Archive for the ‘Discipleship’ Category
Thursday, March 10th, 2005
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us
an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
2 Corinthians 4:17 (New International Version)
It is the fire of suffering that brings forth
the gold of godliness.
Madame Guyon
“God has a purpose behind every problem.” Rick’s first sentence for today’s chapter. I can relate to that. It’s so much more helpful than saying that God has planned every detail of our lives. It moves us beyond asking “why” to asking “what now, Lord?”
We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purposes.
Romans 8:28-29
I appreciate the unpacking of these words of Paul in Purpose Driven Life. Rick uses the analogy of using the ingredients of a cake to make something palatable, even though individually they make be distasteful or unpleasant. I’ve also seen the analogy of a weaving of a tapestry, in which seemingly random threads are tied together to make a beautiful pattern.
On the way home from work today I heard Erwin McManus speaking on Jesus and John the Baptist. John was not spared suffering difficulty and death, even though he was right up there with the prophets. So why do we think God will guarantee our comfort or ‘prosperity’?
As usual, Rick provides a point by point ‘how-to’ approach to responding to problems as Jesus would. I guess this appeals to those of us who need lists to remember.
1. Remember that God’s plan is good. Rick quotes from Jeremiah 29, reminding us that God plans to give us hope and a future. Yep, it certainly helps to focus on the long term plans of God. It helped me, in the face of my own daughter’s death, for example, to remember that God is ultimately in control, even though God has chosen to let go of absolute control. In the middle of powerlessness God’s capacity to change the world is discovered.
2. Rejoice and give thanks. I remember a couple of authors back in the 1970s introducing the power of praise. Merlin R. Carothers and Frances Gardner Hunter made popular the phrase “Praise the Lord” and “Praise the Lord, anyway”. It’s not about attributing everything to God’s plan and giving thanks for it. It’s more about finding signs of hope and God’s action even in the middle of catastrophe. I’ve seen this attitude turn into super-spiritual naievity that refuses to genuinely lament before God. It was Jesus who said that those who mourn will be blessed because they will be comforted.
3. Refuse to give up. This is one of my favourite action plans. It’s in the lines of so many songs, like Chicane’s “Don’t Give Up”. And also in the Pantene shampoo TV advert with Rachel Hunter’s famous line, “It won’t happen overnight, but it will happen”. As Rick points out, God does not guarantee a smooth life. But God does give us a sense of purpose for the future. Somehow we can work it out.
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Friday, March 4th, 2005
People need more than bread for their life;
They must feed on every word of God.
Matthew 4:4 (New Living Translation)
God’s… gracious Word can make you into what he wants you to be and give you everything you could possibly need.
Acts 20:32 (The Message)
This is one day’s reading I’m not going to find easy to write up. I clearly am coming from a different place than Rick Warren when it comes to thinking about the Bible. But I’m sure we have a lot in common still.
Like many Christians around the world, Rick directly equates God’s Word with the Bible. Like many Christians around the world, I don’t agree with that simple equation, “God’s Word = Holy Bible”.
I don’t believe the Bible is alive. It is not the fourth member of the Trinity. But I passionately and thoughtfully believe that the Holy Spirit is alive, speaking to us in so many ways. And I believe that the Scriptures are used by the Holy Spirit to guide us, motivate us, and give us hope. Above all, they are used by the Holy Spirit to help us connect with Jesus Christ, the Word of God - the one through whom God communicates with us.
Rick says we must accept the authority of the Bible rather than basing our choices on unreliable authorities such as culture, tradition, reason or emotion. All four are flawed by the Fall, he says.
Hmmm. From what I can see as I read the Bible, the stories described within and the ways in which they are written up reflect cultural perspectives, the passing on of tradition, the development of thought about God, as well as a lot of emotion. On top of that, we use all those as we read and interpret the Bible. I agree - these are all flawed by our limited experience as well as our tendency to deceive ourselves. I think the writers of the material put together in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, as much as they were inspired by the Spirit, were flawed and limited.
I think we should read the Bible with humility, listening carefully to the insights we bring with us from culture, tradition, reason and emotion.
Rick says I must assimilate the truth of the Bible. This is done by receiving God’s Word and accepting it with an open, receptive attitude. It is done by reading the Bible daily - so that we get to read of all of it often. It is done by researching or studying the Bible. It is done by remembering the Bible - memorising parts that will help us. It is done by reflecting on the Bible - meditating on it.
Hey I’m committed to the same principles, though I have found that legalism or driven attitudes around them do not bring life. I place my life under the authority of Jesus. I know that he doesn’t rule my life with a list of ‘must do every day’ tasks. His agenda for my life spans days, weeks, months and years.
The opening verse makes sense to me when I read it as:
“Jesus Christ can make you into what he wants you to be and give you everything you could possibly need.”
Rick says I must apply the principles of God’s Word. I like his suggestion that we write down an action step after reading the Bible. An action step that is personal (involving me), practical (something I can do), and provable (with a deadline to do it). That would be a useful tool to use in reading the Bible. It certainly helps avoid just growing in understanding without any application in real life.
Rick’s final question is helpful.
What has God already told me in his Word that I haven’t started doing yet? If I read “his Word” as Jesus Christ, it would become: “What has God already told me in Jesus Christ that I haven’t started doing yet?”
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Tuesday, February 22nd, 2005
God wants us to grow up…
Like Christ in everything.
Ephesians 4:15a (The Message)
We are not meant to remain as children.
Ephesians 4:14a (Phillips Translation)
Today’s material provides the challenge of an ongoing development of maturity in relationship with Jesus.
Rick Warren starts by reminding us of the importance of making a commitment to following Jesus. I may not have had much idea of what that would cost when I first started as follower of Jesus, but over time the initial commitment has grown in its depth.
He provides a useful interpretation of the verse from Philippians:
“Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:12-13, New International Version)
Warren tells us that the note from Paul is not about how to be ’saved’ . It’s about how to ‘grow’.
I like the idea of changing autopilot - changing the thought patterns at the heart of who we are. Repenting - having my whole perspective on life - is a bit like reframing. I see the whole of life through the eyes of Jesus. That means moving from being self-centred to mature focus on others. It’s about growing in relational capacity - being able t o relate to others with conduct and character of Jesus. Yes, it is counter-cultural, rare and difficult. But it is not unnatural. Living a loving lifestyle redefines what natural is. This is the natural way God would have us live in.
I think this concept of growth could be taken further in terms of integrity. Growth in maturity would mean that what we believe and what we say and what we do measure up with each other. Growing in maturity in Christ means that all of who we are is growing to resonate with who Christ is. Our lives are centred on him rather than just on ourselves.
I wonder too about the model that Jesus gives us - in which he himself grew in maturity while living here on Earth. The growth from child to adult. The growth in his understanding of his relationship with others around him. In particular his growing realisation that his gifts were there to be a blessing for outsiders just as people of his own kind. I’m thinking of the Syro-Phoenician woman who challenged Jesus to rethink his attitude towards the non-Jewish peoples.
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