Prying Our Hands From This Life

6 Comments / January 7, 2019

Sometimes our hands are tempted to hold too tightly to the things of this world. We can become so focused on the temporal that we neglect the eternal. We can become so wrapped up in the here and now that our grip can become vise-like as we hold on to things that really don’t matter for eternity.

And then God allows a season of turmoil or of question marks in our life. A season where we can’t find our footing. Where we can’t catch our breath. A season where we have no option but to trust Him.

Some of these seasons include things like scary diagnoses, chronic illness, job or career changes, a move across the country, family issues like elderly parents in ill health or rebellious children who walk away from all they’ve been taught. They can be filled with financial troubles, disunity or discord with family or friends, or persecution for being a Christian. Sometimes these seasons include the death of someone we dearly love. Sometimes these seasons are filled with a multitude of challenges that, when added up, feel incredibly burdensome. They usually are filled with question marks and impossible puzzles that we can’t solve on our own and that might never be solved. These seasons are dark and scary and sad. They are painful and difficult and formidable. Some of them are short and some last a very long time. They are always painful and difficult.

These seasons often bring us back to proper priorities. They remind us that we are pilgrims in a foreign land and we are just passing through. They start to loosen our grip on this world.

Hard as these are, these seasons also often accomplish much good in our lives, don’t they?

I love Romans 8:28-29–

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Whether it’s a challenging child, a difficult co-worker, a cancer diagnosis, or the death of a dear loved one, God can somehow take all of these things and everything else that happens in our lives and use them for His purposes and His glory. He uses them to mold us and shape us into Christ’s image.

One of the things God has been teaching me through the past few years of constant change is to release my grip on this life. I am not one who rolls with change very well and it’s been no easy task to pry my fingers loose from the life I dearly loved. But God is faithfully accomplishing His purpose in my life, despite my ornery, obstinate heart.

Just when I think I am getting used to one change, along comes another. That is what is happening yet again. Without going into any details, I am headed back to work in our landscaping company for at least this year. While I have always worked for the company several hours each week, beginning this year those hours are substantially increasing. I have complete peace that I am doing the right thing. God has orchestrated many details to show us that this is the direction I am to be going. But I never like change and this is no exception. I also have a plate already full of commitments and feel pretty overwhelmed, so, as of right now, it feels a bit impossible. My mom always said you can only “eat an elephant one bite at a time” so that is what I am going to do. Take one day at a time and do what needs to be done. I am not exactly sure what all of this means for Growing4Life. I am going to do my best to continue blogging but will probably have to decrease the frequency.

I have been thinking a lot about some things during this time of decision.

I am recognizing that my life is not my own. I write a lot about not living by feelings or emotions and yet I find that this is a really big struggle for me. I had a picture of what this time of my life would look like and God is erasing that and giving me a different picture. I am not thrilled about this but God has really been teaching me to yield myself to Him. That I need to follow Him and His will, even if it isn’t necessarily what I desire.

I have also been realizing just how blessed I have been and still am. Looking back over our years often reminds us of how much there is to be thankful for. Whenever change comes, it reminds us to express gratitude for what was. Even if it is gone. Perhaps especially if it’s gone. Nothing lasts forever on this earth. It also reminds us to be thankful for what we have right now. The many blessings that are ours despite the undesired path we may be on. A heart of gratitude remembers to look for the good things wherever we find ourselves in life.

I also recognize that this change I am facing is hardly even a trial on the scale of trials. So many of you are facing such incredibly hard things. And it reminds me that we must be so gentle and kind with one another. That we must be filled with grace as we support each other in our walks through this life. Life can be so hard. An encouraging word or deed can be a true balm to the soul in turmoil.

So let’s be kind to one another today. Let’s take time to pray for someone facing an overwhelming trial or walking through a difficult season. We can strengthen them with our prayers.

And let’s not hold too tightly to the things of this world. For this world is passing away.

And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.          (I John 2:17)

 

 

The Perfect Climate

12 Comments / January 3, 2019

It’s been an interesting last ten or twenty years. To say the least. I have watched as false teachers have deceived thousands of people claiming to be Christians–maybe even millions–with hardly even a word from the true church. As more and more leaders, authors, and pastors compromise, they draw more and more away from biblical Christianity.

Just as mold grows in the perfect climate of damp darkness, so, too, does apostate religion. Why are so many Christians deceived? Why are so many who claim Christ falling away into a self-centered religion that is nothing like what Christ taught? Why are they not holding to God’s Word?

We true believers stand by shaking our heads in bewilderment but if we stop and think for just a moment, it makes so much sense. There are six things that have slowly evolved over time that have made every man, woman, and child who would claim to be a Christian susceptible to false religion. These things have changed so slowly that we may not even have thought about them. The changes have been taking place for 100 years or more but took on warp speed in certain decades. Like this one.

These six things create the perfect climate for false religion to grow. They pose as grave dangers not only for the church at large but for each and every one of us. While there is not a whole lot we can do to change the situation as a whole, we can work to eliminate these things from our own lives and from the lives of our children. We can also be used by God to make other Christians aware of these dangers so that they aren’t deceived.

1. Biblical Illiteracy  This is the first one in both order and importance. Even those who would consider themselves “good” Christians rarely open their Bibles. Many–probably most–who call themselves a Christian are satisfied by a devotional that barely contains the Word of God or they neglect time in the Word completely. Even many preachers have left the solid expositing of the Word in favor of entertaining stories. We have become so ill-equipped. How can we see if we aren’t using our lamp? (Psalm 119:105) How can we fight if we aren’t using our sword? (Ephesians 6:17) How can we examine if something is true or false, if we do not know what is true? (Acts 17:11)

How important it is that we are not among these neglectful and powerless Christians. As you may already know, my main goal here at Growing4Life is to get you in the Word, comparing every single thing by the Word. It is literally our only anchor. If you aren’t in the Word on a regular basis you will be deceived and tossed about.

2. Self-Idolatry Not far behind biblical illiteracy in importance is self-idolatry. Now before you skim over this part thinking it hasn’t affected you, may I challenge you for a moment? God has been opening my eyes to show me that even we believers who really desire to please Him have fallen for this one. At least I have. In many ways, without even realizing it, we have become obsessed with ourselves. We are driven and motivated by our selfish desires and this shows up in a myriad of ways: We read the scriptures looking for personal application and if it’s not there, we quickly grow bored. We love to be comfortable and we hate–and even refuse–to step outside our “comfort zones”. We grow discouraged if we don’t receive praise and gratitude for a job well done or if someone else receives the credit for something we did. We are focused on fulfilling our dreams and finding our purposes. We are preoccupied with how we look, how much money we can make, who likes us, and what people think of us. In fact, it is our love for self that often keeps us from speaking the truth in the midst of all this false religion. We try to avoid pain at all costs. We try to avoid persecution at all costs. And then we call ourselves holy for staying silent. It is so mixed up.

The thing is this: Love of self is the complete opposite of the way of the cross. There is no amalgamation between the two. There are only two religions and they are polar opposites.

One is centered on self: What I can do to earn eternal life or to be close to God; God will help me fulfill my dreams; My feelings and experiences are the determiners of truth; The popularity and praise of people determines the validity of my ministry.

And the other one is centered on God: I recognize that I can do nothing to earn eternal life and rely wholly on God’s grace; I replace my purpose and dreams for God’s plans and purposes; I look to God’s Word for objective truth instead of relying on subjective feelings and experiences; And I am more concerned with God’s glory than with mine.

In fact, true religion is a lifetime of learning to crucify self so that Jesus Christ may be glorified. We, in essence, give up our lives for Christ. Paul puts it like this in Galatians 2:20–

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

3. Celebrity Infatuations We have become greatly enamored with men and women. If we aren’t careful, we start equating them with God and His Word. While I would never judge motives or the heart of any teacher, I am amazed at how many over the past ten years or so have left biblical truth and waded into compromise without nary a word from the Christian community. I have been greatly disheartened to watch their followers follow them right off the proverbial cliff. This is only possible because people have chosen to follow man instead of God. We must be sure that our final word is God’s Word and not man’s (or woman’s).

We are all susceptible to this. It is painful to realize that the person who helped you grow or was a tremendous support to you during a difficult time of spiritual growth can no longer be trusted. I get it. I’ve been there. The easiest thing to do is to close your eyes and forge ahead. But if we are to stay on the straight and narrow we must be Bereans and compare all things said and done–even the things by the teachers and authors we dearly love and are quite attached to–to scripture.

4. Bullying I find it rather ironic, that in an age that is so conscious of bullying, it is going on at a record rate towards anyone who would stand for biblical truth. Both outside the church and within its doors, anyone who would speak the truth in love about these matters of false religion and false teachers is called names, scorned, and mocked. They are marginalized and they are persecuted. It is a very interesting and extremely effective way for false religion to grow. Mock and scorn anyone who dissents. Don’t allow for any differing opinions–even if they are solidly based on the Word of God.

5. Speak Only the Positive Even many well-meaning Christians have fallen prey to this thinking that we can only speak positive words. But, of course, any study of scripture will soon reveal that sometimes we must speak the negative. Jesus, Paul, Peter, John, James, and Jude, and countless others in scripture, spoke both positive encouraging words as well as negative, rebuking words. As believers, we must be carefully balanced. Many times, Philippians 4:8 is used as the defense for speaking only the good–

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

But we must take note that what is true and what is just are not always positive. Sometimes we must think on the negative. Sometimes we must speak the negative. And we are not sinning by doing so.

I could go into the history of positive thinking if I had time today, but, suffice it to say, it is a doctrine of man and not of God. How duped we are if we believe that to speak negative words is sinful. Nothing could be further from the truth.

6. We Compare Ourselves to Ourselves Because things are so messed up, we end up looking pretty good even if we are living a nominal Christian life. We take a look around at the world and even at the church and we can be tempted to think that we do not look so bad. We become complacent and maybe even a bit proud in our faith. This kind of attitude is a bane to our spiritual health. Thinking we stand, we set ourselves up to fall (I Corinthians 10:12). We must compare ourselves to God’s Word. Only there will we see the truth. We have to stop looking around at others and thinking we are pretty good, lest we be deceived.

I have no delusions that this post will make even a dent in what’s going on in religion today. It is way too far gone. My only hope is that it will draw the attention of even a few believers so that we can protect ourselves and make sure they aren’t happening to us personally. I also hope that it will give you, my readers, the big picture and help you understand why false religion is flourishing today in a way it never has before.

God bless you as you seek to live for Christ in this confusing time. He will protect and keep us. The remnant of true believers will continue their march to victory! Of that we can be sure!

 

 

 

Reading Your Bible with SPECS

6 Comments / December 31, 2018

Do you remember *The Prayer of Jabez? Its author ripped a verse out of context and built a whole unbiblical theory around it. And then he wrote a book about it that thousands (or maybe millions?) of people bought and believed. This has happened over and over again and it happens for one reason: Improper interpretation that leads to wrong application.

So much of the unsound teaching and crazy doctrines that are so prevalent today are born out of improper interpretation of scripture which leads to wrong application. I wrote a post recently about interpretation and how important it is. You can find that here. As we head into the new year, I’d like to follow up that post with one on applying God’s Word correctly.

I am hoping that one thing you want to continue or begin in the new year is spending quality time in the Bible. But simply reading a few verses and calling it a day will not be sufficient to mine the treasure of the Word.

I will take just a minute here and caution you about simply using a devotional and reading a verse or two and then some man or woman’s thoughts about those verses. While these can be helpful, they should never be our only time spent with God’s Word. It is so important to study the scriptures for ourselves. As believers, we want to mature from being hand-fed milk to feeding ourselves solid food (Hebrews 5:13-14).

It’s not only important that we read and study the Bible for ourselves but it is also important that we do so in the right way and with the right heart attitude, as was discussed in this post. And then there is one more component: Application. How do we make the most out of its application in our lives? And, even before that, are we really willing to get serious and apply what we read to our own lives? No matter how much it costs us?

Let’s not gloss over this question because this is where we often lose zeal. Are we willing to apply God’s Word no matter how much it costs us? Are we willing to give up worldly things we love? Are we willing to forgive and give up long-held grudges? Are we willing to humble ourselves and forsake our pride? To love the unlovely? To love our enemies? Are we willing to be the odd (and sometimes despised) members of our families and workplaces and, sadly, increasingly, of our churches? Proper application of scripture includes all these and so much more.

As honest students of God’s Word we will embrace the wonderful promises of peace and joy and all of the wonderful blessings held within the scriptures while also understanding that the way of the Cross is one of tremendous sacrifice, difficulty, and persecution.

I just finished reading Basic Bible Interpretation by Roy B. Zuck (which I highly recommend, by the way). It took me awhile to get through, but I finally finished it. The final chapter was on applying God’s Word today. I wish I could share the whole chapter here with you, but, of course, that would be impractical. But one thing he suggests we use for application is the word SPECS. I don’t believe this originates with him and I’ve actually heard of this somewhere before but forgot about it. It was a great reminder and one I thought I’d share here with you.

There are five questions we can ask ourselves as we seek to apply the scriptures, using the acronym SPECS–

S–Does the passage speak of any SIN to be forsaken?
P–Is there any PROMISE to be claimed?
E–Is there an EXAMPLE to be followed?
C–Is there a COMMAND to be obeyed?
S–Is there a STUMBLING BLOCK or hindrance to be avoided?

 

We can use this acronym for any passage we are reading. In the Old Testament, with the exception of Proverbs, we will focus more on drawing principles from the lives and events that we read about. In the New Testament, we will run into much more that applies directly to us, as the Church.

Now don’t forget one extremely important thing: There may be many scriptures that don’t apply directly to you.

We are not reading the Bible just so that we can change us (a self-centered, modern-day thought), we are reading the Bible to know God. This is our main focus: to learn about God. If you are reading the Bible through this year or are spending a good amount of time in the Old Testament in your reading, you may grow discouraged at the lack of application there for you. Please don’t! Our most important task in reading God’s Word is learning about Him.

In fact, may I suggest that, before putting on our SPECS, we answer the question: What does this passage teach me about God?

So why don’t we grab a notebook and pen and put it with our Bible this year as we read? We can write down what each day’s reading tells us about God and then we can put on our “SPECS” and write down any applications as we read the passage in its proper context.

SO are you ready to begin?? Let’s make this year our best and most profitable year yet as we dig into God’s Word with an attitude of submission and obedience. And, in doing this, may we make personal changes that spill out and over into the lives of all those we touch. God is still changing people. May we be the ones He changes this year through the power of His Word!

 

* Here are some links that explore The Prayer of Jabez and its unbiblical principle–

The Real Prayer of Jabez

The Prayer of Jabez and Other Misuses of the Bible

 

Mending Fences (Part 5)

6 Comments / December 21, 2018

Sometimes things don’t work out as we had hoped. And that is when it is hard to trust. But sometimes they do. And those times help us to trust in the times when they don’t. God continues to be sovereign over all, whether things turn out like we want or don’t. Our job is to submit and obey and leave the rest to Him. This is how we find inner peace, even when things aren’t going like we hoped in our circumstances. This is an important lesson Eliza had to learn in this story and, surely, it is one we should all learn.

I really hope you enjoyed this year’s story and, if you have, I’d appreciate if you’d take a moment to let me know. This helps me to decide if I should continue this tradition of writing a fictional story for Christmas here at the blog. You can find this entire story, along with my other Christmas stories, here. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and may we remember the real reason for the season! And now, without any further words from me, here is Part 5 and the conclusion to this year’s story–

______________________________________

      I hummed merrily along with the Christmas music playing on the TV. The music, along with a fake crackling fire picture, was courtesy of a local TV station. It would play for a few hours on this Christmas morning.
      I gathered the ingredients of my homemade apple spice coffee cake and started mixing it up. It was a long-time tradition and one we all loved. I’d put it in the oven and then go and get Mom and bring her here for the day.
      Greta came sleepily into the kitchen while I was making it.
      “Merry Christmas!” I said cheerily.
      “Merry Christmas,” she groaned, “why is it that the older you get the less you care about getting up on Christmas morning?”
      “That just means you are growing up!” I laughed.
      “So Aunt Evie never contacted you?” she asked. It had been three weeks since we had prayed in that booth. And the three of us had continued to pray—sometimes together and sometimes alone– every day since then.
      The world that had seemed bright and cheery only a moment before suddenly darkened. “No, she didn’t. I guess it will never happen. But God has His reasons. I can’t change her. I can only control me.”
      That’s what I had learned through this whole ordeal. While I was deeply saddened that Evie wouldn’t forgive me, I recognized that I had now done all I could do and, in that, I found peace. I had lived out Romans 12:18 and it had changed my perspective.
      While peace with God was always possible through His Son, peace with and between people was not always possible. I needed to learn to be okay with this hard truth. I understood that now.
      “Well, we will have a great Christmas, anyway!” I gave Greta a quick kiss and then grabbed my jacket, “I’m going to get Gram. Can you take the cake out when the timer goes off? I might be back because it needs to bake a full hour, but just in case—”
      “Sure, Mom. I’m going to go read but I’ll listen for it. See you soon.” Greta smiled as she held up her Jane Austen novel. She poured herself a glass of orange juice and took it, along with her book, to her favorite chair in the family room.
      It took me considerably less than an hour to pick up Mom. Traffic was nil on Christmas morning and I was soon pulling back into my driveway. In front of the house was a red SUV. For a brief moment I wondered who was visiting, but then I remembered that the neighbor’s often had their visitors park in front of our house. They must have some family visiting for Christmas.
      I went around and helped Mom across the icy driveway. It had snowed again lightly last night and with the cold temperatures it just wasn’t melting. She gave me a hard time for helping her but I knew, down deep, she appreciated it.
      I opened the front door to the sound of voices. At first I thought it was the TV but then I recognized one voice.
      No…
      It couldn’t possibly be…
      “Evie?!” Mom shouted her name with glee. She pulled away from me and Mom and daughter ran toward each other.
      “Evie! Oh, Evie! I knew you’d come! I just knew you would!”
      Tears streamed down both of their faces. I, on the other hand, stood back. I was still unsure exactly how this would go. It had been a very long time and there was so very much “water under the bridge”.
      After a few minutes, Evie pulled herself from Mom’s embrace and turned toward me.
      “I have decided that enough is enough. I want to forgive you. I am working on it. This is my step towards forgiveness.” She said hesitantly and then proceeded to introduce us to her family. Her husband, Mark, stepped forward and shook my hand. With thick, wavy blonde hair and glasses, his firm handshake and serious brown eyes were nothing like Rick’s. I was thankful for this. And then she pulled her children forward. Ten-year old Bryce looked just like his father. Eight-year old Trace looked like Evie. And five-year old Savannah looked like…
      “Why she is the spitting image of you, Eliza!” My mom said what we were all thinking.
      “She is, isn’t she?” My sister laughed and it was a happy laugh. It was the laugh I remembered from our childhood days.
      And that’s when I knew that everything was going to be alright.

      And it was. From that time forward, the two sisters became friends again. Eventually they became best friends again. But that would take some time.

      For this year, it was enough for me that we were together. It was the best Christmas gift ever!
      
      

Because We Just Don’t Know

2 Comments / December 20, 2018

We had our company breakfast at a local restaurant the other day. We usually do a fun get-to-know-you game and this year was no exception. One of the questions asked in this game was: What is your favorite thing about Christmas? Everyone’s answer seemed to have the same theme–

FAMILY

Each one, without exception, loves getting together with family.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this. Life is so fragile. It hangs on a fine string that can break at any time. While life and death are never outside of God’s sovereignty, we all experience things that remind us that– at any time– someone can be taken from us.

Each Christmas spent with those we love is a tremendous blessing. Each springtime, each Fourth of July, each Thanksgiving, each ordinary day we spend with family and friends are true blessings.

So what’s my point?

First, I think we sometimes take these things for granted. Let us not neglect to thank the Lord for His grace and mercy in allowing us to be together as we celebrate His birth.

Second, if we remember how fragile life is it might give us more love and grace for one another. It’s easy to be easily irritated or annoyed by someone who isn’t like us or who grates on our nerves. But if we remember what life would be like if they weren’t there, it reminds us of how important it is to redeem each moment we have with them.

Third, let’s ask those we love about their lives, their interests, their histories, and how they came to know the Lord. There is so much I wish I would have asked my Grandma but she died before I was given the opportunity. We spend so much time talking about things that don’t matter. Perhaps we could think of a few questions to ask others this holiday season that dig a little deeper than “how’s the weather?” It is through conversations like these that we can grow to understand and appreciate one another.

And, fourth–and most importantly–we should share the Gospel and point people to the Lord and His Word as often as we are given opportunity. We don’t want to be the one who is eternally sorry because, too afraid or too worried about what other people thought, we chose not to speak up and share the Truth with someone who isn’t with us next year.

Life is constantly changing. Some changes are exciting and fun.

And some are not.

So let’s not take even a moment for granted this holiday season. Let’s love one another and encourage one another and have meaningful conversations about God, His Word, and the Gospel. Because we just don’t know know what next year–or even tomorrow–holds.

 

P.S. I will post the final installment of this year’s story (Mending Fences) tomorrow and then I will be taking off from writing for a few weeks because I will be hanging with my family during the holidays and I want to focus on them as much as possible! Happy Christmas to you!

 

Mending Fences (Part 4)

4 Comments / December 14, 2018

Many years ago, Eliza hurt Evie in an indescribably painful way. It has been years since they talked. Today it Part 4 of this tragic story–one that is all too common in so many families. Is this dynamic part of the fabric of your family life? Will everyone in your family be around the Christmas table this year? Is there anything you can do to change that? Is there forgiveness you can offer to someone? Is there a grudge you need to release? Or perhaps you need to extend a heartfelt apology? We can’t control the other person’s response to us. But we can, like Eliza, reach out and do our part. 

Romans 12:18 says “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” Is there anything we can do during this holiday season to make sure we are living out this verse with our own families, friends, co-workers, and church family?

A little encouragement for today before we get into our story. And now–are you ready for Part 4? (Click here to read the rest of the story)

______________________________

      The phone rang and I anxiously looked at the caller ID, praying I’d see my sister’s name. It had been eight weeks since I had sent the letter and hope still surged in me every time I heard the phone ring. But I hadn’t received a phone call, a letter, or an email with any indication that she had even gotten the letter. In fact, it was like I hadn’t even sent it.
      I answered the call and took care of a minor situation at work. It was my day off again and I had arranged to pick up Mom and meet Greta for lunch close to her school. It was almost Christmas now and holiday decorations and lights were everywhere. I loved this time of year!
      I climbed in my Honda Accord and put on some Bing Crosby in preparation for Mom. She just loved listening to the tunes from her past. Especially the holiday ones. I think they reminded her of better days.
      In an hour, Mom was in my car and we were driving as sporadic snowflakes fell around the car. The weatherman was calling for a couple of inches of snow later on in the day. I glanced up at the leaden sky, hoping it would hold off until we were all home.
      Greta was waiting for us at the restaurant. I held on to Mom’s arm as I led her over to the booth.
      “Hi, Mom! Hi, Grandma!” Greta gave her a warm hug.
      “Oh, hello, dear! How are you doing?” Mom’s face always lit up in Greta’s presence.
      After ordering hamburgers and fries, we started talking about the holidays while we sipped on our cokes. It had been just the three of us since Dad had died and we chatted about our normal Christmas traditions. Greta suggested we start some new ones.
      “I think we should build a gingerbread house. How about it, Gram? You want to help?”
      “Sure, dear. I’ll do what I can. I used to make some pretty good gingerbread in my day. I wonder if I can remember how?” Mom’s brow crinkled as she tried to remember her recipe. As she and Greta talked about gingerbread, I thought of all of the heartache I had caused her and almost started to cry. Ever since I had sent that letter I seemed to be just a little more emotional. I just wished Evie would answer one way or another. But my hope was starting to dwindle now.
      “Mom, are you okay?” Greta knew me so well.
      “Sure,” I gave a wry smile.
      “Gram, Mom just hasn’t been herself recently. Do you know what’s going on?”
      “I do not, but I most certainly agree with you. I have been thinking the same thing. What is wrong, Eliza? You haven’t been yourself for weeks now,” Mom’s direct question made me squirm. Why couldn’t I be a better actress? I really did not want to have this discussion.
      “I’m okay—” I started.
      With those words, my mom grabbed my hands and her green eyes—so like Evie’s—grew very serious as she looked straight at me, “Honey, it’s alright to say you’d rather not say but it is not okay to lie.”
      I looked at her. And then at Greta. And then I sighed as one small tear made its way down the right side of my face.
      “Mom, what’s going on?”
      “Alright. I’ll tell you. I decided to send Evie a letter, asking her one last time to forgive me. I thought it might be my Christmas gift to you both. But that was eight weeks ago now and she hasn’t even bothered to respond. I guess I just need to realize that our relationship will never be healed. It is what it is. But it’s hard.”
      Mom sighed and then said these wise words: “You know something I have learned through the years? Forgiveness is a two-way street. You can’t force someone to forgive you. You did the right thing and I’m proud of you. The ball is in Evie’s court now. Why don’t we pray for her right now?”
      And so we lifted Evie up to the Lord right there in the restaurant booth, begging God to help her to forgive me. Asking Him to soften her heart so that we could tell her what He had done for us.
      
      

Is There More Than One Way to Interpret Scripture?

5 Comments / December 10, 2018

A few weeks ago, a friend asked me this question: How do I respond to those who say we can interpret scripture however we want? She had been talking with someone and they had claimed that there are many interpretations to scripture and people just interpret the Bible however they want to make it fit with their viewpoint. While the second half of that sentence is true (people try to make the Bible say whatever they want), it is the first part of this sentence that I want to examine today: Is there more than one interpretation?

This is a great battle in Christendom today because almost all false Gospels rely on the answer to this question being yes. If we desire to stick to the traditional view of the Word, we will often have to deal with people saying to us: Well, that’s your interpretation.

So let’s take a look at this so that, hopefully, we will be a little more prepared the next time someone makes a statement like this.

If you write a letter to someone, does it have one meaning? Or are there several?

When you were in high school or college, did your teacher claim that there was more than one interpretation of the Iliad and the Odyssey? Or Shakespeare? To any other literary source?

They did not. Because there isn’t.

While there may be principles and applications that we can find under the surface of any written work, there is never a completely different meaning.

But for some reason, people use an argument they would never use for any other written work. If we remember that the Holy Bible is God’s very word, inspired and inerrant, then we can understand their need to have more than one interpretation. For this is how a rebellious man can do a work-around and still call himself a Christian.

And we can see—as we have seen in the past few years—that the Bible can be twisted to mean anything anyone wants if we disregard the normal approaches to understanding written documents.

2 Timothy 2:15 counsels us to correctly handle the Word of Truth. This then would lead us to the understanding that there is a right and a wrong way to interpret scripture.

John MacArthur puts it this way in regards to scripture interpretation: “You can be right and I can be wrong or I can be right and you can be wrong or we can both be wrong. But we can’t both be right.”

Exactly.

We have a grave responsibility to use proper hermeneutics to figure out what each passage’s proper interpretation is. (Hermeneutics is the study of the principles and methods of interpreting the text of the Bible.)

I am almost finished with Roy Zuck’s Basic Bible Interpretation (one of the resources I will recommend below) and he says this:

“Interpreting the Bible is one of the most important issues facing Christians today. It lies behind what we believe, how we live, how we get on together, and what we have to offer the world.”

Interpreting the Bible correctly is key.

So how can we be sure that we interpret the Bible correctly? What are the steps? First, there are some qualifications for us:

  1. We must be regenerated. We read in I Corinthians 2:14 that the natural man cannot understand the things of God. So in order to interpret and study scripture correctly, we must be saved. Not only does God open our spiritual eyes upon our salvation but it is also at this time that we are indwelled by the Holy Spirit. He is our Helper in all things, including scripture interpretation (John 14:26).
  2. We must be humble. If we come to the scriptures with a proud heart we will severely limit our capability in understanding God’s Word (Proverbs 16:5). A proud heart leads to an unwillingness to surrender our will to the Father’s. Instead, we find ourselves looking for scripture to promote our ideas and our agendas. This has led to many a wrong interpretation.
  3. We must be reverent and sober-minded. If we have a lackadaisical and careless attitude towards the Holy Word of God (2 Timothy 3:15) we will have the same attitude in interpreting it.
  4. We must be willing to obey all that we read. Ahhh. So now we get to the heart of the matter. We must be willing to obey. If we take a look at almost any twisting of God’s Word or false system that uses Bible verses, what do we see? We will always see obedience to only part of God’s Word. Usually, the parts that elevate, bless, or otherwise make their lives easier. The parts that are hard, that are negative, or that require one to look and be different than the world are soundly ignored. Scripture can only be interpreted correctly if we are willing to obey it in full. (Psalm 119:1-16)
  5. We must approach the scriptures with sound judgment and reason. We must seek to be objective rather than subjective. We must try, as best we can, to come without prejudice or preconceived notions.
  6. We must pray. We must ask the Lord to give us insight and lead us to the correct understanding of what we are studying. We must recognize that, in and of ourselves, we are helpless and hopeless. We need His help and guidance for all things.

Now that we know how we should personally approach the scripture, let’s take a brief look at the best way to interpret the scripture—

  1. It should be interpreted literally. This means that it should be interpreted in its most natural form. If you pick up a letter from a friend, you are not looking for hidden meanings or allegories. You are reading it and taking it for what it means.
  2. It should be interpreted in context. This means we take some time to study the entire passage, we determine the author and who they were writing to, we find out why they were writing to that group or individual. We must study the verses surrounding the favorite verse. We must find out all we can about the context of the passage. It is only after studying these things and understanding the context that we can then look for principles to apply to our own lives.
  3. It should be interpreted with regard to its historical understanding. In the recent years, we have so many “new interpretations”. Tossing tradition and rules out the window has led to a completely different kind of Christianity. But Paul makes it clear that we should pay attention to what has been historically taught when he writes this in 2 Thessalonians 2:15: Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.

Dividing God’s Word rightly takes work. I believe whole-heartedly that much of the error and heresy we see in the church today is due in great part to people not being willing to learn the Word for themselves. I find myself talking to more and more people who want to base their interpretation of scripture on how they feel (I just can’t believe in a God who…) or on what they have been taught by a teacher (But my teacher says…)

Whenever these two things become our guidelines we are in grave danger. Feelings have their place, after all they were created by God. They are not evil. And teachers can be most helpful to us. They can make us think and they can open our eyes. But we must, in a mature and objective manner, take responsibility for our own learning of the scriptures. We must leave milk behind us and feed on meat, always growing in our knowledge of the Word (Hebrews 5:13).

I hope that this has been helpful. There is so much that could be said regarding this subject and I feel like I have been woefully inadequate in what I have written here–like I barely scratched the surface. I will add some resource links below for those of you who would like to study this subject in a deeper way.

 

HELPFUL RESOURCES:

Principles of Interpretation by Pastor Dean Good

Got Questions: What is Biblical Hermeneutics?

Basic Bible Interpretation by Roy B. Zuck

 

 

Mending Fences (Part 3)

Leave a Comment / December 7, 2018

This is Part 3 of this year’s Christmas story. You know, we can find forgiveness from God for the most horrible of sins, but that doesn’t mean we don’t still deal with the consequences. One of the most devastating consequences of sin are destroyed families. And they are all around us. Join me today as we continue the story of two sisters who are struggling through this very thing. (If you have landed on this story for the first time today, you can find Parts 1 & 2 here.)

      “Good morning, Mom! Didn’t you ever go to bed?” Greta said brightly, waking me up with her words.
      I groggily looked around me and realized that I was still on the sofa where I had relived those awful years over again in my mind the night before. I smiled at that baby girl, who was now so grown up.
      “Good morning, sweetheart. What’s on your schedule today?”
      “I have two classes and then I will be at work for the dinner shift. I’ll just study at the library in between classes today.” Greta was in her second year at the community college nearby and also worked at a local restaurant.
      “Hope you have a wonderful day!” I gave her a big hug as I raised myself out of the comfortable corner of the couch that had been my bed the night before.
      “You, too, Mom. What are you doing today?”
      “That’s a good question,” I laughed. I had off work today and I was still thinking through what I wanted to get done.
      Greta headed out the door and I walked to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee. Still in my clothing from last night and looking rather rumpled, I looked rather like a vagabond.
      After breakfast and a shower, I decided I’d go see my mom. She lived in an assisted living community nearby. She had never really recovered after Dad died 15 years ago. She had never been that strong and his sudden death from a heart attack had left her heartbroken and in a weakened physical state. About eight years ago now, I had arranged for her to go to Good Shepherd Assisted Living.
      It was around that same time that I started attending Trinity Bible Church, located a couple of blocks from where we lived. I am not sure what drove me to go to church on that particular Sunday but I knew I needed something to help me with the horrible guilt I had lived with since that fateful night. It had weighed me down like a million pound rock!
      It was through Pastor Jack and his wife, Patty, that I would find out about God’s forgiveness. They opened the Bible and showed me from its pages how Jesus had died for me and that no matter what sin I had committed, forgiveness was available for me. It had taken me several months to actually believe that I could be forgiven for something so awful. But when I finally repented and surrendered my life to Jesus that million pound rock rolled right off my shoulders! I hadn’t even realized how heavy it was until it was gone.
      Greta was saved just a few months after I was and then Mom shortly after that. All three of us had been going to TBC ever since and, within a year, that small church on the corner was like the extended family we never had. It was there that we grew in our faith through the expository preaching of the Word and the discipleship of those who were more mature in the faith. I thanked God most every day for His kindness in leading me to that truth-teaching church and showing me the way to salvation.
      Since coming to know the Lord, the one thing that had really been on my mind was my sister. A few years after I was saved, I read Romans and came across this small, powerful verse towards the end of chapter 12: If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. And I found myself wondering if I had done everything possible to be at peace with my sister?
      This time of year was especially hard. October was when we’d have so much fun preparing for the holidays in Dad’s store. Every year I thought about reaching out to her and every year I chickened out. I just knew she would reject me again and I wasn’t sure I could bear it.
      California had treated her well. She had a great job and had ended up marrying a guy named Mark. They had had three kids. Two boys and a girl. I only knew this because she communicated occasionally with Mom. But poor Mom had never even met her grandkids. Their happy faces were in frames on the wall of her small apartment but she had never heard their voices or put her arms around them.
      I felt responsible for this, too. Evie was still so angry with me that she hadn’t even brought her kids to meet their Grandma. Oh, the burden was so hard to bear. The Lord, in His awesome grace and mercy, had taken away the guilt and the shame, but I still lived with the pain and the devastating consequences. They would always be with me, I imagined. The only good to come from that awful time was Greta. Oh, how I thanked the Lord for my precious daughter. She was the one and only bright spot in the whole affair.
      What if you would just try just one last time to reach out to Evie?
      The thought came unbidden and totally unexpectedly. Could I risk it? But what was I even risking? She couldn’t reject me any more than she already had. Surely, it would be worth at least trying—if not just for Mom’s sake.
      Yes. I would try.
      “But it won’t work,” my mind insisted.
      The memory of the last time I had tried to apologize came rushing back. It was shortly before Dad had died. I had called her for the third and final time in my efforts to make things right. But before I could even get one sentence out she had firmly said in a stone-cold voice that she would never, ever forgive me and to never call her again.
      I never had.
      But that was fifteen years ago now. Since that time, she had gotten married and had three kids. Would she see things a little differently now? Since Bryce had been born she called Mom a lot more often. Maybe she was changing, too. Like I was.
      I decided to sit down and write her a letter before I lost my courage. I called Mom and told her I’d be a little later than I had planned and then sat down to write. I read and re-read the letter. I erased and re-wrote. I crumpled the first and then the second and third drafts in my hand and threw them in the trash. But, finally, I had penned this letter–

Dear Evie—

I have been wanting to write this letter for such a long time now. Nineteen years ago I sinned against you in a way that is truly unforgivable.

I cannot begin to tell you how many times I have wished that I could go back and change what happened. But, to my great sorrow, I can’t. I can’t fix it. I can’t change it. I can’t undo it.

But I want to ask you just one last time to forgive me. I beg you to forgive me for betraying you. I sinned against you in one of the worst ways possible and I have regretted it every single day since. But I love you, Evie. I always have and I always will. It would be my greatest desire to be sisters again.

Love,
Your sister, Eliza

      I sucked in my breath as the tears rolled down my face. One of them dropped on the letter, smearing the E in my name. Should I write it again? I sighed and realized that I didn’t have the emotional energy to write it again. I shrugged my shoulders and folded up the letter. I stuck it in an envelope and then popped it into my purse. I needed to get her current address from Mom.
      I didn’t even have my sister’s address. Oh, what a sad and sorry state of affairs. But with God’s help, perhaps we could start rebuilding this family. And maybe it would start with my letter.

 

 

Don’t Be Just Another Fan

7 Comments / December 6, 2018

If you are on Facebook, you may have noticed that I have been sharing the posts of others less and less on the Growing4Life Facebook page. Why is this? Do I think I am the only one who is right? By all means NO. I don’t think this at all. And I am truly grateful for those who have the courage to stand up for the truth. I am just so hesitant to promote others because, in this strange new world, I never know where someone will end up and I don’t want to be responsible for promoting someone that leads another astray.

I have been thinking more of this because of what I have observed in the recent days: We not only have false teachers who gain huge followings of undiscerning people, we also have teachers who are teaching the truth in the wrong way who have gained huge followings. They are snide, prideful, and rude. They are careless and make jokes about things they shouldn’t. They are not sober-minded nor are they handling the Word with the care and awe with which it deserves. They write about certain false teachers, but leave others free to do their own thing. If a teacher is backed by a favored denomination or favored for some other reason, blatant evidence is ignored and we hear…nothing.

Does that mean we shouldn’t read and learn from them? No, of course not. But I want to remind you of how careful we must be when we follow anyone. We should never be an undiscerning fan and simply imbibe what someone says (and, yes, this applies to Growing4Life and what I write here, as well). I can’t stress how important this is. We must take responsibility for our own beliefs about God, His Word, and what is going on in the world around us.

Of course, most of us don’t want to do this because this means work. And we don’t have the time or the will or the desire to do the work necessary. We are tired, busy, or lazy.

Hopefully there are a few of you out there who care enough to do the work to study. And it is for those few that I offer the following tips to get started in discerning on your own rather than simply ingesting anything a favorite author or blogger has to say.

1. Read, study, and memorize your Bible. I know I say this all the time but that is because it is the most crucial component to being a godly Christian with proper discernment in this alarming church culture.

2. Do not assume that just because something or someone is labeled “Christian” they actually are. It is almost unbelievable how much self-worship has been cloaked as “Christian”. This should be the first test: What does this person teach about self? Are they promoting the way of the cross or the way of self-realization and self-glory?

3. Don’t follow a favored author or blogger without discernment. Pay attention to what they are posting. This doesn’t mean you stop following them at every small disagreement. We will never agree fully with everyone. But we must not only watch for accuracy in their posts, but also for attitudes and character. The key is that we don’t want to ever let down our guard as we choose authors, teachers, and bloggers to follow–even those who specialize in “discernment”.

4. Don’t let charisma trick you into believing someone. I could write a whole post on this and maybe someday I will. If you put two teachers side by side and the first is teaching truth in a rather dry and matter-of-fact way and the second is taking one Bible verse and then expounding on it falsely but with charisma and excitement, most Christians will choose the second. Certain people have what is appropriately called magnetism and we are drawn to them. It explains why so many false teachers have been wildly successful. It is critical that we don’t let this be our determination of who we follow. Charisma is utterly and completely irrelevant to truth.

5. Read and study the works of old preachers and pastors who wrote before the chaos that is the church today. We tend to be people who are obsessed with the “latest and greatest”. And we have probably been trained that way by Apple and Microsoft over these past twenty years. But I have found that, when it comes to spiritual material, the latest is rarely the greatest. Some of the best works were written over a hundred years ago and they are free from the politically correct garbage and the self-worshiping and self-exalting filth that clutters almost every modern-day offering. I recommend you start with J.C. Ryle and Charles Spurgeon. They are both not only generally solid, but they are easy to read, easily found online for free, and their books are often only .99 on Kindle.

6. Determine to only be loyal to God’s Word. While some people are fickle and easily move on to the next church, teacher, or author, many of us are super loyal. We find someone we trust and we never think about it again. I am so incredibly saddened to say that the days for this are over. I have seen many trusted pastors, authors, and bloggers start to go a wrong direction. It is subtle and almost imperceptible at first. While I don’t want to encourage an attitude of mistrust or constant skepticism, I do recommend a healthy dose of discernment for anyone we choose to follow. Only the Bible deserves our loyalty in full.

7. Pray. Ask the Lord to help you in this treacherous time. Ask for courage and strength and abundant wisdom. I have never seen such a time where truth is mixed with error in such a subtle way. I have never seen a time where Satan’s lies of self-exaltation, self-gratification, and self-glory have been so subtly cloaked and taught as “Christianity”. I have never seen a time when those who call themselves Christians are swallowing the lies and being deceived by the thousands. And I have never seen a time when those who would teach biblical truth would be so ostracized, persecuted, and outcast.

—————————————

You know, I understand why people want to just ignore all of this and remain in ignorance. Some days I wish for that, too. But as believers who have the opportunity and responsibility to impact our children, grandchildren, fellow believers, co-workers, and all others around us, for the cause of Christ we cannot afford to make the choice to put our heads in the sand.

Yes, it can be unpleasant and distressing. But we must be sure we are following and teaching a biblical faith in order to make a difference for Christ. We must keep our eyes and hearts focused on God and His Word. For only from this source will we receive the pure and unadulterated truth. Don’t blindly follow any human. Don’t be just another fan.

 

Mending Fences (Part 2)

Leave a Comment / November 30, 2018

This is Part 2 in this year’s Christmas Story. Sometimes life throws curve balls at us. And sometimes those curve balls are caused by our own choices. Are we resigned to live with the consequences of our sins? Well, to a certain extent the answer may be yes. But we serve a great God who can heal even the most broken of relationships. This is the theme of this year’s story. (Find Part 1 here)

      As I sat on the sofa, my mind went back to that first time I saw Rick. Evie’s best friend, Monica, had introduced her to Rick at a football game and it didn’t take them long to become inseparable. After just a few weeks she asked if she could bring him around for dinner. Mom had prepared her delicious roast beef and made-from-scratch mashed potatoes in Rick’s honor. For dessert, she had made a chocolate cake with a thick coating of peanut butter icing. Isn’t it funny what you remember about certain moments?
      Evie was 23 and had just settled into a good accounting job upon her graduation from the local university the preceding May. And she was ready to get married. It didn’t take her more than a few weeks of dating to believe that Rick was her future husband.
      I was 21 and working at Dad’s store while I tried to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. Dad and I got along well and it seemed like the perfect fit for the time being.
      Our whole family loved Rick from the very beginning. He was laid back and funny and had twinkling blue eyes that lit up when he talked to you. By the end of the evening, my dad had offered him a job at the store and I…well…I had fallen hopelessly in love.
      For the next year, I put on a pretty good act. No one knew I was head over heels in love with my sister’s handsome boyfriend. Well, Mom might have figured it out but if she did she didn’t say anything.
      But working together at the store had given us a special, albeit platonic, relationship. We had a lot of fun together. He teased me and I teased back. I think he enjoyed my lightheartedness and love for fun in comparison to my very serious-minded sister.
      One day, my sister came home with a ring on her finger. How it is possible to be so happy and so heartbroken at the same time is truly a mystery, but as both emotions washed over me, I told myself that I must move on. Rick was Evie’s. He would never be mine. I must resign myself to that.
      My mom caught my eye as I hugged Evie tightly and wished her the best. It was then that I realized that Mom most certainly did realize how I felt about Rick. I gave her a wry smile and went to my room.
A little later she came to talk to me. She told me she knew this was hard for me, but that I must be more careful with Rick now that he was engaged. She realized he treated me like a little sister, but I must be careful not to show my true feelings. For Evie’s sake and for Rick’s.
      I told Mom I understood and she left. And I really did understand. Of course, I didn’t plan for anything to happen between Rick and me. What loving sister ever would? I knew what was right. But, of course, one rarely does plan for these types of things.
      One night, a few weeks after my conversation with Mom I found myself in an undesirable situation. Christmas was always a busy time but this particular year it was extra busy because Dad was opening a second store in a nearby town. This demanded a lot of Dad’s time and so I was left to run the store many times on my own. Thankfully, it was always with one of the local high school kids that helped us out, as Dad had Rick at the new store more often than not. I found this a huge relief and honestly believed that my feelings were waning and I was ready to move on with life. But then, just a week before Christmas, came that one unexpected and dreaded night. Dad, completely unaware of my feelings, left Rick and me alone at the store.
      As we were closing for the night, we ended up in the back store room together. I had tried so hard to avoid this moment, always being so careful to not be alone with my sister’s fiancé. But when the moment finally presented itself, I caved. I am ashamed to admit it, but all of those feelings hid deep inside rushed to the surface and I caved.
      I am pretty sure Rick didn’t mean for it to happen, either. Although I have always wondered about that. I guess I’ll never know.
      My face grew hot as I remembered the rest of that night. What had I been thinking? My parents were very moral people. We didn’t go to church but I was raised right. I definitely knew the difference between right and wrong and that this was so wrong. How in the world could I have sacrificed the friendship of my sister and destroyed my family for a few stolen moments? I realized the sheer stupidity and blatant immorality of it all immediately afterwards.
      But it was too late. Within a year, life had utterly and completely changed forever: Evie had sworn she would never forgive me and moved away to California. Rick disappeared from the scene altogether and none of us ever saw him again. And I was a single mom to a baby girl who looked an awful lot like Rick. I named her Greta.
      
      

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