ESCAPING PEOPLE, PAIN AND PRESSURE

On August 21 I started unpacking Hebrews 12:8-18 through a series of blog posts. So far there have been four posts: LIES, LIES AND MORE LIES, August 21; GOD ISN’T PUNISHING YOU, HE’S PREPARING YOU!, August 22; WHEN EVERYTHING BLOWS UP IN OUR FACE, August 24; and YOUR STRUGGLE IS BECOMING YOUR STORY. Today I want to explore verses 14: (NLT) “Try to live in peace with everyone, and seek to live a clean and holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.” As we move to this portion of Hebrews 12, the writer, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, begins to share very practical insights into what it means to walk a “straight path.” The first thing he mentions is “(living) in peace with everyone.” This is one of those things which is a lot easier to say, or read, than it is to live. Given all the personality quirks, intense emotions and extreme opinions, it’s no wonder there’s so much conflict and fighting going on in the world. According to the website, globalsecurity.org, there are currently 41 conflicts [wars] going on in the world today, and that doesn’t count what’s happening in your house! This tendency to engage in fighting is the reason why the Bible refers so frequently to keeping the peace and practicing forgiveness. Given the context of this section of Hebrews 12 involves the discipline of the Lord, this is a fitting encouragement. When we are struggling and experiencing pain and pressure in our lives, most of us have a tendency to take it out on others. We get snippy and snappy with people, especially those who are closest to us. It’s never helpful and often hurtful. Verse 14 serves as a great reminder to do our very best to keep the peace even when there’s pain and pressure in our lives. 

The writer goes on in V14: “…and seek to live a clean and holy life.” I am by no means an expert on the subject of pain and pleasure, but hopefully I’ve learned more than enough to be dangerous with what I am about the share. One of the ways we, as humans, are conditioned to response to pain and pressure, is to counter it with PLEASURE. This is the basic idea behind escapism. One of the ways people choose to deal with difficulty in their lives is by seeking our experiences or activities which will bring them pleasure. The pleasure [escape] may only be temporary, but it provides some relief. Many people use things like food, sex, alcohol, reading, work, drugs, shopping, recreation, sports and more, escape the pain and pressure. One of the problems with the escapes I listed is, with the exception of drugs, none of them are blatantly sin. So it’s easy to excuse ourselves when we turn to them as a means of escape. What causes these escapes to be so damaging in our lives is when they draw us away from Christ. In using pleasure to escape pain and pressure, we also escape our relationship with Christ, to the point he’s no longer our source of strength, wisdom and peace. Escapes, by their very nature, are always temporary so when the experience or activity is over we have to return to the reality of the pain and pressure. A better way to deal with life when it’s hard is to escape to “a clean and holy life.” If we choose experiences and activities which honor the Lord we don’t have to deal with regrets or a guilty conscience or unholy habits which become difficult to kick. V14 encourages us to “seek” (NAS, pursue) this kind of life. The Greek word for seek/pursue is: Dioko (dee-o’-ko) and it means, “to run swiftly in order to catch a person or thing, to run after; to press on; to pursue; to seek after eagerly, earnestly endeavour to acquire.” (Strong’s Concordance) 

We love to play hard and many of us are blessed to the point that we usually have multiple escape options we can pursue. Yet I have to wonder how much of our play is actually a means of escape from the pain and pressure of our lives. Don’t get me wrong, I am not anti-fun. I’m not against people having a great time and enjoying life. (“God… richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.” 1 Timothy 6:17 NLT) 

Several years ago I was reading several books by John Ortberg and Dallas Willard. I don’t remember which author it was exactly, possibly both, who emphasized the need to celebrate the good things God has given us to enjoy because if we don’t sin starts to look more attractive. A problem develops when our escapes are not for our enjoyment they’re actually attempts to run from the people, pain and pressure in our lives. And in case you haven’t found out, you can’t run fast enough or far enough to escape the hard things in your life. Only Jesus, only Jesus, can help us. We cannot save ourselves, and only He can save us from ourselves! 

To be continued…

YOUR STRUGGLE IS BECOMING YOUR STORY

On August 21 I started unpacking Hebrews 12:8-18 through a series of blog posts. So far there have been three posts: LIES, LIES AND MORE LIES, August 21; GOD ISN’T PUNISHING YOU, HE’S PREPARING YOU!, August 22; and WHEN EVERYTHING BLOWS UP IN OUR FACE, August 24. In today’s post I want to look at VS12-13: (New Living Translation) “So take a new grip with your tired hands and stand firm on your shaky legs. 13 Mark out a straight path for your feet. Then those who follow you, though they are weak and lame, will not stumble and fall but will become strong.” These two verses offer very practical help for dealing with the Father’s discipline, whether it’s for the purpose of PUNISHMENT or PREPARATION. 

Unless your life is dominated by sinful disobedience and a rebellious attitude towards God, it’s most likely that the discipline you’re experiencing is for the purpose of preparation. God is using all of the suffering [pain] and setbacks in your life to make you stronger. “Suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.” (Romans 5:3-4 NIV) Yesterday I had the opportunity to talk to a mom with three young children who is going through a horrendous nightmare. I reminded her she had been through many hard things in her life and she had come through those difficulties, some of which were life-threatening. Then I told her all of those hard things had prepared her for going through what will be her most difficult battle; and with the help of Christ she will get through what she is facing right now. My counsel to her was to constantly repeat the encouragement from Philippians 4:13 (NIV) “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

There comes a time in the struggle when you and I have make a determined decision we’re going to survive and become stronger. V12 speaks of taking a “new grip” even while were still in a weak place. Where do you place your grip when life is hard? Personally, I ‘grip’ the promises of God’s Word. I find verses in the Bible which remind me of God’s faithfulness; verses which refer to HOPE, PEACE, POWER, THE PRESENCE/PROTECTION OF GOD, etc.  I ‘grip’ God’s character. Everything I’ve ever learned about God speaks of his goodness. The Father is for me and not against me. He loves me and never leaves me. 

Somewhere along the way, in taking a new grip, I have to stop thinking like a loser or a victim. I’ve never found it to be helpful to stay stuck in a place of despair and hopelessness. Holding on to thoughts that everything is going wrong and there’s nothing which can be done to change things, has NEVER helped me when life is hard. The victim mentality has never inspired me to a renewed sense of hope things can change, and I am pretty sure it won’t help you. So, we have to stop ourselves from thinking we’re losing the fight.

What the writer of Hebrews says in V13 almost doesn’t make sense. He’s directing his words to someone with “tired hands” and “shaky legs.” Sounds like someone who’s on the verge of falling down, someone who’s closer to giving up than winning the battle. V13 again reads: “Mark out a straight path for your feet. Then those who follow you, though they are weak and lame, will not stumble and fall but will become strong.” The Bible frequently uses the metaphor of God’s people (followers of Jesus) on a PATH. In my recall and reflection on those references OBEDIENCE is what keeps a person on the right path. Staying on the PATH is choosing to following God’s plans, rather than choosing to do what we want. When you and I are in an intense battle it’s time to become very focused. We need to eliminate distractions, all of the unnecessary things which require our time and attention, but won’t help us win the battle. Distractions also keep us from spending the extra time we need for meditating on God’s Word and in worship and prayer. As I think about a “straight path for (my) feet”, I see the need to identify what’s most important in my life, and devote myself to those things. When everything is going smoothly in our lives, most of us devote large amounts of our time and attention to activities which are nice, but not necessary. We need to do what’s going to help us get through the battle.

It’s the last part of V13 which is so unexpected. The writer of Hebrews is directing his words to people who are experiencing the discipline of a loving God, but have been temporarily weakened in the process. While fighting to stand on shaky legs, get a new grip on God, and to walk a straight path, the writer suggests how you and I handle discipline will provide hope and inspiration to those who are watching our lives. Your struggle is becoming your story and your story will strengthen others. 

To be continued…

WHEN EVERYTHING BLOWS UP IN OUR FACE

Occasionally I hear or read something which becomes permanently filed in my memory bank. A statement from C.S. Lewis is one of those sticky statements: “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” In today’s blog post I want to continue to unpack Hebrews 12:8-18. There are two previous posts in this series, which if you haven’t yet read them I would encourage you to do so. (LIES, LIES AND MORE LIES, August 21 and GOD ISN’T PUNISHING YOU, HE’S PREPARING YOU!, August 22). Verse 11 (NIV) reads, “No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening -- it is painful! But afterward there will be a quiet harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.” The writer of Hebrews may be expressing one of the great understatements of all-time, “discipline…is painful.” Like, no duh! Reflecting on my previous post: ‘preparation [training] is painful.” I don’t know about you, but I like to think the process of preparing for God’s good plans, the path he’s chosen for my life, is going to be all-good. I want the process to be one great win after another, full of lots of joy and laughs. I want to move from one success to the next big win. As the late John Lennon once said, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” We’ve all had the experience of life going along smoothly, and then, “Bam!” and everything blows up in our face. And to state the obvious, it’s painful.

Pain is a broad topic. It can involve physical suffering, psychological hurt, relational struggles or economic [material] strain. Regardless of the source, pain gets our attention. It shouts so loudly there’s no way we can ignore it. Pain forces us to stop and evaluate our lives. Pain causes us to cry out in desperation to God. Pain reveals weaknesses in our faith. Pain motivates us seriously consider whether God wants us to persevere or make changes in the way we’re doing life.

When God’s discipline is for the purpose of preparation, training us for the next stage of his plan for our lives, it will most likely still be painful. It’s painful because things are changing in our lives and most of us are resistant to change on some level. It’s painful because we are adding to our faith, which means we have to first be confronted with the weakness of our faith. Some people see themselves as having strong faith until their life gets turned upside down, and they discover their not as strong as they thought. 

Continuing our look at Verse 11, notice where it says, “But afterward…” Your pain, whatever is causing you so much turmoil today, is not permanent. You will get through this! God’s grace will be more than enough to get you through and beyond this time in your life. You may be thinking, “Then what?” I love the promise contained in this verse: “…there will be a quiet (“peaceful”, NAS) harvest of right living.” The pain you are experiencing right now, which is part of God’s preparation in your life, is producing powerful fruit. 

As long as we’re stuck in a mindset that our pain is pointless, and choose the attitude “life’s not fair”, we’re going to miss out on what God is seeking to accomplish in our life, the good path he’s planned for us.

Jesus learned obedience from what he suffered (Hebrews 5:8) and many of us want a free-pass, or a pain-free existence. I firmly believe that if we can fully trust God is working out his good plans in our life, it would completely change our perspective when life is painful.

In closing, check out James 1:2-4: (New Living Translation) “Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. 3 For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.”

Today’s takeaway: Don’t let pain DEFINE you; instead, let it REFINE you.

To be continued…

GOD ISN’T PUNISHING YOU, HE’S PREPARING YOU!

In my previous post, Lies, Lies and More Lies (August 21), I ventured into the subject of our life’s path. Very few of us have the privilege of traveling the path we would have chosen. All of the talk about finding a dream and pursuing it until we reach our destination, sounds good in motivational, self-help books, but I believe many of us have to deal with a different reality. Don’t get me wrong here! I am not suggesting life is one big pity party, so we should all feel sorry for ourselves. Personally, I have way, way too much to be thankful for to get stuck in that place; though, at times, it’s tempting. Beyond our own personal issues with obedience, which causes us to travel a path of our own creation rather than God’s, we have to deal with other people, different types of life pressures, not to mention the whole spiritual warfare component. At times, it can all be pretty overwhelming. Are you feelin’ me?

In this week’s blog posts I want to take some time to unpack Hebrews 12:8-18. This is a rich, rich passage, which is packed with practical truths to help each of us understand and then navigate towards God’s best path [plan] for our lives. Verses 8-10, the section of the passage we’ll unpack in today’s post, reads: “If God doesn't discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children after all. 9 Since we respect our earthly fathers who disciplined us, should we not all the more cheerfully submit to the discipline of our heavenly Father and live forever ? 10 For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God's discipline is always right and good for us because it means we will share in his holiness.” (New Living Translation)

One of the common mistakes I think a lot of people make with this passage is they connect the word, DISCIPLINE with PUNISHMENT. For those of us who speak English as our first language, we impose our definition of the word upon the scripture. Yeah, don’t do that. We may even start thinking, “Why does God want to punish me? I love him and I try my best to obey him.” Slow down! The *Greek word for discipline is Paideia (pahee-di’-ah). Here’s what it means: “the whole training and education of children; it also includes the training and care of the body; whatever in adults also cultivates the soul, esp. by correcting mistakes and curbing passions; instruction which aims at increasing virtue.” (Strong’s Concordance) Oh, yeah, it also means: “chastisement, chastening (of the evils with which God visits men for their amendment).” Meaning God uses pain to change our direction in life! More on that in my next post.

Here’s my point: The discipline you may be experiencing in your life may not be PUNISHMENT by God, but PREPARATION from God for the path he’s planned for your life. God isn’t punishing you, he’s preparing you! According to Ephesians 3:20 God “…is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” (NIV) If we’re limited in our ability to conceive of the “more” God can do through our life, there’s a corresponding thought that we’re equally limited in our ability to conceive of the preparation needed. Have you ever thought you were really ready for something (something at work, or school, or whatever), only for things to turn into a failure. God is preparing you for fruitfulness and effectiveness in his kingdom.

Verse 12 nails the point of God’s discipline (whether it’s punishment or preparation): “God's discipline is always right and good for us because it means we will share in his holiness.”

Stop assuming God must be mad at you, that’s why you’re going through all the things you are. It may be He’s mad FOR you! He sees something in you that you don’t see in yourself but it’s going to take further preparation to develop you for the path which fits his good plan. God is preparing you to “share in his holiness.” There’s no way that’s going to be a bad thing. God is good!

*GREEK is the language in which the Book of Hebrews was first written.