Quote of the Week

"Be sure that the ins and outs of your individuality are no mystery to Him; and one day they will no longer be a mystery to you."

C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain, p. 151

Quote of the Week

"God works strangely. He brings order out of confusion, harmony out of discord... God often helps when there is least hope, and saves His people in the way that they think will destroy.... God's ways are past finding out (Rom 11:33). They are rather to be admired than to be fathomed"

Thomas Watson, All Things for Good, p. 60

What's the One Thing You Want in Times of Trouble?

Life in this fallen world is messy - jobs are lost, family members become ill, projects fall behind schedule, etc.   Even as Christians, we contend with trouble everyday.    Perhaps you're one of the many who've lost their jobs in this economic depression.  Maybe you still have a job but it's fraught with difficulties and difficult people.   Or perhaps you might be battling a long standing illness.    

Sometimes the problems of life come upon us so unexpectedly that they can overwhelm us.   All we can think of in those times is our need for relief.  How do we contend with these and other challenges in light of God's active presence in our lives?   According to Psalm 27,  David faced many difficulties.   He contended with serious enemies who threatened his very life.   

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh,

my adversaries and my foes, it is they who stumble and fall

Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear;

though war arise against me, yet I will be confident

Psalm 27:1-3

Under such pressure, what did David pray for?   What is the one thing he asked of God?  Not deliverance from his enemies, nor for his own personal safety.   Not for an unbeatable battle plan, nor the destruction of his enemies.

One thing have I asked of the LORD that will I seek after

that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple

Psalm 27:4

Instead, David desired the nearness of God.  For David, to inquire before the presence of God was far better than a winning strategy.   If we have one thing to ask of God, what shall we ask for?   If we have deadlines to meet and troubles of every kind looming on the horizon, where are we going to find relief?   Where will we find peace and satisfaction?

Leadership Tip - Fulfill Your Commitments

My mother has been very seriously ill and I'm visiting her this week. If you're inclined to pray for her, I would be appreciative. Please pray that God will restore her and sustain her faith.

I've had the opportunity to remember her advice to me when I started working. My mother never spent a day in college and worked for over 30 years as a secretary. But she gave me one of the most important pieces of advice I've ever received - "fulfill your commitments... if you say you're going to do something, make sure you do it... if you say you're going to show up with a report on Tuesday morning, make sure you actually do it".

It may seem simple to you but it's had a profound impact on the way I work and the decisions I've made along the way. It once meant turning down a very lucrative opportunity after I'd given my word to stay at my then current company. It's also meant that I've become known as someone you can count on - "someone that will get you to the finish line" especially on a challenging assignment. I have my mother to thank for that.

Fulfilling our commitments and keeping our word - that's one way we reflect God in the way we work.

Are You Tired?

I'm on vacation this week but I've entered into it somewhat tired. Several weeks of regular business travel coupled with a hectic schedule has left me weary and this week at beach has come at the right time . I desperately need to be refreshed - physically, emotionally, spiritually. I'm not sure if this is your experience but my state of weariness is usually accompanied with a loss of perspective, a tiredness of the soul as well as physical strain.

Vacations are fine for sleeping in, enjoying family time and healthy recreation but it's only part of the solution. What I need is the kind of rest that restores both my body and my soul. I need to respond to my Savior's kind invitation to come to him.

"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."
(Matthew 11:28-30)

This particular invitation from Jesus is only for those who are weary - the strong, sufficient and carefree need not apply. It's a promise for those who are burdened - by the anxiety of unfinished to-do lists, the nagging guilt of unmet goals and responsibilities greater than they can bear. Please don't get me wrong, I love vacations. Times of recreation and opportunities for leisure are great. But the rest we need is found in a Person - Jesus Christ is the true Sabbath. That's what I'm meditating on, even as I enjoy the sand and surf this week.

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What causes your weariness?
How do you get rest when you become tired?
How do the cares and burdens of this world affect you?

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What Happened to Demas?

A couple of months ago, I was finishing 2 Timothy, when the following words caught my attention:

Do your best to come to me soon. For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.

(2 Tim 4:9-10)

I have, on prior occasions, read these verses without paying much attention to them. Yet, this time, I was led to stop and ponder about Demas, previously noted in Philemon and Colossians among Paul's trusted companions. What happened to Demas, I wonder?

How did he go from a trusted fellow worker to a deserter?
How was he in love with this present world? Was it a love of money or an unwillingness to bear up under persecution ... or perhaps something else altogether?
Did he always harbor a faithlessness or was it some special test that exposed his love of the world?

I'm sobered by Demas. We're not told much about him but it's a hint of a cautionary tale - to hold fast our faith to the end, rather than coasting our way to the finish line. It's a reminder that there are many pitfalls along the way. For some, it's the pursuit of wealth and the pleasure that pose a challenge. For others, it's placing hope and security in their (401)K and hard earned savings, rather than in the Eternal God. A successful professional might be tempted to treasure the significance and accolades they experience at work above all else.

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What does it look like in your life to "love this present world" and how do you fight to mortify its influence?

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

(Phillipians 2:12-13)

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Spurgeon on How Faith Reconciles Us to Our Vocation

Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) always seemed to preach with the gospel in view, even on practical matters such as work and vocation. Among the more intriguing points on the topic of vocation is this assertion -

Faith is beneficial to our vocation because it "reconciles [us] to the discomforts of [our] calling". What exactly does that mean? Well, I'll let him speak to us in his own words -

Faith has a beneficial influence...for it reconciles a man to the discomforts of his calling. It is not every calling that is easy or lucrative or honoured among men.

Faith teaches the humble worker to see Jesus in all his lowliness, condescending upon himself the form of a servant for our sakes. Faith reads "Jesus, knowing that he came forth from God and went to God, took a towel, and girded himself, and washed the disciples' feet." That was one of the most menial of employments, and if our Lord and Master did not disdain it why should we be ashamed of the humblest form of service?

I like the honesty of his counsel. Especially his acknowledgment that we are sometimes called to a vocation that is neither easy nor honored among men. Perhaps too much of the work/faith discussion is about making a grand impact on business, politics and culture. Could it be that not enough is said on how to redeem small, obscure and menial moments by humbly serving "as to the Lord"? Spurgeon's words can help us think differently about this.

Spurgeon goes on to tell us more about the fruit of gratitude in the life of a faith filled, humble worker.

Your faith ought to help you by arousing gratitude for deliverance from a far worse drudgery. You did for Satan things for which you are now ashamed... There is no degradation for anything that is done for God. Faith in God sanctifies the man and his calling too, and makes it pleasant to him to carry the cross of Christ in his daily labour.

Here's the gospel connection, from Spurgeon's perspective

Faith is a great teacher of humility for it bids us think little of ourselves and rest alone in God; and because it fosters humility it renders a man's task pleasant when else it would be irksome.
When the Lord makes us feel that we are poor undeserving creatures, we do not mind taking the lowest room or the meanest work for we feel that as long as we are out of hell and have a hope of heaven, the meanest service is an honour to us.

Another way faith reconciles us to the discomforts of our vocation is by enabling perseverance through the avenue of gospel hope.

Faith also removes discomforts by reminding us that they will not last long. Faith says of trial, "Bear it. The time is short. Soon the Saviour cometh and the poorest of his followers shall then reign with him". Toil on, O weary one, for the morning light will put an end to thy labour, which lasts only through the hours of darkness...Thus faith takes the thorns from our pillow, and makes us learn in whatsoever state we are therewith to be content

In this life, we may encounter what seems to be difficult, fruitless work but there's a better day coming where work will be creative, fruitful and joyfully fulfilling.

Perseverance in the Life of William Wilberforce

William Wilberforce labored for the cause of social justice for 46 years, often against significant opposition. There was public pressure arising from the national interests at stake. John Piper explains this in Amazing Grace in the Life of William Wilberforce –

"It seemed utterly unthinkable to Parliament that Britain could prosper without what the plantations of the West Indies provided. If one nation, like Britain unilaterally abolished the slave trade and others did not, it would mean…that power and wealth would be transmitted to other nations and Britain would be weakened internationally."

Wilberforce's public image suffered greatly when he spoke out against Queen Caroline’s marital unfaithfulness. There were also accusations that he cared more for the slaves than for the poor of England. Sadly, he also experienced the death of his daughter.

Yet, he persevered. Piper tells us that his opponents took note of his endurance.

“His adversaries complained that Wilberforce ‘jumped up whenever they knocked him down.’ One of them in particular put it like this: ‘It is necessary to watch him as he is blessed with…that Enthusiastic spirit, which is so far from yielding that it grows more vigorous from blows.’"

What was the secret of his perseverance? According to Piper, it was more than simply the encouragement of good friends, though Wilberforce had many. His remarkable perseverance in the midst of challenging work is rooted in an unquenchable joy in God.

“There is a deeper root of Wilberforce’s endurance than camaraderie. It is the root of childlike, child-loving, self-forgetting joy in Christ.”

Piper conveys this in Wilberforce’s own words -

"We can scarcely indeed look into any part of the sacred volume without meeting abundant proofs, that it is a religion of Affections that God particularly requires…Joy is enjoined to us as our bounden duty and commended to us as our acceptable worship…A cold…unfeeling heart is represented as highly criminal."

Piper concludes with this thought -

"When we say that Wilberforce’s joy was unshakeable and undefeatable…we mean that he had learned the secret of “the good fight”, and that his embattled joy reasserted itself in and after every tumult in society and in the soul."

How do you respond when the “chips are down”?
Do you persevere in such a way that your spirit “grows more vigorous from blows”?
How can we capture the kind of joyful perseverance that characterized Wilberforce and apply that in our lives?