Second Mile People

Here is an excerpt from Isobel Kuhn's "Second Mile People (pages 37-39):"

"Oswald Chambers says, 'The people who influence us most are not those who buttonhole us and talk to us, tut those who live their lives like the stars in heaven and the lilies in the field, perfectly simply and unaffectedly.  Those are the lives that mould us.'  A great mistake is to think that a Spirit-filled man or woman must always be casting sermons at people.  Being 'filled with the Spirit' (which is a first qualification of Second Mile People) is merely a refusing of self and a taking by faith of the life of Christ as wrought in us by His Holy Spirit.

'Many who claim by faith this fullness, and who, up to the measure of their light, are yielded and obedient, are disappointed and perplexed because they are aware of no particular manifestation.  They expect a glowing sense of power...But let us take to heart what others have pointed out, that the Spirit's chief work is to make us HOLY.  The truest evidence is not gift but grace...The Spirit will divide the gifts.  One man may have a gift for preaching, another a gift for intercession, another a gift for personal dealing, and another by administration.  Still others may glorify their Lord by some kind of seeming drudgery, even as lowly as that of Brother Lawrence, who "practised the presence of God" in the monk's kitchen.

"A work of lowly love to do for Him on Whom I wait."  'But let it be said again, once you open your being to His fullness your life must be enriched; you will never be the same again"...We fall in defeat when we try to 'judge' the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives; ours is to yield to Him in joyous faith, and not worry as to the kind or value of the fruit He is producing."

How often should I forgive?

Forgiveness is something I have been thinking a lot about lately, especially how God forgives us.  When Peter asked Jesus, "How many times should I forgive my brother?  Up to seven times?"  I have read the rabbinic teaching of that time said it was good to forgive three times.  Jesus replies in Matthew 18:22,  "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven."  Peter no doubt thought forgiving someone seven times was very generous, but Jesus demonstrated grace and forgiveness beyond Peter's wildest expectations.  Jesus never told His disciples to do what He had not already done.  The fact is, He has forgiven me more times than seventy times seven.  God does not limit His forgiveness quota at 490 of course, for His capacity and desire to forgive is limitless.  The sins of the entire world were placed upon Christ on the cross, and His blood cleanses us from all sin.

A sister came up to me today at church and shared something God has recently taught her concerning forgiveness.  She said she has realized forgiveness is not a one-time thing.  Sometimes when we are hurt deeply it is very hard to forgive.  Even when we have made a conscious choice to forgive, old hurts have a way of being brought to remembrance.  We might say to God, "But I've already forgiven that person."  God's words to my sister in Christ were, "Forgive until it stops hurting."  Forgiveness is not a one-time thing or a seven time thing:  it is a continual process of forgiving which frees us from bitterness, resentment, hate, and suffering.  When we give the wrongs done to us to our Savior who is willing to free and deliver us from the solitary confinement of unforgiveness, He helps us.

As with forgiveness, repentance is often seen as a one-time thing.  Those who are mature in faith recognize their sin with more clarity than ever before.  When they read the scriptures and see Barabbas, they seem themselves.  When they read of people faltering in faith or the unbelief of the children of Israel wandering in the wilderness they will not mock or scorn, because their eyes are moist with the knowledge they are looking through a window to the deceit and wickedness of their own flesh.  If a person says he is without sin he deceives himself and calls God a liar.  Therefore, we ought to continually repent for our transgressions.  In the same way, we must forgive even the same wrong over and over and over again until we no longer feel the dull or sharp pain of that wrong against us, no matter how horrible it was and still is.  Regardless of how that wrong has forever changed our lives, Jesus has the power and strength to change our lives even more for the better.

When Jesus was crucified upon the cross He said, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do."  We are the ones whom Christ pleaded be forgiven.  He knows "there is none good, no not one.  There is none who understands, there is none who seeks after God."  I am numbered among this group.  On my own I could never understand any spiritual truth, and in my flesh dwells no good thing.  But by His grace God has forgiven me and reconciled me to Himself, adopting me into the family of God as co-heir with Jesus Christ!  To whom much is given much is required, and Jesus has forgiven me much.  Let us do good and forgive for the glory of God.  Every time you forgive it will take you to a deeper level of forgiveness, like pulling a cabbage apart leaf by leaf.  There is healing and restoration waiting for us if we will be obedient to forgive and keep on forgiving!

God is For Us

"So all things are working for the Lord's Beloved;

Some things might be harmful, if alone they stood;

Some might seem to hinder, some might draw us backward;

But they work together, and they work for good.

All the thwarted longings, all the stern denials,

All the contradictions, hard to understand,

And the Force that holds them, speeds them and retards them,

Stops and starts and guides them, is our Father's hand."

- Anonymous (Ascent to the Tribes, pg. 65)

How good is it to know God is in control of all things!  He allows circumstances to occur which may not make sense to us, but we can know He works all things out for our good.  Following Jesus Christ is not like a natural chemical reaction which is predictable and exact.  For those who are born again through faith in Christ we have been freed from death row, having been incarcerated because of our sin.  Every Christian has been automatically drafted into a spiritual battlefield opposing Satan and the evil forces at work in this world.  We have been filled with the Holy Spirit within, but we continue to live in a body of flesh which tends toward sinful lusts and desires.  It's a normal repercussion of the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual stress of battle that we can at times feel beaten, depressed, confused, and frustrated.

I read an interesting passage in "Ascent to the Tribes" yesterday:  "Frustration is one of the hardest of missionary trials, and not always are we allowed to see, as in this instance, that is has worked for good.  Satan aims to quench ardor.  If we looked at what seems to be mere waste in our lives, he would be successful.  We must just remember the wise words of an old CIM missionary who once said, "Where there is building there must be rubbish."  Rubbish is waste.  Part of our work may include wasted footsteps because this is battle." (pg. 64)

We must allow faith in God's power to control seemingly impossible situations to take root in our hearts.  People sometimes lament over the course set before them by God, "How much time I have wasted!"  Or perhaps they beat themselves up because God has revealed Himself in a powerful way and they think, "I could have used that 10 years ago!"  We must recognize that God COULD have done anything He wanted, and He decided to bring you through 10 years of experience so you would be ready for the lesson.  Sometimes we insinuate that our way is more efficient than God's way.  Perhaps from our ignorant perspective we think we can improve God's efficiency, but we could not draw a breath without His sufficiency.  He knows what we need and when we need it.

If you have ever sewn, worked in construction, cooked something, or did anything which required work you know there will be waste.  Our bodies create waste as we sustain ourselves through eating, drinking, and respiration.  When I am working with insulation, I always bring extra material because I know there will be waste.  Sometimes the fiberglass needs to be dug out, the foam rubber left over has been cut in unusable shapes, and all the adhesive is not necessary and cannot be stored.  Spiritually we tend to focus on all the waste, and try to gather up or bemoan all of the useless scraps.  What God would have us do is look at the sanctifying work He is doing in our lives.  This is not to make us proud, but to invoke in us praise and worship of God for His wondrous works.  You believed at one time God would have you marry but it ended in divorce.  Divorce is bad, but can God use it for good?  Absolutely.  Perhaps you thought God would have you quit one career and start another, only to find yourself injured or out of work.  Can God use this for good?  Yes!  And He will!  He has promised to!

Romans 8:28-31 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. [29] For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. [30] Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. [31] What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?"  The things God allows to happen in our lives He is using to conform us into the image of Christ.  It is not for us, my friends, to dictate to God how He should be governing or growing us.  He is righteous, merciful, gracious, loving, just, and good.  He has given us exceedingly great and precious promises we can cling to as we go through the daily battles of this life.

If God is for us, who can be against us?  This does not mean we will not face opposition, but that no physical or spiritual power has the slightest effect upon God's plan for us.  We are likely more down on ourselves than God is, because God is not against His children.  He is for us, and not against us.  Whether you are on wings of eagles or laboring through the valley of the shadow of death, God is with you.  He is for us, and through Christ we will be victorious.       

Fortified by Failure

Failure has been the greatest catalyst for positive change in my life.  It is healthy in to recognize our failures so we might learn from our own mistakes.  Satan would love for our failures to paralyze us with self-focus and drown us in despair.  As we mature in Christ, we will begin to view our conduct, attitudes, and words more closely according to God's perfect standard.  The Holy Spirit convicts us of sins we did not even recognize previously.  God allows us to fail so we might recognize our failure and decide once and for all to forsake sin.

Today I failed terribly, almost a perfect storm of circumstances which took me off guard.  But to the God who controls the elements, such an scenario was allowed so I might see myself as the failure I am on my own.  I am still heartbroken and grieve over it, even as Peter wept bitterly after denying Christ.  I drove to a new jobsite today and parked my truck near some employees at the plant.  While gathering materials, a woman and man approached me, seemingly amused.  "Is that bumper sticker real?" the man asked.  For those of you who do not know, I have a bumper sticker on the back of my truck that reads, "National Atheist's Day - April 1."  In small print below it says, "The fool has said in his heart there is no God." (Psalm 14:1)  Because April 1st is "April Fool's Day," and only the foolish deny the existence of God, April 1st is National Atheist's day according to the sticker.

His question caught me off guard.  "Yes?" I said confused.  "Oh that's good," he answered smiling.  "I think atheists should have their own day.  I get really sick of people around here always pushing religion on me."  "Well," I began, "that is your right.  You don't have to believe what you don't want to."  He said a couple more things and he said his co-worker had said the bumper sticker must be a joke.  "It is a joke," I said as I gathered my things.  "Oh well," he said.  "I guess I'm not too smart, huh?" he laughed with his friend.  "I thought it might have been real."  And that is how our interaction ended.

My conscience smote me.  I was embarrassed to tell the man he misunderstood the sticker, and since he had already told me he was sick of hearing about religion from his co-workers I certainly didn't want to ambush him!  Here was an opportunity to speak of my faith and I allowed it to slip away without a word!  Should his misunderstanding of the bumper sticker be a cause to further ingrain his hatred towards followers of God?  The reason I bought the sticker was because I thought it was a funny discussion starter, not because I judged the man who stood before me as a fool.  This man came up to me thinking I was an atheist, and I said nothing to change his mind.

Countless justifications have popped into my mind, but they remain lame, pitiful, excuses.  Our flesh needs no invitation to justify inaction.  It was clear to me I had not been prepared mentally or spiritually for that interaction.  Instead of actively looking for opportunities to share my faith, I was in work mode.  I had a job to do, and it did not involve a chat about bumper stickers.  I see this failure as a blessing from God.  Every single day He leaves me on this earth is an opportunity to right the wrongs of today.  I cannot fix the gross negligence of today, but through repentance press on in a deeper level of humility and determination.

Satan had plenty to say about this as well.  His tone and foul breath is so different from the wounding of our souls by the Holy Spirit.  Satan words are filled with condemnation.  He would judge us unfit for heaven because of our deeds and negate the gracious saving work of Christ on the cross we have received through faith.  "You're just like Peter.  How could you do this?  And you call yourself a pastor?"  I am a sinner and I am not a pastor because I'm better than everybody else but because God has chosen and called me.  But there is no need to debate or even converse with the devil.  It did not do Eve any good, and it has no power to free us from guilt and shame.

But Jesus does, friends!  We do well to not forget the sting of our failures that we might be focused on that prize:  Philip. 3:13-14 says, "Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, [14] I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."  No matter what we have done or how we have wronged God by our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins when we repent.  Our God is not one of second chances, but new beginnings!