Gift of Suffering

I was reminded of the film Silence today, specifically how the persecution of Jesuit priests by the Japanese for the sake of the Gospel proved ineffective to stop their ministry.  The antagonists found their brutal tortures only seemed to goad the priests to further sacrifice to spread the Good News of Christianity.  In the film, the Japanese changed their approach and discovered they made inroads to hinder the ministry by making the congregants suffer.  This created a conflict within the priests who felt personally responsible for causing the pain, suffering and death of the local people.  Had those missionaries considered the teaching of scripture, it perhaps would have changed their outlook to realise believers are appointed by God to suffer and were never at the mercy of their enemies.

Hearing this, some may see this appointment to suffering as a blight upon God's goodness and righteous character.  But how can one say this when Jesus went through suffering and crucifixion for our good and will ultimately end our suffering forever?  A biblical perspective is suffering is actually a gift (our flesh would gladly avoid receiving or return if it could) as it says in Philippians 1:27-30:  "Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, ²⁸ and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God. ²⁹ For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, ³⁰ having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me."  Remaining steadfast in suffering by faith in Jesus--without  any fear of enemies--reveals faith to be genuine and powerful to save.  We can rejoice to suffer for Christ knowing it has been ordained of God for us to believe in Him but also to suffer for His sake.

A key theme of the book of Philippians is exhorting Christians to rejoice in the LORD always, and this rejoicing in God was despite all the trials and suffering Paul experienced.  Further on in the letter he wrote in Philippians 3:8-11:  "Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; ¹⁰ that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, ¹¹ if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead."  Paul viewed suffering the loss of all things for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ as a most worthy trade.  His genuine faith resulted in righteousness being credited to him and thus he would experience the presence of God, the power of the resurrection to life, and fellowship of Christ's sufferings.  Suffering was something Paul and all Christians can share in common with our Saviour Jesus, and this draws those who trust Jesus closer to Him day by day.

It may be easier for us to personally experience suffering for Christ than to watch others suffer.  But we are not without hope or help in this case, even if we are ourselves helpless to change the situation or end the season of suffering.  That is what God has promised to do.  Know that in our suffering God is working to accomplish good things we never dreamed possible--like love increasing and abounding towards all and establishing hearts blameless in holiness (1 Thess. 3:11:13).  If you have faith to endure suffering and loss of all things for the sake of knowing Christ, we can exercise that faith that God is good and sovereign in the lives of other believers as well.  Glory to God for His redeeming grace, for He is truly able to make all things work together for good to those who love God.

The Scale Insect War

I have found gardening challenging in Sydney.  It feels like something is always against you, whether it be nutrient poor soil or clay, variety of turf or weeds, birds or extreme heat.  Grubs and insects also pose a problem that can go unnoticed until damage is done to roots or leaves.  The most recurring problem I have in our area is scale insects that attach themselves like barnacles to the top and underside of leaves as well as digging into the branches.  I don't know how long scale insects were on our lime tree until I noticed them by looking closely, and only then did I begin to realise the extent of the infestation and the damage they were doing.

From what I have read, the scale insects draw nutrients from the tree and then excrete honeydew which attracts ants and causes sooty black mould.  The mould doesn't directly harm the tree, but when it builds up on the leaves it can inhibit photosynthesis and cause leaves to drop off.  Quiet and sedentary, scale ignored will drain a tree of life.  Suffice it to say, it would not do much good to wash the leaves with water and mild soap unless treatment is applied to the root cause:  scale insects.  At first I started occasionally removing the scale insects by hand and washing off the black mould.  But it was only a matter of time before the sedentary scale was almost magically back on nearly every leaf in great numbers (thankfully the tree is small).

The only way to rid the tree of scale was by making the treatment of scale the first priority, for half-hearted measures only provided temporary benefits.  I looked online and bought Neem oil to spray on the tree every 3 - 4 days after removing the scale by hand.  Every day as I look into the yard through a window, the light passing through the leaves reveals small black dots of scale that sneakily hug the underside of leaves and dodge the spray.  As of now I am still in the thick of battle with scale that has required daily attention for weeks.  The pests were hardly hindered when I waited weeks before cleaning and treating the leaves, and my experience shows that my desire to have a tree free of scale will not and cannot happen unless I do something drastic about it.

This is a good object lesson concerning our need to declare war on sin and folly in our lives--without holding anything back.  Half measures will accomplish no lasting benefit and only provide opportunity for infestation to persist and wreak havoc.  It is a great shame when sinful thoughts, desires and actions begin to have a place in our minds and hearts.  Like the scale that drain vitality from a tree, so sin saps our spiritual strength and hinders our growth and fruitfulness.  A tree planted by rivers of water that brings fruit in season can be infested with scale insects, and thus there must be close, regular inspection of our hearts.  The fruit of our lips can be indicators all is not well in our hearts, and it is the Holy Spirit who does this inspection and brings conviction of sin.  God will use His word, others and our own conscience to expose sin inside us, and He gives us the ability to repent of sin and do what pleases God.

One recurring problem with sin that hinders our fellowship with God and fruitfulness as Christians is not always seen as deadly or troublesome as sin that damns the unregenerate to hell.  Some do not see sin that is not leading to death as a "salvation issue."  However, in one sense it is a salvation issue, for having been saved by grace through faith we are called to abound more and more in living in the way that pleases God!  Jesus is the Vine and we are the branches.  If God calls us to bear fruit and prunes us so that we would bear more fruit, then sin needs to be dealt with immediately and most severely.  Our problem may not be sins in themselves but hindrances or habits that prevent us from being spiritually healthy.

David sang in Psalm 139:23-24:  "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; ²⁴ and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."  He also penned in Psalm 51:6-7:  "Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. ⁷ Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."  Jesus compared the Pharisees with whitewashed tombs that were clean in appearance but inside were unclean and polluted by dead corpses who defiled others.  Unless we make renewed effort to put off sin in the fear God and walk in humble obedience before Jesus our LORD and Saviour, any Christian can end up resembling them.

Dealing Faithfully

When a person sees a need and puts a plan together to accomplish something good, it doesn't guarantee good results--even for kings.  King Joash noticed the temple was becoming dilapidated and in need of repair, so he commanded dedicated gifts and census tax brought by the people were to be received by the priests for the purpose of repairing the temple.  It seems years passed before it was evident the priests continued to receive money but no work had been done on the building.  The priests had plenty of responsibilities already, and I suspect not all of them were skilled builders who were able to address the disrepair.  After the king confronted the priests for their inaction on the repairs, they agreed not to receive any more money or be the ones responsible for fixing the temple.

A new plan was put into motion in 2 Kings 12:9-12:  "Then Jehoiada the priest took a chest, bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of the LORD; and the priests who kept the door put there all the money brought into the house of the LORD. ¹⁰ So it was, whenever they saw that there was much money in the chest, that the king's scribe and the high priest came up and put it in bags, and counted the money that was found in the house of the LORD.¹¹ Then they gave the money, which had been apportioned, into the hands of those who did the work, who had the oversight of the house of the LORD; and they paid it out to the carpenters and builders who worked on the house of the LORD, ¹² and to masons and stonecutters, and for buying timber and hewn stone, to repair the damage of the house of the LORD, and for all that was paid out to repair the temple."

The desire to repair the house of the LORD was good, but the initial plan did not go to plan.  Having people give their money by placing it in the box prevented the priests using it for another purpose, and the money in the box established a budget to hire carpenters, labourers, masons, stonecutters and to procure materials for the work.  The apportioned money was given into the hands of those who actually did the work, and there was no need to require an account of their spending because the workers "dealt faithfully."  The priests and workers were both trustworthy in their service to the LORD, and it is a great blessing when God's people are faithful in their business.  I do not view the lack of financial accountability as a pattern for modern businesses or churches to follow, but the integrity shown by all parties is certainly admirable and sets a high standard for all God's people in His service.  God's people ought to be trustworthy.

The financial needs of the priests were supported by another means as 2 Kings 12:16 says:  "The money from the trespass offerings and the money from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of the LORD. It belonged to the priests."  During a walking tour of Sydney, a common place to visit is the Rum Hospital--which was literally funded by the sale of 60,000 gallons of spirits.  I wonder how many of those who purchased spirits needed medical attention as a result!  It was deemed inappropriate for money given as a trespass offering for sin would be used to make new pillars, doors or tiles of the house of the LORD.  Yet the money given for sin was suitable to meet the needs of priests and was their portion to support themselves and their families.  This situation that unfolded during the reign of Joash shows a good end is the result of organised, proper means, and how important it is to carefully observe if the agreed-upon plan is being implemented.  When a plan with a good aim is not having the intended results, it is time to gather together those who deal faithfully and put a new plan into action.

Appointment of Affliction

Today at Calvary Chapel Sydney one topic of discussed in the sermon was how God appointed Christians to affliction and also to endure with joy.  To believers who faced persecution and suffered for the sake of Christ, Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13, "And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, ¹³ so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.  God had constructive and redemptive benefits for the appointment with affliction the Thessalonians and all Christians, to the end God would establish our hearts blameless in holiness.  We might not prefer or enjoy the process, but we cannot fault God or His results.

When I think of dentist appointments, they are more of a "should" or "have to" rather than I "want to."  The only time I would welcome or gladly anticipate a dentist appointment is when I experiencing terrible pain and am desperate for relief.  When it comes to affliction God appoints for us, we typically do not see our need for it or the benefit it will provide.  By faith in God we are enabled to trust Him in the midst of pain, knowing He will bring good out of the trial in His miraculous, glorious way.  His intent is for us to rejoice in Him and grow in love of God and others--especially when our flesh would rather avoid or escape from our circumstances.  His desire is to bring us to a place of contentment and surrender in Him that we are willing to face and joyfully endure every trial He allows us to face.

During a mission trip in Cambodia, I observed an inconsolable young boy who had been brought to a dental clinic.  Fearful and crying, this little lad could not be calmed by his pleading family or the dentist who was kind and gentle.  The family who brought him said he often cried himself to sleep because of pain from decaying teeth that needed extraction.  Simply administering the anaesthetic proved a difficult chore, and after much consoling (and likely threatening!) from the family, the task of numbing the area was done.  But whenever the dentist drew close the boy would move violently and made dental work impossible.  Because the boy was unwilling, ultimately the dentist declined to attempt the procedure.  I was surprised how quickly the demeanor of the boy changed.  He was pleased the whole operation was over and smiled for the first time, but there was one huge problem:  his decaying teeth had not been addressed.  The pain he would face later when the anaesthetic wore off would be a constant reminder of the reason for being seen by a dentist!

How many times have we been like that dear little boy, suffering from fear and pain during a divine appointment with affliction without comprehending God's purpose behind it?  It would be a shame that our unwillingness to submit our lives before the LORD in faith would deprive ourselves of blessings God has in store for us.  God desires our trust of Him would grow and our love would abound to all as we choose to rejoice in our Saviour in every season of life.  In this world there are plenty of opportunities to give place to fear, bitterness or worry, but we are called to be casting our cares upon the LORD Jesus who cares for us.  As our hearts increase in love God is able to establish our hearts "blameless in holiness," and our LORD Jesus Christ is at the door.  If we value teeth that are straight and free of decay at great monetary cost and physical discomfort, we ought to desire our love to increase and abound--even if an appointment with affliction is God's means to achieve this.