The Ultimate Comparison

When I was getting ready for the arrival of my first child, I was fully prepared for life after Baby. His schedule was already set in stone, and I knew what to do and what not to do.  How come? Because I had the Baby Bible, known to some as Baby Wise. After all, I had several suggestions that this was THE ultimate baby manual. (Even the clerk at Hastings told me how great it was as I was checking out.)  I ignored my mom and mother-in-law’s concerned raised eyebrows at my predetermined set schedule with no regard that Baby might not cooperate.  After all, they didn’t have all this great information. The Baby Bible hadn’t been printed when they had their babies. (How in the world did they manage?)  A few weeks later, these sweet mothers compassionately withheld their “I told you so” when Baby Drew didn’t exactly eat, sleep, and play on cue despite my “by the book” leadings. 

After a few weeks, I realized that Baby Wise was a very useful book, to be considered along with my mother’s instincts.  Getting him on a schedule was great.  Letting him cry himself to sleep as an infant was not.

Today Drew is almost 5, so my attention is now captured by parenting books.  I have read several that were very helpful.  Just this morning, I saw a review of a new parenting book that seemed very promising.  After reading the review, I was tempted to do the “aha!” thing, thinking maybe this was the parenting book to end all Christian parenting debates.  Then I read the comments on the review and saw some who were as intrigued as I was and some who had valid arguments the other way. 

So what is one to do?  We are in an age where we have all the information we could ever want at our fingertips.  If we want to find something new to try with our children, we can find it. If we want to find something to justify our present viewpoint, we can find it. If we want something to prove that someone else is doing it wrong, we can find it.  You name it, we can find it.

What we fail to miss, even as Christians, is that “THE” parenting book exists in all of our homes. We probably have several copies, in fact. It’s the Word of God itself.  Sure, it doesn’t tell you how to get your infant to sleep through the night in 8 weeks, and it doesn’t tell you how long and when (or if) you should use time outs with your toddler.  But still, it is sufficient.  The Gospel itself – that we’re all sinners and in need of Christ to save us from our sins – stands alone needing nothing added. (After all, the grace of the Gospel is our child’s greatest need anyway.)

That being said, of course I am going to read parenting books.  Of course I’m going to click on parenting articles. Of course I’m going to peruse parenting blogs.  But, I’m going to make a point of putting on a little more discernment.  I’m going to seek out various points of view before I make an assumption that one is right. I’m going to be open that what is right for your child might not be right for mine. And vice versa. But above all,  I’m going to compare what I read with Scripture. 

I’m also not going to assume that I know all I need to know about Scripture.  Anyone can prooftext their position (i.e. find Scripture that underscores the point being made).  When a writer is quoting Scripture, it’s easy to take him or her at his or her word.  I’m realizing, however, that my responsibility is to be in the Word daily, and more importantly, read it more than any other book.  That way, I can “test everything” I read by what I have been reading in Scripture. 

God is funny sometimes.  I may not be able to quote the entire Bible, but what I read this morning might just have application in what I read later. (Case in point, a Scripture quoted in an article I read today was the exact Scripture I read this morning.)   Nothing can go against the Holy Spirit-inspired Word.

And it’s that Word that we must go to. It’s that word that we must compare all other works of writing. Even this one.

When Trials Come... In the Center of God's Will

What do we do when we feel we're exactly where we believe God wants us to be, and intense trials come? I don't know about you, but if I'm exactly where I feel God wants me to be – even where God led me – I certainly don't expect the type of trials that might shake my faith. Little trials, yeah. But not ones that threaten to turn my whole belief system upside down.

In my reading in Exodus recently, this came to mind when I came to chapter 17. Moses had just led Israel out of Egypt, the Red Sea parted, the people saw the Egyptians perish, God had gone ahead of them in a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, and he miraculously fed them. You'd think witnessing those type of miracles would inoculate anyone from doubting their God.

Not so with the Israelites. And perhaps not so with us either.

If you don't have a Bible handy, I'll summarize the events. In verse 1, it appears that God was leading the people of Israel to each encampment. They settled at this point at Rephidim – where God appears to have led them directly – and they came upon two significant trials: lack of water and enemy attack. For the purposes of this blog, I'm going to focus in on the enemy attack.

I can't imagine the surprise the Israelites experienced when they were attacked. Here they were, exactly where God wanted them to be. Yet they were attacked. It must be noted that Israel had never experienced war in their lifetimes. In fact, the whole reason God didn't immediately take them into the Promised Land after their exodus from Egypt was because God knew they would face war and wouldn't be able to handle it (Exodus 13:17).

So how did Moses their leader respond? He didn't panic. He didn't doubt God. He immediately took action and told Joshua to take an army of men and go fight. He assured Joshua that he would indeed be there with him watching from a hill with the “staff of God” in his hand. This staff was Moses's reminder to Joshua that the Lord would prevail. It was this staff that Moses used when God struck the plagues on the Egyptians. It was this staff that Moses lifted when God parted the Red Sea. It was with this staff that Moses had just struck a rock and provided water for the people at Rephidim. In effect, Moses was reminding Joshua of God's faithful acts so Joshua would continue in that faith during this uncharted territory of war. And Joshua (the leader-of-Israel in training, unbeknownst to himself) obeyed. And through God's power, he and his army were victorious.

So what can we take from this? First, we can be smack-dab in the center of God's will and still experience trials that we never dreamed of, never were prepared for, and never expected. Those trials can overwhelm us to the point that we have temporary spiritual amnesia and forget all that God has done for us. We should never believe our faith is unshakable. We must remain on our guard.

Second, when we come upon those trials, we must remember God's faithfulness. We must remember what God has done for us. When it seems like the hand of God is nowhere in sight, we must go back to those times where God's hand was clearly on our lives. When our emotions are uncontrollably spiraling, our mind has to recollect God's goodness. We must remember that without exception, God is good.

Finally, we must have faith in the master plan. The attack on Israel gave Joshua his first battle experience, experience he would draw upon when the larger battles – the ones he had to lead when Israel fought for their rightful occupation in the Promised land – ensued. This attack also reaffirmed the hand of God on Moses's life in the eyes of the people. Granted, like us, they would continue to struggle in their faith and would continue to doubt Moses, but this experience served to show Israel once again that they were God's people, and Moses was their leader.

Yes, God very well may lead us to a place where trials lie ahead. Even when we doubt whether we were in his will in the first place, even when we're too caught up in our pain to recollect his faithfulness, even when we can't see our next step much less the master plan, God may just have something bigger in mind than we can fathom.

The House Upon the Rock

The wise man built his house upon the rock, his house upon the rock, his house upon the rock.... The rains came down and the floods came up and the house on the rock stood firm.

Are you singing along? Are you doing the motions?

As I came upon this familiar passage in my reading of Luke, I found myself humming along with this song I learned as a child. But in the midst of my nostalgia, something else in that passage jumped out at me.

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like...” Luke 6:46-47 (ESV)

The passage goes on to talk about the man who built his house upon the rock, compared to the one who built his house on the sand.

I don't know about you, but when I was learning about this passage as a child, the focus was on the foundation, the Rock. We are to build our lives on Christ, the Rock, the ultimate firm foundation. And when trials come, we'll stand firm.

In fact, the very first phrase says just that, but all these years, I've missed the next two phrases and thus the whole context. The one whose life withstands trials not only has Christ as his foundation, but he also does what Christ said to do. “Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them.” (emphasis mine)

1. We must come to Christ. Check.
   
2. We must hear his words. Check.
   
3. We must do them.
   

Hmm. Okay. So what words is he talking about? In general, he is talking about all of his words, but specifically in this passage, he is talking about his words in this sermon, specifically the Sermon on the Mount.

So here's what I did. I took my handy little blue Bible-friendly highlighting pencil and went through Luke chapter 6 and Matthew chapters 5-7 (where Matthew's account of the sermon on the mount is found), and I highlighted every imperative phrase. For those of us who might need a grammar school recap, an imperative is a “command” statement.

Keep reading.

That's an imperative statement.

In looking at these passages, what is Jesus commanding his disciples to do in order for their figurative houses to stand firm?

Jesus addressed topics, such as anger, reconciliation, lust, divorce, oaths, retaliation, how we treat others, giving, praying, fasting, materialism, anxiety, judging others, prayer needs, how we should handle lawsuits, how we should address others' sin, how we should address our own sin, and more. There's a treasure trove of guidance in these chapters that one can read in one sitting.

These aren't just tips that Jesus gives. This isn't a “motivational sermon” designed for His listeners to pick and choose what applies to them that day.

It kind of reminds me of when I tell Drew to do something that I know is for his own good, but he, in his limited judgment, decides whether or not what I say is a good idea. I am amazed (but I shouldn't be) that he can't see that my perspective is larger than his. I see things he doesn't. I wish he would just TRUST that I have his best interests at heart, and my commands are to protect him and lead him in the right direction.

Similarly, Jesus knows that for our house to stand firm in the midst of trials, not only must it be built on Him, but we also must hear and heed His words.