God's Unexpected Ways

During a morning walk before dawn I prayed the LORD would speak to me, and He did in a most unexpected way.  Not long after I saw a woman jogging towards me, so I moved to the edge of the footpath to make as much room as possible.  What happened next was in slow motion:  my toe clipped the edge of the slab of concrete (which had heaved from a mature tree) and after a couple of stumbling steps I sprawled onto the footpath in a heap.  I can't remember the last time diving onto concrete, but it was a good reminder to keep stumbles and falls to a minimum.

The jogger stopped and asked if I was ok, and I said I was fine as I popped up on my feet, relieved no bones were broken.  Apart from grazes on my hand and leg, I jogged away relatively unscathed.  What struck me is that even though I was able to stand up unassisted, it was kind of the woman to pause and ask if I was ok after seeing me fall.  I imagine me falling looked hilarious, but her instinctive inquiry about my wellbeing was a gesture I appreciated.  Then I considered how automatic my response was, that if it was at all possible to stand up without assistance, that was my preference.  My instinct would be to stand on a broken foot or leg if it was at all possible and "walk it off," not even calling for a ride.

What happened on the footpath today was insightful concerning when someone falls spiritually into sin or stumbles into depression.  As an observer we may not want to ask if others are ok lest we embarrass them or draw unwanted attention to the fact we noticed.  The one who falls may be incapable of rising and still wave the observer on, not willing for others to slow down or stop on their account.  The good Samaritan in the parable drew near to the man who was beaten and left for dead, and given the background between Jews and Samaritans perhaps the wounded man only received help because he was physically unable to refuse it.  Speaking for myself, I have room to grow both in expressing care for those who are down and also willingness to receive help after I have fallen down.

Another thought that came from today's incident was how God can use our embarrassing and painful experiences to teach us and others.  There are always good lessons to be learned from our fails, and the fact I am around to speak about it tells me it could have been much worse.  I can praise God for guarding my bones, and the fall prompts me to be seeking God earnestly who can keep me from stumbling--physically and spiritually.  What we learn from a fall can be more valuable for our character and spiritual growth than walking without ever stumbling.  See how God can redeem a painful, awkward situation for good?

Heart Like Sand

One detractor of going to the beach is no matter what we do, we seem to bring much of the beach back home with us!  Even after a thorough rinse and shaking off sand, grains of sand ultimately will show up in the car, between toes, in wetsuits and on the tiles at home.  The fine and clinging nature of sand enables it to stick to skin and embed in fabrics, and thus it is difficult to shake off.  Some don't mind this at all, as it is a small trade-off for the sun, waves and fun of the beach.

As I considered the properties of sand at the beach, I remembered what God did for Solomon at his request in 1 Kings 4:29:  "And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore."  God gave Solomon divine wisdom, vast understanding and "largeness of heart" compared to sand on the seashore.  Solomon was given wisdom that was carried away by all who came in contact with him, as the Queen of Sheba from a distant land heard of the wisdom of Solomon.  She was so intrigued by the report she travelled a long way to visit Solomon in person.

The heart today is often connected with love, affection and care.  Wouldn't it be a wonderful thing for the hearts of Christians to be massive like sand on the seashore, that whenever people came in contact with us they couldn't help but have the wisdom and love of Jesus stick to them?  Sand is gritty and abrasive, and wisdom can have this impact on the minds of others--like a rock in the shoe that gets the attention of the conscience.  To have a heart filled with love that generously offers it to everyone is even more pleasant  and impactful than the greatest beach holiday.  People may not agree with our convictions, outlook or beliefs, but may God's love through us be embedded in every conversation and interaction.

The beach has an endless supply of sand, and by God's grace Christians have an endless supply of love and grace.  As the beach is generous with sand to all who visit, so we ought to be with God's love towards strangers, friends and family.  It is a blessed thing to realise we truly love people who came to church for a season or even for one service, to genuinely care about a stranger on a bus or someone we conversed with on a pier.  No Christian is the source of this great love, as if we are naturally kind and gracious people:  it is not of us, for it is Christ in us.  May the LORD grant us wisdom and largeness of heart like sand on the beach so all will know Christ's glorious fame.

Growth in Grace

After being born again by faith in Jesus, Paul desired to know Jesus, the power of Christ's resurrection, and the fellowship of Christ's sufferings by being conformed to His death.  This was God's will for Paul and all believers, and Paul also acknowledged this sanctifying pursuit remained a work in progress in his life as he wrote in Philippians 3:12:  "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me."  As Paul pursued Christ by faith and obedience, the finish line remained ahead of him.  Paul did not speak as someone who had crossed the line and now had advice for fellow disciples:  he continued to press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus by grace.

As a Pharisee, Paul had arrived:  he had achieved in obtaining a rare position of honour and influence among the most respected elders in Jewish society.  Legalism can offer this superficial status, yet a relationship with God leads us by His grace.  Grace is what makes Christianity distinct from religions and authoritarian cultures in the world.  I like Philip Yancy's comments concerning Leo Tolstoy in his book What's So Amazing About Grace?:

"Tolstoy drew a contrast between Jesus' approach and that of all other religions:

The test of observance of external religious teachings is whether or not our conduct conforms with their decrees [Observe the Sabbath.  Get circumcised.  Tithe.]  Such conformity is indeed possible.

 The test of observance of Christ's teachings is our consciousness of our failure to attain an ideal perfection.  The degree to which we draw near this perfection cannot be seen; all we can see is the extent of our deviation.

A man who professes an external law is like someone standing in the light of a lantern fixed to a post.  It is light all round him, but there is nowhere further for him to walk.  A man who professes the teaching of Christ is like a man carrying a lantern before him on a long, or not so long, pole:  the light is in front of him, always lighting up fresh ground and always encouraging him to walk further.

In other words, the proof of spiritual maturity is not how "pure" you are but awareness of your impurity.  That very awareness opens the door to grace." (Yancey, Philip. What’s so Amazing about Grace? Zondervan, 1997. pages 197-198)

The Light of the World Jesus Christ, coupled with the illumination of the Holy Spirit and God's word, continually guides us in our pursuit of Jesus in a relationship governed by His love and grace.  Because Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life we receive definite guidance for our lives and personal convictions we should hold to--without setting up an arbitrary standard before which others must submit to be acceptable.  Legalism leads to bondage, self-righteousness and condemnation of others, while Jesus provides a whole new way of living that makes us free indeed.  It is a harder way (because it requires faith in God), but an infinitely better and fulfilling way where genuine spiritual growth is possible by God's grace we all desperately need.

Blaming God?

"Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; ¹² for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision."

Galatians 2:11-12

When things are wrong, our natural inclination is to determine what was the cause or who was to blame.  This can be done with various motivations:  to pin blame on others and excuse ourselves, in the aim to identify the problem to avoid repeating it going forward, to confirm what we predicted indeed came to pass, and the list goes on.  Because we often have vested interest in where blame is placed and insistent to avoid being blamed, we may blame others wrongly.  Adam attempted to shift the blame of his disobedience to Eve, and Eve sidestepped the accusation to blame the serpent.  I included Paul's testimony of Peter's hypocrisy because it demonstrates there are occasions where a person (even apostles!) can be rightly blamed for doing wrong.

While people are sometimes worthy of blame, the righteous God and Creator of all things is never to be blamed--because He cannot do wrong and blame implies having a fault.  God can be blamed in the sense that people may disagree with Him, but based on the good, perfect character of God, all condemnation and censure of Him is without any sound basis.  Skeptics and unbelievers will not accept this and likely would accuse those any make this claim as biased, yet I would counter it is a view based on knowledge and experience.  In the Paul and Peter example, Jews who observed the Law of Moses believed Peter's behaviour was right and justifiable, but after Paul's eyes had been opened by faith in Christ and born again he was able to see the situation clearly.

I remember a chat with a teenage girl during a camp years ago when she confided her concern that troubles and difficulties were "pushing her away" from God.  In a sense, she blamed God for painful circumstances in her life, for feeling rejected.  While I sympathised with the girl's struggles, God was not to be blamed for her response to trouble.  Her situation was revealing of a heart that was not trusting God or seeking Him.  She viewed trials and pains as attacks from God against her when He was using them to draw her to Himself.  The testimony of scripture shows God allows trials and troubles to prompt those who trust and fear Him to seek Him, for God never pushes people away:  it is people who turn from God.  For those who believe God heals and saves, trouble prompts us to seek Him earnestly rather than depart from Him.

The almighty God is a redeemer and saviour of all who cry out to Him.  David sang in Psalm 25:15-16, "My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for He shall pluck my feet out of the net. ¹⁶ Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me, for I am desolate and afflicted."  See the confidence David had that God would deliver him from the net and would be merciful to him.  David admitted he felt desolate and was afflicted, yet he acknowledged God was his only possible source of hope and help.  When we are tempted to blame God or feel victimised, our eyes ought to look to the LORD who looks to show Himself strong on behalf of all those whose hearts are loyal to Him (2 Chronicles 16:9).  For our sin we are to be blamed, and the glorious, gracious God is merciful to forgive even the trespass of wrongly blaming Him when we repent.