One
of the major impacts of reading the bible daily (and there are many), is
perspective on life. The kind of perspective which sees the whole of life and
the whole of the world today in the context of the "biggerness" of
God.
I am very thankful to God that in my life (and
our life as a family) we have had the privilege of being asked to closely walk
with / share life and open up the bible with people and friends pastorally (when going through major trauma, job
loss, marriage break down, pastoral ministry, terminal illness, the loss of
affection in a relationship or marriage, emotional fatigue, troublesome adolescence
and spiritual depression, sudden death etc.)
To my shame I have at times wanted
a more "self contained" life, where the constant chaos of our world
has not impacted mine so much. I thank God for his endless patience with me,
and the models of those who have gone before...whose shoulders we stand on.
In recent years God has kindly helped me view
more closely how these things unfold in different cultures, friends and
communities across the world. Although the place names, presenting problems and
cultures differ, and every person is uniquely stamped by the maker, human
beings are surprisingly similar, built by the same maker (different serial
numbers but from the same factory, with the same handbook and repair features).
As people we are remarkably and staggeringly alike the world over.
The
personal path everyone travels in God's providence is a unique symphony of
orchestrated times (Psalm 31:15). The composer and conductor knows all our ways (Psalm 139:2-3), and he always has perfect timing. After
listening to human cries for a number of years and seeing how God amazingly
ministers through the appropriate comfort of his truth, the ultimate reassurance
of the reality of Christ, and the surrounding balm presence of His Spirit ...
it becomes noticeable that some melody lines feature in every work of God
within the human heart (regardless of context and detail).
One of
those features is perspective.
THE PERSPECTIVE OF PROVISION:
The
person who is consumed with worry and anxiety of (very real) needs, also
needs to see the bigness of Christ and his masterly administration
of the Fathers care for us. He has macro hands (Psalm 95:4) (ability
bigger than we can handle) (Colossians 1:15-18), and yet his administration of us is in micro
care (Matt 6:9-13, Matthew 6:25-34, Luke 12:7, Matthew 10:30, Matthew 5:45). The Father's gift of Christ to us (relationally),
should end all our momentary fears in this area (Rom 8:31-32)...but after job
loss or major change, catastrophe or devastating news in life, this can be so
difficult to see.
- In the crisis perspective, only
the horizontal "here and now" can be perceived, and that only
hazily from limited distance for a short time. God opens our eyes, exposes light to our
understanding, he shows us His multidimensional, timeless, panhuman
purposes of redemption, and the finished victorious work of Christ, (his
total payment, vindication and exaltation) (John 16:33, Col 2:15, Rom 8:23).
We are reminded (as disciples of doom (Luke 24:13-17)) that we are not the
only person on the planet, and with that freedom and liberty of grace
comes a new broadened path of self forgetfulness. Without this multicoloured
and manifold gift of grace (1 Peter 4:10), life becomes paralysing, inert,
lifeless, fruitless, monochrome.
THE
PERSPECTIVE OF OTHERS:
·
The
person going through a season of loss or trauma may be suffering through the
process of grief in all sorts of ways (denial and isolation,
anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance). The illness of a loved one, the death of a
child, batters us with a repeated stress, thought pattern, daily challenge,
seemingly unending disappointment which can turn to delusion. Repeated
introspection can start us thinking down the line that life on our planet is
only about us. We start thinking that our challenges/ problems are the only
serious ones of today. In many ways this is a natural dynamic - a legitimate
process as we try to contain the horror of living in a fallen world, a world of
death and disappointment, a world of crumbling dreams. Sometimes we are
considerably harder on ourselves than we should be - we should never chastise
ourselves for going through the natural process of grief.
Christ's sorrow at the
death of Lazarus (John 11:33) was not because he couldn't do anything about it (he
could, did, and ultimately beat death, and there was a bigger perspective whereby Lazarus
lives eternally in the finished work of Christ). Jerusalem, likewise prompted tears, because the human
comprehension of such a reality also knows we cannot deal with it on our own, in our
human frame, by ourselves. Christ had compassion for the magnitude of suffering in
individual human beings around him, the human ramifications and impact were 100% known to him,
including the certainty that he would give himself over to die and beat death. As
human beings we are not made to cope with or normalize death (either phsyical or spiritual) in a broken world- it is an alien intruder
into our created existence.
- The sadness of this world is
bigger than any person can process or contain in isolation. This world is
more horrifically out of step with God than any human being can
comprehend. If this does not result in our humble admittance that we need
Christ, we need rescue of GOD, that he is bigger than us, and we need more of his
presence...then anger, resentment, frustration, taking it out on others,
becoming insensitive and unfeeling are not just temporary seasons, but can
become character life traits.
For he knows our
frame; he remembers that we are dust.
(Psalm 103:14)
For we do
not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one
who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
(Hebrews
4:15)
Surely he
has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
(Isaiah
53:4)
THE PERSPECTIVE OF
THE ADVANCING PLANS OF GOD:
- One of the great features of
good local church pastors is that they can be exceptionally focussed on
those they care for (1 Peter 5:2). This can however also be a major issue
when that is their only perspective in life... when they don't see things
in the wider context of God's global, multigenerational, eternal purposes of
redemption. What happens when we are called to trudge through a season of
hard planting and pruning, when fruit above ground is not yet showing?
What happens when our very faithful ministry over many years remains
numerically small in a country of believers which number less than 0.1%.
In these circumstances pastors can easily be distracted, search for an easier way with increasing reliance on the physical, touchable, tangible and immediate
rather than further investment in the unseen (2 Cor 4:18). The alternative
is an obsessive self driven ministry which doesn't see past the immediate
and local geography within the confines of "our parish",
"my leaders", "our facilities". A truly biblical
church becomes more aware of the world God has placed us in, not
introspective, self obsessed or self serving, but Spirit driven for
advance and exploration with His resources and status as the our only primary focus and motivation (Matt 28:16-20).
- In my limited experience it
seems to me that those churches who truly have a world mission self
awareness of their role and responsibilities in the Biblical and Current
Global Mission of God, are healthier, better prepared and counterbalanced
to withstand the variety of seasons in church life. A routine update from
our brother being persecuted puts our needless introspection into
perspective. A regular partnership with the poor but pioneering (growing)
rural fellowship in an off beaten forgotten backwater, reminds us that
status amongst our peers, influence, financial security and established
reputation are human constructs and evaluations of church
"success". God evaluates our ministries on different
terms.
We
worship You our awesome God, Father of all, for lifting our eyes to see Christ,
for showing us so much "more" in Him, for taking us "out of our
of ourselves" to live fruitfully for something and someone so much greater
today. We thank you for the gift of the one who is eternally trustworthy,
timelessly beautiful and yet so close and relevant in our momentary and current
needs. We thank you for the one who is transcendent, yet in the details of life
whispers immanency at every turn. He is all we need. Christ is all I want.
Help us
today, to see our days as allotted and not a right (Job 14:1-5, Psalm 139) , as
a gift not a burden, as a motivating privilege of grace, not a weight of duty.
Help us to live for the treasure we do have, not hunger for what we don't need.
Thank you that we have surpassing treasure (2 Cor 4:7), the hope of Glory (Rom 8:11), citizenship in the eternally fruitful people of God (Phil 3:20, Eph1:13). Help us to make the most of this and every opportunity of today (Eph5:16), to not waste time in needless introspection, but to exalt you, learn
wisdom from you and give you your rightful place of pre-eminence in our lives
regardless of season or circumstance. Help us serve you and not ourselves. Take
our eyes off ourselves and show us more of yourself that we may have increasing
perspective to live for you today.
PSALM 103
Bless the Lord,
O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
2 Bless the Lord,
O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
3 who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
5 who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
6 The Lord
works righteousness
and justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
8 The Lord is
merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear
him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
13 As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the Lord
shows compassion to those who fear him.
14 For he knows our frame;[a]
he remembers that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are like grass;
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.
17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear
him,
and his righteousness to children's children,
18 to those who keep his covenant
and remember to do his commandments.
19 The Lord has
established his throne in the heavens,
and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Bless the Lord,
O you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his word,
obeying the voice of his word!
21 Bless the Lord,
all his hosts,
his ministers, who do his will!
22 Bless the Lord,
all his works,
in all places of his dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
