God’s Role In Tragedy

Rich Dixon, Author/Speaker

www.relentlessgrace.com

  

God does not allow evil and suffering to continue because He does not love us, or is in some way detached and removed from us. God takes our suffering so seriously, that he took it upon himself on the cross. Tim Keller

When I speak to a group about RELENTLESS GRACE, the questions are frequently penetrating and gut-wrenchingly honest. One question is asked more than any other. “Do you believe that God caused your injury?”

That’s tough to answer because I know what’s beneath the surface. A child gets cancer. A spouse dies in a senseless accident. Dreams and aspirations are destroyed indiscriminately, pain strikes needlessly, suffering endures pointlessly. And we want to know why. Why did this happen? Is it God’s will? How could He do such an awful thing, or how could He allow it?

I can’t speak definitively for God (which probably doesn’t surprise you) and I think there’s great danger in claiming to understand the details of God’s plan. We tend to create Him in our image and ascribe limited human motives to Him. We seek simplistic cause-and-effect explanations for complex circumstances. I’m convinced that His thoughts are bigger than our finite ability to reason.

However, my injury has prompted me to examine the question of God’s role in suffering and apparent tragedy. I’ve compiled an incomplete list of basic principles that cast some light for me into a troubling personal darkness.

• God’s purpose and plan are bigger than anything I can see or even imagine.

However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” [1 Corinthians 2:9]

• God loves me and never wants me to be afraid.

God is love … There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. [1 John 4:16(a),18(a)]

• God sent Jesus as the perfect sacrifice. No matter what my situation, I know I’ll spend eternity in relationship with Him.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. [John 3:16]

• I trust that God will never let go of me.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. [Romans 8:38-39]

• I trust that God’s work in my life will ultimately come together for my good, even when I can’t see how or when that might be possible.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. [Romans 8:28]

• God made me along with the rest of His creation. His intent for me is for good.

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. [Genesis 1:31(a)]

God loves me, wants only good for me, and will never let go of me. And even when circumstances are temporarily horrible, I know that He sacrificed His son to assure that I’ll be in His presence for all of eternity. This is the sum of my experience.

Childhood disease, random accidents, and indiscriminate suffering don’t seem to qualify under any reasonable definition of “good.” Neither do senseless, disabling injuries like mine. Therefore, my answer is that I don’t believe God causes these events. I do not believe that God decided one morning that this would be a good day to cause the suffering associated with a spinal cord injury and permanent paralysis.

Evil is present in our fallen world. Why does He allow it? I don’t know, because His purposes are bigger than my vision. But I know that He’ll always use even tragedy for good and that one day the pain will end and be replaced with endless joy.

That’s not an easy answer, but it’s all I’ve got. It’s enough for me.

I have been asked hundreds of times in my life why God allows tragedy and suffering. I have to confess that I really do not know the answer totally, even to my own satisfaction. I have to accept, by faith, that God is sovereign, and He is a God of love and mercy and compassion in the midst of suffering. Billy Graham

I hope you’ll take a look at my new e-book titled STICKS AND STONES: Finding Freedom In The Face Of Criticism. It’s a free PDF download. You can click the link in the sidebar or go to my resources page to download.

Did you enjoy this article? Please leave a comment, visit my website, and/or send me an email at rich@richdixon.net.

Subscribe to receive updates by Email

Related articles:

An Imitator Of Jesus

Rose Colored Glasses

The Strength To Be Gentle

Criticism vs Feedback

Follow Me And Be Free

Rich Dixon, Author/Speaker
www.relentlessgrace.com

An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind. Ghandi

Yesterday I wrote about the pitfalls of Legislating Morality.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” [Matthew 5:17]

I believe that Jesus meant exactly what He said. I believe that absolute truth exists. I believe that ethics and morals are not relative, that right is always right, and wrong is always wrong. I believe that Jesus is the source of truth, and that His model is the example we’re meant to emulate.

“FOLLOW ME.”

Jesus knew that the written law couldn’t sufficiently capture His truth. “I am the way, the truth, and the light.” The fullness of truth is expressed only in a personal relationship with Jesus.

It sounds so simple, as long as I don’t have to actually put it into practice. I want to follow, but I know I’ll fail. The best I can hope for is a poor but improving approximation of His desire for me.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” [Matthew 5:38-48]

HE CAN’T BE SERIOUS

Jesus was either the most naïve, impractical teacher in history or He knew something about us that’s beyond the world’s experience.

Do you think He was serious? I do.

By any worldly standard, Jesus didn’t win. He was unfairly persecuted and He refused to get even. I don’t want to follow that example. I want to see my opponents defeated, exposed, and humiliated. I demand fair treatment, and I don’t want to get even, I want to get ahead.

Turn the other cheek? You can’t possibly operate in this world with that sort of approach. People will take advantage of you. How can you possibly survive, much less thrive, if you respond to evil with love? Doesn’t He understand that loving my enemy leaves me vulnerable, that unscrupulous enemies will welcome the chance to strike at the second exposed cheek?

He understands perfectly, because He experienced it. Jesus’ followers will suffer injustice and persecution. He makes only one simple guarantee: if you do it His way, you’ll be free.

AN ENDLESS CYCLE

As long as I insist upon an eye for an eye, I’m a prisoner because the other guy dictates my behavior. If he’s kind, I can be kind. But if he’s nasty, I have to react with at least an equal level of nastiness. He gossips, I have to gossip. He hits, I have to hit back.

I may get even, and I may even win. But I’m never free, because my only choice is to react to the world on its terms.

One side misuses the process and stretches the truth, so the other side misuses the process and stretches the truth to keep up. They yell, so we have to yell louder or we’ll lose the argument. Right and wrong don’t matter; you can’t let the other side get ahead. It’s the stuff of politics and punditry and politicized pulpits, and we have to follow our side’s leaders or we’ll lose.

But we’re following the wrong leaders.

Violence demands violence. Disrespect must be answered disrespectfully. Suspicion requires more suspicion. And on and on it goes, a death spiral of eyes for eyes and teeth for teeth until with world is littered with toothless blind people lashing out at one another in darkness.

And in this cycle, the real enemy, the enemy of our souls, celebrates. Followers of Jesus succumb to the world’s temptation and surrender their power to choose love. You can almost hear him whispering, “Surely God doesn’t really mean that you’re supposed to be kind and love when others do obvious wrong. Surely He doesn’t want you to let evil ideas win.” And he chuckles with glee as we bow to his subtle twisting of Jesus’ simple words.

WHAT DO WE DO?

Jesus asks us to stop the cycle. He asks us to be different from the tax collectors and pagans. He asks us to step above slavery to the world’s ways and follow His way. He asks us to serve those who intend to harm us. In His simple, naïve words, He offers the keys to the prison.

• The Pharisees command obedience to the letter of the law. Jesus says, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”.
• The Romans kill their enemies. Jesus forgives the soldiers who drive nails into His body.
• The enemy of our souls tells us that God wants us to win the world’s battles. Jesus asks us to look to a kingdom beyond this broken world.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. [Galatians 5:1]

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. [2 Corinthians 3:17]

Jesus says simply, “Follow me.” He doesn’t promise that our side will win, or that the world will be fair, or that people won’t take advantage of us. Following Jesus is naïve and impractical, except for one thing.

When you follow Jesus, you get to be free.

Why is the simple message of Jesus so difficult to implement?

I hope you’ll take a look at my new e-book titled STICKS AND STONES: Finding Freedom In The Face Of Criticism. It’s a free PDF download. You can click the link in the sidebar or go to my resources page to download.

Did you enjoy this article? Please leave a comment, visit my website, and/or send me an email at rich@richdixon.net.

Subscribe to receive updates by Email

Related articles:

An Imitator Of Jesus

Rose Colored Glasses

The Strength To Be Gentle

Criticism vs Feedback

Tough Ministries

Rich Dixon, Author/Speaker
www.relentlessgrace.com

Note: I posted two articles this week. Please take a moment to scroll down to the second one before you leave (Hint: something FREE!) 

This is perhaps my favorite scripture. I love the picture it portrays, and it’s something of which I need to be reminded daily.

Jesus said, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.

Some New Stuff

Rich Dixon, Author/Speaker
www.relentlessgrace.com

When I hear somebody sigh, “Life is hard,” I am always tempted to ask, “Compared to what?” Sydney J. Harris

I’d like to announce the release of a new e-book titled STICKS AND STONES: Finding Freedom In The Face Of Criticism. It’s a free PDF download. You can go to my resources page to download.

I hope you’ll check it out and perhaps pass it along to others. Let me know what you think of it.

Caution: the remainder of this post is blatantly self-serving. I’ll understand if you skip it. If you keep reading, I’ll offer an insider’s view of one of my biggest fears.

When I decided to get into writing as a profession, I had some reservations.

• Mostly I wondered if I could write anything useful or interesting enough that others would actually take time to read it.
• I knew virtually nothing about writing or publishing professionally, and I wondered if I’d learn enough to avoid looking like a total idiot.
• I wondered if I’d run out of things that interested me enough to write about them with passion and conviction.

I’ve addressed each of these concerns, and I imagine that process will continue as long as I pursue this relatively new endeavor. But mostly I’ve found that I enjoy the challenges, and I’ve generated enough interest and success to keep me going.

However, by far the biggest challenge I encounter has only gotten worse. I don’t like selling and promoting, and I really don’t like selling and promoting myself or my own work. I have nothing against people who sell stuff for a living. It’s just not what I enjoy. I’m uncomfortable with the entire process, probably due to some deep insecurity or fear of rejection.

I overcame a certain amount of this discomfort by selling articles to print magazines (here’s a link to a few), and I’m fairly at ease in that environment now. I solicited an agent for my book and was delighted to encounter interest and encouragement–another obstacle surmounted.

But then I discovered a painful reality of book publishing. Unless you’re an established author or a well-known personality, marketing a book is almost completely the author’s responsibility.

I’d like to sit back and say, “Well, it’s God’s story. If He wants it told, He’ll provide sales.” However, I think this is one situation in which God can move mountains, but He’s accomplishing it by handing me the shovel. It seems that He expects me to actually work at this. I’ve actually had a reasonable amount of success, more than I anticipated. But there’s one thing I’ve avoided.

So you’re asking, “What does this have to do with me?”

Good question. I have a simple request, and I guess you don’t get what you want unless you ask. With great trepidation, I’m asking you to help me promote sales of Relentless Grace.

If you don’t ask, you don’t get. Gandhi

How are you supposed to do that? Well, you could buy a signed copy of the book from my website or from Amazon.com. You can find out more about the book here. If you’ve read the book, perhaps you’d point everyone in your universe to it with a glowing recommendation. In fact, here’s a whole list of ways you can help.

Actually, one of the biggest ways you can help is by arranging for me to speak to a group. Then they can hear a bit of my story and decide if it’s interesting enough to merit a book purchase. If you have any ideas, please send me an email.

I promise I won’t make a habit of this. Thanks for accommodating my request, and I hope you’ll download and enjoy the ebook.

I’m not looking for best-seller status, but I do honestly believe that Relentless Grace contains a message of hope that will be helpful to readers. And if you’re not a buyer right now, I hope you continue to visit the site and enrich the circle.

Asking is the beginning of receiving. Make sure you don’t go to the ocean with a teaspoon. At least take a bucket so the kids won’t laugh at you. Jim Rohn

Did you enjoy this article? Please leave a comment, visit my website, and/or send me an email at rich@richdixon.net.

Subscribe to receive updates by Email

Related articles:

Criticism vs Feedback

Substance Or Style

A Prisoner Of Expectations

Gentle Jesus Meek And Mild?

Rich Dixon, Author/Speaker
www.relentlessgrace.com–

 

 

 

 

 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” [Matthew 11:28-30]

Jesus can sometimes be a confusing guide.

• Gentle Jesus, meek and mild, passively endures ridicule, scorn, and torture.
• Humble Jesus makes His triumphal entry in front of cheering crowds on a common donkey.
• Assertive Jesus turns over tables and drives the money changers from the temple.
• Confrontational Jesus condemns the self-serving, superficial religiosity of the Pharisees.

Which Jesus am I supposed to follow? Gentle and humble, assertive and confrontational—what’s the model?

The answer, of course, is “all of the above,” but that’s confusing in a culture that equates gentleness with weakness.

Jesus was the most powerful human in history, with the armies of heaven at His command. He could have turned the Roman Empire on its head, destroyed the corrupt religious establishment, and established Himself as king, general, and high priest. He could have righted every wrong, punished every evil, and placed His friends in positions of honor and authority.

In our world, these are the sorts of actions that define strength. All of them, and much more, were within Jesus’ grasp. So what did He do?

He washed feet. He wandered among obscure villages and spoke to insignificant outcasts. He chose a life of service that took Him to a horrible, humiliating death.

Two of Jesus statements have always had a powerful impact on me.

• “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”
  Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.” [John 19:10-11]
• The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” [John 10:17-18]

In our culture, powerful men give the orders. Obedience isn’t usually associated with strength and authority. Jesus willingly surrendered the power of the universe to do His Father’s will.

Jesus knew that coercion, force, and violence are signs of weakness. He could have kicked in the doors of power and demanded change. He could have debated the religious leaders into submission. He could have threatened dire consequences unless public policy conformed to His truth.

He didn’t brandish weapons or shout at His opponents. He didn’t use His authority and status to intimidate and control. He did none of the things we equate with power and strength, because He knew that they’re only imitations of strength.

Jesus knew that authentic courage means following God’s will. He displayed the courage to stand for right, regardless of the risk to Himself and His friends. But He didn’t need to win. He didn’t need others to acknowledge that He was right. He knew He was right in God’s eyes, and that mattered more to Him than anything else.

That’s the model, that’s the source of strength. If I know I’m right in God’s eyes, I can live with self-confidence and strength.

• It doesn’t matter what others think.
• I don’t need to win.
• I can serve in obscurity and humility.

Jesus wasn’t gentle and meek because He lacked strength or courage. Instead, because He knew the truth and held the authority of God in His hands, He had the courage to be gentle.

That’s the model. Those are the footsteps I want to follow.

Both gentleness and meekness are born of power, not weakness. There is a pseudo-gentleness that is effeminate, and there is a pseudo-meekness that is cowardly. But a Christian is to be gentle and meek because those are Godlike virtues. We should never be afraid, therefore, that the gentleness of the Spirit means weakness of character. It takes strength, God’s strength, to be truly gentle. Jerry Bridges

Do you struggle with needing to get your way or needing to win? How do you get past those feelings?

Did you enjoy this article? Please leave a comment, visit my website, and/or send me an email at rich@richdixon.net.

Subscribe to receive updates by Email

Related articles:

Keys to Responding To Criticism

Criticism vs Feedback

Getting My Way

Heroes And Critics

Sticks And Stones

Rich Dixon, Author/Speaker
www.relentlessgrace.com

 

 

 

 

 

Sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me.

Really? I think that innocent childhood adage should be revised. Sticks and stones can break my bones but words … can break my heart. Broken bones will mend, but surgery can’t heal a broken heart.

This week I’ve been thinking about criticism. I’ve discussed Criticism vs Feedback and Keys to Responding To Criticism. One additional thought seems crucial to the basic premise of SetFreeToday.

You might guess that an event in my own life has prompted this analysis, and you’d be correct. I’ve been watching someone close to me in a wrestling match with criticism disguised as feedback.

Forgive me for repeating from the previous posts, but since this article appears in two different blogs I’ll clarify a few basic points.

DISTINCTIONS

I believe that criticism and feedback differ fundamentally in intent, process, and impact.

• Feedback intends growth and improvement. Criticism destroys.
• Feedback centers on behavior. Criticism attacks the person.
• Feedback focuses on the receiver. Criticism focuses on the critic’s status as expert.
• Feedback invites partnership, a shared journey of relationship. The critic stands outside the process.
• Feedback involves humility and service. Criticism is boastful and arrogant.
• “Constructive criticism” isn’t constructive at all. It’s simply criticism dressed up to make the critic appear concerned.

THANK YOU

That doesn’t mean that feedback isn’t sometimes painful. When I fall short or miss the mark, it’s difficult to be held accountable. I may rebel initially, but I ultimately want both positive and negative feedback. In the end, I recognize the intent. I understand that offering feedback isn’t comfortable, that it might be easier for those who care about me to avoid the discomfort.

My best response to sincere feedback, even when it’s painful, is sincere thanks. I’m grateful that others invest enough in my welfare to confront my errors. I’m thankful for a circle in which folks care and want what’s best for me. I thank God for people who understand my priorities and aspirations and tell me when I’m settling for less.

That’s not a bad little prayer: Thank you, Jesus, for people with the courage, compassion, and conviction to speak into my life when I miss Your mark.

NO THANK YOU?

I’ve said previously that it’s best to ignore or discount criticism whenever possible, as difficult as that may be. Certainly it’s best not to reward and encourage a critic with the desired anger or tears.

But the Bible tells me something more. As a follower of Jesus, I’m called to go beyond dismissing a critic’s harmful words. Jesus doesn’t call us to ignore or condemn our critics. In fact, some of the most familiar passages of Scripture present a very different principle.

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors … For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. [Matthew 6:12, 14-15]

The parable of the unmerciful servant [Matthew 18]; the speck and the plank [Luke 6]; the parable of the prodigal son [Luke 15]; the parable of the good Samaritan. [Luke 10]

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”

Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. [Matthew 18:21-22]

When I’m attacked by a critic’s harmful words, my human instinct screams at me to lash out, fight back, and get even. Rational analysis directs me to simply ignore my tormentor. But Jesus says that not enough. He tells me to forgive.

I don’t like that. I don’t want to forgive when I’ve been harmed for no reason, when I don’t deserve the hurtful words and the broken heart. But it gets worse.

LOVE

“But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ lend to ’sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. [Luke 6:27-36]

Getting even isn’t Christ’s way. Ignoring and dismissing aren’t steps on His path. Even passive forgiveness isn’t sufficient.

Jesus instructs me not only to forgive, but to love those who mistreat me. Love is active; it requires me to reach out and invest myself emotionally in the person who hurts me. Bless, pray, do good, and turn the other cheek involve action and sacrifice; they’re admonitions to purposely seek the best for my critic.

FREEDOM

How can I possibly be free when I actively seek the best for my tormentor? I think that, in simplest terms, there are two reasons.

Practically, even in ignoring or discounting my critic I’m allowing harmful words to direct my behavior. When I consciously choose forgiveness and love, I free myself from the burden of reacting. I decide. I’m free.

Beyond worldly practicalities, Jesus is always concerned more with His kingdom than ours. He wants me to be free from the things of this world, and He clearly lights the journey toward His sort of freedom with forgiveness and love.

IT AIN’T EASY

Please don’t perceive these words as a guilt trip. When someone’s broken your heart, forgiveness is hard. Loving your enemies is nearly impossible.

But Jesus didn’t take the easy route; He took the right one. He didn’t succumb to His human instincts; He conformed to God’s plan even when it meant horrible suffering and an undeserved death. His heart, and His body, were broken, but He responded with forgiveness and love. He could have avoided it all, but He did His Father’s will, not His own.

He calls me to follow in His footsteps, knowing that it’s hard, knowing that I’ll fail. And He walks beside me even when I miss the mark, leading me gently on the path to forgiveness, love, and freedom.

I’m glad I don’t have to do this stuff alone. By myself, His brand of forgiveness and love are beyond my grasp. Fortunately, I don’t have to walk alone. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. [Philippians 4:13]

One who refuses to forgive burns a bridge that he himself needs to cross.

What’s the hardest part of responding to criticism for you?

Did you enjoy this article? Please leave a comment, visit my website, and/or send me an email at rich@richdixon.net.

Subscribe to receive updates by Email

Related articles:

Keys to Responding To Criticism

Criticism vs Feedback

Getting My Way

Heroes And Critics

Getting My Way

Rich Dixon, Author/Speaker
www.relentlessgrace.com

 

 The success of love is in the loving – it is not in the result of loving. Of course it is natural in love to want the best for the other person, but whether it turns out that way or not does not determine the value of what we have done. Mother Teresa

What do you usually pray about?

I think I frequently get prayer backwards.

When I first began my attempt to follow Jesus, I found fascination in the public prayers of more seasoned Christians. They prayed about every event in life, every choice and decision. They prayed for safety and health, for pregnancy, and for nearly any imaginable result.

Christian athletes prayed for success, Christian soldiers prayed for victory, and Christian business folks prayed for increased profits. No matter the arena or desired outcome, it seemed that someone prayed about it.

Curiously, there were always profuse thanks from the winners, the success stories, the prosperous, those who realized their dreams. You didn’t hear much from those on the other side of the ledger.

This common model for conversation with God envisions Him as a cosmic vending machine. You choose the preferred product, put in the right payment, turn the handle, and expect Him to produce the right result. And when God meets your expectations, you say thanks.

And if things don’t go your way, then perhaps God is saying, “No” or “Not now.” Perhaps He’s preparing you for a future challenge, or maybe you didn’t pay the right price. Maybe you just don’t have enough faith.

Frankly, the whole thing seemed a bit pointless to me, since He already knows my wants and needs anyway. It felt a little superficial, like I was reading the lines of a script because I was expected to read them. Prayer seemed like an exercise, a sort of false piety intended mostly to say the right words and ultimately get what we want from God.

I think this vending machine model misses the entire point.

I do believe God cares about every event in our lives. I think Jesus grieved when I fell and endured the struggle of paralysis. He weeps at the death of a child, and hates to see us disappointed, sad, or hurt. He does not minimize or dismiss our desires, needs and concerns, but they are clearly not the main point to Him.

Jesus spent most of His time telling us, in Steven Covey’s words, that “…we are not human beings on a spiritual journey, we are spiritual beings on a human journey.”

“Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. … For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” [Luke 12:27-31,34]

So how does this relate to prayer?

I think the focus of prayer shouldn’t be asking for results and thanking God when we approve of outcomes. We’d do better if we sought help in doing things His way.

• I think He cares what we do; I think He cares much more about how we do it.
• I think He cares about results, but they’re always temporary; I think He cares more about character, which is permanent.
• I think He cares about the path we’re traveling; I think He cares more about the direction we’re heading.
• I think He values me because of my identity as His child, because of who I am in Christ, and not because of what I accomplish.

When things don’t go my way, or when they do, I’d do better to stop seeking a rational, human-created explanation. Sometimes there’s an answer to Why, but mostly the logic is shrouded in the mystery of eternity. Rather than demanding cause-and-effect clarification, I’d do better to ask Him how I ought to respond.

That’s really the central premise of SetFreeToday. Where you’ve been matters less to God than where you’re going. He offers the chance to choose a new direction, a new beginning, each day.

“Thy will be done” isn’t a request for favorable circumstances. It’s a longing to understand how God wants me to respond, the direction He wants me to travel, the kind of person He wants me to become. I need to stop talking, asking, and demanding.

I need to listen and follow.

What’s your take on prayer?

Being a Christian is more than just an instantaneous conversion – it is a daily process whereby you grow to be more and more like Christ. Billy Graham 

Did you enjoy this article? Please leave a comment, visit my website, and/or send me an email at rich@richdixon.net. 

Subscribe to receive updates by Email

Related articles:

Asking The Right Questions

Compass Or Map?

An Imitator Of Jesus

How Should We Pray?

Asking The Right Questions

Rich Dixon, Author/Speaker
www.relentlessgrace.com

 

 

 

 

The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: “If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?” But… the good Samaritan reversed the question: “If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?” Martin Luther King, Jr.

In my introductory Sunday school class I always begin with this premise: God welcomes our sincere questions.

I find that many people are surprised by the notion that faith and uncertainty can coexist. I think we sometimes imply that people of true faith don’t have questions. This false message squelches the expression of honest questions and creates significant guilt.

Many people avoid church because, at a crisis moment, their questions were dismissed. Death, illness, divorce, and other struggles raise questions about God’s character and presence. We cannot bring people closer to Him by marginalizing these very real doubts.

New believers especially feel that their faith is inferior because they experience doubt. I think it’s essential to clearly express our acceptance of questions if we want people to expand and deepen their personal relationship with Jesus.

However, the nature of the question determines the kind of response we receive. There are not necessarily any “wrong” questions, but some questions certainly provide much more useful answers.

JESUS AND QUESTIONS

Jesus was intolerant of insincere questions, especially from religious leaders.

One day as he was teaching the people in the temple courts and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?”

He replied, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me, John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or from men?”

They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”

So they answered, “We don’t know where it was from.”

Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.” (Luke 20: 1-8)

He recognized that they weren’t trying to understand, but that their question was designed to trap Him. To expose their evil motives, He responded with a question that they couldn’t, or wouldn’t, answer because they were afraid of the truth.

Contrast this with Jesus’ interaction with the woman at the well. She asks two different questions, and both times Jesus answers directly.

The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?”

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  (John 4:9-14)

When she questions His identity, He’s not offended because He sees that she’s legitimately confused. So He offers her an answer that expands her understanding.

MOTIVES

For Jesus, the key wasn’t the words, but the motivation behind them. At the end of the encounter with the teachers in Luke 20, Jesus says,  “Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely.” (Luke 20: 46-47)

“The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

I’m convinced that God wants to talk to us about our questions and doubts. When we go to Him with open hearts, He always finds a way to provide the understanding we seek.

EMPOWERING QUESTIONS

If you don’t ask the right questions, you don’t get the right answers. I think of the “right” questions as empowering questions because they direct toward growth, wisdom, and insight. Here are a couple of examples:

• “When will this ever matter to me?” leads to reasons why it doesn’t matter. “What’s interesting about this?” causes deeper investigation and understanding.
• “What’s the use?” elicits a list of reasons to quit. “How can I do better?” prompts you to ponder ways to improve the situation.
• “Why is the bible so inconsistent?” blocks further investigation because the conclusion’s already been established. “What’s the over-arching story?” or “What’s God’s eternal nature?” open the door to new and deeper interpretation.

QUESTIONS AS STATEMENTS

The elders asked Jesus, “Who gave you this authority?” He knew that they already had their own answer, that they were really saying, “You don’t have authority.”

As a math teacher I heard this question hundreds of times: “When will I ever use this stuff?”

Sometimes it’s a legitimate inquiry, an attempt to connect new material to the real world. But most of the time questions like this are statements: “I don’t think I’ll ever use this.”

I learned through experience that any attempt to respond to a statement-as-question is pointless. “Why would a rational person believe in God?” is really a statement, and it can’t lead to new insight. A more empowering approach might be, “How can I believe in God without denouncing rational thought?”

REALITY

When relationships collapse, finances are in shambles, or past errors make every step a nightmare, doubts hide in every shadow. Everyone occasionally wonders WHY when God’s ways don’t make human sense. Questions are a normal, real part of our walk with Jesus.

Faith and uncertainty walk hand in hand.

Ask your questions with an open heart. He’ll listen, and he’ll answer.

It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers. James Thurber

What’s a question you have for God?

Did you enjoy this article? Please leave a comment, visit my website, and/or send me an email at rich@richdixon.net. 

Subscribe to receive updates by Email

Related articles:

Substance Or Style

How Should We Pray?

Shine or Shrink

Compass Or Map?

Rich Dixon, Author/Speaker
www.relentlessgrace.com

 

 

 

 

 

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

Yesterday I wrote about Substance Or Style.

I was struck by how frequently Christians get caught up in style and forget substance. At times we all become immersed in form and doctrine and liturgy, and we lose sight of Jesus’ simple message of love. But especially for people who struggle for freedom from a tragic past, the awareness that God values essence over appearance might be overwhelming.

HOPELESS

I’ve heard it dozens of times. “If God really knows me, then He knows all of the junk inside, all of my past mistakes, all of the horrible events that I can’t erase. And if He can see all of that, it’s hopeless.”

Completely transparent intimacy intimidates everyone to some extent, but that sense of total vulnerability can overwhelm someone who faces despair and regret. When I’m ashamed of the past and depressed about the present, how can I possibly look to God with hope?

Jesus proclaims, “You are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:14a) Then, in verse 16, He continues, “…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

What good deeds? What light? He must be talking to someone else. When the past contains only sorrow and the present is shrouded in darkness, how can I possibly let my light shine?

A COMPASS

I’m absolutely convinced that God cares more about where we’re going than where we are or where we’ve been. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, He’s concerned with direction rather than location. To me, God’s more like a compass than a map. The map reveals how I arrived at my current position, but the compass points north from any situation. Jesus is the direction to freedom in every circumstance.

Songwriter Don Francisco phrased this idea beautifully:

I don’t care where you’ve been sleeping; I don’t care who’s made your bed.
 I already gave my life to set you free.
There’s no sin you can imagine that is stronger than my love,
and it’s all yours if you come home again to me.

Does God care what we do, or that we do our best? Of course. “…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

But He cares much more about motivation. Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. (Psalm 127: 1)

As I said yesterday, the end doesn’t justify the means; instead, the means change the end.

God values character more than accomplishments, who we’re becoming more than what we’re doing. As Rick Warren said, “We’re human beings, not human doings.”

You can live a life of substance in any situation. Let go of the map.

Follow the compass.

Within you is a limitless, unborn potential of creativity and substance, and the present experience can be your great opportunity to give birth to it. Disadvantage can become advantage, failure can become opportunity, and disappointment can become “His” appointment.

Do you have trouble following the compass rather than the map?

Did you enjoy this article? Please leave a comment, visit my website, and/or send me an email at rich@richdixon.net. 

Subscribe to receive updates by Email

Related articles:

Substance Or Style

How To Be Remarkable

Never Give Up

Developing Resilience: Optimism And The 8000/2000 Principle

Sheep And The Good Shepherd

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. (John 10:14-15)

To paraphrase the immortal words of Indiana Jones: Sheep. Why did it have to be sheep?

Why didn’t He call Himself “the good lion tamer” and compare us to the king of the jungle, a symbol of resourcefulness, courage, strength, and independence? He might have chosen the eagle, our national symbol of self-sufficiency, pride, and autonomy.

Why did it have to be sheep?

In our culture, if you call someone “a sheep” it’s not a complement. Sheep aren’t very bright. They can’t defend themselves. Left alone, they’ll wander into all sorts of dangerous situations, so they must be protected even from themselves.

Parents don’t encourage their children to act like sheep. Accolades, fame, and fortune aren’t awarded to the sheep. As George Patton said, “You lead people; you herd sheep.” No one wants to be herded like sheep.

We celebrate the self-made man, the rugged individual, the pioneer, and the entrepreneur. It’s difficult to imagine a sheep emblazoned on our national seal. We don’t associate sheep with the freedom and liberty we prize so highly. Someone once said, “Eagles fly alone; they are but sheep which always herd together.”

I don’t think most folks consciously aspire to be like sheep. But Jesus said He is the good shepherd and we are His sheep.

Why did it have to be sheep?

I suppose some of it’s due to cultural differences, a divergent perspective of the nature of sheep and the role of shepherd. But I don’t think we can escape the central message.

We were created to follow God. We weren’t designed to “stand on our own two feet.” Whenever we try to tackle life on our own, ignoring God’s instructions, we’re going to get it wrong. Sometimes, like sheep, we follow the herd without asking whether it’s going in the proper direction. Sometimes we wander off on our own until we encounter danger from which we can’t escape.

Whatever the case, whenever we don’t follow the good shepherd, we’re likely to get in trouble.

This doesn’t mean we’re not responsible for doing our best. It doesn’t mean we’re not supposed to be leaders or enjoy the freedom we have in Christ.

What it means is that we’re to lead and exercise our freedom under the guidance of the shepherd. We’re to love and serve according to His example. We’re to follow His direction.

And it means one other thing.

“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost. (Matthew 18:12-14)

Even when we wander away and get life wrong, the good shepherd won’t give up on us. No matter our past, He comes after us. He’s not willing to let anything separate us from Him. He’ll face any danger, even death on a cross, to bring us home.

Past tragedy and present circumstances, no matter how horrible, cannot prevent the good shepherd from bringing us back to Him.

On second thought, I’m glad it’s sheep.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. (Psalm 23)

What can you release into the hands of the good shepherd? 

Please leave a comment, visit my website, and/or send me an email at rich@richdixon.net. 

Subscribe to receive updates by Email

Related articles:

Regret

Hope

The Mob