Hope in God's Mercy

Do you enjoy trying to find the perfect gift for someone?  When I wasn't sure what to buy I used to enjoy walking through the shops for ideas.  With enough time and persistence I would nearly always be excited with what I found and look forward to giving it away.  There have been gifts given which were appreciated nearly as much as the giver hoped, but it is especially fun to see people pleased with what they have received.  Some are tough to please, yet many people derive more joy over the person who gives them a gift than in the value of the gift itself.

That is one remarkable thing about God:  though He is perfect, literally has everything, and has the loftiest standards, He is pleased with humble things.  Visiting royals presented King Solomon lavish gifts of gold and precious jewels, spices, the best of oil and wine, and exotic animals--that hardly made a dent in the goods he already acquired.  What could a common person afford to gift a king, much less the KING OF KINGS?  Psalm 147:11 tells us what God takes pleasure in:  "The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy."  God delights in people who reverence Him, who "hope in His mercy."  Mercy is kindness to others from a heart of love.

Now this is a wondrous thing, that God delights in people who acknowledge and expect to receive mercy from Him!  The prophet Jeremiah said concerning God's mercy in Lamentations 3:21-26:  "This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. ²² Through the LORD'S mercies we are not consumed,because His compassions fail not. ²³ They are new every morning;great is Your faithfulness. ²⁴ "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!" ²⁵ The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. ²⁶ It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD."  When Jeremiah and the children of Israel faced the brutal consequences of judgment for their sins at the hand of their enemies, those who feared God were patiently sustained by God's mercies which were new every morning.  Like the manna which sustained the Hebrews day by day in the wilderness, so God's mercies upheld those who faced war, famine, and pestilence.

When we give a gift how satisfying it is to see it joyfully received, and the same is true concerning God:  who is a more generous Giver than He?  His delight is in those who sense their lack and need for His presence, in those who hope in His mercy.  Those who fear God seek Him and receive His loving kindness.  God is not a greedy despot who demands sacrifice to be satisfied but is pleased to see His gifts gladly received and appreciated.  The greatest thrill for a chef, baker, or grill master is to see people heartily enjoy their quality offerings, and God's pleasure is not by what we offer Him but that we happily receive what He freely gives us out of His mercy, grace, and love.

Childish Things

What I learned in English class rings true for interpreting the Bible:  keep the main thing the main thing.  Though some are always on the lookout for "fresh" interpretations to support what is not explicitly said, I believe the deepest meaning of the passage is often in plain sight.  It takes the Holy Spirit and humility to sit quietly and listen to discover profound truths God delights to reveal.

This happened for me the other day as I read 1 Corinthians 13, a passage familiar to many believers.  When I have heard people teach on the second half of it they often wade into debates and conflict concerning whether tongues and prophecy are valid in the church today (which is ironic because chapters 12 and 14 explicitly affirm they are) and what childish things we are to put away.  To use this chapter to debate these topics hijacks the passage from the context and clear meaning of the text which is profound in itself.

On the heels of exhorting people to desire spiritual gifts and not to forbid them, Paul in chapter 13 introduces how God's love is necessary to properly utilise spiritual gifts and how faith, hope, and love will endure after spiritual gifts are eliminated when we are glorified with Christ.  In short, Paul explained the most desirable and useful spiritual gifts today are mere child's play compared to the life which awaits us in eternal glory.  1 Corinthians 13:9-12 reads, "For we know in part and we prophesy in part. ¹⁰ But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. ¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. ¹² For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known."

We do not need to wonder what Paul meant when he spoke of putting "away childish things" because he just told us by means of a personal example.  As a child he 1) spoke as a child, 2) understood as a child, and 3) thought as a child.  Meditating on each one of these aspects of own childhood (and children we have observed) helps us to understand the contrast Paul struck between operating in spiritual gifts in part and the glorified state in the presence of Jesus Christ when we see Him as He is in fullness.  Let us consider each one of these childish things Paul put away as he matured into adulthood and began following Jesus Christ.

• Spoke as a child:  children have limited diction and impatiently shout things like "Mine!" and "No!" and "I do it myself."  Infants babble and make sounds without meaning as they imitate their parents or siblings.  On the playground they shout, scream with delight, or call other children names.  They may threaten, "If you don't play it right, I'm not your friend anymore."  All this sounds familiar to us I'm sure.
• Understood as a child:  children are very concrete thinkers, unable to process abstract concepts.  Their understanding is limited and is filtered through who they trust:  if dad or mum said it, it's true without question.  They can be gullible and easily frightened.  The meaning of what people say around them goes right over their heads and they pay it no mind.  They have an innocence which comes from ignorance.
• Thought as a child:  the thoughts of children are very simple and often not connected with reality.  I remember my dad telling me a story of when he sank under the water in a public pool and likely would have drowned if the lifeguard had not sprang into action.  What were his thoughts as his life flashed before his eyes?  He was a bit disappointed at the prospects of missing fried chicken night and hoped the beard of the lifeguard wasn't scratchy.  Children are easily overwhelmed and imagine the entire world is ending over an insignificant event, like Chicken Little thinking the sky was falling because a small apple plonked on her head.

Paul went on from speaking as a child to doing so circumspectly with the wisdom of God in love.  He considered who he spoke to and the right way to convey his feelings and used God's truth to encourage, exhort, rebuke, and edify.  Instead of the limited understanding of a child Paul grew to discern good from wickedness, truth from error, and literal from figurative.  He understood the implications of truth claims and how scripture was to be rightly interpreted and applied personally.  Paul matured from thinking as a child to choosing scripture to filter his worldview rather than relying upon culture or tradition to direct him.  He put away suspicions, superstition, and self-centred thinking with the aim to please God, make disciples of Jesus, and love others.

Paul followed with another example, that "now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face."  Mirrors in Paul's day were often polished metal which were a far cry from seeing someone in person.  With all the spiritual knowledge Paul possessed and spiritual gifting he operated in by the power of the Holy Spirit he resembled a child compared to who God would glorify him to be; looking in a mirror which provided a dull and warped reflection of his own face would one day be lost and forgotten in the clarity which would surpass 8K resolution.  In the presence of the almighty God glorified the spiritual gifts of tongues and prophecy would vanish, but love would remain as 1 Corinthians 13:13 says:  "And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love."  The almost parenthetical placement of 1 Corinthians 13 between chapters 12 and 14 prevent the folly of downplaying the value and need of spiritual gifts now which are provided according to the will of the Holy Spirit.

I pray you are as blessed (or even more so!) as I was to consider in light of the great things God has provided today by the power of the Holy Spirit we have even more to look forward to when we are glorified in the presence of Jesus.  The ways we speak, understand, and think now resembles well the ways of a child compared to the apostle Paul, ways we will someday put off when we meet Jesus face to face.  A good application of the passage is not just to long for eternity but to recognise childish speaking, understanding, and thinking in us now, intentionally put it off, and put on the new man which is created after Christ Jesus.  Ephesians 4:14-15 makes the point "...that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, ¹⁵ but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ..."  Through the Holy Spirit God has given us the ability to know and do His will, to speak the truth in love and grow into the image of Christ.

The Matter of Self-Belief

My wife works at a Christian bookstore and occasionally brings home one for me to read.  I am convinced King Solomon's claim was spot on when he wrote, "Of making books there is no end." (Ecclesiastes 14:12)  It seems easier than ever to write a book too, as these days anyone can print their own book without an editor or publisher!

Anyway, I have started reading one of these new offerings on the subject of mentoring.  The premise of the book seems biblically sound, but there were times I felt good reasoning somehow led to incorrect conclusions.  My mind followed the track of logic until the final word of a paragraph!  Here is an example of what I mean:

Every man is living out "The Story of Me."  And I have yet to meet a man who wouldn't love to be the hero in that story--if only he knew how to do it.  But here's the catch:  information alone can't turn him into a hero.  Nor can technique.  Nor can a strategic plan or a set of goals.  Certainly no app can do it, either.  Something has to take place inside the man--inside his heart and mind--that transforms him into acting as a hero would act.  It's ultimately a matter of believing in himself.  (bold emphasis mine, quoting Bill Hendricks in Men of Influence, pages 56-57)

It's certainly debatable what motivates "heroes" to do admirable acts which justify the label, and it is ironic some of the most heroic men and women would humbly declare they have done nothing to deserve such praise:  they simply did what others would have done in the situation.  It is true there are heroes in history who did not profess faith in God, but was it self-belief which saved the day?  To say the necessary transformation inside a heart and mind is a result of "believing in himself" is not the conclusion I expected.  Since no man has the capacity to create himself or transform his heart and mind, it is only faith in God which can bring about this required miracle.

But then I started thinking:  what is the proper role of self-confidence in Christianity?  Does it have a place, what Hendricks calls "believing in himself?"  I would say biblically it has no place whatsoever, but in reality self-confidence can creep in.  The church in Galatia is a good example of this dynamic:  they started their journey of faith well by trusting in Jesus Christ for salvation, but then tried to progress through the efforts of the flesh.  I do not believe Jesus was self-confident, but He knew who He was in relation to His Father in heaven.  Self-confidence is always a snare because it rests in self and pride.  We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus and grow as we humble ourselves and obey Him--not because having a relationship with God gives us self-confidence.

Psalm 118:8 says, "It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man."  We do not always chose the best option but tend towards what is natural, to place our confidence in other people or ourselves.  But Jesus did not place His confidence in men because He knew what was in them.  Our boldness, strength, and success does not come from believing in ourselves but in the revelation of our God "...according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, ¹²  in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him." (Ephesians 3:11-12)  At the same time it is good for us to examine ourselves:  is it self-confidence or faith in Christ which moves me to serve God and others?  Am I bold because I am confident in myself or in humility before God?  Self-belief is misguided, but faith in Christ places our confidence in Him.

The Gift of Longing

"The books or the music in which we thought the beauty was located will betray us if we trust to them; it was not in them, it only came through them, and what came through them was longing."

C.S. Lewis (from "The Weight of Glory")

There is longing in every human heart because God created us needy.  We are carried in the womb for 9 months and emerge needing to be washed, fed, and carried.  Young children are completely dependent on their parents for love, provision, protection, nourishment, and training.  Unknown to little ones (and many older, independent folks too) is we have spiritual needs which outweigh the physical ones which are signaled by our bodies like hunger, thirst, and fatigue:  the need for forgiveness and redemption by God because we are sinners.

C.S. Lewis touched on a unique aspect of the human condition:  an appreciation of the arts, of music, pageantry, and beauty.  Our taste in clothing styles, music and cuisine differs, but the appreciation of skills and creativity beyond our own captivates and enraptures.  We long for love and acceptance, to be appreciated, to accomplish something significant and worthwhile.  This longing may be numbed or go dormant by cynicism or perceived failures, but the desire remains.  Have you ever known this longing, a dream that is felt more fully when awake than asleep?  Whether this longing burns bright or has died down to embers, it is a need only fully satisfied in God.

Isn't there a longing in everyone to be wanted, even to be needed?  We all want to be chosen, acknowledged as belonging, valued for who we are--though flawed.  The great God who created mankind has come to us in the person of Jesus Christ and called us all to Himself.  The beauty of His invitation to know and live with Him forever is not on the basis we are numbered among a select few but His awesome greatness and love for all.  The fabled courage of the knight risking life and limb against a fire-breathing dragon to save a princess only hints at the longing we have to be so courageous ourselves and is put to shame by the love demonstrated by God for us.  We want to be the brave knight but we are better cast as a vain and unfaithful damsel who grows to love her own reflection over all else.  While we were yet sinners Jesus Christ died for us so we could be saved!  All the songs and poetry of the world together cannot outshine this truth which eternally satisfies our deepest longings.

Worship the LORD in the beauty of His holiness!  Even now He is preparing room in His kingdom for all who return His love with trust.