Making Much of Christ from 8 to 5

"Eventually I want to serve God full time..." When you hear this statement, usually the person has in mind being a missionary, pastor, or the like. It is a broadly accepted misnomer in the evangelical church today. Abraham Kuyper made the statement, " There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: 'Mine!' " This call rings as true today as ever, but the question that remains for me is "What does that look like? Great, idea, but what does that really mean?"

 

Well, Dr. John Piper has written a book called "Don't Waste Your Life". After the first few chapters you will be ready to run off into the jungle or to jump in seminary; however as you progress through the book, you will find that this is not his intent. Yes, there are those who are called to this, but what about the rest? Chapter eight is entitled "Making Much of Christ from 8 to 5" and includes the following pointers:

 

1. We can make much of God in our secular job through fellowship that we enjoy with him throughout the day in all our work.

2. We make much of Christ in our secular work by the joyful, trusting, God-exalting design of our creativity and industry.

3. We make much of Christ in our secular work when it confirms and enhances the portrait of Christ's glory that people hear in the spoken Gospel.

4. We make much of Christ in our secular work by earning enough money to keep us from depending on others, while focusing on the helpfulness of our work rather than financial rewards.

5. We make much of Christ in our secular work by earning money with the desire to use our money to make others glad in God.

6. We make much of Christ in our secular work by treating the web of relationships it creates as a gift of God to be loved by sharing the Gospel and by practical deeds of help.

 

These above points are as true for the stay-at-home mom as for the stockbroker, or in my case an Oracle DBA. I think especially for the mom, the temptation can be to see children as the end all of her ministry. Adding these other aspects makes it a well rounded, God glorifying job - capable of transforming even the most inane drivel into something pleasing to our Father.

The Audience of One

Only madmen, geniuses, and supreme egotists do things purely for themselves. It is easy to buck a crowd, not too hard to march to a different drummer. But it is truly difficult - perhaps impossible - to march only to your own drumbeat. Most of us, whether we are aware of it or not, do things with an eye to the approval of some audience or other. The question is not whether we have an audience but which audience we have.
This observation underscores another vital feature of the truth of calling. A life lived listening to the decisive call of God is a life lived before an one audience that trumps all other - the Audience of One. -- Os Guinness, The Call, p. 70

This passage really hit me as I thought about how much of my life is geared around audiences. Okay, so I'm not a theatrical actor, but it in one sense I am an actor. Much of who I am is because I think others will think more of me if I appear a certain way. After reading this, I realized that there is no person in the world (including my wonderful wife) whose opinion really counts. This is not to say that others cannot help us see ourselves more accurately, but rather that there is only one Supreme Opinion that in the end truly matters. He is the one that I must be striving please. All other opinions of me are mere window dressing. If I am living my life to please God, whether or not I please another living being on this earth doesn't matter. If they are pleased with me as well, great; if not, only One opinion truly counts.

The necessity of a split personality

Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.

Psalm 43:5

It struck me, in reading the Psalms this morning how often David talks to himself. It is one thing to know the truth; yet when it comes to real life, it is another to actually live that truth out. Our need is not simply to learn more, read another book, explore another truth; it is to live the truth that we know. One of the ways that these truths will come to rest in our hearts and lives is to stop and truly examine our souls. Examining ourselves truly in this way will expose our hearts. And then, the exposed heart needs to be reminded of our Savior. I love the idea of preaching the gospel to ourselves daily, but in addition we need to be accurately assessing our soul. If I am struggling with fear or doubt, I want God's truth to illuminate that area. Unless I truly evaluate my soul it's easy to simply go through another exercise and not bring the truth to bear in the area of my struggle. So get the split personality going as we speak truth to ourselves.

The Approachable God

You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned." The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, "I am trembling with fear."

But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. (Hebrews 12:18-24)

Imagine you are a first century Hebrew believer in a first century church... What would your concept of God be? Well, you had followed the Torah (or Law) all your life. It was through this Law that you knew of God. The God you know is the same one that the Israelites knew in the wilderness. You know of the holiness, sovereign reign, and complete otherness of God; much is said in the old covenant about God's holiness. As demonstrated by Mount Sinai (the mountain referred to in verse 18), God was - for the most part - unapproachable. With the coming of Jesus, your concept of God is expanding.

Now forward to today... Often we, like the old covenant believer, can teach / preach / and relate to God as the Holy and fearsome God. This is good; but only good in the sense that the law was good. Matthew Henry states, "The gospel state is mild, and kind, and condescending, suited to our weak frame." Through gospel of Jesus Christ, we need not say with Moses, "I am trembling with fear." Why? Because we no longer relate to God through Mount Sinai and through the law. We are made part of a better covenant, a grace and joy filled covenant; we come to God - yes, God the judge - but as a "church of the firstborn" (all the rights of His firstborn) and mediated through the sprinkled blood of Jesus Christ. John Calvin writes, "God's glory displays itself more illustriously in the Gospel than in the Law."

God is indeed approachable.

Explicit proclamation

From John Piper's book Don't Waste Your Life

 

Since September 11, 2001, I have seen more clearly than ever how essential it is to exult explicitly in the excellence of Christ crucified for sinners and risen from the dead. Christ must be explicit in all our God-talk. It will not do, in this day of pluralism, to talk about the glory of God in vague ways. God without Christ is no God. And a no-God cannot save or satisfy the soul. Following a no-God - whatever his name or whatever his religion - will be a wasted life. God-in-Christ is the only true God and the only path to joy. [emphasis mine] p. 38

 

How easy it is to slip into god-talk without Christ being present. As Dr. Piper says this is a no-God. (I would say this is talk of god, not God).  If we don't make and effort to speak specifically and explicitly of Christ, how will it happen? Both Muslim, Hindi, Jew, and Christian can subscribe to the adage, "In God We Trust." Each, however, brings a different understanding of that god/God. Our challenge in our pluralistic world is to "declare the praises of him [Christ, the crucified God] who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." What practical steps will you take to make that happen today?

Grace found!

To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Cor 12:7-10)

Well every journey has twists and turns. Imagine you're driving along a familiar road, but are driving a new section in it; you knew where it started and know where it ends. Suddenly a sharp turn appears that makes you wonder if you're on the right road. So it is with this past week for me. In keeping with the spirit of this blog, I am sharing a little bit more of my journey - including the twists and turns. Yesterday I had a grand mal seizure, now this is nothing new and suprising to me, but part of my history. Almost ten years ago I had a tumor removed, seven years later it grew back and was removed a second time. In both cases seizure activity were symptomatic of the tumor. God in his goodness allowed the tumor to be successfully removed again the second time. Doctors have said that the possibility of regrowth is remote. After healing from this second surgery, I had been seizure free for a couple of years. Until I physically ran myself into the ground and had a seizure this past August. The neurologist chalked it up to sleep deprevation. Then yesterday another one hit, for no apparent reason.

My trials are very, very small when compared with what many other people are walking through. However, they are some of the circumstances and events that God has chosen in my spiritual formation. So this posting is meant to be a little introspection about this past event and a way to share what God is teaching me through it.

In talking with a guy here at church, I was sharing my struggle with fear over this issue, he encouraged me to look to God's word for a verse to stand on. The above verses are my platform. The reason I boast in my seizures is that it gives me a reliance on God that I would not have. And this draws me closer to Him. Self reliance so easily creeps into my life and this is a constant reminder of the fact that I am not in control. May my weakness accentuate the greatness of God as I continue to find his grace at work.

How the gospel transforms my journey

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. ( Hebrews 12:1-4)

 

I've only run in one official race (a wimpy 5k), since becoming an adult. When the race started, I was toward the front and began running along with all the others. What I didn't realize was that all the good runners go to the front and the rest of us need to be at the back. After getting to the halfway point, I realized that I was gassed and couldn't keep up the pace through the whole thing, so I had a bit of a breather and walked for a couple hundred yards before running again. Ran for a while, walked again, then began slowly running again. But then, rounding a corner, I saw the finish line. At that I felt a spurt of energy and finished off my race at a much faster pace than I had been running just seconds before.

 

This reminds me of the above words from Hebrews. The Scriptures and church history have given us a great group of runners who are setting an example of running the race at a strong pace. The motivating factor, however, is not the examples of those who are running in front and around us. It is found in fixing our eyes on the One who has crossed the finish line and set the ultimate example. Not only has he set the ultimate example, but he also is the prize. Our calling today is to fix our eyes on Him, throwing off all the distractions that the world will try to heap on and which we in our sinful short sightedness embrace. Our endurance (sanctification) is intricately linked with our comprehension of the gospel. The better we internalize and understand the gospel, the greater our endurance in this race. Unlike my 5k, this race is one of tremendous significance. 

Hebrews 2:10

In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.

"There are many who are ready to tell us confidently what would and what would not be worthy of God; but in fact the only way to discover what is a worthy thing for God to do is to consider what God has actually done. The person who says, 'I could not have a high opinion of a God who would (or would not) do this or that,' is not adding anything to our knowledge of God; he is simply telling us something about himself. We may be sure that all that God does is worthy of himself, but here [the author of Hebrews] singles out one of God's actions and tells us that it was a fitting thing for him to do. And what was that? It was making Jesus, through his sufferings, perfectly qualified to be the Saviour of his people. It is in the passion [the death] of our Lord that we see the very heart of God laid bare; nowhere is God more fully or more worthily revealed as God than when we see him 'in Christ reconciling the world to himself' (2 Cor. 5:19)." - The Epistle to the Hebrews, F.F. Bruce, p. 80
 

The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more - Rom 5:20

Most of my journal/blog entries have been positive and exhortational moments. Right now, however, I am feeling less than spiritual. It's that feeling you get (or I get) when you feel like every responsibility that God has given you is overwhelming you. It's that feeling you get when your life situations reveal what your heart is really like and the view is somewhat like looking at roadkill that's been dead by the side of the road for a week!

 

Preaching only to myself here... The more I see of God and the more that His Word and Spirit reveal my true nature (sin increases), the more the wonderful grace of Christ increase. Indeed, it is only of His grace that I see my sin. It is by His grace that I am be delivered from the bonds of sin in this life. And it is by His grace that I will someday be fully and beautifully changed into His image.

A godly man is a zealous man

I am reading Thomas Watsons' The Godly Man's Picture - Drawn with a Scripture Pencil and am giving a short summary / devotional from this weeks reading for my invest group.

 

What is zeal?

Webster's 1828 Dictionary reads, "Passionate ardor [enthusiasm] in the pursuit of any thing. In general, zeal is an eagerness of desire to accomplish or obtain some object, and it may be manifested either in favor of any person or thing, or in opposition to it, and in a good or bad cause." Watson's definition? "Zeal is a mixed affection [emotion], a compound of love and anger. It carries forth our love to God and anger against sin in the most intense manner."

 

Using Webster and Watson's definitions, we can see zeal as that which places God in His rightful place as the primary pursuit in our lives and is expressed through our love to God and anger against sin.

 

Using a dialectical form of writing, Watson poses the question, "What about moderation?"

 

"Though moderation in things of indifference is commendable, and doubtless it would greatly tend to settling the peace of the church, yet in the main articles of faith, wherein God's glory and our salvation lie at stake, here moderation is nothing but sinful neutrality." In other words being a peacemaker should only extend to the nonessentials, when God's glory or salvation (the gospel) come into the picture, they should be defended zealously.

 

The challenge he leaves us with is, "Christians, what do you reserve your zeal for? Is it for your gold that perishes? Can you bestow your zeal better than upon God?... Was not Jesus Christ zealous for you?...How zealous he was for your redemption, and you have no zeal for him?"

 

Lastly, we need to think about what this really looks like. I know that I have often zealously pursued things other than God. Sports has been an zealous pursuit in the past, as has work. We are called to be zealous for God. The temptation is to think of zeal as that which is exhibited on Sunday morning. True zeal, however, should be displayed in each area of life. What does this look like in each role that God has given us?  What does it mean to me to be a father who is zealous for God? A zealous husband? A zealous church member? A zealous employee?

 

Great Quote on Justification

Question: How art thou righteous before God?
Answer: Only by true faith in Jesus Christ; that is, although my conscience accuse me that I have grievously sinned against all the commandments of God, and have never kept any of them, and that I am still prone always to all evil, yet God, without merit of mine, of mere grace, grants and imputes to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ, as if I had never committed nor had any sin, and had myself accomplished all the obedience which Christ has fulfilled for me, if only I accept such benefit with a believing heart. -- from the Heidelberg Confession (1563) Question 60.

Two types of faith

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? ... fath by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. James 2:14, 17

I've been reading in the Books of James lately... One verse in particular jumped out at me today. James is not comparing faith and works, but (as Douglas Moo puts it): "He is, rather, contrasting a faith that, because it is inherently defective, produces no works and a faith that, because it is genuine, does result in action."

In looking at my own life, I don't often find myself interacting with those who are lacking in basic necessities. The whole "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled..." isn't really a position I find myself in. But I do on a regular basis interact with other believers. When I do, does my faith express itself through a true concern for their needs? Often a cursory "I'll be praying for you..." is the the response I'll give. Sure, I may fire off a prayer or even spend time in my morning devotions praying for that person, but a faith that acts will look to go BEYOND this. How can I help the physical needs of that brother or sister for whom Christ died? It may be giving an ear to someone that I really don't want to, or giving my time to help move a piece of furniture. To leave the application of this passage in the extreme situation of someone without food is to shortchange the message James is trying to get across. My faith MUST result in acts of love to my brothers and sisters OR ELSE IT IS DEFECTIVE FAITH.

What's my mission today?

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9

We have in this verse a mission and a message. After reminding us of who we are, Peter continues with a purpose statement, "that you may declare the praises of him." Of course this "him" is none other than Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. We are reminded that our calling and privilege is to declare his praises. The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever says the Westminster Catchecism. This verse is proof of this claim. Our calling is to praise Christ. A thought that should be on our minds every day is "How shall I declare His praise today?"

This mission is rooted in a message. The message is none other than the simple and glorious truth of the gospel "called you out of darkeness into his wonderful light." This is is the motivation of my declaration of his praise today.

Developing a love for Christ in my kids

"Love to Christ is the point which we ought specially to dwell upon in teaching religion to children. Election, imputed righteousness, original sin, justification, sanctification, and even faith itself, are matters which sometimes puzzle a child of tender years. But love to Jesus seems far more within reach of their understanding. That He loved them even to His death, and that they ought to love Him in return, is a creed which meets the span of their minds. How true it is that "out of the mouths of babes and sucklings Thou hast perfected praise!" (Matt. xxi. 16.) There are myriads of Christians who know every article of the Athanasian, Nicene, and Apostolic Creeds, and yet know less of real Christianity than a little child who only knows that he loves Christ." [Holiness, Chapter 15, Point I, Section c]

I've puzzled over the best way to encourage my children to develop a personal love for God. This paragraph just jumped out at me because of its simplicity. A love for Christ can be encouraged in my kids by pointing them toward the gospel as the demonstration of His love for them. It's that simple.

Christ is All

I have been reading through J.C. Ryle's book called Holiness. It has had a profound impact on me. I wish I could relate all of it, but as I cannot. I must simply highly, highly recommend it. I've viewed an active pursuit of holiness negatively for many years. This book has opened my eyes to the nature of a true pursuit of holiness. It is not simply a change in the way we act, but runs through the very core of the Christian. It begins in our justification by Christ and is continued by Him in our sanctification. I am including a link to the last chapter of the book called Christ is All.

http://home.comcast.net/~matthew.t.lowe/ryle/christ_is_all.htm

Revelation 21:5-7 He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son."

The gig is up! What confidence we can have... The end of the story is disclosed. The book of Revelation is such an encouraging book! God's kingdom is permanantly established and everything is made new (all creation has been corrupted by sin and requires God to create it anew - from us being new creations in Christ to the earth being renewed or remade). How much suspense is there in watching a football game on video tape when you've seen the final score on the internet? Not a lot. In the same way, there is no suspense as to who will win and who will lose in the final conflict. This gives us great confidence in life. Evil and wrong will NOT ulitimately prevail - although this is easy to forget. We have here the definitive good ending to the supreme story.

What makes me happy? I found myself this morning (on the way to work, of course!) thinking about a weekend gone and another work week starting and found myself slipping into subtle depression. God in his goodness reminded me of the necessity of finding my joy in God. The conversation went something like this...

"So, your job is not your dream job. Very few people's jobs are. Where do you find your joy?"

"Well, I guess I am supposed to find it in You."

"If you're unhappy now, where would you find joy in the middle of a trial?"

Whether this was a Biblically informed subconscious conversation with myself or God's spirit talking with me, I don't know. I do know that the idea that was impressed on me was that wherever I am in my life, I can and must find my joy in Christ. That means if I am walking through trial, I can be joyful. If I am experiencing abundance, my joy must still be found in Christ. Then, if all the things I am blessed with disappear, I have lost nothing. If (for me) I struggle with my day to day job, I must find my joy in Christ. The thought that another job might bring me joy is simply a wrong and sinful thought. If Christ is not my joy now, he will not be my joy even if my job were to become that elusive "dream job." Not profound thoughts, but a necessary rediretion for my soul.

1 Peter 1:5-9 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
The process of growing to become more like Jesus Christ includes adding all the above attributes into our lives. From the moment of salvation we are a new person that is being changed to be more like our Saviour. The last verse really jumped out at me. If anyone doesn't have these attributes, are they Christians? Yes, but they have forgotten thing that should be motivating their transformation into Christ's image. Namely, the gospel. So we find that the gospel is more than the gospel of salvation, it works transformation. If we don't have the above works of the Spirit in our lives we may be saved from hell, but we rob ourselves of the privilege of having and effective and productive life on earth.

I John 3:1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
One of the attributes of God is holiness. God the Father is Holy, Jesus the Son is Holy, and the Spirit is Holy (hence "Holy Spirit"). The holiness of God is not excusive to the Father and the Spirit, but Jesus is just as Holy. In the mystery of the Incarnation this Holy Son made himself into a man.
The love of God is similar. Although shown by Jesus through of life as a human and death on the cross; it is also shown by the Father as he sent his son and poured out his wrath on Jesus. Stop and think about that! Here we have this triune God pouring out wrath on another member of the trinity. A person who throughout eternity past was in inconceivably close relationship with him. This is completely uncomprehensible. No wonder John says, "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us..." The Holy Spirit displays his love for us through his active presence in our lives today. The mystery of the trinity and love of God are united. To think of the love of Jesus and not to think about the love of the Father and the love of the Spirit is to sell short the concept of God's love. God's love must be developed within the framework of the Trinity. In worship and prayer remember that the death of our Saviour was a trinune display of love! Thanks be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Hebrews 10:26-29, 12:3-4 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? ...Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

My sin was so great that the majestic, holy, awesome Creator and King sacrificed His life in payment for them. Jesus' death for sin shows how seriously God views sin. How serious am I about my sin? I am to put on the same attitude that God has about my sin. When I treat sin (however small) lightly by ignoring or justifying it, I am spurning His death. A scary place to be!

In our fight against sin, we are to imitate the Savior who fought to the point of shedding his blood. I must fight against sin with all my might; but not by my own strength, rather, it is through His gracious power. How different would my life be if I passionately pursued holiness? Considering the magnitude of the death of Christ for sin gives me power to fight against sin in my daily life. It pushes me forward when I want to coast and just allow for a little bit of "me" time. This attitude is not optional from a biblical perspective. Jesus' faithful endurance in the fight against sin is a source of encouragement in my fight against sin. I, too, am to fight to the death against my sin.

Hebrews 6:19-20 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

Often life can be like the sea. As I look at my life now, it appears to be fairly calm. Of course there are the occasional ups and downs of daily life, but no major turmoil. At past times in my life I have experienced some storms that really rocked me. In those times, the anchor of my soul has held me fast. A boat doesn't just rely on its anchor during a storm, though, even in times of calm we can drift. Because of Jesus Christ who stands in the most holy place in our behalf, we have an anchor for our souls. When the stormyness of life seems to overwhelm or I find myself drifting in the calm, I must always look beyond the immediate circumstances. During rough times or calm times I need to be reminded of who my anchor is. How good it is to be steadfastly anchored in the sea of life unafraid of the storms that may hit me, because I know that my soul is anchored by Jesus Christ.

2 Cor. 10:5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
In meditating on this passage today, I realized that I have misunderstood what is being said in this verse. I have thought of this capturing of the thoughts as being a sort of filter. That our thoughts should be captivated by Christ BEFORE they enter our minds. While I don't want to downplay the importance of being transformed in our thoughts to think with the mind of Christ (as Paul puts it - 1 Cor. 2:16), we also live with something that Jesus never did - namely a sin nature. It is impossible for us to be completely transformed in our thought life before being completely free of the sin nature. This will come someday, but for now we must learn what it means to live out the battle between the Spirit and the flesh.
Instead, this verse demands that we capture every thought and "make it obedient to Christ." In order for something to be made captive, it must first be free. How those thoughts get into our mind is somewhat irrelevant. Whether it was the world, the flesh, or the devil caused that thought to be there is not important. All three are warring for supremecy in our minds. But we have a King who has purchased us. It is not our perrogative to allow those thoughts to be running loose. Therefore we are to take them captive. This practically means that we must become disciplined in our minds. To allow thoughts to run loose without examining them is to disobey this passage.
Ok, so much for the theory - now, what does this look like? For me and I think most people, we think about a lot of different things on any given day. Many of them good and God glorifying and many of them sinful, some of them are somewhat neutral (i.e. "Should I wear a green, red, or blue shirt", etc.). All three of these categories need to be examined.

• In the thoughts that I think are God glorifying, am I tainting those thoughts with my sin nature (am I thinking wrongly of who God is as revealed by His Word)?
• In the thoughts that are sinful, they must be captured, but it doesn't end there. C.S. Lewis said, "What springs from myself and not from God is evil: It is a perversion of something of God's." All sinful thoughts should first be killed. Next, identifying how we are wrongly thinking and seeing God's thoughts on the matter allows us to "redeem" these thoughts. Making these evil thoughts obedient to Christ often includes correcting the wrong orientation of our fleshly minds. Example: Suppose I find myself coveting a nicer car. Clearly I am stepping out of the boundries defined by Scripture by coveting. My thoughts are sinful. Instead of allowing these thoughts to run, they must be taken captive and made obedient to Christ. In this particular case, I might remind myself from God's Word what true blessings are. God has given me so much to be grateful for!
• In the thoughts that we think are neutral, make sure they are! As I looked back on my example of the red, green, and blue shirt - I realized that even there, in my drawer, I have the potential of this neutral decision becoming not so neutral! My green shirt has a Guiness logo on it, so obviously, I must allow wisdom and love be my guides in when to wear this shirt and when to not. The blue and red shirts are both unoffensive so I would conclude that the decision is primarily neutral (I think). In this example I find that even the "neutral" decisions I can make often are not completely neutral and must be examined to see if I have allowed room for sin.

1 Thessalonians 2:8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.
In the day that mankind rallies our utmost challenge to God's supremacy, we get his response. Whether this response is yet in the future or past history makes little difference. God's responds to man's challenge of his sovereignty by destroying and overthrowing the wicked, not by a mighty act of power, but simply with the breath of his mouth. How great is our God!

Spurgeon on sanctification

Thus I have reminded you that the prayer for sanctification is offered to the divine Father, and this leads us to look out of ourselves and wholly, to our God. Do not set about the work of sanctification yourselves, as if you could perform it alone. Do not imagine that holiness will necessarily follow because you listen to an earnest preacher, or unite in sacred worship. My brethren, God himself must work within you; the Holy Ghost must inhabit you; and this can only come to you by faith in the Lord Jesus. Believe in him for your sanctification, even as you have believed for your pardon and justification. He alone can bestow sanctification upon you; for this is the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Philippians 3:12b ...but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
One sign of Christian maturity is balance. This verse in a few words gives me hope that one day I will live out this balance. On the one hand, the life of the Christian is founded completely on the finished and perfect work of our Saviour. We are accepted before our God on the basis of the righteousness of Jesus Christ, not any work that we do. Yet the life we live NOW is compared to a race, we are to press on toward the goal, work out our salvation, to live in our experience as closely as possible to the reality of our position in Christ. I find myself often drifting between the two, yet a balanced approach to sanctification finds God's good grace at work in our works. It finds that he who began the good work is the one that is completing it. Even though I am the one who has to swing my feet out of the bed in the morning, behind it all is God at work. All is done through His power.

Ephesians 2:1-10 ...you were dead in your transgressions and sins...we were...objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God...made us alive...raised us up with Christ... seated us with him... that... he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith...it is the gift of God... so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Notice how Paul preaches the gospel to the Ephesian believers. The emphasis is not on their faith or acceptance of Christ, but in God's work. As a matter of fact, the act of faith is not even mentioned except briefly in verse 8. To me this is the difference in preaching the gospel to unbelievers and preaching the gospel to myself. I need to remember God's work first and foremost. It is because He first made me alive that I was able by faith, to trust in Him. To an unbeliever, I would stress the "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ." To the believer, see who you were, what he has done, and out of a heart overflowing with gratitude for his grace - live the life to which you are called (vs. 10).

A short prayer

It is amazing, Father, that the One Holy God has chosen to reveal himself to sinful man. Help me to overcome my sinful nature and to see you more clearly. It is only in this that I will find true joy in life. I ask that the desires of my heart would be turned to love you above all that I am immersed in. That the way you want me to live would become as a second nature. Thank you for your gift of salvation in which I stand today. Amen.

Col. 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
What does it mean for Christ to have supremacy (first place)? First, Christ is God's display of His glory to fallen man. In Jesus we have all of God in a human body. Yet, He is king over all mankind and creation. And it is through Him that fallen mankind can be restored to a right relationship with God. His preeminence is in this sense part of his nature. Second, Christ's supremacy is over the church. He's the boss. Although He is the Sovereign over all creation, the church is special in that we are his redeemed people who are living out the kingdom of God in the world today. Christ is head of this body. I am a part of this body, therefore, all areas of my life should reflect my King's priorities. Today, I want to place Jesus in his rightful place as King by reordering my priorities around Him and His priorities.

2 Cor. 4:17-18 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Notice where Paul has fixed his gaze... not simply into eternity, but on an object that stands in eternity. The promise of God, the person of Christ, the kingdom of our God - all these are unseen and stand beyond the "temporary." If our hope is fixated on Christ, the troubles and cares of life will not shake us. When we fix our hope on this life, troubles will overwhelm us. We can have confidence in the circumstances around us because the sovereignty of God is working towards an end. It is not the end in itself. Take confidence today. If our eyes are fixed on the things around us, we must readjust our focus and place our hope for this life and the next in Christ.

2 Cor 1:21, 3:18 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ...And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
My salvation will always be because of Christ. My salvation experience in the past, the living out of my salvation in the present, and my future completed salvation in a life that goes on forever with God. It is a temptation to think that my present experience of salvation (sanctification) will be caused in part by my obedience, my spiritual disciplines, my love for God. Yet Scripture is definite when it states "God makes...us...stand firm in Christ." This is God's work, not mine. The result of His work is that day by day we are transformed into his image allowing us to see more and more of his glory. Delight in the glory of God is to begin in our present experience of salvation and will only grow until the consumation of our salvation when we will "see Him as He is."

Phil. 4:19 And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
What are needs? So often I make my wants, my needs. God has promised to provide abundantly for us as his children. Our deepest needs are not physical. Yes, God will provide our physical needs (see Matthew 6:25-34), but here he speaks of providing our needs "according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Perhaps this refers to my daily needs, but it also speaks to my spiritual needs. The riches I have in Christ are far beyond any riches we can gain on earth. They are not worth comparison. It is my tendency to focus on the temporal rather than the eternal. There are very few things that will last forever. Relationships may be one of the things that we will last into eternity future. Even if they do, all relationships are secondary to the primary relationship (with God). All other relationships exist because of that one. In this sense, the relationship I have with God on this side of eternity is the only thing I will carry past the grave. My primary business, then, must be this relationship. All other relationships and life events (the things I enjoy or suffer through) must all be held in light of my eternal relationship with my Father in Heaven, through His Son, made real today in my life by the power of the Holy Spirit.

1 Cor 8:1b-3 Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God.

 

In this passage, Paul turns his attention to a problem in the Corinithian church. Some of the Corinithian believers were exercising their Christian liberty by eating meat offered to idols. However, other believers (having been saved out of the pagan environment) viewed this as sin. The first comment Paul makes is regarding knowledge and love. He isolates love as a governing principle for the Christian life. Verse 3 is interesting because Paul does not immediately go where I would think he would. He ends up there in verse 13 when he declares that if his eating meat will cause a brother to fall into sin (by partaking in eating meat and violating his conscience), "I will never eat meat again." But it's not where he starts. He starts with love for God (vs. 3).

 

All relationships we have with others must flow from a love for God. Unless we love God, our love for others will be self gratifying. If I do not first love God but attempt to love others, I find my love to be contingent on their actions. It is as I love God and am known by Him that I am able to truly love. Because my focus is Godward, not toward people, their actions have no impact on my love. It is in this way that we can love those that are "unlovable." Not only the unlovable, though, for even those we love most (for me, my wife) will let me down. It is of vital importance that we develop first a love for God before venturing into the realm of loving others. It is then that we can truly love with God's love.

1 Cor. 4:4 My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent.

 

The conscience is a God given thing, I thank the Lord for my conscience; however, because of the deceitfulness of sin, my conscience will deceive me. The apostle Paul lived with a clear conscience, but realized that sin can very easily still creep in. I look to my wife and other believers who would know me well (unfortunately they are few and far away, at this point...) to help me in this area. As depressing as it can be to see our sin, it is always important to remember grace. As we come to God's Word, and become more sensitive to the Spirit's conviction, our sin becomes more and more visible. Yet, never forgetting, that this is part of God's grace in our lives  ...where sin increased, grace increased all the more. (Rom 5:20)

Romans 13:14 ...clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

Each day I feel that I am realizing (more and more vividly) how far I have yet to go! And how often I put on masks to make myself look better than I am. Putting sin to death in our lives needs to begin with our thoughts. We need to guard our patterns of thought (...do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature). Guarding our thought life, however, is only one side of the coin. We must also actively clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus. Just as I put clothes on in the morning, so too must I be actively placing my mind and spirit under the covering and control of my Lord.

Romans 8:6b ...the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace...

How often do our minds fit into this description? One of the signs of a Spirit empowered life is a mind that is controlled by life and peace. In this passage, Paul contrasts life in the Spirit with death in sin. We as believers have One who overcame sin on our behalf, this is why we now are controlled by life. So often, however, we think that sin is still in control. The truth of it is that the Spirit is control. Lord, I ask to be changed so that I live out this truth! The second sign of a Spirit empowered life (by this I mean a truly Christian life - not a mystical experience) is that our minds will be controlled by peace. As Phillipians 4:7 says, "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." What does it mean to have a mind controlled by the Spirit? Our lives will be lives of peace. Even in conflict. There is a peace that comes in the midst our daily busyness as we realize that even then, God is at work. His Spirit will accomplish his purpose of sanctification through the daily events (trials, temptations, and successes).

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. - Romans 10:33-36

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

I read a definition of theology that I really liked. "Theology is faith seeking understanding." I like this for a few reasons. First, it is grounded in faith. There have been many "theologians" who have no true faith in God. Under this definition, they may be psychologists, but not theologians. Theology must begin in and flow from our faith. If our theology is merely based on facts, it becomes stale; theology based on faith is alive and must find practical expression. Second, the definition emphasizes the ongoing nature of theology. To arrive at an end point in theology is to arrive at a completed understanding of our faith, including it’s object – God. Of course this is impossible! Our theology must always be being refined by the Word of God, the Spirit of God, and lastly our experience of the Word and the Spirit (in subjection to the first two). Finally, the definition is simple. It’s easy one to remember.

As the verse in Hebrews emphasizes, faith is being sure of our hope. Blending this verse and the above definition, hope becomes an orientation for theology. What do you hope for? My hope is often misplaced. My hope must always be looking forward to that day when the consumation of all things occurs. Revelation gives us this:

Then I saw "a new heaven and a new earth," for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

What would it mean for me to orient myself around this? Well for starters it puts a correct perspective on life. Theology must be practical, if it is not, it is of no benefit.

1 John 3:1a How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

I am a father of five children. Last night was not a restful night. On my way in to work this morning, God in his goodness reminded me of all I have to be thankful for. It started with seeing the sun coming up, breathing, walking, my family, etc. It was precisely what I needed. It reminds me of an old hymn called "Count your blessings". But I find that for me, blessings very quickly become expectations. This is why the gospel is for today. The verse above is exactly the blessing I need to remember. Not the "I'm a great guy and no wonder God wants for his child" attitude but "I, as a hater of God, have been given this BLESSING of childhood."

Phillipians 2:5-8 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
In this passage our Saviour gives us a model for relating to those around us. It says that he "did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped." I would then ask this...

If divinity is not something to be grasped, what is? My petty clutching on to things such as being noticed for my work, being appreciated for what I do, my finances, my aspirations... this is getting pathetic!

Today in my workplace, how can I be like Christ? Whatever I am grasping is so far beneath what he released that it is not worthy of comment.

Thank you for giving me an example, Lord. Help me to follow this in the relationships that surround me today.