It has been suggested to me that my hearing is not all that it should be. The medical term for age-related deafness is presbycusis, just as the term for age-related vision changes is called presbyopia. I do indeed suffer from presbyopia and began wearing bifocals a few years ago. However, in that there is only one person who has challenged my hearing, and I myself have not noticed any change, I believe my auditory faculties are largely intact. I believe the problem may be better described as selective deafness, as I appear to not hear only certain things. In fact, I have had my hearing checked thoroughly and the only thing that can be seen on objective testing is some loss of my high-frequency hearing. I think that explains why I only seem to miss hearing certain things from this one person; nagging is usually done in a higher pitched voice.
God as we know, is perfect in all respects. Not only is He omnipotent but He is omniscient. There is nothing He cannot hear or know. However, I believe God may have selective deafness at times, and this is when we talk to Him and say, "But God, ..." I don't think He hears much of what comes after that, and even begins drumming His fingers on the table until we are finished. First of all, when we go, "But God, ..." it means we are trying to explain to Him something He already knows. We are making an excuse.
If we are suffering, and it is because of sin in our life and we are being chastened, we may try and explain our sin to God. "But God, everyone else is doing it," or "But God, it is just this one time." Or if we are being attacked during spiritual warfare, we may cry to our Lord, "But God, I don't want to suffer." Perhaps we are stricken by illness, and it is an opportunity to demonstrate our faith in Christ, to bring glory to Him, and we are tempted to plead, "But God, I don't deserve this suffering."
We know that sin leads to suffering. But suffering can also lead to sin. Someone suffering in a bitter marriage may begin an adulterous affair. Someone who has suffered misfortune may be envious of the success of another. A person who has had great financial loss may become obsessed with money. And in each of these cases, when that person speaks to God, they are essentially saying, "But God, I was entitled to do those things because..." No, you're not.
And I'm not sure the words "But God, ..." are even allowed in heaven. When we stand before our Creator for judgement, those who did not chose Christ as their savior are not going to avoid the eternal fire by saying "But God, ..." He isn't going to hear what comes after that. There will be no excuse, and that is sad because most of the human race is going to be saying, "But God, I was a good person and I did all these good things."
If you are a believing Christian, you will spend eternity in heaven. But we, too, will be judged on the works we have done and the life we have lived, when we face Christ who sits on His bema seat of judgement (Romans 14:10 and II Corinthians 5:9). This is where we will receive our heavenly rewards based on how we have served the Lord. How magnificent those rewards must be for those who have spent their lives earnestly seeking His kingdom in humble service to Christ. I don't know about you, but I think I will really be too embarassed to say, "But God, I deserve more than this baseball cap."
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Sunday, January 8, 2012
The Suffering Mandate
The word "gospel", as many of you know, means "good news." (It comes from the Old English "God" or "good," and "spel," or "story.") As Christians, we are commanded in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Well, that certainly is good news, and the forgiveness of our sins and acceptance into heaven for all eternity is the best news anyone could ever hear.
We want people to know the good news in order that they may be led to saving faith. Many times we approach evangelism as salesmen with a product that is even better than a ShamWow: "Accept Christ now, and not only will you receive eternal life but forgiveness of sins and you'll also get the Holy Spirit! All free! Get your New Life now! Hurry, because this offer is limited!" No one wants to sell a product talking about its bad features.
But there is some bad news, a badspel, if you will, that comes with being a Christian. Suffering is mandatory. Let's look at Romans 8:17, "...and if children, then heirs-- heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may be glorified together." In the NIV translation, it says, "...if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." And Christ's suffering was mandatory.
I have often wondered exactly when the Christ-child on earth first became aware of His status as God's son. We do not know much of His early life, other than details like His circumcision, presentation in the temple, and flight to Egypt; all of these were as an infant and a young child. We do not hear again of Jesus until age twelve, when he clearly stated in Luke 2:49, "Did you not know that I must be about my Father's business." He may have been self-aware from birth, even as a non-speaking infant. However, along with that awareness of his deity must have come knowledge of his future on the cross. He knew of his suffering mandate, that he must die for us to live eternally with Him. I presume he also knew of the scourging and beatings he would endure.
Patients who await surgery know of the pain that is to come, and dread it, even knowing that there will be medication to relieve the hurt. I myself have had several operations, and two major surgeries in the last four years. The night before surgery you realize that the next night will be filled with discomfort, yet although the mind cognitively recognizes that there will be pain and anticipates it, that is not the same as the actual experience. Christ must have known in the days leading up to His death the pain that would be involved, and there would be no nurse with morphine at His call.
So we cherish the pain Christ endured because it frees us from eternal damnation. Yet we must also know of the badspel, the bad news, that suffering is on the morrow for us, it is mandatory, that we must not be surprised or shocked when it happens. For us to share in Christ's glory, we must share in His sufferings.
When I meet with a patient who is about to have heart surgery, I get informed consent. I must explain to them the nature of their problem, the planned procedure, its risks and complications, the risk of not having surgery, and the chance of success. They must understand all of these before accepting my offer of surgery. I have to make sure that they are informed but not so terrified that they are scared away from life-saving surgery.
Should we share the bad news with potential Christians? Should we get informed consent before explaing salvation? How would that affect our sales? "The good news is that you get eternal life in heaven, forgiveness of sins, freedom from the enslavement of sin, and even a new body. There are no alternative procedures. The bad news is you have to suffer. The risk of sufferering is 100%" I do not believe it is necessary to withhold this from our evangelical approach, but it need not be a dominant theme, either. God will, through irresistible grace, bring those to salvation that he has chosen, no matter the obstacles to be overcome.
And it may be that how you handle the mandatory suffering in your life, as a Christian, that actually influences those watching you to seek the same grace you have received.
We want people to know the good news in order that they may be led to saving faith. Many times we approach evangelism as salesmen with a product that is even better than a ShamWow: "Accept Christ now, and not only will you receive eternal life but forgiveness of sins and you'll also get the Holy Spirit! All free! Get your New Life now! Hurry, because this offer is limited!" No one wants to sell a product talking about its bad features.
But there is some bad news, a badspel, if you will, that comes with being a Christian. Suffering is mandatory. Let's look at Romans 8:17, "...and if children, then heirs-- heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may be glorified together." In the NIV translation, it says, "...if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." And Christ's suffering was mandatory.
I have often wondered exactly when the Christ-child on earth first became aware of His status as God's son. We do not know much of His early life, other than details like His circumcision, presentation in the temple, and flight to Egypt; all of these were as an infant and a young child. We do not hear again of Jesus until age twelve, when he clearly stated in Luke 2:49, "Did you not know that I must be about my Father's business." He may have been self-aware from birth, even as a non-speaking infant. However, along with that awareness of his deity must have come knowledge of his future on the cross. He knew of his suffering mandate, that he must die for us to live eternally with Him. I presume he also knew of the scourging and beatings he would endure.
Patients who await surgery know of the pain that is to come, and dread it, even knowing that there will be medication to relieve the hurt. I myself have had several operations, and two major surgeries in the last four years. The night before surgery you realize that the next night will be filled with discomfort, yet although the mind cognitively recognizes that there will be pain and anticipates it, that is not the same as the actual experience. Christ must have known in the days leading up to His death the pain that would be involved, and there would be no nurse with morphine at His call.
So we cherish the pain Christ endured because it frees us from eternal damnation. Yet we must also know of the badspel, the bad news, that suffering is on the morrow for us, it is mandatory, that we must not be surprised or shocked when it happens. For us to share in Christ's glory, we must share in His sufferings.
When I meet with a patient who is about to have heart surgery, I get informed consent. I must explain to them the nature of their problem, the planned procedure, its risks and complications, the risk of not having surgery, and the chance of success. They must understand all of these before accepting my offer of surgery. I have to make sure that they are informed but not so terrified that they are scared away from life-saving surgery.
Should we share the bad news with potential Christians? Should we get informed consent before explaing salvation? How would that affect our sales? "The good news is that you get eternal life in heaven, forgiveness of sins, freedom from the enslavement of sin, and even a new body. There are no alternative procedures. The bad news is you have to suffer. The risk of sufferering is 100%" I do not believe it is necessary to withhold this from our evangelical approach, but it need not be a dominant theme, either. God will, through irresistible grace, bring those to salvation that he has chosen, no matter the obstacles to be overcome.
And it may be that how you handle the mandatory suffering in your life, as a Christian, that actually influences those watching you to seek the same grace you have received.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Surving the Suffering Begins Production
I am pleased to let everyone know that Surviving the Suffering, my new book, has begun the production process. Currently it is in the copy-editing phase, which will take about a month. If all goes well, the book will be on the shelves this summer. I will also post updates here as they happen, but expect January to be a quiet month as the publisher checks my punctuation.
Monday, January 2, 2012
The Massacre of the Innocents-- Suffering at Christ's Birth
I am hopeful that everyone has had a blessed Christmas and that the New Year brings hope anew to all. I am sure that most of us have not experienced a tragedy in the holiday season, but unfortunately the Season of Joy does not have immunity from loss. In the medical profession, we see the passing of family members at this time of year as at all times of the year, and are acutely aware of the future association of such a painful loss with a time of celebration. In the past several weeks alone a nearby pastor lost his wife and my cousin lost her husband, each to cancer. And of course, the news provides us with even more sensational accounts.
The birth of our Lord Jesus Christ is indeed an event worth celebrating each year as we are reminded of the salvation that is ours because of God's gift. Yet the birth of Christ was also associated with tragedy soon after, as we see in Matthew Chapter Two. We do not know of the exact time the wise men visited Him, but it was after Mary, Joseph, and Jesus had moved into a house, probably when Jesus was around two. Before they visited Jesus though, they visited Herod, and by inquiring of the location of the King of the Jews, alerted him to His birth. He had to call his priests and scribes to explain to him what had happened, and then he tried to deceive the wise men into locating Christ for him, "...that I may come and worship Him also."
Herod the Great was a truly wicked man. It is thought that he murdered forty-five members of the Sanhedrin. He married Mariamne, but killed first her brother Aristobulus, then Hyrcanus her grandfather, followed by her mother Alexandra. He had both of his sons by her strangled in prison when they became popular with the people, and had another of his sons, Antipater (his son by Doris), executed as well. So when the wise men were warned in a dream and left without disclosing the location of Jesus, the evil Herod knew just what to do next. For our sake, and for that of the Messiah and His family, an angel warned them to flee to Egypt.
In verse 16, the horror of Herod is realized. He orders the slaughter of all the male children less than two years of age in Bethlehem and its surroundings, "according to the time which he had determined from the wise men." Imagine the terror as Herod's men marched into town, breaking down doors, and ruthlessly ripping the young boys from their mother's arms, only to butcher them. Herod's act is truly an act of depravity, knowing that he was to kill the one chosen by God to be our Messiah. In fact, Herod was near the end of his life; he would be long gone before a two year-old would be grown enough to be a threat to him.
This event, the Massacre of the Innocents, yielded the first martyrs, young boys whose only misfortune was to be alive at the time when Herod became aware of the birth of Christ. (A moving painting by Paul Rubens in the early 1600's depicts the desperation of the families trying to save their sons, as seen below.) Surely these families did not know that their children were dying as the result of the birth of the Messiah, and it is doubtful that they could even relate it to the birth of Jesus, whom they likely knew in the small town of Bethlehem. It may have been only years later, when Jesus was revealed as the Christ, that they would associate their loss with His birth.
All of us have suffered at some point, and if any of you experience grief during this season of celebration and joy, I pray that you will know that you are not alone. Those who believe in Him are welcomed into His arms at this time of year, as at any time, and some Christmases from now we will be joyfully reunited with them.
The birth of our Lord Jesus Christ is indeed an event worth celebrating each year as we are reminded of the salvation that is ours because of God's gift. Yet the birth of Christ was also associated with tragedy soon after, as we see in Matthew Chapter Two. We do not know of the exact time the wise men visited Him, but it was after Mary, Joseph, and Jesus had moved into a house, probably when Jesus was around two. Before they visited Jesus though, they visited Herod, and by inquiring of the location of the King of the Jews, alerted him to His birth. He had to call his priests and scribes to explain to him what had happened, and then he tried to deceive the wise men into locating Christ for him, "...that I may come and worship Him also."
Herod the Great was a truly wicked man. It is thought that he murdered forty-five members of the Sanhedrin. He married Mariamne, but killed first her brother Aristobulus, then Hyrcanus her grandfather, followed by her mother Alexandra. He had both of his sons by her strangled in prison when they became popular with the people, and had another of his sons, Antipater (his son by Doris), executed as well. So when the wise men were warned in a dream and left without disclosing the location of Jesus, the evil Herod knew just what to do next. For our sake, and for that of the Messiah and His family, an angel warned them to flee to Egypt.
In verse 16, the horror of Herod is realized. He orders the slaughter of all the male children less than two years of age in Bethlehem and its surroundings, "according to the time which he had determined from the wise men." Imagine the terror as Herod's men marched into town, breaking down doors, and ruthlessly ripping the young boys from their mother's arms, only to butcher them. Herod's act is truly an act of depravity, knowing that he was to kill the one chosen by God to be our Messiah. In fact, Herod was near the end of his life; he would be long gone before a two year-old would be grown enough to be a threat to him.
This event, the Massacre of the Innocents, yielded the first martyrs, young boys whose only misfortune was to be alive at the time when Herod became aware of the birth of Christ. (A moving painting by Paul Rubens in the early 1600's depicts the desperation of the families trying to save their sons, as seen below.) Surely these families did not know that their children were dying as the result of the birth of the Messiah, and it is doubtful that they could even relate it to the birth of Jesus, whom they likely knew in the small town of Bethlehem. It may have been only years later, when Jesus was revealed as the Christ, that they would associate their loss with His birth.
All of us have suffered at some point, and if any of you experience grief during this season of celebration and joy, I pray that you will know that you are not alone. Those who believe in Him are welcomed into His arms at this time of year, as at any time, and some Christmases from now we will be joyfully reunited with them.
Massacre of the Innocents, Rubens 1611-12
Sunday, December 18, 2011
The Penalty of Suffering
By now many of you in Central Florida are aware of the recent murder trial of millionaire developer Bob Ward, who shot his wife in the face from a distance of eighteen inches. He was found guilty in September and was sentenced to 30 years in prison for second-degree murder. At his sentencing hearing Friday, one of his daughters said, "Justice for my mom is not locking my dad behind bars for the rest of his life. It's giving our family a second chance." I was struck by that comment, because a daughter who has suffered is so clearly mistaken about what justice is and, having lost her mother, must now have her father taken away as well.
A great deal of confusion arises in our society today, and even in our faith, because we blur the meanings of words. Imprecise use of words can also affect how we interpret Scripture. In the case of suffering caused by sin, we must clearly define forgiveness, punishment, restitution, and revenge. Since we are dealing here with a case of crime and punishment, let us first look at what this means.
Sinful behavior may result in many consequences, such as alcohol abuse leading to cirrhosis or smoking leading to lung cancer. However, in situations where God has ordained authority of one person over another, such as the criminal justice system or the parent-child relationship, the concept of justice truly applies. It usually has two components, punishment and restitution. Punishment is the applied penalty or consequence for the offense. If you rob a store, you go to jail. If you lie to your parent, you may get a spanking. Justice is indeed served when offenses are punished, and it is important that offenders experience those consequences. In situations where there is no God-ordained authority, then we are not allowed to punish others ourselves. If you are a friend and lie to me, I am not allowed to spank you.
We speak of a criminal who has commited a crime as having now created a "debt to society," which must be paid by undergoing punishment. This is a nice metaphor but not correct. There is no person named "society" and there is no way to "pay" for some crimes to society or anyone else. Bob Ward cannot "pay" his wife or anyone else for killing her. In some cases, however, people can make restitution for losses they caused someone, as in repaying money that has been embezzled. In no case, either those with God-ordained authority or without, are we allowed to exact revenge. Vengeance belongs solely to the Lord. (Deuteronomy 32:35, Romans 12:19)
Forgiveness, our last term, has several definitions; to pardon, to cancel a debt, to cease to feel resentment. And it is certainly possible in rare circumstances for someone in authority to pardon an offender, although if this was done in every case, then there would be no such thing as punishment. And we as individuals could forgive or cancel a criminal debt, such as ceasing to seek restitution. Ceasing to feel resentment frees us from letting someone else's behavior control how we feel. And since forgiveness is such an important spiritual topic, I will discuss that on a later post.
Let us return to the case of Mr. and Mrs. Ward. Bob Ward shot his wife in the face at point-blank range, and for that the State of Florida criminal justice system must obtain that justice and punish him. He must experience that consequence of his actions by doing time in the penal system. ("Penal" and "penalty" come from the Latin word poena or "punishment".) The "family" does not get to define what constitutes justice in this matter; they do not have authority over him to decide to punish him or pardon him. They can certainly forgive him and cease to feel resentment towards him. It is sad that the family will have to experience the consequences of Mr. Ward's actions, and suffer the loss of their father, but Diane Ward does not get a "second chance" either. It is important for us to soberly remember that our sinful actions can have suffering consequences for not only ourselves, but others.
And finally, there is another system of ordained authority, that of God over us. And because of original sin, we experience the consequences of the sins of Adam and Eve. As horrible as it seems, God's justice is obtained when He condemns us to eternal punishment and suffering Many will say, simlarly to what the Ward daughter said, that "Justice for God is not sending people to hell," but they would be just as wrong. However, unlike in our criminal justice system, a pardon is available to all who seek it. And uniquely, it is because He punished someone who was innocent. Our pardon is assured if only we will accept this fact into our hearts along with Christ our savior.
A great deal of confusion arises in our society today, and even in our faith, because we blur the meanings of words. Imprecise use of words can also affect how we interpret Scripture. In the case of suffering caused by sin, we must clearly define forgiveness, punishment, restitution, and revenge. Since we are dealing here with a case of crime and punishment, let us first look at what this means.
Sinful behavior may result in many consequences, such as alcohol abuse leading to cirrhosis or smoking leading to lung cancer. However, in situations where God has ordained authority of one person over another, such as the criminal justice system or the parent-child relationship, the concept of justice truly applies. It usually has two components, punishment and restitution. Punishment is the applied penalty or consequence for the offense. If you rob a store, you go to jail. If you lie to your parent, you may get a spanking. Justice is indeed served when offenses are punished, and it is important that offenders experience those consequences. In situations where there is no God-ordained authority, then we are not allowed to punish others ourselves. If you are a friend and lie to me, I am not allowed to spank you.
We speak of a criminal who has commited a crime as having now created a "debt to society," which must be paid by undergoing punishment. This is a nice metaphor but not correct. There is no person named "society" and there is no way to "pay" for some crimes to society or anyone else. Bob Ward cannot "pay" his wife or anyone else for killing her. In some cases, however, people can make restitution for losses they caused someone, as in repaying money that has been embezzled. In no case, either those with God-ordained authority or without, are we allowed to exact revenge. Vengeance belongs solely to the Lord. (Deuteronomy 32:35, Romans 12:19)
Forgiveness, our last term, has several definitions; to pardon, to cancel a debt, to cease to feel resentment. And it is certainly possible in rare circumstances for someone in authority to pardon an offender, although if this was done in every case, then there would be no such thing as punishment. And we as individuals could forgive or cancel a criminal debt, such as ceasing to seek restitution. Ceasing to feel resentment frees us from letting someone else's behavior control how we feel. And since forgiveness is such an important spiritual topic, I will discuss that on a later post.
Let us return to the case of Mr. and Mrs. Ward. Bob Ward shot his wife in the face at point-blank range, and for that the State of Florida criminal justice system must obtain that justice and punish him. He must experience that consequence of his actions by doing time in the penal system. ("Penal" and "penalty" come from the Latin word poena or "punishment".) The "family" does not get to define what constitutes justice in this matter; they do not have authority over him to decide to punish him or pardon him. They can certainly forgive him and cease to feel resentment towards him. It is sad that the family will have to experience the consequences of Mr. Ward's actions, and suffer the loss of their father, but Diane Ward does not get a "second chance" either. It is important for us to soberly remember that our sinful actions can have suffering consequences for not only ourselves, but others.
And finally, there is another system of ordained authority, that of God over us. And because of original sin, we experience the consequences of the sins of Adam and Eve. As horrible as it seems, God's justice is obtained when He condemns us to eternal punishment and suffering Many will say, simlarly to what the Ward daughter said, that "Justice for God is not sending people to hell," but they would be just as wrong. However, unlike in our criminal justice system, a pardon is available to all who seek it. And uniquely, it is because He punished someone who was innocent. Our pardon is assured if only we will accept this fact into our hearts along with Christ our savior.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
The Unwants. Deleting The Suffering.
I had a patient who was quite old and quite sick. He was in his late eighties and had a heart valve problem. This is fairly common, and we do surgery on the elderly all the time; however, the risks in this age group are significant, for heart valve surgery in older patients can come with numerous complications. And this patient, in particular, had many other medical problems that would make his recovery from surgery difficult. He was undecided as to whether or not he wished to proceed. He was quite worried that even if he survived the surgery, his quality of life might be worse than it already was. He wanted an exellent quality of life all the way up until his death, for as he said to me, "I want to be alive when I die."
In this day and time, we are so used to having our every need met, and especially our basic needs. Things that only a hundred years ago were impossible are now taken for granted. There were more people connected to the internet in 2000 than were connected to running water in 1900. Even America's poorest live in the top 30% of worldwide income. Heart surgery as we know it today did not exist until sixty years ago. And beyond those basic needs such as food and shelter, we are used to getting our desires met right down to the correct size and color and flavor. In other parts of the world, where any food would be welcome, we are able to order our meal with potato chips, french fries, seasoned fries, sweet potato fries, or home fries.
And with health care, a hundred years ago kidney failure was fatal. You didn't have the option to go for dialysis or a kidney transplant. Seventy years ago, if you had a heart valve problem, you died. Now you can choose between mechanical heart valves or tissue heart valves, ones made with cow tissue or pig tissue, and from having a full chest incision to having minimally invasive valve surgery with a small incision. So we expect to be able to choose the quality of our life up until the end.
Much of our prayer life is intercessory in nature, for others and ourselves.
We pray for God to give us what we want, our wants.
We pray for God to take away from us what we do not want, our unwants.
Clearly, suffering is an unwant. We desire to hit the "Delete" button and correct this bad thing that has come into our life. The problem is that what is absolutely guaranteed to happen is what God wants. And the unfortunate thing is that unless our wants and unwants are aligned with God's wants we tend to be discontented. I think this level of discontent today is much worse than it was years ago, where we had less ability to satisfy our own wants. There was more acceptance of things that could not be changed when there were so many things that could not be changed. There was more dependence on God to change things because that was the only way they could be changed. If you had a heart valve problem seventy years ago, you could not change how and when and where you would die or what your quality of life would be, which was pretty bad. And the only way you could be healed was for God to work a miracle.
God's soverign will is what is going to happen, what He wants. We should be so very thankful that our unwants today, awful as they can be when they happen to us, are so much less common than before.
In this day and time, we are so used to having our every need met, and especially our basic needs. Things that only a hundred years ago were impossible are now taken for granted. There were more people connected to the internet in 2000 than were connected to running water in 1900. Even America's poorest live in the top 30% of worldwide income. Heart surgery as we know it today did not exist until sixty years ago. And beyond those basic needs such as food and shelter, we are used to getting our desires met right down to the correct size and color and flavor. In other parts of the world, where any food would be welcome, we are able to order our meal with potato chips, french fries, seasoned fries, sweet potato fries, or home fries.
And with health care, a hundred years ago kidney failure was fatal. You didn't have the option to go for dialysis or a kidney transplant. Seventy years ago, if you had a heart valve problem, you died. Now you can choose between mechanical heart valves or tissue heart valves, ones made with cow tissue or pig tissue, and from having a full chest incision to having minimally invasive valve surgery with a small incision. So we expect to be able to choose the quality of our life up until the end.
Much of our prayer life is intercessory in nature, for others and ourselves.
We pray for God to give us what we want, our wants.
We pray for God to take away from us what we do not want, our unwants.
Clearly, suffering is an unwant. We desire to hit the "Delete" button and correct this bad thing that has come into our life. The problem is that what is absolutely guaranteed to happen is what God wants. And the unfortunate thing is that unless our wants and unwants are aligned with God's wants we tend to be discontented. I think this level of discontent today is much worse than it was years ago, where we had less ability to satisfy our own wants. There was more acceptance of things that could not be changed when there were so many things that could not be changed. There was more dependence on God to change things because that was the only way they could be changed. If you had a heart valve problem seventy years ago, you could not change how and when and where you would die or what your quality of life would be, which was pretty bad. And the only way you could be healed was for God to work a miracle.
God's soverign will is what is going to happen, what He wants. We should be so very thankful that our unwants today, awful as they can be when they happen to us, are so much less common than before.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Doubting the Benefit-- What Good is Suffering Anyway?
So I am in a hurry at the grocery store and I need to check out as quickly as possible. I head straight for the express lane with my seven items (yes, I count them). As I maneuver into position there is a young couple ahead of me with a month's worth of groceries laid out on the conveyor belt ahead of me.
To my way of understanding, going through the express lane with more than the allowed ten items should be a capital offense, or at least a felony; the punishment should both deter and ensure that there are no repeat offenders. There wasn't any point at even trying to count all the multitude of groceries stretched out ahead of mine; I could only glare at them.
I Corinthians 13:4-7 gives us the oft-quoted scripture from Paul defining love. "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
Although it is not in this or other passages of scripture, one other message on love that I came across last week is, "Love gives others the benefit of the doubt." Now, in my world, there are no shades of gray. Things are either black or white, good or evil, saintly or wicked. It is a stretch for me to see extenuating circumstances, although we would all, myself included, like to be given the benefit of the doubt when we fall short. I have been blessed many times by others extending me this benefit.
Anyway, the cashier felt prompted to say something to these wretched violators of decency. She admonished them, "Next time I will need you to use one of the regular lanes. This lane is for ten items or less." And the young couple, who were well-dressed and appeared educated, stared with mouths partly open at the express lane sign, saying "Oh. We didn't know."
Well, talk about adding insult to injury. I would have rather that they just completed their business and gone on their sinful way without trying to play dumb about it. I mean, really, who in America above the age of two doesn't know what the express lane is for? To stand there and pretend ignorance as an excuse for such uncivilized behavior was galling. Please, just take your truckload of groceries and go.
The couple explained they were visiting from another country. They really didn't know what an express lane was. They apologized to the cashier, to me, and to the person in line behind me. I had made a lot of assumptions in condemning them. I had jumped to conclusions. I had not given them the benefit of the doubt.
So, we who would all like to be shown the benefit of the doubt need to show it to others. I think there is another scripture in there somewhere about, "...just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise." And do we give our Lord the benefit of the doubt?
You see, when suffering comes upon us, we often see no good in it. We don't trust God's plans for us, His love for us, His caring for us. In these situations, when we do not give God the benefit of the doubt, we are doubting the benefit. As it says in Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called to His purpose." When we suffer, we must not jump to conclusions. We must go back to those things His Word tells us, the things we know to be true. We must remind ourselves that not only is God in control, but that He cares for us and will work all things for good. What seems so cruel and unfair to us in our limited understanding is promised to us by Scripture to be for our eternal benefit, a benefit which we must not doubt.
To my way of understanding, going through the express lane with more than the allowed ten items should be a capital offense, or at least a felony; the punishment should both deter and ensure that there are no repeat offenders. There wasn't any point at even trying to count all the multitude of groceries stretched out ahead of mine; I could only glare at them.
I Corinthians 13:4-7 gives us the oft-quoted scripture from Paul defining love. "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
Although it is not in this or other passages of scripture, one other message on love that I came across last week is, "Love gives others the benefit of the doubt." Now, in my world, there are no shades of gray. Things are either black or white, good or evil, saintly or wicked. It is a stretch for me to see extenuating circumstances, although we would all, myself included, like to be given the benefit of the doubt when we fall short. I have been blessed many times by others extending me this benefit.
Anyway, the cashier felt prompted to say something to these wretched violators of decency. She admonished them, "Next time I will need you to use one of the regular lanes. This lane is for ten items or less." And the young couple, who were well-dressed and appeared educated, stared with mouths partly open at the express lane sign, saying "Oh. We didn't know."
Well, talk about adding insult to injury. I would have rather that they just completed their business and gone on their sinful way without trying to play dumb about it. I mean, really, who in America above the age of two doesn't know what the express lane is for? To stand there and pretend ignorance as an excuse for such uncivilized behavior was galling. Please, just take your truckload of groceries and go.
The couple explained they were visiting from another country. They really didn't know what an express lane was. They apologized to the cashier, to me, and to the person in line behind me. I had made a lot of assumptions in condemning them. I had jumped to conclusions. I had not given them the benefit of the doubt.
So, we who would all like to be shown the benefit of the doubt need to show it to others. I think there is another scripture in there somewhere about, "...just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise." And do we give our Lord the benefit of the doubt?
You see, when suffering comes upon us, we often see no good in it. We don't trust God's plans for us, His love for us, His caring for us. In these situations, when we do not give God the benefit of the doubt, we are doubting the benefit. As it says in Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called to His purpose." When we suffer, we must not jump to conclusions. We must go back to those things His Word tells us, the things we know to be true. We must remind ourselves that not only is God in control, but that He cares for us and will work all things for good. What seems so cruel and unfair to us in our limited understanding is promised to us by Scripture to be for our eternal benefit, a benefit which we must not doubt.
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