these times.

Entertaining Myself

Lest some of you doubt that I am normal, I do enjoy good entertainment and things that are just plain fun. Because I seldom leave the house, however, my fun activities are now much more limited than ever: listening to music, listening to talk radio, playing computer games, romancing, playing table games, enjoying food and drink, doing crossword puzzles, reading, and watching television about thirty to sixty minutes a day. I also enjoy sitting or lying in the yard, as long as I am totally in the shade. Because I am immunosuppressed I must be diligent about avoiding sunlight, which may cause—and already has in my case—skin cancer.

Participating in the Work of God Around the World

My final activity—the last category of things I most love doing—is being actively involved in the work of the Holy Spirit advancing Christ’s kingdom ministry through love, justice and mercy.

I deliberately used the word “actively” even though I cannot pack groceries for local and global folks in need, work a telephone crisis hotline, or help caulk a drafty house in Uzbekistan or Minneapolis. I no longer preach or teach in formal settings, nor do I attend planning meetings for wholistic ministry strategy or participate in group prayer meetings.

I try, however, to be alert to and active in the great advancement of God’s kingdom around the world. I write both for national and international audiences. I follow closely several excellent publications that document the exciting developments in my country and many others. I pray for specific missionaries and ministries, including my own church, and find great delight in being able to give financially so that others may continue to do the works of Jesus in this terribly needy world.

Well, these are a few of my favorite things. As I said in the previous posting, I am not presenting these items as some ideal list. Your list may look different, but as long as you try to put down on paper what you most enjoy doing and actually do, I believe you will be helped greatly as you set the direction for the rest of your life. A truly blessed New Year to each of you!

What I Most Love Doing – Part One

2011-11-30T21:20:00.002-06:00

Bob Rakestraw

“The Benediction Project”
http://bobrakestraw.blogspot.com

For this posting and the next I decided to take a break from the series “Books that Have Shaped Me.” There is no particular reason for this other than that I have been thinking recently about what I really love most to participate in, and actually do, and what other people might really love to do, and actually do.

This seems important to me because, out of a 168-hour week, we devote (broadly speaking) about one-third to work (including travel), one-third to sleep, and one-third to everything else. It is in this third category where we may find out, if we wish, who we really are. Our true self—who we are at our core—is not necessarily revealed at our paid job. We may do a good job at work but have a not-so-good life outside of work.

During the third of our lives when we are not asleep or at work, most of us do some necessary things to keep ourselves and our households going, and some things that may be called relaxation, entertainment or pleasant diversion. In this two-part posting I am presenting the top ten things I most love to do during the relaxation-entertainment-pleasant diversion category of my time.

I am not presenting this list in any particular order of importance, nor am I suggesting that my top ten should be your top ten. But I am writing to encourage you to consider carefully what your top ten might be and whether you should add or delete any practices while trying to limit your total to ten activities. Don’t compose a list of ideal favorite things, but an honest list of your real favorite things—how you actually spend your diversionary time. Just as Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” so I believe he is saying to us, “What activities occupy your time, there you can find the real you.” Here is my list which I recently composed for the first time in my life.

Observing Beauty. I am so very thankful that God gave me eyes, a mind and a set of emotions to enjoy the beauties of the natural world and the beautiful creations made by people. I love the shapes of trees, shrubs, flowers, pine cones, grasses, bark, rocks, sunrises and sunsets, any body of water, the deserts, animals, the faces and forms of human beings, lightning, the northern lights, and gazing into the starry night away from city brightness.

Only twice in my life have I literally had my breath taken away by something I saw. Once was when I caught sight of the Grand Canyon for the first time. Its depth and immensity struck me with an overpowering emotional force as it suddenly came into view, moments after I had been hurrying toward the rim but without having seen any of the canyon. Seemingly out of nowhere it burst upon my senses as nothing before.

The second time I had such an experience was when viewing Michelangelo’s “Pieta” – the famous sculpture in St. Peter’s Basilica. Mary is holding in her arms the lifeless body of Jesus after he was taken from the cross. I remember most the exquisite curvature and balance of the human forms, and the look of serene compassion and sorrow as Mary gazed down at the body of her son.

Reading. I have always loved to read anything stimulating. I enjoy good fiction, non-fiction, poetry, autobiography, and biography. The latter two categories, along with the Bible, constitute the most profitable block of reading materials for me. The Bible, more than any other book, repays slow and careful reading of specific portions, over and over, after a quicker first-read. I also read a major daily newspaper and several valuable magazines and journals.

There have been many times throughout my life when the advice, “Read for your life,” was literally what I did, especially in the years of serious suffering before and after my heart transplant. Sometimes it was a major escape mechanism for me, as when I read many Louis L’Amour novels of the old west – sometimes several a month. Sometimes my reading was for comfort and gentle advice, as when I gave a full year to the Psalms or spent many hours lingering in two sensitive and powerful works by Amy Carmichael (Rose from Briar) and Claire Weekes (Hope and Help for Your Nerves). High quality writers and their high quality writings are some of God’s greatest gifs to men, women and children of all ages.

Learning. I love learning about almost everything. I love to grow in head knowledge, practical skills, experience and wisdom. I also enjoy growing in people skills – the most important of all categories of learning after the knowledge of God. I love learning history, the sciences, human cultures, languages (I have studied seven, but speak only one), biblical teachings and backgrounds, and the lives and thoughts of wise men and women, especially those who have known and served God well. I hope to be a lifelong learner, and one who is always grateful for the privilege.

Gathering With the People of God. I cannot imagine where I would be today if I had not been welcomed as a new Christian into a group of Christ-followers who gathered regularly (twice on Sundays and two other times during the work week) for collective worship, learning, giving testimony, hearing the Word of God preached, discussion, prayer, evangelism, proportionate giving, and the benefit of one another’s company.

Over the years, many strong churches (including two I was privileged to serve as pastor) have welcomed me and built me up spiritually, socially, intellectually and in the practice of shared ministry. Even though, because of poor health, I have not been able to gather with large groups of God’s people for several years, I love to follow and pray about the activities of my local church and welcome individuals and small groups from the fellowship into my home. Sometimes we sing, read scripture, share the truths of God, and celebrate the Lord’s Supper together. These times are very special, and for them I am grateful.

Working. I actually enjoy work, even as a diversionary activity. For this reason I am including work in this list. I can’t say, however, that I loved every kind of work I have ever done. Slashing with a machete through tangles of weeds, brush and vines on a hot, humid day while fighting off mosquitos is only “enjoyable” (if such a word is even appropriate) in the sense that one may watch the overgrown briar patch begin to fall away and leave the ground exposed for its intended use. There is a sense of satisfaction that is quite pleasant when the work is done, and in the midst of work itself.

Most people have to work for a living. This is a good and noble thing. It is significant how often the Bible denounces idleness and laziness, and even states that those who do not work should not eat. I have great respect for workers, whether they work in the home, outside the home, for pay or for some good purpose without pay.

While my work in recent years has been limited—almost totally—to writing on a small scale, I enjoy very much thinking back on the kinds of jobs I have had since the age of eight or nine: landscaping, tree trimming and removal, chain sawing, splitting wood, selling ice cream on a daily route, building construction and demolition, directing traffic for “the world’s largest automobile dealer” (their advertisements), cleaning to perfection every day (as required by law) the huge circular vat in a milk pasteurizing plant, being a grader and teaching assistant, a high school counselor, an accountant’s assistant, a filler of sheet-music orders, a newspaper columnist, an all-night clerk at a convenience store, a high school custodian, a scholar earning several professional degrees, a youth pastor, a senior pastor, a writer of both popular and scholarly materials, and a teacher of preaching, biblical studies, theology and ethics in three different schools of higher learning for twenty-five years. I am exceedingly thankful for being able to learn (and give, I trust) something in the midst of each of these forms of work.

In the next posting I hope to present five more of my favorite things. Until then, may the good Lord who made us guide our thoughts and actions toward enjoyable, fruitful and grateful lives.

Body Life

2011-10-31T16:38:00.002-05:00

Books That Have Shaped Me – Part Five

Bob Rakestraw

“The Benediction Project”
http://bobrakestraw.blogspot.com

8. "Body Life", by Ray C. Stedman (Regal, 1972, second ed.) 149 pp. Softcover.

This was my first book on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. During my schooling I had read materials on spiritual gifts, but these were fairly brief sections on the topic found in larger books, short articles, or polemical tracts and booklets warning the reader against erroneous teachings and practices concerning the gifts.

One chapter I had read (in The Holy Spirit by Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Moody, 1965) presents the different gifts briefly, and then concludes that seven of the gifts were quite likely limited to the life of the apostles and the early church: apostleship, prophecy, miracles, healing, tongues, interpretation of tongues, and discerning of spirits. According to this view, these spiritual gifts had been given by God to help the infant church get established but were then withdrawn by the Spirit from the life of the church by the end of the first century. Anyone who claims to have one or more of these gifts today is probably mistaken, led astray by emotion or false teachings. While I appreciated Ryrie’s clear and devout manner of writing, and while I (in the late 1960’s) accepted his explanation, I became increasingly uncomfortable with his biblically questionable (in my view) division of the gifts into temporary gifts and permanent gifts.

The other spiritual gifts mentioned in the Bible, in addition to those mentioned above, are evangelism, pastor-teaching, teaching, ministry, exhortation, giving, leadership, showing mercy, wisdom, knowledge and faith. While the complete number of eighteen gifts is not found together in any one biblical list, two or more of the gifts are mentioned in Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, 28-30; 13:1-3; 14:1-40; Ephesians 4:11 and 1 Peter 4:11.

Ray Stedman’s book led me on a quest to discover the biblical perspective on the gifts of the Holy Spirit for myself. Even after many years of study and teaching on the topic, and after writing a small book on the gifts, now in its third edition (Serving by the Spirit: Spiritual Gifts and Spiritual Preaching, Christian Growth Ministries, 2004), I am still on this quest.

By 1973 I had moved away from the view of Ryrie and other dispensationalists on the subject of spiritual gifts (as well as some other distinctives of this theological system, known for its emphasis on the different ways God has worked throughout the different eras of human history). In order to be consistent with my new approach to the gifts, I had to resign (reluctantly) from a ministerial association that held to the early-church-only view of the more controversial gifts.

One of the main reasons, it seemed to me, why some (not all) scholars and pastors preferred this view is because it appears to solve a whole host of problems that can arise in a local church setting where such gifts as healing, tongues, prophecy and discerning of spirits are accepted as part of the life of the Spirit in the church body. After all, it can get messy if such practices are allowed to take place. If we do not permit such practices, then we will, according to this viewpoint, avoid offending our regular members (and givers) and be following the biblical command that “everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.” Paul states, however, just before these words, “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues” (1 Corinthians 14:39-40).

Such exhortations at the very end of Paul’s long chapter comparing prophecy and tongues should prompt us to be more open to the mysterious ways of the Spirit, especially since there are no clear biblical texts that say that the more “controversial” gifts of the Spirit were only for the early church. I was excited that Stedman had a more “open” view on these gifts than the dispensational perspective (even though Stedman is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary, a center of dispensationalism and the school where Charles Ryrie taught).

Stedman is not pushing a charismatic agenda as commonly understood, however, but he is urging all of God’s people to believe that, according to the Bible, ¬¬¬¬¬¬every Christian has one (possibly more) of the “spiritual gifts” (Greek charismata). This is taught in 1 Peter 4:10 and 1 Corinthians 12:7, 11, and clearly implied in Romans 12:6-8. And this is the truth that excited me most: I am gifted by the Holy Spirit with at least one of his marvelous gifts. In my case I understood that to be teaching. My gift was no more or less important than any other gift, however. And you, if you are a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ, have a spiritual gift also. We all need one another working together in the unity of the body of Christ (I Corinthians 12).

Most of Stedman’s book is not about the individual spiritual gifts, but about the body life of the Spirit-filled church, how God intended it to be. According to the author, “the purpose of this book is to search out from the Scripture the nature and function of true Christianity and thus to recover the dynamic quality of early Christianity…. There is no reason why the church in the twentieth century [or the 21st century – my addition] should not be what it was in the first century. True Christianity operates now on exactly the same basis as it did then. The same dynamic impact described in the book of Acts is possible today” (p. 5).

These words, along with the first-person accounts of the Body Life services of the author’s church excited me 40 years ago and do so every bit as much now. I close with this powerful statement from Ray Stedman: “The supreme task of every Christian’s life is to discover his [or her] gift and put it to work” (p. 131).

The Power of Godliness

2011-09-30T21:34:00.001-05:00

Books That Have Shaped Me – Part Four

Bob Rakestraw
September 30, 2011

“The Benediction Project”
http://bobrakestraw.blogspot.com

The book I am writing about in this posting has been, after the Bible, the most important and influential book in my life and service for God. I bought it on September 25, 1965, for 75 cents, in a bookstore in western Canada. I have read it several times, especially in my early years as a Christian.

7. “The Life of Robert Murray McCheyne,” by Andrew A. Bonar (The Banner of Truth Trust, 1960. First published 1844). 192 pp.

Robert Murray McCheyne (1813-1843) was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and entered university at the age of 14. He had an early aptitude for the arts, especially music and poetry, and enjoyed sports, especially gymnastics. At 18 he was accepted to study divinity at the University of Edinburgh, where he met his mentor, Thomas Chalmers, Professor of Divinity. Chalmers became the pattern for his thought, life and ministry. Upon completion of his studies he became a Scottish Presbyterian minister. After a short assistantship in one parish, he became the pastor of St. Peter’s, Dundee, at the age of 23. Here he served with excellence until his death seven-and-a half years later.

In addition to Thomas Chalmers, another strong influence on McCheyne was Andrew A. Bonar, the author of the book discussed here and the brother of the hymn-writer Horatius Bonar. When McCheyne died in 1843, it was inevitable that his associates turned to Bonar for a memoir of the one whose brief ministry had “stamped an indelible impress on Scotland.” Bonar was also born in Edinburgh, three years earlier than McCheyne, and from the time they entered the Divinity Hall together in 1831 they were the closest friends.

The two distinguishing features of McCheyne’s brief life were his deep concern for evangelism and missionary work (with a special burden for the conversion of the Jewish people) and his quest for personal holiness. The strong evangelistic/missionary zeal emerged under the influence of Professor Chalmers and his desire for holiness was deepened and cultivated during his years in the Divinity Hall through his close personal friendship with Bonar, one who thirsted for intimacy with God as much as did McCheyne.

According to the superb article on McCheyne by D.A. Robertson (the present pastor of St. Peter’s) in “Biographical Dictionary of Evangelicals” (ed. Timothy Larson), St. Peter’s church was situated in a rapidly expanding industrial area of Dundee, and McCheyne’s ministry here was innovative and radical. He saw the prime need of the area as evangelism and acted accordingly. He sought to make the church services as attractive as possible and did his utmost to ensure that the singing was melodious and enthusiastic. He sometimes led the singing itself. His preaching was simple. He sought deliberately to keep his speech plain and to use plenty of word pictures. He preached with authority, diligence and wholesomeness. His sermons varied in length from 20 minutes to one-and-a-half hours.

In addition to the Sunday services there was a Bible study on Thursday evenings. This was a less formal meeting for which the building (able to seat 1,100 people) was often full. “McCheyne’s pastorate in working class Dundee was characterized by evangelistic preaching, local mission, diligent home visitation, and compassion for the sick and poor” (Todd Stratham, in “Dictionary of Christian Spirituality,” ed. Glen G. Scorgie).

More than any pastoral accomplishments, however, McCheyne’s lasting legacy has to do with his pursuit of God. From his life we see the reality of the truth, “it is not great talents God blesses so much as great likeness to Christ.” In their introduction, the publishers write that “it may be doubted whether any Christian can seriously read these pages without having an example of the power of godliness stamped upon his conscience in a manner that will abide with him all his days.” According to Bonar, “holiness in him was manifested, not by efforts to perform duty, but in a way so natural that you recognized therein the easy outflowing of the indwelling Spirit.”

McCheyne had a strong interest in the land and people of Palestine. He devoted one hour every morning to prayer for the Jews, in addition to the hour he spent in other prayer and scripture meditation. In 1839, McCheyne, Andrew Bonar and two other ministers were appointed by the Church of Scotland to travel to Israel and locations in Europe to investigate the condition of the Jewish people, to see how they might be ministered to. They were gone six months. While they were away, revival broke out in St. Peter’s under the interim ministry of William Chalmers Burns. The revival continued until 1843. McCheyne thus returned to a church that was packed nightly and had become the object of national press attention. He estimated (very conservatively) that over 700 people had been “savingly influenced” in St. Peter’s during this period.

McCheyne’s yearning for godliness and his high level of scholarship blended together in his personal formation. He pursued diligently the study of the Bible in Hebrew and Greek, as well as the Greek Septuagint. He could work with the Hebrew Old Testament as easily as most ministers of his day could work with the Greek New Testament. He met often with friends to study the scriptures closely, but even more often for prayer and serious conversation. They “watched each other’s steps in the narrow way.”

McCheyne was continually on guard for temptation, and knew well the subtleties of sin in his life. While in the Bible lands, for example, he wrote the following to a fellow minister in Scotland. “Use your health while you have it, my dear friend and brother. Do not cast away peculiar opportunities that may never come again. You know not when your last Sabbath with your people may come. Speak for eternity. Above all things, cultivate your own spirit. A word spoken by you when your conscience is clear, and your heart full of God’s Spirit, is worth ten thousand words spoken in unbelief and sin. This was my great fault in the ministry. Remember it is God, and not man, that must have the glory.”

Many of the entries in McCheyne’s diary are striking. “Clear conviction of sin is the only true origin of dependence on another’s righteousness, and, therefore, (strange to say!) of the Christian’s peace of mind and cheerfulness.” He did not experience good health and was particularly subject to attacks of fever. “If nothing else will do to sever me from my sins, Lord send me such sore and trying calamities as shall awaken me from earthly slumbers.” “Bodily weakness, too, depresses me.”

McCheyne suffered much throughout his life, and that not only in the physical realm. Bonar writes that “he had been taught a minister’s heart; he had been tried in the furnace; he had tasted deep personal sorrow, little of which has been recorded….” “His voice, and his very eye, spoke tenderness; for personal affliction had taught him to feel sympathy with the sorrowing.” “From personal experience of deep temptation he could lay open the secrets of the heart….” “It was his own persuasion that few had more to struggle with in the inner man. Who can tell what wars go on within?” McCheyne wrote on one occasion, “Paul’s thorn, 2 Cor. 12, is the experience of the greater part of my life.”

Through it all, however, he prayed, “Lord, make me as holy as a pardoned sinner can be made.” “Often, often I would like to depart and be with Christ.” “I do not expect to live long. I expect a sudden call some day—perhaps soon—and therefore I speak very plainly.” He had long been persuaded that his course would be brief, and he must have said to himself as he often said to others, “Live so as to be missed.”

His “sudden call” came on March 25, 1843, at the age of 29. While visiting in the Hawkhill area of his parish he contracted typhus. When the fever came, he lay down upon the bed from which he was never to rise. For over two weeks he suffered from high fever, extreme weakness and delirium. The church was full of people every night, praying for his recovery. During this time on his sickbed he was often heard speaking to or praying for his people. On one occasion he was heard praying, “Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me.” As his condition worsened, his medical attendants prohibited visitors.

Andrew Bonar describes the end. “Thus he continued most generally engaged, while the delirium lasted, either in prayer or in preaching to his people, and always apparently in happy frame, till the morning of Saturday the 25th. On that morning, while his kind medical attendant, Dr. Gibson, stood by, he lifted up his hands as if in the attitude of pronouncing the blessing, and then sank down. Not a groan or a sigh, but only a quiver of the lip, and his soul was at rest.”

His people gathered in the church that evening, and “such a scene of sorrow has not often been witnessed in Scotland. It was like the weeping for King Josiah…. Every heart seemed bursting with grief, so that the weeping and the cries could be heard afar off.” Over 6000 people attended his funeral. “The streets and every window, from the house to the grave, were crowded with those who felt that a Prince in Israel had fallen.” His work was finished—to the glory of God. His tomb may be seen today on the pathway at the northwest corner of St. Peter’s burying ground.

Melancholic, Choleric, or Something Else? Books That Have Shaped Me – Part Three

2011-08-26T16:48:00.001-05:00

Bob Rakestraw

http://bobrakestraw.blogspot.com

“Temperament and the Christian Faith,” by O. Hallesby (Augsburg).

As a young man in my early twenties, only a few years into the Christian life, I was becoming increasingly aware of who and what I was. I had a healthy degree of self-confidence, I think, but was aware that I was different from many—perhaps most—of my fellow college students. This book by Hallesby, a well-known and highly respected theologian from Norway, made a great impact on me for good.

Hallesby’s very simple (but not simplistic) definition of “temperament” is “the soul’s essential response to its surroundings.” He examines four basic temperaments: sanguine, melancholic, choleric, and phlegmatic, and believes that each of us fits—for the most part—into one of these four temperament types.

Hallesby cautions, however, that “the temperaments are imaginary quantities. They are certainly never found in life just as we describe them here. Every person constitutes some sort of mixture of temperaments…. When we say that a person has a sanguine temperament, we do not mean that he lacks the other traits, but merely that the sanguine predominates in his blending of traits.”

Hallesby treats each of the temperaments under five headings: characteristics, strengths, weaknesses, hints for pastors and spiritual counselors, and self-discipline of the temperament being considered. As for the difference between temperament and personality, he states that the temperament “is just one of the elements in the life of the soul responsible for developing variations in personality.” He adds that “the temperament is reflected in the appearance and actions of the physical form, especially in one’s features and facial expressions.” I am able to mention only a couple of thoughts on each temperament type. The whole book deserves careful study.

The Sanguine may be summarized by the word emotional. The Apostle Peter is the biblical example. The sanguine lives in the present, enters into the feelings of others, is tender and sympathetic, and lives an abundant life. Some weaknesses are that he or she may be inconsistent, superficial and unreliable.

The Melancholic may be spoken of as deep. The apostle John is an example. The melancholic has a rich, sensitive nature, is deep and thorough, faithful and dependable. Some weaknesses are that he or she tends to be self-centered, too sensitive, uncompromising, pessimistic, passive, proud, impractical and hard to get along with.

The Choleric can be thought of as willful. The apostle Paul is an example. The choleric has strong will power, has natural qualifications for building character, is practical, has a keen mind, is quick and bold in emergencies, and is not dismayed by adversities. Some weaknesses are that he or she may be hard, impetuous, violent, too self-confident, haughty and domineering. The choleric is likely to be crafty, revengeful and dangerous as a criminal.

Finally, the Phlegmatic, who may be described as calm. James, the brother of Jesus, seems to have been a phlegmatic. This person is good-natured, calm, dependable, and has a practical mind. However, he or she tends to be slow, lazy, opportunistic, indifferent about others and supercilious.

Hallesby reminds his readers that there is no one “preferred” temperament. He states that each type is valuable and necessary in the work of God’s kingdom. He emphasizes that no one should think of himself or herself as “purely” one type, and he encourages us to discipline, modify and sanctify our basic temperament, without trying to obliterate who we are fundamentally.

Each one of us possesses potentialities for the other temperaments, and, as stated above, has some of the qualities of the other temperaments. While our temperament will change somewhat during each of the periods of life (childhood, youth, maturity, and old age), our basic inborn temperament will be an essential part of who we are throughout life. We are to thank God for how he has made us, and ask him to change those tendencies in us which are harmful to others or ourselves.

I was a very grateful young man when I learned that I was a melancholic. I understood myself much more fully after reading Hallesby than I ever had before. I praise God abundantly for this life-changing little book. Thank you, Lord, for informed and wise writers, with a strong love for you and a sensitive, compassionate heart for seekers of truth and godliness.

Why the Bible? Books That Have Shaped Me – Part Two

2011-07-25T21:14:00.000-05:00

Bob Rakestraw

http://bobrakestraw.blogspot.com

In the June posting I listed and briefly considered four books that God has used to make me into the person I have been becoming—from my teenage years to today. I am writing a number of posts on this theme of influential books because I believe strongly in the life-changing and life-shaping power of reading, especially of books with substance and pertinence to daily life in this world.

As I said last month, these are not anyone’s “best books,” nor necessarily my “favorite books,” nor are they taken from any list of classics. They are simply those books that I came across—one here and one there—that made a major impact for good on my life, character, behavior and usefulness to God. Today, there are “better books” on some of the topics covered but I am writing about those works (only one this time) that entered my life at a specific period of questioning or need, and affected me significantly.

“The Divine Inspiration of the Bible,” by Arthur W. Pink (Distributed by Baker Book House). On 9-11-65 I bought this book in Canada for $1.50. By that time I was a Christian for nearly three years, with a firm belief that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. But I really wasn’t sure why I believed that. The doctrine had been handed down to me from church teachers, even though they emphasized that when the Bible and church tradition come into conflict, official church teaching overrides anyone’s personal interpretation of the scriptures. After reading Pink’s book I had a more solid understanding of why I believed what I said I believed, including the conviction that God’s Holy Spirit illumines the scriptures for individuals as well as for religious bodies, and that the devout, informed Christian believer facing two or more opinions is free to follow his or her own understanding of a given biblical passage.

Pink gives 14 arguments for the divine inspiration of the Bible—“inspiration” meaning that the human authors of the scripture books were guided by God in a supernatural way (whether the writers were aware of this or not). The resulting documents are not only trustworthy records of God’s activity in the course of human history, but infallibly explain the nature of God and the grand design of God’s gracious program for humanity through all eternity. These documents are not only unique and “God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16) but are divinely authoritative—above all other writings—in matters of theological teachings and ethics. Belief in and submission to their doctrinal and moral instructions is thus mandatory, not optional. Because of space I am able to mention only a few of Pink’s reasons for this view.

First, the Bible has a remarkable unity in theological and ethical matters, even though some 40 different authors (mostly unknown to one another) wrote in widely different genres of literature over a period of 1600 years without any human supervisor or governing body. There is a strikingly unified message about the kindness and severity of God, the sinful condition of humanity, and the salvation offered to all by grace through Christ. Such a work could hardly have come about by coincidence, or even by careful human planning alone.

Second, there is an amazing correspondence between prophecy and fulfillment, as in the cases of Jesus’ birthplace (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:6) and his sufferings and death (Isaiah 53 and the gospel accounts). There are dozens of prophecies that were written sometimes centuries before their fulfillment. To read Ezekiel’s detailed prophecy of the destruction of Tyre (chapter 26), and then read the historical accounts of Tyre’s downfall in the secular records of later years, is to be confirmed in my belief in divine inspiration. To then stand, as I did years ago, on the ruins of ancient Tyre jutting out from the Lebanese coast into the Mediterranean, is to be in awe of the detailed, prophesied workings of God and nations in history. Such prophetic accuracy, over and over in the Bible, is not explainable in human terms.

Third, there is an inward confirmation by the indwelling Holy Spirit, deep within God’s people, of the divine inspiration, trustworthiness and authority of the Bible. God’s people who seek him in truth know, from the burning in their hearts and the continual experiencing of the reality of the Bible’s teachings in their everyday lives, that this book is indeed the written Word of God.

Fourth, a final reason (not covered by Pink but one that I cannot possibly leave out) concerns the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, as seen in the four gospels primarily: Jesus affirmed the inspiration and authority of the Old Testament and the yet-to-be developed body of New Testament materials. While this may appear to be circular reasoning (using the Bible itself to argue for its own inspiration), it is not if we, for example, simply study the gospels as the generally accepted historical records of this first-century man named Jesus.

An examination of this highly unusual religious teacher—his life, teachings, death and resurrection—reveals without doubt that he believed and taught that the biblical books were indeed the Word of God. Such a teacher—backed by a remarkable life of signs, wonders, sterling character and deep compassion for the poor and the suffering—should be taken very seriously regarding his attitude toward the Bible’s divine origin.

Some of the preceding reasons—perhaps all of them—will carry no weight in the minds of atheists and confirmed skeptics. Even some good thinkers within Christian circles tend to minimize the argumentative force of one or more of these reasons, as well as the additional reasons Pink offers. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Some devout Christian thinkers prefer not to consider arguments for the Bible’s inspiration, or even the existence of God, as very important in contending for the faith, especially in our postmodern cultures. Their focus tends to be on living the life, which of course we should all do.

There is no infallible “proof” that the Bible is the Word of God written. God does not need logical proofs to accomplish his work in the world. But for me and millions of others there is great encouragement in contemplating the solid reasoning behind our centuries-old beliefs. No one argument proves, nor can prove, the doctrine of biblical inspiration, but when these and other reasons are offered, taken together, they have a strong, persuasive force in assuring you and me (and our children) that we indeed follow, proclaim, and base our eternal salvation on the unique, infallible, and supremely authoritative written Word of God.

Thanks to you, Mr. Pink, for writing this book many years ago. And you, dear readers who regard yourselves to be committed Christians, ponder from time to time why you believe that the Bible is the unique Word of God. Everything you claim to believe and practice is based on this book. We all do well to answer carefully, “Why the Bible?”

Books That Have Shaped Me – Part One

2011-06-30T17:08:00.001-05:00

Bob Rakestraw

http://bobrakestraw.blogspot.com

To begin the fifth year of “The Benediction Project” I’d like to write about the fifteen books that have been most used by God to shape me into the person I am today. Perhaps one or more of these works will be helpful to you at some time or another. These are not necessarily the books that I turn to frequently in my life now. Most of them sit on my bookshelves as quiet knowing friends—powerful reminders of their service to me in years past.

Nor are these the books that I would put on this list if I wanted to impress you. In that case I would designate books that are classics, such as Augustine’s “Confessions,” Calvin’s “Institutes” and Bonhoeffer’s “The Cost of Discipleship.” But the books I include in my list have actually changed or reinforced something major in me, sometimes because they were the first books to introduce me to an important truth or way of thinking. They are thus “life-changing” in this sense, not because they are necessarily the “best books” or are famous works that have greatly influenced large numbers of men and women.

I will cover the first four books in this posting and the others in subsequent postings. In these pieces I will omit works on the Hebrew and Greek languages. While my study of these languages has shaped my life and thought in major ways, I am omitting these biblical language materials because of the non-specialized nature of this blog.

1. “30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary,” by Wilfred Funk and Norman Lewis (Pocket Books). When I was a junior or senior in high school I bought this paperback for 25 cents. It introduced me to the romance of words and confirmed my love of the English language, and all languages. Through the daily exercises I learned such terms as parvenu, megalomaniac, and esprit de corps that have stayed with me all my life, and enriched my reading, writing and imagination immensely.

2. “Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary.” When I began my freshman year of college, this was one of the required textbooks I had to buy. I have learned that a good dictionary is one of the most valuable tools one will ever have. I especially appreciate the attention to pronunciations, derivations and categories and subcategories based on the use of words. A dictionary that includes synonyms and expressions containing the given word are especially helpful. Though I now use dictionaries different from the one named above, it strengthened my life and ministry immeasurably. I still love to read a good dictionary, and I have never (well, almost never) considered it a waste of time to check on the spelling or usage of a word when I am not sure. I used to tell my theology students that theology is all about words (sometimes “just” about prepositions), so understand clearly what you mean by the word, and what the other person means by the word, before you get into a discussion in which the term plays a major role. There might be more light and less heat in the discussion.

3. “The Holy Bible.” The Christian Bible, especially in the language one is most familiar with, is without the slightest doubt in my mind the most important and therefore most valuable book one can ever own. But, as one of my teachers often said, “The Bible is burglar–proof against unsanctified learning.” The Bible will make little or no spiritual sense to those who attempt to understand it without a desire to know the truth (I Corinthians 2:14).

In high school I heard that everyone who wishes to be well-read and successful in life should read the Bible. I started at Genesis 1:1 and found myself bored almost to tears. It was only by sheer determination that I read to the end of Genesis. But, years later, after God had awakened my heart to seek him, I devoured the Bible over and over. I love every book of the Bible, but the book of Acts and the New Testament epistles (Romans to Jude), being totally new to me, were especially a fountain of truth and light about how to know God and live a meaningful life. I suggest the NIV (New International Version) and the NIV Study Bible. Try to get a Bible with cross-references in the margins, possible alternative translations and study materials in the footnotes.

4. “When the Spirit Came,” by James Alexander Stewart (Revival Literature). This little book (87 pp.) was given to me as a new Christian, at the age of nineteen, by the church I started attending after my conversion and in which I was later ordained. The wording on the front cover summarizes the book well: “The Story of Evan Roberts and The Welsh Revival.” Perhaps it should say, “and the Welsh Revival of 1904-1905,” since there was also a great revival in Wales in 1859.

God used this book to create in me a lifelong interest in revival and revivals. I simply cannot express here how the book stirred me and gave me a deep thirst, to this day, to see the power and glory of God revealed in diverse meetings and whole communities as these were in 1904-1905. The author frequently distinguishes between a spontaneous work of God in revival and a planned and prepared evangelistic campaign or series of “deeper-life” meetings. This book has to do with spontaneous revival. Evan Roberts was only one—though the most prominent—of the young men and women God used in this unplanned, unpredictable and unadvertised series of gatherings. According to the author, this was a revival for young people (Roberts was only 26), a revival of singing, a revival of prayer (mingled largely with praise), a revival of soul-winning, and a revival of personal experience. Tens of thousands came to know Christ as Savior, and great numbers of believers were drawn closer to him. Communities were transformed. The prison population decreased remarkably. Even in the universities revival scenes were commonplace day after day for months. “Longstanding debts were paid, stolen goods returned, drinking taverns forsaken, oaths ceased to be heard so that it was said in the mines the horses could not understand the language of their drivers.” O Lord, let the fire fall! Come, Holy Spirit, come!

After Four Years…Moving Ahead

2011-05-29T18:44:00.001-05:00

Bob Rakestraw

http://bobrakestraw.blogspot.com

A little over four years ago, in March, 2007, I was placed in hospice care, during which time I would be able to live at home and be visited regularly by a nurse, a social worker, a massage therapist and a chaplain. I would have all the pain medications and palliative care I needed. My transplanted heart was diagnosed as being in a condition known as chronic (permanent) rejection, and I most likely had no more than six months to live.

Rather than simply wait to die I wanted to do something beneficial to others and encouraging to myself as long as I was able. So in May of that year a good friend, former faculty secretary and former student, Abigail Miller, helped me set up a blog, “The Benediction Project,” because I wanted the rest of my life, and my writings, to be a benediction to those I knew and to others around the world.

This month marks the four-year anniversary of “The Benediction Project,” and I am very grateful to God for his direction and strength, and to Abigail for her faithful and skillful management of the blog. In the past four years I have sent out 80 blog postings. There have been 9817 visitors, though with some of these the visitor just touched down briefly. Many, however, have stopped and read for a while. Some of you have even replied with your thoughts on the issue or issues before you. I read each of these replies carefully, although I sometimes find it difficult to respond as I would like. Keep sending them, however! I intend to do better.

As I have reviewed the past four years of postings, two broad themes seem to have emerged: the prevalence of pain, suffering, confusion and distress in this world, and God’s assurances of hope and triumph in the midst of these trials. In brief: life is tough but God is good. Or, as the old chorus says, “It will be worth it all when we see Jesus.” From time to time I have thought about writing on some controversial theological and ethical matters, even politics and world events, since I feel strongly about many issues. I usually refrain, however, because my primary calling (in writing) is to lead people around the world to real hope and fullness of life in Jesus Christ, no matter how difficult their existence may be, and to encourage people to “walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in every one” (George Fox). In other words, know God and make him known.

Returning to my situation in May, 2007, in addition to starting the blog, I began to think (actually, think more) of a possible book on prayer. Jane Spriggs, a good friend, Bethel Seminary graduate, and minister in the Evangelical Covenant Church, graciously offered to help with the book. The result is shown in the picture at the very beginning of this blog: “Heart Cries: Praying by the Spirit in the Midst of Life,” a 210 page paperback concerning the meaning of prayer, how we can pray well, and 52 prayers I have written on numerous topics that concern all of us. There is even a chapter on Benedictions of the Bible. Jane and I are receiving feedback that the book is proving to be helpful to others. For this, we praise and thank God. The book was published in 2008 in the Philippines and in 2010 in the United States. It can be ordered by clicking on the line above the cover picture.

Now, as God gives me the wisdom and strength, I am beginning to work on another book. This one will be to people who are suffering and to those who desire to help them. I will be writing this primarily for the international community, speaking directly to those in the developing nations, as I have with “Heart Cries” and its predecessor in this series, “Serving by the Spirit: Spiritual Gifts and Spiritual Preaching” (now distributed in Cuba, in a Spanish edition). Of course I desire that my books be used to minister to people in every situation, but especially those living at the lowest economic levels of this world. Most copies of my recent books are distributed free of charge to some of the 3.2 million pastors and Christian workers in the developing nations who have little or no formal theological training.

It has been seven-and-a-half years since the heart transplant, and my immune system has been working overtime from the start to reject my heart. I was removed from hospice care after eight months, praise God. The rejection is, however, full-blown, and the condition of my heart (especially how it struggles to receive oxygen) is precarious. I appreciate your prayers very, very much, for the ability to move through each day, or lie on the bed, with the peace of God in my heart. The depression and anxiety which were quite serious a few years ago are mostly in the past. To God be the glory!

In gratitude for each of you, including the large number I have never met, wherever you live, I offer this closing benediction:

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

A World of Hope

2011-04-30T15:33:00.001-05:00

Bob Rakestraw
April 30, 2011

http://bobrakestraw.blogspot.com

As I thought and prayed recently about writing this month’s posting, I assumed I would be developing the same theme as last month: the world. I felt that I barely scratched the surface in “Ways of the World.” Today, however, God seemed to shift my focus to the topic of hope. My wife spoke to me this morning about hope and her words struck a resonant chord within me. Also this morning, while reading in the truly remarkable Gospel of John (I have been reading and meditating in it for months), I was continually made aware of the powerful gift of hope from God to his people.

As I pondered which direction to go, I felt that I should combine these themes while using the Gospel of John as my guide. But in John, the word hope is used only once, referring to those who set their hopes in Moses (5:45). However, the word world (Greek, cosmos or kosmos) is used 78 times in John’s gospel. Where, then, do I find hope in this Bible book?

In my posting of October 30, 2010 (“Is There any Hope?”), I defined the word hope. As a noun, hope can mean, in part, “a feeling of expectation and desire combined,” or “what one hopes for.” As a verb it can mean “to feel hope, to expect and desire, feel fairly confident.” The word itself is not needed in John’s gospel to convey a strong sense of hope. The book, read as a whole, can engender great expectations and desires in the one reading it with a mind and heart listening for God.

In the New Testament cosmos is used in several ways, referring, for example, to the earth, the universe, and the human race. Most of the time in the New Testament, however, and almost always in the Gospel of John, it refers to the world of people. Yet cosmos does not connote individuals as merely inhabitants of planet earth, but has a much more sinister side to it. When understood as the world of men and women, cosmos

"constitutes a uniform subject which opposes God in enmity, resists the redeeming work of the Son, does not believe in him, and indeed hates him (7:7; 15; 18ff.). It is ruled by the prince of this cosmos (12:31; 16:11), i.e. the Evil One (1Jn. 5:18). Nonetheless, the Son remains the victor over the world (16:33). This does not lead to the extinction of the cosmos but to the redeemer of the world creating [human beings] who are not born “from out of the cosmos” (15:19; 17:14, 16) but of God (1:12f.) and the Holy Spirit (3:5). They endure much anguish in the world, but are removed from its domination (16:33)” (J. Guhrt, in “The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology”).

If Jesus and the Gospel of John refer repeatedly to the world in such severely negative terms, doesn’t a reading of this book lead more to despair than to hope? While it is certain that John’s gospel gives no comfort to those who are living according to the patterns and cravings of this world, it is also certain that those who trust in Jesus and, through his power, resist the seductive and pervasive pull of the world, are the most peaceful, joyful and hopeful of all inhabitants of the world. A brief overview of some statements concerning the world in John’s gospel engenders the hope we all need so mightily.

One of the most striking teachings of Jesus concerning this world, mentioned above, is that it is governed by a prince (archon, meaning ruler). This personal being, identified as Satan elsewhere in scripture (Mt. 12:24-28) does not have absolute authority, but is permitted by God to preside over the cosmos as a manipulator, deceiver and destroyer of souls (1 John 5:18-19). Three times Jesus refers to this prince in John’s gospel, and speaks of him in relation to his judgment on Christ’s cross. “The prince of this world is coming, [but] he has no hold on me” (14:30). “Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out” (12:31). “The prince of this world now stands condemned” (16:11). Even though Satan still wanders over this cosmos as the prince of darkness, he has been fatally wounded and officially dethroned by the Lord of all (see also Col. 2:13-15).

While the book of John heartens us by assuring us of the judgment of the evil one on the cross, we are emboldened and given even greater hope from further comments about the world. “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world” (1:9). “Look, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (1:29). “For God so loved the world.” He “did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (3:16-17). “We know that this man really is the Savior of the world” (4:42). “For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (6:33). “Those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (12:25, NRSV). “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness” (12:46).

On the night before he died Jesus prayed a remarkable prayer. With all that he had on his heart, he prayed extensively about the relationship of his children to the world, both for our protection from the world and for Christian unity as a powerful witness to the world (17:6-23). He gives us his peace, of which he says, “I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (14:27). “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (16:33).

One of my favorite songs is “It’s a Wonderful World,” sung by Louis Armstrong. The melody and the sentiment are truly beautiful. But in the sense in which Jesus and the New Testament writers speak of the world, it is not wonderful at all. I still sing the song for its uplifting quality, but I also keep in mind the cosmos. (I can’t help it; I’m a theologian!) When I look over a big city at night from a high vantage point, and I see the bright lights, the graceful bridges, the tall, elegant buildings with their thousands of glass panels, and perhaps a river winding through the city, I also can’t help but think of the angry prince of darkness who rules over this world and this city.

I think of the rats. Someone said there are eight million rats in New York City—one for each of the eight million residents. I think of the drug houses and the drug deals. I think of the prostitution, the corrupt big-money deals, the poverty, the malnutrition, the overeating, overdrinking and overindulging in every imaginable way. I think of the deep sorrow in the hearts of the victimized children and adults. This is not the world that the creators of “It’s a Wonderful World” or “This is my Father’s World” had in mind. Yet it is the world God so loved.

It is the world Jesus entered, not to condemn it but to save it. It is the world Christ’s followers are not removed from just because the world hates them, (John 17:14-23). Rather, we are left here, showing the world by our love and unity, that there is great hope today, tomorrow and every day to come. Our Lord has overcome the world, and this victory in which we share here and now is ours to experience by faith and obedience, “because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). Have hope, dear friends, for whatever your concerns are today. Your hope is not in vain.

Ways of the World

2011-03-31T19:25:00.000-05:00

Bob Rakestraw
March 31, 2011

http://bobrakestraw.blogspot.com

Recently I was struck by a scripture verse that I had first studied decades ago: “Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4, NASB). What startled me most was the idea of apparently Christian people (2:1) becoming God’s enemies. I especially focused on what it means to be a friend of the world, since it is this condition that leads to the awful reality of being God’s enemy.

I hadn’t thought about “the world” in quite some time, at least not in the sense of this scripture and the worldly attitudes and actions it condemns. While I am often aware that “this world is not my home” (as the song goes) and that, as Christians, our citizenship is in heaven, I am reluctant to spell out specific identifiers of “the world” that Christians are commanded not to love (1 John 2:15).

Part of my hesitancy to write or speak about the world comes from my early years as a believer. I put my trust in Christ as my Savoir and Lord at the age of 19, and was profoundly changed as to my views of God, forgiveness, church, my purpose for living, and the condition of those who do not know Christ.

Lifestyle changes were part of my conversion experience also. In the small, independent church I started attending after I began my new life, I heard much preaching and cautioning against the world and worldliness. I soon learned that some of the things I was expected to avoid included drinking, dancing, swearing, smoking, attending movies, playing cards, bowling (because alcohol was often sold at the bowling alleys), popular music, “mixed bathing” (guys and girls swimming together), and all inappropriate dress. As a new believer I accepted most of these prohibitions without much thought because I was reveling in Bible study and in the enjoyment of my new-found freedom in Christ.

To use the word “freedom” might sound contradictory in view of the numerous restrictions above, but I was basking in my glorious release from guilt, shame and especially from the fear of eternal condemnation. I still feel the freshness and life-giving essence of these freedoms every day I live. While it is no longer easy for me to walk with a spring in my step because of health issues, in my soul I run and skip daily with the Creator of the Universe, who is also my Redeemer, Friend and sovereign Lord.

In the New Testament the word “world” is usually translated from the Greek word kosmos, used 186 times in the manuscripts of the New Testament. kosmos means primarily order, arrangement, ornament, or adornment. The focus of the word is on the orderly arrangement of things. It has numerous senses (uses), such as the earth, the universe, and the human race, but the sense of kosmos for our purposes here is “the present condition of human affairs, in alienation from and opposition to God” (W. E. Vine, “An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words”). It is this understanding of kosmos that lies behind the scriptures referred to in this piece.

Even more important than a dictionary definition, however, is the context—the scripture portion leading into the text being studied, as well as the verses following, and the purpose and flow of the Bible book (and author) as a whole. The concluding section of James 3 and the opening lines of James 4 are especially important for us to see clearly what James, the brother of Jesus, is referring to in 4:4. The word “therefore” at the start of our verse provides a tight link with the preceding thoughts. Here we read of bitter jealousy, selfish ambition, and an ungodly “wisdom” that is earthly, unspiritual and even demonic. These in turn lead to “disorder and every evil thing.”

Ungodly pleasures (hedonistic desires in the Greek) are mentioned twice in 4:1-3, as is lust, quarrels, conflicts, fights, murder (in the heart), and praying with wrong motives. Those who live this way are referred to as “adulteresses,” because they are spiritually unfaithful. They are giving their love to the world rather than to Jesus Christ, whose bride they profess (or once did profess) to be. In another scripture we are told that “if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him,” and the context here describes the world as “the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life” (1 John 2:15-16).

It is not my purpose here to give a code of activities that I consider “worldly” Rather, I want the scriptures just given to speak (in part) on this crucial topic. Some of the “worldly” local church prohibitions I listed earlier are, to be sure, displeasing to God. But, as I said, I barely thought about such matters. I was gloriously “Free from the law, O happy condition,” as the old hymn states, and the book of Galatians teaches. I just wanted to live totally for Christ, receiving my beliefs and guidelines for living from the Bible.

I cannot help thinking, however, that I would have benefited much more than I did in my early years as a Christian if I had been taught the full biblical truth about the world and worldliness. Even though (and praise be to God) Christ is the light of the kosmos (John 1:9; 3:16; 8:12), the world is no friend of God.

Worldly people are not necessarily constituted such by the cars they drive, the labels on their clothes, or how much they pay for their hair styling. A “friend of the world,” rather, is one who is captivated by the things, the culture, the patterns, the schemes, and the jealousy, selfish ambitions and lustful cravings for money, sex and power that dominate the minds, words and actions of those who live in opposition (knowingly or not) to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

All of us must live in this world—it is the world God so loved. “As he is, so also are we in this world” (1 John 4:17). Even though there is much in this world that we can (and must) use for our benefit, and for making known the saving gospel of Christ, the awful truth remains that “friendship with the world is hostility toward God” (James 4:4). They were the rulers of this world who crucified our Lord, therefore: “Do not be surprised, brothers and sisters, if the world hates you” (1 John 3:13). There is glorious hope, however, and with this we close: “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 John 5:4).

Adversity,…and High Ambition

2011-02-26T20:25:00.001-06:00

Bob Rakestraw

http://bobrakestraw.blogspot.com

I think often of you who read this blog. Some of you I know, but most I do not. The sitemeter map shows red dots around the world where you live, and I love to contemplate you in your various countries, seeking earnestly (I trust) for some insight, encouragement or blessing from The Benediction Project. Thank you for reading and for sending your comments from time to time.

These are difficult days. Numerous friends and acquaintances are going through some kind of adversity. Just within the past few weeks I have become aware of friends and/or family members struggling with job issues, financial stresses, physical health problems, losses, relationship breakdowns, loneliness, disillusionment with life, psychological illnesses, discouragement with children, and so on. No doubt you have those in your life grappling with these or similar issues. Perhaps you yourself are suffering in one or more of the above ways.

Over the years I have become increasingly aware of the sufferings of others, including both the varieties of suffering and the extent/severity of these afflictions. Especially since 2003, when I had a heart transplant that would give me, I thought, an improved quality of life, I have been reading books and materials (especially autobiographical accounts) on the issues of suffering.

One of the truly great books on the topic of suffering, particularly physical illness and pain—a book Ruth Bell Graham called “by far the best I have found”—is by the former missionary to India, Amy Carmichael. Through her years of serious pain and disability she wrote down her thoughts in "Rose from Briar", a book that has helped me more than any other, except the Bible, during the past seven-and-a-half years of post-transplant difficulties. While Carmichael’s book comes out of her physical trials, her words have great pertinence to other categories of suffering. I wish to share some thoughts from her book so that you may find strength in whatever adversity you find yourself.

Carmichael begins one chapter with a personal word from Julian of Norwich, who wrote some 500 years ago that when she was earnestly thinking of our Lord’s suffering, and trying to see (as it were) his dying,

…suddenly, He changed the look of His blessed Countenance. The changing of His blessed Countenance changed mine, and I was as glad and merry as it was possible. Then brought our Lord merrily to my mind: “Where is now any point of the pain or of thy grief?” And I was full merry.
Carmichael then presents Julian’s reflections on the mystery of our identification with Christ on the cross.

I understood that we be now, in our Lord’s meaning, in His cross with Him in His pains and His passion, dying; and we, willingly abiding in the same Cross with His help and His grace unto the last point, suddenly He shall change His Cheer to us, and we shall be with Him in Heaven. Betwixt that one and that other shall be no time, and then shall all be brought to joy.

The following words of Amy Carmichael, after she ponders Julian’s being “full merry,” are some of the most remarkably bold that I know of in Christian literature. From these I thought of the title for this posting: “Adversity,…and High Ambition.”

It seems to me clear beyond question that in the lives of God’s beloved there are sometimes periods when the adversary is “given power to overcome.” This power need never overwhelm the inner courts of the spirit, but it may press hard on the outworks of being. And so I have been asking that our dearest Lord may have the joy (surely it must be a joy to Him) of saying about each one of us, and about us all as a little company of His children: “I can count on him, on her, on them for anything. I can count on them for peace under any disappointment or series of disappointments, under any strain. I can trust them never to set limits, saying, ‘Thus far, and no farther.’ I can trust them not to offer the reluctant obedience of a doubtful faith, but to be as glad and merry as it is possible.”
And all that begins in the gift of a great contentment.

It is my desire for myself, and each of you, that these words, coming from the pen of one of God’s choice suffering servants (and now in glory with him), may express our High Ambition in the midst of any adversity. For it is then that we will be “as glad and merry as it is possible” in this life.

Playing God, Believing God

2011-01-23T20:08:00.003-06:00

Bob Rakestraw

http://bobrakestraw.com

When people suffer severely they sometimes try to play God or have someone else play God for them. The term “playing God” is usually not mentioned in discussions between the suffering person and his/her family, friends and medical care team. It is, however, an underlying component—often unrecognized—in the swirl of conflicting ideas and emotions. Whenever the expression is mentioned it is done so as a negative thing.

People may or may not be thought of as playing God depending on the decisions they make about human life, especially concerning the beginning and ending of life, but throughout one’s lifetime as well. Abortion, infanticide, physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia are all looked upon as playing God by right-to-life Christians, with whom I seriously and gladly identify. In the cases just mentioned, people are taking into their own hands the right to end their life or someone else’s life, even though such a right belongs to God alone. Right-to-life Christians feel strongly that nothing should be done to deliberately end another’s life (although they often make exceptions in cases of warfare and capital punishment). To intend to shorten life is to play God.

There is another way we may play God, however, and that is by trying to extend life. This can happen when the suffering person is in such a condition that it is evident to those prayerfully concerned for him or her, and those offering medical care, that the patient’s life is nearly over, and that technology (whether in use or about to be attached) is, in reality, prolonging death (and possibly suffering) rather than advancing life.

As you realize, I have bitten off a big chunk of material in the paragraphs above. Please forgive me for not addressing every nuance (and there are many) that is tied to the concepts and words above. These issues are highly controversial. I hesitated about writing on them but felt that God wanted me to make a point—not primarily about playing God but about believing God.

Many of you, dear readers, know that I have struggled for twenty-five years with heart problems. I had open-heart surgery in 1991 and a heart transplant in 2003. Because my health continued to be poor after the transplant, I reluctantly retired from teaching at Bethel Seminary in 2005. In the seven years since my transplant I have had numerous bouts of acute rejection, frequent invasive medical procedures, tests, consultations, trips to the emergency room, and hospital stays. I am now in a condition called permanent (chronic) transplant vasculopathy, and in March, 2007, two doctors told me I likely had no more than six months to live. Well, God keeps me going, and he gives me peace.

This leads to the interaction of playing God and believing God. At what point might our inclination to play God conflict with our intention to trust God (I am using “trust” and “believe” interchangeably)? In some crises of life, it is not always clear-cut that a decision is playing God. A teenage boy rushed to the hospital after a serious motorcycle crash may lead to a critical choice concerning high-risk brain surgery. The surgery may take the boy’s life or leave him as a vegetable, or it may help him return to normal life.

Some family members—strong believers—want the surgery, because they think it may be playing God to withhold a chance at recovery. Whatever is possible should be done, they believe. Other family members—equally strong believers—think it may be playing God to request the surgery and that the family should, given the surgical risk to their loved one’s life, entrust him to God’s care, believing that God does all things well. Whatever can be done does not always need to be done, they believe.

Where do we draw the line between playing God and trusting God? Who decides what is the one or the other? Who is the more faithful servant of God, the family member who authorizes the surgery, or the one who chooses to withhold it (and possibly withhold other means of life support)?

My own story is not that of the teenager. His case involves an urgent, immediate decision. I have grappled much, however, with bioethical decisions over the course of my illness. I hesitated to have my mitral valve surgery in 1991 because of the huge cost, even though I had good insurance. It didn’t seem right to have so much money spent on me when the vast majority of the world’s people could never afford such a procedure. I had the same hesitation about my heart transplant in 2003.

Now I am at the point where nothing can be done for my otherwise terminal condition except a second transplant. When I was first offered this possibility I said “Thanks but no thanks.” Then, after family discussion and prayer, I said, “Yes.” A while later I said “No” again, and for the past few years my family and I have settled comfortably on this final decision. It is not primarily the financial factor holding me back, although my sense of justice is still shocked, and even repulsed, by the anticipated cost of the surgery—a second time. I am not receiving another heart because I believe, with good reason, that the level of suffering of the past seven years since my transplant will be no different after the surgery than before. Since my post-transplant experience has been more “mysterious” (my nurse’s words just a few weeks ago) than that of others, my suffering could very well be worse.

I am also concerned about the issue of playing God. With medical care, everything possible is not mandatory. Doctors (whom I admire and appreciate) are trained in such a way that they are extremely reluctant to say that nothing more can be done for a patient. On January 3 I was on the table in the heart catheterization lab, with the IV and other measuring devices hooked up to me, and with the angiogram tubes in me. My coronary artery blockages were so severe that the cardiologist wanted to try an experimental and risky procedure in one of the arteries. I said “no” and he became quite agitated at me. He ended the angiogram right there, omitting the other half of my heart, since I did not consent to what would have been the start of numerous such procedures. After I was wheeled back to my hospital room, another cardiologist told me that the procedures in question, if done, would not have lengthened my life or prevented heart attacks. They might have helped for a time with my labored breathing and nausea, two of my daily difficulties, but such an outcome would not have been certain.

I feel good about this recent decision, especially since my wife, Judy, and I had prayed about this very issue according to James 1:5-8 just moments before the nurse came to take me to the cath lab. I feel good as well about the decision to refuse a second transplant.

Decision-making in matters of medical care is not always easy. My situation is just one of a multitude of possible scenarios. Other people might have made different decisions, and I fully admit and respect the possibility that two or more choices in a given situation may be admissible. My view—about the overall issue of playing God, as well as my personal condition—is not infallible. I believe God is pleased with my decision, but I admit that he may have been just as pleased if I had chosen differently at different points on my journey.

At some time or another in life, most or all of us will need to think about playing God, either by shortening or by extending human life by certain technologies, when the wiser choice would seem to others to leave the situation with God who does all things well. Palliative care, such as pain relief, is mandatory, of course.

In many cases, in my view, the actual decision is not as important as the attitude and state of mind of the one or ones making the decision, especially if the decision-makers claim to belong to and believe their God and Father. Am I trusting God for wisdom according to James 1, since he knows that I am weak and unable to calculate the risks and benefits with precision? Yes, we must make tough decisions at times—for our own care and that of others, and if we do so with an attitude of composure and rest in God’s arms, our decisions will be acceptable in God’s eyes.

Playing God, Believing God

2011-01-23T20:08:00.000-06:00

Bob Rakestraw
http://bobrakestraw.com

When people suffer severely they sometimes try to play God or have someone else play God for them. The term “playing God” is usually not mentioned in discussions between the suffering person and his/her family, friends and medical care team. It is, however, an underlying component—often unrecognized—in the swirl of conflicting ideas and emotions. Whenever the expression is mentioned it is done so as a negative thing.

People may or may not be thought of as playing God depending on the decisions they make about human life, especially concerning the beginning and ending of life, but throughout one’s lifetime as well. Abortion, infanticide, physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia are all looked upon as playing God by right-to-life Christians, with whom I seriously and gladly identify. In the cases just mentioned, people are taking into their own hands the right to end their life or someone else’s life, even though such a right belongs to God alone. Right-to-life Christians feel strongly that nothing should be done to deliberately end another’s life (although they often make exceptions in cases of warfare and capital punishment). To intend to shorten life is to play God.

There is another way we may play God, however, and that is by trying to extend life. This can happen when the suffering person is in such a condition that it is evident to those prayerfully concerned for him or her, and those offering medical care, that the patient’s life is nearly over, and that technology (whether in use or about to be attached) is, in reality, prolonging death (and possibly suffering) rather than advancing life.

As you realize, I have bitten off a big chunk of material in the paragraphs above. Please forgive me for not addressing every nuance (and there are many) that is tied to the concepts and words above. These issues are highly controversial. I hesitated about writing on them but felt that God wanted me to make a point—not primarily about playing God but about believing God.

Many of you, dear readers, know that I have struggled for twenty-five years with heart problems. I had open-heart surgery in 1991 and a heart transplant in 2003. Because my health continued to be poor after the transplant, I reluctantly retired from teaching at Bethel Seminary in 2005. In the seven years since my transplant I have had numerous bouts of acute rejection, frequent invasive medical procedures, tests, consultations, trips to the emergency room, and hospital stays. I am now in a condition called permanent (chronic) transplant vasculopathy, and in March, 2007, two doctors told me I likely had no more than six months to live. Well, God keeps me going, and he gives me peace.

This leads to the interaction of playing God and believing God. At what point might our inclination to play God conflict with our intention to trust God (I am using “trust” and “believe” interchangeably)? In some crises of life, it is not always clear-cut that a decision is playing God. A teenage boy rushed to the hospital after a serious motorcycle crash may lead to a critical choice concerning high-risk brain surgery. The surgery may take the boy’s life or leave him as a vegetable, or it may help him return to normal life.

Some family members—strong believers—want the surgery, because they think it may be playing God to withhold a chance at recovery. Whatever is possible should be done, they believe. Other family members—equally strong believers—think it may be playing God to request the surgery and that the family should, given the surgical risk to their loved one’s life, entrust him to God’s care, believing that God does all things well. Whatever can be done does not always need to be done, they believe.

Where do we draw the line between playing God and trusting God? Who decides what is the one or the other? Who is the more faithful servant of God, the family member who authorizes the surgery, or the one who chooses to withhold it (and possibly withhold other means of life support)?

My own story is not that of the teenager. His case involves an urgent, immediate decision. I have grappled much, however, with bioethical decisions over the course of my illness. I hesitated to have my mitral valve surgery in 1991 because of the huge cost, even though I had good insurance. It didn’t seem right to have so much money spent on me when the vast majority of the world’s people could never afford such a procedure. I had the same hesitation about my heart transplant in 2003.

Now I am at the point where nothing can be done for my otherwise terminal condition except a second transplant. When I was first offered this possibility I said “Thanks but no thanks.” Then, after family discussion and prayer, I said, “Yes.” A while later I said “No” again, and for the past few years my family and I have settled comfortably on this final decision. It is not primarily the financial factor holding me back, although my sense of justice is still shocked, and even repulsed, by the anticipated cost of the surgery—a second time. I am not receiving another heart because I believe, with good reason, that the level of suffering of the past seven years since my transplant will be no different after the surgery than before. Since my post-transplant experience has been more “mysterious” (my nurse’s words just a few weeks ago) than that of others, my suffering could very well be worse.

I am also concerned about the issue of playing God. With medical care, everything possible is not mandatory. Doctors (whom I admire and appreciate) are trained in such a way that they are extremely reluctant to say that nothing more can be done for a patient. On January 3 I was on the table in the heart catheterization lab, with the IV and other measuring devices hooked up to me, and with the angiogram tubes in me. My coronary artery blockages were so severe that the cardiologist wanted to try an experimental and risky procedure in one of the arteries. I said “no” and he became quite agitated at me. He ended the angiogram right there, omitting the other half of my heart, since I did not consent to what would have been the start of numerous such procedures. After I was wheeled back to my hospital room, another cardiologist told me that the procedures in question, if done, would not have lengthened my life or prevented heart attacks. They might have helped for a time with my labored breathing and nausea, two of my daily difficulties, but such an outcome would not have been certain.

I feel good about this recent decision, especially since my wife, Judy, and I had prayed about this very issue according to James 1:5-8 just moments before the nurse came to take me to the cath lab. I feel good as well about the decision to refuse a second transplant.

Decision-making in matters of medical care is not always easy. My situation is just one of a multitude of possible scenarios. Other people might have made different decisions, and I fully admit and respect the possibility that two or more choices in a given situation may be admissible. My view—about the overall issue of playing God, as well as my personal condition—is not infallible. I believe God is pleased with my decision, but I admit that he may have been just as pleased if I had chosen differently at different points on my journey.

At some time or another in life, most or all of us will need to think about playing God, either by shortening or by extending human life by certain technologies, when the wiser choice would seem to others to leave the situation with God who does all things well. Palliative care, such as pain relief, is mandatory, of course.

In many cases, in my view, the actual decision is not as important as the attitude and state of mind of the one or ones making the decision, especially if the decision-makers claim to belong to and believe their God and Father. Am I trusting God for wisdom according to James 1, since he knows that I am weak and unable to calculate the risks and benefits with precision? Yes, we must make tough decisions at times—for our own care and that of others, and if we do so with an attitude of composure and rest in God’s arms, our decisions will be acceptable in God’s eyes.

Some Beautiful Things

2010-12-30T20:51:00.001-06:00

Bob Rakestraw

I’m sick and tired of ugly—anything and everything ugly. I’m sick of violence, war, famine, human trafficking, disease, rape, materialism, injustice, idolatry, hunger, rage, lying, adultery, greed, loneliness, grief, self-hatred, addictions, corruption, senseless noise, and a thousand other evils!

For the last posting of this year I want to focus on beauty. The Oxford American Dictionary defines beauty first of all as “a combination of qualities that give pleasure to the sight or other senses or to the mind.” I believe there is more beauty than ugliness in our world, and I trust my reasoning will become evident in the thoughts to follow. Here are a few of my favorite beautiful things.

Christian Character. Other than God himself, a mature, wise, virtuous person, living in harmony with his or her Creator and Lord, is the most beautiful individual thing in the world. Nothing else that I know of meets so well the definition of beauty mentioned above.

Is there a man or woman you know—perhaps several—with such a sterling Christian character that you long to be around them, listen to them, and try to learn what makes them tick? This person, among other things, is unselfish, kind, and suffers well. He or she is concerned for children, teens, the differently-abled, the elderly, and “working” adults (what a strange term). The man or woman of deep Christian character has a beautiful soul. This person is not perfect—just beautiful! (I Cor. 13:4-8; Gal. 5:22-23)

Personal Relationships. Real beauty, flowing from the person of Christian character, can be seen when two or more such persons are living, working, discussing, studying, worshipping, playing, or serving others together. There is not a lot of beauty in the one, however appealing he or she may seem to be individually, who cannot exist in harmony with others. The home, the church, the school, the workplace, the playing field—these are the places where real beauty can shine. I love to see people in close friendships, strong marriages and effective working arrangements. This does not mean that there are never disagreements—sometimes vigorous ones—but that love and unity of purpose sustain the relationships for the good of all. (Ps. 133:1-3; Rom. 12: 9-18)

Loving Churches. At first I was inclined to write “vibrant” churches or “Spirit-filled” churches. As I thought about it, however, I realized that love (closely aligned with unity) is the true mark of a Christian and a Christian church. “They will know we are Christians by our love.” This is biblical (Jn. 13:35; I Cor. 13:3).

When the Pharisees asked Jesus “which is the greatest commandment in the Law” (they had 613 laws), Jesus said it was to “Love the Lord your God.” He then added the second most important: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mt. 22:34-40). Strong Christian individuals amid solid personal relationships and loving churches constitute a triad of beauty superior to every other created thing, including the choirs of angels and the wonders of nature. A loving church not only cares for its own but for those in its community, its country, and its world. Such churches consist of loving and humble Christians committed to promoting justice and mercy and the whole truth of God until the end of the ages. (Mic. 6:8; Mt. 28:18-20)

God. Above all else, there is God. Above all angels, natural wonders, creations of humankind, loving churches, strong relationships, and men and women of excellent Christian character, there is God. The reason Jesus said to love God above all else is because God IS above all else. To love anything else supremely is to love something less than God, and that is idolatry.

God has always existed and will forever exist as one God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Mt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14). This is a great mystery, especially concerning the incarnation. The doctrine of the trinity is beyond our full logical comprehension but is not illogical.

The Bible also teaches that “God is love” (1 Jn. 4:8), but how can this be? Can this teaching assist us to understand the trinity? Some have suggested (helpfully, I believe) that God as a single person—a “monad”—could not give and receive love without an “other,” an object of that love. Thus the Godhead must exist as a “dyad” (two persons) at least. But in order for these two persons to have a nonexclusive love, a love that is shared, there must be at least a triad—a Trinity. God’s threefold eternal dance of love “within” the Godhead and “outside of” the Godhead is complete and perfect, and serves as the supreme model for all human love.

God is the only uncreated beauty. Although he is beautiful beyond description, we do well to ponder some of the qualities of our great God. Theologians often distinguish between God’s perfections in himself (such as eternity and omnipotence) and God’s perfections that extend to his personal creatures (such as mercy and justice). Sometimes these are called the non-moral and moral perfections (attributes) of God. To God, however, these are all one, and never conflict within themselves.

Lord, you are altogether lovely, and nothing I desire compares to you. Help me not to focus on the ugly in 2011, but on the beautiful. (Phil. 4:8)

Heart Cries

2010-11-30T19:33:00.000-06:00

Bob Rakestraw

In the United States, Thanksgiving Day was celebrated last week. Whether you live in the U.S. or in some other country on our common planet, I trust that you gave thanks to our gracious God for every blessing in your life.

I would like to use this brief posting to announce that my new book, “Heart Cries,” has just been released. I wrote this book, with the valuable help of my colleague and friend, Jane Spriggs, to encourage everyone to know God better through prayer. I have felt for years that misconceptions about God and his invitations to prayer have held back many people from the peaceful, joyful, confident life that God gives to those “praying by the Spirit in the midst of life” (the subtitle of the book).

Our desire in this book is to examine some basic biblical teachings about prayer, basic guidelines and approaches to prayer, and difficult questions about prayer, while devoting a major section of the book to actual prayers I have written and prayed over the past twenty-five years concerning some of the most crucial elements of life.

The book is grace-infused, not legalistic. I recommend it to you for your personal growth and comfort, as well as a gift book for those on your Christmas list. The cost is $13.99.

To order your copies please visit: www.createspace.com/900001812.

One more item: Jane and I, with our spouses, will be present at a book-signing for “Heart Cries” on Tuesday, December 7, 2010 from 12:00 – 1:00 pm. This will be at the Bethel Seminary Lower Campus Center, 3949 Bethel Drive, St. Paul, MN 55112. (It is actually in the city of Arden Hills, MN.) Please come if you are in the area and share with us some cider, cookies, candies, and conversation.

Lord, teach us to pray!

Is There Any Hope?

2010-10-30T19:52:00.001-05:00

Bob Rakestraw

Is there any reason to be hopeful? About worldwide malnourishment and disease? About seemingly endless wars and rumors of wars? About human trafficking, bloody drug battles, and cruel white-collar crime?

Is there reason for hope in our own lives—our families, friends, frustrations, finances and futures? Feelings of failure and of being unpopular pull us down. Awareness of our own limitations—whether related to physical health and skills or mental and psychological conditions—leave us feeling sometimes with little or no hope.

The word “hope” may be either a noun or a verb. As a noun, hope can mean, in part, “a feeling of expectation and desire combined,” or “what one hopes for.” As a verb it can mean “to feel hope, to expect and desire, to feel fairly confident” (Oxford American Dictionary). Hope is a good word, and a very strengthening thought.

When I struggled with depression a couple of years ago, the word that most closely expressed the way I felt was “hopeless.” I knew that God was still holding me with his strong hand and would bring me to glory at the end of my earthly life. I felt hopeless, however, because my health was broken and I lacked the energy and the will to do anything that I thought would be of service to God or humanity. The complications from my heart transplant of 2003 had been (and still are) steadily worsening, and I felt gripped by that heavy, almost-tangible condition of hopelessness. I felt unable to move forward in any meaningful way since I retired from teaching in 2005, yet I could not die—what I most longed for.

At the present time I am writing on hope, not because I feel in an upbeat mood, but precisely because I do not. While the depression described above has lifted significantly, I still have times when the shadows come, because of both physical health issues (quite a medley) and the lack of meaningful activity due to those issues. I chose to write on hope now because I hope, God willing, to explain briefly the firm hope that God has engendered in me, even when I have felt hopeless about the circumstances of life.

I am convinced that there is hope for the mega issues of this world and human existence and hope for the matters of daily living. The latter are more short-range, while the former encompass the broad sweep of our earthly life, and beyond. At times I have lacked the short-range hope, but always have known the deep hope of God’s providential care for the poor in spirit in this life and in the life to come.

Both the long-range, big-picture view of life, and the more immediate aspects of our everyday tasks, may be intended in the life-giving words of Romans 5. After “we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand….we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us….” For 25 years or more I have had these words on a shelf by my desk at home, where I naturally rest my eyes: “Hope does not disappoint us” (Rom. 5:5).

How can we become hopeful people, both concerning the sorry state of this planet and concerning our present issues: health, relationships, careers, finances, moods, and service to God and others?

The scripture just quoted shows one major route by which we become people of hope: we must first be people of character, and for that we need to develop perseverance, which comes from—of all things—suffering! This is contrary to the world’s thinking, but here it is in God’s word: if we endure suffering well, we will become hopeful people. We will come to see the depths of God’s wisdom and love for us, and for all his creation. We are not to seek suffering, as though that would speed up our maturation. Enough suffering will come to us all, but never more than we are able to bear (I Cor. 10:13).

It is not possible to live well without hope. In fact, many who are hopeless decide not to live at all. They choose suicide, while others continue with lives of “quiet desperation.” I urge each of you to face your present sufferings well (“we…rejoice in our sufferings”), so that you will know the deep hope that God gives. I have learned from my sufferings over a lifetime that God can be trusted (faith). This has given me strong hope to go on in the service of God and all his people (love).

“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality” (Rom. 12:11-13). Faith, hope and love to you all.

Why Know God?

2010-09-28T19:09:00.001-05:00

Bob Rakestraw

Lately I have been thinking about the over six billion people on this planet. Actually, I think about them a lot, but even more so in recent weeks. I think about the people who walk on the sidewalk near my home and those living on rickety rafts and boat-houses on the rivers of southeast Asia. I think of young and old, male and female, poor and rich, healthy and unhealthy. Mostly I grieve over the billions who don’t know God.

I want them to know God. I want everyone to know God, for their good in both this life and the life to come. But why should they want to know God? Even if, as is the case, the overwhelming majority of this world’s population believes in some kind of a God or exalted being (or beings), why should they desire to know God, or even know about God, more than they do?

This line of thinking leads me to write about the central reasons why I long to know God more fully and more personally than I now do. These are not primarily reasons to know more about God, although this is an inseparable part of my lifetime quest. These are, above all, my reasons for knowing God experientially—personally and intimately.

First, I want to know God because, frankly, my friendship with him gives me the most enjoyable quality of life that I can imagine on this earth. I was born again into the family of God in 1962, and have not once regretted that I was drawn into the body of Christ by the gracious pull of the cross. It is literally impossible for me to conceive of a more personally satisfying relationship with anyone (or ones) other than the all-mighty, all-merciful, and all-holy God of the Hebrew-Christian scriptures.

I have not always had the degree of satisfaction in God that I now have. This has been a growing relationship over many years. I have failed the Lord many times during my journey, but this was never because he abandoned me. I have been the one who did not remain in close fellowship with God as I should have. Yet he has always brought me back to himself, leading me again and again to repentance and forgiveness and full acceptance as his loved child.

Another reason I want to know God more fully is to know what to do with the rest of my life. While I am writing this after the most active and public years of my Christian service are likely behind me, I still have some time remaining on earth, even if it’s only a short while. Even in these, my “retirement” years, I never have considered myself retired. In my view, God’s people don’t retire. We, by God’s grace, live everyday seeking to do God’s blessed will, just as we have before finishing our more formal work life.

Circumstances—health, finances, activities, places, people—may change, but life as a child of God continues. I seek God through prayer, meditation in the Word, interaction with others, acceptance of my gifts and ministry opportunities, and experimentation, just as I did before my major work responsibilities changed in 2005. In that year, for health reasons, I needed to retire early from my position as Professor of Theology at Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, MN. But I am continually seeking to know how to serve others with the remainder of my life and resources, and to stay on a meaningful, useful and Christ-centered course, I want to know God more and more so that I sense the direction he has for me. I have no desire to flounder and fumble along until the end of my life. I remind myself often of the words of the apostle Paul: “Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

My final reason is a spinoff from the second, which is a spinoff from the first. I want to know God because I want to know, more and more, how he thinks, feels, and acts in this world, so that I may think, feel, and act like him. The longer I live the more saddened, as well as encouraged, I become over the condition of the peoples of the earth. I grieve and I rejoice; I scratch my head in bewilderment and I have glimpses of light and hope. I desire to know God so that I may—as much as is possible in this life—see the big picture of what God has been doing in this world since its beginning, what God is doing now, and what he has yet to come.

I do not wish to know these things for my own intellectual curiosity or psychological stability, or to feel closer to God. All of these are by-products of knowing God well, and we surely must be grateful for them. But I desire to know the big picture in light of God’s will so that I may be involved in his kingdom program as productively as possible. For example, since I know through the close reading of God’s Word, the Bible, that God longs for justice and mercy to prevail in this world, I want to give a portion of my energy and finances to strengthen those agencies that are concerned with these activities. I want to pray for and encourage those who are suffering and bowed down with care, because I see Jesus in the Gospels ministering compassionately to the hungry, the sick and the weary.

Here I close with two scriptures (NASB) that will encourage you and me to continue seeking to know God more and more all of our days on earth.

“Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand all things” (Proverbs 28:5).

“The people who know their God will display strength and take action” (Daniel 11:32).

Ramblings from my Readings

2010-08-29T20:13:00.000-05:00

Bob Rakestraw

Here are my thoughts on three of the books I completed reading from January through June, 2010. (Note: Please pray for my health. My heart transplant rejection leaves me with little strength for daily life and service. Thank you for caring.)

Walter Wangerin, Jr., Letters from the Land of Cancer. Grand Rapids, MI : Zondervan, 2010, 199pp., hardcover.

On December 26, 2005, the author felt a lump in his neck. It was diagnosed as lung cancer. Out of that crisis Wangerin began writing a series of letters to his family and friends about his unfolding experiences and his physical, psychological/spiritual responses to what was going on in his body, and to the medical treatments he was receiving. Here are those letters—22 of them—written in 2006 and 2007. Because of his fascinating writing style, but even more because of his frankness and specificity about his responses to his terminal illness, this will rightly be considered a classic in the autobiographical literature of suffering. It is valuable reading for everyone who suffers from a terminal illness and for those who live, pray for and seek to help such ones. Despite his acknowledged grumpiness and hurtfulness to others, Wangerin’s trust in Christ underlies the account, and leaves the reader with hope. (Note: a link to Walter Wangerin’s blog may be found on my blog’s introductory page.)

Lucien Stryk, Editor, The Gift of Great Poetry. Washington, D.C.: Regnery Gateway, 1992, 273 pp., hardcover.

It is hard to imagine a more delightful collection of poems in the English language, from the sixteenth to the early twentieth centuries. Stryk, a distinguished poet with over twenty books of poetry published since the 1950’s, has selected and introduced 130 poems by 130 poets, arranged in chronological order by the authors’ birthdates. You will find many well-known poems here, but also many lesser known. The editor, even when working with the likes of John Milton, John Greenleaf Whittier and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, selected only one poem from each author. Each poet, however illustrious, is represented only once. Stryk says that he did this “so as to represent all periods equally.” He adds: “I felt it to be my task to rescue from obscurity works generally ignored.” While this is not a book of “Christian poetry,” there are numerous pieces that will delight and animate the mind of anyone who loves God, language, and life.

E. Stanley Jones. Christ and Human Suffering. New York: Abingdon–Cokesbury, 1933, 235 pp., hardcover.

The course of my life in recent years, especially my health struggles, has moved me steadily toward the literature of suffering. I am especially drawn to materials written by those who have suffered and/or have spent much time among those who suffer. Jones (1884-1973), one of the best-known missionary evangelists in the world in the early and middle decades of the twentieth century, was a Methodist missionary to India. He first worked with lower-caste Indians, but gradually felt drawn to work with the educated higher castes, as well as student groups. In this valuable study the author presents the Christian way of victory in light of the terrible sufferings in the world. With numerous examples from his long ministry, and with careful consideration of several leading world religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam especially), Jones presents the inherent fallacies within the other religions and the true worth and remarkable triumph over suffering through Jesus Christ. A very wise book from a wise and faithful missionary-writer. The initial in his name stands for Eli (in Hebrew, “my God”).

Earthly Life

2010-07-24T20:06:00.001-05:00

Bob Rakestraw

Years ago a Canadian singer, Anne Murray, sang these words in one of her numbers: “Sure could use a little good news today.” Well, I want to give out some good news today: attitude-wise, I am doing much better than I have in many months, perhaps years. I am reluctant to call this a strictly psychological change or a strictly spiritual change. I don’t think the two can be neatly separated, because mind-body-soul-spirit-emotions are all intertwined and overlapping. We are instructed in the scriptures to “love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength,” meaning with all of our being, everything in us and everything we have. We are unified selves.

It is evident, however, that one (or more) of these aspects (functions) of our single self may predominate in certain situations more than in others. A person trying to push a car out of a ditch uses brute strength, spurred on by a strong will, to get the job done. But, even then, the total self is engaged. It cannot be otherwise.

In my situation, as some of you know, I have struggled in an unusual way. Because my health has been poor since my heart transplant of 2003 (and for years before that) I have had a strong desire to leave this earthly life and be taken into God’s heavenly presence. Since March, 2007, after two doctors said I likely had no more than six months to live, this longing has intensified. It became so strong near the end of 2008 that I suffered a lot from depression and anxiety. I believe the cause, or a big part of the cause, was that, although my health continued to decline, God was not taking me home. My longing for heaven—normally a healthy thing for the children of God—had become unhealthy. I did not want to go on living. I asked God numerous times to end my life.

After a crisis experience on January 1, 2009, I called for the elders of the church to come and pray for me, according to James 5. Then I went to a doctor who provided me with some helpful medications. During 2009 I improved gradually in my overall attitude toward life and death, but it has not been until the last month or so that I’ve come to realize that a major change has come over me. I can’t say just when this happened or point to anything different in my prayer life or daily routine. I just know that God has done a very good work in me, for which I am thankful.

Before this major turn in my life I had no desire to live, whereas since the God-wrought change, I am now willing to live to be 90, if God so wills. I hope I don’t, and I still long to go home sooner rather than later, but this new acceptance of life has improved my attitude and sense of daily well-being. Before this change, I wasn’t conscious of having a bad attitude toward God. After all, I wanted to go be with him forever. But I had a negative attitude toward the earthly life God had assigned for me. Part of this was, no doubt, due to depression, and part was due to feelings of uselessness. I was wondering whether I was doing any good here on earth. I had to admit that if God still had me here, and if my attitude is one of joyful (yes!) acceptance of God’s will, then I am being useful for his eternal purposes. It was not enough to resign myself to living, but I needed to gladly, positively accept my state in life (James 1:2-4).

My physical health continues to decline noticeably, but my daily consciousness of God’s good pleasure and will have increased noticeably. I desire to spend the rest of my days simply living for God’s glory. I serve him as best I know how each day, but I can’t delve much into how I may be actually useful to others. More and more I seek to live moment-by-moment according to the Great Commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength, and your neighbor as yourself.”

May God encourage and lead you continually according to your own life-experience in this earthly existence. I trust that my testimony will be helpful to many of you, my readers.

Protection, but not for the Neighbors?

2010-06-28T18:54:00.000-05:00

Bob Rakestraw

Two families of five live side by side. The families are good friends and are active in the same church. A tornado strikes their town and, among other devastation, destroys the one family’s house and kills two of the family members. The house next door suffers a small amount of damage but no one is seriously hurt. An unusual scenario, for sure, but not at all impossible.

The survivors of the families live together in the intact house for a while, until the funerals are over and the uprooted family moves. The members of the relatively untouched home feel uncomfortable about thanking God for his protection, especially in the presence of the other family. Why was the other family not protected? How are they to think of God’s protection for some but not for others?

This issue leads to such doubt and confusion in the “safe” family that they stop thanking God for their protection from the tornado. They continue, however, praying for encouragement and provision for their former neighbors and their other neighbors who were also affected.

Should they avoid thanking God about the tornado crisis? If so, what do they do about the exhortation to be “always giving thanks to God the Father for everything”? If not, how do they word their prayers of thanksgiving in light of their neighbors’ tragedies?

The same kind of tension would arise if the safe family, arriving home just after the tornado and seeing their house intact, said to one another, “God is good!” Was he not good to the neighbors who lost lives and property? Would he not have been good if the safe house were totally destroyed?

This issue is one aspect of a much larger question: why does God allow harmful things to come to people? Why is there evil and suffering in the world if God,, who governs this world, is all-mighty, all-wise, and all-good? It is not my intention here to explore this ages-old question, but to focus specifically on how we word our prayers and remarks in such instances as those described above.

I believe it is helpful for us to think about the words we are using. The psalmists used words, the apostle Paul used words, and Jesus used words. Their words are written down in the scriptures, encouraging us to concentrate on just what it is for which we are praying, and, specifically for which we are giving thanks.

It does not seem to be honoring to God if we choose to withhold prayers of thanksgiving in certain situations. As indicated above, after the apostle Paul speaks of being filled with the Spirit, he adds that one aspect of the Spirit’s fullness is “always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20). In I Thessalonians Paul writes: “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (5:16-18). And in his letter to the Philippian church, Paul exhorts God’s people to “not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (4:6).

It helps me to distinguish between my prayers in/for my own personal situation, and praying for others in difficulty. In some trials I have personally thanked God both in and for the situation, even praising God for the current terminal rejection of my transplanted heart. (I admit, however, concerning my heart failure and transplant vasculopathy, that I find it much easier to thank God in my ongoing illness than for it.) I have also thanked God for (not just in) equipment failure, interruptions, and the difficulty of preparing a certain sermon (or blog). James 1:2-4 and Romans 5:3-5, which speak of rejoicing in sufferings, are becoming more real and more comforting to me the longer I live. I can say (in my better moments) “you are good, Lord; you are wise; I rest in you, Lord,” when difficulties come upon me. I know that—if I respond with humility and trust—God is conforming me to the image of his Son, and leading me to deeper joy and satisfaction than I can ever produce on my own.

How do I pray, however, for my neighbors, either out loud or in my mind? I do not feel comfortable thanking God (audibly or privately) for my neighbors’ disaster. We are to “weep with those who weep.” I can, though, praise God in the situation because he is always reaching out to hurting people, he is wise and compassionate, and he is able to work all things for good in the lives of those who love him. I have experienced this God! But I do not want to “push” my prayers or thanksgivings on to hurting people. I can pray for and with them, but they alone must praise God directly and offer their requests specifically as they recover from the shock of the situation.

It is crucial to remind ourselves that God remains God no matter what circumstances he allows in our lives, or in our neighbors’ lives. We don’t just thank God when our home is spared or our car just missed being involved in a terrible crash. If the thought “God is good,” comes to us in such situations, we need to be thanking God for being God—for being who he is all the time. He is always gracious and loving, whether or not we can see these attributes in the midst of a crisis. His perfections remain, even as circumstances change. Our God is a good God—always.

One final thought: our God is a mysterious God. No matter how carefully we analyze situations, examine the scriptures, and probe the nature of God, we must always bow in the presence of Mystery. We word our prayers as best we can, but we rest ultimately in the sovereign wisdom and compassionate guidance of God. “His ways are not our ways, and his thoughts are not our thoughts.”

Health Update

2010-05-29T13:04:00.000-05:00

Bob Rakestraw

“His yoke is easy, his burden is light; I’ve found it so, I’ve found it so.”

I learned this catchy tune and these words from Matthew 11:30 in my early Christian life, and they have boosted me all through the years. I sing this chorus not when my life is easy, but when things are hard.

I have been singing and humming these words often lately. I felt that I should send a health update to you my faithful readers, since it has been a while.

Some of you knew I was having difficulties with my new transplant cardiologist. Well, now I have a new, new one. Judy and I met with her on Monday, May 17, and she seems to be just the medicine I need. She is compassionate and capable, and does not intend to push me in ways that have been ineffective in the past. She acknowledged there is nothing she can do except look into a couple of long shots, and monitor my drug levels every six months or so. She is head of the heart transplant program at the University of Minnesota Medical Center, and I am fortunate to have her. For the first time in over a year, I feel validated and understood by my cardiologist.

There is a down side, however, to my appointment. For the first time since my transplant in 2003, I learned that I have heart failure in addition to the transplant vasculopathy. I have not had heart failure since before the transplant. In fact, that was the reason for needing a new heart. Well, here I am again.

Even though I didn’t know what to call it, I knew I was changing inside. The breathing has become harder and the inner downward “pull” has intensified. I have other symptoms as well, such as increased dizziness, nausea and light-headedness. I sometimes have a “fog” inside my head. Talking is hard. Listening is hard. I am much like I was before the transplant, but worse. My friends understand these things, and, by doing so, consistently affirm me.

There is something more. I feel as though I am moving on. The old order of things is passing away, and the new is drawing near. I don’t know, of course, whether I will be called home by the Lord soon. I may still be here ten or twenty years from now. But my inner person senses that I am in a kind of twilight zone—a shadowland or “via media”—with one foot on the other side. The things of earth are growing “strangely dim.”

I desire to live every minute of my remaining time on earth for the honor of my King, for the good of those I know, and for the good of those I don’t know, but have influenced or will influence in some way in the days to come. I feel as though I could write a twenty-volume set of theology, ethics, biblical exposition, and life-lessons learned over the years. The spirit is very willing, but the body is weak. I affirm wholeheartedly, however, that “His yoke is easy, his burden is light; I’ve found it so, I’ve found it so.”

Ramblings from My 2009 Readings

2010-04-30T15:19:00.001-05:00

Bob Rakestraw
April 30, 2010

Here are some of the books I completed reading in 2009. Feel free to send your own lists (with or without annotations). I trust that you will find something useful in this posting. May God strengthen you always with his grace.

• Amy Carmichael, Rose from Briar. Ft. Washington, PA: Christian Literature Crusade, 1973 (first published 1933), 200 pp., softcover.

This has to be one of the top five books in my entire life, from the standpoint of helping me live well. It is not an easy book to read, and was written over 75 years ago. It is not only difficult to read because of the tight, sometimes turgid English (British), but because of the depth—true profundity—of her acquaintance with suffering. Amy Carmichael lived from 1867-1951, most of her adult life as a missionary to the Dohnavur area of India. She had a serious fall and ended up as an invalid for 20 years. She came to know God intimately through her sufferings, and she expresses the most helpful thoughts about physical, emotional and spiritual suffering I have ever read. I keep this book close by my side. Ruth Bell Graham, wife of the famous evangelist Billy Graham, said, “By far the best I have found” on the subject of living with serious illness.

• Dr. Claire Weekes, Hope and Help for your Nerves. New York: Signet, 1969, afterword copyright 1990, 209 pp., softcover.

This has become another of the most helpful books to me in my illness of recent years. I had been suffering from serious depression in December, 2008, and severe anxiety during the first five days of the following month. This work came to my attention through two different doctors. I have written about this book on my two blog postings of January, 2009, so I will not repeat those remarks. Dr. Weekes’ work, from a secular perspective, and Amy Carmichael’s Rose from Briar from the Christian perspective have complemented each other remarkably in my recent life—especially in battling anxiety and depression. Very highly recommended. I must face, accept, float, and let time pass.

• Linda Hall, Island of Refuge. Sisters, OR: Multnomah, 1999, 308 pp., softcover.

One of the most captivating novels I’ve read. Not a work of “Christian fiction” as such, but an intriguing story by an author who is tuned-in to Christian realities. The subtitle is accurate: “A Novel of Suspense.” This multiple-murder mystery excels in the overall story-line and the outstanding character studies. Set on the easternmost island in the United States—off the coast of Maine. Hard to put down. A good change for me in these turbulent times of my life.

• N. T. Wright, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church. New York: HarperCollins, 2008, 332 pp., hardcover.

A stimulating study of end-time events (referred to by scholars as eschatology), although the book is equally concerned with how Christians and the church should live and serve until Christ returns. The middle third of the book (about 110 pages) discusses the standard topics of eschatology: life after death, heaven, hell, bodily resurrection, the second coming of Jesus, the new earth, judgment, purgatory, and the new earth. He has some fresh insights on these topics. The first and third parts of the book attempt to clear up confusion over the ideas of heaven and resurrection, and prompt Christians to work now toward establishing the new earth. Not as clear as he could be on the issues, but an interesting read by an acclaimed New Testament scholar.

• Gerald L. Sittser, A Grace Disguised: How the Soul Grows Through Loss. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996, 181 pp., hardcover.

This is a truly remarkable and revealing first-person account from a professor of religion whose wife, mother and daughter were killed in a horrific nighttime car crash. The author was driving his family home, when, at a curve, an oncoming car jumped its lane and smashed head-on into their minivan. The other driver was drunk, traveling at 85 miles per hour. He was accompanied by his pregnant wife, also drunk, who was killed in the accident.

The subtitle says it all. This is a book for those who have experienced any kind of loss in their lives. Sittser writes that his aim “is not to provide quick and painless solutions but to point the way to a lifelong journey of growth.” He adds: “writing this book has turned out to be meaningful but not cathartic. It has not exacerbated the trauma, nor has it helped to heal it. Keeping a journal over the past three years did that. …[Writing] this book has not mitigated my sense of bewilderment and sadness.” The accident “remains a horrible, tragic, and evil event to me.” Truly this book is a classic. Speaking of Gerald Sittser, the philosopher Nicholas Wolterstorff writes: “To all, like him, who must live with loss and beyond, this book will be a true companion. I know of none better.” And, according to Pastor Bill Hybels, “this is the single most reflective and redemptive book on sorrow and loss that I have ever read.” It helped me significantly with my own loss of health and career.

• Kathryn Greene-McCreight, Darkness Is My Only Companion: A Christian Response to Mental Illness. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos, 2006, 176 pp., softcover.

In her preface the author writes: “This project examines the distress caused and the Christian theological questions raised by a clinical mental illness, namely, mine.” It is a highly personal narrative of her struggles with mental illness (bipolar disorder), with accounts of poignant and raw episodes that illustrate her statements. She does not recount every episode, because, as she notes, “this book is finally not about my own mental illness but my theological reflections on mental illness.” She discusses sin and grace, creation and redemption, God’s discipline of the soul, and the dark night of the soul.

This is a very honest, fascinating, and encouraging account of one person’s serious mental condition and how, through God’s mercy, she found (and finds) life worth living. The author of Being Sick Well, Jeffrey H. Boyd, writes that this “is the first book to develop a coherent and practical theology of mental illness. It is easy to read, deeply moving, compassionate, authentic, practical, profound, and uplifting.” He is not exaggerating when he says, “This is a must-read for any Christian suffering from mental illness, or for a family member, minister or health professional caring for a disturbed Christian.” Greene-McCreight is assistant priest at St. John’s Episcopal Church and a college teacher in New Haven, Connecticut. I have been greatly helped by this outstanding work. The book title comes from the last verse of Psalm 88

• J. B. Phillips, The Price of Success: An Autobiography. Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw, 1984, 222 pp., softcover.

Especially from the late 1940’s through the 1960’s, J. B. Phillips (1906-1982) was a highly respected, much in-demand speaker and writer throughout Great Britain and beyond. He was a vicar in the Church of England, but came to prominence through his eminently readable contemporary translations of the New Testament writings. In 1958, The New Testament in Modern English was published (revised 1972), preceded by Your God is Too Small (1952) and other volumes, and followed by numerous works making biblical and theological scholarship accessible to eager lay readers.

I first read this book in 1986 or 1987. I had come to believe (and still do) that the most valuable form of reading for me was the autobiography. Here Phillips tells his life story in an interesting and quite readable fashion: his childhood, adolescence, ministerial training, marriage, parish ministry, and writing. The last twenty-two pages describe Phillips’ deep and enduring battle with depression. His account of depression was my primary reason for reading the book again in 2009. I too was suffering in this way. Riding at the crest of his illustrious career, he had a serious breakdown in the early 1960’s. Here are his own words: “I was tasting the sweets of success to an almost unimaginable degree.… I was not nearly so aware of the dangers of success. The subtle corrosion of character, the unconscious changing of values and the secret monstrous growth of a vastly inflated idea of myself seeped slowly into me….[It] is very plain to me now why my one man kingdom of power and glory had to stop.”

With refreshing candor and specificity, Phillips chronicles his depth of depression, lasting several years, and how he was helped and not helped. He writes: “Despite the use of drugs, which did me no good at all, there really can be no substitute for the healing of the mind by the encouragement and understanding of one who knows what he is talking about. The staff [in the clinic] were kindness itself, but as far as I was concerned the daily contact with others who were suffering as I was did me more good than anything.” Having suffered from depression, I profited greatly from Phillips’ account.

To Understand Each Other

2010-03-28T16:52:00.003-05:00

Bob Rakestraw

It was nine days after my heart transplant, and my first restaurant meal since the surgery. There I sat at the Chinese buffet. I had a new heart beating within me from a young person who had died one foggy night in November. I was in a state of wonder. I marveled at the newness and freedom of life. I no longer had strapped to my body the powerful milrinone solution that had been infused continually into my heart, keeping me alive for the previous four months. I felt liberated and grateful.

I also wondered at the people around me, taking their seats, going to and from the food trays, talking to one another, looking right past me. Right through me. Didn’t they know? Why didn’t they marvel that I was there? I wanted to tap people on the shoulder and tell them what had just happened to me. Why couldn’t they see?

As I sat there with my wife, eating my noodles and sesame chicken, I was amazed at how little we know of those about us. Just as they had no idea of my recent experience—the years of waiting, the dozens of tests and consultations at Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota, the week in intensive care months before the transplant, the days of recovery—so I had no idea of the lives, joys, heartaches, and dreams of the diners and servers about me. Just as I felt unnoticed and unknown, so must have some—perhaps many—of them.

One of the lessons I have been learning during the six years since my transplant is that no one can fully understand what I am thinking and experiencing. No one on earth truly knows me, yet I long to be known. I’ve had to—very reluctantly—let go of my need/desire to be understood deeply. It has become enough for me to know that some people truly care and try to comprehend my situation, my pain, suffering, psychological struggles, medication side effects, and chronic transplant rejection. I have been helped greatly in learning this lesson by the realization that I don’t/can’t know others as they want to be known. I can try to see through their eyes, enter into their thoughts, fears, sufferings and motives, yet I understand them at best only partially.

Another realization that has gripped me strongly in recent years is that—apart from the truths of God—the most important non-material thing I can give to any person is my full, concentrated attention and concern. To look at and listen to a person with our whole self, trying our best to understand his or her words, mind and heart, is a rare and priceless gift. When you are on the receiving end of this gift, and you sense that it is genuine, you are strengthened and encouraged in a way that cannot be explained, even if the person is not able to help you in any other way. And when you are on the giving end (probably listening ninety percent of the time) you may very well be the representative of God to someone desperately needing to be understood.

Psychologist Paul Tournier, in his book, To Understand Each Other, writes:

"It is impossible to overemphasize the immense need [people] have to be really listened to, to be taken seriously, to be understood. No one can develop freely in this world and find full life without feeling understood by at least one person."

You and I are not able to be that one person for everyone we know, but we can be for someone, for two or for several. You may have no idea what a gift—what an encouragement to go on—you can be if you become an active, sincere listener, without letting your eyes and mind wander, without hazing over, and without interjecting your experiences and perspectives until (if ever) you sense that the person is ready for them. This whole matter of trying to understand others in such a way that validates them is tough work—sometimes really tough work. And we need to trust God for the who, where, when, why, and how long. And don’t forget the children—they sense immediately which adults really care.

Two days ago I was sitting with my wife in a medical clinic, and across from us sat a man and his wife. On the other side of the man was an elderly woman whom I believe had not known the couple previously. She had infinite patience, it seemed. She listened and listened and listened as the man talked and talked and talked. She bent toward him the whole time in an uncomfortable position, nodding her head occasionally as he glanced toward her from time to time to check if she was still listening. I averted my eyes, trying to read my book. But I could hear him. Looking straight forward, with a very pleased smile on his face, he spoke smoothly, without allowing any interruptions, moving from Iwo Jima, Swedish meatballs, church matters, Pearl Harbor and everything else that came to his mind by free association. Finally Judy was called in to her eye check-up and I immediately moved to the far corner of the (fortunately large) waiting room.

I give this account simply to illustrate when we do not need to be active listeners. If the person likes to talk just to hear himself or herself speaking, I try to slip away as quickly as possible. I don’t like feeling trapped. But if the person is open, as is often evident in his or her eyes or voice, and is truly looking to be understood (and thereby helped from some comments you may make), and I sense from the circumstances and the Spirit’s inner nudging that I should talk with the person, I do. Often it is not the quantity of time you give, but the quality.

“Now I know [God and others] in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (I Corinthians 13:12).

I Hate Suffering

2010-02-28T15:32:00.000-06:00

Bob Rakestraw

Yesterday Judy and I were praying for people we know. I choked up when I was praying for one family in trouble. They have a number of serious problems, different for each person but all overlapping and intertwined. Their problems are not primarily health related, but they are major. Some are due to rebellion against God. Some are not.

Then I began thinking of three babies we know of, all nine months old or younger. Their health issues have been so severe since before their births that Judy and I are amazed they are still alive. One nine-month old has never been home from the hospital, and is now, I believe, in hospice care. The two others have spent much more of their lives in the hospital than at home.

I hate suffering—that of others as well as my own. When I think of my difficulties, I realize they are quite different from those above, and, in some respects, are not as serious. Yet, to me, they are awful. I hate them. I hate all suffering. My mother often said to me as a child, “Don’t ever say hate.” When I would say something like “I hate that barking dog” or “I hate that kid,” she would gently reprimand me. I think it had something to do with the hatred between nations and people-groups during World War II, which she had lived through during her thirties.

I’m not sure whether my mother, if she were alive, would approve of my saying, “I hate suffering.” Probably not. But I approve of it, for myself at least. I don’t say these words often, but when I do I feel a kind of relief and release. Last week I had a clinic appointment with my cardiologist. Halfway through the session I pounded my fists on my legs and said, “I hate this, I hate this, I hate this.” I told him I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I told him I do NOT want any more surgeries, tests, procedures—nothing but occasional blood tests and perhaps minor changes in my medications. Since then I decided that I will not be scheduling any more doctor visits except on an “as-needed” basis. No more “three months from now,” “two weeks from now,” or whatever.

If this sounds rather drastic and extreme to you, I suppose it is. Actually, I had made this decision two years ago with my previous cardiologist, and I am renewing it now with my present one. I have had excellent medical care over the twenty-five years of my cardiac problems, so I have no gripes with my doctor or the medical profession because they can’t do more. There is no “more.” I have declined a second heart-transplant (my first was in 2003) and two cardiologists have now told me there is nothing more that can be done except “futzing” with my drugs and my trying to exercise as I am able. Basically I was told this in November, 2006, when I was informed that my heart was in permanent rejection. The “transplant vasculopathy” would take my life in “a few months or a few years,” by a major heart attack or a series of heart attacks.

But what about endurance? Doesn’t the Bible instruct God’s people to be patient and steadfast, and to run the race well until the end? I have never been more convinced of the rightness and beauty of these teachings. I have been greatly helped by the books of Second Corinthians, Second Timothy, First Peter, Hebrews and others that speak of the necessity of endurance in trials, no matter how devastating they are. But I find no exhortations to become friends with my afflictions. Paul did not, Jesus did not, David did not, and I am not. I am a strong believer in the remarkable teachings in James chapter one, Romans chapters five and eight, and other scriptures that teach clearly that when God allows sufferings (and he does this often) it is for our eternal good.

I rejoice (yes!) that God permits whatever he does in my life—good or bad. But it is God himself in whom I rejoice and trust. He is totally wise, faithful and good. I know this cognitively and experientially. My desire is to be faithful to my Lord until the last day of my life. But I still hate suffering!

How Did I Get This Way? - Part II

2010-01-31T16:08:00.000-06:00

Bob Rakestraw

This is a continuation of my previous blog of December 31, 2009, in which I wrote of six persons whom God has used significantly in shaping my character and mind. Here are six others to complete the list. The twelve are in a roughly chronological order. May God be eternally praised for bringing these individuals into my life.

7. Bernard Engevik. My father-in-law. Weather-beaten farmer from northern Minnesota. Lived in the house where he was born until age 50, when he and his wife, Blanche, answered God’s call to move to the mountains of southern California. Bernard served as an unpaid maintenance worker and counselor at a rustic Lutheran youth retreat, and as a volunteer caretaker at a nearby county park, which provided housing for the family. By faith he left the cattle and the land he loved so much, after auctioning off his equipment and saying goodbye to his lifetime friends and neighbors. Bernard and Blanche were the parents of 11 children (three in heaven) and three foster children. I knew Bernard for forty years, and learned from him—by observation—how to live joyfully, consistently, kindly (always helping others unselfishly), uncomplainingly, and with an unflappable trust in God to provide all his needs and those of his family. It is this last quality that has influenced me most. While he worked diligently at various jobs to support the family, he earned very little. Yet he simply did not worry. He lived a life of daily Bible study, daily prayer, cheerful service wherever he saw a need, and faithfulness to his Lord, his wife, his children, and all who knew him and loved him. Possessing little, he possessed all things.

8. Carl Hoch (pronounced Hoke). One of the New Testament professors in my Master of Arts program in Biblical Literature. His main contribution to my life has been his exacting, enthusiastic, contagious exegetical skill in the languages and literature of the Bible, especially the New Testament. Dr. Hoch was a master of the Greek language, and was very skillful in the Hebrew as well, yet he treated us graduate students with kindness and respect for our limited abilities with the biblical text. Carl Hoch sought the truth above all else and he was not afraid to point out erroneous ideas or conclusions from any mishandling of the scriptures. As he frowned, sniffed and pushed his glasses up on his nose with his finger, we his students knew he was thinking through a deep point. And we loved him for it.

9. Clark Pinnock. Theologian. Seminary Professor. Mentor. Friend. From 1970 to 1980 I was not in school. I finished my M.A. in 1970 and did not start my Ph.D. studies until 1980. But, while serving God as a college professor and a pastor during those years, I learned much. I devoured literature (books, magazines, journals) on biblical studies, theology, ethics and related topics. My most important mentor during this decade of independent learning was Clark Pinnock, a tall, red-headed Canadian with a keen intellect and a passion for showing the relevance of high-quality Christian scholarship (and thus the gospel) for today’s society. I rarely saw Clark during these years (I saw him considerably more after 1980), but he was highly influential in my life, especially in two areas. First was his leadership and involvement in the Theological Students Fellowship, especially through conferences and writings (articles, book reviews, informative and encouraging notes) in TSF Bulletin or its predecessor, TSF News and Reviews. In these years my eyes and mind were opened very wide to many rich and varied areas of advanced evangelical scholarship. I thirsted for the excitement of careful, dynamic thinking packaged for the education of younger-generation scholars like me. Second was Clark’s personal testimony and writings of his well thought-out move from a Calvinistic doctrine of salvation (with its views of a limited atonement and unconditional selection of everyone to either heaven or hell, before birth apart from anything foreseen). His 1975 edited book, Grace Unlimited, blew the door wide open for me to breathe the fresh, invigorating air of a robust, biblical, gracious, non-arbitrary view of God’s way of redemption. (I have, however, many dear Calvinistic friends; I greatly respect them and their passion for God’s truth.) Since 1980, Pinnock’s views have changed considerably, especially in his understanding of scriptural accuracy and the “openness” of God. While I do not follow Clark in these and some other approaches to theology, I will always regard him as a powerful influence in my life as a scholar, mentor and friend. Thanks, Clark.

10. Norman Geisler. Apologist. Seminary Professor. Voluminous writer. Major influence in my intellectual development during my decade of independent learning (1970-1980) referred to above. Geisler wrote significant, scholarly, readable works (some that I used as textbooks for my students) in biblical studies, ethics, philosophy of religion, and apologetics. Each of his books tackles highly relevant material and is well organized, carefully argued and clearly written. His Ethics: Alternatives and Issues appeared in 1971, and I devoured it. I was not teaching ethics at the time, and never had taken a substantial course in ethics, but I knew this was an area I needed to learn. I have always appreciated authors who are able to introduce a topic with a helpful typology and methodology, and present fairly the arguments for and against each position. Geisler offers these qualities in his books, and I have learned most from his overall pattern of reasoning and writing rather than from his specific points. In fact, I never have embraced his approach to seemingly conflicting moral absolutes (I hold, contrary to Geisler, that God’s moral absolutes never truly conflict, although they certainly appear to at times). So, while I disagree with Geisler in a number of areas in theology and ethics, I respect him highly and am thankful for his major influence upon me and upon many thousands of students and laypersons in their quests for truth grounded in the Word of God. I also am grateful to Norm for his spending time with me years ago in Dallas, as we sat at the counter of a local eating spot, sharing delicious Vietnamese spring rolls (he paid). Thank you, Norm.

11. Bruce Petersen. Pastor. Teacher. Vietnam Vet. Carpenter. Servant. Friend. Bruce has been my senior pastor since 1988, at Bethany Baptist Church of Roseville, Minnesota. He started in this position in 1981, and will reach the 30-year mark next year. Before that he was an English teacher and a youth pastor, and had built his own house. There are many qualities about Bruce that, together, have worked for good in our church and in my life. He is a very thoughtful and devout preacher, teacher and counselor, and is always biblically grounded in what he says. He is a careful, open-minded (in the best sense of the word) scholar, who seeks the mind of God on whatever topic or text he is studying. (Scholarship and spirituality are unfortunately, often separated, in contrast to Bruce’s wholistic Christianity.) His faithfulness to God and his consistency in the task of shepherding the flock of God, even through some very difficult times in the life of the church, have impressed me greatly. I believe that many (perhaps most) pastors would have resigned under similar circumstances. Most of all it has been Bruce’s giving spirit and servant heart, combined with a lack of pomposity, that have influenced me. He serves wherever he sees a need, whether laying carpet in a poor parishioner’s home, cleaning someone’s basement, cooking for church gatherings, or (along with his devoted wife, Julie) offering hospitality to many. Thank you, Bruce, for your personal integrity and faithful ministry. I am a much better man because of you.

12. Jerry Osbron. Missionary. Pastor. Teacher. Friend. Jerry and his recently deceased wife, Barb, served for nearly 40 years as missionaries in the Philippines. They had a very significant ministry of pastoring, teaching and discipling the people under their care. Their works and words live on among the thriving local churches they helped plant and nurture. I came to know Jerry especially after he retired from foreign mission service and began serving at Bethany Baptist as our associate pastor. I have always been grateful for Jerry’s steady, consistent, faithful way of life and ministry. He commits himself to our church family and always “shows up,” whether the group or meeting attracts only a few or a large number. He serves unselfishly and joyfully. Jerry has a nice balance of “wit and wisdom.” His wit comes out now and then with a quip or joke that lightens the atmosphere. His wisdom is evident especially in church meetings—small or large. He never injects his thoughts unnecessarily, but speaks as the need arises, always with mature words based upon scripture and a lifetime of experience. He is a well-organized teacher and preacher, and always presents God’s truth with conviction. The area in which Jerry has most influenced me is in his endurance. Without evident irritability, he lives and serves patiently and positively. His trust is in God, not in himself or in luck. Over the years I have witnessed Jerry endure some very difficult experiences. Barb’s health trials, his own medical issues (blindness or near blindness in these later years), serious difficulties facing his children and their families—in all of these hard circumstances, Jerry has been a strong example for me to “endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” Many thanks, Jerry!

How Did I Get This Way? - Part I

2009-12-31T19:51:00.001-06:00

Bob Rakestraw

On this last day of 2009 I want to begin writing about the twelve individuals who have most shaped me into the person I am today. Of course God is the ultimate shaper of our lives, and I give him all the glory for whatever good he has accomplished in me and through me. But God works through circumstances, through our personal decisions, through his own sovereign activity in us, and through people.

I do not idolize these individuals, but I do respect them highly. Six—possibly seven—have died, and most of the twelve influenced/inspired/impacted me primarily in the earlier years of my life—up to my mid-forties. (One lesson to all of us from this latter point is to be eager to spend time with youth and young adults. They are sometimes highly influenced by experiences with and around us.)

I am writing this piece partly to honor these persons, but even more to encourage you and me to live our lives in such a way that we will have a lasting impact for good on others. With some of these I have spent a great amount of personal time, while with others I have had only brief encounters. But all of them, at significant times in my life, were used greatly by God, whether or not they ever realized this. Three are relatives, four have been my teachers, two are scholars (as well as teachers of others), one was a missionary-scholar, and two are current pastors of mine (one of whom was a longtime missionary).

My sketches will need to be brief, but I could write much more about each one, with numerous incidents and specifics. I could easily have compiled a “top twenty” or “top thirty” list. So many others, in addition to these, have helped make me who I am. Thank you sincerely—all of you, whether listed here or not—for who you are and how you have lived. It has been your person, passion and character, as well as your deeds, that God has used to inspire and shape me.

1. Arthur Rakestraw. My father. Quite rough around the edges. Strong convictions. John Wayne type. Left the last of his foster homes at age 14 and rode the rails out west until age 30. Loved the outdoors/natural world (“I love every blade of grass,” he told me on his deathbed), classical music, and God. Very honest and sincere. Came to Christ at age 50, after praying: “God, if only I had a simple faith.” A gruesome news account in the newspaper shocked him most into seeing his and this world’s need for God. Taught me by example to work hard (landscaping, tree work) from the age of nine or ten. The biggest single influence in my coming to Christ at age 19, by encouraging me to read the New Testament after I refused to read any of his “heretical” literature.

2. Brian Miller. My high school math teacher, and the reason why math was my favorite subject in high school. A Franciscan priest, he had very high standards and expected his students to work hard. When I was doing poorly in trigonometry, I worked long and hard for about three weeks to get up to speed. He noted my rather dramatic improvement and mentioned it to the class as an example for others. This academic experience impacted me greatly, and all of my life I have seen how the human will, through a period of concentrated, expectant hard work and practice, can master what seems impossible.

3. Ruth Dearing. My first Bible teacher in an academic setting. When I arrived as a new Christian at Prairie Bible College in Alberta, Canada, at the age of nineteen, I began my studies in Ruth Dearing’s Bible 101. She took the whole year, three days a week, to cover Genesis to Song of Solomon. She was not an innovative teacher (lectured to a room of 300 students) but was consistent, devout, a careful student of the Word, and very tough in her grading standards. It was this last factor in particular that God used to prompt me to return for my second year at Prairie (and thus to get to know the woman who would one day be my wife). After rigorous high school classes, followed by two years of pre-medical studies, I was turned off by the easy courses at Prairie. But because Ruth Dearing would be teaching another course the next year, I returned to Prairie. My four years as a student there became the most formational in my Christian life.

4. Judy Rakestraw. Formerly Judy Engevik. My beloved wife since 1967. More than any person I have ever met, Judy has been the single most influential person in my life. She is the most unselfish and consistently godly person I have known. A farm girl, the second oldest of eight children, she is a hard worker, very bright and a true Christ-follower. Still a relatively “young” (four-and-a-half years) Christian when we married, I basically learned how to live the Christian life daily by being around Judy. I wasn’t conscious of “observing” or “imitating” Judy, but as day after day, year after year, went by, I learned from Judy patience and kindness above all. Gratitude, contentment, adaptability, and sincere love for people are further qualities of this five-foot, red-headed, gently powerful woman.

5. L.E. Maxwell. Founder, President and long-time teacher at Prairie Bible College, Three Hills, Alberta, Canada. I sat under his teaching and regular Sunday preaching for four years as a student at Prairie, and after several years away for more education I served five years on the Prairie faculty, teaching Bible and preaching. Maxwell’s main contribution to my life and ministry, even though I barely knew him personally, was his animated, passionate, scripturally-based, piercing preaching and teaching. It was not simply that he was always robust and interesting in his delivery (both in the pulpit and the classroom), but more that his content was powerfully illustrated and applied. He was a master of the memorable quotation and the contemporary illustration—often from those he knew on the mission field—and drove home relentlessly his teachings on “death to self,” the “crucified life,” and the needs of a lost world. The sermons and lessons of L.E. Maxwell brought conviction to me, but also remarkable role-modeling for a lifetime of preaching.

6. Francis Steele. Missionary-Scholar. First-rate specialist in ancient Near Eastern studies. Highly respected among scholars in his field. Moved from academic to missionary service with the (formerly named) North Africa Mission. I came to know Dr. Steele while a student at Prairie, where he visited from time to time as a representative of the mission. He impressed me greatly with his calm, compassionate and informative presentation of the need in one of the toughest mission fields in the world. He did not plead, but urged students to consider service with NAM. His major impact on me came out of his blending of missionary zeal and high-level Semitic studies. I saw not only the great need in North Africa but also that mission and academics need not, and should not, conflict. All my life I have been struck by God’s high call to mission for every Christ-follower, and to keep the ends of the earth and the ends of my street continually in focus. One final point: When Dr. Steele was little, a relative accidentally gave him lye for medicine. This permanently damaged his vocal cords, but as a result he learned to speak Arabic perfectly, able to make the precise guttural sounds that are so difficult for Westerners to learn.

(In the next posting I will discuss the remaining six individuals.)

Who Needs You Most?

2009-11-30T21:04:00.000-06:00

Bob Rakestraw

I assume that most of you reading this desire to help others. I hope all of you do. In our better moments, at least, most of us want to do acts of mercy and kindness, and want to see justice prevail on earth. For all who are serious disciples of Jesus, or long to be, the tugs on our hearts are especially persistent and varied. This is good, and reflects our Father’s heart of compassion, outreach, reconciliation, and blessings toward all people, both now and forever.

There is no question in my mind that you are needed to help the needy, even though I may never have met you. I say this for two reasons: conditions around you and around the world, and your unique qualities and abilities. Malnutrition, oppression, cruelty, sickness and anguish of every kind—these circumstances (possibly much closer to you and me than we realize) cry out for someone to come into their midst bringing justice and showing mercy.

The English word “need” has descended through a background of an Indo-European term meaning “to collapse with weariness” and a Welsh term meaning “starvation.” The hurts and longings of people everywhere demonstrate that you are needed—urgently.

The second reason you are needed is because of your unique qualities and abilities. Every person is different from every other person. It is not always flattery or hyperbole when someone says “you are unique.” It’s true of everyone. Your character, personality, skills, and, most of all—in believers—your hunger for truth, righteousness and God himself makes you just the right person to help specific people in specific situations.

The Bible says that all followers of Jesus Christ have gifts that are to be used in the church and in the world (Romans 12:1-13; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; 1 Peter 4:7-11). Many of you reading this have some idea of your primary gift. God does not want this to be a great mystery, but wants to reveal to you how you are especially suited to serve. I generally tell people to ask three questions about a gift or skill they think they may have:

(1) Do you enjoy using this gift?
(2) Have others said that you seem to have this gift?
(3) Have you seen fruit (evidence; good results) when you use this gift?

If so, then continue to develop and use this gift to meet the needs on this crying planet. You are a gifted person, and you yourself are a gift!

But, who needs you the most? Should your decision be influenced by geography (do the “neediest” nations require you most?), family or acquaintances (should you help those you know best?), or the heinousness of the evil you wish to eradicate (human trafficking, for example)? Or is your local church where you are needed most?

I have no precise scientific formula or series of tests to lead you to the ministry and people who need you most. The best thing to do is to look around you right now, while keeping your eyes and heart open to the ends of the earth. Begin somewhere, somehow, if only by making a phone call or visit to some needy person. Perhaps work with a group where your skills are combined with those of others. And always think of the needs in your local church.

To answer our original question: you are needed most where God is tugging at you to help. This is not ultimately determined by studying population densities, social strata, prevalence of orphans, amount of education or Christian population in various parts of the world. I believe strongly in doing these kinds of research, but even more strongly in listening for the voice of the Spirit, living and praying and serving daily in the situations close to you today. If and when God wishes to use you differently, and you do not allow fear or selfishness to misdirect you, you will make future decisions wisely and confidently.

I close with these classic verses from the Bible.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5, 6, Today’s New International Version

As Time Passes By

2009-10-24T15:18:00.001-05:00

Bob Rakestraw

I have been having a rough time lately. Some of you have been too. I wish it were not so. But, here we are, and life keeps passing by—one day at a time. As I am writing this, the day is almost done, and I will never live this day again. Perhaps I can write something that will help both you and me to live out our days well. This is my desire and prayer.

Probably the biggest source of difficulty over the past few months has to do with my health. I am not speaking here of specific medical symptoms in themselves, but of the accompanying issues that surround and intertwine with physical problems. Emotional, volitional, interpersonal, and spiritual facets of chronic illness are every bit as much a part of experience as my specific medical condition—transplant vasculopathy, due to my body’s chronic rejection of the “new” heart (now six years in its present home).

I now have a new cardiologist. My previous one, who has guided me since before the transplant, moved to a position in another city. I have had some difficulties adjusting to the new doctor, one reason being that he ordered a number of major tests, yet spent no time discussing the results with me. Instead, he ordered exercise, so I am now going to cardiac rehab when I am able. He is getting to know me as I am getting to know him, and that will take time. Perhaps I am too sensitive. I do know that a change of transplant cardiologist, after six-and-a-half years, is major.

My previous cardiologist understood me and my condition quite well, and had concluded that the disease progressing in my heart arteries will not be reversed to any appreciable extent, and will eventually lead to a major heart attack or attacks. My new doctor hasn’t contradicted these conclusions, but has focused (so far) on exercise and more medications. I will certainly be glad for any improvement.

I write the above not to malign the doctor in any way. We have met only twice. He seems to be a likeable guy, with much knowledge and a lifetime of experience. I say these things to provide one window into a roomful of issues and effects. This new relationship has raised or reawakened spiritual and psychological matters within me that I am seeking to resolve.

I feel a bit foolish writing the above. It’s actually not about the doctor, but about my need for understanding and empathy. Since I try to write about how things really are, not about how things should be, I am writing what I have been feeling.

After 25 years of heart problems I have become not only weary of tests, procedures, blood draws, doctor visits, medications, hospitals, IV’s and surgeries, but I have also become cautious—even wary—of medical opinions and recommendations. I am almost as suspicious of “natural” remedies and supplements. I try, however, to discern what is helpful from both the medical and alternative worlds, while all the time trusting God with the outcomes.

I am very thankful, frequently, for my doctors, nurses, medical technicians, my children, grandchildren and extended family, my friends, my wife, and especially my Lord and Savior. I do not want to leave the impression that I am ungrateful. I do need to acknowledge, though, that a certain spark has gone out of me over the past couple of years. Perhaps this is due to the cumulative, wearing-down effect of living with the sword of Damocles hanging over my head. I will never forget November 28, 2006, when after Judy and I spent two hours—unscheduled—with my cardiologist, we were told that my major invasive procedures that morning revealed chronic rejection of my heart, and nothing more could be done medically. I might have a few months or a few years to live.

Well, next month marks three years since that meeting, and I’m still here. I admit to bewilderment and discouragement, but I notice significant improvement in my attitude and mood since those very dark days in January of this year (written about earlier).

My biggest praise item concerns the small collateral vessels that are bringing oxygenated blood to my heart, even though one major artery to the pumper is 100% blocked by the vasculopathy, and four others are 75-90% blocked.

My biggest prayer request is that I will know how to use my time profitably. Even though I may have only a small amount of energy each day, I desire to use what I have to honor Jesus and extend his reign over the earth. Writing is my primary medium for this, and I need the perseverance and optimism to stay at my tasks.

I trust that I have said something that resonates with you, and will be of help in your set of circumstances. I close with these strong words from the epistle to the Hebrews (10:22-23).

“Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess for he who promised is faithful.”

Ramblings from My Readings

2009-09-03T19:40:00.003-05:00

Bob Rakestraw

Here are some books I read during 2008, with the annotations I wrote when I finished each. I thought I’d post them, since I appreciate the comments of others about materials they’ve read. Happy reading!

Post your books also—you may benefit others.

• Jim Kerwin, The Rejected Blessing: An Untold Story of the Early Days of the Pentecostal Movement. Foreword by Vinson Synan. (Mpls.: OTC Publishers, 2003), 95 pp. paper.

The story of division within the Pentecostal movement concerning the Wesleyan doctrine of entire sanctification—how the “second blessing” has mostly become a “rejected blessing” among the majority of Pentecostals. A well-written study of how William Durham’s “finished work” view came to be the dominant view. This is a book I would like to read again.

• E. Stanley Jones, The Divine Yes (Nashville: Abingdon, 1975), 160 pp. paper.

The last of the 28 books written by the well-known Methodist missionary to India. Written in the 14 months between a major stroke and his death. Excellent autobiographical account of his sufferings and how he managed to live with them by the grace of God.

• W. Phillip Keller, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1970), 141 pp. handbook.

An excellent study of Psalm 23 by an actual shepherd. I remember Phil Keller (father of Lynn Keller, a classmate of Judy and me at Prairie Bible Institute) delivering these lessons live at the Prairie Tabernacle. These observations on sheep and similarities to Christian living are powerful, especially the one overarching truth that God is our all-loving and all-wise shepherd and cares for us with the greatest concern and detail always. I have benefited greatly from all of Keller’s books.

• William P. Young, The Shack (Los Angeles: Windblown Media, 2007), 248 pp, paper.
Surely this is one of the most unusual books I have ever read. It is “Christian Fiction,” and was #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. This guy, Mack, spent a weekend with God in a shack in Oregon, and records his conversations and activities with God. The best features, in my opinion, are the author’s presentation of the Trinity—a very “social,” delightfully interpersonal “trio,” and his way of viewing godly relationships. One weakness is that there is little speaking of evil in the sense of wickedness that calls down the wrath of God in judgment. It is fiction, of course, and not a theology book. Keeping this in mind, I believe the reader can be greatly encouraged in his or her Christian life by reading this book.

• Joyce Landorf, Silent September (Waco, TX: Word Books, 1984), 64 pp., hardback.

The author suffered severe pain from TMJ (temporomandibular joint stress dysfunction), and writes very plainly and specifically about it. It is a very helpful book about suffering except for the very serious error near the end: God cannot do anything to defeat the pain. God is presently limited. “I know You would heal me now if you could. I know my pain is utterly frustrating to you,” she says to God (p. 57).

This raises the age-old “problem of evil.” Either God is able to take away the pain, and does not, or he is not able even though he is willing. The three seemingly contradictory truths are that there is genuine pain, God loves us greatly, and God is all powerful. Which of these three must be compromised for there to be a “logical” answer to the problem of evil? I argue that none must be given up: God is all-powerful, God is all-good, and genuine evil exists. All three are true, but Landorf gives up the first, that God is all-powerful. God can’t take away the suffering. This ruined the book for me, in a sense, but I find much value in the rest of it.

• Sue McRoberts, The Lifter of My Head: How God Sustained Me During Postpartum Depression. (Mustang, OK: Tate Publishing, 2007), 178 pp., paperback.

This is a very informative, stimulating, and encouraging book. Judy brought it home from the church library. I saw it and read it and am very glad I did. While the topic does not, obviously, affect me, the book as a whole (and in parts) is a superb account of depression—its awful effects and God’s powerful working. I read it eagerly and benefited much. It is a good piece to put into the hands of those suffering in any way. Thank you, Lord, for this author’s honesty, and for your restoring powers.

• Don Piper with Cecil Murphey, 90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death and Life. (MI: Revell, 2004), 206 pp., paperback.

A remarkable book, but not because of Piper’s account of his experiences in heaven, as he describes them (this part of the book is just two out of 18 chapters), but because of his very honest and detailed account of his recovery from a horrible car accident. According to Piper, he died in the car accident, and then went to heaven for 90 minutes. The two chapters on heaven speak of three things in particular: light, music, and relationships (he was with many of his friends and relatives).

The book helped me greatly because I could relate to many of the problems and moods he experienced in his 13 months of initial recovery (the accident occurred on Jan. 18, 1989, and his recovery took years; he lives in constant pain even now, and will never truly “recover”). I am so glad I read this book (another one that Judy brought home from church—borrowed from a friend).

I think that this book, and Amy Carmichael’s Rose from Briar are the two books that I have related to most in the years since my heart transplant.

Thank you, Lord!

Do You Care, God?

2009-08-23T20:46:00.000-05:00

Bob Rakestraw

Recently I spent four days in the hospital. I was admitted from the emergency room after my wife took me in for severe abdominal pain. It was basically a time of tests and consultations with doctors, more about heart than abdominal issues. Some of the test results were a bit encouraging and others were inconclusive. I came home with three new medications—just what I wanted! I also have more major tests and doctor visits in the weeks ahead concerning my heart. I left quite bewildered over the whole ordeal.

Chronic problems are difficult to deal with. Whether they are physical, mental, financial, spiritual, relational or some other kind of difficulty, if they are long-lasting they become tough to handle. There is a very real wearing-down effect of chronic trials. I have experienced this effect for many years, especially since my heart transplant in 2003, and especially in 2009. At the present time I am experiencing significant problems with breathing.

In the hospital, and in the days since I’ve returned home, I have been thinking about many things. Here are two of them.

1. It is good to have your Bible with you in the hospital. I did not have mine when I went into ER, but my wife brought it to me after I was admitted. I was greatly helped by the apostle Paul’s last recorded words in 2 Timothy 4: “The Lord stood at my side and gave me strength,” and “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom.” I also read: “But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship.” This last exhortation did not come across to me as harsh and unfeeling, but simply as God telling me what I needed to do. The text, rather than stressing me, actually strengthened me and enabled me to get through the hospital stay. I know that God truly does care.

2. Yielding, not fighting, is the way to peace. By yielding I mean accepting from God. Over the years I have struggled, as a theology professor and in my own life, concerning the origin of troubles. Are they from Satan and his cohorts? Are they from human beings primarily? Are they from my own mistakes and sins? Are they basically due to the reality that we are natural and fallen beings, living in a natural and fallen world? Or are they from God?

I will not be looking into each of these five possibilities, but I believe that troubles may come from any of these categories, and often from a combination of two or more of them. The biggest question to me concerns the matter of God’s involvement. Does God send us troubles directly? Does he simply allow them? Or is it that God is powerless to prevent them or to deal with them?

I totally reject the last possibility, even though I have read so-called theologians who hold to it. The real issue to me is how much God is involved in sending and/or permitting the trouble. My study of God’s word leads me to believe that, while God at times may directly send troubles to people (for example, causing a tree limb to fall on one’s head) for their good (to knock sense into them, perhaps), most of our problems come from the other sources listed above. Yet there is no doubt that God knows about them before they happen, and he allows them. Job’s trials and Paul’s thorn in the flesh are examples of this.

Concerning my own health matters, I accept them from God in this sense. I yield to God and to my God-allowed troubles. I no longer fight the health problems. Some may see this as a cop-out, and that I am giving up the battle in order to attain a false sense of contentment. Where is the fight to get better? Since Buddhists consider desire to be the root of all unhappiness, am I not capitulating to this Buddhist philosophy of life?

I admit that I have sometimes lowered my expectations or tossed them out entirely regarding some matters, so that I will not continue to be disappointed. Too much desire can be destructive. But this is not the kind of yielding or acceptance I am experiencing. I am not passively waiting for the next body-blow. I don’t want to be a punching bag. My yielding (in my better moments, at least) is a positive, active, robust trust in God’s wisdom and goodness. While he has all power, he allows difficulties so that I may be conformed to the likeness of Christ and may be of most use in expanding God’s reign in the earth. In the long run, this does the most good for people and the most good for me. God care for me, and for you!

I close with one verse from the Psalms that came to me over and over in the hospital. I offer it to you with grace: “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him.”

Are You There, God

2009-07-28T21:02:00.002-05:00

Bob Rakestraw

Sometimes people wonder if God is really “there.” They know he exists, but they would like to feel and experience God’s presence. They know their hope is based on facts, not feelings, but they still would like to sense the presence of God sometimes.

I have no infallible answer, but there are four things I do regularly (daily) that help me a lot in this area. They may help you.

1. I read and/or meditate a lot in the scriptures—not so much quantitatively as qualitatively. I chew on my favorite texts over and over, memorizing them and repeating them often. I underline a lot in my Bible. One of my favorite all-time verses is James 4:8—“come near to God and he will come near to you." God wants us to take the initiative; sometimes it's just a few words to him and he comes near.

2. I say "Thank You" to God several times a day—maybe 6-10 times a day. I mostly thank him for the eternal realities in my life, such as forgiveness of my sins of commission, omission, and disposition; genuine peace and hope, for today, tomorrow, and the whole future (based on the verifiable fact that God has never let me down one day in my life); as well as the daily, material and spiritual blessings I experience—relationships with family, people in my church community, money to buy food and pay the bills.

3. I visualize Jesus standing right in front of me or next to me. Somehow I never picture him sitting, but daily I make the effort (it takes very little once this becomes a habit, which is true of the other items mentioned) to look at the space in front of me and say, "Thank you Lord for being here," or something like that. I do it with my eyes open, in faith, and Jesus always shows up. Somehow I believe he is actually there, looking serious but not stern, and sometimes with a slight smile. But I don't so much think of specific facial features, but just the outline of his form being there, visible in my mind but not my eyes. This is very real.

4. I confess sin throughout the day, as I need to, as soon as I become aware of the fact that I am grieving the Lord in some way—thought, word, or deed. I do this, not to stay saved, to be saved, or to avoid God's wrath, but because I have displeased my best friend, and I want to get back in fellowship with him. I especially rest on the truth of 1 John 1 (the last few verses) and 2 (the first couple of verses).

Well, these are my habits. I trust that each of you will know God personally as well as cognitively.

Jesus and Money: Can Jesus be Trusted?

2009-06-27T17:22:00.000-05:00

Luke 12:31
(2009 – 11)
Bob Rakestraw

There is richness and depth in the promise of Jesus in Luke 12:31: “Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well” (NRSV). This posting will surely not exhaust the depth of the verse, but it will draw together our thoughts on the text by concluding the question we began to consider last time—“Jesus and Money: Does the Promise Really Work?” For this posting I ask the same question in a slightly different way—“Can Jesus be Trusted?” Last time I offered three reasons why it may seem to some people that this promise of Jesus is not true. In this piece I offer three more explanatory points that I hope are helpful.

1. We Are to Accept God’s Sovereignty

We easily forget that our God is the Sovereign Lord, and does what he wills according to his own good pleasure. We become very uncomfortable when our wants and then our needs begin to dwindle. Our necessities may not be coming in, or we are getting close to that point, and we then begin to doubt God. Even though my wife, Judy, and I have found the promise of Jesus to be consistently true during the forty-plus years of our marriage, we have had to rest in his sovereign care and accept that he works in his time and ways, not ours.

Over the years, Judy and I have gone through a foreclosure on our house, lost money that we had saved for our later years due to economic turmoil, and have often had very little money to buy even a few groceries. For several years we did not own a car. I received a heart transplant that has led to chronic rejection and numerous difficulties in daily living. I can truthfully say, however, that God has provided all of our basic needs every day of our lives. R.V.G. Tasker says it well: “His servants may not grow wealthy as the world understands riches, but they will not lack” (The Gospel According to St. Luke [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974], p. 215). You may lack money to buy junk food, excess food, restaurant meals, questionable entertainment, unnecessary clothing, cigarettes, and other non-essentials, but you will never lack for your daily bread and other daily needs.

2. We Are to be Givers to the Kingdom Work

We may not be giving to the needy as we should be. When times are tough, we instinctively want to hold on to the little we have. We assume God does not want us to give, or give much, when we are in difficulty. But this is one of the three mandates from our Lord in Luke 11:31-33. “Strive for his kingdom” (v. 31); “Do not be afraid, little flock” (v. 32); “Sell your possessions, and give alms” (v. 33). We are not to give only when we are comfortable in doing so, but consistently, through easy times and hard. We may need to give less when our income is less, but we are to never stop being cheerful givers. If you are down to two loaves of bread, and you discover that your neighbor has none, give one of the loaves to your neighbor. Don’t be foolish or boastful in your giving, but be merciful and joyful, trusting in God.

New Testament scholar Alfred Plummer has some fine words on this last point.

“[There is here] no condemnation of possessions as sinful. As Bede points out, Christians are not commanded to retain nothing for their own use (for Christ Himself had a purse out of which He gave alms), but to take care that fear of poverty does not interfere with benevolence. Almsgiving is not to be a mere giving of what we can spare. Nor is it merely for the sake of the receiver. It is also for the good of the giver, that his heart may be freed from covetousness. The attempt to keep the letter of the rule here given (Acts 2:44-45) had disastrous effects on the Church of Jerusalem, which speedily became a Church of paupers, constantly in need of alms (Romans 15:25-26; I Corinthians 16:3; 2 Corinthians 8:4; 9:1).” (The Gospel According to St. Luke [Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, Fifth Edition, 1922], p. 329).

3. We May Have to Endure Persecution

Sometimes God in his own wisdom, and for our ultimate good, allows his children to suffer severely. In the words of D.A. Carson: “I think the major exception to this pledge [Matthew 6:33; Luke 12:31] occurs when Christians are suffering for righteousness sake. Some are martyred by starvation and by exposure. The overwhelming importance of the kingdom may require self-sacrifice even to this ultimate degree” (The Sermon on the Mount [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1978], p. 93). This brings up the matter of God’s sovereignty again, applied to extreme cases. I am reminded of the biblical account of God’s people who suffered greatly: “They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, (Hebrews 11:37-38, NIV).

Such special cases, while grievous, do not negate the overall promise of Jesus. Some promises in the Bible may be overridden by the will of God in specific instances. God’s people have for centuries placed themselves in the care of the Lord, knowing that if outward circumstances turn sour, God will never leave them. If God allows suffering for his children, it is for their ultimate good throughout eternity, and for the growth of the kingdom of God here on earth (Hebrews 11:32-40). While we must never forget the persecuted church, and need to give to and pray for their care, we are not to live our daily lives focusing on possible exceptions, but dwelling rather on the general principle behind all of God’s promises: our heavenly Father continuously watches over his children with tender care, and provides all our needs as we strive above all for his kingdom and righteousness.

Ultimately, all of the matters in these six postings boil down to a simple threefold formula, already mentioned above, in Luke 12:31-34: strive for God’s kingdom, do not worry, and give cheerfully to the advancement of God’s kingdom on earth. Here is true peace, true joy, and true satisfaction in life. Here is freedom from anxiety, a reason for living, and a wise heavenly Father to trust in every circumstance. I close with a section of scripture that has become more and more special to me as the years have passed. May you make these words your own, all of your life.

“Though the fig tree does not blossom,
and no fruit is on the vines;
though the produce of the olive fails,
and the fields yield no food;
though the flock is cut off from the fold,
and there is no herd in the stalls,
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
I will exult in the God of my salvation.
God, the Lord, is my strength;
He makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
and makes me tread upon the heights.” (Habakkuk 3:17-19, NRSV)

Jesus and Money: Does the Promise Really Work?

2009-06-09T21:34:00.000-05:00

Luke 12:31
(2009 – 10)
Bob Rakestraw

Here is where the rubber meets the road! I have been considering the Bible text, Luke 12:31, for the past several postings, and now I must face the toughest question: Does the promise of Jesus in this verse really work? When the Lord says, “Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well” (NRSV), does he intend this literally and in all cases? In the context, as we have seen, “these things” refer to the food, drink, clothing and other necessities of daily living. Can we count on this promise, however difficult our circumstances may be?

Identifying the Problem

It is important to think about Bible promises that are verifiable in experience. If a verse teaches that everyone who sincerely receives Christ becomes a child of God (John 1:12), we may rejoice in this, and do what it says, but we cannot “prove” in some mathematical sense that this really happens. If we read that Christ died for our sins (I Cor. 15:3), we may celebrate that, but we cannot know this is true by objective calculation. But some scripture texts are verifiable (to some extent, at least, keeping in mind that spiritual truths can never be fully reasoned out or proven through science).

The scripture verse we have been considering for the past several blogs is a text that may be verified in experience. Jesus spoke of those who strive and become anxious about how they will obtain their daily necessities. He urged them to stop worrying and to seek God’s reign. If they did so, Jesus said, he would meet all of their needs.

For some people, however, this raises a difficult question: Does the Lord’s promise expressed here really “work”? Have the people of God over the centuries found these words to be true? God is making a huge commitment to his people, and he intends for this text to be a trustworthy guide for our lives.

I know that numerous Christ-followers have experienced the full blessing of these words. My wife and I are two of them—for forty-two years. I know many people personally who have followed the principle in this verse and have not lacked the essentials of life. I have heard numerous testimonies to this effect. But what about those who are not receiving the daily necessities of life? I know that many people around the world—including some who call themselves Christian—are suffering from malnourishment, unclean water, and terrible housing conditions. How are we to think about such people and such circumstances in light of Luke 12:31 and Matthew 6:33?

I hesitate to tread on such difficult terrain, but these questions must be addressed. Every promise in the Bible, properly understood, is meant to be believed and trusted, and the fulfillment of God’s Word should be evident in real life. Here are some possible reasons or explanatory points for those occasions when it seems that Jesus has not been true to his word.

1. We Are to be Christians

It may be that the ones in need are not really believers in Jesus. Luke 12:31 is clearly a text for Christ-followers. Note how Jesus in chapter 12 first addresses the disciples (vss. 1-12), then the crowd (vss. 13-21), then the disciples again (vss. 22-53) and then the crowd again (vss. 54-59).

While all people are children of God by creation, not all are his children by adoption. This verse applies to those who have been adopted into God’s family through faith in Jesus Christ. Mercifully, God often does supply the needs of non-Christians, especially through his people’s efforts. But the crimes against humanity, especially by corrupt political leaders and warlords, are a major source of hunger and poverty in this world. God grieves over this even as we grieve.

2. We Are to be Dedicated Christians

Another reason some people may think that this verse is only “pie in the sky,” and not a workable promise, is because they are not fulfilling the first half of the verse. After Jesus urges his disciples to stop worrying and striving about their food, drink, clothing (and no doubt other basics of life) he makes a sharp contrast: “Instead, strive for his kingdom.”

Some people—perhaps many who go by the name “Christian”—may be praying and pleading for God to supply their needs, yet they do not intend to change their selfish, sinful way of life. They may not even realize how far removed they are from the kingdom values of Jesus. The may be praying for a better job, a better car, a better apartment or living conditions, and when God does not seem to be answering, they may conclude that this promise is not true. The truth, however, may be that they are not seeking the kingdom above everything else. They are seeking first the necessities (and sometimes the luxuries) of life, and then perhaps think about God’s will (if they think at all about it). Jesus wants to reverse this order.

It struck me recently that Luke 12:22-34 is not teaching us to pray at all. It is good to present our requests to God (Philippians 4:6-7), but this text is urging us to do three things instead: (1) do not worry (vss. 22-30, 32), (2) strive for the kingdom (v. 31) and (3) give to the needy (vss. 33-34). Your Father knows your needs, and it is his good pleasure to give you the kingdom—material and non-material needs. We simply need to receive the provisions he has promised to supply, while concentrating on the three orders from our Master.

3. We Are to Expect Suffering

Some Christians forget (or never learn) that we are to expect trials and suffering in this world. Jesus is promising to supply all of our needs, not all of our wants. He often does fulfill many of our desires as well, if they are in accord with his best intentions for us. Our needs may not always be met according to our timetable, however, but they will come in God’s timing. Along this line I offer the following from D. A. Carsen.

”Some have been privileged to experience pressure to the point where they have had absolutely no recourse but God. I know a couple who, some years ago, were serving a small, lower class church in Montreal. On Christmas Day, the man distributed food packages, gathered by the church, to the destitute in the vicinity. He returned home to his wife, and both of them thanked the Lord for the food with which he had provided them—one can of beans. One half hour later they were invited out to a Christmas dinner” (The Sermon on the Mount [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1978], pp. 93-94).

In our next posting I expect to present some further explanatory points concerning the seeming failure of Luke 12:31. In the meantime I ask you to seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness. If you are not yet a Christ-follower I urge you to read one of the four gospels and the rest of the New Testament, with a heart seeking God’s truth. Seek and you will find. If you are a believer in Jesus, seek him and his kingdom daily, and give to those in need. Finally, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”

Jesus and Money: Understanding the Kingdom

2009-05-30T19:09:00.002-05:00

Luke 12:31
(2009 – 9)
Bob Rakestraw

Knowing that our main pursuit in life is to “set our hearts on” and “strive first” for the kingdom of God (Matthew 5:33; Luke 12:29-31), we now need to ask a second major question on these issues: “What is the kingdom of God?” What did Jesus mean by this expression, and what does it mean to us today? If we get this right, and have the attitude of seeking the kingdom always, we will have solved, in principle, the overarching question of existence: “Why and how do we live life and provide for our basic needs?” A proper understanding of Jesus’ words, received with a heart to obey, will do us more good than a thousand sermons from the most gifted preacher in the world!

Many reams of paper and gallons of ink have been used over the years to try to explain the meaning of the phrase “the kingdom of God.” Whatever else has been accomplished, this huge effort demonstrates that Christians everywhere and always have recognized the importance of the words. Whatever else we may say about the kingdom,, we know that it is the most important thing in life to pursue. We are to strive first for it—above all else.

The Meaning of the Kingdom

It is always essential when trying to discover the meaning of any phrase or word in the Bible to look at its context, both immediate and broad. In the Gospel of Luke the word kingdom (basileia) is used 46 times. A meditative reading of these texts, as well as the many dozens of other locations of basileia throughout the New Testament is one of the most profitable exercises a Christian (or even a non-Christian) may experience. “Kingdom” is one of the most frequent and important words from the lips of Jesus, although the word is also found often in the book of Acts, the epistles, and the book of Revelation.

Most simply stated, the kingdom of God is the reign or rule of God. Ever since the creation, God has reigned as King, and his reign will never end. He is not a tyrant king, however, but is benevolent, merciful, loving, righteous, just and holy. We may even say that before the creation the kingdom of God has always existed as the harmonious trinity of Father, Son and Spirit. The characteristics of the King are the characteristics of the kingdom. Because God wanted to share his love and populate his created realm with living beings, some of whom would be able to make free moral choices, he created angelic beings, animals, and human beings. With the creation of angels and humans God allowed for ideas and actions opposed to his pure and perfect reign. Even after sin defiled God’s creation, God still reigned—and always will—over his domain: earth, the heavens and all things.

Clarifying the Concept

Many Christians think erroneously of God’s kingdom as a place rather than a realm. They often think of it as the place we go when we die, or the kingly government of Jesus over the earth from his throne in Jerusalem. There are reasons why these ideas have developed during the course of Christian history, and they contain some valuable insights. But the kingdom of God is a much broader concept than usually realized. N. T. Wright says that “God’s kingdom” in the preaching of Jesus “refers not to postmortem destiny, not to our escape from this world into another one, but to God’s sovereign rule coming ‘on earth as it is in heaven’” ["Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection and the Mission of the Church" (New York: Harper Collins, 2008), p. 18]. Wright goes on to consider the prayer, “Thy kingdom come, on earth as in heaven.” He states,

“That remains one of the most powerful and revolutionary sentences we can ever say. As I see it, the prayer was powerfully answered at the first Easter and will finally be answered fully when heaven and earth are joined in the New Jerusalem. Easter was when Hope in person surprised the whole world by coming forward from the future into the present. The ultimate future hope remains a surprise, partly because we don’t know when it will arrive and partly because at present we have only images and metaphors for it, leaving us to guess that the reality will be far greater, and more surprising, still” [Wright, p. 29].

Wright’s words help us to see the kingdom as already here on earth but not yet fully realized. It is possible to think of the kingdom as always existing within the Godhead, yet from the beginning of the human race prophesied and anticipated as something fuller, more tangible, than God’s rule over humanity in general.

Anticipating and Experiencing the Kingdom

During the thousands of years before the coming of Christ, God’s people were looking for the coming of the kingdom. The early chapters of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke reveal how this heightened sense of anticipation culminated in the birth of Jesus—the King of Kings. Jesus came preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and announced that “the kingdom of God is among you.” Jesus embodied the kingdom—the peace, justice, righteousness, joy and hope within the Godhead—and radiated the qualities of the kingdom himself to the people he taught, fed, healed, and forgave.

Everything about Jesus revealed the kingdom. As Wright indicated, however, the inauguration of the kingdom through the new people of God—the new sphere and agency of God’s rule on earth—did not occur until the first Easter Sunday. From the first Easter until now the kingdom of God has been coming more and more to earth as it is in heaven. This is the kingdom of God we are to strive for and seek to extend as we live here on earth. This is the kingdom that is now here, and the universal gift from God for all the earth. It is, of course, vital to pursue our coming rest with God upon death, as we await our bodily resurrection, and it is important to envision and hope for the coming of the New Heavens and the New Earth (the kingdom of God in its full realization). But neither of these is the kingdom of God we are to be striving for now in the sense of Luke 12:31 and Matthew 6:33.

One key to what Jesus meant by his kingdom is in Matthew 6:33 itself: “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.” A major aspect of the kingdom is God’s righteousness. The apostle Paul instructs us so helpfully on this point. “For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The one who thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and has human approval” (Romans 14:17-18).

The kingdom we are urged by Jesus to seek—to strive after above everything else—is a close daily walk with God, an attitude of generosity and kindness, a heart quick to repent and confess and a desire for holiness in thought, word and deed. It is also a zeal for justice, reconciliation, righteousness and the good news of salvation and wholeness to spread throughout the earth, engendering lives filled with love, joy and peace flowing from the life of God within.

This sounds like an impossibly high standard, and it is—if we strive after such a life and spirit by our own energy. But by the power of the indwelling Spirit of God we can live such a life, one day at a time, one minute at a time. God does not require of us what he does not enable us to do. In fact, in our classic text from Luke 12, in which he assures us that our Father knows our needs for the daily provisions for life, and in which he urges us to strive for his kingdom, he assures us that as we do so, “these things will be given to you as well.” Then he gives us those remarkable words of comfort and hope, with which I close. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

Jesus and Money: Striving for the Kingdom

2009-05-13T20:45:00.001-05:00

Luke 12:31
(2009 – 8)
Bob Rakestraw

This is the third in our series on Luke 12:31: “Instead, strive for [your Father’s] kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.” We previously noted that these words of Jesus contain a remarkable promise and offer us strong hope from day to day. However, some of you may be struggling with trying to obtain “these things” (the physical and financial necessities of life) in the economically turbulent world in which we live, and find this promise of Jesus either unclear, simplistic or unworkable. In this posting and the next I hope to address some of the issues and questions that are raised by these classic words of our Lord.

What Does “Strive” Mean?

The first question—one easily overlooked or minimized—is: what does it mean to strive for God’s kingdom? It helps to compare this text with the parallel verse in Matthew (“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness”) and to note that the word “his”—from the context both in Matthew and Luke—refers to “your Father” or “your heavenly Father” (Matthew 6:32-33). The fact that this discourse is addressed to those who are known by their Father and who are the disciples of Jesus (Lk. 12:22) indicates that “seeking first” would arouse the listeners greatly. When this miracle-working Rabbi from Galilee tells his followers to pursue something “first” or “above anything else,” they listen.

God has made it plain what he will do if we seek his kingdom. While we will study the word “kingdom” more in the next posting, we can say for now that God’s kingdom is his rule, his reign, his way of righteousness, peace, justice, holiness and mercy. If we seek first the realm of God, the money and the provisions we need for everyday living (food, clothing, shelter, furniture, transportation, heat, light, water) will be given to us by God. There is no other thing mentioned in the text for us to do than to seek the Father’s kingdom. This is such an all-encompassing and highly-practical promise that one could easily use this as his or her life verse. It deserves and rewards our most careful attention. It almost seems too good to be true.

Matthew’s addition of “first” (“seek first”) reveals the emphasis Jesus places here on priorities. (Luke was not led by the Spirit to include this adverb, nor was he present, as Matthew was, when Jesus gave this discourse. The similarities and differences of the gospels are well worth reflecting on, as every part reveals the truth of God uniquely and richly.) The simple yet easily neglected truth, according to Jesus, is to strive first after God’s kingdom and his righteousness, and then our needs will be met. The painful (to our Father, for sure) fact, however, is that many of Christ’s followers seek first their daily needs—and often their daily wants—and then after they are having trouble paying their bills and supporting themselves they seek God. I suspect all of us have been guilty of this at some time or another. It may even be our daily approach to life, and Jesus wants to reverse this order.

Seeking and Striving Amplified

The words “seek” or “strive for” are used three times in Luke 12:29-31, once in each verse. The words have the same Greek root, but the middle verse, speaking of all the nations of the world, adds an intensifier to that root, and may be translated “eagerly seek” (NASB). Even though the three occasions all use the same basic root, one version reveals nicely the nuances in each verse:

29. “And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father know that you need them. 31. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.” (NIV)

As is often the case, the context itself gives us the meaning of a word, and this is clearly the case above. Whereas some versions translate the basic root the same way each time (“strive,” NRSV; “seek,” NASB), the variations on the original Greek words, as shown above (“set your heart on,” “run after,” “seek”) bring out the fuller spectrum of color in the word. It is a strong word, and Luke instructs us both how not to strive (vss. 29, 30) and how to strive (v. 31).

To seek or strive after the Father’s kingdom is to “set our hearts on” the things of God, to “run after” God’s way, to long for the purity and holiness of God. We do this, in part, by praying something like the following as soon as we rise, “Dear Father, I give myself to you today. I love you, adore you, and trust you to direct my ways today. Thank you, Father, for giving yourself to me.”

“Seeking” is the mental/spiritual attitude with which you go through the day. The Greek is “be continually seeking.” Whether you are a bank teller, construction worker, student, homemaker, or computer technician, you do your tasks carefully and honestly, while always being aware of your status as a child of the King. You pray as needs come to your mind, you praise and thank God often, and you are always seeking ways to introduce others to the King and the Kingdom, whether by giving time, money, acts of kindness, words of compassion, or even blessing the needy in your mind.

It is important to correct one basic misconception that sometimes arises, and that can easily crush us in our quest for the kingdom of God. When Jesus tells us to “seek” and “strive after” the kingdom and its righteousness, he is not asking more of us than we are able to do by his grace. Yes, it is an impossibly high standard for us to achieve on our own, but when we respond to the grace of God at work already in us, he gives us more grace. As we are strengthened more and more by the Spirit within, we find that we are living the life of the kingdom—one word at a time, one action at a time, one day at a time.

The Giver of All Grace

It is possible to hear the command of God as coming from a rigid lawmaker or from a grace-giving enabler. If you see God the first way you will become weary very soon with “striving” after the kingdom of God. You may feel downcast and guilt-ridden when you read The New American Bible’s translation of Matthew 6:33: “Seek first his kingship over you, his way of holiness, and all these things will be given you besides.” You may feel that you need to play Christian music all day long, read only Christian books and magazines, associate only with believers, and pray through a long list of prayer requests every day. You may find the business of seeking God’s kingdom exhausting, and you may soon give up.

But if you are coming to know God as a grace-giving enabler, you are not overwhelmed by his commands. Of course, they are very high, but you come to know that with every expression of the will of God for you there is the generosity of God’s grace and enabling power to direct you in the way of the kingdom. You know personally the experience of the psalmist: “I find my delight in your commands, because I love them” (Ps. 119:47). And you hear the gentle words of Jesus often: “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:30). You serve God throughout the day in whatever occupation you have, but you have a calmness about how you pursue the things of the kingdom. You are striving first for the kingdom, but you are experiencing an inner rest and freedom from anxiety as you walk with God and do your work.

We know that God desires strongly to meet all of our needs for living in this world. The verses before and after our text for today reinforce this truth. “Your Father knows that you need them. … Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:30,32). I know that finances are a major concern for some of you who read these postings, and for you and all of us I repeat the command and promise of Jesus to strengthen your faith and hope.

“But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.”

Jesus and Money: The Remarkable Promise

2009-04-10T17:36:00.000-05:00

Luke 12:31
(2009 – 7)

Bob Rakestraw

One of the biggest concerns in our lives is money. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but the concern becomes corrosive when money becomes the principal thing. Jesus taught more about money than any other topic—more than he taught about heaven, hell, the new birth, hypocrisy, worship, loving one’s neighbor, or the great commission. But he never taught that money is evil. He said, “Be on your guard against all kinds of greed” (Luke 12:15), and “You cannot serve both God and Money” (Matthew 6:24). And the apostle Paul, a faithful disciple of Jesus since they met on the Damascus Road, warned that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (I Timothy 6:10). It is covetousness, or greed, not money itself, that corrupts peoples’ souls and often ruins their lives. Trust in God and contentment with the necessities of life is the fundamental teaching of Jesus and his disciples toward material wealth (Luke 12:13-21; I Timothy 6:5-10).

The Necessity of Money…and Work

To say that money is one of our greatest concerns is not to say something necessarily negative about human beings. In fact, money—or some system of bartering or otherwise obtaining provisions for life—is essential for survival. All of us should be concerned about money to some extent, since each of us needs to pay our way in this world. I was struck a while ago when I re-discovered several warnings in the apostle Paul’s letters concerning those who considered themselves believers yet did not earn their own living. This seems to have been a considerable problem among some early Christians (I Thessalonians 4:11-12; 5:12-14; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15; see also Acts 18:3; I Corinthians 4:12; 2 Corinthians 12:13-15). Paul gave the early Christians this rule: “Anyone unwilling to work should not eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10).

Most people in Jesus’ day, and most people today, instinctively know that they need to work on a regular basis to support themselves. A small percentage are quite wealthy and need not work in the traditional sense, but they still need to manage their assets wisely and regularly. Another small percentage are lazy and decide to opt out of the work world, and become a drag on their families, friends, and society. Generally, however, we know that we need to work and that we need money to live decent lives.

The Foolishness of Worry

Because many of us, perhaps most, have limited resources, we very much need the words of Jesus about worry recorded in both Matthew 6 and Luke 12. Just like the disciples, we tend to be anxious about our financial needs, even though we usually do not, as in their case, experience the literal, day-by-day uncertainty about tomorrow’s food—or even today’s (“Give us this day our daily bread,” Matt. 6:11).

In Luke 12:22-30 Jesus warns us six times about worrying and anxious striving. “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear” (v. 22). “And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them” (vss. 29-30).

The Promise of Almighty God

After teaching how God feeds the birds of the air and clothes the lilies of the field, Jesus presents the words that have encouraged millions of believers for two thousand years: “Instead, strive for his [your Father’s] kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well” (v. 31).

These are incredibly comforting words, but they are also stern words. They contain a twofold exhortation—not to worry, and to strive for God’s kingdom and righteousness. The result is not something we have to do anything about—just receive the blessings: “all these things will be given to you as well.” However, there are conditions to this remarkable promise as there are in the classic words of Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (NIV). Just as Romans 8:28 is often stated without careful thought, so are Luke 12:31 and Matthew 6:33. The qualifying elements in these promises are not meant to frighten us away or discourage us, but to prompt us to love God and strive for his kingdom. In fact, this is why Luke 12:31 is followed immediately by these amazing words: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (v. 32).

As we strive for God’s kingdom, God is pleased to give us his kingdom, and that kingdom will include our daily food, drink, clothing and necessities of life. God is not promising next week’s food or the money for next week’s electric bill today, but he is obligating himself to meet your daily needs. He is not promising all of our wants, however, but he is promising our needs—and his kingdom, forever!

Jesus and Money: Hope from Day to Day

2009-03-31T22:05:00.001-05:00

Luke 12:31
(2009 – 6)
Bob Rakestraw

Who of us has not been affected in some way by the current worldwide economic turmoil? In whichever country you live you have likely been impacted, if not directly, then indirectly. Some of you may have lost jobs, or have had your work hours reduced, or you may have had pay cuts or income lessened in some other way. Perhaps you have been touched indirectly, because you know those who have been affected financially and are now living a more sparse existence, perhaps having lost homes, health care, or adequate nutrition. We all need to be praying for others as well as for ourselves, because we are all in this together.

John Donne wrote the classic, always-applicable words that fit the current situation especially well:

“No [one] is an island, entire unto itself. Every person is a piece of the continent, a part of the mainland. If a clod is washed away by the sea, Europe [or Asia, Africa, the Islands, Latin America, North America] is diminished, just as if the sea had washed away a mountain or one of your friend’s grand houses. Any person’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in humankind. Therefore, never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for you” (John Donne, Religious Poetry and Prose, ed. Henry L. Carrigan, Jr. [Brewster, MA: Paraclete, 1999], p. 91).

Donne’s words apply not only to death, but to the numerous ways people around the world face adversity and hardship. He writes, “By [the] consideration of another’s danger I begin to contemplate my own, and I secure myself by making my recourse to God, who is our only security” (p. 91)

Growing Up Limited

I have been thinking of economic matters since I was young, because our family had relatively little of this world’s goods. Money was always scarce, but I do not regret having to save, work hard as a child and teenager, and spend carefully. My brother and I each saved $12.50 to buy the only bicycle we ever owned, a simple used two-wheeler that we took turns sanding, painting, riding, and repairing. I bought my first car at the age of 17 for $175.00 – a mint-green 1953 Ford. (It was definitely cool!) Judy and I started married life with a strict budget of $7.00 a week for food and grocery-store items.

Financial stringency is not, in itself, a hardship. Jesus grew up in a land of very meager incomes, and the vast majority of the early Christians were from among the lower economic classes. While some of these were poor (and while poverty always involves hardship and stress), living economically due to tight fiscal circumstances is actually an opportunity for blessing rather than a burden. While God loves equally the wealthy and those of moderate or meager means, depth of character and respect for hard work are more likely to result from austerity the prosperity.

Greed and Grace

Most of the people Jesus ministered to were financially pressed, and they listened eagerly whenever he spoke about money. Some of the wealthy also heard Jesus speak of material wealth, and were struck forcefully by the simplicity and seriousness of his words. In the Gospel of Luke, just before the passage we will be considering, Jesus said, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions” (Luke 12:15, NRSV). He then told a parable about a rich man who said to himself, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” God called him a fool (Luke 12:16-21).

Jesus then spoke more directly to his disciples, who had an opposite set of circumstances from the rich man. Because of their meager financial means, he instructed them about worry, fear, and anxious striving about their daily necessities. Luke 12:22-34 is one of the most tender, yet firm, discourses of Jesus in the Gospels. While he rebukes them gently for their “little faith,” he reminds them that their Father knows that they need daily food, drink and clothing. He adds one of the most loving sentences in all of the Bible, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).

Striving for the Best

It is from this context that I lift out the verse that I wish to focus on for The Benediction Project. After exhorting his disciples not to worry and not to strive anxiously for their daily necessities, he says, “Instead, strive for his [God’s] kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well” (Luke 12:31). Some of you may be more familiar with the wording in Matthew’s gospel: “But strive [seek] first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). I memorized and have quoted the verse from Matthew all of my Christian life, but for this discussion I wish to work primarily from the Lukan context because of the unique words of Jesus following Luke 12:31.

I started this piece by referring to the likelihood that all of us are affected in some way by current economic patterns. Before the next posting I encourage you strongly to read and think about Luke 12:13-34, especially the words of Jesus given directly to his disciples (vss. 22-34). In the Gospels Jesus speaks much about money. Scholars say that it is the single most discussed topic in all of Jesus’ teachings. Whether you are wealthy or poor, or somewhere in-between, you probably have money on your mind frequently. Jesus’ encouragement to “strive for his kingdom” is the most sure way to keep your priorities in order, and to keep your mind and heart stable in these turbulent times. Let me bless you, in closing, with a refreshing translation of our key text.

“[Your Father] will give you all you need from day to day if you make the Kingdom of God your primary concern” (Luke 12:31, New Living Translation).

Tests and Temptations: Personal Reflections

2009-03-07T12:57:00.003-06:00

(2009-5)
I Corinthians 10:13
Bob Rakestraw

With this posting I will conclude our study in 1 Corinthians 10:13. I continue to stand amazed at the simplicity and profundity of the text and its promise of great hope for all of us who are tested and tempted by sufferings and trials of many kinds. Here is the verse from The Message.

“No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.”

Remember the context of this verse, as we pointed out earlier. The Corinthians had just been warned against desiring evil, idolatry, self-indulgence, sexual immorality, putting Christ to the test, and complaining (see verse 6-10). They are warned in the verse just before our passage: “So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall.” And they are urged in the verse just after our text: “Therefore, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols.” These are the verses that frame our famous Bible verse, and seem to suggest that both spiritual pride and idols in our lives are sources of major temptation and testing. I have found this to be the case in my life.

In this posting I want to itemize briefly some aspects of “the way out” that I have discovered in my current situation. My chief test and temptation, at the present time, is to give up, give in, and give out. In other words, discouragement over my terminal health condition, and the limitations and symptoms I face daily. While I just celebrated five years of living with my heart transplant, my health is poor. The anxiety has crept back in, and I must rest in God continually with it. (I wrote about this in the two January entries on this blog.) With the great hope that something I say will be helpful to one or more of my readers, I offer these thoughts. (In this and other postings I usually quote from the New Revised Standard Version.)

The Example of Jesus

1. The “way of escape” pertains not only to individual moments of test or temptation (although these necessarily occur), but to long-lasting tests, such as chronic illness, singleness for one who desires marriage, unfavorable employment circumstances (or no job at all), or a needed change in living circumstances.

2. Jesus asked for a “way of escape” and he received it. In Hebrews 5:7 the scriptures record that “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission” (see also vss. 8-9). Jesus’ true humanity has been a powerful example to me, but the point that strikes me most here is the statement that the cries of Jesus were heard, and the “way of escape” for him came not by rescue from harm but by death and resurrection. This reminds me that the “way of escape” may be something quite different from what we expect, or what we are asking for.

3. It is crucial to remember that God does not promise to take away the test or temptation, but he does promise to provide a “way out” in the midst of it. God’s “way out” for you may not be a divorce, a different job, or a dramatic healing, but God will never allow more than you are able to bear, and he will always provide a way of escape at the moment you need it. He is more deeply concerned for you than you are for yourself, and he is as deeply concerned for your character development as for your immediate crisis ( Romans 5:3-5).

Not a Great Mystery

4. If someone asks you or me what the “secret” is to finding the “way of escape,” we need to mention that this is God’s business primarily, not ours. He is the one who promises to “provide the way out.” We need to recognize it when it comes, with our spiritual and physical senses as alert as possible, but God knows how weak and ignorant we are, and doesn’t keep this aspect of life a mystery to us. The important truth is that God is faithful, and “he will not let you be tested beyond your strength.” God does not intend for there to be some great mystery or secret that is beyond the grasp of humble, earnest Christians.

5. Even though we are not to be frantically searching for a way out, we ought to be doing what we know to do to help us in our time of testing. A recovering alcoholic knows not to walk home past the bar. A recovering sex-addict knows to escape immediately from any websites that are even a little bit questionable.

6. I have found that, in my situations of severe anxiety, a major part of the “way of escape” has been to meditate in the scriptures, resting in their glorious truth, speaking gently with God (“I trust you Lord,” “I love you Lord”), floating not fighting, as I described in my January postings. Meditating on my “top twelve” scripture texts of 2008, especially 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (“I will boast or glory in my sufferings, that the power of Christ may rest on me”) and Philippians 4:19 (“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”) has been enormously helpful.

The Help of Others

7. Seeing two doctors was helpful. I take some medications that are beneficial, but I try not to view them as a permanent “way of escape.” They may be part of the way, but God’s operations through my mind and will are more significant. I have mentioned previously the book recommended by my doctors, Hope and Help for Your Nerves. I cannot overestimate the importance of this book in my life, even though it is not written from a Christian perspective.

8. Call or write at least one person to pray for or with you, if only over the phone, computer or text messaging, at the moments of most severe testing. Never forget the open invitation in James 5 to call for the elders of the church. (The word for “sick” in verse 14 also means “weak” or “without strength”—just how we feel at the moment of temptation. This scripture is not only for the physically ill.)

Scripture, Prayer and the Spirit

9. What was Jesus’ way of escape when tested by Satan in the wilderness? For each temptation he had a scripture text ready. How did Jesus “escape” the test in the Garden of Gethsemane? He offered loud cries and tears to his Father, then he rose and went to his chosen assignment. In between these two momentous events he often went apart from the others and rested and prayed. His was the only perfect life, not because he was God and could not sin, but because he was human and did not sin, relying instead on the same resources available to you and me. This is why he can be our example (Hebrews 2:14-18; 4:14-16; 5:7-9). I have found much victory over the years in testings and temptations by focusing on the remarkable human example of the man Jesus, leaning hard on the Holy Spirit to strengthen him, just as we may.

10. Spend time in the epistle of First Peter, and think about and pray for Christians around the world who are suffering (and who have suffered over the centuries) in numerous ways. This has helped me greatly over my lifetime. Somehow my trials seem more bearable. The book of Hebrews and the precious Psalms may also become very valuable to you.

11. In your time of testing call upon God to work in his way, not necessarily your way. “And this is the boldness we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him” (1 John 5:14-15). This is a truly remarkable promise. You may not know if it is God’s will to give you a different job, but you do know that he wants to give you the fruit of the Spirit in whatever job you have (Galatians 5:22-23). It is always good, however, to ask for what you want—a new job, a better car, a spouse, a physical healing, a raise in salary, a sphere of ministry. But keep the attitude, “according to his will.” He knows better than you do what you really need in the light of eternity.

The Compassion of God

12. Remember that our heavenly father is exceedingly kind, merciful, and gracious. He does not use us in ways that are bad for us. As a wise father, he always seeks our good—for now and eternity. An older Bible translation, that of Rotherham, offers comfort in low moments: “The soul of the wounded calleth for help, and God doth not regard it as foolish” (Job 24:12). Amy Carmichael’s comment on this word is priceless. (She was a missionary to India who became an invalid for twenty years.)

“The soul of the wounded may call for help, and God will not regard it as foolish. Quick upon the call will come deliverance. Something will occur to break the monotony—if nothing outward, then something inward. Some little candle will be lit; the dull fog will lift; it must be so….’I am in a manner imprisoned and grievously [chained] until (blessed until) you refresh me with the light of your presence.’ And then? But who can tell it? Who can tell what you are, O Lord? Who can tell what you know? Who can show to another what your large grace can be?” (Rose from Briar, Christian Literature Crusade, 1973, pp. 140-41).

Do Your Part Well

13. Avoid three things like the plague: complaining, worry, and unbelief. Really believe that there is a way out, as our text says. Never feel that your particular test is unbearable. Hans Conzelmann says so well, “The measure of the bearable cannot be theoretically determined. It shows itself on each occasion in the measure God appoints” (in Gordon D. Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians [Eerdmans, 1987], p. 461, n. 54).

14. Keep busy with profitable activities—those tasks that are beneficial to you and others. Stay away from things that waste your time. (One of my biggest complaints with television is not so much how bad the content may be—and it often is—but how it wastes valuable time.) Whatever else you do, get involved with your local church fellowship, not only on Sunday mornings. Volunteer also at local mission agencies in your area. Get close to mature people of God. Ask God to provide these (at least one) in your life, and be willing to approach them for spiritual interaction.

To all who suffer from tests and temptations (and that includes all with a biblically—informed conscience) I offer this benediction from the earthly brother of Jesus.

“Now to him who is able to keep you from falling, and to make you stand without blemish in the presence of his glory with rejoicing, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 24-25)

Tests and Temptations: What is the “Way Out”?

2009-02-27T15:23:00.000-06:00

(2009-4)
I Corinthians 10:13
Bob Rakestraw

The classic scripture text before us, and the one we have been writing about—in some form or another—during the previous three postings, is 1 Corinthians 10:13. I want to quote it with the verses before and after it, because this immediate context will help us to see the broader implications of the passage.

12.”So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. 13. No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it. 14. Therefore, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols” (NRSV).

As I stated in a previous posting, the Greek word translated “testing” may also be translated “tempting” or “temptation.” One version in my library (Wuest) actually translates the word in this text as “a testing time or temptation.” Every test or trial we go through has some element of temptation in it, such as complaining or rejecting God’s grace, and every solicitation to sin is certainly a test of our character and will.

Common to Everyone?

The first words of our verse are striking: “No testing [or temptation] has taken or overtaken or seized you (plural) that is not common to everyone.” The last three words are one word in the Greek language: anthropinos. The word literally means “human,” but the idea is “common among people.” The Good News Bible (GNB) translates this word “normally comes to people.” Take heart, dear friends, you are not alone in your temptations and testings!

In light of the above, is Paul teaching that everyone experiences the same kinds of temptations? If so, how literally do we understand this? Does everyone experience being “seized” or “overtaken” by a temptation to steal, lie, dishonor our father and mother, and covet our neighbor’s goods. I believe it is accurate to say that all humans are tempted to break all of the commandments of God, and most likely, in one way or another (if only in the mind) we have broken them. This does not mean that everyone is tempted in the same way (and, remember, the verse is talking about temptations and testings, not sins). Nor is everyone tempted to the same degree. Those who have yielded little to a specific kind of temptation in the past may not experience intense temptation in that area now. The opposite is true as well. Those who have fallen often in a certain way may find it very difficult to overcome that tendency even today. Fortunately, the all-powerful and all-forgiving grace of God can change the worst liar or thief into a godly, radiant, truthful and honest person. So with each of us with our temptations and sins.

The Faithfulness of God

The important part—one of the most important doctrines in all of the Bible—is that God is faithful (consistent, steady, loyal) and “he will not let you be tested beyond your strength”—beyond what you are able to bear. “Whereas pagan writers emphasized human will, Paul emphasizes God’s faithfulness” (Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament [InterVarsity, 1993], pp. 473-74).

I have had to look at this statement directly, over and over again. I have asked myself if it is really true. If it is (and I believe strongly that it is) it is one of the most powerful tools or weapons in the arsenal of the Christian. No matter what you or I are going through right now, it is not more that we can endure by the grace of God. Yes, I have sometimes said, “I can’t take it anymore,” but I have been wrong every time.

I am grateful, however, that the verse does not stop there. The apostle Paul—one whose life was filled with severe testings, temptations, sufferings, beatings, and numerous other calamities—goes on to say, by inspiration and by experience, “but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.”

The Example of Jesus

Several items in the original language call for attention. One is that the word “but” is a sharply contrasting word. The author wants us to see how God’s strength is superior to our strength. A second point is that God works with the test or temptation. He does not ignore it, but uses it, working all things together for our good (Romans 8:28). Remember, testing and temptation are not sinful. Jesus experienced every major type of temptation during his earthly life (Hebrews 2:17-18; 4:15-16; 5:7-9), yet he never sinned once—by thought, word, action, omission, commission or disposition. He experienced these testings as a fully human person, assisted by the same Spirit of God you and I have. He did not switch over to his “deity” mode when a temptation came to him.

Communal and Personal Testing

Another notable feature is the definite article “the” before “way out.” While it is possible to translate this as the NIV does, “he will also provide a way out,” the NRSV, which we have been using, keeps the literal Greek wording, as does the NASB: “will provide the way of escape also.” Either translation is acceptable, as long as we keep in mind that the way of escape will always be suited to the nature and severity of the test or temptation. It is “the way out” for you or me at that time, not necessarily the same way for everyone at all times. Of course we can say that Jesus is “the way out” for everyone, always, but something more specific seems to be in Paul’s mind. Fred Fisher says it well: “The expression [‘the way’] assumes that every temptation has its own way of escape. The temptation and the way of escape go in pairs” (Commentary on 1 and 2 Corinthians, [Word, 1975], p. 159).

We said above that the pronouns “you” in verse 13 are plural. The references are also plural in verses 14 and 15. This indicates, in part, that a whole group (such as the Israelites in the wilderness) can be liable to testing or temptation of a similar kind, and all must stand for God, in solidarity with one another. You or I are not expected to endure the testings alone, but in close fellowship with God and his people. Yet verse 12, just before our classic text, has singular pronouns. “So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall.” Even though we may sometimes be tested as a group (think of some young adults planning an upcoming weekend party), we must stand on our own two feet, strengthened by God, to be able to avoid sinning and to be able to lead others in the right direction.

The Way Out

What is “the way out”? Whatever it is, God is said to always be faithful, and therefore he will always provide “the way of escape” (NASB), so that we may be able to endure the test. In some cases it might be flight: “flee youthful lusts” (2 Timothy 2:22). In some cases it may be fight: “Fight the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12). In some cases it may be float: “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him” (Psalm 37:7). But it should never be fright: “Fear not, little flock” (Luke 12:32). (All four citations are from KJV.) The “way out” is very personal and individual for each person, on each occasion, even though these tests and temptations are common to everyone. We are all urged to receive this powerful word of deliverance. The “way out” may be a combination of things, and may need to be provided for you fifty times a day. But God is always faithful, and he promises to open the way every time you are tested or tempted. In the next posting I hope to write of specific aspects of the way out that I have experienced.

Tests and Temptations: Common to Everyone

2009-02-12T20:12:00.001-06:00

(2009-3)
I Corinthians 10:13
Bob Rakestraw

During the twelve months of 2008 I sent out postings covering the twelve most influential scripture passages from the forty-five years of my Christian life. As the year moved along, I struggled with how to cover all of my favorite texts in just twelve months, studying one scripture passage per month. The result is now history and the postings are available in the archives of this blog, but there are numerous Bible texts that I wanted to discuss yet could not. Now I am free to consider some of these additional passages.

One such text which, when added to the original twelve and thus giving us a “baker’s dozen,” is 1 Corinthians 10:13. In my two January, 2009, postings on anxiety and fear, I referred briefly to this Bible verse. I did so because it had become such a big help to me with my anxiety, and I wanted to at least call attention to the amazing truth of this passage. (By the way, I need to say a major “Thank You” to all of you who prayed for me during the very bleak months of December and January. Through your prayers and friendship, some medications, a book by Claire Weekes [see most recent posting], the help of my doctors and numerous hope-giving scriptures from the Spirit, I have had a significant recovery. While I face daily challenges regarding my health I am extremely grateful for the stability God has given me.)

Trials and Enticements

Before I quote I Corinthians 10:13, I need to mention one word in the verse, the Greek word peirasmos. It means both a test or trial, as well as a temptation or enticement to sin. The context of a particular usage determines which meaning predominates. In our scripture text, both senses are valid, because every temptation is surely a test of our character, and every time we are tested or tried, there is an element of temptation in it, for example, to complain against God, to blame someone else for the trial, or even somehow to “cheat” in the middle of the test.

Some translations use the word “tempt,” while others use “test.” Here I quote the New Revised Standard Version, which uses “test.”

“No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it” (I Corinthians 10:13).

As always, there is a need to look at the broader context. While this text, like many others, serves as a “stand-alone” truth from God’s Word, the verses before and after, and the broader historical situation, help us to understand Paul’s thoughts more fully.

The Corinthian Context

The apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthians around the year 55, near the end of his three-year stay in Ephesus. He knew the Corinthians well, having stayed with them for a year and a half, teaching them the scriptures and seeing many of them come to Christ (Acts 18:1-18). He also knew the city of Corinth well, and its damaging effects, in many ways, on the Christians in Corinth.

The city, with some 650,000 people in Paul’s day (but only about 10,000 today) was a major commercial and cultural center of Greece. It was also known for its religious emphasis (Corinth had at least twelve temples) and for its sexual immorality. The worship of Aphrodite, goddess of love, at one time involved 1,000 sacred prostitutes who served in her temple, high above the city on the Acro-Corinth—a prominent tribute to the goddess and the debased way of “worship” associated with her. The immorality of Corinth was so widely known that the Greek verb “to Corinthianize” came to mean “to practice sexual immorality.” This way of life, not surprisingly, infiltrated the Christian community at Corinth.

Other problems that this young church faced, and which Paul had to address in this first epistle to the Corinthians, included divisions among the Christians, pride in human wisdom and philosophy, divorce and remarriage, lawsuits between believers before pagan courts, disrespect toward the Lord’s Supper, abuses of spiritual gifts, and a general lack of maturity and holiness. In other words, it was much like many churches today!

Warnings from the Past

With this background in mind, Paul’s words in chapter ten become much more vivid. In fact, our focal text—verse 13—comes as the climax of a section (10:1-13) titled “Warnings from Israel’s History” (NIV). The Exodus of God’s people from Egypt, and the wilderness wanderings for the next forty years, are presented as examples to the Corinthians to not depart from the Lord. After all crossed over the Red Sea on dry land, and after all “drank” of the same “spiritual rock” who accompanied them—Christ himself, most of the people died in the wilderness, never entering the promised land.

Before Paul writes his famous verse about testing and temptation, he warns the Corinthian Christians not to set their hearts on evil things. He then warns them specifically against some of the sins during the Israelites’ wilderness wanderings: idolatry, pagan revelry, sexual immorality (for which 23,000 died in one day), testing the Lord, and grumbling. Paul then repeats his statement that these warnings from Israel’s history are given as examples so that the Corinthians—or any of us today—do not fall in the same way. Then, just before verse 13, Paul writes, “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall” (I Corinthians 10:13, NIV).

This warning against spiritual pride is the crucial lead-in to our classic text. It indicates that an attitude of satisfaction with one’s spiritual life is a dangerous frame of mind to have. “Be careful,” he says, “that you don’t fall.” Apparently some of the Corinthians, perhaps most of them, were not wantonly going after the sinful lifestyle in their notorious city, but they were in danger of the pride—including spiritual pride—that goes before a fall. With this background, Paul then speaks of tests, temptations, and the way of escape.

The Remarkable Promise

Once again, I will close this posting with 1 Corinthians 10:13, having prepared the ground, I trust, for its further unfolding in our next entry. This time, however, I will quote from the Good News Bible. This is a marvelous promise and a rich blessing for all of God’s people, in any age or place.

“Every test that you have experienced is the kind that normally comes to people. But God keeps his promise, and he will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, he will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out.”

Breaking the Fear Cycle

2009-01-30T21:04:00.001-06:00

(2009-2)
I Corinthians 10:13
Bob Rakestraw

In the previous posting on this blog (“In the Grip of Anxiety”) I described and started to analyze some horrific times of fear I had recently experienced. (I use the word “horrific” deliberately.) These were truly frightening times, and I have been learning lately that many people have them.

Because I have been so helped by a certain book—in addition to the prayers and encouragement of God’s people, my doctors, medications, and my lifetime experience with God and the Bible—I felt it may be helpful to hand on some of the insights from the book to you for possible use either now or in the future. Even if you never face this awful scourge (and I hope you never do), the following materials may be something you can use to help yourself or others in the practical business of daily living.

First I will summarize briefly the four steps for dealing with serious anxiety presented forty years ago by Dr. Claire Weekes in her excellent work (with a somewhat archaic title), Hope and Help for Your Nerves. Her book is still considered by some mental-health professionals to be one of the best of the lot in this type of literature. Here are her steps.

1. Facing

Look at yourself and your emotions, and note how tensely you are fighting the fears rising within you. Do exactly the opposite. Sit comfortably and do not shrink from the upsetting sensations. Face and examine the awful feelings. Don’t fight them. By your anxiety you are stimulating an excessive flow of adrenaline which then produces the very sensations that are troubling you. Face the fact (for it is a fact) that most people with this problem eventually find the cure from within themselves, with the guidance of an outside helper or helpers.

2. Accepting

Be prepared to accept and live with your illness for some time. Your body has quite likely been through some very serious episodes, and your nerves have been highly sensitized. Small triggers may set off your sensitized nerves very easily, so be sure that you truly accept (not “put up with”) your physical illness and symptoms. This means 100% acceptance (not 99%) at the very peak of your crisis experience!

Try to live and work with your symptoms without paying them too much attention. Weekes says, “Symptoms can be intensified only by further fear and its resulting tension, never by facing and accepting.” The reason acceptance is key to recovery is that with this attitude adrenaline and the sympathetic nervous system are not being triggered, hence there are no symptoms.

3. Floating

“To float is just as important as to accept, and it works similar magic,” according to Weekes. Let “float” not “fight” be your slogan. Just as a person, floating on smooth water, lets him or her self be carried this way or that by the gentle movement of the water, so should the anxious person let his body “go with the flow” of his anxious feelings instead of trying to withdraw from them or force his way through them. When a person “floats” through the most intense crises, he or she will sense relaxation, not panic. Let the terrifying thoughts float away—picture them leaving your body. Realize they are only thoughts; don’t be bluffed by them.

Stop holding tensely onto yourself, trying to control your fear. This simply generates more fear. Don’t even strive to relax. “Simply let the thought of relaxation be in your mind, in your attitude toward your body,” says Weekes. “The very act of being prepared to accept your tenseness relaxes your mind, and relaxation of body generally follows. You don’t have to strive for relaxation. You have to wait for it.” Calm breathing, where you allow your abdomen to move out and in with each breath, helps tremendously. In fact, in stress clinics, patients often say that the most helpful exercise they learn is abdominal or “belly” breathing, whether sitting or lying down.

4. Letting Time Pass

Despite your new approach to your illness, your symptoms will almost certainly continue to return for some time—perhaps, at first, as acutely as before you learned these techniques. Weekes says that “your adrenaline-releasing nerves will continue to be fatigued and sensitized for some time longer, in spite of your new approach.” Instead of finding yourself disappointed and depressed for days after learning how to help yourself, your “understanding and willingness to let more time pass finally work the miracle.” Weekes adds: “Do no think I expect you to do this without the help of a sedative,…[but] you must have a doctor’s help in choosing the type and dose of sedative.”

It is important to stay occupied even while the troublesome symptoms and feelings are present. But do not feverishly seek occupation in order to forget yourself. This is running away from fear, and you can’t run far from fear. Calmly accept what is happening, and the fear gradually subsides. Every short respite from fear helps to calm your nerves in a very real, physical way, so that they become less and less responsive to stimulation and your sensations become less and less intense.

Resensitization of nerves may occur at some future time, but because you have developed an inner core of confidence and strength you will pass through the fear. “Because this confidence has been born the hard way, from your own experience, you will never quite lose it. You may falter but you will never be completely overwhelmed again.”

Parallels to Everyday Living

My guess is that you have already spotted in the above a number of parallels to life experiences apart from the specific problem of serious anxiety episodes. So many experiences in life tend to make us fearful, worried, sad, discouraged, depressed, lonely, impatient, angry, frustrated, or seeking escape in harmful ways. The four steps given by Weekes can be helpful in dealing with each of these disturbing conditions, whether you are a religious person or not.

However, if you are a follower of Jesus, and desire to live faithfully as his disciple, you have an enormous body of additional material (the scriptures) and a powerful indwelling presence (the Holy Spirit) to comfort, guide and sustain you through the most awful episodes of nerve sensitization or other mental-health conditions. You even have the assurance that God the Son and God the Spirit are actively praying (interceding) for you in your trials (Romans 8:26, 31, 34). We also have the community of God to encourage us and pray for us, as we do for them.

The four steps given above—facing, accepting, floating, and letting time pass—apply very helpfully to the struggles, temptations, anxieties, and other spiritual battles of the Christian life. For example, when you are tempted to make an angry phone call or send an angry e-mail, the four steps may help you choose a wise course of action.

Face the Problem

Admit you are angry—even furious. Allow yourself to fume and don’t stuff your emotions. Sit down comfortably, breathe deeply, and ask God for his gracious help to keep you stable. Thank God for allowing you to experience this situation even though you detest the circumstances.

Accept the Problem

Fully admit that this is a serious situation—to you at least. Your nervous system is highly charged, and you need to become calm by accepting this difficulty as from the hand of God. Not that God inspired any wrongdoing on the other person’s part or yours, but he is letting you go through this so that you will be stronger—to develop your character (Romans 5:3-5; Hebrews 12:4-15). The scriptures say not only to give thanks in everything, but for everything (1 Thessalonians 5:18; Ephesians 5:20). Ask God for the grace of acceptance, with gratitude that he is willing to give it to you, “for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Float with the Problem

Don’t keep fighting the battle in your mind. It is understandable to review the circumstances that led to this crisis, and to consider possible courses of action, but invite God to guide you and guard you from erroneous thinking and acting. After a while, take a break. Do something else, take a walk, talk to someone, listen to some calming music. Take a nap.

Don’t strive to relax, but ask God to give you thoughts of peace and relaxation. Quote Bible verses in your mind, such as Isaiah 26:3: “You will keep in perfect peace the one whose mind is stayed on you.” Tell God you trust him in this situation, and thank him for his understanding of every detail of your life. Continue to breathe with abdominal or “belly” breathing, not with rapid, shallow breaths into your upper chest only.

Let Time Pass

The above three steps may take two hours or two days. Before you make any decision (and remember, sometimes the best action is no action), read James chapter one carefully and prayerfully, asking God for wisdom to do what is most honoring to him. When you arrive at a tentative decision, let some time pass before you take any action. Ask God to rest your troubled soul. Set a time, such as 2 p.m. today, when you intend to act, and then let your tentative decision marinate for a while. Try not to visit it every five minutes. Above all, when 2:00 p.m. arrives, let neither sinful anger nor cowardice motivate you, but the love of God for your neighbor. Sometimes love must be tough, but it should never be nasty. It should always be kind.

Once again I leave this theme for now without delving into the powerful scripture from 1 Corinthians 10:13. I do want to quote it here, however, to encourage you to ponder it in the light of these last two postings on anxiety and fear. If you read it as I do, you see how the text bristles with insights on our topic. Next time I trust to be able to examine this remarkable verse.

“No testing [or temptation] has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it” (NRSV).

In the Grip of Anxiety

2009-01-22T20:39:00.000-06:00

(2009-1)
I Corinthians 10:13
Bob Rakestraw

My warmest Minnesota greetings to each of you reading this today. I know how some of you are faring so far in 2009, but with most of you I don’t know. I truly wish you well in the ways that matter most. I do know that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. It’s a good thing, because we certainly do change, and so do our circumstances.

Five Days from the Pit

The first five days of 2009 have been, as far as I can recall, the most awful time of my life, health-wise. I have never known such anxiety. To back up a bit, my health began to take a further downward turn in the fall, leading to a bad month of December, and culminating in the frightening days of January 1-5. A combination of decreasing strength and increasing fear led to some truly awful episodes of anxiety. (I am using the words “anxiety” and “fear” as synonyms, although generally fear is understood as being tied to a realistic threat from one’s environment, whereas anxiety is not. I find both words necessary to convey my thoughts and emotions.)

Even though I have struggled with anxiety both before and after my heart transplant of 2003, I have lived most of my life with no major problems with it. I do confess that during our honeymoon, when I was 23, I had to have some serious talks with God about my fears concerning the financial challenges of the months and years ahead (after all, I had now “taken to myself a wife”). But I never knew how real and frightening serious anxiety could be until recent weeks.

What Was Going On?

It is hard, with words, to convey the terror of those days. (I say “those days” because, praise God, my last really bad day was January 5.) I’m not sure how to understand it all. But I began to experience terrible fear within me—gripping my chest and abdomen, but definitely centered in my thoughts: thoughts of great apprehension, fear, and fear of fear. The “episodes” basically involved my sitting or standing in a completely overwhelmed state, feeling as though I was not only losing control of a sound mind, but had actually lost it. I would cry, and say to Judy, “I can’t take this any more.” I wasn’t banging on anything, or shouting out loud (but I was shouting in my mind) and didn’t have any external symptoms except my frightened words and cries. Inside I was a wreck—crying to God for help but feeling under the grip of a terrifying force that seized me at the most vulnerable edge of my fears.

What fears did I have? In part, the accumulation of 25 years of heart problems, especially the past five since my heart transplant, with no medical hope of improvement—only a heart attack or attacks predicted to end it all quite soon—began to settle in me. But why now? I don’t know for sure, although I have some ideas.

I do know that the fear had a lot to do with the future—not the far-off future, not standing before the Lord at the end of my life, not even the rather unpleasant scenario I’ve been told to expect that will end my life, but the fear of the immediate day itself, or the portion of the day still before me. I became terribly anxious about how I would spend my time. What would I do all day long? With my lack of energy becoming more of a problem each day, I can do less and less.

I had been having trouble sleeping, and would wake as early as 2:00 a.m. To look forward to the long hours ahead would create such a sense of panic within me that I felt out of control. Each episode—lasting from 15 minutes to an hour or so—reinforced the apprehension about the next episode. I learned later that this was a classic pattern of fear-adrenaline-further apprehension-fear. Adrenaline was pumping furiously during this cycle, and the more I fought the fear, the more I became filled with fear.

What to Do?

During some long, cold, lonely nights and days I spent a lot of time reading the scriptures on anxiety, praying for some understanding of this “enemy” (or “thorn in the flesh”) that seemed to be lurking around each corner of the house (actually, lurking within my mind), waiting for the right moment to pounce. I said to Judy several times, “Something has to change. I don’t believe God wants me to go on like this.” I sensed strongly that something would soon change.

Finally, I did two things. One, which I had done several times before, was to follow James chapter five and call for the elders of the church to come to our home and pray for me. Another, which I had never done before, was to visit a mental health professional to discuss what was happening to me. Between the elders’ prayers, the doctor’s guidance and medications, a truly marvelous 40-year-old book the doctor recommended (Hope and Healing for Your Nerves, by Dr. Claire Weekes, Signet paperback), and the prayers of many others, I began to understand and conquer the awful, awful fear.

Is There a Purpose Here?

Why am I writing this piece? Purely out of desire to help someone. If there is one reader, or the friend or acquaintance of some reader, who is suffering from anxiety, or will at some time in the future, and will find help in this writing, I will be totally grateful. This is why I write. I hear accounts of how someone has forwarded an item from this blog to someone in need, and God has used it to strengthen that person, and I am filled with thanksgiving. This gives me a reason to live, which, as some of you know, I have struggled with significantly.

It is interesting to read my January, 2008, blog posting on—of all things—anxiety, and the relevance of Philippians 4:6-7. What I have experienced recently makes the personal testing part of last year’s writing seem mild by comparison. I know those experiences were not mild, but recent events have challenged me at a much deeper level—at the very core of my being.

I have not discussed a scripture text in this piece. This is very unusual for me. There are basically two reasons for this. First, I am still so overwhelmed by the Bible passage from December, 2008 (2 Corinthians 12:7-12), that it continues to be a powerful help in sustaining me now as it did during the recent very bleak days. Second, the scripture I want to comment on next will “fit” better after this piece and the next, so I will simply offer it to you now as a remarkable promise from God for 2009.

“No testing [or temptation] has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it” (I Corinthians 10:13, NRSV).

Strength Through Weakness: How to Receive It

2008-12-31T20:49:00.000-06:00

Top Twelve Scripture Texts: Number 12B
2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Bob Rakestraw

Happy New Year! Wherever you are in the world, I truly wish each of you the best year of your life so far! Circumstances may or may not be your best ever, but the living God may be more real to you than ever before.

I often struggle, when I prepare these postings, whether to postpone writing them until I feel in a more positive frame of mind. Every one I write is hard work, not primarily because of the study involved, but because of the emotional toll the project exacts from me.

I want to be completely honest in my writing, but sometimes I hold back from saying all that I could because I don’t want to discourage you, the readers. No doubt there is also an element of human pride involved. If I admit how much I am struggling some readers might consider me to be not very spiritual, or—at the very least—to be psychologically unstable. You may not think of me as highly as I would like you to. You might think that the long battle with heart disease, which the doctors discovered 24 years ago, is finally throwing me off-kilter. You might also think of me as a complainer if I mention specific physical ailments.

It is a good thing for me to keep you—the readers—in mind concerning these matters as I write. I’m glad I never sent out some items I wrote, or considered writing. I want to be responsible, and not throw anything and everything out there for all the world to see. This blog should represent my best work—for this genre of writing—not my impulsive thoughts.

Most of all, I desire to write what God leads me to write. How do I know I am doing that? I pray according to the book of James, chapter 1, asking God for wisdom, and searching my heart for improper thoughts and attitudes, confess any sin to God, and then start writing. I can’t wait forever for some ideal frame of mind, because there is no such thing (at least not for me).

Lately my struggles have become more difficult, both physically and emotionally. Maybe this is just a phase. I hope it is. Whether it is or not, I want to write this posting because it accomplishes my goal for the year 2008—to present my top 12 favorite scripture texts of all time. I had serious doubts a year ago, when I started this project, that I would ever complete it. I had already lived longer than the six months the doctors gave me to live. Now, thanks to God, I am writing this piece.

Living with Sufferings

Last time I began the theme for the month: “When I am weak, then I am strong.” The famous scripture passage is 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. I considered some of the details in the last posting, so I’ll not repeat them here. But I do want to step back from looking at the trees to view the forest as a whole.

How should I live in view of this passage of scripture, and in view of my sufferings? I am reluctant to use the work “sufferings” for myself, because it is such a strong word, and I hesitate to think of my difficulties as severe in light of the sufferings of Jesus, the sufferings of the apostle Paul, the sufferings of persecuted Christians, and the sufferings of millions of hungry, diseased, abused, and hurting people around the world. But I believe it is an appropriate word, even though my troubles are small by comparison.

I am also reluctant to list my difficulties, but I think I should, since I mention them in general from time to time. My constant companions include nausea, dizziness, light-headedness, pain in my bones, abdominal pain, increasingly bad headaches, stress from conversation and noise (it is hard to speak for long, or listen for long), and a steady downward pull inside of me, hindering my standing, walking, sitting and even lying down. I also battle depression and anxiety, which are the worst of all. I rarely go to doctors, although I appreciate their kindness and knowledge. I’m glad that we stay in touch.

Where to Focus

I have been forced to look more closely at the scripture passage itself. I don’t think that God is pressing me to figure out what Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was. And I really don’t need to know what Paul’s spectacular visions and revelations were. And I don’t believe that I should pray much for God to heal me of my cardiac transplant vasculopathy. (I greatly desire total healing, however, and welcome the prayers of all who seek God to that end.) I do pray, however, about specific symptoms throughout the day (my most common prayers are simply, “I trust you Lord” and “Help me Lord.”).

Where I need to focus is on the response of the apostle Paul—godly boasting and contentment. I don’t like the word boasting, but Paul uses it throughout 2 Corinthians 10-13 (NRSV, NIV) to speak of his glorying in, rejoicing in, feeling triumph in, his weaknesses and sufferings. It is important to emphasize here that the sufferings in themselves are not something I seek, not something I desire, and not something I glory in for their own sake. Also, sufferings do not save anyone or sanctify anyone. They have no merit in themselves, and Christians should avoid all ascetic theologies that urge us to seek suffering and self-deprivation so that God will be pleased with us. No. God is pleased with us because we are in his Son, not because we punish ourselves. Paul states boldly: “Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong” (v. 10). Paul’s thorn “was given” him (v. 7); he did not seek it.

Why and How to be Glad

If I am to rejoice/boast/count it all joy when I suffer (1 Cor. 12:9; Rom. 5:3; Jas 1:2), then how do I do that, and why? Taking the second question first, I am to think and live with this attitude because it honors my Lord and Savior. It is “for the sake of Christ” (v.10). But, I must admit, this is not always enough of a motivating factor for me. It should be, but I look for more. The “more” comes to me in verse 9: “So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”

Here it is, then. In some supernatural way, if I respond well to my sufferings, the power of Christ—his glory, strength, wisdom and grace—lives in me and through me. This I take by faith, if not by sight and feel. I may not sense this divine flow in me and through me, but just as I rest on John 3:16 for my eternal salvation, so I rest on 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 for my deteriorating self (my “mortal body,” Rom. 8:11) to be demonstrating the strength and beauty of Christ in and through me. It’s not that I never feel the spiritual power operating in me and through me, for I do. But I need to admit that I experience times when I doubt that my life is making any impact for good. I know I need to concentrate on—and this is the “how,” the first question above—the glorying in my weaknesses, and being content with them. This response—especially the boasting and glorying—goes against everything in me, yet it is the one specific action I am persuaded to do in this mysterious but mighty text of scripture.

I find it very helpful to read, study, and pray over two other scripture passages whenever I come to the Corinthian text: Romans 5:3-5 and James 1:2-8. While each of us has to learn personally—through prayer and experience—the “how” of boasting in our sufferings, we will find much strength by meditating on these three scripture texts together. Many other Bible passages are life-giving as well. I am just beginning to learn these things, but I know it is the only route for me to take as I face each new day—and night. (Last night was a difficult one, and my help came from the remarkable words in Romans 8:18-39, especially the part that speaks of the Holy Spirit praying for us in our sufferings. I had no strength to boast in my weaknesses!)

Being a Benediction

I am very thankful for the opportunity to study the Corinthian passage for this blog, because in doing so I came to see something that had been right before my eyes all along, but that I had not “caught.” I have tried to do the boasting part—glorying in my sufferings—but only recently have I really got ahold of the reason just presented above: the power of Christ will live in me and through me. One of the biggest difficulties of living with my disease is the daily awareness of my inability to do little or nothing to spread the glory of the kingdom to others. With this new insight, as stated above, I have a new slant on this specific motivating factor in living daily.

By faith, not having received the promises of God in their fullness (Heb. 11:39), I look with hope for God to make me a benediction to others. Some days I feel that I am not radiating Christ’s glory very well (just a few days ago I had one of my worst episodes of anxiety for some time), and at those times I try simply to exist, focusing on the promises and exhortations of scripture. God has shown me that I honor him by just “being” when the battle is the hardest. However, last night, in the wee small hours, God showed me that I have been neglecting praise and thanksgiving, and since “being” involves thinking about something, I am finding comfort in following this divine reminder.

The Journey of Weakness

I know this is a longer than usual posting. I feel constrained especially to help those of you who are suffering—physically or otherwise—in some way. It is distasteful to me to speak so much of myself, but I find from my experience with people that such specifics are helpful in knowing how to pray, and as examples and encouragement to fellow sufferers. Even though I seldom pray for my overall healing (God has seemed to say to me, “three times is enough”), I do pray—and request prayer—for specific needs daily. Even as I write this my head is pounding, and my wife and granddaughter just came to me and prayed for relief. In the pagan culture of Paul’s day, “divine power was especially displayed in magical wonders; for Paul, it is God’s power enabling one weak in himself to endure” (Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament).

Over forty years ago, as a young man in my early twenties, I was just a few months from graduating from Bible College. The yearbook editors (all of whom, including Judy, were seniors) asked fellow graduates to submit a scripture text that either had been, or would be, a “life verse” for us. Not knowing what the years held, we handed in our Bible texts, which were then placed under our photos. I submitted 2 Corinthians 12:9, partly because of how this passage had given me strength during past experiences of weaknesses, and partly because I knew that whatever I did, I would need to know how to receive God’s power in my weakness. Little did I know then just how prophetic this Bible text would prove to be, and how many hundreds of times I would lean heavily on its truth.

As we close the old year and begin 2009, may we all draw our strength from the grace of Christ. The days ahead may be difficult, but the power of God is mightier than any and all thorns sent from the evil one. “He said to me,” wrote Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” May we all be “benediction projects” to the Lord himself, to all we know, and to some we do not yet know, for it is in so doing that we receive benediction beyond measure.

Strength Through Weakness: Boasting about Splinters from Satan?

2008-12-24T19:43:00.001-06:00

Top Twelve Scripture Texts: Number 12A
2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Bob Rakestraw

For many years I have been truly amazed—standing with my mouth wide open, as it were—at the ways God’s thinking and acting often are in direct contrast to the thoughts and ways of the world. In the first chapter of James, for example, God’s people are instructed to consider it “nothing but joy” when we “face trials of any kind” (v. 2). In the book of Romans, after saying that “we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God, “the apostle Paul writes that “we also boast in our sufferings” (5:2-3).

In the famous song of Mary, after learning that she would be the mother of the Lord, we read that God “has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts…. He has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty” (Luke 1:51-53). The very idea of the perfect, just and infinitely wealthy God coming as a baby into a miserable, unjust and desperately needy world, in order to be crucified for the eternal salvation of sinful humanity, is truly incredible and even foolish to the natural mind (1 Cor. 1:18-31; 2 Cor. 13:3-4).

When I am Weak

My theme for this month is another one of the great paradoxes in scripture: “when I am weak, then I am strong.” Here is the classic statement from the Bible:

“Therefore, to keep me from being too elated [by remarkable visions and revelations from God], a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for [my] power is made perfect in weakness.’ So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses,’ so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:7b-10, NRSV).

God Overrides the Plans of Satan

This is surely one of the most mysterious passages in all of the scriptures. And it must be one of the most talked about—and written about—or thought about—by those who know the Bible. Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” has left me wondering, irritated and grateful for decades. I wonder what in the world it could possibly be. I feel irritated at times because I can’t apply the Greek language and theological reasoning to arrive at a definite conclusion. And I am often—more and more as the years pass—thankful to God that the thorn is not clearly identified. This way, the principle of strength through weakness applies to numerous situations of life here on earth.

While I do not intend to identify this “messenger of Satan,” I do want to point out a number of details that have been helpful to me in thinking about the thorn.

1) Paul considers this affliction to be of God—probably not in the sense of being directly sent by God, but being permitted by him. He is in control of even the painful aspects of our existence.

2) The word “messenger” in the Greek language is angelos, translated “angel” almost all of the time in the New Testament. Is the thorn a fallen angelic spirit—a demonic influence or temptation (or even a person or persons) who lingers around us without dominating us (because of God’s protection)? Such a view is not inconceivable. In any case, the thorn is said to be “of Satan.”

The Thorn in the Flesh

3) The word for “thorn” may also be translated as “splinter”—a constant irritant as we move through the day. It may also be translated as “stake”—that is, a sharpened wooden shaft. New Testament scholar Philip E. Hughes notes that what Paul is saying, literally, is: “there was given to me a stake for the flesh,” rather than “in the flesh.” According to Hughes “it seems to us that Paul is thinking graphically of a body helplessly impaled. He sees himself as it were transfixed, painfully held down and humiliated…” (The Second Epistle to the Corinthians).

4) The word for “flesh” (sarx) is used numerous ways in the New Testament and other early Christian literature. While it sometimes means the human body, or the material that covers the bones of our body, at other times it refers to human nature, life here on earth, the external or outward side of life, or the sinful tendency of humanity apart from God There are other possible meanings as well. It may therefore refer to the earthly, but non-material, realm of life, or the physical side of existence’. These are closely intertwined, so it is not wise to view the thorn in an either/or manner.

5) The thorn “tormented” Paul as an ongoing aspect of his life. One commentator, writing of the word “torment,” or “buffet,” notes that “the present tense of the verb to buffet me seems to imply that the trouble was permanent. And the word itself, kolaphizo, means literally ‘to strike a blow with the fist,’ and so ‘to maltreat,’ especially in such a manner that shame and indignation are felt by the sufferer” (R.V.G. Tasker, The Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians).

The Purpose and Power of God

6) The splinter accomplished God’s good purpose in Paul’s life—it kept him from being overly elated (conceited, boastful) from the remarkable visions and revelations he had received from God. The NASB—“to keep me from exalting myself”—gets the idea right. This is stated twice in verse 7 (in the Greek; see NRSV) as the reason God allowed the thorn.

7) God did not answer Paul’s thrice-repeated prayer in the way that he wanted—to have the thorn removed from is life, but God did answer it by giving Paul his remarkable grace. God said that was enough!

8) God’s supernatural power is, according to the divine economy, “made perfect in weakness.” The translation by Kenneth S. Wuest is very encouraging: “power is moment by moment coming to its full energy and complete operation in the sphere of weakness.”

9) Paul’s boasting “all the more gladly” of his weaknesses was a God-pleasing response to the denial of his prayer request. Elsewhere, as I mentioned earlier, he records a similar theme: “we also boast in our sufferings” (Rom. 5:3, NRSV). I admit to being greatly perplexed, and sometimes much distressed over these teachings, but I also admit to having daily peace and even joy in my sufferings.

10) Paul says that his boasting is “so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” The expanded translation by Wuest is quite revealing: “…in order that the power of the Christ [like the Shekinah Glory in the Holy of Holies of the Tent of Meeting] may take up its residence in me [working within me and giving me help].”

I am Content

11) Paul’s remarkable conclusion, “Therefore I am content,” silences all who may take offense at the sufferings of God’s people. Because Paul had learned the secret of contentment (see Phil. 4:11-13; 1 Tim. 6:6,8; Heb. 13:5), he could boast gladly of his weaknesses, since he knew when he was weak (and only then, in Spurgeon’s view), he was truly strong.

12) The threefold theme of God’s strength, human weakness, and godly boasting, interspersed throughout 2 Corinthians 10-13, lies at the very core of the apostle Paul’s successful life and ministry. He learned—through long and severe difficulties and hardships—that he was incredibly strong as a Christian and as a Christian leader, but only when he was weak in himself. He did not buy into the world’s mantra, “Believe in yourself.” He saw the example of Christ (“he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God,” 2 Cor. 13:4), and chose to make this same pattern his very own. “If I must boast,” he said, “I will boast of the things that show my weakness” (2 Cor. 11:30).

I will end this study for now, and will leave with you these twelve pieces of spiritual truth to chew on and, I trust, swallow (according to the insights God gives you). As I wrote a few days ago, I am physically very weak these days. My desire is to follow Jesus, Paul, Amy Carmichael (her excellent but profound book is Rose from Briar), and numerous others (see Hebrews 11) who have learned that godly boasting in one’s weakness leads to great peace, joy, hope, and inner strength.

By God’s grace I hope to continue on these deep things of God in my next posting. May the Jesus of Bethlehem and the Christ of Calvary be for you and yours the one who satisfies. May he be enough, and may you be satisfied in him and through him.

’Tis the Season…

2008-12-21T22:16:00.000-06:00

Christmas blessings to each of you. Thank you for checking in regularly on “The Benediction Project,” and for posting your thoughts from time to time. I feel very fortunate to have been given this ministry from the Lord, and I desire to bring some spiritual benefit to you when I write. I also appreciate when you contribute to the other readers.

Recently, because of increasing physical difficulties, I have had a hard time preparing my “Top Twelve Scripture Texts” material for December. I am working on one of the most important Bible passages to me, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. I want to leave these verses with you, as a benediction or blessing. I have found Paul’s testimony to be my own, and I wish these truths to be yours as well.

“But [the Lord] said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for [my] power is made perfect in weakness.’ So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:9-10, NRSV).

May our gracious God richly bless you and keep you in the coming days and years, as you live moment by moment in his presence and peace. Love to you through Christ!

A Bit of Help

2008-12-04T19:34:00.000-06:00

Some readers of this blog have said they do not know how to get into the part where they may participate. If you wish to post a reply (and I hope you do!) or read what others have posted, and what I’ve replied, just scroll down to the end of the article you are interested in, and double click on the word “Comments.” This should open up the interactive part where you can get involved. I greatly appreciate you who contribute. All of us need to hear your questions and insights.

The Flow of the Spirit is Kindness: Becoming Kinder Persons

2008-11-30T19:44:00.001-06:00

Top 12 Scripture Texts: Number 11C
Galatians 5:22, 23

Bob Rakestraw
November 30, 2008

How to Become Kind

I’ve had a huge privilege throughout my adult life—I’ve lived with a remarkably kind person for over 41 years. My wife, Judy, is also the most unselfish person I’ve ever known. One of the two most important ways to learn to be kind is to be around kind people. Observe how they speak and act in specific situations, and then attempt this way of life yourself. The second most important way to learn kindness—it actually precedes imitation—is to turn your life over to God in every respect.

According to the apostle Paul, “When the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23 New Living Translation). It is putting the cart before the horse if we try to be kind without first yielding our whole selves—body, heart, spirit, mind—to God. But when we commit ourselves to be radical disciples of Jesus, desiring to live all of our days according to his example and will, we will become more patient, more joyful, more self-controlled…and more kind. It’s the supernatural flow of the Spirit. And its also the in-the-moment direction of the Spirit: “If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives” (Gal. 5:25, NLT).

In addition, I find it extremely motivating to call to mind why I need to be kind to others, even to those who are not kind: they are created in the image of God, and in some way represent God on earth. To be kind to “the least of these” is to be kind to God!

How to Show Kindness

There are a lot of ways you can show kindness. Hold the door open for the next person coming through. Say “Thank you” often. Say “You too” to the cashier after he or she gives the obligatory “Have a nice day.” Smile at people—looking into their eyes. Tell someone abut a flaw in his or her life. That’s right! This is a really tough one, and you should do this only after much thought and prayer, and after you have come to know the person well. After agonizing for many months, I finally mentioned to a student his consistently bad breath. He received it well, but I hated to do it. I know I would want someone to tell me. “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses” (Proverbs 27:6).

Introduce yourself to your neighbors, and make attempts to know them. Most likely, they will not do it first. Pray about this, and pray for them, before you knock on their apartment or house door. Bring them a tin of cookies or a calendar. Invite them into your home. Yes, these things take time and boldness, but you will be amazed at how God gives you the courage and the words when you take the first step. As a chronically ill person, I have had to ask God to help me be kind to the doctors who come into my hospital room. Their often-repeated, seemingly endless rounds of questions surely do not prompt me to be kind. I have sometimes become irritated at them, because talking is so exhausting for me, and I have regretted this afterward. I have often had to repent of unkindness throughout my life—especially in words and thoughts—and God always forgives me through his kindness.

My Greatest Struggle

As a college and graduate school professor I have had the most difficulty grading papers and assigning grades for the course. I will never know how some students were accepted into one of the schools where I taught—they were so unprepared intellectually. I tried always to be kind to them and help them, but I could not in good conscience give them good grades, or even passing grades, at times. They simply did not know the material, nor did they know how to learn. They were greatly distressed over their poor grades, and I felt distress as well. Some students are not equipped to be in college or graduate school, and it is actually unkind (and dishonest) to push them through the courses. They should not be led to believe they are something they are not. God will still use them to serve him according to the way he has gifted them.

Over the length of your lifetime you will make many thousands of decisions. Often these decisions are made on-the-spot. Ask God to control your whole life—yield yourself to him totally—and you will be led at the time with what to say or do, or not say or do. Once you’ve made the big decision to follow Christ all of your days, you will experience more and more wisdom, insight, patience,…and kindness in your everyday decisions. You will be increasingly joyful and peaceful in yourself, and increasingly kind to others. Many will be richly blessed through you—more than you will ever know!

John Wesley offers us some valuable words:

“Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.”

A Personal Note

I offer thanks to God today for directing one-and-a-half years of “The Benediction Project” blog. There have been times when, due to my poor health, I have thought of suspending or even ending the project, but I am grateful that God has enabled me to continue. Thank you for walking with me during this journey. I value your participation greatly.

The Flow of the Spirit is Kindness: What if It's Not my Personality

2008-11-28T17:58:00.002-06:00

Top 12 Scripture Texts: Number 11B
Galatians 5:22, 23
Bob Rakestraw

The fruit (flow, outcome, result) of the Holy Spirit in a person is a lot of things: love, joy, peace…and kindness (Galatians 5:22-23). If anyone calls himself or herself a follower of Jesus, we should see these qualities in that person’s life.

In the last posting I wrote about the meaning of kindness throughout the New Testament, and this time I will focus on the power behind kindness. Why are some people kind and others are not? What is it that produces kindness?

Personal Difficulties

I struggle at times to be kind, but I am very grateful for three things: I usually am aware (after a while, at least) that I need to be kind in a given situation; I usually gain some recognition of what kindness calls for in that situation; I can usually stop unkindness at the thought level, before it comes out in words or actions. But, above all, I am grateful for the power of God’s Holy Spirit within me to produce the flow—the fruit—of divine life through me. I also insist that it is God who works in me to generate the three aspects of kindness mentioned above, as well as any kind thoughts, words or actions toward others.

I cannot claim any inherent goodness that somehow produces kindness. I really have a nasty, selfish streak in me that tends to jump on people (in my mind) that I don’t like—sometimes even with those I do like—and I consider myself superior to them. My biggest concern in this blog posting is to show that one’s ability to be kind does not come from a natural disposition or personality, but from the life of the Spirit in those who have been born of the Spirit and are seeking to be conformed to God’s image.

Where to Turn for Help

Over the years of my Christian life I have found that the book of Galatians contains some valuable teachings about the third person of the Trinity—the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is presented as the spiritual power within us who, after giving us a new birth (Gal. 4:6-7; John 3:1-8), produces the good things of God within us and through us (Gal.3:1-14; 5:1-26).

I often quote Galatians 5:22-23 to myself simply as “The fruit of the Spirit is….” But I also need to keep in mind the whole context of Galatians 5, and the whole book of Galatians. I recommend that you read the book, since I am able to give only a few of its thoughts in what follows.

There is something in human nature that resists the free grace of God. The message of God’s great favor to us in Christ, giving us eternal life beginning now, seems to be too easy. We are, instead, drawn to a religion of law. We need to feel that we are not so bad—that we have the goodness in us to keep a set of laws in order to live as decent persons and earn whatever salvation there may be after this life. Religions around the world teach their followers to say endless rounds of prayer beads, practice self-denial in extreme measures, repeat one’s mantra, and practice impossibly high standards of righteousness from within our own selves.

The New Testament, however, taken as a whole, teaches that people in themselves are sinful…and lost. We need to be “born-again” according to Jesus (John 3). We are then dead to the law. Paul said: “I have been put to death with Christ on his cross, so that it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. This life that I live now, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave his life for me. I refuse to reject the grace of God. But if a person is put right with God through the Law, it means that Christ died for nothing” (Gal. 2:19-21, Today’s English Version).

The Spirit’s Action First

It is impossible to follow a system of law perfectly. And, while some non-Christians are very kind people, they must continue to try and find resources within themselves to live this way consistently. I am very thankful for the Spirit of Christ within, developing a life of kindness in and through me. Yes, I must respond to the Spirit’s leading in specific situations, but I am aware of God’s prior work in me. Two passages in Galatians 5 show this balance. In verse 16 we read: “What I say is this: let the Spirit direct your lives, and you will not satisfy the desires of the human nature.” Then, according to verses 25-26, “The Spirit has given us life; he must also control our lives. We must not be proud or irritate one another or be jealous of one another” (Today’s English Version). God’s Spirit within us produces the motivation and the strength, and then we are to do—or not do—those things that correspond to kind living.

It is not a matter of one’s personality, but of one’s relationship with a Person. The Spirit changes even the nastiest, crudest and most self-centered people into truly kind men and women, boys and girls. Never excuse your harsh, abrasive manner by saying that it is just your personality, or that your family line are all that way, or that “no one is perfect.” Yes, God’s standards are high, because he is a holy God, but he never asks us to do what he does not give us the power to do (Philippians 4:13).

Next time I intend to be more personal and more specific on how to become kind and how to show kindness.

The Flow of the Spirit is Kindness: Like Christ, our Kind Savior

2008-11-22T12:23:00.002-06:00

Top 12 Scripture Texts: Number 11A
Galatians 5:22, 23
Bob Rakestraw

I have focused a lot over the years on Galatians 5. It has become one of the most important chapters in the Bible for me, and I am very grateful that the Spirit of God led the apostle Paul to write this section of scripture. For this month’s postings I want to dwell on verses 22 and 23, and one word in particular—kindness. The passage always grips me forcefully: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23, New International Version.

In Galatians 5:22-23, the apostle Paul lists nine dimensions of the fruit, or flow, of the Spirit. Note that “fruit” is in the singular, because the well-rounded servant of God is developing and demonstrating all of these spiritual qualities together. You and I cannot be truly joyful persons and not be faithful person. You and I cannot be truly peaceful persons if we are not self-controlled persons. If we speak of “fruits” of the Spirit, we may tend to think of these virtues in isolation from one another. The fruit of the Spirit, however, grows like a sweet melon on the vine, with all parts and systems of the fruit developing simultaneously.

The Meaning of Kindness

The Greek word (the noun) for “kindness,” as sounded out in English, is krestotes, or chrestotes, with the accent on the second syllable. The word is used ten times in the New Testament, all in the epistles of Paul: Romans 2:4a; 3:12; 11:22 (three times); 2 Corinthians 6:6; Galatians 5:22, Ephesians 2:7; Colossians 3:12; and Titus 3:4.

Another form of the word (the adjective) is krestos, or chrestos, and in Greek as well as in English there is only one letter difference between krestos and the word for Christ, Kristos, or Christos. Because of this, and because both words have the accent on the second syllable, the words sound almost the same in Greek as they do in English. How frequently the early Greek-speaking Christians joined the words together to declare that their Kristos—their anointed one, their Messiah—is a krestos Savior, we’ll never know, but I suspect that it was often. Krestos is used seven times in the New Testament: Matthew 11:30; Luke 5:39; 6:35; Romans 2:4b; 1 Corinthians 15:33; Ephesians 4:32; and 1 Peter 2:3.

The words krestotes and krestos have the sense of being useful, suitable, worthy, pleasant, morally upright, reputable, kind, loving and generous. These words obviously cover a wide range of meaning, so the context is key to understanding the sense in a given passage.

The Life Changing Word of God

A careful reading of the seventeen scriptures listed above may significantly change your life. If you read them in their biblical context, with your mind and heart open fully to God, and meditate in them—listening to God about living a kind and Christlike life—you may never be the same. Even though I have been studying the subject of kindness for many years, and have been trying intentionally to live kindly, I was amazed when I reviewed these powerful texts for this brief study. They speak of both the kindness of God and the kindness that we are to show (and think, and even feel, I believe) because the Spirit of our kind Savior is living in us and desiring to flow through us.

I chose to list all of the Bible verses using these words for “kind” and “kindness” with the hope that some of you—if only one or two—will look them up. I know that the tendency (I do it myself) is to hurry past Bible references, and so, to encourage you to go farther, I just want to write out a few of these verses and very briefly comment on them.

I have discussed earlier this year how Christ’s “yoke” is kind: “My yoke is easy (kind, gentle, not abrasive) and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). I continue to be lifted up and soothed by this teaching as I struggle with significant heart-transplant issues every day. Christ’s words strike me again in the famous text exhorting us to love our enemies. The reason Jesus says to love them and “do good to them” is because “the Most High…is kind to the ungrateful and wicked” (Luke 6:35). In my natural self I do not want God to be kind to these ones, but then I stand with mouth wide open when I realize that I myself have often been “ungrateful and wicked”!

One of the most important Bible texts used by God in my coming to him as Savior and Lord at the age of 19 is Ephesians 2:7-10. I saw clearly—enlightened by the Spirit of God—that it is “by grace…through faith,” not human effort or good deeds, that I could be saved. And now, these many years later, I am more aware then ever that this gift of eternal salvation is God’s “kindness to us in Christ Jesus” (verse 7). I have never been the same since that Thanksgiving Day in 1962! It was then that I “tasted that the Lord is kind” (I Peter 2:3). It is a remarkable testimony to God’s kindness when I reflect on my three birthdays during this calendar week: my physical birthday, my heart-transplant birthday (five years) and my spiritual birthday.

Finally, I close with one of the most powerful texts anywhere in the Bible: “Do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?” (Romans 2:4). I tend to think that God’s anger leads people to repentance, and it sometimes does—God’s intolerance of sin was a factor in my own conversion. But there is a remarkable kindness—a gentleness and generosity—that pulls us to him. Some of you know this personally, and I pray that if you do not, that you will come to him soon. In Jesus there is forgiveness, friendship, and daily, living hope for this life and for the next.

For you who know Christ, you have a powerful Agent of change within you—the Holy Spirit of God. Ask him today and in the days to come to make you a kind person. Practice often and intentionally to speak, act and think kindly toward everyone in your life. I assure you from personal experience you will enter a new dimension of life. You may even become a new person!

Health Update: Five Years after Heart Transplant

2008-11-06T10:52:00.001-06:00

Bob Rakestraw
November 6, 2008

I need to send a huge “Thank You” to you, my dear friends, loved ones, blog readers, and acquaintances for your encouragement, love, prayers, and specific assistance in numerous ways in recent years. On November 17 I will celebrate five years since my heart transplant, and I believe I am alive today because of the will of God and the working of your prayers and kindnesses in cooperation with the plan of God.

Most of you know that the road has been quite rough for me since the transplant—physically and psychologically. I have been perplexed with knowing how to answer the question: “Are you glad you had the transplant?” I can answer that I am glad, but that I struggle a lot with the daily side effects of medications and life with chronic rejection (transplant vasculopathy).

One-and-a-half years ago I was told I probably had no more than six months to live, so I enrolled in hospice. After eight months my medical team removed me from hospice because I continued to live. I am greatly encouraged by this and by the scriptures. I just finished spending about a year in the Psalms. I know God has his hand on me and that, as I continue to walk with him daily, I will be on this earth no more and no less than the time he has for me (Psalms 57:2; 139:16; Acts 13:36).

My desire is to live all my remaining days for the glory of God. My physical strength is, unfortunately, decreasing, but my hunger for God is strong. I am mostly homebound. The days are long…and difficult. The main way I now connect with most people is through my blog: http://bobrakestraw.blogspot.com. I miss teaching at Bethel Seminary. I will value your continued prayers; I am weak and breathing is getting more difficult.

As I learn of your needs I want to pray for you. Thank you again for your kindnesses—in thoughts, words and actions. I look forward to spending eternity with you through the mercies of God.

Here is a marvelous benediction for each of you.

“Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21, NRSV)

Who Cares about Joy? A Different Slant on Strength

2008-10-31T17:27:00.000-05:00

Top 12 Scripture Texts: Number 10C
Nehemiah 8:10
Bob Rakestraw

One of the best things about writing this blog is that I often discover new insights on the scriptures in my preparation. I have another one this time—something I had never seen before.

What is our Strength?

This is my third and last posting on Nehemiah 8:10, “Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” My new insight—surely a gift from God—has to do with the word “strength.” For all my adult life I have understood “strength” here to be the equivalent of inner energy and power, in the sense of “grace” when that word is used as God’s empowering Spirit.

As I did some research I found that the Hebrew word for strength in Nehemiah 8:10 also means “stronghold,” or “fortress.” In fact, this is its primary sense. The verse does not seem to be focusing on an inner boost of power but rather a rock-solid citadel in which we take refuge and into which the enemy cannot penetrate. When I first discovered this truth, I was a bit disappointed, because I had always considered the verse to be promising energy. A major health issue for me, both before and after my heart transplant, has been a lack of energy—a profound weakness and inability to work, speak and serve as I did earlier in life.

Help for the Mind and Body

The more I have meditated, however, on the joy of the Lord being my fortress, the more encouraged I have become. Let me explain. Since my heart transplant in November, 2003, I have faced two enemies that I had seldom fought before: depression and anxiety. I have also battled bodily weakness, as mentioned above, and surely have benefited from the scripture texts that teach of God’s strengthening us inwardly in order to get through the day. But depression and anxiety need a different kind of help than physical energy and strength. These involve battles of the mind as well as the body.

Satan and his forces attempt to invade my mind at times with depressing and anxiety-producing thoughts, and I find huge relief and encouragement in knowing the joy of the Lord not only offers me inner strength but is also my fortress, stronghold and protection. As such, it serves as a blockade to the invading enemy thoughts. As I praise God and focus on his greatness and goodness, and receive deep joy from doing so, this joy builds a fortress around my mind and keeps out the negatives. I have actually been experiencing this protection in recent days, and it is a major help to me. I find, however, that I may need to activate this cycle (praise – joy – mental protection) several times a day. This keeps me close to God, because I desperately want to block the invaders from creating harmful moods.

I am glad, as well, that even though the Hebrew word for “strength” (maoz) is primarily fortress, protection or stronghold, it also seems to have, at times, the idea of energy or power (as in 2 Samuel 22:33 in the Dead Sea Scrolls and some Greek versions of the Old Testament, and perhaps in Ezekiel 24:25). In any case, the Bible—using other words—clearly teaches that God is the source of our strength and power (Psalm 29:11; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10). He is both our protection and stronghold as well as the supplier of daily energy to live for Him and serve those who need help.

Joy Unspeakable

It is “the joy of the Lord” that brings the protection we need to live successfully. Several days ago a friend said she feels like she is “going out of her mind with joy.” She can’t contain the joy that God is generating in her, even though she and her family have had some very difficult issues to live through in recent years. She had been reading in the book of Isaiah when she phoned and gave my wife and I this encouraging report. God is remarkably alive to her! This is the joy of the Lord. It is God’s own inner joy as Father – Son – Spirit which God then communicates to us, and which becomes our joy in God. We receive it by praise, thanksgiving, reviewing all of God’s promises in the scriptures, and understanding and obeying God’s teachings. In Nehemiah’s day, “all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.” “From the days of Joshua son of Nun until [this seven-day feast of booths], the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great” (Nehemiah 8:12, 17).

God cares about our joy—yours and mine. I used to think that joy was something optional in the Christian life—it’s nice if you can have it but it’s not absolutely necessary. Now I realize it is vital to daily living, both defensively and offensively. The fruit of the Spirit is indeed joy (Galatians 5:22).

Referring to the thrice-repeated statement in Nehemiah 8:9-12 that “this is a sacred [holy] day,” Dr. Derek Kidner makes the following remarks. I will close with them, wishing you God’s very best always.

“Three times in this short paragraph it is pointed out that holiness and gloom go ill together. What makes it rather striking, to our ears, is the calm assumption that this should go without saying. … To be ‘altogether joyful’ was the prospect held before the guests of God (Deuteronomy 16:15), and the words that went most naturally with ‘holiness’ were not only ‘justice and righteousness’ but ‘glory,’ ‘beauty,’ ‘strength’ and ‘joy’.” See, for example, Psalms 96 and 99 and Isaiah 35. [Ezra and Nehemiah, InterVarsity Press, 1979, p. 107.]

Who Cares about Joy? Humanity Wired by God

2008-10-24T20:31:00.002-05:00

Top 12 Scripture Texts: Number 10B
Nehemiah 8:10
Bob Rakestraw

In the last posting on “The Benediction Project” I introduced the subject of “the joy of the Lord” from Nehemiah 8:10, our Bible text of the month. This has been one of my top twelve favorite scripture passages throughout my Christian life, and I want to look here at its biblical context and some of its practical application for today.

It is risky, I know, to try to write about joy—true, deep, inner joy—in such turbulent times as these. The world has gone mad, pure and simple. In addition, as I said in the last posting, I am struggling with some difficult health issues related to my heart transplant of five years ago. How can I be so bold as to write about joy, especially “the joy of the Lord?”

I am writing on the topic because I believe God has “wired” (created, designed, constructed) every human being to seek and experience joy, in the same way that he wired us to desire beauty, truth, love and creative expression. The Bible speaks often of joy, or uses similar terms such as rejoicing, delight, happiness, and gladness. If God’s Word mentions joy so frequently it is obvious that God intends us to understand the topic and live it out in daily life. The “fruit of the Spirit” is love, joy, peace and other virtues that radiate the presence of God from within us to others (Galatians 5:22-23). Joy is an essential mark of all Christians, not an optional quality for some special people who are naturally more optimistic than others.

The Historical Background

The date of the events in Nehemiah 8:10 was about 445-444 B.C. It was the first day of the seventh month, Tishri (September-October), the beginning of the civil new year. The time was after the captivity of the Jewish people in Babylon. Several groups of captives had traveled the four-month route (900 miles) to return to the land of Judea and to Jerusalem. When Nehemiah, the governor of the Jewish people, returned to the promised land, he viewed the broken-down walls of Jerusalem and stirred the people to rebuild them. After the walls were finished there was a great assembly in the city square before the Water Gate.

Because Ezra had been the priest, scribe and spiritual leader of the Jews in Babylon, and their ongoing spiritual guide for the 13 years since they had been back in Jerusalem, the people asked this highly-respected man to read and teach from the law of Moses. According to the scriptures,
“On the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. All the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.” (Nehemiah 8:2-3, NIV)

After a time of public worship there was a time of public teaching. The Levites “read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read.” Surprisingly “all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law” (vss. 8-9).

The scripture readings were from the first five books of the Bible, and some of it was obviously from Leviticus (compare Nehemiah 8:9-18 with Leviticus 23:23-44). The Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles all were to be observed during the seventh month, and Ezra and the Levites explained these matters in a way that touched the people powerfully.

Emotions of Sorrow and Joy

Notice the contrasting emotions of sorrow and joy as the people heard the Word of God read, interpreted and applied. Why were they mourning and weeping, and then turning from sorrow to great joy? Dr. H. G. M. Williamson, Professor of Hebrew at Oxford, offers some fine insights:

“The initial reaction [weeping] is probably not to be explained by the fact that the law was unfamiliar to them so much as that the interpretation which Ezra and the Levites provided (vss. 7-8) brought home its relevance to their situation in a fresh way…. Ezra (perhaps for the first time) developed a means of interpreting Scripture whereby parts which had been thought to be out-of-date were shown to reveal the underlying principles of God’s will which were of timeless relevance. The result of this was to stir the people’s consciences as they came to realize how far short of God’s standards their lives had fallen” [“Nehemiah,” in New Bible Commentary, 21st Century Edition, D. A. Carson, et al., eds. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994), p. 437].

I have thought for years about the words of Nehemiah, Ezra and the Levites to all the people: “Do not mourn or weep.” “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” If the people were grieving over their collective sin of neglecting the Law of Moses—in this case, observation of the feasts of Leviticus 23—then wouldn’t it be appropriate for them to grieve and mourn? After all, the Feast of Tabernacles had not been celebrated properly for 1,000 years—since the days of Joshua (Nehemiah 8:17).

Surely it was not wrong for the people to grieve over their sin. Three weeks later there would be a major time of repentance, fasting, wearing of sackcloth and confession of sin—“their sins and the wickedness of their fathers” (Nehemiah 9:1-2). But, as Dr. Williamson notes so well,

“This [awareness of God’s high standard], however, is neither the sole nor the dominant message either of the OT law or of Scripture as a whole. By reminding them that this day [Feast of Trumpets, Leviticus 23:24] was sacred (vss. 9, 11)—a day on which they were especially to recall God’s past acts of grace and salvation towards Israel—and that the joy of the Lord was the source of their strength (v. 10) as they linked themselves by faith with the experience of their ancestors, Ezra set their legitimate sense of failure within the wider context of God’s grace and invitation. Confession would have its proper place (ch. 9), but the first response to hearing God’s word should be of joyful acceptance (vss. 10-11). It is a pattern of response not unlike that in Acts 2:37-39” (Williamson, pp. 437-38).

The Fullness of Divine Joy

This is such a important point that I felt it needed to be said before moving to the more practical aspects of joy in our next posting on Nehemiah 8:10. For many years I simply lifted the key words out of the chapter—“the joy of the Lord is your strength”—and sucked on them like a piece of hard candy. I even sang them, as some of you may have. While this text does bring gladness to my heart when I simply read it, sing it or recall it, it brings much deeper confidence and delight when I reflect on the whole chapter, and the following one as well. The book of Nehemiah makes it clear that the people celebrated “with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them” (8:8, 12, 17). This proper interpretation of the law of Moses, set within the context of God’s broad invitation and deep, full river of grace, brings inner gladness to our hearts even though we cannot forget some of our past failures.

Before we come together again I truly long for you—as I long for myself—to develop an increasingly deep awareness of God’s joy becoming our strength. The gracious, loving, pure, and delightful trinitarian life of Father, Son and Spirit, when properly understood, will pull us in toward the very heart of God, “charging” us with true divine joy and grace that become our daily strength. Yes, your circumstances may be difficult and even heartbreaking in some cases, but I encourage you—from a lifetime of experience and a solid confidence in the written Word of God—to “be still,” to “not grieve,” to “eat and drink,” and to “send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy” (vss. 11-12). As you come to see ever more clearly the remarkable, amazing grace of God, his joy will be your strength!

Who Cares about Joy? Is Anyone Really Happy?

2008-10-09T22:03:00.001-05:00

Top 12 Scripture Texts: Number 10A
Nehemiah 8:10
Bob Rakestraw

I have just finished listening to the news. I had planned to catch a brief summary of national and international events and then start working on this piece about “the joy of the Lord.” I am doing that, but now I am more hesitant as I begin. The news was wretched: economics, wars, violence, politics, ethics, horrible crimes against persons, and the travail of nations. Not only does the news make me hesitate to write about joy, but my personal circumstances do as well.

Why Write about Joy?

This is a difficult time for me—health-wise and in several other ways—and I would rather write on just about any other scripture text than this one. Of all times, why am I now choosing to write on the joy of the Lord? The reason is twofold.

1. I am coming to the end of calendar year 2008, and there are only three months remaining to write on my top twelve all-time favorite scripture passages, and I know Nehemiah 8:10 has to be covered soon if I am going to write honestly on what the most crucial texts have been throughout my Christian life.

2. This really is the best time to write on this Bible verse because if it is true, as I believe in my head it is, it must apply in the down times as well as the upbeat times. I need to write on this promise precisely at this difficult time in my life, not when I am in easier circumstances or in a happier frame of mind. In this way I believe my words will be most real and helpful to you, my readers.

Lots of Questions

It is a fascinating sentence from the Bible that I wish to focus on this month: “Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). While I will be looking at the historical context of these words in another posting, I want to raise some questions linking the ancient text with the present day.

• What is the joy of the Lord?
• In what sense is this joy one’s strength?
• Is grieving always forbidden?
• How can we experience the joy of the Lord when the world is filled with so much suffering, sadness, and evil?
• Is this Bible verse simply a literary device to comfort us, or is there real substance behind it?
• How do circumstances—positive or negative—affect our mood?
• Is this a conditional or unconditional promise?
• Are there certain steps or beliefs one must follow in order to obtain this joy?
• Does it work in my own life and in the lives of those I know well?

I do not intend to answer all of these questions now, but hope to address them in a subsequent essay. However, simply to raise questions such as these is in itself a significant step in the direction of understanding and benefiting from our text of the month.

Real Problems and Real Joy

Last evening was a rough time, as evenings often are for me. Here is what I wrote.

"I am lying here in bed, frustrated with life. I am irritable, discouraged, burning hot (but have no fever), nauseated, weak, headachy, angry at my circumstances, and feel like yelling and crying at the same time. An hour or so ago, sitting on the sofa with my wife, I blurted out, ‘I want to die.’ She said, ‘No.’ I answered ‘Yes.’ Then I repeated the words. What prompted my outburst was a question Judy asked about something. I didn’t feel like discussing anything, or living any longer, so I said so. I’ve said this often (mostly within my own mind) during the past five years since my heart transplant, but probably not for a couple of months."

I hope I have not disappointed you by printing the above. I always want to be honest in this blog, and if I am discussing joy, I need to say it as it is. I have never claimed to float on some cloud above the storms of life. I know I wrote in July that I believe firmly in Christ’s yoke being easy and his burden light (Matthew 11:30). Am I now contradicting myself, and saying that I don’t believe that? No, but I am saying that I sometimes find the circumstances of life to be very difficult, especially regarding my health, and I do not always do as well with my attitude as I would like to, and believe possible by God’s grace.

I want to close by holding out this amazing scripture text to you (and to myself) with the confidence I have developed in it over many years. Joy is not the same as happiness, since people tend to measure their happiness by the circumstances in their lives. The more pleasant the circumstances the greater the happiness. This is a fact of life. Christian joy, however, is a deep delight and satisfaction with the person and mission of God, and increases more and more as one identifies with and enters into the heart and mission of God. Joy is the atmosphere of the Godhead: Father, Son and Spirit celebrating and loving one another and inviting the people of this world into that love. Until next time, ask God sincerely and expectantly to make the joy of the Lord your strength.

My brothers and sister, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4, NRSV)

Come Near to God: Receiving the Promise

2008-09-29T21:15:00.001-05:00

Top 12 Scripture Texts: Number 9B
James 4:8
Bob Rakestraw

In the last posting I introduced James 4:8 as the text of the month: “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” There are very few verses in the Bible that I have leaned on more frequently and more expectantly as this one. Many, many times during my Christian life I have approached God with this text in mind, and have found that God’s Word here is rock-solid, consistently reliable and filled with hope.

Reciprocal Grace

In the last piece I did not write much on James 4:8 itself, but on the principle of reciprocal grace lying behind the verse. Reciprocity refers to the back-and-forth movement of grace between God and us. This does not mean that we give grace to God and then he gives grace to us. All grace flows from God to us. But we do need to respond in faith and humility to God’s prior approaches and gifts of grace to us, and in that sense God receives from us our devotion and desire to serve. When God sees our godly response, “he gives us more grace” (James 4:6). We then welcome these further gifts of grace in order to love and serve God more, and the reciprocal action continues throughout our lives.

I also explained that grace is not only God’s kindness and favor, but also his power and strength. This latter perspective on grace is not as often emphasized as the former, yet it is very helpful for the full understanding of the Bible’s teaching on God. An example of grace used in the sense of God’s power and energy as well as his favor and kindness is found in 2 Corinthians 12:9: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” This truth is greatly encouraging and, literally, powerful!

Seeing the Whole Picture

The scripture text for the month appears to stand alone, complete in itself: “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” But the longer I study the Bible the more I see that seemingly self-contained verses such as James 4:8 need their broader contexts to be fully understood and practiced. Someone might complain that this text “does not work.” They may have called out to God in prayer (“Come near to God”) yet say that he does not “come near” to them in a reciprocal way. I know of Christians who say this, and my encouragement to them is to look carefully at the verse in light of the whole book of James, especially James 4:6-8. In these verses we see the broader picture of God’s reciprocal action.
But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
‘God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.’
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

The focal text of the month seems quite simple when it is engraved on a plaque and hung on the wall. And it is simple. But it is not simplistic! Viewing the whole section above—verses 6-8—helps us to see the fuller range of thought God intends for us to see. Strictly speaking, there is only one condition we need to fulfill in order to have God come near to us: “Come near to God.” However, it is essential for our total comprehension and well-being that we “come near to God” according to the teachings of James 4:6-8, the whole fourth chapter, as well as the rest of the scriptures.

The Problem of Pride

Pride is exposed in James 4 as the major blockade to receiving God’s grace. “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” The word “opposes” is a very strong word. It means to “stand against,” and evokes the image of God stationing himself in a fixed position, with all of his divine power against the enemy. This is a frightening picture (especially in light of James 4:1-4), and makes me want to follow verse 10 with all of my will: “Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up.”

The Bible does not tell us in explicit terms how to “humble” ourselves, but the Author of scripture assumes that when we read these words (as well as the similar passage in 1 Peter 5:5-10) we will know by the inner voice of his Spirit, and the specifics in the context, how to do this. An attitude of submission to God and those in authority over us, and a stance of resisting the devil, are foundational, according to both James and 1 Peter. And thorough, God-wrought purification is absolutely necessary as well. I am truly grateful that God takes charge of this cleansing when we come to him with a broken spirit and a heart eager for his righteousness (Psalm 51:17).

A Plea

I want to close with a plea from my heart. I sincerely and eagerly urge you, my readers, to come near to God. The reason I desire this for you is the same reason I desire it for myself: the Bible says that God will then come near to us. And if God is near to us, then we don’t have anything to worry about. We are very safe, dear friends, when God is near us. God will handle the most difficult situations we are facing.

The present financial crisis is affecting all of us, some very severely. If God is near you, you need not worry. I have to remind myself of this often or I will lose heart and be overwhelmed by anxiety. Some of you are afflicted by health issues, as I am, and these will devastate us if we give in to fear. With others, the stresses on you may pertain to your children, relatives, educational plans, debt, home, job, relationships, personal failings and lack of hope. With every ounce of my being I urge you to come near to God. Read this essay again if God has already used it to quicken you, and spend time alone with God and the scriptures as soon as you are able. Nothing else is as important right now. God will come near to you, he promises!

Peter reminds us: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you,” and then gives us all a deeply comforting benediction.

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 5:7, 10-11)

Come Near to God: Amazing Grace is God’s M.O.

2008-09-25T20:15:00.001-05:00

Top 12 Scripture Texts: Number 9A
James 4:8
Bob Rakestraw

The Bible text for this month is James 4:8: “Come near to God and he will come near to you” (NIV). I cannot remember when this scripture first gripped me strongly, but it was at least twenty-five years ago. I know this because during the latter 1970’s and early 1980’s I was going through a major re-thinking of my ideas about God and how God interacts with the people of this world. I was searching carefully through the scriptures, with the published help of some wise Christian scholars, studying the issue of divine-human reciprocity: who moves first in the relationship, God or the person, and who or what governs the sequence of action and reaction in our relationships with God?

The Principle of Reciprocity

Being of a mathematical/scientific mind, I came up with a “law [or principle] of reciprocity.” I cannot recall how or where I discovered this principle, but—when combined with an expanding, more biblically-grounded view of God’s grace—it began to answer a number of tough questions for me. I began to see more and more the beauty and mystery of God’s actions toward us and our responses to him, as well as our actions toward God and his responses to us. James 4:8 is just one of many scriptures that expresses the principle of reciprocity. It is also seen in Matthew 13:12: “Whoever has [i.e., responds well to the grace of God already given] will be given more. … Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.” We see the law of reciprocity also in Zechariah 1:3: “ ‘Return to me,’ declares the LORD Almighty, ‘and I will return to you’ ” (see also Malachi 3:7).

By “the principle of reciprocity”—operating in the way God intends it to work—I mean that God gives himself (his grace) freely and lavishly to those who call upon him with sincerity (single-mindedness), humility and a submissive spirit, and we receive God’s grace with a grateful and godly spirit, bringing about further gifts of grace. Other terms for reciprocity are mutuality and complementarity. Reciprocal or mutual affection, for example, means that two people give and receive affection between each other. Reciprocal or complementary trust means that each trusts the other. The concept of reciprocity is truly rich, even if it is a bit difficult to understand. It is closely intertwined with another very special word: grace.

The Grace of God

During my early years as a Christian I came to understand grace as God’s “unmerited favor” because of the atoning work of Jesus on the cross. I still see this as the primary meaning of grace according to the Bible. “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Eph. 2:8, 9). When I received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior at the age of 19, I knew this salvation I was receiving was a pure gift of God, a work of his grace through the cross of Christ.

About 15 years later the Spirit showed me from the Bible that there was more to grace than his “unmerited favor.” Grace is also God’s energy, power, and dynamic presence. It is not a substance or essence or something in the material realm like electrical power, but neither is it merely an attitude or favorable disposition. I saw a balance in scripture between these two poles. Grace, in addition to being God’s merciful favor and kindness, is also the force or strength of God himself working in and through his people. I desperately needed then, as I do now, the strength of God within me, to enable me to speak, think, act and love as I should. I will be forever grateful to God for showing me the dynamic, actual reality of his powerful presence.

There are dozens of scripture texts that teach this often-neglected aspect of God’s grace. In the epistle to the Hebrews, for example, the writer urges: “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). The latter half of this verse makes much more sense if “grace” is understood as God’s power, strength, and energy and not merely his attitude of favor. Of course, his favor logically precedes his actual help. His power working for us, in us and through us is the result of his incredible love, grace and mercy.

God’s M.O.

What does the above have to do with James 4:8: “Come near to God and he will come near to you”? The answer is that God comes toward us, and at times moves away from us, in the manner, method, mode or process of his grace. We sometimes speak of a person’s M.O.—his or her modus operandi—one’s mode of operating or doing something. God’s M.O. is by grace, which is another way of speaking of God’s presence—the Holy Spirit himself—working in us or withdrawing from us. We are not to think of God, however, as some kind of material substance or essence, but as the self-sustaining and active being of eternal power, purity and love. This is, of course, beyond our full understanding, but it is not a teaching that we should therefore ignore. It is, rather, vitally important.

As I indicated above, the Bible speaks very often of grace as both divine favor and divine power. Just two verses before this month’s text we read that God “gives us more grace,” and that he “gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). Grace is something real, just as God is real, just as the Spirit of God is real. In fact, I sometimes substitute the term “Holy Spirit” for “grace” when the biblical context allows for that reading, just to remind myself how close the two are. These are not identical, however. The divine author of scripture led the writers to speak of God’s grace as separate from himself, but very closely related. He is “the God of all grace” (1 Peter 5:10).

I know this essay has not presented James 4:8 with personal application, but I felt I needed first to explain the reciprocal nature of God’s gracious movements in our lives. I encourage you to “Come near to God,” keeping the whole section—James 4:6-10—in view, and I look forward to being with you again soon to consider our text more personally.

Justice, Mercy and Humility: The Life of Loyal Love

2008-08-31T21:03:00.001-05:00

Top 12 Scripture Texts: Number 8C
Micah 6:8
Bob Rakestraw

This is the last of three postings on Micah 6:8—one of the most impressive and helpful verses in all of the Bible on the topic of how we are to live as the people of God. Last time we looked at God’s desire for us to act justly. Here we will consider the Lord’s will for us “to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Mercy is the second key component of the threefold way to a good and happy life. It is not simply mercy that God desires, however, but loving mercy. All three legs of the stool of God’s will—acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with him—are all virtues that involve action. The good life, which is also the happy life, is the active life as well. Since God is active (some theologians refer to him as actus purus—“pure act”), he desires his children to be active as well. We are created for meaningful activity. Just because many people go to excess in their activities—leaving little or no time for contemplation with God and substantial relationships with others—does not justify a life that lacks consistent service and benevolence.

The Meaning of Mercy

The Hebrew word for “mercy” in Micah 6:8 (hesed) is a word rich with meaning, and has been the object of much study by biblical scholars. It is used about 250 times in the Old Testament, and in the NIV Bible version about half of these occurrences have the translation “love.” Other translations are “kindness,” “unfailing love,” “great love,” and “mercy.” The word has a strong sense of loyalty and faithfulness in it, and has been understood by many scholars as “loyal love.” One version translates Micah 6:8 as “to love loyalty” (NEB), while another has “to show constant love” (GNB). Hesed is a covenant word, and speaks of the proper covenant behavior and solidarity one partner in the covenant expresses toward the other. It can refer to God’s relations to us, our relations to God, or our relations with one another.

Because of the depth of the word hesed, to translate it simply as “love” does not seem strong enough to me. Perhaps this is because the word “love” has become so diluted in today’s world, and means little more than warm feelings, liking something or someone, or even casual sex (“make love”). I am impressed with the strong covenant sense of loyalty and consistency in the word. God has made a covenant with his people, and therefore he remains true to us whatever circumstances may come. And he desires this covenant love from us and between us as the people of God.

Loving the Way of Mercy

It is significant that God urges us “to love mercy.” A merciful, kind, and loyal way of life is not something that we should merely tolerate or endure, but we are to love it! The form of the word translated “love” in this expression “to love mercy” is an intense noun used dozens of times to speak of human-to-human love, sometimes sexual love. It is used in the Song of Solomon: “love is as strong as death, … many waters cannot quench love” (8:6-7). God’s people are to have a deep, strong love of mercy. In fact, we are to be like God in this respect: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36). I was delighted when I discovered recently in the next chapter after our text of the month, these words addressed to God, “You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy” (7:18). The people of God are to love and delight in mercy, because this is the nature of our God!

Because of my poor health, I am the recipient of numerous acts of mercy. I deserve none of these, nor do I expect them. I often feel embarrassed by them. I have neighbors filled to overflowing with hesed, who graciously mow our lawn, shovel our snow, and do numerous fix-up jobs around our house, sometimes spending many hours a day out of pure compassion. When I think of them I think of the words of Jesus, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Mt. 5:7).

The Works of Mercy

Over the centuries of church history, seven traditional “corporal works of mercy” have been recognized: feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, giving shelter to the stranger, visiting the sick, ministering to prisoners, and burying the dead. All but the last of these are mentioned by Jesus in his teaching on the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:35-46). Here we find Jesus’ gripping words: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me,” and “Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”

There are also seven traditional “spiritual works of mercy:” converting the sinner, instructing the ignorant, counseling the doubtful, comforting the sorrowful, bearing wrongs patiently, forgiving injuries, and praying for the living and the dead. While the scriptures (the 66 commonly accepted books of the Protestant Bible) nowhere exhort us to pray for the dead, the other spiritual works of mercy are all biblically-based. [Prayer for the dead is mentioned in the apocrypha, in 2 Maccabees 12:42-45.]

When we think of neighbor-love, mercy is, along with justice, one of the two major qualities God desires of his people. I love studying both virtues and it stirs me when I see both qualities together in the scriptures, woven together in a powerful collage. Even the corporal and spiritual works of mercy are blended together, as are exhortations to avoid sins of omission in the areas mentioned. Notice the godly harmony in the following words. “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In you hearts do not think evil of each other.’” (Zechariah 7:9-10; see also Romans 12:9-21). I am totally overwhelmed by the comprehensiveness, graciousness and depth in this scripture!

Choosing to Walk Humbly with God

Finally, in Micah 6:8, we find one more thing that is “good” and that God “requires of us,” namely “to walk humbly with your God.” I have thought for many years that this expression corresponds with the command in the Great Commandment to “love God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength.” In other words, acting justly and loving mercy correspond to the command to “love your neighbor as yourself,” and walking humbly with God corresponds with loving God. Both the horizontal and vertical dimensions of true Christian love are summarized well in Micah 6:8.

Some Bible scholars suggest other translations for “to walk humbly with your God,” such as “walk prudently (TNIV note), or “walk circumspectly (NASB margin), but the best brief rendering seems to be “walk humbly.” Literally, the Hebrew says, “to cause yourself to walk closely and modestly with God.” The Hebrew word is used only here and in Proverbs 11:2: “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” Micah 6:8 shows deliberate action on our part. We are to actively pursue a humble walk with God, as we see in James 4:10 (“Humble yourselves before the Lord”) and Luke 14:11 (“Those who humble themselves will be exalted”). One of the best ways to humble ourselves is to learn from the life of Jesus (Matthew 11:29), and another is to spend time reverently in the Word of God. This latter guideline is suggested in Isaiah 66:2: “This is the one to whom I will look [or, “the one I esteem,” NIV], to the humble and contrite in spirit, who trembles at my word” (NRSV).

To be humble is to see one’s shortcomings and defects, and to be very much aware of our need for divine grace and mercy. It is to see oneself accurately, not with pride or a superior attitude toward others. A humble person is modest and unpretentious, and, even though he or she may have considerable assets intellectually, financially, physically, socially, or in other ways, he is not boastful or self-centered. This one, God says, is the kind of person he esteems. Furthermore, Micah speaks of our humble life with God as walking, and not only that, but walking with God. It has always been helpful for me to think of the Christian life as a daily walk with the Lord himself.

I want to close this posting with one of the most beautiful texts in the Bible, speaking powerfully of our walk with God, and his walk with us. May this be a grace-filled benediction to you always!

"For this is what the high and lofty One says—he who lives forever, whose name is holy: ‘I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite’" (Isaiah 57:15, NIV).

Justice, Mercy and Humility: All That God Expects

2008-08-28T17:20:00.001-05:00

Top 12 Scripture Texts: Number 8B
Micah 6:8

Bob Rakestraw

How can we know what God expects of us? Since God is morally perfect, it may seem that his list of expectations is infinitely long and impossible to keep. But we need not despair. The Bible (see, e.g., 2 Cor. 5:14-21; Gal. 3:1-14) makes it clear that Jesus Christ, by giving his life for all people, set us free from any system of law-keeping based on human effort. All we need to do is come to the foot of Christ’s cross in repentance and faith, acknowledge our innumerable violations of God’s requirements, and receive Christ and his forgiveness along with freedom from guilt, shame and despair.

I came to Christ in this way at the age of 19, and have never turned back. If I should die today I know I would be welcomed into the presence of God forever, not because of my inherent goodness or obedience to God’s laws, but because of the saving work of Jesus at Calvary, who died in my place for my sins.

Living from Gratitude

Even with this glorious freedom and hope of eternal life, however (in fact, because of it), I still have a strong desire to obey God’s will fully. Because I am assured of everlasting glory with God, I desire more than ever, out of gratitude and for the sake of my own happiness, to live totally for my Savior. I can’t imagine any other life. This is why I am so excited about our scripture of the month: Micah 6:8.

In our last posting we introduced this verse and some of its background. Now I wish to develop the text a bit more.

He has showed you, O [mortal] what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (NIV)

In the first line the prophet speaks of the good life, which we discussed in our last posting as being tied closely to the happy life. Next, Micah raises the question of what the Lord requires of us as his people, and then presents the threefold way as the key to how we should live: the path of justice, mercy and humility. Instead of the 613 laws of the Jewish people in Jesus’ day, Micah sums up God’s expectations for us in these three virtues. Over the years, my life has become more and more simplified by keeping Micah 6:8 fresh in my mind and life.

Practicing Justice

Justice has been defined in many different ways, and it can be a difficult concept to understand. For our purposes, however, I want to stay as simple, clear, and biblical as possible.

“To act justly” in the Hebrew is literally “to act justice.” It could also be translated “to do, to practice, to make, to carry out justice.” The idea is that we are to do far more than simply think about justice, but live a life of justice. The concept of justice is at the very heart of God’s character. The psalmist writes, “The Lord is known by his justice” (Ps. 9:16; 11:7). The word justice [mishpat] is used 425 times in the Hebrew Old Testament. It means that which is right, lawful or fair. It has a legal sense to it.

God’s view of injustice is seen several places in Micah (e.g., 2:1-2; 3:1-2, 8-11; 6:8-12). In Micah’s day, as in ours, it is highly offensive to God and terribly hurtful to people, to practice such injustices as fraud, bribery, dishonest scales, lying and deceit.

Years ago one of my students told me that he had to quit his job as a photographer for a certain mail-order catalog company. He said that he had to place the product on a table or display, and then photograph it in such a way that it would look appealing. There is nothing wrong with this, as such, but my student said that the product was really a piece of junk that he had to photograph in a tricky way, deceiving the prospective buyer. It’s true that the camera does not lie, but the photographer and catalog designer could deceive the reader by the position of the product, the angle of the light, and other tricks of the trade. This is injustice in God’s eyes, and I’m glad my student quit working with that company.

If you work for a company where your employer is asking you to cut corners or somehow cheat the customers, go to your boss and explain to him or her why you cannot, as a Christian, do the things he requires. It is the Lord who requires you “to act justly.” This, God says, is “what is good” (Micah 5:8).

Justice as Love

When you begin to study the hundreds of times “justice” is referred to in the Bible you will see why it is one of the three main requirements of the Lord, and why it is an essential part of the good life. Justice is really a form of love. In fact, justice and love are inseparable in the true follower of the Lord. We are told to love our neighbor as ourselves, and one way that we do this, according to both Old and New Testaments, is to practice justice. Jesus rebuked the religious teachers and spiritual leaders of his day by calling them hypocrites. He pointed out that they tithed their possessions faithfully, but, he said, “you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former” (Matthew 23:23). May God give us the strength of character to be just, as he is just.

Justice, Mercy and Humility: God's Prescription for Happiness

2008-08-23T18:21:00.001-05:00

Top 12 Scripture Texts: Number 8A
Micah 6:8

Bob Rakestraw

The longer I live the more I am convinced that the happy life is the good life, and the good life is the happy life. Happiness and goodness are closely related, even though most people seem to pursue the former more than the latter. Perhaps because the word “goodness” has a moral connotation to it, and morality suggests restrictions, some tend to think that goodness may work against their pursuit of happiness and fun. But goodness, properly understood, is not a system of burdensome laws, but a quality of life that brings deep joy and hope—not only to oneself but to others as well.

The Path to Happiness

The path to happiness, stated in terms of everyday living, is to seek to be a benediction, or blessing, to every person with whom we come in touch. This path seems contrary to the popular idea of seeking one’s happiness by self-love, purchases, travel, exclusive relationships and accomplishments. There is nothing wrong, necessarily, with the items just mentioned, but when we give ourselves to the pursuit of happiness without desiring the will of God above all else, and without seeking to be a blessing to others, we will find not satisfaction but sorrow, not happiness but emptiness.

One way we can be certain that we are living as a benediction to others, is to focus on those scriptures that present a concise summary of God’s expectations, and then to concentrate on living in the way described there. One of the most clear and concise such Bible verses is Micah 6:8:

He has showed you, O [mortal], what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (NIV)

I have selected this scripture text as one of my all-time favorite Bible passages because it struck me forcefully over forty years ago when I was searching for a way to summarize the way I should live. I had already discovered the Great Commandment in Matthew 22:36-40:

‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ He [Jesus] said to him [the lawyer asking the question], ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (NRSV)

As stated above, this scripture portion, given in similar form in Mark 12:31-32, came to me before Micah 6:8. When I found the latter text I now had one summary statement from the New Testament and one from the Old, each speaking very plainly and similarly about how God desires people to live. Love for God with all our being is another way of saying what Micah says: “to walk humbly with your God.” And to love one’s neighbor as oneself is another way of summarizing Micah’s words: “to act justly and to love mercy.”

The Important Background

One of the most important lessons I learned in my early years as a Christian is to look closely at the context of the Bible verse or verses I am studying, It does not satisfy the requirements of careful Bible study to simply glance at our text and then begin speaking of justice, mercy, and humility. We need to look, at least briefly, at the overall purpose of the Bible book, the writer, the date, the historical circumstances, the intended recipients, and the connection of the scripture passage with the preceding and following verses. It is also important to note the similarity of the text with other texts on the same topic throughout the Bible, as we drew attention to the Great Commandment in Matthew 22:36-40. I do not intend to write about all of the above matters of Biblical interpretation just mentioned, but only those that have a bearing on Micah 6:8. But I always try to keep these background matters in mind as I write.

Reading through the book of Micah is an excellent way to see what the Lord is teaching his people—including us today. God is making accusations against his chosen people—both the northern kingdom, Israel, and the southern kingdom, Judah. The prophet Micah, from southern Judah, prophesied between 750 and 686 B.C., and, like his contemporary Isaiah, both threatens punishment and promises justice for God’s people. Punishment is coming to them because of their idolatry, injustice, rebellion, witchcraft and empty ritual. Yet throughout the book, there are predictions of hope and deliverance—some of them very tenderly expressed—as well as prophecies of gloom and judgment.

The Threefold Way

The three virtues that summarize the good life in Micah 6:8—justice, mercy, and humility—are all pointed out by the prophet because they are in direct opposition to three specific evils rampant throughout the land: injustice, unkindness and pride. One of the best ways to understand what God means by justice, mercy and humility is to read the book of Micah while noting the sins for which Israel, Judah and the surrounding nations are being judged. In addition, being serious about purging the contemporary equivalents of these sins from our lives, while keeping before us the positive language of Micah 6:8, will lead us to a life of fulfillment and deep satisfaction.

To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God are the three qualities of the godly person’s life that summarize both the life of Jesus and the expected life of his followers. Loving our neighbor as ourselves, and loving God with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength, lead with increasing confidence and satisfaction to the truly happy life. Next time we will look more closely at justice, mercy and humility and try to give specific examples of these from everyday life.

The Great Invitation: Unforced Rhythms of Grace

2008-07-31T22:10:00.001-05:00

Top 12 Scripture Texts: Number 7B
Matthew 11:28-30
Bob Rakestraw

Last time we began to look at one of the most remarkable passages in all of the Bible. I have called it “The Great Invitation.” These astounding words of Jesus are found in Matthew 11:28-30.

"Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light” (New Living Translation).

This scripture portion has been one of my top-twelve all-time favorites for over four decades, but it has become especially meaningful—even revolutionary—to me during the past few weeks. What has helped me so greatly in my practical, everyday life has been there all the time, looking out at me from the gospel of Matthew and even stored in my memory. I wrote about the new insight in my previous posting, so I will only briefly review it here.

In essence, I realized I had been denying the full truth of Matthew 11:30. I felt that the yoke of Christ was uncomfortable, and that his burden was heavy. I was resting in the knowledge of sins forgiven, eternal life, and the truth that he was working everything—even adversity—for my good. I was also looking to God daily for strength, patience, and love. But I found life hard. I came to see that I needed to make a major attitude adjustment, which I have begun to do during the past few weeks. While I still find external aspects of life difficult, especially because of my poor health, I am now viewing my life from a different perspective. I am focusing on the grace-full quality of Christ’s expectations for me (his “easy” yoke) and the true lightness of the burden he places on me daily.

Before I move on, I want to present Eugene H. Peterson’s paraphrase of our text in The Message:

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly" (Matthew 11:28-30).

Only in Matthew’s gospel do we find this remarkable invitation. It follows Jesus’ words of thankfulness to his Father, and his joy in the Spirit at the divine revelation of God’s secrets to “infants”—those who are not proud of their position or intellectual skills, but are simple, dependent, and eager to learn God’s teachings (Matthew 11:25-27; Luke 10:21).

The Order in Jesus Invitation

It is quite helpful to note the order in Jesus’ invitation. He first says, “Come to me.” In the original language this is not so much an imperative as an urging, “Come, come on,” Jesus says. You are so tired and worn out from the pressures of life and heaviness of your load, that you need to come to me. The pronoun “me” is emphatic; no one else will do. The invitation is to all: young, old, boys, girls, men, women, educated, unskilled, religious, non-religious, and whatever color or race you are. Literally: “Come on to me, all of you, you ones becoming weary and being burdened, and I (emphatic) will refresh you and rest you.” I am the one who is able and willing to help you—to teach you the things that are hidden from the proud and arrogant but are revealed to you who come to me as infants.

The second and third steps of Jesus’ invitation are imperatives, and are meant to be observed closely together: “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me.” “Take” is “lift up, take up” my yoke—this symbol of your obligation, loyalty, submission, and discipleship to me. This is an act of the will, just as when we come to Jesus at first. We see Jesus holding out his yoke to us—an easy, gentle frame to help us pull or carry our burdens through life. Jesus is not saying that we will have no burdens, but that he will teach us to pull them and carry them in such a way—figuratively speaking—that does not jerk our bones or tear into our flesh. His yoke is gentle (literally kind, good, comfortable).

The yoke in biblical times was a wooden bar that connected two or more draft animals at their necks so that they might work effectively together, pulling a plow or load or working in other ways. This is the literal sense of the word. The Bible also uses the term metaphorically to refer to work or bondage (Genesis 27:40). Sometimes the yoke was placed on God’s people by foreign rulers and sometimes by Israel’s own kings (2 Chronicles 10:4-14). When a person carried a yoke, he or she would carry it on one’s shoulders as a sign of submission to the ruling power (Jeremiah 27:2-12). Jewish people spoke of carrying the yoke of God’s law and the yoke of his kingdom, which one accepted by acknowledging that God was one and by keeping his commandments. Our “Great Invitation” text immediately precedes a passage showing how the “yoke” of God’s law, as interpreted by the Jewish leaders, was a miserable, harsh, and legalistically weighty burden (Matthew 12:1-14). How refreshing Jesus’ words would have been to them!

The Ongoing Cycle

There is a continuing cycle in these verses, beginning with one’s initial coming to Christ at conversion. Jesus is saying, “Come on.” (I picture him with outstretched arms, perhaps on the cross, or maybe in a recliner chair.) We come to him and receive forgiveness of sins and a new relationship with God. This is called regeneration—the “new birth.” People who become weary enough, or burdened enough by their sin and other trials, come to Jesus for that initial rest he gives. Jesus then, knowing that we are made for work—knowing that fruitful, honest labor is good for us—offers us his yoke. We place his yoke on our shoulders and find that it is surprisingly comfortable. It fits well and feels good as we learn (become discipled by experience) from observing and serving with Jesus (learn “from me” is emphatic—we must learn ultimately from the Master himself). We learn because he is such a humble teacher, not arrogant or rough with us, and we learn that he is humble and willing to take the lower position, being humble in his heart.

It is when we become diverted from this God-ordained cycle that we find ourselves becoming weary, overloaded, and stressed-out again. Then we need to come to Jesus again, admitting that we have been trying to handle life in our own strength. He rests us again, offers to exchange his yoke for the painful one we somehow managed to pick up, and then we get back to plowing the fields—living life—and learning from our Master Teacher again. We find it so much easier that we wonder why we moved away from him. We seem to need to learn this lesson over and over in life, yet Jesus still stands there, arms outstretched, saying “C’mon, Come to me.”

Community and Commitment

There are two final thoughts that should be mentioned before we close this piece. First, in Matthew 11:28-29, from the exclamation, “Come on,” to the mention of rest for our souls, the language is plural. Jesus is addressing all of us, and saying that we all need to do this together. Of course, each person individually needs to come to Christ, but even here others usually need to help us come. And when we are his disciples, we need to learn from Jesus together. It is too difficult to serve God as lone-rangers. We simply will not do it well, and others will know we are not doing it well. Take Jesus’ yoke, learn and serve people together, and, as a group committed to Christ and to one another, you will find rest for your souls.

Second, already obvious from above, there is no distinction in the teachings of Jesus, or in the New Testament, between receiving Jesus as Savior and receiving Jesus as Lord. There is no use in asking whether The Great Invitation is Jesus’ appeal for “salvation” or for “discipleship.” Yes, the word for “disciple” (“learn”) is found in the middle of verse 29, but this is expressed as part of the one invitation: “Come…take my yoke…learn.” Jesus walks by the Sea of Galilee of our lives and calls us to come—at whatever stage in life we are, and in whatever spiritual condition. The solution to our weary, restless, burned-out souls is the same: “Come to me.… Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me, and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly” (The Message).

The Great Invitation: The Heaviness and Lightness of Life

2008-07-25T14:35:00.003-05:00

Top 12 Scripture Texts: Number 7A
Matthew 11:28-30
Bob Rakestraw

The scripture passage for this month is found in Matthew 11:28-30. It is a well-known section of God’s Word, spoken by Jesus, and is packed with spiritual insight.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
(New International Version)

Every word of this amazing scripture portion is so rich with meaning that I want to encourage you, first of all, to soak long and often in its healing waters. Fill your tub with the warm water of God’s Spirit, add these mineral-rich words of Jesus, and climb in. Receive the rest God gives you (verse 28b is literally, “I will rest you”) and, at the same time, inspect every word with an attitude of anticipation and submission. Memorize these verses, quote them often aloud, obey them faithfully, and the spiritual nutrition in them will sustain you for the rest of your life. I say this from personal experience. Whether you are a Christian or follower of some other religion or perhaps have no religion at all, Jesus invites you to come. There is no greater service I can offer you than to point you to the Author of these words, and the literally life-saving and life-sustaining truth in them. I am convinced that every one of you who asks God with a sincere heart the meaning and application of these words for your life, will find true hope and help for this life—every day—and for the life to come.

Denying the Words of Christ

It is my personal situation that serves as the motivation for selecting this text at this time. While meditating on this passage, God showed me that there was an inconsistency between what I said I believed about these verses and my daily life experience and thinking.

Even though these verses have had a powerful effect on me throughout my life, I recently realized that I have been, lately, denying the truth of verse 30: “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Whatever else verses 28-30 are teaching, this much seems clear from verse 30: the person who is “yoked” (joined by submission) to Jesus and instructed by him will find daily life in Christ to be not only bearable, but agreeable and pleasant.

Verse 30 is one of the most remarkable descriptions of the daily life of the faithful Christian! I have been thrilled by some of the translations, paraphrases and text notes I have come across. “For My yoke is easy [comfortable, or pleasant] and My burden is light” (New American Standard Bible). “For my yoke is mild and pleasant, and my load is light in weight” (The New Testament: An Expanded Translation, by Kenneth S. Wuest). “I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly” (The Message, by Eugene H. Peterson).

My basic error is that I was not viewing Christ’s yoke as pleasant, nor his burden light. Since my heart transplant in 2003 I have been battling rejection of the heart by my immune system. (In any other health situation a strong immune system is greatly desired!) As many of you know, this battle has not gone well. It has been very unpleasant at times—physically and psychologically, and even spiritually and socially. I have been living for these past several years by the grace of God, resting often in his care, but nevertheless with the view that my place in life was difficult, and that my burdens were heavy. Of course, I realized (and do increasingly the longer I live) that my trials in life are quite small in comparison with millions of the world’s people. My so-called “sufferings” are minor relative to theirs. I know that. But I still viewed my burdens as hard and heavy, not easy and light.

Why has this been an error on my part? Because of Matthew 11:30: “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Jesus is saying that the life of the one who is yoked or bonded to him is not to be thought of or experienced as primarily difficult and severe, but rather as grace-enveloped and pleasant.

The Heaviness and Lightness of Life

Here is where the matter gets a bit complicated. While Jesus says that his yoke is easy and his burden light, he also says that his followers will face trials and sufferings, and he expects of us a very high level of Christian commitment. He told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mt. 16:24). “The cross was an instrument of death and here symbolizes the necessity of total commitment—even unto death—on the part of Jesus’ disciples” (NIV Study Bible note). He also spoke of persecutions and hardships and suffering as part of the life of discipleship. Which is it? Does he offers us a life of comfort and ease or a life of trials and difficulties?

This is not simply an academic issue for me. I am struggling with it as I write these words, and I struggle with it daily. The greatest health issues for me since my heart transplant, in the sense of physical symptoms, are dizziness, breathing problems, bodily weakness, and headaches. These leave me drained and pained daily.

Until recently, I would look upon these afflictions as part of my calling here on earth. I asked God for the strength daily to endure them without complaining, and to have courage, stamina, and ability to continue serving him with joy and grace. I still believe and pray this way, but the difference is that I now have begun to view my day not as a hard and burdensome ordeal but in the light of Matthew 11:30, “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” What has changed is my perspective, and the reason for this change is my becoming convicted by the truth of this verse. Jesus speaks only the truth. I cannot continue to look upon my life primarily as one big trial or ordeal. Instead, I am now trying to view my life as an experience of living under the “easiness” of Christ’s yoke and the “lightness” of his burden.

Have my circumstances changed with this past week or two? No. Life is pretty much the same. The difficulties have not lessened, and I continue to need to call upon the Lord daily for strength, freedom from pain, stamina, spiritual and mental focus, and kindness to those I encounter. My starting point and outlook are different, however. I choose to believe Matthew 11:30 is an all-encompassing statement of life for me and each one of Christ’s followers—even those with chronic illnesses, financial burdens, family issues and other stressful situations—or I will be denying one of the key, life-giving teachings of Christ about existence here on earth.

In my next posting I hope to unfold the remainder of our text. May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ teach us all the true meaning and application of this remarkable scripture passage.

Benediction Manifesto: The Power of the Indwelling Jesus

2008-06-25T20:03:00.002-05:00

Top 12 Scripture Texts: Number 6B
Philippians 4:13
Bob Rakestraw

I consider myself a committed Christian—not a perfect Christian, for sure, but a committed one. I desire to follow Jesus completely in his life and teachings and ongoing mission. I also suffer at times from depression. At least it seems to me to be depression. I have never been diagnosed by any medical professional, but from my reading on the topic and taking two brief questionnaires (one was the popular nine-question depression scorecard, known as the PHQ9), it does seem evident to me that I sometimes experience depression. This has especially been true since my heart transplant in 2003.

What I am calling depression is a very real—almost tangible—condition that is similar to but much deeper than discouragement and sadness. It is associated with circumstantial changes and significant loss, and is a wretched foe, always trying to engender despair over against hope. It is a physical and mental condition, and has significant spiritual connections.

Is Depression Always Caused by Sin?

It is this last aspect—the spiritual side of depression—that troubles me when thinking (and writing) about depression, and even when I am experiencing it. It troubles me because of some things I have read and heard about depression by Christians throughout the years. I have received the distinct impression that many Christians are afraid to speak of depression in their lives. The taboo has, thankfully, been lifted gradually and significantly in recent decades, but it is still influential in some Christian circles. Some Christians have been led to believe that depression always involves sin on their part, and that they can overcome the problem by simply choosing to have more faith, more hope, and more joy.

Some Christian teachers tend to think that being both a committed Christian and a person who suffers from depression is a self-contradictory condition. These two sets of circumstances, they say, cannot coexist. Since a committed Christian is one who demonstrates such evidences of the Spirit as joy and peace, then those who lack these qualities cannot be—in times of depression at least—faithful disciples of Christ. By definition, according to this view, depression is a voluntary (partly at least) lack of joy and peace, and therefore the depressed person cannot be a Spirit-filled person. One prominent Christian counselor wrote in the 1970’s, “The hope for depressed persons, as elsewhere, lies in this: the depression is the result of the counselee’s sin.”

While all troubles, individually or as a human race, flow from the fact that this is a broken, sinful world, it is not necessarily the case that every disease [and, in my view at least, the tendency toward depression has an element of disease in it] is the result of the affected person’s sinful thoughts or actions. This may definitely be the case at times, as when a person nourishes self-pity, pride or unbelief, but it actually seems cruel to look down on or speak disdainfully of a depressed person who sincerely desires to live a life pleasing to God.

Having Shalom to do Everything

In our postings from last month we considered the comforting truth of Isaiah 26:3: “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, whose thoughts are fixed on you.” We noted that the Hebrew words for “perfect peace” (shalom, shalom) speak of wholeness, completeness and contentedness, developed in us by God’s presence and power, producing well-being in our social involvements and an awareness of satisfaction and success in our life calling.

This concept of peace relates to the condition known as depression in that it describes the wholeness from which and toward which we steadily grow as we live out our scripture text of the month: “I can do everything through him [Christ] who gives me strength” (Phil. 4:13). Living with a tendency toward depression (which may be an affliction that is not necessarily sinful in itself), yet with a triumphant spirit over its downward pull, is part of the “everything” we can do through Christ. And having the “perfect peace” (shalom) that comes from a place of deep trust in God is the foundation from which we declare the manifesto, “I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me,” and live with the strength God supplies moment by moment.

The apostle Paul, a solid example for those who experience the warfare aspect of the Christian life, undoubtedly was aware of the tentacles of depression, either personally or in his ministry to those suffering from it. Quite likely he wrote his letter to the church at Philippi while he was under house arrest in Rome, about the year 61 (Acts 28:14-31). One of his reasons for writing was to thank the Philippian Christians for the monetary gift they had sent him when they learned of his confinement (1:5; 4:10-19), but Paul also wanted to encourage the Philippians to remain strong in the face of persecution and to rejoice regardless of their circumstances (1:27-30; 4:4). While our circumstances may be quite different from those of Paul and his ministry associates, Paul’s manifesto in Jesus can be a powerful benediction to all of us who are seeking divine assistance in the struggles of life, including depression.

In the original biblical language, Philippians 4:13 is only six words, translated literally: “All things I can do in the one empowering me.” Kenneth Wuest translates this: “I am strong for all things in the One who constantly infuses strength in me” (The New Testament: An Expanded Translation). If we live in him (in the atmosphere and caress of our Creator-Redeemer-Sustainer-Friend), the one who right now (note the participle “empowering”) is strengthening us, we can do anything and everything he asks of us. Whatever he wishes, it is for our good and the world’s good, and he is right now giving us the will and power to do it.

I have applied this month’s scripture to my most significant current struggle—the conflict with depression—and found Christ’s strength within me sufficient to sustain me. Even though he has allowed me to experience significant times of depression since my heart transplant and early retirement from teaching, he continually restores me to the peace and hope of shalom. This is not a once for all conquest (although the foundation for all victory was laid solidly at Calvary, once for all). It is a daily—sometimes hourly—remembering to walk with steadiness in Christ regarding incursions of hopelessness, irritation, anxiety, sadness and fragmentation. There is definitely a choosing of increased faith, hope and joy, but this is not from a place of heroic self-effort. Rather, we approach God with a childlike simplicity, a lack of trust in our own ability, and a desire to rest in the strong arms of Jesus. Then, from this position of human weakness we are able to follow the exhortation: “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

Gems From Spurgeon

I wish to close with some outstanding quotations from the one (other than Jesus, John Wesley, and my wife Judy) who has helped me more than any person in my Christian life, Charles H. Spurgeon (1834-1892), often referred to as “The Prince of Preachers.” These pieces are taken from 2200 Quotations from the Writings of Charles H. Spurgeon, compiled by Tom Carter (Baker Books, 1988).

“I am the subject of depression so fearful that I hope none of you ever get to such extremes of wretchedness as I go to. But I always get back again by this—I know that I trust Christ. I have no reliance but in him, and if he falls, I shall fall with him. But if he does not, I shall not. Because he lives, I shall live also, and I spring to my legs again and fight with my depressions of spirit and get the victory through it. And so may you do, and so you must, for there is no other way of escaping from it” (pp. 55-56).

“I, of all men, am perhaps the subject of the deepest depression at times. Yet there lives not a person who can say more truthfully than I, ‘My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior’” (Luke 1:46-47; p. 55).

Health Update for Bob Rakestraw

2008-06-24T20:18:00.001-05:00

Monday, June 23, Judy and I spent the day at the University of Minnesota Hospital. I had a right heart catheterization, a left heart angiogram, blood work, and (both of us) had a consultation with the cardiologist who performed the procedures. These are the first invasive procedures I have had since November, 2006.

The news was not good overall, but there are a couple of good pieces. The tests showed that the most important artery supplying my heart is 90-99% blocked, all the length of the vessel, so that no stents in this (or other arteries) can be inserted. There is permanent rejection of the transplanted heart. Humanly speaking, the prognosis is that this artery will soon close completely and I will have a major heart attack. Most of the other arteries supplying my heart have also closed more since the 2006 tests, but are not as severely diseased as the major one.

The good news is twofold. A couple of the heart arteries showed some improvement; there is not as much inflammation in them as previously. This shows reversal of the condition in places! The other good news (although the doctor did not present this with a hopeful tone) is that some small corollary arteries have begun to grow toward the most severely affected area of my heart. My brain received signals from that desperate area of the heart and ordered help to the rescue. Truly amazing! And encouraging!

Even though the doctor said there is nothing more that can be done for me except another heart transplant (which I have declined), and even though Judy and I are still trying to sort out Monday’s news, our trust remains firmly in the God and Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is a wise and good God, and filled with compassion. I sometimes feel afraid and troubled when I look at the future, but deep down I sense his loving arms around me, caring for each part of my body and my life and those close to me.

My blog posting this month (http://bobrakestraw.blogspot.com) is on the powerful scripture text, Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through him [Christ] who strengthens me,” and its applicability to depression in my life. I now want to return to writing that, so I can post the piece in a few days. I have a strong hope that I will always be able to state Philippians 4:13 with the assurance I now have concerning my future and the future of my earthly body. It will deteriorate for sure, some way or another, some time or another, but God will never leave me, or you. I know some of you are suffering greatly as well, not only in the physical realm, and I try to pray for you as I become aware of your concerns. Gratefully, we who trust in Christ will all be together one glorious day with new bodies and new outlooks on all of God’s wonders and mysterious ways.

“I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, ‘Look, the home of God is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will remove all of their sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. For the old world and its evils are gone forever.’ And the one sitting on the throne said, ‘Look, I am making all things new!’ And then he said to me, ‘Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.’ “ (Revelation 21:3-5 New Living Translation)

Benediction Manifesto: Everything through Jesus

2008-06-20T14:11:00.001-05:00

Top 12 Scripture Texts: Number 6A
Philippians 4:13
Bob Rakestraw

The name of this blog is “The Benediction Project” because I want everything I write to have the effect of benediction (blessing, divine favor, grace) on you and on those you influence—directly or indirectly. I envision you as a mighty force of young and old, men and women, girls and boys, Asians and Africans, Latinos and Europeans, Americans and Islanders, throughout the earth, being divinely-endowed and divinely-functioning agents of God’s justice, mercy, holiness and peace.

I also think of the Benediction Project as a Manifesto, defined in Webster’s New World College Dictionary as “a public declaration of motives and intentions by a government or by a person or group regarded as having some public importance.” For many years I have governed my life’s work by the Great Commandment of Jesus: Love God and Love your Neighbor. During my service as a pastor and teacher I have been compelled by this twofold manifesto, and I long to declare it publicly for all to hear and follow. The greatest way we can be a benediction to God (yes!) and people is by loving God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength, and loving our neighbors as we love ourselves.

With these thoughts in mind I chose “Benediction Manifesto” as this month’s theme partly because the scripture text we will consider—Philippians 4:13—has a “manifesto” quality to it. The apostle Paul, after declaring his contentment in whatever circumstances he finds himself—especially in financial and material matters—proclaims for all the world to read: “I can do everything through him [Christ] who gives me strength.” He wants to emphasize publicly that whatever God leads him to do, he knows he can do by the grace of Jesus strengthening him. He presents this as a powerful motivating hope for his life and for others and therefore a benedictory, life-giving manifesto for all to hear and live by.

In my next posting a few days from now I want to consider Philippians 4:13 from a different angle than I have ever done before. I want to apply it to the most difficult challenge of my recent life, and I encourage you between now and then to think of the most difficult challenge in your current life, and to ask God to reveal how this text can help you meet it: “I can do everything through him [Christ] who gives me strength.”