Suffering

In Romans 8 Paul talks about the Holy Spirit and his role in our lives. He also lets us know that the Spirit led life is not a life free of hardship.

Suffering

The Hard Work of Grace

Recently in my time with the Lord I was reading in the Word and the following caught my eye:

"For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them--yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me." 1 Corinthians 15:9-10

What struck me was Paul's comment recognizing God's grace in who he was. That even though he had persecuted the early church to the point of imprisonment and even death, God in his grace had made Paul an apostle. It is as though Paul looked back at his life and could see God's grace at work even through the ugly parts. I suspect that in Paul's comment there's a twinge of regret.

Paul goes on to say that this grace that made him what he was, was also responsible for making him work really hard. Did grace cause him to work really hard at ministry? Did grace empower him to work hard in changing himself? It's not clear, although the context of working harder than the other apostles makes it sound as though he is refering to ministry. But I wonder if he felt that since they had been with Christ since the beginning, that gave the others a significant head start in understanding, faith and character development. I guess that I lean towards the idea that it was both. That grace motivated Paul to grow and to minister.

The interesting thing here is how Paul puts grace and hard work together. This is something that I don't see very often today. Perhaps there are lots of reasons for this, but I wonder if one of those reasons is that evangelicals are so concerned that people understand salvation is by "grace through faith and not because of works" that we have a knee-jerk reaction to seeing grace and work in the same sentence? Yes, grace does opposes earning, but it is not opposed to work. God's love and forgiveness cannot be earned, but that same love and forgiveness is spoken of as "compelling us (2 Cor. 5:14)". In fact it would appear from Paul's comments that grace actually spurs people on to work, and to work hard.

This, I think, is important today because I often hear references to grace in ways that would indicate the person expects grace to make things easier. Yet grace may allow things to be difficult, to be hard.

A little later I read:

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 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" 2 Corinthians 3:17-18

In the context the veil refers to an inability to see the Glory of God and it is removed when a person turns to the Lord. That is clear. As I read the passage the words "unveiled faces" stood out to me. Understanding that, in Christ, my sin is removed, it struck me that there is also an aspect of me unveiling my face to the Lord. We speak of becoming a Christian as stepping into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and relationship means openning ourselves up to him. Not only does he take the veil away to enable us to see, but there is also an element that indicates we take away a veil as well and say "Yes, Lord, I desire relationship with you." (see Revelation 3:20)

As I pondered this I had to admit that sometimes the most difficult part of following Jesus is taking away the veil (or veils) that I so often hide behind. Of openning myself up more deeply, more fully, to the Lord. Even though I know intellectually that he loves me, it can be a scary thing to reveal more of myself to him. Yet that is simply the nature of relationship and it is in doing this that I experience his love for me and grow more secure in him.

In fact this can be for me the hard work of grace. As I encounter his grace I realize he wants more of me and the hard work of relationship begins anew. Maybe that is why Flannery O'Connor once said,

"All human nature vigourously resists grace because grace changes us and the change is painful. Priests resist it as well as others."

Grace, grace. The hard work of grace. God's unconditional love meeting me where I am, but unwilling to leave me as I am, if only I will open myself up to him and to the hard work to come.

Rock Stars for God?

In one of Relevant's e-zine postings, they had this article by Jim Palmer. Maybe a little food for thought?

In his first law of motion, Isaac Newton stated, "An object in motion tends to stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force." Like clockwork, every time some cultural revolution takes place, Christendom freaks out and begins hosting conferences to discuss what's wrong and how to fix it. Often the solution doesn't add up to much more than rearranging the same old pieces on the board with a different, hipper look. Likewise, we've proven we can do church in a lot of creative ways, but too often it's still "church," the same old mentality wrapped up in edgier packaging. Meanwhile, Christendom stays in motion at the same speed, in the same direction, headed nowhere.

Years ago Martin Luther tried his best to awaken people to the understanding that those with the power to save the day were often marginal and unimpressive. During his day, a prevailing notion said there were two classes of people in the Church—the clergy and the laity. The clergy were the guys with the seminary degrees and considered the "professionals" in all things God. Everyone else was labeled "laity," spiritual amateurs.

Which raises the question: Does Christendom have rock stars? What I mean by "rock stars" are people we place in some category higher than ourselves, or especially esteem because of their charisma, giftedness or prominence. There does seem to be this sense in Christian culture that if someone is standing on a stage, has their name on the front of a book, holds a degree, occupies a top position or has achieved recognition, this person must be closer to God, know truth that has alluded the masses or be especially equipped to do something huge for God.

Of course, God works through church pastors, teachers and leaders. No problem there. What Martin Luther confronted was the unhealthy dependence people placed on the religious professionals. In Luther's mind this was diametrically opposed to Jesus' teachings that the source of relationship with God and spiritual living is inside all believers through the indwelling Christ. Jesus said in John 14:19-20, "Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you" (TNIV). Explaining this further in John 16:13, Jesus said, "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth."

I am a nobody. The Spirit revealed any truth I know, and I cannot claim any special quality as a reason for having discovered it. Like you, I have the source of truth within me by virtue of the indwelling Spirit. And like you, if I am open to it, the Spirit awakens me to truth. Left to myself, I have quite a track record of missing, distorting, convoluting, twisting, dumbing-down and being blinded to the truth. Only the Spirit can open my eyes. There are no rock stars, only jars of clay that carry the life of God in equal measure.

We all are teachers and students. We all can encourage one another on the journey. In recent years some of my most significant teachers have included a Waffle House waitress, a tire salesman, a handicapped girl and a tattoo artist. According to Jesus, whenever just two or three of us gather in His name, we experience a deep spiritual fellowship that awakens us to the present reality of God's kingdom. Only the Spirit within us can mediate this reality. There are no rock stars.

Peter understood the significance of this when he wrote in 2 Peter 1:3, "His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness."

What if God's plan to save the world is hidden beneath the radar, behind the scenes and among the everyday lives of nobodies? Could God have placed the fate of His created realm in the hands of dorks like us? A wonderful freedom is growing inside me knowing there is hope, meaning and purpose for unimpressive people like me. Maybe God supplies everything we need, and our part is believing, trusting and depending.

Thinking once again of Newton's first law of motion, maybe the "unbalanced force" that could alter the direction of the Church is for all us nobodies to embrace our true identity as spiritual people. Maybe it's true that we are the "body of Christ" on earth, and Christ is living His life in and through each of us.

Today you are going to cross paths with someone with a longing inside. They may not understand it, but their soul longs to return home to God. You may be a very ordinary person, but because the life of God is within you, you have all the necessary spiritual resources to be Christ to whoever comes your way. Keep your eyes wide open; you just may be the nobody God dials up to help someone find home.

Jim Palmer is the author of Divine Nobodies: Shedding Religion to Find God (and the unlikely people who help you) (W Publishing Group).

Relevant Magazine

No Condemnation, No Fear

Great News! In Christ there is no condemnation and as a result, there is no basis for fear.
Romans 8

No Fear

In India

My daughter sent this to me. She and Hannah met in Australia prior to Hannah going to India.

In India
By Hannah Blackford, Florida

I am currently sitting in an Internet Cafe in Calcutta India. Across the street is the Mother Thersa House. We worked there this afternoon, by playing with orphans. Outside. Outside it is just like the movies you see of India. Dirty. Beggers sitting on the side of the road, people destitute everywhere. There are also bodies lying covered with cloths everythere. Some are sleeping, some are dead. Sometimes we have to walk over them, as the alive ones cry to us for food, and the others just lie there.

It is easy to ask where is God in all of this. But I know the anwser to that question. He is in me. Yesterday I spent some time with God and asked him what he wanted to do that day. On the taxi ride to the Mother Thersa Home he anwsered me so clearly. He told me to smile. I cant feed everyone, or touch everyone, or help everyone, but I can smile. And that was about the only thing I could do to help. Just smile at people and bring them the love of God.

I have heard that what a city looks like is a reflection of its spiritual side. What kind of religion is here to bring such destitution? Islam teaches that Allah wills people to be poor. I do not blieve in a God who would will this on any of his children. Today we say a woman with only a piece of cloth wrapped around her waist. She was standing in the middle of the street, yelling, her breasts were just flaps of skin. She was skin and bones. God, you are needed here. Sometimes the only thing I can do is pray, and not let it overwhelm me.

Right now I am listening to the Muslim call to prayer being played over loudspeakers. There is a mosque near here, about a block away. My heart is breaking, but I cannot let it break. Is this what God feels about his people? If my heart breaks, how much more does his heart break? I feel that if I let my heart break, it will overwhelm me. God, give me the strenth to look the mothers in the eye who are beging for me to give them something, as they motion to thier baby who is skin and bones. Give me the strength to give them a smile. Give me discernment when you would have me give something, or just your love.

The problem is, if you give one person something, a mob imediately gathers. You hand out all you have, and you havent accomplished anything. They will just be hungry tomorrow. You have to change the society with the love of God. Only then will poverty begin to cease. The void will always be there, you can never fill it unless you begin to close it.

I realize that this has been a long and somewhat heavy blog. But don't just shut it out of your hearts and minds.

Grace Displayed

One of the greatest things to encounter is genuine grace. Yet grace is continuously misunderstood, even when it was displayed by the One who is full of grace and truth.

Grace Displayed

Warning! Grace & Law Don't Mix

One of the greatest truths in Christianity is the concept of grace. One of the most difficult concepts in Christianity is also grace. Which is why so many struggle so deeply. But there's hope.

Grace Misunderstood (Romans 7)

Psalm 23 in 2007

One of the best things I have done is to memorize Psalm 23. It is not very difficult to commit to memory and, if I'm wanting to impress someone, I can say I've memorized a whole chapter of the bible (all six verses)! Anyway, back to the point.

I often pray Psalm 23 as a way of focusing on God above my current circumstances and this morning as I prayed the Spirit whispered to me. It happened at the point where David writes, "He makes me lie down in green pastures." For a sheep lying down in green pastures means a state of contentment. There's plenty of good food and there are no predators to be concerned with. The shepherd is on watch and the sheep can eat, rest and be content.

This isn't new but like some sheep I have a bad tendency to think that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence! Philip Keller talks about this in his book "A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23". He had one or two sheep that, regardless of how good Keller's pasture was, the sheep would go to the fence-line and try to feed on the other side. The irony was that the neighbor's pasture was usually in very poor condition, so the sheep was eating poor grass while standing in a rich pasture. Keller finally had to sell the sheep because it was beginning to lead others to do the same and the results were not good. Discontent apparently is contagious.

If I am not careful I can fall into the same attitude (it's painful to admit that scripture refering to believers as sheep is way too accurate!). When I am struggling I tend to think that I need to get away and find that green pasture. I see the good things going on elsewhere and find myself envious. And when I do, the results are not good.

This morning the Spirit whispered to me that the Shepherd will give me the green pasture here, where I live, if only I will pay attention. The promise of green pastures and still waters and right paths and the Shepherd's presence in the darkest of valleys depends not upon my geographical location. It depends upon my Shepherd. It is his responsibility to take care of the sheep. It is his promise that must be kept. It is his reputation that is on the line. My job is to trust him.

Now circumstances can be very difficult and should not be denied. The problem is when I let my circumstances divert my eyes to "greener pastures" instead of looking to my Shepherd. If I am not careful it becomes a habit to look elsewhere and a season of discontent will set in. And where there is discontent there is stress, lack of joy and lack of peace. In other words it robs me of my relationship with my Shepherd. Of course letting circumstances turn my eyes to the Shepherd can become a habit, too.


If you find yourself in a difficult time let me encourage you to be honest about that, resist the temptation to focus on "greener pastures" and turn your eyes to the shepherd. Memorize Psalm 23 and begin praying through it. See if the Shepherd doesn't meet you, too. That's why he is called the Good Shepherd!

Lessons from Louisiana

After going to New Orleans last January with a group from Cornerstone, Steve & Lisa Nelson sensed God asking them to give a year of their lives to help the ministry there. They returned to the Northwest for the holidays and shared with us what they have learned in their time in Louisiana.

Lessons from Louisiana