Saturday, March 30, 2013

Easter Sunday


The tomb is cold, as it was the day before. It is dank and dark. It is in fact exactly as it was on Saturday. Except . . . the body is gone.

Jesus is back! Alive! Resurrected! Powerful! Jesus, not as before, but having done what no man could do. Jesus had died and received the punishment for all sin.

His body had lain abandoned and cold in the grave. Then, Jesus did what had never been done: Jesus returned. Triumphal reentry! Jesus came back from beyond this life and triumphantly exited His tomb, with the keys to death and the grave in His nail-pierced hand!

 

Slowly, the rumors reached the ears of the disciples. First the women came with the report of the tomb’s having been opened and the message of the angels. Peter, incredulous, ran to the tomb with John. Both of them saw it. Could it be? Dare they hope?

Of course they dare hope! Hope is reborn! Hope has come back from the dead! Death, Satan, sin, evil has been defeated once and for all! Jesus returns victorious, giving us the victory as well. The New Covenant has been created!  Redemption for all men has been won! Man is reconciled with his Creator!

This weekend had been the darkest in all of history.

First came Good Friday, with its brokenness. Sorrow pervaded the entire creation.  Hope died.

Then came Holy Saturday, Black Saturday. Hope remained dead, and perhaps that reality just began to set in.  Hope was dead and buried.

On Sunday though, oh on Sunday!!! Nothing could hold Him back from fulfilling the redemptive plan! He finished the beautiful picture of Easter Weekend!

The disciples and followers rejoiced! Joy beyond imagination! Meaning flooded back into their lives! Praise God for hope reborn!

Happy Easter, everyone. God has redeemed us to Himself, and so we may (and should) be joyful! Rejoice! Jesus is King! He lives! HE LIVES!

Sunday has come.

Holy Saturday


It’s Holy Saturday, the first Holy Saturday. Dawn breaks, and as it does the city of Jerusalem awakes, worn and broken.

Some of the disciples must have slept last night, exhausted from the preceding days of turmoil and  despair. It is a quiet morning, and as each disciple rises, perhaps he looks forward to spending another day in the presence of the Messiah. And then, it all comes rushing back, all the wrongness of yesterday. The Messiah is dead, dead and buried. Perhaps it is Thomas who wakes to this depressing, disillusioned world. He realizes that he left everything to follow Jesus. And now Jesus has left him. Jesus is dead and buried. Thomas is utterly alone in this world. The other disciples have fled and dispersed, a few in pairs or small groups, but Jesus’ “elite” band of twelve has dissolved. Thomas has no job, no way to make money. He left his family. He left his possessions. He had nothing. But, far, far beyond the physical bankruptcy he was experiencing, his heartbreak far outshone that. He had been close to Jesus. He had lived at His side for three years. Thomas had slept where Jesus slept, walked right behind Him, soaked in His teachings, witnessed His miracles. The disciples were far closer than simply friends. They were brothers. But the family was broken up, the shepherd dead. Was it all over? What hopelessness . . .

And of course, Mary must have only escaped her pain in sleep. But, the next morning, the wounds reopened, and she felt the rawness of the tragedy wash over her once more. Her son, who she had anticipated becoming the Messiah for thirty-three years, was dead. Dead and buried. He lay in the ground, in the cold, in the hardness, darkness, aloneness of the tomb. His crushed, torn, destroyed body lay there, only hastily buried. He didn’t even get the burial He deserved! Dead and buried, her son.

The other followers must have all felt it as well, the resurgence, the overwhelming pressure upon emotional trauma from yesterday. And today was the Sabbath. They could do very little. It was a day of nothingness, a day without distractions to provide even temporary refuge. They must have known by now about Judas, if not his betrayal at least his suicide. One of the twelve! Surely not! The very world of these followers was crumbling.  The Teacher was dead, dead and buried. What else could possibly be so wrong in this cold, gray world?! Throughout the whole day, their hearts were burdened and weary. Confusion and disillusionment! The temple’s curtain was torn? Dead raised to life? What craziness was this that was wracking Jerusalem?!

There was no HOPE! Hope had died with Jesus. Something must have gone wrong. Jesus was the Messiah, and Jesus was dead. The Messiah was dead, dead and buried. Dead and buried the Rescuer, the Savior. Hopelessness! Despair! There was nothing, nothing looking forward. There was nothing looking back either. Three years wasted . . . all for naught. There was no meaning to their life, was there?

It was a bleak Saturday, cold, unfeeling, gray. Dead. Dead and buried was He, the Savior of the world, the King of the Jews, Yahweh, Emmanuel. Hope itself was dead. Dead and buried. Utter hopelessness . . . .

It was a bleak Saturday. . . .

 . . . . .

 . . . . .

 . . . . . but Sunday was coming . . .

Friday, March 29, 2013

Good Friday


Good Friday. It never really was that great. It was always overshadowed by expectations of Easter, expectations of family, food, fellowship. None of these expectations were really in the right place either. Only in the most recent years have I begun to understand and appreciate Easter. And only this week have I begun to understand Good Friday. So, let’s write on Good Friday then.

My plan for this weekend’s writings is as follows: one post each day for Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday. Today, on Good Friday, I want you to feel the brokenness of the crucifixion. Tomorrow, I hope you will feel the hopelessness and emptiness that  haunted this day that is so rarely mentioned. On Easter, I pray that you will see the incredibly beautiful picture that comes from all three together.

But today comes brokenness.

Throughout this day, especially toward the end, imagine the characters of the biblical narrative, each with their own respective sorrows and heartbreaks.

My heart breaks for Matthew. A tax collector, he was despised and rejected by his own people. He was a lowlife, a nothing even among his kinsmen. He was considered to be one of the foremost on the lists of greatest sinners. Then one day, Jesus chooses him. Jesus chooses to take this tax collector and make him a disciple, a fisher of men, a highly influential servant in the early church. Things are looking up! Can  you imagine his joy during the Triumphal Entry? Walking at the side of his Master! Overwhelmed with his glorious purpose of aiding the Messiah of his nation! And in a cruel twist lasting only a few hours, his Master is tried, condemned, and hung on a tree, humiliated. The one Person who saw past Matthew’s sin and decided to use him was dying, and dying the death of a common criminal. Matthew’s hopes of a future were gone. His purpose was gone like that, like a swift blow knocks the wind from the lungs. He was purposeless once more, and his friends had scattered. He was in anguish. He was crushed.

My heart breaks for Peter. A zealot, Peter doubtless expected Jesus to lead his nation in overthrowing their oppressors. He saw Jesus as the conqueror. Jesus was going to save them all, winning victory after victory for His beloved nation of Israel. At the Triumphal Entry, Peter must have thought, “Things are happening! Perhaps soon, we will begin to throw off these Roman dogs!” As with Matthew, Peter’s hopes were dashed, and beyond dashed. His Messiah was mortally wounded. Even if He were to be removed from the cross, He would have bled to death. And Peter had denied Him! Three times he did so. He had doubtless broken the relationship between himself and Jesus beyond repair. Betrayal.  That pain that comes with the incapacity to right a wrong. And Peter was stranded as well. He had no life aside from Jesus.

John, called the beloved disciple, was at the foot of the cross of Jesus. He loved Jesus so dearly, followed him so faithfully. He was there to witness the nails being driven. He witnessed the cruel soldiers’ mockery! He saw the thief on one side spit hate and heap slander upon Jesus, even while this thief’s own lifeblood seeped out! A dying man decided that with his last words he would hurl as much insult as he could upon this so-called “king”. How could they?! HOW COULD THEY?!  How John must have cried at the sight of these arrogant soldiers and this insolent, insolent thief insulting and taunting The King?!! This was Jesus Christ, the Christ, the Son of God, the God-man!!! Why? Oh, why?

Mary, Jesus’ mother. She raised Him from birth, loved Him as only a mother could. She doubtless watched with pride and joy as He grew into the role of teacher and rabbi, as He flourished in the eyes of God and man.  She was there also. She saw her baby boy, her child, her son whom she loved dearly being nailed to a tree! Being pinned like an insect. His emaciated and bloody body put through more and more anguish. She saw His final cry, and perhaps she even had an idea of what was going on. Far, far, far beyond any of the physical pain was the intense and searing wrath of God, burning hot upon Jesus’ spirit. Complete aloneness! Overwhelming and incomprehensible! Torment, anguish, WRATH! Every bit of sin from every man at every point in history! So much, so much blackness, so much dirtiness, so much WRATH to take in, so much sin to amend for! How Mary must have wept.

So much sorrow, so much sorrow! So much pain, so much grief. It makes me cry just thinking of it. The utter brokenness of that day. The fear that arose from the city as the darkness took the sky. The pain of every disciple and every follower, the feelings of isolation and lostness.

That was Good Friday. Jesus died on the cross, and His soul left His body. He left a broken world. He left a world FILLED, DRENCHED, SATURATED with sorrow.

 . . . . .

 . . . . .

 . . .but Sunday was coming . . .

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

From a Primitive-minded Conservative

I want to avoid being overly political on this blog, but this is something that has been on my mind a lot lately.
Our world has changed much in the last few decades. Now, we can be openly persecuted and discriminated against if we 1.) Do not support same-sex marriage or 2.) Opt not to give our opinion. And I do mean persecuted and discriminated against.

Persecution comes on a daily basis for those of us in the college sphere (coming from the guy currently wearing the "Abortion is Mean" t-shirt).

Look at all the ruckus over Tim Cook (CEO of Apple) and his sexuality when decided not to openly declare his opinion.

"Keeping his sexuality a secret is no longer an option. And so the press shouldn’t treat it as though it’s something to be avoided at all costs. There’s no ethical dilemma when it comes to reporting on Cook’s sexuality: rather, the ethical dilemma comes in not reporting it, thereby perpetuating the idea that there’s some kind of stigma associated with being gay," according to Alpha contributor and Reuter's blogger Felix Salmon.

On a similar note, in recent days a boycott was waged against Starbucks because of its support for marriage equality (Side note: we DO still define marriage as between one man and one woman, so that term is deceptive). When one of the shareholders hinted at possibly withdrawing their support, the CEO jumped on him and told him to “buzz off”, exhibiting classic “You’re either with us or against us” behavior. It’s interesting that the liberal agenda wants to meet in the middle, yet creates so many false dilemmas (note the Dilemma, meaning two options; a false dilemma is a reason and logic term referring to a situation that has multiple facets, yet people try to polarize it into only two).

And, now the articles flood the internet in support of these “valiant” CEOs who are standing up for “diversity”.

And all of America’s cute little young people, naïve and stupid as ever, join the rant. This is one of the most intriguing facets of this problem: the response within the public school. Even with my limited experiences with the public school system, I see that it is saturated with gays and their supporters. Why? Nobody knows, but it must be right. Kids and teens no longer need a reason to believe something. But, right now, being a gay supporter is THE THING to do. Don’t you dare do any different, or you will be a primitive-minded, right-wing wacko, fundamentalist, gay-bashing hater. Don’t do it. This kinda brings me full-circle back to the persecution aspect.

I could go on all day about this topic and its various subtopics. America is gleefully taking steps down the moral staircase, each a little faster than the other. I can only hope and pray it doesn’t lose its footing and fall to the bottom, joining the long list of nations that fully embraced immorality and are now turned to so much rubble.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Homosexuality: A Vicious Drag on Modern-Day Society

Actually my research paper for school, so it's quite long (10ish pages). Hope you will still find time to read it though and give me your feedback. -In Christ, Phil
 
 
     One of the most commonly arising topics in the political sphere of America today is homosexuality: whether homosexuals should have a civil union or not, what that union should be called, whether or not they should be merited tax status alongside heterosexual couples, etc. So many issues currently in legislation (alongside countless articles in the past and the unimaginable number to appear in the future) apply to this 1-2% of the American population. Not only to be found in America, however, homosexual groups exist in virtually every society at present, being most prevalent in Europe. More prominent perhaps than the political issues swirling around this demographic are the societal and cultural quesitons that have amassed. Is homosexuality a positive or negative force to society? Can qay or lesbian couples raise “normal” children? What are the long-term consequences of homosexuality’s complete acceptance on American society, culture, and future? This indeed is a vast and sensitive issue. In order to gain a wider perspective on homosexuality and its effect, one must consider its effects on the past through homosexuality’s history; its effects on the present through homosexuality’s moral and physical shaping of the individual; and its effects on the future through homosexuality’s direct influence on children, the progeny and future of the current culture. After a wider view is taken, it is not hard to see how negative homosexuality and the open acceptance and encouragement thereof is damaging our society on multiple levels.

     The past of homosexuality is a hard history to read or gather information on. From ancient times to relatively recent ages, homosexuality has been rejected and smothered by “cultured” people groups. Recently, however, with the growing acceptance of homosexuality as a facet of sociology and life in general, more research has taken place into this field, as historians delve into an entire “new” field of history. For quite some time, many historians were afraid of researching homosexuality for fear of being accused of such sexual bent themselves. When they finally did begin to search out this history, especially in ancient times, they came across interesting barriers. One of the primary roadblocks was the fact that many of these cultures had no word for such a relationship; their categorizations of relationships may not have been simply “heterosexual” and “homosexual”. Many primitive societies such as those of the Americas and Africa had stages in between the two or specific social roles combining the two (West, 17). A most striking example of this would be the Kerski of New Guinea, where homosexual intercourse was universal. Younger men were expected to “receive” such treatment from older single men until the older man in the relationship was married, at which the younger man took on the “giving” role and the cycle was repeated. Across the world, there have been various classes of men who dressed as women and fulfilled women’s roles and tasks for society, often including marriage to another man (West, 18). Numerous tribes of the Americas allowed semi-homosexual or fully homosexual relationships among unmarried young people, for contact between single members of the opposite sex was rewarded with severe punishment. Even in ancient Greece and Rome, relationships between men were frequent, with nearly every Roman emperor except one having a male lover for the greater part of Rome’s history. Socrates, the great philosopher, was held as a character of remarkable self-control when he shared his bed with a young man for a night without any sexual interaction occurring, though the young man pursued his elder with passion and persistence.

On the other hand, several other non-European cultures abhorred homosexuality in any form, such as the tribes of Tahiti and Colorado (though representatives are found all across the world). The Trobrian island people were extremely biased against homosexual relationships (West, 20). Any such tendencies were quickly squelched through ridicule, and men found to be in such relationships would often kill themselves. It is notable that the most probable reason for cultures in which there is no such practice is that it was strongly repressed by society. It is also crucial to recognize the dissatisfaction that accompanied these cultures’ homosexuals: over time, gender and societal role confusion caused shame and unbalanced the mechanisms of said societies. Also, no society (discovered to date) has ever considered exclusive homosexuality to be a permanent way of life. Why has none of this been brought to light throughout the last few centuries? Well, as Europe slowly emerged from the Dark Ages with the aid of the Protestant Reformation, “refinement” and culture rejected such practices and even talk of them, to the point that early translations of Greek manuscripts by Oxford scholars were censored of any reference to homosexuality (Mondimore, 13). This effectively walled off such “inappropriate” information from European and colonial American society for a few centuries and up until the present age.

In recent times, the war over homosexuality’s acceptance continues to rage on a number of faces, whether based on sociology or morality or even simply prejudice. However, what is often overlooked is the physical and mental damage homosexuality does to an individual. When and if these facts are relayed, they are either understated or “softened”, as our society has bent itself on protecting and defending the LGBT community. It is terrifying once the particulars are laid bare precisely what this movement is having on our culture’s overall health. Sound Teaching reports that 43% of gay men have 500+ partners during their lifetimes, with 28% having 1000+. If that doesn’t already reveal some problems, there are plenty of more specific statistics on the subject. STD’s run rampant among the homosexual community. Even protection will not cease or even slow this onslaught of diseases; condoms and other preventatives are made to prevent conception, not the spread of STD’s. According to Human Life International, greater than 33% of all condoms will leak HIV-sized particles among other STD-causing particles. 78% of the gay community are affected by AIDS (The Statistics), and the gay community has consistently accounted for the vast majority of gonorrhea, syphilis, tuberculosis and many other diseases in the American and international medical communities. Discretion seems to disappear in this subculture where promiscuity and frequency of “episodes” rule. In the decades leading up to the 21st century, more and more programs were created in an effort to educate this subculture to the dangers of unprotected intercourse, but the numbers have taken a steady and massive turn for the worse. Percentages of those wearing protection are steadily decreasing (Issue Analysis). Unprotected anal intercourse, the riskiest kind, has increased dramatically, and fewer and fewer men are reporting being aware of their sexual partner’s serostatus in regards to AIDS and other diseases. Estimates say that over half of these sexual encounters are with total strangers, while 79% are one-night (or “one-minute”) stands (The Statistics).HPV, another common disease, is spread rapidly through anal intercourse and causes anal cancer with alarming frequency of cases (Issue Analysis). Aside from STD’s, other maladies are also prevalent. Hepatitis and the afore-mentioned anal cancer can lead to tumors and cancer spread throughout the body. Doctors have changed their minds about even so-called “monogamous” homosexual relationships; they are no longer considered to be any healthier than promiscuous homosexual lifestyles. The list of diseases and sicknesses assaulting this subcommunity is long and filled with potent, life-changing offenders.

The number of mental effects assailing homosexuals today is also quite impressive. Gays and lesbians have much higher risk of committing suicide, paired with a much shorter estimated life span than heterosexual individuals. The average life span for a gay man is currently on the same level as that for average Canadian men of the 1800’s (Issue Analysis): 42, while that of a heterosexual man is 75 (The Statistics). The same holds true for lesbians, whose median age at death is 45, compared to 79 for heterosexual women. Homosexual encounters are extremely likely to involve dangerous levels of alcohol and/or illegal drugs. Homosexuals themselves are much more likely to be violent and abusive in their relationships, with over half of the reports of “queer bashing” relating to homosexuals abusing other homosexuals. They are 100 times more likely to be murdered by another homosexual than a heterosexual, and they account for more than half of the murder and suicide rates in large cities; lesbians account for well over half of the inmates on death row. "Homosexuality by definition is not healthy and wholesome. The homosexual person, at best, will be unhappier and more unfulfilled than the sexually normal person" is the verdict of Dr. Daniel Capron and many of the other psychiatrists of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality.

Even after learning about the immediate and individual effects, there are still more disturbing facts to be known about homosexuality’s effect on our society: the effects it has on children. As previously stated, homosexuals are notorious for their short-term relationships and frequent change of partner. This in itself could be considered a disqualifier for parental candidates. Studies have already shown how a single parent’s dating can affect that child, whether causing embitterment, anger, depression, fear, or rebelliousness. Wouldn’t this be magnified by the stunning number of partners a homosexual pursues in his or her life? In 2005, the American Psychological Association published a study stating that it was no worse to be raised by homosexual couples than by heterosexual couples (Dean). A few years later in 2010, a pair of sociologists proposed in their study that being raised by a lesbian couple was actually superior to being raised by a heterosexual couple. Thankfully, last year one Professor Mark Regenerus published his own study after questioning the conclusions of the two earlier studies. In his study, he screened more than 15,000 young adults over a wide array of criteria. His findings showed that the children of same-sex parents were more depressed, more negative, less healthy, less fulfilled, and more likely to be sexually victimized among many other things, all of them negative (interesting to note, Professor Regenerus was laid off shortly after the publication of his study). Psychiatrist Jeffrey Satinover, M.D., considers the effects it has on children to be the primary reason for preventing same-sex marriage (Brinkmann). He continues:

In every area of life, cognitive, emotional, social, developmental ... at every phase of the life cycle ... social evidence shows that there are measurable effects when children lack either a mother or a father. ... The evidence is overwhelming. Mountains of evidence, collected over decades, show that children need both mothers and fathers.

Literally hundreds of hints differentiate the experiencing of a mother and a father, both of which contribute integrally to a child’s formation. One somewhat scary thought is how the parents’ shorter life spans (with high risks of various diseases) will affect a child. Parent deaths early in a child’s life can also deeply scar and affect his or her development.

     As has been shown, homosexuality has had a derogatory effect on humanity’s past, present, and future. If the source material is accurate, this presents a sobering and dim outlook for the future course of culture. Where can it go from here? According to the Second Law of Thermodynamics, things only get worse, and this principle applies well to life in general. Perversity will breed greater perversity. What will be the next step down that America cheerfully takes as a nation?

WORKS CITED

Brinkmann, Susan. “Gay Marriage: Who’s Minding The Children?” Catholic Education Resource Center. 2004. Web. 12 March 2013.

 

Dean, Jamie. “Less Than Ideal.” World Magazine. World Publications, 30 June 2012. Web. 12 March 2013.

 

Halderin, David M. How to Do The History of Homosexuality.

Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2002. Print.

 

“Issue Analysis: The Negative Health Effects of Homosexuality.” Family Research Council. FRCAction, n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2013.

 

“The Statistics on Homosexuality and Its Effects.”  Free Republic. Catholic Apologetics International, 14 October 2005. Web. 12 March 2013.

 

West, Donald James. Homosexuality: Its Nature and Causes. Chicago: Aldine Pub. Co., 2008. Print.

 

Monday, March 11, 2013

The Fire of the Gospel

So, last night during Community Groups I had a few different little epiphanies, and I'd like to share one of them with you today.

We were talking about being mission-minded and witnessing, when our leader pointed out that when we give up on someone we are trying to witness to and "shake the dust from our sandals" we are basically saying we no longer care and that they can literally go to hell. Powerful stuff, really convicting stuff, and I realize that I am very guilty of this. I have had several friends over the years who I have witnessed to for varying lengths of time, some for several years. Several I have finally given up on, though, having beaten my head against the proverbial wall for too long. Now, I realize just how wrong this is.

The last few sermons at our church have been discussing Mark's gospel, specifically the parables early in Jesus' ministry. The main one has been the parable of the sower, where one important fact really hit me: the sower sows his seed on all four soil types, whether hard, thin, thorny, or fertile. In the same way, we should be indiscriminate in sharing the gospel. It is not for us to decide that this person is too hardened to our words, or that that person's faith will soon be drowned out by the world. It is our job to sow, not to do personality analysis.

During our community group meeting, I was struck with the analogy of a fire. The Gospel is a fire. Early church Christians (as in directly after Penecost) experienced its explosion, its burning power as hundreds and thousands were converted in single days. Currently, we are to be the coals of that continuing fire, "lighting" those we come into contact with.

One of my regular household duties is to build and start the fire in our wood furnace so we can have heat and hot water. Without the fire, we will not have those two commodities; so, I really have to get a fire going. It's not for me to decide the firewood is too wet or frozen. I just have to go out and get the fire going. Sometimes, it's easy. The wood is dry and catches quickly. Other times, it seems to take forever if the wood is wet or there isn't enough tinder lying around to start it with. But, there isn't really the option of just walking away without the job being done.

In the same way, we cannot simply walk away from unbelievers, having decided that they are hopeless. We should continue to try. Some will take a long time, others will be quickly receptive, and still others may already have a smoldering coal somewhere to be found and stoked. Our job is simply to pursue them.

Keep trying, brothers and sisters. You never know when someone might surprise you.

-In Christ,
Phil

Thursday, March 7, 2013

God today

Quick follow-up to Deus Vult.

Can hardly believe this!!! Gotta share what happened to me today.

 Incident #1: This afternoon, one of my friends sent the verse Jeremiah 29:11 to me for encouragement, but I didn't have the chance to look it up right away, so I forgot about it.

 Incident #2: I finish writing a new blog post (Deus Vult) and prepare to publish it, when a verse pops into my mind to use as a closer, an excellent verse of encouragement that illustrates my point well.

 Incident #3: I open a new tab to search for said verse so I have it word-for-word. My new tab goes automatically to my homepage (facebook). One of my friends has commented "Jeremiah 29:11" on my status to encourage me. I acknowledge it with thanks, and decide to look it up *right after I look up that verse for my blog post*.

 Incident #4: I type in the words to the verse I want in Google, and its reference comes up: Jeremiah 29:11.
...
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11 ESV)

Thank you, God for giving me daily signs of Your grace and love. So overwhelming and humbling . . .

Deus Vult

Here's another "concept" article like Tupos.

Deus vult is a concept that has grown ever more prominent in my life since I learned of it. Strictly translated, it means "God wills it", but its connotations go far beyond that for me (yes, I do use "for me", and this is one of the few topics I will allow myself to be subjective about).

Deus vult means that no matter what our situation, God is in control, God is above, God has a plan that WILL be accomplished, and God will work all things for good.

It's the kind of thing that Job could say with assuredness and conviction when he was lying in squalor. I have been asked before what I thought the point of the book of Job was. The book of Job tells the story of a pious man who is struck down in every physical way possible. He loses all his possessions, his health, and even his family. Then, at the end, God restores all his possessions and even his children in greater number. Is this a fitting end? Can these new children simply replace the old ones who were killed? Will this heal Job's grieving heart, the broken heart of a father? Certainly not! Job was scarred in a huge way and was probably affected for much of his later life by these incidences.

However, what Job could do is acknowledge Deus vult. Because, here is the point of Job: not that Job reached his happy ending, not that God rewards suffering, not that Satan is a poor gambler, but that God is victorious over the devil, and that same devil must crawl from God's throne admitting defeat and having accomplished nothing but to demonstrate that God is in control and works things according to His purpose.

That is the point of Job, and that is also the point of the entire Bible. To God be the glory; all glory and praise be to our omniscient, omnipotent, just, holy God. All else is futile and trivial.

I urge you, my brothers and sisters, to keep this in the forefront of your minds as you go through the day, because what I have said does apply to our daily lives. God does work all things together for His better purpose, whether bringing each individual piece together in a single hour, or a day, or a year, or a century, or an eternity. Some pains I experience immediately bear fruit I can see the good effects of. Some take longer. Some I don't know but will. Some I don't know and won't, because that plan or part of the plan is not meant for me to understand. But, in most situations, I can find the beautiful plan of God behind the situation, how God is using it for good.

One way that I often see God uses our suffering is so that we may relate to those in similar circumstances. You may or may not have heard of Christians who have survived multiple bouts with cancer or other traumatic health conditions and now use their story as a platform to reach people in a similar position (people who often say no one can understand what they are going through). I have recently rediscovered the effectiveness of this application from my Theology professor (who I am not sure is a Christian). His son committed suicide a few years back; this son had everything going for him, a good family, a good job, a good life. But, he made the decision to kill himself and left his family still suffering to this day. One of the many ways this suffering could be used is if my professor opted to reach out to others who grieve from the unexpected pain of losing a loved one. There are other ways I have thought about since then, but that was the first.

So, we can see that behind every bad situation and experience God is working to sanctify and strengthen us.

I pray that these words will comfort you, my brothers and sisters, if you are in hard places in life and struggling.

-In Christ,
Phil

 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11 ESV)

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Power over swine? Not a chance.

Something that struck me while I was doing my devotions today.

My Theology class is going through The Life of Antony by Athanasius. I do not recommend the book, nor do I agree with some of its teachings, but one of Antony's observations is highly encouraging to me, as I hope it will be to you.

'But if any one having in mind the history of Job  should say, Why then hath the devil gone forth and accomplished all things against him; and stripped him of all his possessions, and slew his children, and smote him with evil ulcers? let such a one, on the other hand, recognise that the devil was not the strong man, but God who delivered Job to him to be tried. Certainly he had no power to do anything, but he asked, and having received it, he hath wrought what he did. So also from this the enemy is the more to be condemned, for although willing he could not prevail against one just man. For if he could have, he would not have asked permission. But having asked not once but also a second time, he shows his weakness and want of power. And it is no wonder if he could do nothing against Job, when destruction would not have come even on his cattle had not God allowed it. And he has not the power over swine, for as it is written in the Gospel, they besought the Lord, saying, "Let us enter the swine." But if they had power not even against swine, much less have they any over men formed in the image of God.
'So then we ought to fear God only, and despise the demons, and be in no fear of them. But the more they do these things the more let us intensify our discipline against them, for a good life and faith in God is a great weapon. At any rate they fear the fasting, the sleeplessness, the prayers, the meekness, the quietness, the contempt of money and vainglory, the humility, the love of the poor, the alms, the freedom from anger of the ascetics, and, chief of all, their piety towards Christ. Wherefore they do all things that they may not have any that trample on them, knowing the grace given to the faithful against them by the Saviour, when He says, "Behold I have given to you power to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and upon all the power of the enemy."

This just shows how much greater the power of our God is than any other being's. It also gives a great perspective on the devil, his demons, and temptations: they have to beg even for control over swine. Pretty low state, huh?

Today, I am praying that you will remember how far superior God's might is to that of the temptations arrayed against you. Remember that He is in control and allows only what He knows you can bear. Think of a sports coach who makes you work out until your body burns. Why does he do this? To make you stronger. In the same way, your resistance to these temptations makes you stronger.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4 ESV)

Go with courage and certainty, brothers and sisters.

-In Christ,
Phil