This is the ninth, of a hopefully weekly series, that explores faith, religion, and Christianity. The idea is to share with you my faith, issues I am working on, and to promote discussion.
I am working on breaking the habit of hitting the self-destruct button.
There will be trials and tribulations, but I don’t have to needlessly add them to myself.
And trials of various kinds for those who love God are used for our good.
However, these various things that crop up in life are much different than the action of running headlong into sin.
When that happens I have no where to look but in the mirror.
No fingers to point.
No one to blame.
Yet, that doesn’t mean that I can’t learn from my failures. And break the chains.
But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. - Romans 6:17-18(ESV)
And how was this freedom obtained?
I know it wasn’t because of anything good that I did.
That while I was yet an enemy of God, that Jesus Christ died for my sins.
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in self-destruction that grace may abound?
By no means!
I wonder when I hit the self-destruct button, where am I?
Where is my heart?
Am I more concerned about being cast off or self-comfort?
Why do I think these other things are more pleasureable than the things God has designed?
I don’t know about you and if you have a tendency to self-destruct, but, you, like me, might ask “How are we to trust God in the midst of so much suffering and destruction in the world today?”
We are warned that “They”, that is, the enemies of God’s people, “said to themselves, “We will utterly subdue them”; they burned all the meeting places of God in the land.” Psalm 74:8 (ESV).
This left God’s people, then and now, wondering, “Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand? Take it from the fold of your garment and destroy them!” and “has God rejected his people?”
“The people of God must not think that because they are cast down they are therefore cast off, that because men cast them off therefore God does, and that because he seems to cast them off for a time therefore they are really cast off for ever: yet this expostulation intimates that they dreaded God’s casting them off more than anything, that they desired to be owned of him, whatever they suffered from men, and were desirous to know wherefore he thus contended with them: Why does thy anger smoke? that is, why does it rise up to such a degree that all about us take notice of it, and ask, What means the heat of this great anger?” - Matthew Henry
We as the church in this 21st century are asked to explain “Where is God?” when there is so much pain and hurt from these trials in the world today.
That while our enemies work to burn the meeting places of God, that we, “In the desolations of the sanctuary our chief concern should be for the glory of God, that it may not be injured by the blasphemies of those who persecute his people for his sake, because they are his; and therefore our enquiry should be, not "How long shall we be troubled?’’ but "How long shall God be blasphemed?’”
Often I think we as the church are concerned about trials and troubles in the sense that we are made uncomfortable by them and only care about our own well-bein. We often are asking “How long shall we be troubled?”
Instead, I implore us to consider the latter question of "How long shall God be blasphemed?”
We are instructed to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.
This shift in perspective and thinking will change the way we view the world.
Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
“Day and night, summer and winter, being counterchanged in the course of nature, throughout all the borders of the earth, we can expect no other than that trouble and peace, prosperity and adversity, should be, in like manner, counterchanged in all the borders of the church. We have as much reason to expect affliction as to expect night and winter. But we have then no more reason to despair of the return of comfort than we have to despair of day and summer.” - Matthew Henry
We know these trials will come.
As for self-destruction, I know the button is there. But I don’t have to push it.
When I set my eyes upon the Lord I can break this habit of of self-destruction.
Instead I can turn towards a life where I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. - Ezekiel 34:12
We have a promise from the good shepherd in which we can rest peacefully whether in the midst of trials from this life or recovering from our own iniquity.
As I look to pick up the pieces from my self-destructive ways, I turn to Christ in repentance and trust in His promises in these troubling times.
Brothers and Sisters, we need your help.
There is an opportunity to help a growing organization that is seeking to aid local pastors around the world.
Makers and Means International was created by my discipler Roger Wedel and over the next few weeks, and as it grows, I hope to share with you the exciting developments about this organization.
I will provide more information on how you can be involved to help us as it becomes available.
If this relates to you and you are interested in knowing more, please ask someone. Me. My wife. A local pastor. A neighbor you know who is a Christian. But please ask and I guarantee you that they will be excited to tell you more. They will especially appreciate that you asked them so that they are not forcing their beliefs upon you but getting your permission to share. It may even be something they have been praying for.
Lord willing, see you all next Sunday!
Thanks,
@strangerarray
Please follow me, @strangerarray, to keep up to date with my other fiction, nonfiction, and other post.
Also feel free to send donations to: PayPal.Me/michaelpaine because I am rebuilding, one good habit at a time.
Please check out the previous discussions:
Disparity on Display.
This discussion takes a look at disparity and injustice and proposes guidance on a response.
Comfort and Contentment
This post examines my struggle with the differences between being content and being comfortable.
Testify
This post documents part of my journey that lead me from being an enemy of God to being saved by Jesus Christ.
Praise and Worship
This takes a look at the awkward feelings about publicly praising and worshiping the Lord and what difference that has made in my life.
Reasons to Believe
We take a micro tour of Christian Apologetics and the impact it has had on my faith. I am not the best at it and so I direct to sources greater than myself to help others.
Do I have to go?
The question of church attendance is addressed from my perspective of being on both sides of the equation as a non-believer and believer who did and didn’t attend Sunday service at different times in my life.
In God We Trust
Trusting in God is not an easy thing sometimes, especially when you don’t know the next step.
It’s Hard to Find Good Help These Days
There is a great disconnect. Getting “plugged in” also means we may “disconnect” and not help out. My call is for the faithful to participate more and more fully in the mission to share Christ with the world.
Hey y’all for more great content check out my friends:
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