Joy In Suffering?

As a counselor, I hear about a lot of suffering and trials. Many people (if not most) have been the recipients of this supposed encouragement, “God will not put more on you than you can handle.” I have even heard pastors quote that from the pulpit. However, there is a problem with that quote – it is not in the Bible! That is a misquote of 1 Corinthians 10:13. In that passage Paul is talking about temptation, not trials and suffering.

If it is true that God will not allow stuff to come into your life that you cannot handle, then why would you ever need God? That statement is basically saying that God will never allow you to be in a place where you need Him! That same sentiment fostered a similar statement, “God helps those who help themselves.” Both of these statements sound good, until you realize what they are really suggesting. This is not Biblical truth, but demonic propaganda to keep us focused on what we can do.

In this life we will encounter various trials and tribulations (Rom. 5:3; 2 Cor. 1:8-9; James 1:2; 1 Pet. 1:6).  Peter said we should rejoice; James said we should consider it all joy; Paul said we should exalt! They were not focusing on the trial itself, but on the outcome. I do not have to be joyful about a struggle with an addiction, nor do I have to think fondly of a wrong that has been done to me. If I’m going through a trial that involves sickness, or financial loss, or a relationship struggle, I do not have to rejoice in my hurt and pain. I do, however, look forward to the sweet reward of the finished product that God is displaying.

When I am setting my mind on the truth, which lifts me above the struggle, I can see what God is doing (2 Cor. 4:18; Col. 3:2). I can see Him stripping away everything that is not of Him or me. He said I have a new heart (Ezk. 36:26) and that I share in His nature (2 Pet. 1:4). He said my life is hidden in the life of Christ (Col. 3:3). When I attempt to live my life according to my flesh and the things of this world, I am not displaying Christ’s life in me (Gal. 5:16-17). Your trials and my trials, when placed in the hands of the Master, become a tool in His hands to polish away dependence on the flesh.

No matter where you are right now, whether it is the massive weight of hurt inflicted on you by someone you are supposed to trust, or a struggle with your own inability to overcome an addiction, or sickness, grief, marital/family dysfunction, or regret over your past choices and behaviors – focus on the One who has set you free. Know that He truly cares for you; and He knows what you are going through because He too is experiencing the journey with you.

How Do I Get Close To God?

I grew up with the concept that God wants me to give Him a certain amount of my time each day. His blessings would come from my investment of that time. This time with God has been frequently called "quiet time" in many Christian circles. I tried over and over to interact with God through a quiet time that involved prayer, Bible study, scripture memorization and journaling. I failed over and over. My failure seemed to define me as a messed up Christian. Instead of feeling closer to God, I felt like He was a million miles away. That feeling seemed to say that God is distant because of me.

I have since learned that God is not distant, nor has ever been. He has always been close. The question is, then, “How close is God?” He is in me. Having a quiet time does not bring God any closer than He already is. Having a quiet time with God is simply shoving the world aside for a moment and enjoying the intimacy I share with Him 24/7. 

God showed me that He does everything with me - everything from the mundane to the exciting. He is not distant from me waiting for me to come spend time with Him; He is always spending time with me in everything I do. He counsels with me. He loves on my wife, children, and grandchildren with me. He is writing with me at this very moment. I don't have to do anything for God. I get to do everything with God!

God even showed me that He enjoys drinking coffee with me and reading a good book together. He also enjoys watching a good sci-fi show with me! You may have heard the expression, “Pete and re-Pete.” Well, I’m re-Pete. God and I are always together enjoying each other’s company.

Since I have given up the old concept of giving God a portion of my time each day as a means of growing spiritually, I have discovered more peace and joy coming from the depths of my “inner man.” I have also noticed a greater understanding and memory of scripture. This was not something I pursued; it was a bi-product of hanging out with God and listening to Him as He constantly shares His heart with me.

I hear God speak to me through music, through a good sermon, a good book, a tv show, a conversation with a friend, a counseling session, etc. But most of all, I hear Him speak to me directly when it is just the two us. No, I don’t hear an audible voice. I don’t have to. When He speaks to me He puts His thoughts in my mind and I know those thoughts are His words because I’m not smart enough or wise enough to come up with what I am hearing.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, yes, I have a special relationship with God. Here is the good news – if you are a believer, you do too! God wants you to know that He is always with you and He is pleased with you because you belong to Him. Your value doesn’t come from how much time you spend with Him reading your Bible, memorizing scripture, etc. The time you spend with Him will only reveal how much value you truly possess.

If you haven't yet received God's gift of life, He wants you to accept His gift of life so that you too can experience the joy of a relationship with Him.

If you have already received God's gift of life, relax and enjoy your time with Him. Discover the depths of your worth in Him! Listen to Him tell you how much He loves you. 

Does God Have Your Middle?

When we accepted God’s free gift of life through Christ, hopefully we realized that salvation was something He did for us – not something we could do for ourselves. Now that we are forgiven and reconciled to God, our future hope of heaven is secure because of Christ. To put it simply, God has secured our beginning and our end.

The big question now is, “Does God have our middle?” We have trusted Him for salvation and heaven, but do we trust Him with everything in between? We human beings want proof before we act or move. Even when proof is provided, we want our emotions to line up with that proof.

If someone is afraid to fly on a plane, it doesn’t matter how much proof is provided regarding the law of aerodynamics, airplane engineering, and pilot skill; if the person’s emotions are telling them they are not safe, they are not going to get on the plane.

Our struggle with our emotions hinders us from accepting the truth. If I feel unloved, it doesn’t matter how much you tell me I am loved when I am trusting in my emotions. When did our emotions become truth?

Truth can stand without our emotions being in agreement. When Jesus prayed in the garden to His Father “let this cup pass from me,” (Matt. 16:39) His emotions were raging. His emotions were telling Him that He didn’t want to go through the trial ahead. However, His choice was to follow His Father’s will. His behavior lined up with what He believed regarding His Father. He believed His Father was good and that His Father knew what was best. 

What do we believe about God? Do we believe He is kind and good? If we believe He loves us, how much does He like us? How much is He paying attention to the details of our life?

How we answer these questions will reveal how much we trust Him and believe He has our back. God loved us so much He gave His only Son to demonstrate His love for us (Jn. 3:16). The problem with our belief system is we have left out the most important part of God’s gift. He has gifted us life. His gift of life is for now, not just future in heaven.

There is a gap between being “born again” and going to heaven. God never intended for us to be in charge of that gap. As we trust Him with every moment of our life, He proves His faithfulness to us. He proves how much He likes us. There is no detail of our lives that He does not notice and with which He is not concerned. God’s life in us secures our beginning, our middle, and our end (which is really not the end).

A Promise Keeper

Back in the 1990, Bill McCartney started a movement called “Promise Keepers.”   I attended one of those Promise Keeper rallies in Dallas back in the mid 90’s.  It was a wonderful event attended by over 60,000 men.  At that time in my life I needed something to revitalize my commitment to Christ and to help motivate me to be the best Christian I could be.  I was attending seminary full-time, serving a small church as the worship pastor part-time, and working as the facilities manager of a large church full-time.  I was immersed in the Christian community every day, all day!  Yet, I needed something to give me a boost because I still felt like a failing Christian.  After experiencing this wonderful event, I just knew that God had given me a boost of the spiritual energy I needed to keep going.  I walked away with a recommitment to be the best husband and father I could be, the best worship pastor, best student and employee.  I felt I could storm the gates of hell with my renewed sense of commitment!

Here’s the bad news though, it didn’t work for very long.  I went right back to the same patterns of behavior and feelings of inadequacy, with an extra dose of shame thrown on top.  Andrew Farley, author of “The Naked Gospel,” said the first “promise keepers” rally happened when Moses brought the Ten Commandments down from the mountain.  The people, after hearing the Ten Commandments, responded with these words, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do!” (Exodus 19:8)  That sounds like a huge promise.  I believe they meant what they said, however, they proved their failure to do so over and over.  I know I meant every promise I ever made to God, but I too experienced nothing but failure.

Why do we find ourselves ultimately living defeated lives after making these kinds of heart-felt promises?  It seems to be due to our misunderstanding of where our power comes from.  I finally came to realize that I was trying to let law be my guide for right-living.  In other words, I was trying to live by standards, principles, rules, precepts, etc…  No matter how well-intentioned I was, I could not keep a promise to do better.  I was working under the notion that I was still a sinner by nature and that I needed to internalize these wonderful Christian principles to help me make better decisions for Christ.  I knew I was “saved” and that God loved me, but I felt like God was disappointed with me.  I constantly went to Him with heart-felt apologies.  If God wants us to live victorious Christian lives, where does the power come from?

Obviously, the power to live victoriously does not come from knowledge.  Nor does it come from commitment.  True power comes from Christ, not our knowledge of Him and His teachings, nor our love for Him.  It comes from Him, His life that He has now placed in us.  Paul said in Colossians 1:27, “…Christ in you, the hope of glory.”  Glory is not the state of being in heaven; it is referring to the glorious nature of Christ in us!  He is my hope for victory, not my knowledge or commitment.  The only way He could place His glory in me was to crucify or kill the old sinner man that was me.  That old sinner man had a heart desire to sin.  There was no way Christ could join Himself to that man.  He had to remove that old man and place a new creature in his place.  That new creature can now be joined with Christ and experience His glorious nature.

So, what I could not do through trying to keep promises, Christ did through the power of His life in me!  When I finally realized my true identity was a new creature in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17), I was convinced that God could not and would not be disappointed with me.  I was miserable sinning because I was a saint experiencing a behavior contrary to my true nature.  Christ is the only “Promise Keeper.”  He told Paul that His power was perfected in Paul’s weaknesses. (2 Cor. 12:9-10)  Paul rejoiced at the revelation that it was not about His ability to keep promises, but Christ’s ability in him.  True victory for Christian living is found in the person of Christ living in us.  It is a relationship to be experienced moment by moment. 

Glorifying God

If you were to randomly interview folks and ask them what it means to glorify God, what kind of answers would you get? You would hear answers such as singing praises, giving money or time, serving others, praying, reading your Bible, going to church, speaking out for God, etc. There is nothing wrong with any of these answers, but is this truly what glorifies God?

Because of our performance driven culture, we have been programmed to focus on outcomes. In other words, there is a goal or outcome we strive to reach. Until the outcome is achieved, we seem to feel incomplete or lacking. This mind-set has been transferred to how we approach glorifying God. We see glorifying God as an outcome of something we do.

Were the first human beings driven to achieve? Did they focus on the works of their hands as something that would hopefully bring glory to God? I think the answer to both those questions is “no.” They did not have a Bible to study, rote prayers to recite, a church to attend, or a cause to champion. They simply expressed moment by moment the life they contained.

Glorifying God has never been about outcomes. In applying a deeper understanding of who God is, we can quickly realize that God is not dependent on outcomes. He can speak the non-existent into existence. He does not live for tomorrow. God is content, He is peaceful, He is joyful, and He is Life and Light and Love. He is not waiting for or in need of something to happen before He can experience all that He is.

There is nothing in creation that can produce something God needs because God needs nothing. He is complete in and of Himself. Whenever you look at a mountain you can see the expression of God’s glory, yet the mountain does nothing to produce glory for God. The mountain is what it is. The mere fact that God created the mountain is the expression of His glory.

You and I have been misled to believe that we must produce an outcome in order for God to be glorified. Glory is and has always been about expression. We were made for expressing God’s greatest glory – the expression of God’s Life, Light, and Love. Whenever we love we are expressing glory; whenever we are patient we are expressing glory; whenever we are gentle we are expressing glory, etc.

You might say, “Ok, I know I can sometimes be patient, but most of the time I am not.” You are now focused on the outcome. In other words, one day you hope to be a patient person all the time. God is not waiting for you to be patient all the time, He wants you to trust Him and express patience in the moment. No matter how many times you have failed to express patience, those failures will not overshadow the times that you are. God is glorified every time we trust Him and allow Him to express Himself in and through us. This is only accomplished in total surrender to His presence in us.

I want to stop focusing on the past – all the moments I failed to express God’s glory. I also want to stop focusing on the future – hoping I will always express God’s glory in all that I do. God is teaching me to look at Him now and trust Him now and to cease looking to the past or to the future. I am so glad that God is not about outcomes, but revels in the moment-by-moment expressions of His Life in me!