"In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.Then the Lord said to Cain, 'Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.'" -Genesis 4.3-7
Adam and Eve begin a family, and they have two sons, Cain and Abel. The boys grow, Cain becomes a farmer, Abel becomes a shepherd. In time, they bring an offering to God, Cain brings some of the fruit he has grown, and Abel brings an offering of the first born of his flock. Cain's offering is rejected, and Abel's is accepted by God. I don't know why this happens, and scholars are divided over the reason. In Leviticus grain offerings are shown to be acceptable to God, but for some reason, Cain's is not accepted. The only explanation given in the text is that Cain did not do what was right.
God has standards that must be lived by to be accepted by Him. Because of sin, we cannot live up to His standard of perfection, and so sacrifices were offered to pay the debt of sin, "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6.23a). Jesus came, lived a perfect life, meeting God's standard of perfection, and offered Himself as a final sacrifice to pay for all sin. The standard of acceptance by God is Christ. We do what is right by accepting His forgiveness as Savior, and submitting to Him as Lord. We strive to live as Christ live through the power of the resurrection, and allow God to lead our us and transform us, as He molds us into the image of Christ.
As we strive towards Christlikeness, we find ourselves being made acceptable to God because of Christ. However, if we do not pursue Christ, sin is waiting to to devour us, and apart from Christ it cannot be mastered. The mastery of sin is not found in our strength or effort, but in submission to Christ and striving after the standards of God. James 4.7-8 says, "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 only way to have mastery over sin is in submission to God. He has set the standard of what is right, and we are only able to pursue righteousness in Him. God is the standard.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Peace be with you
Showing posts with label James 4. Show all posts
Showing posts with label James 4. Show all posts
Friday, October 28, 2016
Thursday, January 14, 2016
Alone
"When God gets us alone through suffering, heartbreak, temptation, disappointment, sickness, or by thwarted desires, a broken relationship, or a new friendship - when He gets us absolutely alone, and we are totally speechless, unable to ask even one question, then He begins to teach us.... Jesus cannot teach us anything until we quiet all our intellectual questions and get alone with Him." -Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, January 13.
How often am I really alone with God? Not simply by myself, but intentionally focused solely on Him? Back in college it happened all the time. There was a small prayer room that I spent countless hours in. There were periods of time where I had no roommate, and so I had the dorm or apartment completely to myself. There was a gorgeous chapel, with stained glass windows, and I would spend early mornings there, as the sun poured in through the colored glass. Those were some of the best moments of my life, times alone with God. Sometimes He would speak, sometimes He would listen, and sometimes we could just sit in silence, enjoying each other's company. It was a fantastic time, but I feel like I took it for granted.
I remember saying, like so many people did, "Life will be so much simpler once school is over. When it's just a job and not five different classes to focus on, it will be so much easier to connect with God." There are so many times since then I have wished I could go back to the simplicity of college. There have been so many times I have wished to just go sit in that prayer room at 2 AM. I have even driven down just to pray in the chapel. I miss those alone times with God. I miss the deep and intimate friendship we had.
For over four months I have found myself alone. There have been times of connecting with God, but also, and far more often, a lot of distractions that have still been allowed to consume my time. In some ways I feel that God does not care, and then I am reminded that this is part of the forging process. I have felt that He is absent, and then I am reminded of a class on the book of Job, where the professor said, "God's silence is not equivalent to God's absence."
It's amazing how even when we are alone we can still find so many things to distract us from God. Over the past four months I have learned a lot about myself. I have learned the things that make me tick, and the things that set me off. I have learned about the deepest yearnings of my heart, and by extension, the things that cause me the most pain. One of my pastors who has been walking with me this entire time had me make a list of how I feel during certain situations. From that list I was able to identify five central themes that all of the items on the list stem from. I shared them with another pastor who challenged me to combat those five things with the truth of scripture, and in doing that find out what God has to say about each of them. He then had me get a piece of paper, and at the top write "Dear Bill," at the bottom "Love, Jesus" and in between listen to what He has to say about each of these five things.
One of them was a desire for intimacy, and feeling that no one wants intimacy with me. As I looked at scripture and began to listen closely to the voice of Christ He made it clear that intimacy with Him is available, that it is something He longs for with me, but that it must be something that I desire with Him.
James 4.8 says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded." God says that if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. If we seek intimacy with Him, He will not reject us or turn us away. But intimacy requires effort on our part, cleansing through Christ, and purity through intentional focus. Intimacy with God means shutting out all distractions, and allowing Him to be the only one in the room that you notice.
For a long time this has been hard for me. The more time I have, the more this seems to get put off. The more responsibilities I take on, the more I tend to brush this aside. I'm either too busy, or have too much time on my hands. But I'm finding that God is the only answer to each of those.
Intimacy with God is the only answer to the five themes that everything else in my life falls into. It is only through intimacy with God that He is able to speak into, and fulfill each of those needs and desires. He is the only one that can bring true meaning to each area, and He desires to, but it is only if I am willing to get alone with Him, and take advantage of being alone with Him, that He will teach me the things that He wants me to know.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
How often am I really alone with God? Not simply by myself, but intentionally focused solely on Him? Back in college it happened all the time. There was a small prayer room that I spent countless hours in. There were periods of time where I had no roommate, and so I had the dorm or apartment completely to myself. There was a gorgeous chapel, with stained glass windows, and I would spend early mornings there, as the sun poured in through the colored glass. Those were some of the best moments of my life, times alone with God. Sometimes He would speak, sometimes He would listen, and sometimes we could just sit in silence, enjoying each other's company. It was a fantastic time, but I feel like I took it for granted.
I remember saying, like so many people did, "Life will be so much simpler once school is over. When it's just a job and not five different classes to focus on, it will be so much easier to connect with God." There are so many times since then I have wished I could go back to the simplicity of college. There have been so many times I have wished to just go sit in that prayer room at 2 AM. I have even driven down just to pray in the chapel. I miss those alone times with God. I miss the deep and intimate friendship we had.
For over four months I have found myself alone. There have been times of connecting with God, but also, and far more often, a lot of distractions that have still been allowed to consume my time. In some ways I feel that God does not care, and then I am reminded that this is part of the forging process. I have felt that He is absent, and then I am reminded of a class on the book of Job, where the professor said, "God's silence is not equivalent to God's absence."
It's amazing how even when we are alone we can still find so many things to distract us from God. Over the past four months I have learned a lot about myself. I have learned the things that make me tick, and the things that set me off. I have learned about the deepest yearnings of my heart, and by extension, the things that cause me the most pain. One of my pastors who has been walking with me this entire time had me make a list of how I feel during certain situations. From that list I was able to identify five central themes that all of the items on the list stem from. I shared them with another pastor who challenged me to combat those five things with the truth of scripture, and in doing that find out what God has to say about each of them. He then had me get a piece of paper, and at the top write "Dear Bill," at the bottom "Love, Jesus" and in between listen to what He has to say about each of these five things.
One of them was a desire for intimacy, and feeling that no one wants intimacy with me. As I looked at scripture and began to listen closely to the voice of Christ He made it clear that intimacy with Him is available, that it is something He longs for with me, but that it must be something that I desire with Him.
James 4.8 says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded." God says that if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. If we seek intimacy with Him, He will not reject us or turn us away. But intimacy requires effort on our part, cleansing through Christ, and purity through intentional focus. Intimacy with God means shutting out all distractions, and allowing Him to be the only one in the room that you notice.
For a long time this has been hard for me. The more time I have, the more this seems to get put off. The more responsibilities I take on, the more I tend to brush this aside. I'm either too busy, or have too much time on my hands. But I'm finding that God is the only answer to each of those.
Intimacy with God is the only answer to the five themes that everything else in my life falls into. It is only through intimacy with God that He is able to speak into, and fulfill each of those needs and desires. He is the only one that can bring true meaning to each area, and He desires to, but it is only if I am willing to get alone with Him, and take advantage of being alone with Him, that He will teach me the things that He wants me to know.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
Saturday, January 9, 2016
The Katana
Back in September I was over at my parent's house. I was half asleep down in the basement around 11:30 PM when one of the windows in the kitchen slid open setting off the alarm. At that point I was awake. And for the next four or five hours I couldn't fall asleep. There had been something on my mind for a few days leading up to that moment, so I decided to make good use of my time. I got on YouTube and found a video on how they make traditional Japanese katanas.
The Samurai katana is without question, the greatest sword ever made, and the process of making this incredible weapon is amazing. It begins with an iron sand that is heated to 1,000 degrees in a earthen furnace for three days to form a steel called tamahagane. The best pieces of this steel are selected and then sent to a master swordsmith to begin the forging process. The steel is further evaluated and the best pieces are selected for the blade. harder pieces are used for the edge, while softer pieces make up the core of the blade.
Pieces of steel are piled, heated, beaten together, and then folded more than a dozen times to make them one uniform piece of metal. The core is inserted into the edge, and then the joined pieces are pounded to the proper length, thickness, and shape of the sword. At this point a clay mixture is applied to the blade, thicker on the back and thinner on the cutting edge. The sword is again heated, and then placed in water to cool. The thinner clay on the edge cools faster, making the edge hard and strong, while the clay on the back cools slower, making it softer and more flexible to be able to absorb vibrations better during combat. This cooling process also causes the steel to bow giving the sword its shape.
Next the blade is sharpened and sent off for polishing. The handle is made and attached, the scabbard is assembled, and the sword is ready to be in the hands of a Samurai. The process takes months; heating, pounding, shaping. The forging process serves to remove impurities from the steel, and results in a weapon that is almost unbreakable. The shape of the blade's cutting edge makes it so that the sword almost never needs to be resharpened. The perfect weapon, made by masters, and entrusted to the use of a warrior. It's an amazing thing.
I'm a guy. I love stuff like this. Look at the bottom right of this page, and you'll see a picture of the Spartan phalanx. I love movies like Gladiator, The Last Samurai, The Patriot, and anything else with a valiant warrior standing firm against evil. The thought of an epic battle, standing firm for what is right, being willing to die for a just cause, calls to something in my soul. Part of me wishes I would have tried to be a Navy SEAL. I want to be a hero. I want to save the day. I want to be the Spartan standing firm with his brothers. I want to be the Samurai wielding his katana with skill and precision. But I'm starting to wonder if that is my place.
Almost a year ago I began working on what will hopefully become a published book. I read something in the Bible that got me thinking, and led to some other investigations. For almost a year now I've been studying, putting ideas together, and ultimately living the subject matter. It deals with spiritual warfare, the enemy, and doing battle with him. Originally it involved men as the hero of our story, standing courageously against the devil, and conquering him because of Christ. Now, I'm starting to see things differently. I am not the hero. I am not the valiant warrior that the devil fears. I am not the Samurai, and I'm not even the swordsmith. I'm the katana.
Ephesians 2.8-10, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."
Romans 5.3-5, "And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
James 1.2-4, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
Philippians 2.13, "for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."
We are God's workmanship, He is the swordsmith. He is working to forge us into a weapon He can use to build His Kingdom. It is through His grace, and because of His love, that we face trials. We are heated to burn away the impurities. We are pounded to shape us into the image of Christ. God is at work in us to make us fit and useful for His service. We do not make ourselves fit for God.
Ephesians 6.10, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might."
James 4.7, "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."
1 Peter 5.6-7, "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you."
Romans 8.28-30, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified."
We are the sword in God's hands, He is the Samurai. God is the one who fights. God is the one who wields the weapon and wins the victory. It is God who gives us strength because of His might. It is through submission to God that the makes the devil flee. It is through humility before God, casting our cares on Him, that allows us to receive His victory. It is God who causes all things to work together for good. We do not win victory. We do not defeat the devil, God does.
The praise for crafting an incredible weapon belongs to God. The honor of victory belongs to God. The sword exists to praise the maker and glorify the victor. Without them the sword would not exist or be of any use.
I am not the swordsmith, I am not the Samurai. I do not deserve any credit for who I am, or any praise for anything I achieve. All of that belongs to God. For a decade I have been striving to play God's part. I have been trying to make myself pleasing and useful to Him. I have been trying to accomplish victory for Him. It hasn't worked, and part of me wonders if I have hindered what God could have accomplished.
Right now I am in the forging process, and in all honesty I feel that this process lasts a lifetime. God is constantly at work, molding us into the image of Christ. I've been frustrated with how long this is taking, and at the very least weekly (often daily) I wish God would just hurry up and get this process over with. I have to constantly remind myself that we're after a traditional katana. During World War II, Japanese soldiers carried katanas into battle. They were needed quickly, and there was no way to craft them the proper way. They began to be mass produced using poured steel, and they were greatly inferior. I don't want to be a mass produced, cheap imitation. I want to be a unique, hand crafted, quality weapon in the hands of God.
This process is not easy, and it really isn't that enjoyable, but the end result is more than worth it. I want God to forge me, and I want Him to be glorified by who He has made me. I want Him to use me however He sees fit. I want Him to be honored for everything that happens in my life. I don't want to take the swordsmith's praise, I don't want to take the Samurai's honor. I don't want to play the part that is not mine to play. I simply want to take my place as the katana.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VE_4zHNcieM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxwWf-MfZVk
The Samurai katana is without question, the greatest sword ever made, and the process of making this incredible weapon is amazing. It begins with an iron sand that is heated to 1,000 degrees in a earthen furnace for three days to form a steel called tamahagane. The best pieces of this steel are selected and then sent to a master swordsmith to begin the forging process. The steel is further evaluated and the best pieces are selected for the blade. harder pieces are used for the edge, while softer pieces make up the core of the blade.
Pieces of steel are piled, heated, beaten together, and then folded more than a dozen times to make them one uniform piece of metal. The core is inserted into the edge, and then the joined pieces are pounded to the proper length, thickness, and shape of the sword. At this point a clay mixture is applied to the blade, thicker on the back and thinner on the cutting edge. The sword is again heated, and then placed in water to cool. The thinner clay on the edge cools faster, making the edge hard and strong, while the clay on the back cools slower, making it softer and more flexible to be able to absorb vibrations better during combat. This cooling process also causes the steel to bow giving the sword its shape.
Next the blade is sharpened and sent off for polishing. The handle is made and attached, the scabbard is assembled, and the sword is ready to be in the hands of a Samurai. The process takes months; heating, pounding, shaping. The forging process serves to remove impurities from the steel, and results in a weapon that is almost unbreakable. The shape of the blade's cutting edge makes it so that the sword almost never needs to be resharpened. The perfect weapon, made by masters, and entrusted to the use of a warrior. It's an amazing thing.
I'm a guy. I love stuff like this. Look at the bottom right of this page, and you'll see a picture of the Spartan phalanx. I love movies like Gladiator, The Last Samurai, The Patriot, and anything else with a valiant warrior standing firm against evil. The thought of an epic battle, standing firm for what is right, being willing to die for a just cause, calls to something in my soul. Part of me wishes I would have tried to be a Navy SEAL. I want to be a hero. I want to save the day. I want to be the Spartan standing firm with his brothers. I want to be the Samurai wielding his katana with skill and precision. But I'm starting to wonder if that is my place.
Almost a year ago I began working on what will hopefully become a published book. I read something in the Bible that got me thinking, and led to some other investigations. For almost a year now I've been studying, putting ideas together, and ultimately living the subject matter. It deals with spiritual warfare, the enemy, and doing battle with him. Originally it involved men as the hero of our story, standing courageously against the devil, and conquering him because of Christ. Now, I'm starting to see things differently. I am not the hero. I am not the valiant warrior that the devil fears. I am not the Samurai, and I'm not even the swordsmith. I'm the katana.
Ephesians 2.8-10, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."
Romans 5.3-5, "And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
James 1.2-4, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
Philippians 2.13, "for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."
We are God's workmanship, He is the swordsmith. He is working to forge us into a weapon He can use to build His Kingdom. It is through His grace, and because of His love, that we face trials. We are heated to burn away the impurities. We are pounded to shape us into the image of Christ. God is at work in us to make us fit and useful for His service. We do not make ourselves fit for God.
Ephesians 6.10, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might."
James 4.7, "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."
1 Peter 5.6-7, "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you."
Romans 8.28-30, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified."
We are the sword in God's hands, He is the Samurai. God is the one who fights. God is the one who wields the weapon and wins the victory. It is God who gives us strength because of His might. It is through submission to God that the makes the devil flee. It is through humility before God, casting our cares on Him, that allows us to receive His victory. It is God who causes all things to work together for good. We do not win victory. We do not defeat the devil, God does.
The praise for crafting an incredible weapon belongs to God. The honor of victory belongs to God. The sword exists to praise the maker and glorify the victor. Without them the sword would not exist or be of any use.
I am not the swordsmith, I am not the Samurai. I do not deserve any credit for who I am, or any praise for anything I achieve. All of that belongs to God. For a decade I have been striving to play God's part. I have been trying to make myself pleasing and useful to Him. I have been trying to accomplish victory for Him. It hasn't worked, and part of me wonders if I have hindered what God could have accomplished.
Right now I am in the forging process, and in all honesty I feel that this process lasts a lifetime. God is constantly at work, molding us into the image of Christ. I've been frustrated with how long this is taking, and at the very least weekly (often daily) I wish God would just hurry up and get this process over with. I have to constantly remind myself that we're after a traditional katana. During World War II, Japanese soldiers carried katanas into battle. They were needed quickly, and there was no way to craft them the proper way. They began to be mass produced using poured steel, and they were greatly inferior. I don't want to be a mass produced, cheap imitation. I want to be a unique, hand crafted, quality weapon in the hands of God.
This process is not easy, and it really isn't that enjoyable, but the end result is more than worth it. I want God to forge me, and I want Him to be glorified by who He has made me. I want Him to use me however He sees fit. I want Him to be honored for everything that happens in my life. I don't want to take the swordsmith's praise, I don't want to take the Samurai's honor. I don't want to play the part that is not mine to play. I simply want to take my place as the katana.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VE_4zHNcieM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxwWf-MfZVk
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)