Trust AND Obey » General Opinion

Pray For It

Dave Miller — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 04:17:40 +0000

I’ve been working on an essay about the inerrancy of the bible, but need to post this real quick instead.

Christopher Hitchens, polemicist extraordinaire, has been diagnosed with esophageal cancer. He has canceled his current book tour and will begin chemotherapy immediately. Read more here.

Hitchens is a devout atheist and would most certainly request that nobody waste their time praying for him. Hundreds of thousands of Christians will ignore his preference and pray for his full recovery anyway.

I’m going to stop short of encouraging anyone to pray for Hitchens’ full recovery. I think we should be praying for God to break his pride and do whatever is necessary for Hitchens to repent and believe. (Matthew 5:44) His recovery or death matters much less than the disposition of his eternal soul. (Luke 12:20)

I think we should be praying for whatever will reveal God’s glory in the greatest way possible. (Philippians 2:10-11) If that means that Christopher Hitchens dies of cancer, pray for it. If that means that he recovers fully, pray for it. If it means that you or I die tomorrow, pray for it. Whatever is the will of God and will bring Him the greatest glory, pray for it.

The Paradox of Humility

Dave Miller — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 04:11:09 +0000

Two weeks ago at church, our council of Elders called a man up to the front of the church before the worship service began. They presented him an award for being the most humble Christian at our church. The award was a tiny lapel pin a little smaller than a dime. The man accepted the award with a tearful and red-faced “Thank you all, so much” and returned to his seat. Last Sunday, the man came to church wearing the pin in the lapel of his jacket and the head elder took it away from him because he showed pride by wearing it and didn’t deserve it anymore.

This actually didn’t happen. It is an old joke rephrased. Nevertheless, humility can be a difficult concept to understand. Last week I listened to a two-part sermon preached by John Piper entitled Battling the Unbelief of a Haughty Spirit. You can download it and listen to it yourself here:

Battling the Unbelief of a Haughty Spirit Part 1.mp3

Battling the Unbelief of a Haughty Spirit Part 2.mp3

When I listen to podcast sermons (usually about a dozen each week) I like to take notes on the parts that hit me hard, or speak to my heart. Sometimes I’ll stop the playback and just start writing about instances where I have personally experienced what the preacher is talking about.

Here are the notes that I took while I was listening to the sermons linked above. If you get anything out of this, I encourage you to download and listen to the entire sermon. Not all of what appears below is Piper’s and not all of it is mine.

All acts of unbelief and all acts of sin flow from selfishness and pride. We know what selfishness is, but pride is more complicated. There are two main forms of pride. The first is our traditional understanding of pride that John Piper defines very well as “…knowing we’re good and wanting others to know it.” This is what the bible calls boasting. The other, trickier, sneakier form of pride doesn’t look like this at all; it is called false humility. False humility is when we go out of our way to demonstrate to people how humble we are. Yes, you can be prideful about being humble just like the man in the old joke.

If you are a Christian and you know anything at all about humility, I am confident that you have encountered this type of pride at least once. Here are two examples: The man who volunteers for the worst task at a church function and then for weeks afterward, brags about doing such a menial job. The woman who helps somebody anonymously and then “lets slip” what she did to one friend who she knows can’t keep her mouth shut. These are examples of a craving that people have for other people to think well of them.

Each of these forms of pride is an example of making much of yourself. As Christians, we should be delighting in Christ alone and in God’s mercy to us.

Isn’t it funny, considering our size and place in the universe, that we humans would struggle with genuine humility?

True humility means casting everything on the Lord. Casting your anxieties on the Lord is humility, because proud people don’t feel that they need help from the Lord. Pride makes people deny their anxieties and want to look like they’ve got it all together. Piper says, “…how easy it is to ‘be made much of’ even for my self-denial.” We have to be such cool customers. God is our LAST refuge instead of our first thought. We are afraid to be vulnerable. We are afraid to look human.

Piper says, “God loves people, but hates pride.” The condition of your heart is of utmost importance. It is almost impossible for anyone to tell the difference between genuine humility and false humility in another person, but it is easy for us to know it in ourselves. This is a skill that we work inwardly on ourselves, not an outward skill that we work on others.

If we are making much of Christ and little of ourselves, then we are practicing humility well. And the proper response is to make much of Christ for granting us a humble heart.

What did you get for Christmas?

Dave Miller — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 03:22:56 +0000

I got a restaurant gift card from my boss. I got a Sony Reader from my kids. I got shirts and Bible software from my wife. I got gift cards and ammunition from my step-dad. I got cookies from my grandmother. I got, I got, I got!

Is Christmas about getting or giving?

From the time we are children, our parents, our teachers, and most animated Christmas specials tell us that Christmas is about giving, not getting.

I got my doubts about that.

Listen to people talk at the office, on the phone or in a restaurant in the days following Christmas and you will almost certainly hear the words, ‘I got’ followed by something that sounds like the first paragraph of this article.

How I would love to hear someone say:

I got back from a mission trip.
I got my neighbor to come to church with me.
I got forgiven.
I got saved.

If you heard a particularly uplifting “I got…”, please leave it in the comments section. We could all use some positive news this time of year.

Thankfulness

Dave Miller — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:49:46 +0000

I’m now winding down now from a long day at my in-laws and feeling very thankful to be home with my family. We are watching the Disney movie Cars and I am contemplating another piece of pumpkin pie.

In Tabletalk magazine today, the scripture reading was Ephesians 2:1-10 and I’ve reproduced it below with a change in pronouns to make it more personal. Read this aloud to yourself and tell me that you don’t feel thankful.

May God’s blessings be upon you this Thanksgiving.

And I was dead in my trespasses and sins, in which I formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them I also formerly lived in the lusts of my flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and was by nature a child of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved me, even when I was dead in my transgressions, made me alive together with Christ (by grace I have been saved), and raised me up with Him, and seated me with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward me in Christ Jesus. For by grace I have been saved through faith; and that not of myself, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that I may not boast.

Who Sits on Your Throne?

Dave Miller — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:21:37 +0000

There is no such thing as a carnal Christian

- Paul Washer-

Take a look at the graphic below. Which of the two circles represents your life most closely? Be sure to read the descriptions carefully.

There is a third circle that is also a possibility. It is a blend between the two circles above, the dots might be a little more organized than the Self-directed life, but not as organized as the Christ-directed life. Christ is inside the circle, but Self is still on the throne. This circle is typically known as the “Carnal Christian” circle. See below and read the descriptions carefully.

In the “Carnal Christian” circle above, Christ is a part of your life, but you have not fully yielded to Him and probably about half the bullet points apply to you. Sadly, this is the most fitting description for most people who claim to be Christians. In my experience, more than half of the people sitting in church on any given Sunday fall into this category.

Perhaps you are one of them. Until relatively recently, so was I. Are you trying to take the Bible more seriously, trying to live a better life, trying not to worry, trying to pray a little more often, trying to consider what Jesus would do before you decide what you will do? Doing these things usually just leads to a legalistic attitude where you do your best and hope it is enough. Sadly, according to Matthew 7:22-23, most of the people who try to “do” their religion this way will be turned away from the Kingdom of Heaven.

Now, take a look a this short video from OneTimeBlind.

The hard news of Christianity is that until you relinquish complete control of your life to Jesus and let His will be your will, you will not be living in Him and will have no part of the Kingdom of heaven when this life is over.

The good news of Christianity is that when you relinquish complete control of your life to Jesus and let His will be your will, you will be living in Him and will have a part of the Kingdom of heaven when this life is over.

Repent and believe, trust and obey.

Have Faith – Go Vote

Dave Miller — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:40:57 +0000

[This article was originally published on November 2, 2002]

Why Vote?

I’ve been puzzling over that question for a few days so I decided to enlist the help of my family and friends in getting an answer. I asked the same two questions of each person, “Do you vote?” and “Why?” The answers didn’t vary greatly, but the reasons why did.

One of my co-workers said that he votes because it is the best way to express his political beliefs. He decides whether or not he supports someone, then votes accordingly. In his words, “If I don’t like a guy, I vote the bum out!” He makes it sound like he is the only one voting in the election. My impression is that he believes his vote really makes a difference. Almost to the point of believing that his vote is the only one that does make a difference! He is a man of great faith in more ways than I can list.

My minister initially said that he votes because it makes him feel patriotic and because it is the responsibility of every good citizen to vote. He admits, though, that the real reason is because his grandmother worked the polls for many years, and he feels he has a duty to her memory to vote in every election. She worked every Election Day, even late into her life. This was her way of teaching her entire family the importance of voting; not just by telling them, but by showing them.

My mother votes regularly as well. She draws a parallel between voting and singing in the church choir. “My voice alone may not be heard by anyone, but by blending with the other voices in the choir, I know I add strength to the sound and make a difference.” Her sister sees voting as a privilege, one that many people do not have. She goes to the polls with a thankful heart, fully cognizant of the suffragettes who had to fight for the privilege of voting.

I was very interested to learn that the word “suffrage” has an alternate meaning, “A short intercessory prayer.”

The more I understand people’s reasons for voting the more I realize that the act of voting and the act of praying are very closely related. There are, of course, differences between voting and praying. Most obviously, we don’t send our votes to an all-powerful, all-knowing benevolent Creator. (Though I’m sure there are those who have exactly that view of our government.) Also, we usually get the results of our voting in a very short time. Praying doesn’t always provide feedback so quickly.

In each case, though, the participant must have a great deal of faith. Faith in themselves to make an informed decision. Faith in their fellow man to do the same. Faith in the poll workers to do their job correctly. Faith in the board of elections to count every vote and tabulate them correctly. Faith in the chosen candidates to perform their duties honorably and uphold their oath of office. And especially, faith that our great nation will continue to be great.

Likewise, when we pray, we have faith that we are praying for something worthwhile. We have faith that God will hear our prayers. We have faith that God will answer our prayers. We have faith that God will do what is right for us regardless of what we were praying for in the first place.

Whether you vote because you feel patriotic, or you feel duty-bound, or because you are thankful for the privilege, or even just because your grandma would want you to, doesn’t really matter. If you want a certain candidate elected, or a particular issue passed, don’t just pray for it to happen. Do what you can to make it happen.

Have faith, go vote.

But I’m a good person…

Dave Miller — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:38:13 +0000

“But I’m a good person…” I’ve heard that statement many times, usually from a Christian friend or family member; often from a non-religious person as well. When a discussion about life after death comes up, the subject inevitably turns to heaven, who goes there and why. According to an ABC poll, 85 percent of Americans believe they are going to heaven. The most amazing part of this poll is that 77 percent of people who describe themselves as “not religious” think they are going to heaven.

Jesus says in Matthew 7:21 that not everyone who calls him “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven. Just a few verses earlier, in Matthew 7:14, Jesus says that few even find the gate to life eternal. This should give even the most religious Christian pause. What are the chances that everyone in your church is among the few who find the narrow gate? Could some of them be on the wide path, even though they think they’re not? Could you?

One of the things that might falsely convince you that you are on the narrow path is if you think you are just as good or better than other people in your life. The fact of the matter is that virtually everybody can find somebody more despicable than himself without looking too hard. In a church setting, all you have to do is find the busybody, the gossip or the world-pleaser and compare yourself. You’ll certainly measure up better in the eyes of God, right?

“…do not think more highly of yourself than you ought…” Romans 12:3

This is a deadly step toward self-deception. We must never minimize our own sinfulness by comparing ourselves to our sinful brothers or sisters. God doesn’t grade on a curve. We won’t be compared to the adulterer, the homosexual or the thief – we’ll be compared to Jesus, and we will be found wanting. Romans 3:23.

One of the dominant features of universal human fallenness is deception about one’s true condition. The sinner is unwilling to see himself in his true condition and is convinced of his own goodness. People deny they are sinners. They deny that there is evil in their lives because they are good – and they do not see the evil in their religion. They are self deceived. They may claim the name of Christ, but in reality they hate God. They may have some sentimental feelings for Him, but only for the parts of Him that they find acceptable. — John MacArthur

“Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up.” James 4:10

It is impossible to understand how holy God is until you have an inkling of how sinful and depraved mankind is. Start with yourself. Take a good hard look in the mirror and dig deep into the corners of your life where you would rather not go. Dig out that sticky sin. Pull it out into the open and thrust it into the light! Yes. It is going to hurt. Hold it up to God with tears and cry for forgiveness. Lay down that burden and NEVER pick it up again. Take comfort that God promises to all who trust him, forgiveness of sins and fullness of grace.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16

God is…

Dave Miller — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:14:38 +0000

God is _________. (fill in the blank)

Most people would fill in the blank with the word Love, but the most accurate word to use would be Holy. This is one of the main roots of the problem of Christians who misunderstand the nature of God.

In Isaiah 6, Isaiah sees Seraphim flying above the throne of God saying, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” This language is repeated in Revelation chapter 4. These are the only instances in the bible where God is described with the same word three times in a row.

The ancient Hebrew tradition of repeating phrases or words to stress their importance is trebled here. “Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD of hosts…” Nowhere in the Bible is God referred to as “Love, Love, Love”, “Justice, Justice, Justice” or “Wrath, Wrath, Wrath.” Holiness encompasses all of these qualities along with pleasure, displeasure, sorrow, regret, vengeance, anger, compassion, mercy, graciousness and goodness. None of these attributes contradicts any other. God can be angry, and forgiving at the same time. God can be vengeful and gracious at the same time. God can be and is all of these things and much more. Any attempt by man to label God as something less does Him injustice. Beware when somebody tells you ‘God is Love’ and ignores all his other traits that are clearly described throughout the Bible. Usually they are trying to ignore part of God’s being that goes against their sinful nature.

The concept of holiness is completely misunderstood or, worse, completely disbelieved by many American Christians. Holy, primarily, means set apart. Since God is set apart so far from Man, it is impossible for us to completely comprehend the nature of God, but we can apprehend a part of his being by careful study of the Bible. Isaiah 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. For {as} the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.”

Read your Bible. Get to know the God Who Is. For help with understanding what the bible says, I recommend The Holiness of God or Discovering The God Who Is by R.C. Sproul, or Knowing God by J.I. Packer

Trust and Obey

Dave Miller — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 19:18:30 +0000

“Trust God.” This incredibly important message has become almost trite in the modern church today. Some Christians talk about trusting God, but oftentimes their actions show that they really only trust themselves. Others who actually have a deep trust in the providence of God ignore the portion that requires sacrifice, “Obey God.”

Obedience seems to be a dried-up concept in many American churches that just pander to the felt needs of the congregation. Both trust and obedience are required to truly serve and worship God. It means accepting Jesus not only as you savior, but also as your Lord.

“Examine yourself, to see if you are in the faith.” These words, from 2 Corinthians 13:5, are the most important thing you can do for yourself today. Nobody is guaranteed tomorrow. Don’t wait. Trust and Obey God right now!