Why We Don't Celebrate the Birthday of our Unborn Child

Many people don't know this, but we lost a child when my wife was about 10-weeks pregnant.  Back when this picture was taken, my wife was several weeks along and we had just finished pouring the concrete for our new garage.  I'm pretty sure if when you pour a concrete foundation, doing this is required.  It's not part of city code, but there is some unwritten code that you have to do this, somewhere.

When we placed all of our hands (and one foot) into the concrete, I also wrote + 1 before writing, "Burke Family 2015."  You will see the one footprint there because as you can imagine, it is really hard to put infants' hands (our youngest out of the womb, Joelle) flat onto a gloppy surface when all they want to do is grab everything they touch. Then the + 1 was written for the imprint of the child we still carried, who could not imprint his or her own, due to some location issues at the time (being in the womb).  Still growing in the womb, but present with our family though we did not know his or her name, we included this as part of our hopes and dreams not knowing what the Lord would do.  Ultimately, we would never give birth to this child, and we lost him or her at about 10-weeks, in a miscarriage.

You see, we recognize that child yet born, to be a person.  A person we have yet to meet and who we have yet to know the Lord's will for, but still a person.  He or she was a + 1 before being born.  A person yet born, while in the womb we could only say, "Lord willing" regarding our hopes and dreams that someday would be revealed in that child.  Yet, we also recognize that in God's good will, this child would never have a birthday.  In short, the reason we don't celebrate the birth of our unborn child is because God in His infinite wisdom decided that that child should never have a birthday.  Likewise, any other of the various holidays or celebrations we bring each one of our family members into.  We not only remember the life God gave, but the life God has not given, or has taken away.

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. - James 4:13-17

All of our hopes and dreams must be subject to the will of God.  That includes the hopes and dreams we have for our children, and even our children themselves, born and unborn.  As I reflect on the life that was not meant for us to know any further than the womb, I must bring my thoughts into subjection to God's ultimate will.  I must realize that it is His will that we would never experience this child's birth.  That experience was not meant for us, or for that child.  I then must wonder--do I bring God glory by prolonging in hopes and dreams God has clearly never meant to come to fruition?

Consider David's reaction, in the loss of his born son who fell sick, and would eventually die.

Then Nathan went to his house and the Lord afflicted the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and he became sick. David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. And the elders of his house stood beside him, to raise him from the ground, but he would not, nor did he eat food with them. On the seventh day the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen to us. How then can we say to him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm.” But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David understood that the child was dead. And David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” They said, “He is dead.” Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate. Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.” He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.” - 2 Samuel 12:15-23

So long as David did not know what the Lord would do, he fasted and mourned as he petitioned God that He might be gracious, in sparing the life of the child.  His servants saw him how he wouldn't even talk when spoken to while the child was sick, and in their minds finding out that the child was now dead would send David over the edge.  However, it didn't send David over the edge. Instead, it sent Him into worship.  It was when he understood the Lord's decision on the matter, that he picked himself up, worshiped God for the decision, and now ate.

Why would you write about something like this?  If a person wants to celebrate the birthday of a child they never got to hold, or who was born only to die in that room, why forbid that?  I do not forbid it, but as I have wrestled with this issue from personal experience, in God's Word, this is my plea. My plea here in expressing my "view" on this, is not merely to make a point and tell a bunch of people they are "doing it wrong".  Instead, it is to bring our minds and actions subject to the will of God, that we would be free to worship Him in a way that is most honoring--subject to His will, trusting in His will, glorifying and worshiping of Him, in His will.

Like David, there was a time to hope and dream for the life of my child, which was good and honoring to God.  There is a time where His will is uncertain, and so we petition God, hoping and desiring that certain things will come to pass.  However, when the Lord has decided that this life shall not be mine to have and hold, then like David I believe the best response is to give that to God, and move on, trusting in His will and to His hands.  Not, on the other hand, to be investing time, energy, hopes and dreams in that which God has not meant to be.

"Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." - Matthew 10:37-39

Is it possible, that in honoring the hopes and dreams that we have, which God has snuffed out, even in the life of the unborn, that we elevate our will above God's will and dishonor God?  To fantasize, if you will, in the celebrations that could have been; the birthdays and holidays that might have been had, the gifts and joys that may have been received, if only the child had been born, and lived.  You see, we know that that child in the womb was indeed a person, but it was not the Lord's will for us to behold in that way.  The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away, blessed be the Name of the Lord (Job 1:21).

So, in creating memories that God has taken away, and in His foreknowledge saw fit to not give, is to go above my place and create a life in my own image, and not God's.  I am now seeking my own will above God's, my own desires above His, and a life that He has not desired for me to have.  Like David, I must realize that the time for desiring this life was good and right in its time, but that time is over.  I have understood the decision.  I have mourned, and I entrust him or her to the Lord, as it was never my life to give, have, or hold.

Now that I have mourned, I can go and worship God not only for the birthdays He has given, but the birthdays He has not given.  Above my own children and above my own life, I worship God, Who gives and takes away.  Blessed be the name of the Lord, Who was born to die for us, and Whose perfect knowledge and will is the only means by which any can be saved.  As unbelievable and contrary to the flesh it might have seemed at the time to the apostles, when Jesus went to the cross... we know that it was best.  Without that seemingly incomprehensible act, none of us would be saved.

"Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand." - Isaiah 53:10

It is now according to this will that we do not mourn, but we REJOICE!

Don't Grab a Man by His Law

Deut 25:11-12

“When men fight with one another and the wife of the one draws near to rescue her husband from the hand of him who is beating him and puts out her hand and seizes him by the private parts, then you shall cut off her hand. Your eye shall have no pity.
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A verse like this is not often brought up by Christians, for fear it will only bring scoffing.  Certain questions arise such as, "What if it's a woman who is not the wife? Perhaps a sister, a friend, a mother, a daughter, or just a passer by?  What if it's not a female at all, but a man who intervenes and does this?"

There is no specific law for that.  This is simply, what it was.  I imagine this very situation came up, and so this law was created to set precedent for future matters, according to the law.  There was a time when this didn't exist, but as much of the law as time went on issues were taken to Moses.  He judged between the people and matters were written down, and the legal response for such things were put in place.  This was the crime, and the punishment. "This is what happened Moses,  What should we do, Moses?"  This is the way I understand it.

It's definitely one of the "stranger" miscellaneous laws in the OT, but one among many we must keep if we are to teach the keeping all of it. The law gives no luxury of choosing between "strange" and difficult laws, and those that are not.

If anyone chooses to keep the whole Jewish law as recorded in TORAH, the means by which they establish righteousness, either in this life or the next... then the entire law must be kept.  There is no choosing between what ones we like, and what ones we don't like. So if, "Because the TORAH says so" is the reason we say that we choose to abstain from pork products, then we cannot ignore any other part just because it suits us.  If this situation arises as described in Deut 25:11-12, they cannot be ignored.

Sin does exist, but how so?  What is it, and how do we avoid it?  How do we know what sin is? Doesn't the law tell us what sin is?  What is the difference between this law, and the ten commandments?  Is there a difference?

Romans 8:1, which we all universally love as one of the greatest Christian promises in the Bible, says, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus".  But, we must see that it says so entirely based on the understanding that we are set FREE FROM THE LAW (Romans 7:1-6).  Yes, immediately following in Romans 8:2-4 we are told, "For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."

It's a bold thing that God has done, by giving us His Spirit in that we can walk in a way that pleases Him, apart from the law.  Without the law, how can we know that we walk in integrity? How can we know what one man does is right and what another man does is wrong?  It was a bold move, but the only means by which we are saved.  Those are just my thoughts for now. It doesn't feel like a complete thought for a blog... but there it is.

What if God is Evil?

People have often speculated that they would not worship or love a God who was unjust, or ask the question, "What if God was evil?"

These thoughts (sincerely entertained) ultimately fail to consider our lowly state, and the supremacy of God as Creator. Ultimately, these thoughts are not truly seeking to understand God as a person supposes to be doing, but rather, seek merely to justify self before a holy God.

If God made us, then He is Who decides what good and bad are. Good and bad exist because God divided them, and said what is. He then allows us to perceive it, based on the reality He makes available to us. We can only entertain such thoughts because God allows it. At best we are able to perceive something as good or evil--and assuming we get it right--it is only by God's supreme design and definition that something can be evil or good for us discern in the first place.

If we, however, create in our minds a scenario where we become God's judge (maybe God is evil) and by our own self determined thoughts judge God as evil... then have become God's judge, and God ceases to be God.  You see, if God is evil, then evil would be good, and it simply becomes a moot point. Even saying so is a bit ridiculous.  Good is good, because God makes it good.  He makes it good based upon his sole discretion, power, and will.  We then exist in the world He created.

What man does not want to face, however, is that God is absolutely good all the time, and we (mankind) are continually evil of our own accord. Ultimately, the goal of such thinking that God might just be evil, is to dethrone God and justify ourselves by our own measurements and our own deluded righteousness--which is evil, by the way.

So, is God evil? The real question is, "Am I evil?" Likewise, the answer must be "yes," otherwise we are holy and perfect like God, and we have made ourselves to be God.

Not only is God absolutely good... but this.

“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
Romans 3:21-26 ESV

The Miraculous Conception of Jesus, and the Abortion Debate.

I understand that this argument will fall on def ears for those who do not believe the Bible is God's Word, who otherwise do not believe in the stories therein, the miraculous conception of Christ and the events that surrounded it.  That's okay.  We should still know what we believe, and this was helpful to me.  As I was reading through Luke recently I had some thoughts strike me as relevant to the abortion debate.

Luke 1:41-42

And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 

Notice what leaped in the womb--a baby.  That is John as a baby while in the womb, leaped.  A baby, not because Elizabeth chose to give birth yet, but because John was a baby in the womb regardless of her choice whether or not to slay him.  Also, notice that the fruit of Mary's womb was blessed, and the cause of his leap.  Now, this "fruit of the womb" that was in Mary, was Jesus at a very early stage of human development.  Yet, He was already blessed for what He was, as He was in the womb.  Blessed not because Mary chose to give birth, but blessed regardless of he choice whether or not to slay Him.  The person of Jesus, in all His humanity, fully God and fully man, was all of that at the earliest stages of development.  He was six months younger than John (verse 26).  He was as much a blessed human when he was fruit in the womb, as when He was a full grown man.  The blessing did not wait for the birth, but it preceded it.  God makes no differentiation, and neither should we.

How cute was Jesus as a baby?

To look at the baby Jesus with "cuteness", I believe is to gravely misunderstand Him.  Personally, I have a hard time looking at Jesus as a baby (as we remember Him portrayed when He was born as a baby during this time of year), and thinking, "That's cute".  Even as an infant, He implores this kind of worship, as expressed in O'Holy Night.

"A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new glorious morn
Fall on your knees"

It is not the cuteness of the baby that drives you to your knees, but His holiness.  The gravity of Who He is, and the weight He would be lifting off the world's shoulders (all who trust in Him).  Given this gravity of Who He was and what He came to do, the baby Jesus was probably the least "cute" baby that ever was born, to those Who recognize Him for Who He is.  Not that He was less than average in physical appearance, but his physical appearance whether aesthetically appealing or not would be obsolete, in light of His Lordship.  Do you know Who He is?  The knowledge of Who He was and Who He would become was all planned out (Isaiah 53:2), and should greatly overshadow these temporal observations.  This is not just any other cute baby.

It was when the child grew and began to speak that many people chided Him, and ultimately would torture Him to death.  When we look at the baby Jesus, we must consider His calling and His end (on the cross).  Not this was His end forever, because He is risen and is alive today at His rightful place in the heavens--Ruler over all the universe.  Do not just consider his mere physical form as a baby, because He was not just any other baby.  This baby was miraculously conceived, born of a virgin, Lord of Lords, and King of Kings.  It was by Him and through Him, that the world exists (John 1:1-5).  This little baby, is worthy of infinitely more than our cute thoughts.

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Isaiah 42:1-10

42 Behold my servant, whom I uphold,
    my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my Spirit upon him;
    he will bring forth justice to the nations.
2 He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,
    or make it heard in the street;
3 a bruised reed he will not break,
    and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;
    he will faithfully bring forth justice.
4 He will not grow faint or be discouraged
    till he has established justice in the earth;
    and the coastlands wait for his law.
5 Thus says God, the Lord,
    who created the heavens and stretched them out,
    who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people on it
    and spirit to those who walk in it:
6 “I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness;
    I will take you by the hand and keep you;
I will give you as a covenant for the people,
    a light for the nations,
7     to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
    from the prison those who sit in darkness.
8 I am the Lord; that is my name;
    my glory I give to no other,
    nor my praise to carved idols.
9 Behold, the former things have come to pass,
    and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth
    I tell you of them.”
Sing to the Lord a New Song
10 Sing to the Lord a new song,
    his praise from the end of the earth,
you who go down to the sea, and all that fills it,
    the coastlands and their inhabitants.

Nobody is Perfect

"Nobody is perfect".

Have you ever said this? I have. Besides the obvious, what are we trying to say?

Often this is said when a mistake has been made and we are trying to make ourselves or someone else feel better. Indeed, we should seek to lift others up and make them feel better, *in Christ*. Apart from Christ, we should feel miserable--because that's what we are.

Instead of finding the encouragement of, "nobody is perfect", in the Bible we see things like the following recorded.

“You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:48 ESV

“And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:4

“Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”” Matthew 19:21 ESV
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It would seem that instead of trying to make us comfortable in our obvious imperfection, God would seek to make us very uncomfortable in our imperfection.

When we all stumble and fall in many ways, we must not rest in our imperfection. We must find rest in His perfection--the One Who is willing and able to make anyone perfect.

“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.”
John 6:37 ESV

The Greatest Threat to the Church

The threat to the church is not the fiery furnace of persecution. The threat is not the stripping of native "religious freedoms" we have become accustomed to. The threat is not the pressing trials on our bodies in sickness or poverty. No, God through Paul told us that these were even to God's glory as Christ would be manifest in us through them (2 Cor 4:8-10). The great threat is not even the charlatan who boasts great blasphemes and heretical things. Such men or women are easily set aside with a few words from Scripture and left for the spiritually deprived and reprobate to follow. Not to go completely unaddressed, but His sheep know His voice. The great threat is a lackadaisical approach to sin in our every day lives. It is the insincerity of heart that in a supposed familiarity with God, breeds contempt towards His holiness and how we live up to our calling in response to it. It's not the outlandish God-hater, or blasphemer who brings the greatest threat. Rather, within an otherwise Scriptural-sound company of brothers, it's sleepiness towards God and indifference to our calling, taking root in our every day lives. The greatest threat to the church is found in the lukewarm waters of tolerance towards our own sinful state; a heart that leads to the lighthearted approval of carnal pursuits, lusts, and desires that have no actual sincere thought to the glory or holiness of Christ. We sing glory, but we do not pursue it. He would not have us lukewarm (Rev 3:15-17). This threat to the church has a mind to see another brother indulging in irreverent speech, only to long for an excuse to do the same; or, perhaps to just ignore it. Never does it lovingly take issue, as not to offend with the holiness of God, or bring a concern to how the holiness of God as expressed in us is under attack. After all, we all must have a little fun in fruitless pursuits, and all things are permissible. The great threat is the claim on "Christian liberty" as a means of fulfilling our own lusts. A smile at the audacious things of outsiders we think to be somehow set apart from the reality of how our own heart reacts to such things. Does it yearn for the holiness of God, or does it smirk? Do we not also indulge in their behavior in our hypocritical thinking? Jesus said that to lust in the heart and to be angry without just cause was to be an adulterer and a murderer. Do we get His message? Or, do we with piety in the light of day agree that we would never participate in those sinful things--but say those things are still good for a laugh! In the dark of night it delights us. Not in His light but in light of our televisions and computer screens. Then, as if sin was some joke to be trifled with we give it a subtle wink and confess "my bad", to move along quickly and go unnoticed. We are a "my bad" lukewarm society. We try not to take notice of our sin, but God notices. He notices that we have both had our light fill of sin, and our light fill of repentance. At worst this leads to mocking those brothers and sisters who do daily pine earnestly for a sanctified life after Christ; viewed as being unnecessarily "hardcore", and meanwhile being satisfied in our own hardcore pursuits of permitted carnality. So long as "grace" is invoked, then holiness needs not chased. The great threat is forgetting Him (Who He really is) Who snatched us from the files of hell to a higher calling; calling us instead to His unchanging and ever-consuming holiness, by which we are being saved.

Step into the Light, in order to have all your (secret) sins exposed.

Who is going to take care of your secret sins--the secret sins you don't even know about?

Proverbs 21:2 says, "All a man's ways seem right to him, but the LORD evaluates the motives."

We often think we are great judges of character--especially our own character.  They may think they know me, but they don't know me... not like I know me.  I'm a really good person.  I have evaluated myself, and look, see I am very good.

Left to our own devices, we are not great judges of our selves at all.  Oh sure, we are able to evaluate ourselves honestly to a degree.  But, wholly, completely?  No.  Much of our sins are hidden in darkness (and many are laid open for others to see).  Consider the entire spectrum of sin, and consider the entire spectrum of light.  Much of light is not seen by the naked eye so to is man's sin.  Though we think we are great at seeing all the light, we really aren't good at all.  We miss so much.



Consider how little of the light spectrum we can see.  Now, sin is not light... Jesus is the light.  But it is by the light that our sins are exposed and dealt with.

Jesus said, "And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed." (John 3:19-20)

Most often, this saying of Jesus is simply understood as there are parts hidden in darkness; willingly concealed or otherwise, but sins hidden that are in shadows we aren't willing (or maybe even able) to see.  I think that is a fine understand of what Jesus is saying.  However, I believe it is also understood in considering the spectrum of light that exists beyond our scope of vision.

With Jesus, He will reveal things to us (by the light) that we never saw before.  Even then, though, our minds can only fathom so much at a time.  He reveals it little by little over our entire life, and He is faithful through it all.  Our only hope for true exposure of our sin and consequently forgiveness, is to step into the light--the One who covers the entire spectrum seen and unseen--in order to be healed.

It is often put forth that "No man (mankind) can judge me, only God can do that!"  In some regard, I say Amen!  You (I) cannot even judge yourself!  Yet to truly grasp the depth of our own depravity, is to grasp that we are as equally unqualified to judge the depths of our own motives as any other man would be.  Only God can judge me (truly, wholly, completely), and He will.  If you haven't stepped into the light, however, then we shouldn't count on that fact working in your favor.

So, what then?  If we cannot even know the depravity of our own hearts such that we can stand firm on our own righteousness, how can we hope to stand before God who knows the motives of our hearts?  How can we ever hope to justify ourselves and make ourselves pure? We can't.

When God judges sin--all sin--in the most secret regions of your heart, how can a man hope to be ready?  There is coming a day when God will judge the secrets of our hearts (Romans 2:16); secrets even to us.  Secrets that if revealed to you--fully the whole depth of depravity--it would leave us as an irreconcilable heap of pity.

SO, JESUS.

We cannot deal with our own blindness to our own sin, on our own.  We cannot see the entire spectrum of our sin without the help of the light, or hope to have it reconciled.  With man, this is impossible; but with God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).  He is our only hope to have our sins--both sins glaringly obvious or secretly concealed--paid for completely above and beyond what we could have ever understood on our own.

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

Do you believe in God? Have you known the King, or just known about Him?

Have you found God? This is much more than an intellectual concession, agreeing that you have a Maker, going to church, or even finding Jesus to have possessed some wisdom.  This is far more than an appreciation for a divine justice you believe and hope will be served out on evil someday (no doubt we think, decidedly in our favor). However, I can have an appreciation for a king, a respect for his dominion, and yet never know him.

In many places Jesus said that it is in knowing Him (not just knowing about Him or agreeing with Him on some points), where people find salvation (Matthew 7:23, for example).  So have I sought the king, and upon seeking have I found the king?   Have I known about the king, and appreciated His lordship over the land, or have I known the king personally?  That is an entirely different question, and relationship.

Do you believe you are saved? By what merit? Because you believed in God?  Perhaps you have read the Bible, and believed some of the things in it.  Yet, very studious people who devote themselves to studying the Scriptures can be not saved (John 5:39); even devoting a life's work to it.  The Bible also says that even the demons believe that God exists, and they tremble (James 2:19).

Do you believe God loves you? Those who have truly received the love of God, and who will receive the love of God in the life to come are those who have found Him--not just conceded to a belief in an Almighty maker of the cosmos Who they think will someday right all the wrongs that have been done against them or other people.  Have you found Him, or do you just know some things about him? There is a huge difference.

Unless we have known the king, all of our appreciation for his Majesty and dominion will be for naught, and the justice we hope he will serve will be decidedly not in our favor.  If you have not found God, you have not loved him. If you have not loved him, then what hope should we have that this Almighty maker of the cosmos would decide anything in our favor on the day of judgment?

I love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me. (Proverbs 8:17)

Do we compartmentalize God?  This is a confession, and a general observation.

On Sunday morning at our church gatherings when music is played, it is about God.  This may seem like a silly question, but why?  Why is that?  It's very intentional in proclaiming God, singing to God, about God, and for God.  Why?  The music choice is very specific in that way. We would all be pretty shocked and even rightfully offended to hear an AC/DC, Katie Perry, or some other famous musician’s song played during Sunday morning worship. But, is Tuesday morning not supposed to be filled with worship?  Is that not the time to worship God?  Not now, Lord… wait for Sunday morning.  I’ll give you your day.  Is not Thursday evening His?

So when we listen to music (as an example) during all the other times in our life, how are we expressing that worship?  Is it consistent, or have we compartmentalized God for His special God time and God place? Do we set aside God worship for Sunday morning, Wednesday evening, or some other special time set apart for Him? Not that we shouldn't set special alone time apart for God in solitude, away from our daily distractions—that is something else.  Of course we should do that as often as we can and need to.

How do we compartmentalize God—to subtly make little of Him?

We might say things likes “my sports life”, or “work life”, or “political life”, or “social life”, or perhaps “family life” and whatever other life we may make distinction of?  What do we mean exactly?  The most important thing here is to not get hung up on terms, but to honestly ask ourselves—do I isolate God?  Is our sports life in some way disconnected from our family life?  Is our work life somehow disconnected from our spiritual life?  We may be looking at this all wrong.

“Yes, but”, someone will say, “My work life *is* distinct from my family life.  I cannot be with my family when I’m at work.  For all intents and purposes I have no interaction with my family when I am at work.”  Perhaps this would be a true distinction, if the only way you served your family was by face-to-face, direct interaction.  But, if you are called to work to support your family as most families do have at least one person who is, then really that is an extension of your family life.  Whether in close proximity working in the yard while the kids are napping, or working downtown while the kids are in school.  Even so, there may be some true distinction in this thinking because all of us are finite.  Our spouse, our kids, our coworkers, our neighbors—we are all very much not omnipresent.  Again, not to get hung up on terms, we’ll say maybe that’s just fine so long as we aren't neglecting those we should love in doing so.  Most importantly, so long as we aren't isolating God to His room, to await His special time we allow Him to have an impression on our lives.

The main danger I seek to root out is the thinking of setting certain “lives” aside apart from God, as compartments that are our own unique territories somehow isolated from the calling of God; my sports life, my family life, my work life, my church life, and my spiritual life—even my prayer life.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1st Thessalonians 5:16-18)

Do we treat God like our lives are a microwave dinner?  We pick and choose what He will touch, when, and how.  Complete with all of its separate little compartments, designed not to mix until we choose to bring them together at the appointed time in our stomach?  See, we aren't meant to be microwave TV dinners; corn over here, mashed potatoes over there, molten lava brownie in the corner, and our main dish steeped in gravy (Salisbury steak because we can all agree, it is the best).  Now that I've either made you hungry or a little sick… hear this Psalm and be renewed.

Psalm 139:7-12
7 Where shall I go from your Spirit?
    Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
    If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning
    and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
    and your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
    and the light about me be night,”
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
    the night is bright as the day,
    for darkness is as light with you.

Do you hear the heart in this Psalm?  Do you see what he is saying?  Rather than microwave dinners with our own little compartments, isolated from the good gravy of God’s Spirit, we are better off to be mindful of God as this Psalm shows us in every aspect of our life—to be like a hot stew wrapped with the constant savor of the juices of worship throughout every bite, immovably woven throughout every single savor—a chicken pot pie.

Do we reserve the worship of God for Sunday mornings?  What do we choose to listen to throughout the rest of the week?  Do we have special God music for Sunday morning—a time when our Monday through Saturday music isn't played, only to bust out the non-Sunday morning worship music for our own time the other six days of the week?  Do we have a special attitude we save for Sunday morning where we elevate God in our hearts in a special way, which we do not present the rest of the week?  Do we have a special way of thinking and talking on Sunday morning that only leaves us Monday morning when we go to work?  It ought to not be so.

Inviting God into everything is a submission of our will, more than giving God permission.

Let us be so engrossed in the savor of God that we delight in Him always.  Let us say as the psalmist says, “Where shall I go from Your Spirit!?”  May God be holy all the time, and no more or less holy to us on Sunday morning than He is on Tuesday afternoon.  And may He be utterly holy.  That is my desire.

Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

Do You Have Enough Faith to Stay in the Boat?

What if Jesus replied to Peter, "don't come", or simply never responded with the specific command to come?

But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 

But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:27-31 ESV)"

If Jesus didn't give the command to come, then I suggest it would have taken faith--not just more faith, but faith period--to remain in the boat.

Notice that none of the other apostles who remained in the boat were charged with lacking faith--only Peter was charged with being of "little faith".  Did not those who stayed in the boat, lack faith?  It might seem so... so why be so "hard" on Peter about lacking faith?  He did walk on water after all, and that seems pretty amazing.  None of the others did that.  Why not call them out and charge them with a lack of faith?

Here is the thing.  Faith is not making great and wondrous efforts. Faith is heeding the Word of your Lord.

Do you--do I--desire to have faith? We must seek the the Word of our Lord. All other "faith" is not faith, but is counterfeit.  Has he not called you out of the boat?  Then don't think that to walk on water would take great faith.  Keep your gaze on Him, and He will give you the Word you need to have great faith.

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So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17 ESV)

Finding Your Outer Strength

The overwhelming modern way of thinking and teaching in society is that we must find inner strength.  You are your own power source.  You are your own powerhouse of will, happiness, greatness, and power.  Great things await you when you believe in yourself!  Within yourself is all that you need.  Just pick yourself up by your bootstraps.

God's Word could not be more contrary.  Is it any surprise?  No... but it still should be said.

In 2 Corinthians 12:10 it is written...

"For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
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This is no form of thought you will find in any self-help book, or motivational speaking event.  What does it mean when Paul by inspiration of the Holy Spirit writes, "when I am weak, then I am strong."?

He is alluding to a strength simply not found in self.  You don't have what it takes to be strong.  If you think you do, you are actually weak.  In fact, it is in emptying himself of himself, that he is made strong--not from within, but from without, by God.

Jesus echos this same teaching when he says "For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." (Matthew 16:25)

Have you found your outer strength?

Characteristics of a godly man cave (Psalm 57)

Psalm 57 (ESV)

To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David, when he fled from Saul, in the cave.

1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
till the storms of destruction pass by.
2 I cry out to God Most High,
to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
3 He will send from heaven and save me;
he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah
God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!
4 My soul is in the midst of lions;
I lie down amid fiery beasts—
the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!
6 They set a net for my steps;
my soul was bowed down.
They dug a pit in my way,
but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
7 My heart is steadfast, O God,
my heart is steadfast!
I will sing and make melody!
8 Awake, my glory!
Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will awake the dawn!
9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10 For your steadfast love is great to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!

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It's a place...

-for crying [out to God], for his mercy and refuge - v.1-2

-for hope in God's salvation from many worldy enemies that seek to destroy us - v.3-4

-God's glory is exalted and proclaimed - v.5

-nets and pits set to entrap our souls are called out; humble remembrance and hope for how God deliverers out of them all - v.6

-hearts are directed to the steadfast love of God; in response, singing may break out or looked forward to in hope - v.7-10

-Finally, it is a place where God is exalted above all else; there is a display of hope for His glory filling the whole Earth - v.11

(Also see Psalm 142)