My Apologies to the Divorced

I have overcome a large obstacle today as far as my stigma about divorce. Okay, more like I ran into the obstacle face first, busted up a few bones and needed the Word to minister to me, pick me up and throw me over the obstacle.

All this time I've looked at re-marriages as second hand marriages only avaiable for sub-blessings and possibly some cursings, but definitely not full blessings. Things that no sincere God fearing person would enter into. (Wow! When I type it out it even sounds worse. Now where did I hide my 'Delete' button?) I thumbed my nose and wrinkled my brow at family and friends for partaking in what I thought was basically a sin that couldn't be removed.

One of my favorite theologians takes a pretty strong stance on the topic by concluding that re-marriage is only an option when widowhood presents itself and at all other times and circumstances the vows of the original marriage are permanent. On some initial scripture reading this seems academically sound. But what about the whole compass of scripture in application? For example: What if a young woman marries, has several children, and is physically abused? What do you think God desires for her... that she tough it out with some prayer, or divorce/seperate with all her kids with no work skills and trying to manage everything on her own? Do we put such limits on grace in such a situation that she is not allowed a kinsman-redeemer of sorts?
Looking at it another way; if we applied this rule of no re-marriage except for widows to the church at large, what would it look like? A lot more single parents and children with no father figure. How does this make the Church a better witness to the world?

Yes, God hates divorce. He hates vows made before Him that become broke. There are serious consequences with exiting these vows and so marriage and divorce are not to be seen as capricious. I see nothing good coming from the practice of jumping from one spouse to the next as if it was dating.

However, when severe situations arise I think if I'm to err it will be on the side of grace from now on rather than my old pharisaical position of thinking, "Ha, you blew it. No second chances for you!"

I take this position on my own interpretation of scripture in good conscious because I've found no real consensus on the matter from the theologians and councils I have read from. It seems the positions on the matter have altered over the centuries as the environment of church and society have changed. So for today's environment I believe my assessment to be sound.

Sing Their Sorrow

How would you approach the man standing in line, waiting to purchase diapers and baby food with a high interest credit card? He's standing there wondering if what he has in his hands will put him over the credit limit and if he can make the minimum card payment next month because he lost his job. Tensions are high at home. He just had an argument with his wife before leaving for the store. She shouted "I WANT A DIVORCE!" during the argument. Do you tell him, "Jesus has a wonderful plan for your life?" Do you hand him some fake money gospel tract and tell him he's a thief, liar, and murderous adulterer and there's no place for him in the Kingdom of Heaven?

Under the rule of Idi Amin in Uganda the persecution of the western church proved quite bloody. Back in England a missionary society wrote to a clergyman in Uganda "What can we send your people?" It was not the expected request of food or medicine that came back to England. Instead, the clergyman asked for 250 clerical collars, stating: "It is your Western prejudice which thinks this an odd request. You must understand, when our people are being rounded up to be shot, they must be able to spot their priests."

In our charitable moments we rush to those in need. Our problem is we've prepared for charity in a vacuum. How do we meet their needs when we don't know what their needs are. The love of the gospel and Christ for those created in his image has extended out to many people in many ways over the years. Jesus and the testimony he carried met people where they were. It's easy to see from scripture that life is all about relationships; first with God, then with his children.

Charity = love = relationships = relate

"We must recognize the different types of persons, and we must learn to discriminate between them. There is nothing so pathetic or so unscriptural as a mechanical way of testifying to others. There are some Christians who are guilty of that. They witness and testify, but they do it in a thoroughly mechanical way. They never really consider the person with whom they are dealing; they never try to assess the person, or to discover exactly what his position is. They fail completely to implement this exhortation. they present the truth in exactly the same way to all and sundry. Quite apart from the fact their testifying is generally quite useless, and that the only thing they achieve is a great feeling of self-righteousness, it is utterly unscriptural." ~D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, Vol. 2, 187

King David... righteous scoundrel?

As I've been reading through the books of Samuel and the account of King David recently I can't help but marvel that God declared him a man after His own heart (Acts 13:21-23) in spite of the man's deep character flaws and unrepentant sins.

One thing I've noticed this time through reading this part of scripture is that David's "confusion" starts well before he ever takes the throne. In 1 Samuel 25 the would-be king sets out in some true mafia like behavior. He gives some unsolicited "protection" to Nabal's property and then demands payment for services rendered. When Nabal refuses, David sets out to have him "whacked," and would have done so if Abigail, Nabal's wife, didn't intervene. So David more or less says, "Fuhgeddaboutit. May the Lord whack this clown for me so I can make off with this hottie broad of his. (1 Samuel 25:32-42... okay, so I may have been praphrasing a bit on what David said)

Then of course there's the ever popular stories of his exploits with Bathsheeba and Uriah, takes a census of his fighting forces because he doubts the sovereignty of God, falters so badly at his kingly duties and parenting that his son, Absalom, practically takes the kingdom from him... and what about all those wives and concubines? HELLLOOOO!?!? How can this man be esteemed so highly throughout the New Testament. Jesus refers to Himself as "the root and descendant of David" (Rev.22:16) and yet here we see this unrepentant sin of rampant adultery that runs through the course of his life.

Whenever we don't see things as God sees them (such as King David being a righteous man) we know it's time for our Christian paradigm to shift into something more biblically accurate. Many of us have reduced grace by stipulating it with a mathematical equation [if professing Christian (X) has (Y) amount of sin in their life it must = they have (F)ailed the the salvation test]. May it never be. The mark of salvation is a living confession of Jesus as Lord and moving our heart to new obedience.

Christ listed the two greatest commands for his followers: to love the Lord with all our heart, mind and soul. And to love our fellow man as ourselves. Although moral obedience is an aspect of loving the Lord our God He doesn't explicitly list the morality code among his greatest commands.

Now I'm not advocating the abandonment of morality, but far too often in the church we spend far too much time grooming in front of the mirror of morality and far too little time spreading the glory of His name through the application of a supernatural love to our fellow man.

Many cults and world religions are chiefly occupied with morality. People dead and buried commit no sins. Let us not aspire to be like the spritually blind or corpses put into the earth and end up as the noisy gongs and clanging symbols mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3.

The sins of immorality did handicap the life of king David and the legacy of his kingdom, but ultimately he was a righteous king because he carried out much of God's will in obedience, proclaiming Him as Lord and spreading the Glory of God into the world.

Before we get to bravery...

Jon said: "In Matthew 18:3 for instance, Jesus says:'I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.' What does it mean to become like little children? I think it might mean that we’re supposed to be as brave as a six year old."

Actually, in the next verse of Matthew 18 we see; "Whoever humbles himself like this child..." So before we get to bravery we must be as humble as a six year old.

Jesus used the small child for this illustration because the apostles constantly pestered Him as they were jockeying for position in this Kingdom He spoke of, wanting to know who would sit at His right and left and what the ranking system would be. What merit of their own would earn them the most favor???... A small child has no merit of their own: no achievements and merits, no status and title, no degree or diploma. They have nothing of themselves to earn favor with the Lord. And whatever "bravery" a child might have generally comes from the ignorance of not having yet learned the risks and consequences of many situations.

Conscious of our sin nature, understanding that all of our works of "righteousness" laid before Christ are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6), when we are broken of ourselves, we may approach Jesus with the humility of a small child, not with bravery but in all fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12) because "the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love." ~Psalm 147:10-11

"At first there was the fear that this 'terrible storm' and 'awesome terrain' might claim your life. But then you found a refuge and gained the hope that you would be safe. But not everything in the feeling called fear vanished from your heart. Only the life-threatening part. There remained the trembling, the awe, the wonder, the feeling that you would never want to tangle with such a 'storm' or be the adversary of such a power." ~John Piper pg.198, The Pleasures of God

"Courage is not the absence of fear, it is the absence of self" - Erwin McManus

In all the humility of a small child, not representing ourselves but the glory of God and His name we may step out into this world with great bravery.

When in Doubt

I'm not sure how it began but this weekend started with many doubts and anxiety. My heart was not resting in the goodness and sovereignty of God. My focus placed more on myself, the old nemesis of self-doubt sought to render me futile.

But the goodness of God towards the ones he loves is unrelenting. And when we do not experience the good in our lives it is not because God has stopped doing good but is equipping and preparing for greater good, should we continue to love Him in faith.

Psalm 84:11 No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.
Psalm 119:
65 Do good to your servant according to your word, O LORD.
67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word.
71 It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.
72 The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.
Psalm 34:10 The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

sin

Oh Lord, I will never comprehend in this life the depths of which You plunged to rescue a soul as dark as mine. The breadth and width of your love is beyond the limits of my mind. For you saved me when Satan was my closest ally and I beckoned to the every whim of he who was once my prince. Easily seduced to playing a fellow deceiver, my every display of "goodness" contained only the most selfish of motives. And it is an act of mercy that even now in this saved state not all my sins and weakness manifest in my mind, for certainly the full knowledge of awfulness still to wring out would plung me deep into the depths of a life-long despair. With what easy vanity can I look back at how "far" I have come, but would my head turn and see the distance between myself and perfection before me, fully luminated, the knowledge would crush my mind completely. It must be by grace that my conscience addresses only a few vices at a time.

And still, in light of my salvation and of coram Deo I shall certainly sin again, committing acts of hatred against the One who loves me most, of whom I claim as Lord, confirming that without His grace I too would have joined the crowd in chanting, "Crucify Him. Crucify Him." How often will I offer endorsement to the crimes of Adam? How can He who is perfect love me?

current reading: Original Sin by Augustus Toplady