Krissi

I have been helped, immensely, by a little devotional written by Lettie Cowman (Mrs. Charles) called "Streams in the Desert." This devotional focuses on the theme of suffering. As I have gone through a long period of suffering which seem never to end, her words have been explanatory. There are few places in today's culture to which a Christian can turn in times of darkness, particularly if those times seem interminable. We don't talk about suffering just like we don't talk about hell and judgment. It's forbidden ... almost. Because the idea of suffering is so foreign in Western culture -- for now, but this will change -- the first reaction to intense suffering is to question God's love or power, and then, quickly, to try to get out of it. For me, the question of agency became HUGE. Did God cause the suffering? Did I cause the suffering? What, then caused the suffering? Who is responsible? Who do I blame? Myself? God controls everything. He controls the venues of suffering and persecution. Thus, because we suffer and are persecuted, it is done with God's explicit permission if not desire. It is difficult to wrap my head around the idea that God wants me to suffer. I'm still bothered by it. How can a God of love do this? These sort of questions have pulled me away from the benefits of suffering. Suffering DOES have benefits, though they're oblique. I don't benefit from suffering itself, but get benefits as I go through the suffering. Those benefits have to do with the toughening of my character -- suffering is the crucible in which the bad stuff is burned off.

I’m out of synch with this lesson for I do not fear obedience. Rather , I fear that God will not call me to do anything decisive but will leave me withering slowly on the vine. I pray to be set free. Since I have not been called to do anything challenging, I have little fear about this potential call. When His call comes, and I pray it comes soon (!), I may become afraid. I know, though, that fear precedes courage. Courage pushes beyond fear and exists only when new ground is being taken. As we take ground, what was once fear-inducing becomes familiar and unthreatening. We look back on our pasts and wondered what the big deal was. Only the unknown that lies beyond, in ground that hasn’t yet been conquered, can create the conditions for courage. Having written this, I’m certain that my current circumstance is God’s will. I’m here by the river Cherith watching the water slowly disappear for a reason – His purposes; my character. I have found that NOT being called is far more fear-inducing than being called; NOT being in the thick of things is far more fear-inducing than being challenged, threatened or failing. I have also found that God builds faith in obedient, though unwanted, isolation and solitude.

I'm not sure what aspects of Moses made God so angry, but his behavior after hearing God's explanations/promises seemed to be "the last straw." As Pastor Ralph said, Moses behavior stemmed from the fact that he just didn't want to do it. He didn't want his assignment. He didn't want to obey. Moses was used to being a lowly shepherd in the fields, watching sheep day after day, with small horizons and little to look forward to. He had been broken. Crushed by life. He had learned to think of himself as a failure and at the bottom of the social ladder. From that viewpoint of brokenness, Moses was unable to conceive of himself as capable of doing great things for God. After all, God had taken him from a lofty position and crushed him in the desert, so why, now, would God demand he leave the safety of the desert to go back to the tensions and danger of Egypt? A person forced to live a slow pace of life and defeated until humility ... a person who having endured only unchallenging drudgery would not feel capable of doing anything but menial and meaningless work. Moses' sin could be fear and fear is always a lack of faith. I don't think his sin was disobledience -- he was asking God for permission to disobey, but had not actually disobeyed. -- God has been angry with me my entire life. He knows my sinful nature. -- Moses appeased God's answer by obeying, though reluctantly. I'm sure God prefer obedience with a light heart, a cheerful obedience, but it appears God will accept a begrudging obedience done out of self-discipline, not love and hope.

People who promote themselves, or seem to be doing so, may simply have a big vision that hasn’t yet been actualized. Some, of course, may be socially insecure and therefore puffing themselves up in front of others. Too, they may be spiritually immature, not yet having been dragged through the years of failure and suffering that produce true humility. -- There are obviously natural gifts that are not spiritual gifts otherwise secular people would not be able to do anything! So, I do think there are two sets of gifts that may overlap, in places, but not necessarily. Spiritual gifts are beyond the natural gifts. However, IF my spiritual gifts are the same as my natural gifts, I have a pretty good idea of what I’ve been gifted with. IF, however, my spiritual gifts are bestowed on me by God I have no idea what they may be. All spiritual gifts are from Him exclusively. To heal, for example, isn’t something one can do in the flesh. To perform miracles … isn’t this an example of a spiritual gift? There are spiritual gifts with no natural analogue, which leads me to wonder if the natural gifts are necessarily spiritual gifts. If spiritual gifts have no natural analogue, then I have no spiritual gifts. I cannot prophecy, heal or change water into wine. I am not an apostle. I’m not very good with kids and am often lacking love for other. I’m not particularly hospitable. I tend to be arrogant, not humble, even after years of suffering. I’m not musical or performance oriented. I endlessly list SPIRITUAL gifts I do not have BUT ... If a few of my natural gifts are also my spiritual gifts, I should do much more to develop them. I’m doing this now, but not well. The goal is to make myself into something He can use. Or, use more. I seek to broaden and deepen what I am able to do naturally, because He could use this experience and ability in the future. But what if my own abilities aren’t very interesting to God? What if he just want to give me the gift of, say, healing? An unmerited gift! On the other hand, I may be waiting – wrongly! – for such a gift to be given to me. The answer must be found in the bible. For example, Moses and other great men/women in the bible didn’t seem to be supernaturally gifted until after they obeyed the command in the natural. They knew that the task God had given them was way beyond their natural ability and that they would fail. They stepped forward anyway. That's faith! God gave them the supernatural gifts they needed to succeed. Before that, they didn’t have these gifts. It’s not like Moses knew he was a political leader before God made him one, or knew he had the power to do bizarre miracles before God gave him a staff and started him down that path. If Moses had thought about it, I wonder what he would have thought was his spiritual gift? Was he an orator/preacher? Was he an evangelist? Was he a healer? Administrator? Pastor? Elder? After 40 years in the desert following sheep, Moses probably thought he didn’t have any spiritual gifts. Did God decide to use the gifts Moses already had? I ask this because Moses was well prepped for delivering the slaves out of Egypt – he knew the language and customs of the people as well as the rulers and was very familiar with the social terrain to which he was sent. He had "good creds." Yet, he wasn’t a facile speaker. He even seemed timid, humble and humbled by years in the desert. When he had seen the burning bush and heard God’s command, Moses knew he was a failure (in the natural) -- he was at life’s nadir. Yet God plucked him out of the desert and made him a political leader. So, perhaps our natural giftedness isn’t what God uses after all. It seems God looks for characteristics and character, not for natural giftedness. He looks for willingness, not experience or ability. How was Esther gifted? She wasn’t prepared in any way for the task God called her to do. David was a mere kid following sheep when he was told by God he would be the next king. Paul was busily murdering Christians before being called to be an apostle. I’m having difficulty wrapping my head around this. Sorry.

Moses' response was to obey. He must have heard God's audible voice because he didn't question the content of the command, that is, whether he had heard God correctly, but only wondered why he was chosen to do this task. The clarity of God's command is something I desire in my own life. The scriptures describe Moses as humble. I cannot read Hebrew, but in the English translation, this verse seems out of place, as if it were added later by a scribe or priest. If so, it doesn't matter because still I take it as true -- Moses was humble. Pastor Ralph's question, though, asks about the origin of his humility -- was he humble because he had 1) a psychological issue (low self-esteem), 2) a character issue (true humility), or 3) a theological issue (lack of faith)? The bible suggests that his humility was sincere and true. We know this because God did NOT chastise Moses for asking why he was chosen for this task. In fact, God reassured him. After 40 years of wandering around an ugly, dusty desert following disgusting sheep, Moses was a broken man. God had to build him up to make him conceive of himself as a worthy individual capable of performing the HUGE task God had told him to do. Actually, I'm not sure God reassured him as much God prodded him forward. Imagine having a desire to do something noble, such as help abused slaves in Egypt, and then having that desire thwarted, in part because of your own rash actions. Instead of fulfilling your desire to help people, you're banished and, in essence punished for 40 long years. At the close of these decades in the desert, what happened to Moses' dream? Was it forgotten? Was it latent but not brought to mind? Or, was it something he thought about every day for 40 years? Moses' youthful dreams/desires were resurrected after two-thirds of his life had passed. In a way, Moses' personal life followed the same trajectory of the story of the Egyptian slaves. Having a desire brought to life after so many years would be in itself quite reassuring. The desire isn't dead! It's been revived. It has come to life after so many years and may actually become real!

Pastor Ralph mentioned that Moses was not a real leader at the time he killed the cruel Egyptian. This may be true, but he was differentiated from the people, perhaps by his position or appearance. He was seen as from a cut of people "above" the slave class of his people. He was middle-age at the time he murdered the man, not young and brash but older yet not self-controlled. What I see in Moses is a man with a sense of entitlement, spoiled and lacking self-discipline. Positively, he had a sense of justice though it was raw and undeveloped. He was quick to anger in a self-righteous manner because he identified with the Hebrew slaves at some level. He knew, then, right from wrong, at least in the behavior of other people, though his self-assessment was obviously less well developed. I'm wondering why he wasn't tempered by a family and marriage, as are most middle-age men. Most men seem to "settle down" as they age, but not Moses. He still had the impulsive behavior of a teenager.

Many years ago while in the Beinecke rare book library at Yale, a friend who worked there brought me the original document of Jonathan Edwards, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” I was struck by the sheer number of cross-outs and re-writes in the pocket-size cards that Edwards had used to give his sermon. Obviously, Edwards wasn’t entirely comfortable about what he was going to preach. Considering the “tough love” character of that sermon, his hesitation makes sense. He was, in essence, asking listeners to give an account of their lives before a God who was “angry” with their sin. Edwards spoke of God’s vengeance on sinful people (his “enemies”) and told them they were headed for hell. I just looked up the sermon. It’s even stronger than I remembered: “There is nothing that keeps wicked men at any one moment out of hell, but the mere pleasure of God.” I don’t want to belabor this point, but suffice it to say that in the past, people heard very strong sermons that pointed right at their actions/thoughts and condemned them to hell. This sermon must have been directed at non-Christians, though perhaps, Edwards also was targeting the consciences of backslidden Christians. This sermon was given in the midst of the First Great Awakening which had begun about a decade earlier. I think this is how awakenings begin – with a heightened sense of sin and punishment. No one likes to hear that their morals/values/ethic/beliefs are sinful and evil. No one likes to hear that they’re so bad they’re going to hell. Yet, at that time – and also today?? – at least some of the people who heard this Congregationalist sermon were moved to repentance. Presumably, some were backslidden Christians who “knew better.” I find it amazing that preachers today rarely or never mention hell in their sermons. I have never heard a preacher tell listeners that all of us, Christian or not, would have to give an account for our lives. In sermons, I hear of the love of Jesus. His forgiveness. His gentleness. Yet this is only half the story -- I don’t hear of God’s harsh and exacting judgment on humankind. These passages in 1 Peter 4 are about the account we all must give before God at our deaths. The Message bible, referring to unbelievers, reads, “they’re the ones that will be called on the carpet, before God Himself.” https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/edwards_jonathan/Sermons/Sinners.cfm

This question is personalized. I associate with mostly non-Christians including my family. They are, for the most part, moral people so it is not so much at the behavioral level that they try to get me to sin. What bothers them about me is my faith. They mock God, the church and believers and do everything they can to make me “rational and sensible again.” Sinning in the mind is far more insidious than sinning with the body. Though it’s relatively easy to stop drinking or stay away from gross-acting people, it is harder to control doubt, fear and a nagging sense that God has abandoned or rejected me. It’s difficult to understand why there is so much evil and suffering in the world and how a good God wants this to be the case (otherwise He would have done something about it.) For me, the persistence of evil is a constant faith-challenge … at times, even a faith-stopper. Forcing myself to continue with the studies alone in the morning has kept my faith constant and even growing. I have far, far to go … The temptation to sin in the mind with doubt and fear is best counteracted by study, as I said above, and by associating with a charismatic church. Charismatics explicitly do things that are above/beyond human understanding, such as speak in tongues. I do think this is an antidote to the hyper-rationalism with which some people approach God, including myself.

The questions Pastor Ralph asks skip what bothers me the most -- Paul's death by beheading. The simple and plain meaning of the text suggests that Paul expected God to rescue him from evil attacks and bring him safely to heaven. He expected to be delivered once again. But he wasn't rescued or delivered but beheaded. How can we trust God to rescue us if He did not rescue the apostles? I want to believe that God has my best-interest in mind even when I suffer, but I also want to believe that in the end, ON EARTH, God will protect me. These passages make me doubt. (Help me, Lord, deal with this. Give me wisdom and understanding so my faith in your goodness doesn't flag.) -- I have no idea if Timothy made it to Paul before winter set in. Paul obviously thought he'd be in prison a long time if he asked for books and research material, so it doesn't make a lot of sense that he wanted Timothy to come straightaway ... unless, he had a nagging intuition from the Spirit that he would be murdered adn wanted to see Timothy one last time. Thank you, Pastor Ralph, for another great study.

Yes, of course I've pledged my faith in Jesus -- as has everyone else on this forum -- as well as promised to serve Him. Then, immediately, I fell short of this promise and pledge. My intent was good. I was sincere. And yet, at times, I doubt everything. My faith falters. I have never understood baptism. As a child I was sprinkled, which obviously meant nothing to me at the time; later, as a teenager, without understanding the meaning of what I was doing, I was baptised in the ocean. I only remember being disappointed when I came up out of the water the same ol' me. I thought I would be transformed. Angelic, even. Nope. My faith in Him, today, has nothing to do with my baptism. I know that in the Roman Catholic tradition, when a young person goes through confirmation, they recall and "remember" the baptism of their infancy. In other traditions, baptism is more for the audience. The church, in these traditions, pledge to help the baptised baby grow into a god-fearing adult. I have no idea who was present at my baptism and can assure you that they had nothing to do with leading and guiding my faith subsequently. So, to sum, my baptism means nothing to me. I wish I could answer differently.

I understand that God, alone, is enough, that He is with us in persecution and suffering, and, in this sense, God is sufficient. Yet we crave – tentatively – other Christians. We don’t want to be alone at the most painful times of life. Paul felt his days were numbered; he may have known that he would be murdered. Note that at the end of this chapter Paul does NOT say that God will deliver him, but instead says – thinking forward to death? – that he would be kept safe in the kingdom of heaven. So, God’s looking after Paul included putting Paul through an excruciating death after which Paul was kept safe in heaven. This terrifies me. As the persecution of Christians by the government increases in velocity and number, as it is now, more and more of us will be publicly executed for our faith. This is inevitable. We cannot expect God to rescue us or keep us from violent death – we can expect everlasting life on the other side of the “great divide,” however. Paul was afraid. He didn’t want to die alone. He wanted someone to be there, someone who wouldn’t desert him but stand there, prayerfully and sympathetically. Paul felt circumstances cascading in on him – “Get here as fast as you can!” – and knew his time was short. There’s no text in the Bible that describes Paul’s death so we don’t know if Timothy arrived in time to comfort Paul. I pray Paul had the comfort of Timothy as well as people in the local Roman church. Even today, long after the event, I find myself praying that Paul had Christians in the audience when he was tortured and then murdered. Paul was beheaded after being scourged with rods and tied down, according to church tradition. This would be difficult to watch. Although this is not the case with all people, some of us have a sense when their our on earth is coming to a close. We feel death’s approach and even welcome it. Christians in pain, who have suffered greatly, often desire to die. People whose lives have been a never-ending struggle often desire to die. For those who have outlived friends and family, or never have been truly loved of have deeply loved by another while on earth, death can be welcomed. The very old often desire to die. So do the depressed. The beaten-down. I believe Paul knew he was soon to die. I think, since he was relatively healthy, that he feared death, not because he feared what would happen AFTER he died – he knew he would be with Jesus, that was a certainty for him – but rather he feared the process of death. This is why he wanted Timothy and John Mark near him. Human companionship. People who loved him. People willing to watch him be tortured by the government’s goons, suffer greatly, and then, mercifully die.

What was impressed on me was my own unrighteousness. There is nothing I can do that's "good enough" for God. Without Him, my little acts of worship and obedience are meaningless trifles. Increasingly, I'm seeing God as the source of all goodness -- good deeds, good ideas, good thoughts. Without God, we only mime or approximate goodness, as through a glass darkly, without ever actually being good or understanding good.

The crown of righteousness represents God's acknowledgement of our finishing the race. It's not just a participation trophy, but an award for persistence, self-discipline and relentless racing. This crown is given to the ones who race and finish, which only happens as they LONG for Him.

This has little to do with fear -- it is difficult to contain the anger and sheer fury at those who persecute the innocent, particularly it is yourself or someone you love. The tendency and desire is to take retribution into your own hands rather than cede it to God. The desire is to stand in front of the court and blast them with your well-conceived articulate arguments ... leaving them speechless and ashamed at being caught in their own bigotry. I don't know when it's appropriate to fight back. Perhaps now. Obviously passivity in the face of rogue bureaucrats and immoral legislation has gotten us nowhere. The persecution is increasing. Shouldn't we do something to end it? I find being gentle the most difficult command to obey.

What does it mean to have "fought the good fight" or "run the good race"? What does it take to "finish the race(course)" God has designed for you? What does it mean to "keep the faith"? Paul doesn't say he WON the race, but rather that he finished it. I'm thinking of the straggler in a long-distance race, the guy who barely made it to the end. Breathless, exhausted, with blistered feet and covered with perspiration, he ran the good race ... he finished. To finish the race is just that -- to finish life still believing, hopefully growing, but without giving up the faith and reverting to atheism. I am certain that some of us actually do better than this, that it's a "good" race that we finish, that is, fair and long, but doable. And, I'm very pleased that God designs a race for each of us, our own personal race courses. The length of your race, it's difficulty, may be too much for me, but fits your abilities perfectly. That's what God does. He tailors our races so it's possible to finish them. Keeping the faith is the same as finishing the race. It's not giving up. It doesn't mean there are no detours or falls -- even heart-attacks! -- but that we recover, get back on the track and keep moving forward toward the finish line. This sounds great, but I don't know where the finish line is! I think it's important to hear from God about your calling and purpose, your specific reason for being on this earth, so you can complete your task and get to that finish line.

Though I’m not sure which of the listed qualities is most evident in my congregation, it’s probably the quality of being harmonious. I’m not sure this is a good thing, however. Harmony, in this congregation, has become conformist. We are expected to lock-step by worshiping in particular, idiosyncratic ways, without deviation or “independent thinking.” In my wee opinion, we need the ability to pull the camera back, tone down the enthusiasm and quietly reflect on where we are going. More humility would help. Much more. Again, I strongly feel that in a culture with choice, we should choose the congregation that best works with the future God has revealed for us, our calling and purpose. If we are called to foreign missions, then we should align ourselves with a church that has a strong missions focus and many international congregants. If called to an intellectual endeavor, we should join a group with many study groups. If politically focused, then find a church with politicians and activists, etc. It breeds contention to join a church that is uncomfortable or has never supported or “felt” your calling. There must be a happy medium between a uncomfortable church that rubs off the burs of your personality and a church that’s so comfortable you’re not prodded to growth. I do think it is important to stick with a church once joined, but that church must be a place where you can exercise your gifts and serve … not all are. Churches are as varied as individuals.

Timothy was upset, worried and afraid for his future ... even his life. Paul is both calming and chastising Timothy by telling him to "keep his head." Timothy is to focus on his ministry which includes preaching/evangelizing and leading a church. He should expect to endure hardship and persecution and not be surprised by it ... with great patience. So, to answer the question directly, Paul believes Timothy has taken his eyes of his ministry and therefore must refocus and reorient himself back to completing the duties of that ministry. The work of an evangelist is to make public declarations of Jesus' existence and mission, the saving message of Christ. Timothy is to do this, but in light of the previous passages before today's reading, he's to evangelize by "preaching the word ... with great patience and careful instructions." The part that struck me was Paul's command to "endure hardship." Paul didn't comfort Timothy; rather he told him to "buck it up." Personally, a strong sense of calling and purpose, a clear idea of what God wants me to do, would go a long way toward my willingness to "endure hardship." I'm praying to hear His calling on what's left of my life, to have a clear purpose and direction.

x

When do people command others? First, people command others when they’re afraid of not being listened to; they raise their voice and use directives or decrees. When they don’t want their authority questioned, they “pull rank.” Note that when Charismatics “decree and declare” they are actually commanding God, even if they don’t realize it. Second, people command others when they have the authority to do so – lesser does not command greater. Third, people command when the topic is crucial or critical. The command voice is one that implies the seriousness of what is being ordered. Fourth, people command when they don’t want to convince or debate, but take the short cut of coercing others to do their will. So, why did Paul command in these passages? I think he wanted Timothy to pay attention to his words, more so than usual, because, perhaps, he wasn’t sure he would live very long. His words remind me of last words people say to their family on their death-bed, his most important parting words. He tells Timothy to always to be ready to preach the gospel and patiently and carefully attend to the spiritual development of his congregations. I intuit the reason Paul wanted Timothy to be ready when inconvenient is because the political situation was turning against Christians which meant that easy and free conversations with unbelievers in the past would be more difficult in the future. The governmental situation was turning against the church, so Timothy had to be reminded that he would be preaching at times that were neither safe or “convenient.” This passage makes me wonder if I should take one of those “How to share the gospel” classes occasionally offered in churches in order to be more ready and articulate about the gospel. Christians used to carry small booklets that described how to become a Christian. A booklet functioned as a guide for the Christian-evangelist and a take-home reminder for the new or potential Christian. Generally, I wing it, letting the conversation guide the message more than the message channelling the conversation. This can’t be ideal. And it isn't well prepared. I feel convicted.

Inner beauty is character. Character is developed through suffering. There may be incremental steps toward building character in times of ease, but most of us grow most rapidly and deeply when we're put into His crucible. Only after we finally emerge from the crucible -- before the next plunging ... sigh -- can we look back to see how our characters had been strengthened, changed and made more Christ-like. If a woman feels she has to "win" and "hang onto" a man, something is desperately amiss in the relationship. In the normal order of things, men pursue women (women don't win over men). This is why character is important. Any man worth his weight in salt will value character enough to avoid women who are not pursing holiness -- any woman of developed character will avoid men who are too immature or spiritually shallow to put character at the top of their list. A woman with a spiritually immature husband is stuck, frankly. She should pray that God works mightily in their relationship and continue doing what she knows to be His will and being/becoming the person He has called her to be.

Particularly for those in the charismatic wing of the church, which now is the leading edge, it is incredibly important to ground direct revelation from God (God's still small voice, prophetic utterances, etc.) in the Bible. In my opinion, the leading edge of the church has moved too far toward undocumented, individualized, specific, quixotic God speech. For charismatics, scripture doesn't just set boundaries for such direct revelation, but also is an inward check on those revelations. A person immersed in scripture won't be looking, as much, for God's voice outside of scripture so if/when he hears God's voice to and for him directly, it will be shaped by the scriptural narrative and teachings that have already permeated his mind. In ministry -- we're all in ministry -- scripture provides basic information about Himself, the sweeping narrative of God's work in human history, and a sense of how He worked through individuals in the past. This indicates what He could do today and in the future. It tells about the afterlife and end times and how we should be living in the interim. The four categories of how scripture functions -- teaching, rebuking, correcting and training -- describe how we should use scripture. Not one of these categories are individualized or personal. We teach, rebuke, correct and train others! I suppose we could apply these to ourselves, but the word choice is awkward if this was the intention. It seems clear, then, that the author expects us to use the word in a church setting, that is, with others, more than individually. This makes sense as there was only an OT when Timothy was writing. The NT seems more devotional, individualized and aimed at a solitary reader than the OT, but maybe that is just my impression. If so, it functions more for the Christian in the process of sanctification.

I’m not sure women should strive to look their best. God does not care what we look like -- nowhere in scripture are admonitions to dress smartly, be svelte, wear make-up and jewelry, etc. In the NT, there is an admonition to be modest and not cut long hair, (most women cut their hair – hmmm.) Men are obsessed with attractive women, a huge problem for them. Perhaps we should be pointing at the cause of why women feel compelled to dress to attract – men. But ... the finger pointing goes both ways. Women are just as guilty of looking at men who are powerful, wealthy and otherwise capable of providing and protecting them. Men feel compelled to strut their success to attract us. This problem isn’t new. It's not only a feature in the contemporary West for all peoples at all times have dolled up women for men to look at – and in all cultures, women strive to woo men with success written across their forehead, however defined. I attend a all-women’s group weekly. We usually wear jeans and sweatshirts. No one bothers to look good because we’re tired and the day is over (it starts at 5pm). However ... once a month we have an “open” meeting in which men are invited, and yes, I’ve noticed that the women look at bit better when men are present! This surprised me. It is silly to self-justify or convince ourselves that we're trying to look good for God – that’s just not true. We are trying to look good for men (compete against other women in front of men). Few of us are self-confident enough to transcend this game. Similarly, men preen for women with their sports cars, worsted suits, titles, investments, etc. -- God wants us to look to Him alone. When we're in our prayer closets, we don't feel compelled to look good but are focused on Him in prayer and study. This is what God wants. Our complete attention. Our love. Our worship. If we're having a bad hair day, He doesn't care. Not a whit.

I love this topic. Inspired means God-breathed: theo(s) + pneu (ma)-(stos). In the scriptural examples that Pastor Ralph gave us, the first has the Spirit "carrying along" the prophet. The second and fifth quoted verses types David "speaking by the Spirit" which was "in his mouth," and a last verse the "Spirit of Christ" within them as they prophesied. I intuit that the writers of scripture really didn't know how the Spirit worked in them and were struggling to put what was happening into words. They were certain, though, that these weren't their own thoughts being written, but the ideas of God Himself. Maybe the Spirit works in us to varying degrees. Some of us have a wee bit of the Spirit -- or, are aware of the Spirit only slightly -- while others lose their own voice as they speak His. The latter could be the prophets. The I Peter 1.11 verse is ambiguous -- I don't have my Greek with me now, so can't look it up. It could be interpreted that the prophets were scrambling "intensely" to figure out how the Spirit worked. They analyzed the times that He had spoken -- perhaps the timing was important? Then, they listed the circumstances in which He had spoken -- perhaps the place was important, or whatever was happening? It could also be interpreted as the apostles were intensely searching for when Christ would come again -- the time and circumstances of the suffering of Christ and the subsequent glories that followed. But what's important is that in either interpretation, the writer would not have doubted that the Spirit of Christ was speaking through them, somehow. They were truly prophets.

Submission is difficult not only because of our own pride, but because, deep inside, we really don't trust enough our spouse's judgment, spiritual maturity and selflessness to fearlessly submit to him. It takes a spiritually mature husband and wife -- both -- to foster true submission and headship.

Jesus is talking about persecution when He tells us to take up his cross ... daily. Clearly, anyone who is NOT persecuted is not living the sort of committed life that His sacrifice on the cross demands. If you are not persecuted, please ask yourself why, for Jesus Himself says you will be persecuted every day. Persecution is not optional, but a consequence of living a committed, Christian life. Persecution is not a stubbed toe. It's having your livelihood, reputation, future, loved ones, savings and even life threatened by those with coercive power, that is, government bureaucrats or those emboldened by state corruption. Only the government can force you to do things that are wrong. Only the government can make you pay a horrible price for refusing to do evil. Only the government can make you kill in war, in a surgical room, or by withholding life-saving measures. Only the government can freeze your assets because of your political values, particularly if these values are derived from your religious faith. Only the government can threaten you with imprisonment if you don't turn over your kids to them in government-run schools. It was the government that brutally murdered the apostles, the early church believers and countless other Christians. People who want to harm or murder Christians often get the government to do their bidding. Jesus, after all, was murdered by Jews who were influential in the government of His time. We cannot live our lives without fear any longer -- the golden era of religious freedom and Christian infused values in the culture is over. But ours is a fear tempered by the fact that Jesus will not abandon us as we die, are tortured or falsely imprisoned after being dragged through the court system. We can count on God to pull us through, to be with us, to not let us bear more than we can stand. I wonder, now, if martyred Christians had suffered so greatly that God mercifully "killed" them, bringing them home rather than let them endure more pain on earth. Why God didn't protect the martyrs and those suffering persecution is a question that deeply troubles me for which I have no answer. How He can be good without intervening to save us ... this question is beyond my mind to comprehend. A good God who is also all-powerful chose His disciples to be murdered. Why? Is this our fate, too? It may be. -- The DAILY demand of suffering and persecution, the idea that it never ends, is deeply troubling, too. I often ask God for relief and rarely get it. I'd like to have a safe space to go to, a place of peace. This place is heaven. On earth, I suffer and am persecuted -- in heaven, God rules justly. The fear of persecution ... the relentlessness of it, is spiritually, physically, and emotionally exhausting. It hinders our "soft witness" because we're too beat down to voice a cheerful, saving gospel. We need His peace and His rest, which takes faith. The "tough witness" or a direct telling of the gospel message is now difficult to do. You must carve out places in which you can witness. If you witness at the workplace, for example, someone who works for you may complain that you selectively promote Christians or make it difficult for nonbelievers to get ahead without feigning faith. Even in the few remaining parts of civil society that are outside, supposedly, the tentacles of our secular government, a Christian parent who puts his children in Christian school and brings them up in the faith can be persecuted. Men and women in the military and the corporate world must be very careful not to "insult" trannies and sexual deviance by talking about the Bible. -- I pray that my country goes through another revival and awakening. I pray that all who work for the government or it's proxies are convicted for their part in the grievous persecution of believers at home as well as the wanton, belligerent treatment of people in conflicts that could have settled diplomatically. Although persecution is inevitable -- daily persecution !! -- I pray for the safety and protection of all Christians in the West. I pray that God forgives the people in my country for turning away from Him. I ask, too, for your justice here, on earth, for those who have suffered so greatly from their persecutors. Expose and convict them, Lord. Bring justice. I pray for revival -- yes, revival, Lord! Bring seculars to their knees. Protect us. Give us great wisdom in dealing with them. Vindicate us. Prosper us. Give us places, here on earth, where we can fellowship in safety and live in peace. If we must be persecuted, Lord, then let Your presence be felt and known, not only intellectually, but in our hearts.