Last Christmas season, I wrote an article called, "Massacre of the Innocents." We learn in Matthew Chapter 2 of the horror caused by Herod as he ordered the slaying of all the boys younger than age two in Bethlehem and its surrounding areas. He did so because he feared another Jewish king arising and taking power, as foretold by the Old Testament Prophets. The wise men from the east, on their way to see the Christ child, stopped in Jerusalem and revealed to Herod of His birth. This led to the slaughter of the children.
As we grieve for the loss of the children in Connecticut, we see then that such wickedness dates back thousands of years. In fact, more thousands of years before Herod ordered the extinction of the Bethlehem boys, Pharaoh ordered a similar mass murder of all the Jewish boys in Exodus 1:16. Speaking to the Hebrew midwives, he said, "When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him," and when the midwives did not comply, Pharaoh commanded the Egyptians in verse 22, "Every son who is born you shall cast into the river."
The evil that befell Newtown, Connecticut then, has a long heritage. Although we tend to think of such mass slayings as recent developments, a product of our times, the largest schoolhouse death toll in America occurred in 1927, when a deranged school treasurer blew up the school in Bath Township, Michigan, in what it known as the Bath School Disaster, killing 38 elementary school children and six adults.
Please do not misunderstand me. I am not in any way trying to diminish the significance of last week's shootings. What I wish to do is to show is that our little mad gunman is part of a much longer history of such terrible things, and although he is completely responsible for the carnage, with no excuse before God, he is not wholly responsible.
This may sound like a contradiction in terms. He is completely responsible, in that his evil has no justification. In his sick mind, he may have had a reason for doing such things, just as Herod and Pharaoh had reasons for their slaughters. But there is no escape from the full culpability for his acts. There is no partial blame here to be shared with others, no mitigating circumstances. The shooter, who lived only twenty years on this earth, will now spend and infinite number of years condemned to suffering far greater than we can imagine.
Yet he is not wholly responsible. We must remember who the ultimate foe is. Satan, who induced the fall of man, is the author of evil. He opposes God's goodness. Jesus directly spoke to such people in John 8:44, " You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning... he is a liar and the father of it." There are numerous passages that describe Satan as the ruler of this world (John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11, Ephesians 2:2, II Corinthians 4:4), and he used Pharaoh, Herod, Judas, and the Newtown killer as his tools.
There is no doubt that God our father is more powerful than Satan, and His Son Jesus Christ will one day vanquish Satan and there will be no more evil. Until then, wickedness will arise from time to time as Satan inflicts these terrors upon us and our society. I would suggest that Satan has far more experience, knowledge and skills than we do, and although we are compelled to resist him in any way possible, as humans we will not gain victory over him. That victory belongs to Christ.
We will mourn the children of Newtown, and we should do all that we can to protect our little ones. Despite all of our efforts to try and "understand" suffering and the motives of mad men, let us not forget that a determined devil will occasionally defeat all of our best defenses from time to time. When people call for a "national conversation," there will be national discussions on gun control, mental illness, and school security, but don't expect a national conversation on God and Satan.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Monday, December 10, 2012
Debt Forever
I find it a really boring cliche when someone starts an article by beginning with the definition of a word. You typically see it like this:
Word--noun. 1. Blah blah blah blah, etc.
The writer then uses that as a springboard to begin discussing something related to that word. Another similar method writers use is to begin with "Webster's Dictionary defines..." Using either of these devices is to me a very unoriginal way to start off an essay, and the practice seems to begin in junior high school.
However, I do find the etymology of words interesting and I think it is very important to use words precisely. In an effort to develop this post, I thought I would look up "gratitude" in the dictionary. I went to three different dictionaries and kept finding "thankfulness." When I looked up "thankfulness" I was told that meant "gratitude." I kept researching to find some way out of this conundrum when I finally found a dictionary that offered an alternative meaning to "thankfulness" and that was "appreciative." Then when I looked up "appreciative" they said that meant full of "gratitude." So this really got me nowhere.
Looking up the etymology of appreciate helped; this comes from the Latin appretiare, which means "to set a price to." So when someone does something good for us, we are aware of its value. Furthermore, another word associated with appreciate and thankfulness was obliged, which means "to put in one's debt by a favor or service." Part of gratitude or thankfulness means that we are aware of the gift, but there is something of a debt involved, and this often is nothing more than taking that sense of gratitude and expressing it as thanks to the person who gifted us. We owe the giver, in a sense.
So, in a situation where somebody gives us something as an act of generosity or charity, it results in gratitude, which often carries with it some form of a sense of debt. And when God blesses us, we feel a sense of thankfulness, and we are aware that we owe him thanks.
Yet when we feel entitled to something, somebody owes us. It would seem to be human nature that we would prefer to be in a situation where someone owes us rather than we owe somebody else. I would suggest that there has been a huge shift in our society in our way of thinking about these things over the last century. People do not want to rely on charity or the good will of others, for that obliges them to be thankful. They would much prefer to rely on an entitlement, for that means that someone else is indebted to them. For many, this has resulted in the state providing entitlements, very much a twentieth-century development in our country, as opposed to individuals, families, and religious organizations providing for other's needs. It is much more preferable to receive that to which you are entitled, than to pray for God's blessings and be indebted to Him or to the kindness of others.
Nowadays, when we incur debts, we are bombarded by advertisements that tell us that we do not need to pay them. It is our "right" to demand smaller settlements or reduced payments. But if you stop to think about it, when a debt is incurred, somebody has to pay for it. For example, if you owe a home mortgage and undergo a foreclosure, the first obvious fact is that the bank paid for the debt. But a loss for the bank may mean lower salaries for its employees, or lower payments to its investors, or perhaps higher borrowing costs for the next family that wants to take out a mortgage. If the bank goes under because of a lot of these losses, and the government steps in, then the taxpayers are stuck with the debt.
It goes the same way with our standing before the Lord. Romans 6:23 tells us plainly that, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." As sinners, we create a debt, and the price of sin is death. Somebody has to pay that debt, and for Christians that person is Jesus. We are then indebted to God for the gift of eternal life because of the gift of His Son to us. Many people in this world cannot stand the idea of being indebted to God, and think of Heaven as something that is owed to them because of the works they have done. They say to themselves, "I am going to Heaven because I have done good things and am a good person." They do not have a sense of gratitude but a sense of entitlement.
Once the Christian understands their fallenness, their sinfulness, and the fact that there is no way they could pay that debt, and that Someone else paid it for them, then they can only feel gratitude. I believe the growing sense of entitlement in our society at large has led us away from gratefulness, and that has led to a parallel lack of interest in a God to whom everything is owed. One day, "at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of the Father (Phil 2:10-11). Then those who did not want to owe God anything will pay the eternal price, and they will realize that they could have had their debt paid, free for the asking.
Word--noun. 1. Blah blah blah blah, etc.
The writer then uses that as a springboard to begin discussing something related to that word. Another similar method writers use is to begin with "Webster's Dictionary defines..." Using either of these devices is to me a very unoriginal way to start off an essay, and the practice seems to begin in junior high school.
However, I do find the etymology of words interesting and I think it is very important to use words precisely. In an effort to develop this post, I thought I would look up "gratitude" in the dictionary. I went to three different dictionaries and kept finding "thankfulness." When I looked up "thankfulness" I was told that meant "gratitude." I kept researching to find some way out of this conundrum when I finally found a dictionary that offered an alternative meaning to "thankfulness" and that was "appreciative." Then when I looked up "appreciative" they said that meant full of "gratitude." So this really got me nowhere.
Looking up the etymology of appreciate helped; this comes from the Latin appretiare, which means "to set a price to." So when someone does something good for us, we are aware of its value. Furthermore, another word associated with appreciate and thankfulness was obliged, which means "to put in one's debt by a favor or service." Part of gratitude or thankfulness means that we are aware of the gift, but there is something of a debt involved, and this often is nothing more than taking that sense of gratitude and expressing it as thanks to the person who gifted us. We owe the giver, in a sense.
So, in a situation where somebody gives us something as an act of generosity or charity, it results in gratitude, which often carries with it some form of a sense of debt. And when God blesses us, we feel a sense of thankfulness, and we are aware that we owe him thanks.
Yet when we feel entitled to something, somebody owes us. It would seem to be human nature that we would prefer to be in a situation where someone owes us rather than we owe somebody else. I would suggest that there has been a huge shift in our society in our way of thinking about these things over the last century. People do not want to rely on charity or the good will of others, for that obliges them to be thankful. They would much prefer to rely on an entitlement, for that means that someone else is indebted to them. For many, this has resulted in the state providing entitlements, very much a twentieth-century development in our country, as opposed to individuals, families, and religious organizations providing for other's needs. It is much more preferable to receive that to which you are entitled, than to pray for God's blessings and be indebted to Him or to the kindness of others.
Nowadays, when we incur debts, we are bombarded by advertisements that tell us that we do not need to pay them. It is our "right" to demand smaller settlements or reduced payments. But if you stop to think about it, when a debt is incurred, somebody has to pay for it. For example, if you owe a home mortgage and undergo a foreclosure, the first obvious fact is that the bank paid for the debt. But a loss for the bank may mean lower salaries for its employees, or lower payments to its investors, or perhaps higher borrowing costs for the next family that wants to take out a mortgage. If the bank goes under because of a lot of these losses, and the government steps in, then the taxpayers are stuck with the debt.
It goes the same way with our standing before the Lord. Romans 6:23 tells us plainly that, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." As sinners, we create a debt, and the price of sin is death. Somebody has to pay that debt, and for Christians that person is Jesus. We are then indebted to God for the gift of eternal life because of the gift of His Son to us. Many people in this world cannot stand the idea of being indebted to God, and think of Heaven as something that is owed to them because of the works they have done. They say to themselves, "I am going to Heaven because I have done good things and am a good person." They do not have a sense of gratitude but a sense of entitlement.
Once the Christian understands their fallenness, their sinfulness, and the fact that there is no way they could pay that debt, and that Someone else paid it for them, then they can only feel gratitude. I believe the growing sense of entitlement in our society at large has led us away from gratefulness, and that has led to a parallel lack of interest in a God to whom everything is owed. One day, "at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of the Father (Phil 2:10-11). Then those who did not want to owe God anything will pay the eternal price, and they will realize that they could have had their debt paid, free for the asking.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Softcover Edition Now Available
We are pleased to announce that the softcover edition of Surviving the Suffering is now available at www.SurvivingtheSuffering.com for $14.99. Both the hardover and softcover editions will be signed by the author, and both will be available at our book signings at Olivia's in Eustis, December 15th and 16th, from 11:00 to 1:00.
God is Great while I am Grated
I grated my thumb last night. Yes, that is correct. I was finely grating a very hard block of Parmesan cheese with a hand grater, and I slipped and grated a good deal of skin off of my left thumb. I then proceeded to sin quite vocally and emphatically. Multiple obscenities escaped my lips, rather loudly. In fact, my three dogs took refuge in the next room under some furniture:
Even after I confirmed that it was a survivable injury and that I would Survive the Suffering, I continued expressing myself for some time until I was able to stanch the bleeding with a Band-aid.
This carnage was certainly an unexpected shock. I do a fair amount of cooking, and incurring small cuts and burns is nothing new. I have never autograted before, however, and I was certainly surprised at how much it hurt. However, it did not take long before I regretted my behavior and began the process of repentance. One of the first things I realized was that God had allowed this to happen at an opportune time.
Although no surgeon wants injuries to occur to his hands, even minor boo-boos to our hands and fingers are more annoying to us than to others. Each day we must scrub our hands several times with antiseptic soap and a scrubbing brush with bristles, designed to cleanse our skin of all bacteria. An open sore or burn therefore gets punished quite a bit, and the regular abrading keeps the wound open longer than usual. This accident occurred as I began a week off from work, so God, in His mercy, allowed this to happen during a time where the injury will be allowed to rest and heal.
I have no excuse before the Lord for my language. Jesus tells us in Matthew 15:11, "Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man." And from Paul, "But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth" (Colossians 3:8). And even James weighs in on the matter: "Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not be so" (James 3:10).
Jesus was even more emphatic elsewhere in Matthew: "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment" (12:36). So despite the fact that foul language is part of nearly every single movie made for the last thirty years, it is not something minor to our Lord. One day I will stand before the Lord in full awareness of each and every word that I have spoken. Among many other reasons, it will be obvious to everyone at that time that I am only in Heaven because of Christ's work on the cross.
God knew that I would slip with that grater. It was an opportunity for me not to sin, and I failed. So now I have an open sore on my thumb and a bandage to remind me for the next several days of my sin, and I expect that I may even have a very small scar from now on. I am not claiming that had I not uttered impure speech that none of this would have happened, only that I now have a physical reminder. And certainly all injuries and scars are not due to personal sin; I give several people scars every day in an effort to save their lives from illnesses that are not part of God's chastisement.
Finally, it also occurred to me that although I grated my thumb, the words that came forth grated on God's ears. He was offended by my outburst. In His dwelling place, such language is not allowed. I will not be allowed to carry such bad behavior into Heaven with me. There will be more unexpected hurts in my life, each an opportunity to control my tongue. May God bless me that I may not curse.
Even after I confirmed that it was a survivable injury and that I would Survive the Suffering, I continued expressing myself for some time until I was able to stanch the bleeding with a Band-aid.
This carnage was certainly an unexpected shock. I do a fair amount of cooking, and incurring small cuts and burns is nothing new. I have never autograted before, however, and I was certainly surprised at how much it hurt. However, it did not take long before I regretted my behavior and began the process of repentance. One of the first things I realized was that God had allowed this to happen at an opportune time.
Although no surgeon wants injuries to occur to his hands, even minor boo-boos to our hands and fingers are more annoying to us than to others. Each day we must scrub our hands several times with antiseptic soap and a scrubbing brush with bristles, designed to cleanse our skin of all bacteria. An open sore or burn therefore gets punished quite a bit, and the regular abrading keeps the wound open longer than usual. This accident occurred as I began a week off from work, so God, in His mercy, allowed this to happen during a time where the injury will be allowed to rest and heal.
I have no excuse before the Lord for my language. Jesus tells us in Matthew 15:11, "Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man." And from Paul, "But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth" (Colossians 3:8). And even James weighs in on the matter: "Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not be so" (James 3:10).
Jesus was even more emphatic elsewhere in Matthew: "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment" (12:36). So despite the fact that foul language is part of nearly every single movie made for the last thirty years, it is not something minor to our Lord. One day I will stand before the Lord in full awareness of each and every word that I have spoken. Among many other reasons, it will be obvious to everyone at that time that I am only in Heaven because of Christ's work on the cross.
God knew that I would slip with that grater. It was an opportunity for me not to sin, and I failed. So now I have an open sore on my thumb and a bandage to remind me for the next several days of my sin, and I expect that I may even have a very small scar from now on. I am not claiming that had I not uttered impure speech that none of this would have happened, only that I now have a physical reminder. And certainly all injuries and scars are not due to personal sin; I give several people scars every day in an effort to save their lives from illnesses that are not part of God's chastisement.
Finally, it also occurred to me that although I grated my thumb, the words that came forth grated on God's ears. He was offended by my outburst. In His dwelling place, such language is not allowed. I will not be allowed to carry such bad behavior into Heaven with me. There will be more unexpected hurts in my life, each an opportunity to control my tongue. May God bless me that I may not curse.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Book Signing Correction
I need to make two corrections to the last post. The book signing is from 11:00 to 1:00, and the correct address is 108 North Bay Street, Eustis, Florida. The dates are correct, Saturday December 15th and Sunday, December 16th. Thank you.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Book Signing
I am pleased to announce that we will be having our first local book signing events. This will be at Olivia's Coffee House at 113 North Bay Street in downtown Eustis, Florida. We will have one signing on Saturday, November 15th at one o'clock and another on Sunday, November 16th, also at one o'clock. We will have both hardcover and softcover versions available. I look forward to seeing you there.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Surviving the Suffering
As a practicing cardiovascular surgeon, I have seen firsthand much suffering. The profession that I have chosen means that a few people under my care each year will die. I have seen all of the emotions man can feel under these circumstances, from rage to peace, from fear to calm, from sadness to hope. I have seen optimism cruelly crushed, and unsalvageable situations miraculously changed.
All suffering is not the same. How do we diagnose the different causes of our suffering? And how do we provide the correct treatment?
Many of us persist in our suffering because we do not diagnose the correct cause or apply the appropriate remedy, and then we compound our problem with complications that we ourselves create.
In Surviving The Suffering, Dr. Tim Moore addresses the various types of suffering in the Christian life, from chastisement and pruning to spiritual warfare. This detailed and practical guide gives both the causes of our suffering and the ways we can avoid applying the wrong correction to the wrong problem.
As Christians, we will experience pain in our lives, but with God’s help and this handbook, we can find a better way of Surviving The Suffering.
Monday, November 19, 2012
You Don't Care!
I think one of the most difficult things in life that we must learn is that other people often do not care about something as deeply as we do. Obviously there are differences in tastes, for there are vanilla lovers and chocolate lovers, people who drink Coca-Cola and people who drink Pepsi. We make allowances for desires and preferences even if we cannot relate to them or understand them. I own three Scottish terriers. I cannot understand why everyone does not want a Scottish terrier.
What I am discussing here is more than a simple matter of preference, but rather more deeply held values. For instance, there are people for whom environmental causes are the most important thing to them, and they cannot understand why it would not be so for others. Others crusade for the abolition of nuclear weapons, and some for the animals. For myself and many of my friends and associates, the pro-life movement is a deeply valued cause. And for each individual that holds something dear, it is horribly frustrating that others do not consider it so important.
Our reaction to the fact that someone does not care about something as much as we do is to assume that they simply do not understand. If someone truly and fully understood the issues as well as we do, and could logically follow the arguments for our beliefs, then it would also follow that not only would they believe as we do but they would care as deeply as we do. And this leads to voluminous writings, editorializing, teaching, and remonstrations. Occasionally, people's minds and hearts are changed, but not as often as we would like.
As individuals, we do not care as profoundly as another about their cause, and they do not care as deeply about the things so vital to us. However, also as individuals, the things we care about change over time. The things most important to me now were not always so, and the most important things to me as a youth are not so now. As a teenager, the single most important thing to me in life was football. My obsession with it in high school led me to play it in college. Today, I enjoy a good game as much as the next fellow, but I do not lie awake in bed every night thinking about it as I once did.
This is true for groups, cultures, and nations as well as for individuals. In my previous post, Suffering and Security, I put forth the argument that as a society today we value security over liberty. Our forefathers prized individual and economic liberty to the point of trading their lives for it. I would suggest that today, a majority of Americans do not care about what the founding fathers of this country thought. The Constitution is an archaic document that does not bear on modern society and central economic planning. And Christianity and the things of God no longer dominate societal discourse and thinking. These things are simply not as important to people in our country as they once were. If you doubt me, walk over and turn on your television.
As Christians, we must not give up on supporting our causes and beliefs. However, we must realize that we face an even greater problem than just trying to explain our views. Whereas we can have debates about security and liberty or capitalism and government dependency, the Christian has another obstacle in delivering the Gospel and the Word of God to others. As Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 4:4, "...the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." Satan has spiritually blinded those who do not believe. They cannot care because they cannot see. The consequences are detailed throughout the Bible: "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing" (I Cor 1:18), and "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned" (I Cor 2:14).
There are a couple of points to take away here. Until a person is given the gift of the Holy Spirit by God, they will never see the things of God nor care about them the way that you do. It does not lessen our obligation to preach the Gospel, but we cannot expect that hardened hearts and blinded eyes will embrace these things. And we will be frustrated, because we see the light and the beauty of the Lord's Word and should delight in His commands. Secondly, if you knew a person who was deliberately blinded by a wicked person, would you consider them dull, ignorant, or stupid because they cannot see? I think not.
As a physician, I have many tools and medications to fight illness. When I enter the operating room tomorrow morning, laid out before me will be a plethora of instruments and sutures to solve a problem with a failing heart. As Christians, we have fewer devices to change a sickened heart, only God's Word and prayer. Fortunately, nothing compares to the power of these instruments of healing, for they can soften those hearts, open ears, and restore sight. Although these blinded people do not care for the things of God, we should care about them.
What I am discussing here is more than a simple matter of preference, but rather more deeply held values. For instance, there are people for whom environmental causes are the most important thing to them, and they cannot understand why it would not be so for others. Others crusade for the abolition of nuclear weapons, and some for the animals. For myself and many of my friends and associates, the pro-life movement is a deeply valued cause. And for each individual that holds something dear, it is horribly frustrating that others do not consider it so important.
Our reaction to the fact that someone does not care about something as much as we do is to assume that they simply do not understand. If someone truly and fully understood the issues as well as we do, and could logically follow the arguments for our beliefs, then it would also follow that not only would they believe as we do but they would care as deeply as we do. And this leads to voluminous writings, editorializing, teaching, and remonstrations. Occasionally, people's minds and hearts are changed, but not as often as we would like.
As individuals, we do not care as profoundly as another about their cause, and they do not care as deeply about the things so vital to us. However, also as individuals, the things we care about change over time. The things most important to me now were not always so, and the most important things to me as a youth are not so now. As a teenager, the single most important thing to me in life was football. My obsession with it in high school led me to play it in college. Today, I enjoy a good game as much as the next fellow, but I do not lie awake in bed every night thinking about it as I once did.
This is true for groups, cultures, and nations as well as for individuals. In my previous post, Suffering and Security, I put forth the argument that as a society today we value security over liberty. Our forefathers prized individual and economic liberty to the point of trading their lives for it. I would suggest that today, a majority of Americans do not care about what the founding fathers of this country thought. The Constitution is an archaic document that does not bear on modern society and central economic planning. And Christianity and the things of God no longer dominate societal discourse and thinking. These things are simply not as important to people in our country as they once were. If you doubt me, walk over and turn on your television.
As Christians, we must not give up on supporting our causes and beliefs. However, we must realize that we face an even greater problem than just trying to explain our views. Whereas we can have debates about security and liberty or capitalism and government dependency, the Christian has another obstacle in delivering the Gospel and the Word of God to others. As Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 4:4, "...the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." Satan has spiritually blinded those who do not believe. They cannot care because they cannot see. The consequences are detailed throughout the Bible: "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing" (I Cor 1:18), and "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned" (I Cor 2:14).
There are a couple of points to take away here. Until a person is given the gift of the Holy Spirit by God, they will never see the things of God nor care about them the way that you do. It does not lessen our obligation to preach the Gospel, but we cannot expect that hardened hearts and blinded eyes will embrace these things. And we will be frustrated, because we see the light and the beauty of the Lord's Word and should delight in His commands. Secondly, if you knew a person who was deliberately blinded by a wicked person, would you consider them dull, ignorant, or stupid because they cannot see? I think not.
As a physician, I have many tools and medications to fight illness. When I enter the operating room tomorrow morning, laid out before me will be a plethora of instruments and sutures to solve a problem with a failing heart. As Christians, we have fewer devices to change a sickened heart, only God's Word and prayer. Fortunately, nothing compares to the power of these instruments of healing, for they can soften those hearts, open ears, and restore sight. Although these blinded people do not care for the things of God, we should care about them.
Monday, November 12, 2012
A Really Bad One
As Christians, we know that all sin is ultimately against God (Psalms 51:4), and that breaking the law in any part is equivalent to breaking the law in whole (James 2:10). However, the Bible would indicate that there are different degrees of sins and punishments for those sins. In John 19: 11, Jesus talks about the greater sin committed by those who delivered him to Pilate, and in Matthew ll:24 He indicates that things will be worse on the day of judgment for Bethsaida and Chorazin than for Tyre and Sidon, and worse for Capernaum than for Sodom. We learn in I John 5:16-17 that all wrongdoing is sin, but that there are sins that lead to death and others that do not.
When we look at the Ten Commandments, these were not given as the Ten Advisories or the Ten Suggestions for Good Behavior. These were the rules spoken directly by God to Moses, not to be debated or discussed as theory. There were very specific punishments listed in the Old Testament for breaking these laws. Our current legal system is a combination of common law, chiefly derived from the English, from where we get our courts, and statutory law, of Roman heritage, from where we get our system of legislative acts. And although we have a Judeo-Christian heritage in this country, we no longer look upon violations of each of the Ten Commandments with the same legal view. Today, blaspheming God, working on the Sabbath, taking the Lord's name in vain, or even lying will not result in any legal repercussions. Murder is still a serious crime; stealing a lesser crime; and dishonoring your parents is not a crime at all.
There is currently a high-profile case of adultery being discussed today involving one of our government officials. We will not take time here to throw stones at those involved--plenty of others will do that in the weeks to come. I would, however, like to take a moment to look at that particular sin.
Decades ago, divorce was difficult to obtain and one had to prove grounds for it; adultery was one of those offenses that could be charged against a spouse in order to have a judge grant a divorce. Today, with "no-fault" divorce, one spouse can divorce another with no grounds at all. So there are really few legal consequences of adultery today. In fact, looking at the Hollywood crowd, adultery seems downright glamorous. But I think it is one of the worst of sins short of murder that one could commit, and simply committing adultery violates many of the other commandments.
When you commit adultery, clearly you are coveting that which does not belong to you, someone else's spouse ("thy neighbor's wife"). The secret nature of the affair means that people are bearing false witness, or lying to their mates. Having an illicit relationship with someone who is married is stealing the affections and loyalties owed to their spouse. And once discovered, it will usually "kill" the love and trust that existed between two people who pledged a lifelong commitment to each other. As sins go, it is a really bad one.
God designed a man and a woman to cleave to one another, to become one flesh (Genesis 2:24). An adulterous relationship is a traumatic separation of that one flesh, leaving both parts wounded and broken. God, in his mercy, can heal this, but the parts will not be the same, and nor will the relationship. The marriage covenant has been broken as well, violated, and we must remember that there are three components to that covenant-- the man, the woman, and God. The covenant with the spouse is broken, but so is the covenant with God. This is not a trivial matter, as we are so often led to think looking at today's news and entertainment.
I sit here typing this on a computer, in my study, at night, while my wife is elsewhere. It would be a simple matter to enter a few keystrokes and leave this screen to go and look upon another woman in a situation that would arouse lust. Christ tells us that is adultery as well (Matthew 5:28). With today's modern technology, to view such material does not require sneaking out of the house to a store or movie house as it did before. We can do it in the privacy of our homes and no one will know the wiser, except God. He knows that this is committing adultery in our hearts, coveting and lying and stealing and killing. Cheating on a spouse can be done with the mind, the heart, and the eyes just as much as with the rest of our bodies. Let us not let the desires of our flesh wound the one flesh.
When we look at the Ten Commandments, these were not given as the Ten Advisories or the Ten Suggestions for Good Behavior. These were the rules spoken directly by God to Moses, not to be debated or discussed as theory. There were very specific punishments listed in the Old Testament for breaking these laws. Our current legal system is a combination of common law, chiefly derived from the English, from where we get our courts, and statutory law, of Roman heritage, from where we get our system of legislative acts. And although we have a Judeo-Christian heritage in this country, we no longer look upon violations of each of the Ten Commandments with the same legal view. Today, blaspheming God, working on the Sabbath, taking the Lord's name in vain, or even lying will not result in any legal repercussions. Murder is still a serious crime; stealing a lesser crime; and dishonoring your parents is not a crime at all.
There is currently a high-profile case of adultery being discussed today involving one of our government officials. We will not take time here to throw stones at those involved--plenty of others will do that in the weeks to come. I would, however, like to take a moment to look at that particular sin.
Decades ago, divorce was difficult to obtain and one had to prove grounds for it; adultery was one of those offenses that could be charged against a spouse in order to have a judge grant a divorce. Today, with "no-fault" divorce, one spouse can divorce another with no grounds at all. So there are really few legal consequences of adultery today. In fact, looking at the Hollywood crowd, adultery seems downright glamorous. But I think it is one of the worst of sins short of murder that one could commit, and simply committing adultery violates many of the other commandments.
When you commit adultery, clearly you are coveting that which does not belong to you, someone else's spouse ("thy neighbor's wife"). The secret nature of the affair means that people are bearing false witness, or lying to their mates. Having an illicit relationship with someone who is married is stealing the affections and loyalties owed to their spouse. And once discovered, it will usually "kill" the love and trust that existed between two people who pledged a lifelong commitment to each other. As sins go, it is a really bad one.
God designed a man and a woman to cleave to one another, to become one flesh (Genesis 2:24). An adulterous relationship is a traumatic separation of that one flesh, leaving both parts wounded and broken. God, in his mercy, can heal this, but the parts will not be the same, and nor will the relationship. The marriage covenant has been broken as well, violated, and we must remember that there are three components to that covenant-- the man, the woman, and God. The covenant with the spouse is broken, but so is the covenant with God. This is not a trivial matter, as we are so often led to think looking at today's news and entertainment.
I sit here typing this on a computer, in my study, at night, while my wife is elsewhere. It would be a simple matter to enter a few keystrokes and leave this screen to go and look upon another woman in a situation that would arouse lust. Christ tells us that is adultery as well (Matthew 5:28). With today's modern technology, to view such material does not require sneaking out of the house to a store or movie house as it did before. We can do it in the privacy of our homes and no one will know the wiser, except God. He knows that this is committing adultery in our hearts, coveting and lying and stealing and killing. Cheating on a spouse can be done with the mind, the heart, and the eyes just as much as with the rest of our bodies. Let us not let the desires of our flesh wound the one flesh.
Saturday, November 10, 2012
First Anniversary
This week marks the first anniversary of the blog Surviving the Suffering. I want to thank all of you who have supported this endeavor over the last year. Your many kind comments have made this all worthwhile. From those first few weeks where few noticed, we have grown worldwide in readership, and many of you are receiving the weekly post by e-mail subscription. Even though the book will not be officially released until January, we have begun hardcover sales from this website and through small local bookstores. If you so desire, you can order the e-book version from Amazon for your Kindle or Barnes and Noble for your Nook, but unfortunately that will not be available until January 8th to download. I am deeply grateful for your interest, and hope that you will spread the word to others. Thank you for your support.
Friday, November 9, 2012
Surviving the Suffering Now Available
Advance copies of my new book, Surviving the Suffering, are now available in the hardcover edition. The official release date for the book is January 8, 2013, so it will not be available in bookstores or Amazon until then. However, you may order a copy directly from this website using the button to the right.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
God's Enemies
I would ask you take a moment to reflect on the people that know you. Not just the ones that are your closest friends, but your other friends, acquaintances, and people who may just be generally aware of you. For most of us, if you looked at this large group of people, you could probably say that on the whole, most of these people liked you. Although some people are more likable than others, it would be rare to find someone that everyone liked or everyone disliked. Still, I am sure that the majority of you would say that the majority of people that knew you liked you. What if the reverse were true? Suppose that most of the people that knew you or knew of you hated you? How would that make you feel?
There are a number of verses in the Bible that describe the natural man's feelings towards God. Romans 8:7 says, " ...the carnal mind is enmity against God, " and James 4:4 tells us, "Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." The vast majority of people in this world do not have a saving faith in Jesus Christ, and basically are God's enemies. We find Paul stating this specifically in Romans 5:10, "For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life."
Two very brilliant preachers of centuries gone by addressed this. The first is Jonathan Edwards, who wrote "Men Naturally are God's Enemies" in 1736. As he states, "There is in every natural man a seed of malice against God." And later he elaborates, "Man will necessarily have something that he respects as his god. If man does not give his highest respect to the God that made him, there will be something else that has the possession of it... The gods which a natural man worships, instead of the God that made him, are himself and the world."
Now we know that God loves the world, for he sent His only begotten Son to save those who would believe in Him (John 3:16). And our greatest commandment is to love Him in return: " You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and all your mind (Luke 10:27). And yet, people refuse to be reconciled with God, receiving His love and loving Him in return. As Edwards explains, they simply will not come-- "But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life... you do not have the love of God in you... I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me" (John 5:40-43).
I think most of us understand the nature of the original sin of Adam and how we are fallen natural men, unless we receive Christ as our Savior. And we know that because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) God is justified in condemning everyone He has created. He allows those who choose His Son to avoid this condemnation. I am somewhat mystified, however, at why God would create a world and all its people, only to have the majority of those people hate Him.
Our second great preacher, Charles Spurgeon, put it this way in a sermon entitled, "The Carnal Mind is Enmity Against God," delivered in 1855. In it he says, "He supplys our wants; he keeps the breath within our nostrils, he bids the blood still pursue its course through the veins; he holdeth us in life, and preventeth us from death; he standeth before us, our creator, our king, our sustainer, our benefactor, and I ask, is it not a sin of enormous magnitude-- is it not high treason against the emperor of heaven-- is it not an awful sin, the depth of which we cannot fathom with the line of all our judgment-- that we his creatures, dependent upon him, should be at enmity with God?"
We know that these people who were given the very breath of life by God hate Him. Man naturally has a tendency to worship himself and the world. So what they then do is exchange the truth for a lie as Paul explains in Romans Chapter 1, worshipping the creature rather than the Creator, and Paul details the consequences of this and the immorality which ensues. How it must grieve God to see so many people reject Him, the very people He created.
He alone has the power to change that hate to love, to open the hearts of His enemies, to show them eternal life and love. Those who do not place their faith in His Son during this life will continue to be His enemies, after death and for all eternity. They will suffer from His wrath infinitely. Christ commands us to "...love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who spitefully use you and persecute you..." (Matthew 5:44). I am sure that you have people that are your friends but God's enemies. They like you but hate God. Let us also pray for not only our enemies, but God's, that they may enter His kindom as His friends.
There are a number of verses in the Bible that describe the natural man's feelings towards God. Romans 8:7 says, " ...the carnal mind is enmity against God, " and James 4:4 tells us, "Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." The vast majority of people in this world do not have a saving faith in Jesus Christ, and basically are God's enemies. We find Paul stating this specifically in Romans 5:10, "For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life."
Two very brilliant preachers of centuries gone by addressed this. The first is Jonathan Edwards, who wrote "Men Naturally are God's Enemies" in 1736. As he states, "There is in every natural man a seed of malice against God." And later he elaborates, "Man will necessarily have something that he respects as his god. If man does not give his highest respect to the God that made him, there will be something else that has the possession of it... The gods which a natural man worships, instead of the God that made him, are himself and the world."
Now we know that God loves the world, for he sent His only begotten Son to save those who would believe in Him (John 3:16). And our greatest commandment is to love Him in return: " You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and all your mind (Luke 10:27). And yet, people refuse to be reconciled with God, receiving His love and loving Him in return. As Edwards explains, they simply will not come-- "But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life... you do not have the love of God in you... I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me" (John 5:40-43).
I think most of us understand the nature of the original sin of Adam and how we are fallen natural men, unless we receive Christ as our Savior. And we know that because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) God is justified in condemning everyone He has created. He allows those who choose His Son to avoid this condemnation. I am somewhat mystified, however, at why God would create a world and all its people, only to have the majority of those people hate Him.
Our second great preacher, Charles Spurgeon, put it this way in a sermon entitled, "The Carnal Mind is Enmity Against God," delivered in 1855. In it he says, "He supplys our wants; he keeps the breath within our nostrils, he bids the blood still pursue its course through the veins; he holdeth us in life, and preventeth us from death; he standeth before us, our creator, our king, our sustainer, our benefactor, and I ask, is it not a sin of enormous magnitude-- is it not high treason against the emperor of heaven-- is it not an awful sin, the depth of which we cannot fathom with the line of all our judgment-- that we his creatures, dependent upon him, should be at enmity with God?"
We know that these people who were given the very breath of life by God hate Him. Man naturally has a tendency to worship himself and the world. So what they then do is exchange the truth for a lie as Paul explains in Romans Chapter 1, worshipping the creature rather than the Creator, and Paul details the consequences of this and the immorality which ensues. How it must grieve God to see so many people reject Him, the very people He created.
He alone has the power to change that hate to love, to open the hearts of His enemies, to show them eternal life and love. Those who do not place their faith in His Son during this life will continue to be His enemies, after death and for all eternity. They will suffer from His wrath infinitely. Christ commands us to "...love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who spitefully use you and persecute you..." (Matthew 5:44). I am sure that you have people that are your friends but God's enemies. They like you but hate God. Let us also pray for not only our enemies, but God's, that they may enter His kindom as His friends.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Prevent National Suffering
In case you hadn't noticed, we have a national election next week.
There seems to be some confusion over the role of the Christian citizen as it pertains to his relationship to the government, and how involved we are to be in effecting governmental change. This is easily cleared up when we have a correct understanding of the roles ordained by God. We are in a tripartite, triangular relationship; there is the relationship between the Christian individual and God, our government and God, and the individual and government. God is obliged to no one and does not have duties to the other parties; He makes promises. The other parties have duties. Therefore, God makes promises to us and we have duties to Him, God makes promises to nations/governments, who in return have duties to Him, but government has duties to the individual and we have duties to government.
It is clear for the Christian that his primary citizenship is in the kingdom of God. We are not of this world, but in it, and this is not our home (John 15:19, 17:14, I Peter 2:11, Phil 3:20). Our secondary citizenship is in the United States. Our allegiance, obedience, and duties are first and foremost to our Creator. In any conflict between what the Bible commands us as Christians and what government commands, we must obey God's Word. God also ordains not only the individuals chosen to be our leaders, He has ordained our form of government. We live in a constitutional representative republic, and therefore we are in a position of stewardship of our country. In a dictatorship, the people are not in a position of stewardship, the dictator is. In the United States, our leaders are in a position of stewardship over the country, and we, the people, are in a position of stewardship over our country by choosing those leaders. The Apostle Paul and others in the New Testament, living under Roman occupation and dictatorship, did not have this blessing and luxury.
There is abundant Biblical evidence for God enacting judgment on individuals, cities (Gen 19, Matt 11:20-24), and nations (Psalms 110:6, Matt 25:32). God made numerous promises to the nation of Israel, and Israel had duties to fulfill for God to continue His blessings on that country (Exodus 19:5, Deuteronomy 28:1, Leviticus 26:3). Conversely, great curses were promised for national disobedience (Deuteronomy 28:15-68, Leviticus 26:14-39). The United States was founded on Judeo-Christian principles, and those who would argue otherwise should be prepared to be buried under a mountain of evidence to the contrary. Although God did not directly or explicitly make promises to the nation of America or detail our duties to Him, our country is a spiritual descendant of Israel and those expectations are continued through us. As citizens of the United States, we are to be obedient to our government and leaders. This is spelled out in Romans 13:1-7, where words such as "subject to," "resists," "do good," and "be in subjection," are used to proscribe disobedience. However, nowhere in the Bible are we enjoined to refrain from criticizing our leadership or working towards their removal by our established form of governance, if that leadership is exhibiting poor stewardship and lack of Godly principles. This is not disobedience. This is execution of good stewardship of our government and leadership on our part. Yes, we are commanded by God to pray for our leaders, but it is also our responsibility to change that leadership, not by violence or disobedience but by our God-ordained electoral system. To remain silent in these matters is assent, and the harshness of the criticism should be commensurate with the degree of failure of our leadership to do as God commands them to do. In our ordained system of government, the leaders are accountable to us.
As detailed above, when a nation or government does not fulfill its duties to God, there is precedent for God to carry out judgment on that nation. There were four major prophets in the Old Testament as well as a host of minor prophets who spoke out against Israel and that country's disobedience to God and progressive immorality, which led to God's judgments on both the Northern and Southern kingdoms. Christ condemned various cities and warned the nation of Israel of impending judgment as well. Speaking out or criticizing poor or immoral leadership is not done for pleasure or preference; it is done to forewarn the nation of consequences. There is a vast difference between advancing an argument and being quarrelsome or encouraging strife. Arguing for the removal of leaders who do not follow Godly principles is our duty as Christians to God as stewards of the country He has given us. There is ample reason to fear God's judgment on a nation if the correct leadership is not in place as well as disobedience on the part of the nation as a whole. When a nation practices financial irresponsibility, fails to protect innocent life, or encourages sexual immorality, it is not being obedient to God's standards. These standards do not change with the time or culture.
Although there is Scripture in II Timothy 2 that advises us not to become entangled in this world's affairs, that is admonishing us to remember where our primary citizenship resides. We are not to love this world, but we must be involved in it and our governance; otherwise no Christian would run for public office or even vote, for that matter. You can be a secular Democrat or a secular Republican but you cannot be a secular Christian. Not all citizens of the world were granted by God the right to speak out in defense of His standards, but with that right comes the responsibility to use that right to do all that we can to make sure this nation brings glory to and honors Him.
There seems to be some confusion over the role of the Christian citizen as it pertains to his relationship to the government, and how involved we are to be in effecting governmental change. This is easily cleared up when we have a correct understanding of the roles ordained by God. We are in a tripartite, triangular relationship; there is the relationship between the Christian individual and God, our government and God, and the individual and government. God is obliged to no one and does not have duties to the other parties; He makes promises. The other parties have duties. Therefore, God makes promises to us and we have duties to Him, God makes promises to nations/governments, who in return have duties to Him, but government has duties to the individual and we have duties to government.
It is clear for the Christian that his primary citizenship is in the kingdom of God. We are not of this world, but in it, and this is not our home (John 15:19, 17:14, I Peter 2:11, Phil 3:20). Our secondary citizenship is in the United States. Our allegiance, obedience, and duties are first and foremost to our Creator. In any conflict between what the Bible commands us as Christians and what government commands, we must obey God's Word. God also ordains not only the individuals chosen to be our leaders, He has ordained our form of government. We live in a constitutional representative republic, and therefore we are in a position of stewardship of our country. In a dictatorship, the people are not in a position of stewardship, the dictator is. In the United States, our leaders are in a position of stewardship over the country, and we, the people, are in a position of stewardship over our country by choosing those leaders. The Apostle Paul and others in the New Testament, living under Roman occupation and dictatorship, did not have this blessing and luxury.
There is abundant Biblical evidence for God enacting judgment on individuals, cities (Gen 19, Matt 11:20-24), and nations (Psalms 110:6, Matt 25:32). God made numerous promises to the nation of Israel, and Israel had duties to fulfill for God to continue His blessings on that country (Exodus 19:5, Deuteronomy 28:1, Leviticus 26:3). Conversely, great curses were promised for national disobedience (Deuteronomy 28:15-68, Leviticus 26:14-39). The United States was founded on Judeo-Christian principles, and those who would argue otherwise should be prepared to be buried under a mountain of evidence to the contrary. Although God did not directly or explicitly make promises to the nation of America or detail our duties to Him, our country is a spiritual descendant of Israel and those expectations are continued through us. As citizens of the United States, we are to be obedient to our government and leaders. This is spelled out in Romans 13:1-7, where words such as "subject to," "resists," "do good," and "be in subjection," are used to proscribe disobedience. However, nowhere in the Bible are we enjoined to refrain from criticizing our leadership or working towards their removal by our established form of governance, if that leadership is exhibiting poor stewardship and lack of Godly principles. This is not disobedience. This is execution of good stewardship of our government and leadership on our part. Yes, we are commanded by God to pray for our leaders, but it is also our responsibility to change that leadership, not by violence or disobedience but by our God-ordained electoral system. To remain silent in these matters is assent, and the harshness of the criticism should be commensurate with the degree of failure of our leadership to do as God commands them to do. In our ordained system of government, the leaders are accountable to us.
As detailed above, when a nation or government does not fulfill its duties to God, there is precedent for God to carry out judgment on that nation. There were four major prophets in the Old Testament as well as a host of minor prophets who spoke out against Israel and that country's disobedience to God and progressive immorality, which led to God's judgments on both the Northern and Southern kingdoms. Christ condemned various cities and warned the nation of Israel of impending judgment as well. Speaking out or criticizing poor or immoral leadership is not done for pleasure or preference; it is done to forewarn the nation of consequences. There is a vast difference between advancing an argument and being quarrelsome or encouraging strife. Arguing for the removal of leaders who do not follow Godly principles is our duty as Christians to God as stewards of the country He has given us. There is ample reason to fear God's judgment on a nation if the correct leadership is not in place as well as disobedience on the part of the nation as a whole. When a nation practices financial irresponsibility, fails to protect innocent life, or encourages sexual immorality, it is not being obedient to God's standards. These standards do not change with the time or culture.
Although there is Scripture in II Timothy 2 that advises us not to become entangled in this world's affairs, that is admonishing us to remember where our primary citizenship resides. We are not to love this world, but we must be involved in it and our governance; otherwise no Christian would run for public office or even vote, for that matter. You can be a secular Democrat or a secular Republican but you cannot be a secular Christian. Not all citizens of the world were granted by God the right to speak out in defense of His standards, but with that right comes the responsibility to use that right to do all that we can to make sure this nation brings glory to and honors Him.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Muddy Thinking
For a variety of reasons, I have taken the Myers-Briggs personality test several times during my life. One of my undergraduate degrees was in Psychology, and we were first exposed to it then. Later, in medical school, all of us in our class took it twice, once during the first year and then again in the third year. This was a part of a psychological study of us, the medical students, to see if our personalities changed any over the course of our medical education. Each time I was solidly an INTJ.
For those of you unfamiliar with the test, the Myers-Briggs measures four different personality qualities. The first is an attitude preference, termed either extraversion (E) or introversion (I). The second aspect is how one predominately perceives things, either by sensing (S) or intuition (N). The third area is how one tends to make decisons, either thinking (T) or feeling (F). The final quality is a little more complicated, but basically has to do with whether one predominately uses their perceiving function or their decision-making function, either perceiving (P) or judging (J). So this scheme makes for sixteen personality types, such as ESTP or INFJ and so on. Since I am an INTJ, it means that I am introverted, intuitive, a thinker, and I predominately use my thinking function. This is a very, very simplified explanation of the testing, but useful for the discussion that follows.
When I was confronted with my test scores, it would appear that on the thinking scale I am somewhat extreme. If you looked at a scale with feeling on the left and thinking on the right, my personality is situated to the far right. In fact, with regard to feeling and thinking, I have been told that I sit well to the right of Mr. Spock. Well, for someone who isn't supposed to have many feelings that hurt what few of them remain. Anyway, it seems logical, to use a phrase from Mr. Spock, that if I am so oriented to thinking, my thinking ought to be highly developed. But I am very guilty of muddy thinking from time to time, as I think most Christians can be.
The Christian should have a different view of the world, and a different way of thinking about people, things, and events. When we accept Christ into our lives, as we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and begin the lifelong process of sanctification, we should likewise begin the process of changed thinking. Some of this requires a willful effort on our part. Paul advises us in Romans 12:2, "And do not be comformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind..." This can be harder than you can imagine for it requires that we should be "...bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ..." (II Cor 10:5). That is quite a challenge, to control each and every thought.
There are two areas that come to mind when I think about falling short in this effort. The first has to do with our sufferings, and this was the motivation for writing my book, Surviving the Suffering. As a physician dealing with suffering on a daily basis, I saw so many people worsen their sufferings by unclear thinking. They would often misdiagnose the cause of their suffering and pursue the wrong treatments. Their anguish was multiplied by adding complications to their problem, such as unnecessary shame or becomng angry with God. It is my hope that the book will help people begin to think clearly about their sufferings in order to deal with them more effectively.
The second problem comes with the discouragement and despair that comes upon us from time to time. I heard Allistair Begg remark that in all of those times he found himself in those situations, it was mostly because he had taken his eye off of God. The more I reflected, the more I realized that was true in my own case. Even when I was not truly suffering, but was feeling disappointed or discouraged, it was usually because of very muddy thinking, and not focusing on the things of God. Getting our eyes back on God means turning to Him in prayer and His Word. So many of the things we worry about are of not the slightest importance when placed in the perspective of eternity. Although Christ spoke often of money in the New Testament, when He returns money will be one of the most useless things on earth. Prestige and power will be meaningless as we kneel and bow before our Lord (Romans 14:11, Philippians 2:10). Our health will cease to be a concern as we receive new bodies in Heaven.
When we can clearly reason the way we should, we can see our trials exactly for what they are, whether it be to correct us, prune us, strengthen us, or glorify God. And the trifles that fill our time and thoughts with worries and anxieties will be as dust blown away with a single breath when we join Christ in eternity. It is trying to keep our eyes on God and the things of God, bringing those thoughts into captivity to the obedience of Christ, that causes the scales to fall from our eyes as they did with Paul (Acts9:18). The clearer vision may not eliminate the problem completely, but will have you deal with it as God would have you do, rather than some misguided attempt of your own.
Think about it.
For those of you unfamiliar with the test, the Myers-Briggs measures four different personality qualities. The first is an attitude preference, termed either extraversion (E) or introversion (I). The second aspect is how one predominately perceives things, either by sensing (S) or intuition (N). The third area is how one tends to make decisons, either thinking (T) or feeling (F). The final quality is a little more complicated, but basically has to do with whether one predominately uses their perceiving function or their decision-making function, either perceiving (P) or judging (J). So this scheme makes for sixteen personality types, such as ESTP or INFJ and so on. Since I am an INTJ, it means that I am introverted, intuitive, a thinker, and I predominately use my thinking function. This is a very, very simplified explanation of the testing, but useful for the discussion that follows.
When I was confronted with my test scores, it would appear that on the thinking scale I am somewhat extreme. If you looked at a scale with feeling on the left and thinking on the right, my personality is situated to the far right. In fact, with regard to feeling and thinking, I have been told that I sit well to the right of Mr. Spock. Well, for someone who isn't supposed to have many feelings that hurt what few of them remain. Anyway, it seems logical, to use a phrase from Mr. Spock, that if I am so oriented to thinking, my thinking ought to be highly developed. But I am very guilty of muddy thinking from time to time, as I think most Christians can be.
The Christian should have a different view of the world, and a different way of thinking about people, things, and events. When we accept Christ into our lives, as we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and begin the lifelong process of sanctification, we should likewise begin the process of changed thinking. Some of this requires a willful effort on our part. Paul advises us in Romans 12:2, "And do not be comformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind..." This can be harder than you can imagine for it requires that we should be "...bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ..." (II Cor 10:5). That is quite a challenge, to control each and every thought.
There are two areas that come to mind when I think about falling short in this effort. The first has to do with our sufferings, and this was the motivation for writing my book, Surviving the Suffering. As a physician dealing with suffering on a daily basis, I saw so many people worsen their sufferings by unclear thinking. They would often misdiagnose the cause of their suffering and pursue the wrong treatments. Their anguish was multiplied by adding complications to their problem, such as unnecessary shame or becomng angry with God. It is my hope that the book will help people begin to think clearly about their sufferings in order to deal with them more effectively.
The second problem comes with the discouragement and despair that comes upon us from time to time. I heard Allistair Begg remark that in all of those times he found himself in those situations, it was mostly because he had taken his eye off of God. The more I reflected, the more I realized that was true in my own case. Even when I was not truly suffering, but was feeling disappointed or discouraged, it was usually because of very muddy thinking, and not focusing on the things of God. Getting our eyes back on God means turning to Him in prayer and His Word. So many of the things we worry about are of not the slightest importance when placed in the perspective of eternity. Although Christ spoke often of money in the New Testament, when He returns money will be one of the most useless things on earth. Prestige and power will be meaningless as we kneel and bow before our Lord (Romans 14:11, Philippians 2:10). Our health will cease to be a concern as we receive new bodies in Heaven.
When we can clearly reason the way we should, we can see our trials exactly for what they are, whether it be to correct us, prune us, strengthen us, or glorify God. And the trifles that fill our time and thoughts with worries and anxieties will be as dust blown away with a single breath when we join Christ in eternity. It is trying to keep our eyes on God and the things of God, bringing those thoughts into captivity to the obedience of Christ, that causes the scales to fall from our eyes as they did with Paul (Acts9:18). The clearer vision may not eliminate the problem completely, but will have you deal with it as God would have you do, rather than some misguided attempt of your own.
Think about it.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Release Date Announced
We have just received word that the official release date for Surviving the Suffering is going to be January 8, 2013, when the book will begin distribution in stores and with online retailers. The book will be available sooner on this website, probably in about a month.
Monday, October 15, 2012
A Tale of Two Men
Within the space of twenty-four hours last week two friends of mine received devastating news. Hearing of their loss saddened me deeply. Both are Christians. There are uncertainties in how their problems will be fixed. However, I am only really worried about one of them.
One of them is a devout Christian who has walked a lifetime with the Lord. His faith is deep and solid, and it is obvious to the people who know him. He is the kind of Christian man that other Christian men look up to. He has served God well, and his children have been raised in a manner that brings God glory. His strength of character, as well as his faith, will not allow him to be shaken. James 1:6 notes, "But ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind." I don't worry about that with this man.
In my previous articles, The Suffering Mandate and The Suffering Schedule, I discussed the inevitablity of suffering, how we should know that it always comes, how it it is usually a surprise, and how we should be mentally and spiritually prepared for it. The mature Christian may have an immediate sense of shock at an untoward event, literally being stunned or surprised, but that should give way to the acknowledgement that these trials are part of God's plan for us. In my book, Surviving the Suffering, I go to great lengths to help people discern what the specific cause of their suffering might be, in order to deal with it in the most appropriate manner. We must first get used to the idea that the Christian life will intermittently be filled with these ordeals.
The second man is much younger, an after living a very troubled life turned that life over to God by receiving Christ as his saviour. Our evangelistic approach is to reach such lost people with the Gospel or good news. We often neglect what I would call the badspel, or bad news, and it has been noted by others that new Christians often go through a "honeymoon" period, where the inital experience after salvation brings forth exuberance in the new life. Some of this, I think, comes from the relief that forgiveness brings, and some of this may come from the release of self-destructive habits and thinking. The old man is put off, and the new man celebrates his newfound status before the Lord and not being trapped in sin. We rejoice along with the new believer, and encourage them in their efforts to learn and deepen their relationship with God.
However, in our effort not to rain on anyone's parade, we sometimes do a poor job of preparing the new Christian for the trials ahead. This young man, after such an arduous life, was so happy in his fresh beginning that those of us who knew him found it exceedingly difficult to trample on that happiness in order to prepare him for his certain ordeals. No one wants to say, "Wipe that smile off your face. Your train will be wrecked soon enough." And so when my young friend's train does get wrecked, he must not only deal with the immediate personal consequences but will have to work through the spiritual ones as well. The unseasoned Christian will find that as Jesus said in Mark 9:49, "For everyone will be seasoned with fire...." So I worry that this man will be shaken.
The Word of God gives so many assurances throughout the entire Bible. In the Old Testament, we learn in Isaiah 41:10, " Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God, I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous hand." Even the new Christian probably has some familiarity with Psalm 23. Jesus tells us clearly, "lo, I am with you always" (Matthew 28:20). Although the new Christian has the Scripture unlocked for him, and he can now begin to understand God's Word, he will be required to live through those trials in order that those messages may be made real.
I read many books on flying before experiencing the reality of flying an airplane, and many years of studying the heart before I was allowed to hold one in my hands. This time of preparation was essential to be ready for the challenges to come. There is no better way for God to prepare us for life's hard knocks than to read and study His Word, but the reality of suffering has to be experienced to refine and strengthen our faith. Two men, one seasoned and one a raw recruit, but the same promise is made to both: "If we endure, we shall also reign with Him" (I Timothy 2:12).
One of them is a devout Christian who has walked a lifetime with the Lord. His faith is deep and solid, and it is obvious to the people who know him. He is the kind of Christian man that other Christian men look up to. He has served God well, and his children have been raised in a manner that brings God glory. His strength of character, as well as his faith, will not allow him to be shaken. James 1:6 notes, "But ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind." I don't worry about that with this man.
In my previous articles, The Suffering Mandate and The Suffering Schedule, I discussed the inevitablity of suffering, how we should know that it always comes, how it it is usually a surprise, and how we should be mentally and spiritually prepared for it. The mature Christian may have an immediate sense of shock at an untoward event, literally being stunned or surprised, but that should give way to the acknowledgement that these trials are part of God's plan for us. In my book, Surviving the Suffering, I go to great lengths to help people discern what the specific cause of their suffering might be, in order to deal with it in the most appropriate manner. We must first get used to the idea that the Christian life will intermittently be filled with these ordeals.
The second man is much younger, an after living a very troubled life turned that life over to God by receiving Christ as his saviour. Our evangelistic approach is to reach such lost people with the Gospel or good news. We often neglect what I would call the badspel, or bad news, and it has been noted by others that new Christians often go through a "honeymoon" period, where the inital experience after salvation brings forth exuberance in the new life. Some of this, I think, comes from the relief that forgiveness brings, and some of this may come from the release of self-destructive habits and thinking. The old man is put off, and the new man celebrates his newfound status before the Lord and not being trapped in sin. We rejoice along with the new believer, and encourage them in their efforts to learn and deepen their relationship with God.
However, in our effort not to rain on anyone's parade, we sometimes do a poor job of preparing the new Christian for the trials ahead. This young man, after such an arduous life, was so happy in his fresh beginning that those of us who knew him found it exceedingly difficult to trample on that happiness in order to prepare him for his certain ordeals. No one wants to say, "Wipe that smile off your face. Your train will be wrecked soon enough." And so when my young friend's train does get wrecked, he must not only deal with the immediate personal consequences but will have to work through the spiritual ones as well. The unseasoned Christian will find that as Jesus said in Mark 9:49, "For everyone will be seasoned with fire...." So I worry that this man will be shaken.
The Word of God gives so many assurances throughout the entire Bible. In the Old Testament, we learn in Isaiah 41:10, " Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God, I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous hand." Even the new Christian probably has some familiarity with Psalm 23. Jesus tells us clearly, "lo, I am with you always" (Matthew 28:20). Although the new Christian has the Scripture unlocked for him, and he can now begin to understand God's Word, he will be required to live through those trials in order that those messages may be made real.
I read many books on flying before experiencing the reality of flying an airplane, and many years of studying the heart before I was allowed to hold one in my hands. This time of preparation was essential to be ready for the challenges to come. There is no better way for God to prepare us for life's hard knocks than to read and study His Word, but the reality of suffering has to be experienced to refine and strengthen our faith. Two men, one seasoned and one a raw recruit, but the same promise is made to both: "If we endure, we shall also reign with Him" (I Timothy 2:12).
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Hardcover Edition Coming
The hardcover edition of my new book, Surviving the Suffering, will be available on this website beginning in about six weeks. I have been busy setting up the website for billing and taking orders. The public release date has not yet been announced, but should be at the end of December or first of January. That is when we hope to see the book in bookstores and online retailers, and bookstore events begin.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Soon to be available...
I will be taking a short hiatus from writing for the next week. Surviving the Suffering, my new book, is in the final stages of production and we just received word today from the marketing department that the book will be available soon. There is much work to do to prepare for marketing events, book signings and the like. Within the next couple of weeks you should be able to order the book from this website directly or from the publisher; the official release date will be in late December or January when it will be available from bookstores and other online sellers. I will keep you posted as things develop.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
When Caesar Steals
As Christians it is often unseemly for us to appear to be preoccupied with money. When it comes to taxes, we are reminded of Christ's command to, "Render therfore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's" (Luke 20:25). But what if Caesar steals from you, and does it in secret?
Bear with me as I develop this line of argument with some history. Because bartering required trading one item for another and was hugely cumbersome, societies needed something that could facilitate transactions. Money became the means to do that. Many things have been tried at different times and different places as money, whether seashells, gems or beads. However, in most societies, precious metals won out the competition to be used as a nation's money. Gold and silver have been particular favorites. In most situations, there was a finite supply of these precious metals, and their value was stable. Although you could carry around a bag of gold ingots, the metals were shaped into coins which were far more portable. The first sign of trouble came when a nation did not have enough precious metal to pay its debts, and what would then happen is that they would mix another metal into the coin along with the gold or silver, diluting its value, in order to make their precious metal supply go further. By reducing the base metal content of the coins, the currency became debased.
When our country was founded, the Constitiution (Article I, Section 8) allowed our government to coin money. The legal tender in this country was gold or silver coins. Our nation's precious metals were maintained by the Treasury, which coined the money. Not printed it. Our founding fathers recognized the dangers in utilizing paper money. For all practical purposes there was no paper money in this country until the Civil War, and during that time and shortly thereafter there were numerous cases that went all the way to the Supreme Court which ultimately led to the establishment of paper money. The Treasury Department issued gold and silver certificates, which initially were not legal tender but guarantees to pay legal tender. The certificates reached legal tender status in the early 20th century.
Along comes the invention of the Federal Reserve in 1913. They began issuing Federal Reserve Notes, which were not certificates. They were redeemable at the Treasury for specific amounts of gold or silver, or exchangeable for Treasury gold or silver certificates. Franklin Roosevelt's administration then got legislation passed that forbid Americans to own gold and abolished all gold clauses in domestic contracts. Gold certificates were eliminated. This Gold Reserve Act of 1934 then removed the ability to redeem a Federal Reserve Note for gold; it could still be redeemed for a silver certificate or silver. The Act now also declared the Federal Reserve note to be legal tender. By 1963, the Federal Reserve Note dropped the redemption clause, and silver certificates were eliminated. The last remaining ties to precious metals occured in the Nixon administration, when we were taken completely off the gold standard internationally, and foreign parties could not redeem their Notes in gold. What we call a dollar today, the Federal Reserve Note in your wallet, is not redeemable in anything. Its worth is entirely dependent on how many of those things are out there in circulation. That is what we call fiat currency.
When Caesar needs money, he can raise it through taxes, which are obvious. He can borrow it, and he does that by selling bonds, which is a promise to pay back the money at a later date to the bondholder. Caesar still needs money to pay back the loan. Or he can print it, and increase the number of dollars in circulation, which debases the currency and lowers the value of the dollar. As the value of the dollars drops, more dollars are required to purchase items, and the prices go up. If you believe the Quantity Theory of Money, the ultimate cause of all inflation is an increase in the supply of dollars in the economy. Sometimes, when the Federal Reserve wants to increase the money supply, it will purchase securities from other institutions, and it does that by simply crediting their accounts. They do not even need to use up paper and ink. They just create the money electronically out of thin air. When the Treasury needs money for its debt, they only need to go next door to the Fed and knock.
The problem with the government printing or creating money is that it leads to inflation, and all the money you currently hold loses its value and purchasing power. The dollar you have in your wallet today is worth half of what it was in 1988. Although it appears we have low inflation now, the inflation data that the government releases is calculated far differently than it was a decade ago, and it is much higher than you realize due to the manipulated numbers. (Serious investigators can go to the government's own Bureau of Labor Statistics website and see how the Consumer Price Index is calculated, and how it is manipulated downward by a process known as "hedonics.") And eventually, at some point in time, all of this excess money is going to lead to very real, serious inflation. Inflation is therefore known as the "hidden tax" because we do not see it out in the open, but it is a way that the government creates money by taking from us the value of the money we have.
So how does this relate to suffering? This is theft by the government from our savings, retirement plan, and whatever we hope to get from Social Security (if anything) in the future. In the best case, whatever you have saved for the future will be worth half of what it is today in twenty years' time. Although Jesus admonishes us in Matthew 6:19 not to lay up treasures here on earth, we are to be good and prudent stewards of what we are given by God. We are not to love money or hoard money, but we are to be wise in providing and planning for our future. Our government has shown no similar sense of moral restraint on its spending, and the Bible is full of condemnation of going into debt. The only hope of slowing the printing of money would be to return to the gold standard, and there is little likelihood of this happening; our leaders would have to actually want to stop spending. The people who suffer the most from inflation are the poor, whose dollars are worth less and less each year. As a Christian I am advised to not love money (I Timothy 6:10), but we are also commanded not to steal. If only Caesar humbly obeyed the Lord!
(I am indebted to Peter Schiff and his book, The Real Crash, for this history of money.)
Bear with me as I develop this line of argument with some history. Because bartering required trading one item for another and was hugely cumbersome, societies needed something that could facilitate transactions. Money became the means to do that. Many things have been tried at different times and different places as money, whether seashells, gems or beads. However, in most societies, precious metals won out the competition to be used as a nation's money. Gold and silver have been particular favorites. In most situations, there was a finite supply of these precious metals, and their value was stable. Although you could carry around a bag of gold ingots, the metals were shaped into coins which were far more portable. The first sign of trouble came when a nation did not have enough precious metal to pay its debts, and what would then happen is that they would mix another metal into the coin along with the gold or silver, diluting its value, in order to make their precious metal supply go further. By reducing the base metal content of the coins, the currency became debased.
When our country was founded, the Constitiution (Article I, Section 8) allowed our government to coin money. The legal tender in this country was gold or silver coins. Our nation's precious metals were maintained by the Treasury, which coined the money. Not printed it. Our founding fathers recognized the dangers in utilizing paper money. For all practical purposes there was no paper money in this country until the Civil War, and during that time and shortly thereafter there were numerous cases that went all the way to the Supreme Court which ultimately led to the establishment of paper money. The Treasury Department issued gold and silver certificates, which initially were not legal tender but guarantees to pay legal tender. The certificates reached legal tender status in the early 20th century.
Along comes the invention of the Federal Reserve in 1913. They began issuing Federal Reserve Notes, which were not certificates. They were redeemable at the Treasury for specific amounts of gold or silver, or exchangeable for Treasury gold or silver certificates. Franklin Roosevelt's administration then got legislation passed that forbid Americans to own gold and abolished all gold clauses in domestic contracts. Gold certificates were eliminated. This Gold Reserve Act of 1934 then removed the ability to redeem a Federal Reserve Note for gold; it could still be redeemed for a silver certificate or silver. The Act now also declared the Federal Reserve note to be legal tender. By 1963, the Federal Reserve Note dropped the redemption clause, and silver certificates were eliminated. The last remaining ties to precious metals occured in the Nixon administration, when we were taken completely off the gold standard internationally, and foreign parties could not redeem their Notes in gold. What we call a dollar today, the Federal Reserve Note in your wallet, is not redeemable in anything. Its worth is entirely dependent on how many of those things are out there in circulation. That is what we call fiat currency.
When Caesar needs money, he can raise it through taxes, which are obvious. He can borrow it, and he does that by selling bonds, which is a promise to pay back the money at a later date to the bondholder. Caesar still needs money to pay back the loan. Or he can print it, and increase the number of dollars in circulation, which debases the currency and lowers the value of the dollar. As the value of the dollars drops, more dollars are required to purchase items, and the prices go up. If you believe the Quantity Theory of Money, the ultimate cause of all inflation is an increase in the supply of dollars in the economy. Sometimes, when the Federal Reserve wants to increase the money supply, it will purchase securities from other institutions, and it does that by simply crediting their accounts. They do not even need to use up paper and ink. They just create the money electronically out of thin air. When the Treasury needs money for its debt, they only need to go next door to the Fed and knock.
The problem with the government printing or creating money is that it leads to inflation, and all the money you currently hold loses its value and purchasing power. The dollar you have in your wallet today is worth half of what it was in 1988. Although it appears we have low inflation now, the inflation data that the government releases is calculated far differently than it was a decade ago, and it is much higher than you realize due to the manipulated numbers. (Serious investigators can go to the government's own Bureau of Labor Statistics website and see how the Consumer Price Index is calculated, and how it is manipulated downward by a process known as "hedonics.") And eventually, at some point in time, all of this excess money is going to lead to very real, serious inflation. Inflation is therefore known as the "hidden tax" because we do not see it out in the open, but it is a way that the government creates money by taking from us the value of the money we have.
So how does this relate to suffering? This is theft by the government from our savings, retirement plan, and whatever we hope to get from Social Security (if anything) in the future. In the best case, whatever you have saved for the future will be worth half of what it is today in twenty years' time. Although Jesus admonishes us in Matthew 6:19 not to lay up treasures here on earth, we are to be good and prudent stewards of what we are given by God. We are not to love money or hoard money, but we are to be wise in providing and planning for our future. Our government has shown no similar sense of moral restraint on its spending, and the Bible is full of condemnation of going into debt. The only hope of slowing the printing of money would be to return to the gold standard, and there is little likelihood of this happening; our leaders would have to actually want to stop spending. The people who suffer the most from inflation are the poor, whose dollars are worth less and less each year. As a Christian I am advised to not love money (I Timothy 6:10), but we are also commanded not to steal. If only Caesar humbly obeyed the Lord!
(I am indebted to Peter Schiff and his book, The Real Crash, for this history of money.)
Monday, September 24, 2012
Suffering and Security
It has been widely noted that one of the presidential candidates, Mr. Romney, made some remarks about the "47 per cent" of Americans that do not pay taxes and receive government benefits. Although I understand what Mr. Romney was saying, his statement was somewhat inaccurate and the data should be understood correctly, as well as some of the logical flaws in interpreting that information.
It is correct that nearly half of Americans do not pay federal income tax. This data comes from the Tax Policy Center, and is an estimation. The data can be interpreted several ways, but it is important to remember that most of these workers will be paying other taxes such as Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes.
Secondly, it is not correct to state that half of Americans receive government benefits; what is correct is that 49 per cent of American households have someone there who receives a government benefit. This information comes from the Census Bureau. Finally, it is important to realize that these two halves of American society are not all the same people.
Having said that, these numbers are very disturbing, and they are steadily increasing. The number of households that receive government assistance has increased from 30% in 1983. And this trend is part of a larger desire on the part of our fellow citizens to avoid suffering at any cost, even to the point of economic collapse of the country. We simply do not have the ability to endure hardship, or even the risk of hardship, that our predecessors had.
We have heard of the Pilgrims and the death of 45 of the 102 settlers during that first winter. Our founding fathers endured unimagineable hardships in beginning this country, and settlers braved dangers and disease while exploring our fledgling nation from shore to shore. The original colonists were willing to fight and to die simply to be free of the demands of England.
When you look at military conflicts, there were 800,000 American deaths in the Civil War; 300,00 in World War I; 450,000 in World War II; 30,000 in the Korean Conflict; and 50,000 in Vietnam. Today, the loss of less than 10,000 brave soldiers in our Middle Eastern conflicts seems too terrible to bear by comparison.
The one thing that all of these stories have in common was the desire for freedom. The hardships endured and the battles fought were to be free of governmental oppression in one form or another. For the Pilgrims, it was to be free of a religion dictated by government. For our Revolutionary War leaders, it was to be free of the economic oppression of the British government. And the subsequent wars and tragic deaths were to preserve the liberties of this nation and others against those who would seek to attack us and enslave others.
The opposite of freedom is enslavement, but we do not often think of enslavement as voluntary. In fact, in the Old Testament times, slaves were released of their obligations after six years; yet if a slave desired to remain a slave he could do so in a ceremony described in Exodus 21:5-6. What leads us to voluntary enslavement today is our desire for security. It is our overwhelming need for security that causes us to trade away our freedoms.
No one identified this problem better than Friedrich Hayek in his book, The Road to Serfdom, wherein he described the almost inevitable decline of western societies. The demands of the public are initially for some form of security, even at the cost of liberty for others. Government intervention results in chaos, leading to demands for more controls, and eventually to economic dictatorship. The dependency on entitlements enslaves those who rely on the government, and those who work to pay the taxes are in servitude to the government for their labor. In fact, Tax Freedom Day comes after April 15; Americans who are working and paying taxes essentially donate all of their earnings from January 1st to April 23 to pay off their federal, state and local taxes.
Our country functioned without an income tax for nearly one hundred and fifty years before the Sixteenth Amendment was ratified in 1913. We went from being a third-world sized economy to being the world's economic leader during that time. We now have more debt than any nation has ever accumulated, and our nation is set to be permanently enslaved to that debt. Our dependency class, our working class, and our country are therefore all in bondage because of the demand for cradle-to-grave security. We insist on being provided food, economic assistance, unemployment benefits, college education loans, and healthcare, and for every person who is dependent on these things, someone else had to work and earn income that they do not get to keep. Whereas our forefathers dedicated their lives to being free of the compulsions of government, we willingly slip into the embrace of security provided by a bureaucracy.
No one wants to suffer hardships, but as Dr. Thomas Sowell has so often observed, there are no solutions, only trade-offs. And what we are trading off here is individual and national freedoms for security. As Benjamin Franklin said, "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty or safety."
It is correct that nearly half of Americans do not pay federal income tax. This data comes from the Tax Policy Center, and is an estimation. The data can be interpreted several ways, but it is important to remember that most of these workers will be paying other taxes such as Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes.
Secondly, it is not correct to state that half of Americans receive government benefits; what is correct is that 49 per cent of American households have someone there who receives a government benefit. This information comes from the Census Bureau. Finally, it is important to realize that these two halves of American society are not all the same people.
Having said that, these numbers are very disturbing, and they are steadily increasing. The number of households that receive government assistance has increased from 30% in 1983. And this trend is part of a larger desire on the part of our fellow citizens to avoid suffering at any cost, even to the point of economic collapse of the country. We simply do not have the ability to endure hardship, or even the risk of hardship, that our predecessors had.
We have heard of the Pilgrims and the death of 45 of the 102 settlers during that first winter. Our founding fathers endured unimagineable hardships in beginning this country, and settlers braved dangers and disease while exploring our fledgling nation from shore to shore. The original colonists were willing to fight and to die simply to be free of the demands of England.
When you look at military conflicts, there were 800,000 American deaths in the Civil War; 300,00 in World War I; 450,000 in World War II; 30,000 in the Korean Conflict; and 50,000 in Vietnam. Today, the loss of less than 10,000 brave soldiers in our Middle Eastern conflicts seems too terrible to bear by comparison.
The one thing that all of these stories have in common was the desire for freedom. The hardships endured and the battles fought were to be free of governmental oppression in one form or another. For the Pilgrims, it was to be free of a religion dictated by government. For our Revolutionary War leaders, it was to be free of the economic oppression of the British government. And the subsequent wars and tragic deaths were to preserve the liberties of this nation and others against those who would seek to attack us and enslave others.
The opposite of freedom is enslavement, but we do not often think of enslavement as voluntary. In fact, in the Old Testament times, slaves were released of their obligations after six years; yet if a slave desired to remain a slave he could do so in a ceremony described in Exodus 21:5-6. What leads us to voluntary enslavement today is our desire for security. It is our overwhelming need for security that causes us to trade away our freedoms.
No one identified this problem better than Friedrich Hayek in his book, The Road to Serfdom, wherein he described the almost inevitable decline of western societies. The demands of the public are initially for some form of security, even at the cost of liberty for others. Government intervention results in chaos, leading to demands for more controls, and eventually to economic dictatorship. The dependency on entitlements enslaves those who rely on the government, and those who work to pay the taxes are in servitude to the government for their labor. In fact, Tax Freedom Day comes after April 15; Americans who are working and paying taxes essentially donate all of their earnings from January 1st to April 23 to pay off their federal, state and local taxes.
Our country functioned without an income tax for nearly one hundred and fifty years before the Sixteenth Amendment was ratified in 1913. We went from being a third-world sized economy to being the world's economic leader during that time. We now have more debt than any nation has ever accumulated, and our nation is set to be permanently enslaved to that debt. Our dependency class, our working class, and our country are therefore all in bondage because of the demand for cradle-to-grave security. We insist on being provided food, economic assistance, unemployment benefits, college education loans, and healthcare, and for every person who is dependent on these things, someone else had to work and earn income that they do not get to keep. Whereas our forefathers dedicated their lives to being free of the compulsions of government, we willingly slip into the embrace of security provided by a bureaucracy.
No one wants to suffer hardships, but as Dr. Thomas Sowell has so often observed, there are no solutions, only trade-offs. And what we are trading off here is individual and national freedoms for security. As Benjamin Franklin said, "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty or safety."
Monday, September 17, 2012
The Embarassment of Suffering
All suffering is not the same. There are many types of suffering decreed by God to accomplish His sovereign will. Although as we have said many times before, God works all things for the good to those that love Him (Romans 8:28), the very definition of suffering means that it is painful.
When a patient presents with pain, there are several key questions that the surgeon must ask and answer to diagnose the cause of the pain. We ask when did it start? Where is it? Is it constant or does it come and go? What type of pain is it, sharp, dull, throbbing? These types of questions help us try and determine what other tests need to be ordered, if any. It may even be that surgery is needed to both diagnose and treat the problem. In our sufferings, one thing that we may want to know is, "Where does it hurt?"
Sometimes, in the immediate shock as our suffering begins, we sense overwhelming pain and are unable discern exactly what is going on. We may be experiencing physical pain in our body, such as when illness strikes. We may be hurting in our heart, from loss and grief. But one particular site of our hurt may not be readily evident, for it is an area we often hide from others, and a part of ourselves that is full of self-deception. It is our ego, or pride.
The word esteem comes from the same source as the word we use to establish the value of things, estimate. Self-esteem, then, means our own estimation of our value. And I think that much of our self-induced suffering comes from a wrong sense of self-esteem. A falsely low self-esteem leads one to feelings of unworthiness and a host of neurotic behaviors where we try to compensate. However, the trend in society today to boost everyone's sense of self-esteem is just as deleterious. This is especially seen in our school systems, where it seems that hugely increasing every child's self-esteem is considered at least as important as actually learning or accomplishing anything. And too much self-esteem leads to narcissim, an overwhelming self-love, as we get that word from Narcissus, the Greek who fell in love with his reflection in the water. What God wants for us is accurate self-esteem, not thinking more highly of ourselves nor too lowly of ourselves (Romans 12:3). However, it is impossible for us to know our exact worth without understanding ourselves in relationship to Christ.
Without Christ, we are dead in our sins (Ephesians 2:5) and God's enemies (Romans 5:10), and we can accomplish nothing (John 15:5). With Christ, we are beloved by God, are saints who will rule over angels (I Corinthians 6:3), and can accomplish all things (Philippians 4:13). With Christ as our saviour, God does not see our inherent unworthiness, but sees Christ's righteousness that is imputed to us. So, if you believe yourself to be an unworthy creature undeserving of God's love and mercy, without Christ that is true, but in Christ you are invaluable. If you think yourself to be a fine specimen of humanity with no need for Jesus, you are sadly mistaken. Our value to God is not determined by who we are or what we do, but by our faith in Christ.
In certain forms of suffering, the Evil One may attempt to attack us in our sense of self-worth. In spiritual warfare, Satan may attack you in an area of your strength, trying to convince you of your unworthiness. If you are a scrupulously honest person, the Devil may encourage people to spread lies about your honesty. And if you are a Christian who is trying to serve the Lord as a missionary in another land, other people may try to humiliate you and debase you.
However, in other forms of suffering, God may be trying to accomplish something in your life that requires that your ego take a beating. If you are out of God's will, in sin, He will chasten you. The purpose of that chastening is to lead you to repentance, and it is hard to repent without a sense of humility. Yet you may be in God's will, but have some part of you that God doesn't like, that He must remove by pruning. Those Christians who are being pruned are abiding in Him (John 15), yet they must be formed and shaped in the image of Christ, and those parts of us that are not Christ-like must be removed. Much of what has to be shed involves pride.
Those who suffer from spirtual warfare or persecution for their faith need not be embarassed by their affliction. They should take comfort in their value to God through their faith in Christ and know that they would not be under these assaults except for the fact that they are children of God. However, when we are being corrected by God or pruned by Him, it is revealing a deficiency in us, and the medication may just be a hefty dose of humility. A little redness in our cheeks is necessary now, that in eternity our faces reflect God's glory.
When a patient presents with pain, there are several key questions that the surgeon must ask and answer to diagnose the cause of the pain. We ask when did it start? Where is it? Is it constant or does it come and go? What type of pain is it, sharp, dull, throbbing? These types of questions help us try and determine what other tests need to be ordered, if any. It may even be that surgery is needed to both diagnose and treat the problem. In our sufferings, one thing that we may want to know is, "Where does it hurt?"
Sometimes, in the immediate shock as our suffering begins, we sense overwhelming pain and are unable discern exactly what is going on. We may be experiencing physical pain in our body, such as when illness strikes. We may be hurting in our heart, from loss and grief. But one particular site of our hurt may not be readily evident, for it is an area we often hide from others, and a part of ourselves that is full of self-deception. It is our ego, or pride.
The word esteem comes from the same source as the word we use to establish the value of things, estimate. Self-esteem, then, means our own estimation of our value. And I think that much of our self-induced suffering comes from a wrong sense of self-esteem. A falsely low self-esteem leads one to feelings of unworthiness and a host of neurotic behaviors where we try to compensate. However, the trend in society today to boost everyone's sense of self-esteem is just as deleterious. This is especially seen in our school systems, where it seems that hugely increasing every child's self-esteem is considered at least as important as actually learning or accomplishing anything. And too much self-esteem leads to narcissim, an overwhelming self-love, as we get that word from Narcissus, the Greek who fell in love with his reflection in the water. What God wants for us is accurate self-esteem, not thinking more highly of ourselves nor too lowly of ourselves (Romans 12:3). However, it is impossible for us to know our exact worth without understanding ourselves in relationship to Christ.
Without Christ, we are dead in our sins (Ephesians 2:5) and God's enemies (Romans 5:10), and we can accomplish nothing (John 15:5). With Christ, we are beloved by God, are saints who will rule over angels (I Corinthians 6:3), and can accomplish all things (Philippians 4:13). With Christ as our saviour, God does not see our inherent unworthiness, but sees Christ's righteousness that is imputed to us. So, if you believe yourself to be an unworthy creature undeserving of God's love and mercy, without Christ that is true, but in Christ you are invaluable. If you think yourself to be a fine specimen of humanity with no need for Jesus, you are sadly mistaken. Our value to God is not determined by who we are or what we do, but by our faith in Christ.
In certain forms of suffering, the Evil One may attempt to attack us in our sense of self-worth. In spiritual warfare, Satan may attack you in an area of your strength, trying to convince you of your unworthiness. If you are a scrupulously honest person, the Devil may encourage people to spread lies about your honesty. And if you are a Christian who is trying to serve the Lord as a missionary in another land, other people may try to humiliate you and debase you.
However, in other forms of suffering, God may be trying to accomplish something in your life that requires that your ego take a beating. If you are out of God's will, in sin, He will chasten you. The purpose of that chastening is to lead you to repentance, and it is hard to repent without a sense of humility. Yet you may be in God's will, but have some part of you that God doesn't like, that He must remove by pruning. Those Christians who are being pruned are abiding in Him (John 15), yet they must be formed and shaped in the image of Christ, and those parts of us that are not Christ-like must be removed. Much of what has to be shed involves pride.
Those who suffer from spirtual warfare or persecution for their faith need not be embarassed by their affliction. They should take comfort in their value to God through their faith in Christ and know that they would not be under these assaults except for the fact that they are children of God. However, when we are being corrected by God or pruned by Him, it is revealing a deficiency in us, and the medication may just be a hefty dose of humility. A little redness in our cheeks is necessary now, that in eternity our faces reflect God's glory.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Profitable Suffering
In my forthcoming book, Surviving the Suffering, The basic premise is that all suffering is not the same. There are underlying reasons for the different types of suffering, and we must correctly diagnose which form of suffering afflicts us. Chastening is a specific brand of suffering, and it is reserved for Christians who are outside of God's will. This leads to His correction, which begins with recognition of our sin, followed by repentance, then restoration of our right relationship with Him. One source of solace in this situation is that God chastens those He loves. Proverbs 3:11-12 tells us, "...do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest His correction; for whom He loves, He corrects."
A problem arises when we are involved with someone else who is suffering chastening because of their actions. When a loved one, a child or dear friend, is suffering, our natural reaction is to help them with all our heart. This may not be the best thing. Although we should not abandon them, it is best not to rescue them, either. God is trying to teach them the error of their ways, and part of that educational experience is letting them endure the consequences of their behavior. As Herbert Spencer said, "The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools." Or as others have said, "We learn good judgement from experience. We gain experience from bad judgement." Sometimes, in order to live well, we must first live poorly.
In the classic World War II movie Darby's Ranger's, an Englishwoman leaves her husband for a young American soldier. She then rushes to the American military base to marry the man, and on arrival she is told the soldier has died in a training accident. She collapses to the floor upon hearing this, and the commanding officer comforts her by saying, "You made your bed, lass," without bothering to add, "Now lie on it." I am not always talking about taking things to such an extreme. My job often requires that I rescue people from the consequences of their behavior. Patients show up with coronary artery disease after decades of smoking and overeating, and need bypass surgery. I don't tell them, "You blocked your arteries, now die from it."
We should never disregard our responsibility to help those in need. But not only are you not obligated to salvage every person's situation, it may not be prudent to do so, either. There is much profit to corrective suffering. We see the failure of rescues in our day with both individual and corporate welfare. People who have indulged in behavior known to lead to poverty and banks who have indulged in risky fiscal behavior are bailed out by taking money earned by people who have engaged in neither. What is worse is that such assistance, however well-intentioned, teaches these people and corporations nothing about responsibility. When people are bailed out by entitlements, they feel entitled to a bailout.
It causes us pain to stand by and watch others suffering. If it does not, then you should question your own relationship with God. Even if the suffering is merited, we must allow God to work His sovereign correction to completion. As the Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises noted, "'This time, it's different' are the four most expensive words in the English language." Sometimes people need to learn that, no, it is not different. If you are a Christian, you will not succeed in stupid or sinful behavior in the long run, and your folly will be expensive. Unfortunately, some of the consequences of your behavior will hurt those around you.
Our compassion for others must not be so clouded that we obstruct correction. Stand by them or behind them, but not in front of them.
A problem arises when we are involved with someone else who is suffering chastening because of their actions. When a loved one, a child or dear friend, is suffering, our natural reaction is to help them with all our heart. This may not be the best thing. Although we should not abandon them, it is best not to rescue them, either. God is trying to teach them the error of their ways, and part of that educational experience is letting them endure the consequences of their behavior. As Herbert Spencer said, "The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools." Or as others have said, "We learn good judgement from experience. We gain experience from bad judgement." Sometimes, in order to live well, we must first live poorly.
In the classic World War II movie Darby's Ranger's, an Englishwoman leaves her husband for a young American soldier. She then rushes to the American military base to marry the man, and on arrival she is told the soldier has died in a training accident. She collapses to the floor upon hearing this, and the commanding officer comforts her by saying, "You made your bed, lass," without bothering to add, "Now lie on it." I am not always talking about taking things to such an extreme. My job often requires that I rescue people from the consequences of their behavior. Patients show up with coronary artery disease after decades of smoking and overeating, and need bypass surgery. I don't tell them, "You blocked your arteries, now die from it."
We should never disregard our responsibility to help those in need. But not only are you not obligated to salvage every person's situation, it may not be prudent to do so, either. There is much profit to corrective suffering. We see the failure of rescues in our day with both individual and corporate welfare. People who have indulged in behavior known to lead to poverty and banks who have indulged in risky fiscal behavior are bailed out by taking money earned by people who have engaged in neither. What is worse is that such assistance, however well-intentioned, teaches these people and corporations nothing about responsibility. When people are bailed out by entitlements, they feel entitled to a bailout.
It causes us pain to stand by and watch others suffering. If it does not, then you should question your own relationship with God. Even if the suffering is merited, we must allow God to work His sovereign correction to completion. As the Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises noted, "'This time, it's different' are the four most expensive words in the English language." Sometimes people need to learn that, no, it is not different. If you are a Christian, you will not succeed in stupid or sinful behavior in the long run, and your folly will be expensive. Unfortunately, some of the consequences of your behavior will hurt those around you.
Our compassion for others must not be so clouded that we obstruct correction. Stand by them or behind them, but not in front of them.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
The Next to Last Phase
Surviving The Suffering" has now finished its proof review and has passed all of the spelling and grammar checks. Hopefully it will only take my publisher a few days to make the final revisions on the print copy. That is the last stage in actually writing the book.
From here it goes to marketing. I understand that phase takes a little longer than the others, up to three months, as they prepare the book for release. They will be making a fifteen second television commercial, I understand. I am still hopeful that the book will be out by Thanksgiving or Christmas. Many things are yet to be decided by the publisher, but it appears that the book will be 243 pages long and the softcover version will be $14.99. I am hoping that your attention spans and pocketbooks will be at least that deep.
From here it goes to marketing. I understand that phase takes a little longer than the others, up to three months, as they prepare the book for release. They will be making a fifteen second television commercial, I understand. I am still hopeful that the book will be out by Thanksgiving or Christmas. Many things are yet to be decided by the publisher, but it appears that the book will be 243 pages long and the softcover version will be $14.99. I am hoping that your attention spans and pocketbooks will be at least that deep.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Surviving The Suffering First Proof
I will be taking a break this week as I have just received my first printed copy of Surviving The Suffering for review. This requires a word-by-word examination, looking for any spelling or grammar errors, and is quite time consuming. Once the proof has passed review, it goes to marketing for a few months before it is released, hopefully before Christmas.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Suffering On Instruments
I was intrigued by an analogy drawn by Alistair Begg comparing faith to flying on instruments. I have been flying for over twenty-five years now and have been instrument-rated for over twenty of those years. My first instrument training involved sitting many hours at a flight simulator, and then progressing to fly an airplane with a device called a hood, which one wears like a giant visor and prevents you from looking out the windows. (This is done with an instructor, of course.) We are taught to scan our instruments from side-to-side and up and down, in a rhythmic pattern, constantly cross-checking the dials. To see what this looks like outside the windshield, I offer you the following short video. (The dramatic change occurs at about one minute.)
There are six basic instruments you must constantly observe to keep the aircraft upright, arranged in a standard pattern. On the upper left is the airspeed indicator, lower left the turn coordinator, upper middle the artificial horizon, lower middle the heading indicator, upper right the altimeter, and lower right the vertical speed indicator, which tells you how fast you are climbing or descending. Of all of these, the most crucial is the artificial horizon, and that is why it occupies the central focus of the panel in the upper middle.
This instrument is run by a gyroscope, which always remains perpendicular to the earth. The glass windows and markings, then actually move around the gyroscope. When you are in a turn, it looks like this:
This instrument is so important that if it fails, it is hard to keep the plane upright. Although we are trained to fly the aircraft using the other instruments if this one fails, it is very difficult and several crashes have occurred because this important device failed. It is so important that I had a second one installed in my small plane as a back-up:
There are six basic instruments you must constantly observe to keep the aircraft upright, arranged in a standard pattern. On the upper left is the airspeed indicator, lower left the turn coordinator, upper middle the artificial horizon, lower middle the heading indicator, upper right the altimeter, and lower right the vertical speed indicator, which tells you how fast you are climbing or descending. Of all of these, the most crucial is the artificial horizon, and that is why it occupies the central focus of the panel in the upper middle.
This instrument is run by a gyroscope, which always remains perpendicular to the earth. The glass windows and markings, then actually move around the gyroscope. When you are in a turn, it looks like this:
This instrument is so important that if it fails, it is hard to keep the plane upright. Although we are trained to fly the aircraft using the other instruments if this one fails, it is very difficult and several crashes have occurred because this important device failed. It is so important that I had a second one installed in my small plane as a back-up:
When pilots become disoriented in instrument conditions, however, it is usually not because the instrument fails. It is because they do not believe what it is showing them, and assume it has failed them.
So, your life depends on this instrument working and on believing it. You cannot look outside the cockpit for guidance. You must stake everything on your faith in what it is telling you. And I think this is the point that Alistair Begg was trying to make.
When we are undergoing trials, we must stake everything on our faith in Jesus Christ. And of the two problems that can occur while flying blind, we never have to wonder about Christ having an instrument failure. That part we can always be sure of, so there is no need for a back-up Savior. The only variable we have to deal with is our trust in Him. No matter how stormy the weather or how little we can see ahead of us, we must have absolute belief in God that He will keep His promises.
Romans 8:28 tells us, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose." Not some things or the occasional thing, but all things. We may experience extraordinary sufferings, even unto death, knowing that it will be for good, either in this lifetime or eternally. And if we cannot see the temporal, earthly benefit outside the cockpit, we must believe that there is eternal benefit being accomplished. There are many things that I have suffered where I could not see how any possible good could come from it, but I must trust that God is accomplishing His will and I will know what His purpose was when I reach the next life.
And in Romans 8:38-39 we are advised that nothing, not anything, shall separate us from the love of God. In the preceding verse 37, we know that we are more than conquerors. To conquer implies that we gain victory, we win. Does that mean that we will successfully defeat all of our suffering in this lifetime? I think not. But even in death, we gain victory by virtue of eternal life. And nothing bad in this world, not even death, can separate us from God's love.
These two promises, that all things work for good and nothing will separate us from the love of God, are among many that provide us our instrument for staying upright. To disbelieve what God is telling us is akin to disbelieving our artificial horizon, and we will become disoriented and very likely end up in a death spiral as we spin out of control. An old book written by a World War II fighter pilot, Robert Scott, was called "God is My Co-Pilot." What a wonderful notion to think of Christ in our plane beside us, giving us advice and aid. I don't think my title, "God is My Artificial Horizon," would have been nearly so catchy. But I think you get the point. When we are flying blind in life, on instruments, we must trust what God has told us and know it to be true.
Oh, and by the way, there is another name for the Artificial Horizon, a name that describes how the plane is oriented to the world below it, and I think that our belief and reliance on God says a lot about how we are oriented to the world around us. It is also called the Attitude Indicator.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Learning to Suffer
Last year in a post entitled, "Are You Blessed or Cursed? Suffering at the Margin,," I discussed the notion that many people consider themselves to be suffering when they are not blessed as much as others. Not being blessed as much as you would like does not mean that you are "cursed", and one of the most difficult challenges we face in life, and certainly one of mine, is dealing with the disappointments we encounter. People of our time today are so used to having their needs met and their wishes fulfilled that when each and every desire is not granted, we feel disappointed.
We may have abundance to eat and comfort in our shelter, but we expect more, and are used to getting it. As someone once joked, a millionaire is quite happy with the money he has unless you put him in a room with billionaires. Some are faced with true hardships, and others with inconveniences. Sometimes the desires of our hearts are prideful and covetous in nature. I would not begin to try and tell you that a difficulty you are facing is not bona fide suffering; only you can determine where that line is. I would only caution you that not making the varsity cheerleading squad might not be suffering to the same degree as compared to not making it out of the operating room after a ruptured aneurysm. "They didn't make it" can mean a lot of different things.
The Apostle Paul lived a brutal life after his conversion. "From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils of the the sea, in perils among false brethren, in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness,--" (II Cor 11:24-27). These were not mere disappointments.
But see what Paul says in Philippians 4:11-12: "Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned whatever state I am, to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things, I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need." As one of my favorite Christian writers, Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones noticed, Paul was a sensitive man, proud by nature, and an intensely active person. What could be worse for him than to be imprisoned? Yet he was content.
So how do we become content? How are we to be contented not only in sufferings but in lesser disappointments? Look again at verse eleven above: "I have learned...to be content." We do not magically become content. Even receiving Christ as our savior and being indwelt by the Holy Spirit does not instantaneously make us content. We must learn to be content. In all circumstances.
Now stop and think about that for a minute. Suppose we were never disappointed. God can give us everything we want, or everything we need, or some amount in between. (We will leave aside the question of differentiating between a want and a need.) There is no guarantee that receiving everything we want would make us happy; most statistics show that only about half of lottery winners are happier than before. And few of us are blessed with receiving every single thing that we want. As for suffering, what if you never experienced any? Could God, in His infinite power, grant these things? Of course He could. But He chooses not to in order to teach us contentment. We cannot learn to be content in all circumstances, the desired ones and the undesired ones, unless some of those circumstances are undesired. And God, who allows the disappointments, provides us the means to be content. In Philippians 4:12 we are told by Paul, who has now demonstrated his complete authority in this matter, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
We must not pity ourselves in our disappointments. We must not become bitter in our ungranted supplications. We do not receive all of the grapes for which we leap as did Aesop's fox, and we must not assume they are sour; they may be perfectly wonderful grapes that God did not desire us to have. There are many lessons to be learned in our disappointments and sufferings (as I hope my forthcoming book will soon illumine). I believe that when we learn to be content in our disappointments that God will find it less necessary to allow them; I know that we will continue to encounter them until we reach the realm of complete fulfillment, where we will be eternally contented.
We may have abundance to eat and comfort in our shelter, but we expect more, and are used to getting it. As someone once joked, a millionaire is quite happy with the money he has unless you put him in a room with billionaires. Some are faced with true hardships, and others with inconveniences. Sometimes the desires of our hearts are prideful and covetous in nature. I would not begin to try and tell you that a difficulty you are facing is not bona fide suffering; only you can determine where that line is. I would only caution you that not making the varsity cheerleading squad might not be suffering to the same degree as compared to not making it out of the operating room after a ruptured aneurysm. "They didn't make it" can mean a lot of different things.
The Apostle Paul lived a brutal life after his conversion. "From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils of the the sea, in perils among false brethren, in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness,--" (II Cor 11:24-27). These were not mere disappointments.
But see what Paul says in Philippians 4:11-12: "Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned whatever state I am, to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things, I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need." As one of my favorite Christian writers, Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones noticed, Paul was a sensitive man, proud by nature, and an intensely active person. What could be worse for him than to be imprisoned? Yet he was content.
So how do we become content? How are we to be contented not only in sufferings but in lesser disappointments? Look again at verse eleven above: "I have learned...to be content." We do not magically become content. Even receiving Christ as our savior and being indwelt by the Holy Spirit does not instantaneously make us content. We must learn to be content. In all circumstances.
Now stop and think about that for a minute. Suppose we were never disappointed. God can give us everything we want, or everything we need, or some amount in between. (We will leave aside the question of differentiating between a want and a need.) There is no guarantee that receiving everything we want would make us happy; most statistics show that only about half of lottery winners are happier than before. And few of us are blessed with receiving every single thing that we want. As for suffering, what if you never experienced any? Could God, in His infinite power, grant these things? Of course He could. But He chooses not to in order to teach us contentment. We cannot learn to be content in all circumstances, the desired ones and the undesired ones, unless some of those circumstances are undesired. And God, who allows the disappointments, provides us the means to be content. In Philippians 4:12 we are told by Paul, who has now demonstrated his complete authority in this matter, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
We must not pity ourselves in our disappointments. We must not become bitter in our ungranted supplications. We do not receive all of the grapes for which we leap as did Aesop's fox, and we must not assume they are sour; they may be perfectly wonderful grapes that God did not desire us to have. There are many lessons to be learned in our disappointments and sufferings (as I hope my forthcoming book will soon illumine). I believe that when we learn to be content in our disappointments that God will find it less necessary to allow them; I know that we will continue to encounter them until we reach the realm of complete fulfillment, where we will be eternally contented.
Monday, July 23, 2012
All Bleeding Stops
Cardiac surgery can be a demanding discipline. Although the physical and technical challenges can be arduous, the mental and emotional demands can be far more draining. A week ago I saw a patient back in the office who had undergone complex heart surgery and had been given little chance of survival given the terrible condition his heart was in before the operation. His wife was with him, crying tears of gratitude that he had pulled through the surgery and was doing so well. That same week, another wife was crying tears of sorrow because we could not save her husband whose heart and body were too weak to make it after a long and difficult operation on a failing heart.
Because we as surgeons must face these issues daily, we must stiffen our resolve and not succumb to the sometimes dreadful realities of heart surgery. One of the worst problems we deal with regularly is bleeding. Patients undergoing open-heart surgery bleed afterwards for a lot of reasons. Many are on blood thinners of one kind or another preoperatively. A lot of them have poorly functioning blood clotting systems, the very system that you and I take for granted when we bleed after a cut or injury. Worst of all, in addition to the tissue trauma of surgery, when we place the patient on the heart-lung machine during the procedure we must give the patient massive doses of blood-thinners to keep the blood from clotting while it circulates outside the body and receives oxygen from the pump, which takes over the function of the heart and lungs while we stop the heart to work on it. Also, the very act of running the blood through the heart-lung machine causes derangements in the blood clotting system. Finally, in many heart operations there are many, many suture lines where we have sewn things together, and these can leak blood as well. For the vast majority of our patients, bleeding is not a problem. We give medications at the end of the procedure to reverse the blood thinners and their blood clots appropriately. However, some patients do bleed after heart surgery and some bleed a lot. In fact, it is accepted that about one to two per cent of the time we will have to take a patient back to the operating room for a second procedure to get the bleeding under control. Very rarely, the bleeding can be uncontrollable if the patient's own blood-clotting system refuses to function normally. Sometimes we spend hours in the operating room trying to get the bleeding to come under control. I had to do this last Friday, as a matter of fact.
So an old saying among heart surgeons, handed down from decades ago, offers the following proverb: "All bleeding stops." It is a dry and sarcastic way of looking at the problem in a dispassionate way. All bleeding will eventually stop. Either you, the surgeon, along with your surgical team and blood products from the blood bank as well as time and carefully placed sutures will get the bleeding under control, or you won't, and the patient will bleed to death. Either way, the bleeding stops.
Likewise, for the Christian, if you think about it, all suffering stops. For most of us, our trials are for but a season. God, in His infinite wisdom and mercy, knows what He needs to accomplish in our lives with the tests of faith He sends our way, and He knows exactly how much and for how long we must endure. However, for some of us, we will be stricken with a chronic or even terminal form of suffering, which we must endure until we die. As a Christian, we then enter the heavenly realm where there are no more tears.
We must embrace the fact that our time here on earth is but a small fraction of our eternal life. Sixty, eighty, or even a hundred years is a blink of an eye measured against forever. And our sufferings, dreadful as they may be, occur only during that blink. Either God stops our trial or trials while here on earth, or He doesn't. Either way, all suffering stops when we join Him to begin our life with Him. I must end on a somber note. for those who have not accepted Christ as their Savior, the suffering will never end. Forever is an awfully long time to endure. For those we know and love who are not Christians, it is imperative that we preach the Gospel to them that their eternal suffering may be turned to eternal joy.
Many of us have heavy hearts this week following the brutal slayings in Colorado a few days ago. The bullets that entered the flesh of those poor people that died ended their brief blink of earthly life. Some are in the presence of God Himself, and will never suffer again. In heart surgery, we cannot save every patient, but we try all that we can for those entrusted to our care. Likewise, we will not see all around us saved by faith in Christ, but let us try our all to make sure they know the way of salvation, that one day they will know suffering nevermore.
Because we as surgeons must face these issues daily, we must stiffen our resolve and not succumb to the sometimes dreadful realities of heart surgery. One of the worst problems we deal with regularly is bleeding. Patients undergoing open-heart surgery bleed afterwards for a lot of reasons. Many are on blood thinners of one kind or another preoperatively. A lot of them have poorly functioning blood clotting systems, the very system that you and I take for granted when we bleed after a cut or injury. Worst of all, in addition to the tissue trauma of surgery, when we place the patient on the heart-lung machine during the procedure we must give the patient massive doses of blood-thinners to keep the blood from clotting while it circulates outside the body and receives oxygen from the pump, which takes over the function of the heart and lungs while we stop the heart to work on it. Also, the very act of running the blood through the heart-lung machine causes derangements in the blood clotting system. Finally, in many heart operations there are many, many suture lines where we have sewn things together, and these can leak blood as well. For the vast majority of our patients, bleeding is not a problem. We give medications at the end of the procedure to reverse the blood thinners and their blood clots appropriately. However, some patients do bleed after heart surgery and some bleed a lot. In fact, it is accepted that about one to two per cent of the time we will have to take a patient back to the operating room for a second procedure to get the bleeding under control. Very rarely, the bleeding can be uncontrollable if the patient's own blood-clotting system refuses to function normally. Sometimes we spend hours in the operating room trying to get the bleeding to come under control. I had to do this last Friday, as a matter of fact.
So an old saying among heart surgeons, handed down from decades ago, offers the following proverb: "All bleeding stops." It is a dry and sarcastic way of looking at the problem in a dispassionate way. All bleeding will eventually stop. Either you, the surgeon, along with your surgical team and blood products from the blood bank as well as time and carefully placed sutures will get the bleeding under control, or you won't, and the patient will bleed to death. Either way, the bleeding stops.
Likewise, for the Christian, if you think about it, all suffering stops. For most of us, our trials are for but a season. God, in His infinite wisdom and mercy, knows what He needs to accomplish in our lives with the tests of faith He sends our way, and He knows exactly how much and for how long we must endure. However, for some of us, we will be stricken with a chronic or even terminal form of suffering, which we must endure until we die. As a Christian, we then enter the heavenly realm where there are no more tears.
We must embrace the fact that our time here on earth is but a small fraction of our eternal life. Sixty, eighty, or even a hundred years is a blink of an eye measured against forever. And our sufferings, dreadful as they may be, occur only during that blink. Either God stops our trial or trials while here on earth, or He doesn't. Either way, all suffering stops when we join Him to begin our life with Him. I must end on a somber note. for those who have not accepted Christ as their Savior, the suffering will never end. Forever is an awfully long time to endure. For those we know and love who are not Christians, it is imperative that we preach the Gospel to them that their eternal suffering may be turned to eternal joy.
Many of us have heavy hearts this week following the brutal slayings in Colorado a few days ago. The bullets that entered the flesh of those poor people that died ended their brief blink of earthly life. Some are in the presence of God Himself, and will never suffer again. In heart surgery, we cannot save every patient, but we try all that we can for those entrusted to our care. Likewise, we will not see all around us saved by faith in Christ, but let us try our all to make sure they know the way of salvation, that one day they will know suffering nevermore.
Monday, July 16, 2012
What Would It Be Like to Be Humble?
What would it be like to be humble? I mean, how would a humble person think and feel?
Over the last several weeks we have been discussing the sinner's inner tendency to sin. Last week we talked about conquering sin in our lives, realizing two things: (1) We will never have complete victory in this lifetime, and (2) We can only tame the sin in our lives by using the power of Christ. We cannot achieve this by our own efforts. The Holy Spirit, living within us, convicts us of our sin and gives us the strength to combat our fleshly desires and behavior.
God's power is too overwhelming for Him to dole it out to just anyone. They must be a person who can be trusted with such power, and I suggested that the prerequisite for receiving His power is humility. Now here is the awkward thing. Not only do you need that precious power from God, you need Him to also supply you with humility. Some of us are not naturally endowed with a humble nature. God, in His master plan of sanctification for us, must bring us to that state.
Being converted from non-humble to humble is not always an easy process. God must use several means to get us there. Like a surgeon, God has many instruments at His disposal. If we are clearly out of His will with prideful sin, God may have to chastise us. He may allow Satan to do His work for Him by means of spiritual warfare. Job was a righteous man, "blameless and upright," (Job 1:8), yet he was further humbled by Satan's attacks on him (Job 42:1-6). Even if we are in God's will, not sinning, He may further prune us of any part of us that carries pride within. So the ususal methods are chastisement, spiritual warfare, and pruning, or some combination of these.
As Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones put it, God chastises through circumstances, frequently through financial or material losses, and occasionally through health issues. God's primary concern is not our happiness but our holiness. And it is difficult to be humble if you are always successful. You have to be humbled to have humility. It is certainly not in our nature to actively seek out chastisement and being humbled.
With regards to pruning, we must recognize what God is doing in our lives so that we may cooperate with his plan. When something painful wounds us, we must ask ourselves if God is trying to prune us of our pride. And then we must not resist. As C. S. Lewis put it, "But suppose you are up against a surgeon whose intentions are wholly good. The kinder and more conscientious he is, the more inexorably he will go on cutting. If he yielded to your entreaties, if he stopped before the operation was complete, all the pain up to that point would have been useless."
If you are a Christian, you will hate the sin in your life. You will long to be sin-free. You will not obtain that in this lifetime; it is a chronic disease. But if you seek humility with the same desire that God desires to see that in you, He will grant that. It will require spiritual surgery, a pridectomy, to instill you with a humble spirit. And only after you have been prepared in this way will God be able to entrust to you His power to conquer sin. For some of us, it requires a daily trip to His operating suite.
And how does it feel to be humble? How does a humble person think and feel? Since I am not there yet, I can only offer observations from the humble people that have graced my life. I think that if there were any one single aspect that characterizes a humble person it is that they do not think of themselves. Don't get me wrong. I don't mean that they think poorly of themselves. They do not debase themselves. They do not have a false humility. And they are not completely self-unaware. They are perfectly able to look at themselves when needed and examine their lives. But they do not dwell on themselves. They are not constantly worried about themselves, what will happen to them, what other people will think of them. They are not worried about pleasing themselves or pleasing others but pleasing God. They do not focus on themseves because they are focused on God.
If some of my earlier comments about God's methods are confusing, my new book, "Surviving the Suffering", should be out this fall. It is currently in the final stages of layout, then on to marketing before it is released. The entire book is built around the concept of diagnosing the causes of our sufferings, so that we may make the right decisions in dealing with each of those causes, including chastisement, spiritual warfare, and pruning as well as other causes of our sufferings. I am hoping and praying that it will help those of you who are suffering now or will be, and that pretty much includes everyone.
I am also praying for humility. That is a dangerous thing to do. It can be a short trip for some or a lifetime journey for others. I'll send you a postcard when I get there.
Over the last several weeks we have been discussing the sinner's inner tendency to sin. Last week we talked about conquering sin in our lives, realizing two things: (1) We will never have complete victory in this lifetime, and (2) We can only tame the sin in our lives by using the power of Christ. We cannot achieve this by our own efforts. The Holy Spirit, living within us, convicts us of our sin and gives us the strength to combat our fleshly desires and behavior.
God's power is too overwhelming for Him to dole it out to just anyone. They must be a person who can be trusted with such power, and I suggested that the prerequisite for receiving His power is humility. Now here is the awkward thing. Not only do you need that precious power from God, you need Him to also supply you with humility. Some of us are not naturally endowed with a humble nature. God, in His master plan of sanctification for us, must bring us to that state.
Being converted from non-humble to humble is not always an easy process. God must use several means to get us there. Like a surgeon, God has many instruments at His disposal. If we are clearly out of His will with prideful sin, God may have to chastise us. He may allow Satan to do His work for Him by means of spiritual warfare. Job was a righteous man, "blameless and upright," (Job 1:8), yet he was further humbled by Satan's attacks on him (Job 42:1-6). Even if we are in God's will, not sinning, He may further prune us of any part of us that carries pride within. So the ususal methods are chastisement, spiritual warfare, and pruning, or some combination of these.
As Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones put it, God chastises through circumstances, frequently through financial or material losses, and occasionally through health issues. God's primary concern is not our happiness but our holiness. And it is difficult to be humble if you are always successful. You have to be humbled to have humility. It is certainly not in our nature to actively seek out chastisement and being humbled.
With regards to pruning, we must recognize what God is doing in our lives so that we may cooperate with his plan. When something painful wounds us, we must ask ourselves if God is trying to prune us of our pride. And then we must not resist. As C. S. Lewis put it, "But suppose you are up against a surgeon whose intentions are wholly good. The kinder and more conscientious he is, the more inexorably he will go on cutting. If he yielded to your entreaties, if he stopped before the operation was complete, all the pain up to that point would have been useless."
If you are a Christian, you will hate the sin in your life. You will long to be sin-free. You will not obtain that in this lifetime; it is a chronic disease. But if you seek humility with the same desire that God desires to see that in you, He will grant that. It will require spiritual surgery, a pridectomy, to instill you with a humble spirit. And only after you have been prepared in this way will God be able to entrust to you His power to conquer sin. For some of us, it requires a daily trip to His operating suite.
And how does it feel to be humble? How does a humble person think and feel? Since I am not there yet, I can only offer observations from the humble people that have graced my life. I think that if there were any one single aspect that characterizes a humble person it is that they do not think of themselves. Don't get me wrong. I don't mean that they think poorly of themselves. They do not debase themselves. They do not have a false humility. And they are not completely self-unaware. They are perfectly able to look at themselves when needed and examine their lives. But they do not dwell on themselves. They are not constantly worried about themselves, what will happen to them, what other people will think of them. They are not worried about pleasing themselves or pleasing others but pleasing God. They do not focus on themseves because they are focused on God.
If some of my earlier comments about God's methods are confusing, my new book, "Surviving the Suffering", should be out this fall. It is currently in the final stages of layout, then on to marketing before it is released. The entire book is built around the concept of diagnosing the causes of our sufferings, so that we may make the right decisions in dealing with each of those causes, including chastisement, spiritual warfare, and pruning as well as other causes of our sufferings. I am hoping and praying that it will help those of you who are suffering now or will be, and that pretty much includes everyone.
I am also praying for humility. That is a dangerous thing to do. It can be a short trip for some or a lifetime journey for others. I'll send you a postcard when I get there.
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