@ the crossroads

Perhaps it’s just me, but it seems like the attention, press, and hubbub surrounding the topic of long-term strategic planning for people’s lives and for organizations has been greatly diminished over recent years.  I’m sure it still exists, but I’m also sure the verbiage used to describe the process has been altered and updated in order to flex with a world that is changing so rapidly that in reality, a long-term strategic plan is more like looking at the upcoming month of September.  However, we as humans still love to make our plans; and, to be sure, planning is important.  Setting future-oriented goals is a worthy activity.  Looking ahead is important for many reasons–establishing momentum, cultivating hope, working toward the fulfillment of our God-given callings.  Scripture even instructs us through the writing of Paul: “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). 

My intention is not to diminish the eschatological nature of our faith in Christ or to somehow inadvertantly advocate laziness due to lack of planning.  My desire is rather to encourage the “loose holding” of future dreams and plans, whereby God’s interventions and interruptions may be seen for what they really are–opportunities to break us to the point of utter dependence on Him. 

John Newton (pictured above), the great hymn writer, penned these words:

I asked the Lord that I might grow

In faith, and love, and every grace,

Might more of His salvation know,

And seek more earnestly His face.

Twas He who taught me thus to pray,

And He, I trust, has answered prayer:

But it has been in such a way

As almost drove me to despair.

I hoped that in some favoured hour

At once He’d answer my request;

And, by His love’s constraining power,

Subdue my sins, and give me rest.

Instead of this, He made me feel

The hidden evils of my heart,

And let the angry powers of hell

Assault my soul in every part.

 

Yea, more, with His own hand He seemed

Intent to aggravate my woe,

Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,

Blasted my gourds, and laid me low.

 

“Lord, why is this” I trembling cried,

“Wilt Thou pursue Thy worm to death?”

“Tis in this way” the Lord replied,

“I answer prayer for grace and faith.

These inward trials I employ,

From self and pride to set thee free,

And break thy schemes of earthly joy,

That thou may’st seek thy all in Me.”

 

When I read Newton’s phrase, “break thy schemes of earthly joy,” I was ushered into mountainous recollections of schemes and plans that I have held tightly over the years, naively thinking that those were the schemes that would ultimately bring joy, only to have them broken by God who faithfully replaced the broken dreams with yes, even greater plans.

There is a wrestling activity that is a very real aspect of our spiritual lives; it’s a wrestling with God’s plans, a “coming to terms” with the way God has ordained our lives to be, a growth process of submitting to the perfect ways of the Almighty.  At the end of the day, any breaking of our schemes by the hand of God is all about God’s formative discipline and love–characteristics of a loving heavenly Father–designed to bring us to our knees so we seek our all in Him.

“In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9)

“There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord.” (Proverbs 21:30)

 

What breaks your heart?  What brings tears to your eyes and a chronic ache in your heart?  In the case of the Apostle Paul, tears flowed over his fellow Jews who failed to recognize and receive Jesus Christ as the Messiah.  In other words, his heart was crushed over the lostness of those he dearly loved. 

Paul writes, “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.  For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel” (Romans 9:2-4a).  The love that Paul had for Christ and his fellow Jews was so intense that he was willing to be cut off from fellowship with Christ if that would mean salvation for his friends.

To what lengths are you willing to go to share the gospel with those who are lost?  How fervently are you willing to pray for those who have yet to come to faith in Christ?  Is your heart genuinely broken for those who are daily wandering around in the dark searching for the Light?

Imagine the power of a church composed of weeping people who are desperate to see others experience the grace, forgiveness, and transforming power of Christ.  Vibrant churches shed many tears.  I pray that Crossroads continues to be a broken community of disciples–broken for those who need to encounter Jesus and be changed.

Will you weep today?

I recently saw this picture in the Lakeland Ledger.  The picture accompanied an article on the awareness of atheism in the state of Florida.  The pronouncement that “being a good person doesn’t require God” surely needs some further pondering and, I might add, critical analysis from a truly biblical viewpoint.  The Apostle Paul, in his theological letter to the church in Rome, does a masterful job of defining reality in the first several chapters–a reality, I would argue, that cannot be easily dismissed by other worldviews.  One of the distinctive aspects of biblical theology in general and, in particular to Paul’s theology to the church in Rome, is the view that God is the starting point for defining reality–not humans.

To say that “being a good person doesn’t require God” insinuates that humans are the starting point for ethical conversations, not the Almighty Creator God.  When the discussion starts at the human level, people will evaluate goodness based upon comparison.  In other words, I will determine my level of goodness based upon what I witness in the lives of those around me.  The trouble with this strategy is that I will always be able find someone–if I look hard enough– who appears to be “less good” than I seem to be.  Thus, through the process of comparison, I may easily be lulled into thinking that “I am O.K.” when in reality I could not be further from the truth.

The Bible begins all discussion regarding the reality of our lives with God: “In the beginning God…”  are the opening words of the biblical story.  Consequently, human behavior, from the very start, has a point of reference–the all-powerful Creator who creates all things to be in relationship with himself.  In fact, Paul writes about the existence of God being seen through natural revelation so that people are without excuse when it comes to the reality of God’s presence:

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them because God has made it plain to them.  For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. (Romans 8:18-20)

The opening sentence of these verses is power-packed with truth.  Let’s take a closer look at Paul’s painting of the human condition:

The wrath of God is being revealed…One aspect of reality that very few people would like to consider is the wrath of God.  The word “wrath” conjures up all sorts of reflex responses, few if any of them favorable.  Theologian J.I. Packer, in his classic book entitled, Knowing God, defines the wrath of God and puts it into a helpful perspective:

God’s wrath in the bible is never the capricious, self-indulgent, irritable, morally ignoble thing that human anger so often is.  It is, instead, a right and necessary reaction to objective moral evil.  God is only angry where anger is called for.  Even among men, there is such a thing as righteous indignation, though it is, perhaps, rarely found.  But all God’s indignation is righteous.  Would a God who took as much pleasure in evil as He did in good be a good God?  Would a God who did not react adversely to evil in His world be morally perfect?  Surely not.  But it is precisely this adverse reaction to evil, which is a necessary part of moral perfection, that the Bible has in view when it speaks of God’s wrath.

The context of Paul’s discussion of God’s wrath is the godlessness and wickedness of humans–not the moral goodness advertised on the road sign in the Lakeland Ledger article.  Since God is the standard of goodness and righteousness, all people are held accountable to this standard and have all woefully fallen short of the standard because of sin.  This is the reality that the Bible displays and, if one is to live in reality, this truth must be embraced.

However, reality is not all bad news; there is, in fact, very good news that comes when we accept the reality of our human fallenness and depravity for it is this acceptance that opens the door for faith in Christ our Savior.  While we may not be good and righteous, God is good and righteous and he desires to impart his righteousness to us.

This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.  There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:22-24) 

We cannot offer God anything from our lives that will somehow serve to earn favor with Him.  Salvation is a gift; to become a child of God is an act of grace; to be out from underneath God’s wrath is an indescribable joy–knowing that all this, and more, has been made possible through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ!  This is reality.