Wisdom and help for one day at a time. The blessing of feeling weakness.

God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work" 

2 Cor 8:9

We live in a world which is full of self-help advice to be "the best" ... the best parents, the best manager, the "best version of myself". Christian culture has imbibed this spirit of our age, too many books suggesting that we (in the words of M People): "search for the hero inside", as we walk the simple 10 steps to a more effective Christian life or church.  As I travel, I notice how the weight of this advice burdens and crumbles many into believing that they are failures, that their family, work, or even their Christian life has fallen well below the acceptable level of knowledge they should've arrived at long ago.

 Maybe it is the false promise of our culture that we are all (or at least could be)  experts at everything, or the fact that the world's greatest library is at our fingertips, suggesting that more knowledge is always what we should strive for, need, and that greater knowledge will always lead to greater success. Wisdom is qualitatively different to knowledge. 

True wisdom starts each day by bowing before the maker of heaven and earth. True wisdom is gained as a gift from one who is rightly to be honoured as gracious, not earned by effort or proud arrogance. I am reminded by the melodic thread of scripture that wisdom is a daily discipline and rhythm (Psalm 55:16-17). Whilst over time there is a grand trajectory for all those "In Christ" until the day we are transformed (2 Cor 3:18), the earthly challenges of each day demand a daily humility to cry out in daily dependence as one incapable by ourselves. How wonderful that our God, who governs the daily rhythm of the cosmos, also provides daily for His children. His capability is enough for me. (Ps 34:17).  

I often feel a failure. This is especially true in the realms of a global need, complexity, cultural nuance, and those yet to be reached with eternity-changing good news; the task and even sometimes the understanding of the task is too big for my small brain and limited experience. Many churches, many needs. Many missional contexts, many to pray for. The church this side of glory will remain imperfect; every conscientious, humble and honest pastor knows this keenly, and even more so their very small part in the big and wonderful purposes of God. 

However, when I lay my limitations before God, I am invariably greeted with the assurance, wisdom, equipping, solutions, and path forward for each day in his character and presence. There is a mystery to this. Sometimes, like Job, God calls us to wait more on him with unanswered, bigger questions; the answers will come, but not yet. Feeling our smallness is part of God's ordained purpose. Through this, we become more fruitful. Having unanswered questions about context and season, huge issues of significance,  is part of ordained and acceptable worship as outlined in scripture (especially in the wisdom literature of the Bible), and I am grateful. My greatest failure is that I am slow to depend on my saviour. 

 For the child of Christ, the answers will come in ultimate provision and resolution in the soon-coming ultimate immediate resurrection presence and resolution of Christ and His Lordship (1 Cor 15:20-28). There is, however, a provision for each day now which is guaranteed, a wisdom and grace sufficient for each day, magnitude trials and needs.  He is with us by His Spirit. Our God does not fail and will never fail us. Our God knows all things, both macro and micro, about our often-changing seasons, conditions, emotions, and moments.  In one season, we are healthy and young with growing ambitions and dreams, in another, we are feeling our age, fragility, grieving death, lost opportunities, and the transience of life. He knows all things. He knows you better than you know yourself. (Psalm 139: 13-16). 

Our God specialises in helping those who acknowledge their weaknesses before him.  Articulating our need of help is the real move of wisdom. Whereas the enemy may try to convince us to despair of our Christian lives, our God assures us of the certain hope that he is adequate for all inadequacies and all circumstances. (Isa 65:17-19, 24, Romans 8:1, 26-27). Starting each day in dependence on Him will lead to good places, greater usefulness to others, greater sensitivity to His direction in the confidence of His help, and greater liberty to walk His way without the paralysing constraint and doubt of whether you are doing the right things. His grace is sufficient. (2 Cor 12:9). His way is perfect. His plans are good. Trust him one day at a time.

Whatever today holds for you, I'm praying you know not only your absolute need of Him, but His absolute sufficiency also. I pray that the testimony of his sufficiency shines brightly through your acknowledged weakness.  Recent surveys on spirituality in the West attest to a growing number of people "aware" of spirituality; this is often accompanied by believing that ultimate solutions are found "inside" (not "outside" in a higher spiritual being). So many UK daily podcasts proclaim this religion of betterment and self-worship. It is the worst of two worlds. Still trapped in enlightenment betterment, whilst looking anywhere other than the living God (post-modernism). Ultimately, we all as fallen humans disappoint ourselves, never mind others. We all need and are made for something more than we can provide or find within. Therefore, those Children of Christ who live in daily dependence and wisdom in Him, His finished perfect work, His never-failing perfection, are precisely what our world needs. The testimony of failures loved by grace is the gospel which reaches deep into the spirit of our age. Keep going in him, failing friend, as you acknowledge each day your fresh need of Him and His help. 

Because God is in control, we do not need to be controlling.

 One of the great distinctives of the family of Christ is that we do not prescribe culture, thinking, communication and behaviour based on our personal preference. God in creation creates such diversity that our minds are blown by the incomprehensible level of difference and detail under his sovereignty and will. 

The sheer immensity and power of the Sun, which forms 99.86% mass of our solar system, should alert us to the smallness of humanity within living existence and created order. Under this heat and light, the fine balance of diverse life is maintained (not too close to fry, not too far off to freeze).  Under this power order, man is less than a speck, yet each of us entertains the idea that the world should work our way or somehow be under our control. How small our minds are.  (Psalm 8:4-8).  This unity within the solar system, however, is just a micro-speck in the universe. There is an order outside of this, which is still being discovered and still operates in perfect unity and motion every nanosecond of every day and night. Who is in control of such a thing? Who and what sustains this? (Hebrews 1:3) How gracious God is to treasure mankind in relationship as He does.

The best scientists may be able to spend a lifetime trying to master such detail and diversity of the known world and what happens under the sun, telling you and me something of how they think that diversity happened and continues. Still, they will always fall short of telling you why. Since the rebellion of man and the Tower of Babel fell, diversity in our world has been confusing society and communication. The anti-Babel grace of God  (Gen 11;1-9, Acts 2:1-11) brings together one humanity, under one head, within the culture and unity of his grace and love. Christ dies, works, reverses the rebellion of man,  and reigns not merely for one race, language, or time, but for all peoples, all cultures and all generations in their diversity who accept his grace and rescue. 

Notice in the coming of the Spirit upon the new community, there is no favouritism (Acts 2: 1-4), and communication becomes effective (5-11) to each language and culture. 

I mention this because during the present instability of our world, some nations and their dictatorial leaders continue to increasingly restrict diversity to impose their own preferences for dominance within the world order. I am not a prophet, but I humbly suggest that this may ultimately be unsuccessful. The goal of unifying things to a common denominator is to influence the world in our way. The way of the family of Christ is inversely different; it is to encourage His people under His Lordship to live within their diversity for His contextual glory, by His eternal power.  

The best of God's people go through the worst of times.

 I've been profoundly reminded again that those God is using so powerfully to bring light have been prepared through dark times. Without doubt, what shapes a child of God or a fruitful leader most are the providential circumstances that lead them deeper into the character of God and communion with the ministry of the God of all comfort. 

"...who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."  2 Cor 1:4

I don't want to labour this one; the simplicity and clarity of God's word (as always) speak for themselves. Simple, obvious notes on application from observance and experience are personal sub notes ...and way less important. By all means, spend a few hours meditating on the verse, and ignore the subnotes. God is good. 

Motivation to mission (2) Compassion

 But when he saw the multitudes ...

He was moved with compassion. 

Matt 9:36

There are many core foundations and motivations to mission. All legitimate motivations stem from the heart of a hurting, loving God. The way we view our lives and those around us is so important. It is foundational to our identity and purpose. We could even go as far as to say that it will be a critical factor on the day we face God face-to-face. 

A tale of two sights.

Continue To Pray For Nepal At This Critical Time

 On March 5th, 18.9 million voters in the beautiful country of Nepal will go to the polling stations with a great desire for their future. Amongst the 6,619 candidates they will choose from are those who have been well used by God to protect our friends in that country.  When we think of a biblical mandate for any political governance, key issues of keeping the country safe and our freedom/ability to live under God in a way which pleases him are at the forefront.

 

Please pray...

1) That elections will be peaceful and that this will be a good stepping stone for the future of the country. 

2) That those elected will be people of integrity, care for the precious people of Nepal, and honour God in their care for all peoples from all backgrounds. 

3) That those who seek to administer a higher calling of love, grace, relief aid, and training in righteousness will have the freedom to do so for the good of the country. 

4) Pray for the next generation growing up in Nepal. Those who may have once been disaffected, gone abroad, given up on the future of the country, would pray for their country, see a new way forward in the providence of God to be a great blessing to that country. 

Supporting those who sign up for commando "special forces" Christianity.

 All of us who are children of God face a daily, brutal, spiritual battle. Ignoring or diminishing this as something manageable on our own is a fatal mistake. The enemy's tactics for all foot soldiers of Christ are to take us out of the fire, far away from being hot coals passionate for Christ and equipped with gospel weapons with His community. He desires us to be disaffected with the church, local and global,  to resent other believers (thus disobey the key command of the Commander in chief) John 13:34-35. The enemy desires to get us out of the warm fire of platoon fellowship to the point, a passion for brothers in arms, whereby we have long become self-serving, introspective, away from any spiritual heat and have grown cold, quelled our affections for Christ, His people, and the lost. He picks off the lonely and vulnerable, those who easily become lukewarm, unfocused, distracted and isolated. Not being in fellowship with a local church, not being accountable to other believers, thinking we can do all things through ourselves, our abilities which live within us, will only end in catastrophe; it is not God's ordained way. The predictable paths of temptation and fall are the same time immemorial: power, pride, sex, money. 

Encouragements for those in the middle of hard times.

Give thanks in all circumstances; 

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  

(1 Thess 5:18) 

Further reflecting on Job, I was encouraged by these three thoughts. So many in ministry, and particularly those who work in hard (unreached, frontier) places, will know what it is to be enduring a protracted season of intense opposition from the enemy, and ongoing 360 issues of heartbreak in a broken world. There seems to be an exceptional season of suffering for many of God's faithful currently. I don't think that is my interpretation alone, or unique to the circles of believers I am aware of, but it is widespread and intense for those at the missional coalface. We need to keep the bigger perspective of God's eternal goodness in view when there are so many immediate stresses. What should we focus on to maintain a spirit of thankfulness?