Following a Theme to the Manger and Beyond

The Holy Family
by Rembrandt (1634)

A few years ago, I started a Christmas/Advent scripture reading tradition. I began following a theme—one that Christ fulfills—through scripture from beginning to end.

This is not like doing a word study; it's not a word, but a topic or idea that's traced through scripture. It's a rewarding exercise, but it takes a bit of thought and planning, and a general knowledge of the Bible. 

I usually read one passage per day, starting so that I finish right before Christmas. Though I've planned what texts to  read—and even read them while I'm planning—I still get excited as the readings build, first toward the coming of Jesus, then, in some cases, through the work of the Spirit in the new covenant, and finally, in anticipation of the consummation.

So far, I've done light, glory, dwelling place (or tent, tabernacle) and miraculous birth. This year I'm thinking of doing king.

Confused? Let me show you by tracing the theme of miraculous birth through the Bible. 

• The creation of Adam and Eve - Genesis 2:7, 20-22 (These aren't really births, but they are God's miraculous creation of human life, so I've decided they fit. )
• The birth of Isaac - Genesis 17:15-17, 18:1-3, 9-15, 21:1-3.
• The birth of Esau and Jacob - Genesis 25: 21-24.
• The birth of Joseph - Genesis 30:1-2, 22-23.
• The birth of Samson - Judges 13:2-7, 24.
• The birth of Samuel - 1 Samuel 1:1-20
• The birth of John the Baptist - Luke 1:57-66
• The birth of Jesus - Luke 1:26-38, Matthew 1:18-24, Luke 2:1-7
• The new birth - John 1:12-13, 1 Peter 1:3-5
• Our adoption as sons and the redemption of creation - Romans 8:19-23

Are there more texts you would add to this list?

I've posted the texts I used to follow the themes of light and glory, too. Can you think of other themes that might work?

You are welcome to use this list or the linked ones for your own purposes. Better yet, choose a theme and trace it through the Bible yourself.

Anxiety and the Battle for the Mind

This morning, we welcome Diane Bucknell, who blogs at Theology For Girls, to Out of the Ordinary.  Anxiety and depression are issues that affect many women, and the issues can be difficult if one is a Christian.  I asked Diane to share her insights with us.

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you,

 because he trusts in you. ~ Jeremiah 26:3

As I was preparing this I typed “anxiety” into the book search bar at Amazon and pulled up 13,865 results, so we’re obviously talking about a very common problem!

First, I’m one who firmly believes that some forms of anxiety have a biological origin, therefore we’ll be considering two different subjects; namely  ordinary anxiety or worry as spoken of in Scripture, and anxiety that has a biological cause.   These two anxiety states can easily feed on each other, and trying to separate them can be a bit like a surgeon separating conjoined twins. So, let’s take a brief look at each one.

Ordinary Anxiety or Worry

This is defined as worry, fear, fretting, and allowing our thoughts to run wild with the cares of the world. It’s the kind of anxiety that keeps us lying awake at night ruminating on all the “what ifs?” of our situation. This is the anxiety our lovely Lord Jesus exhorts us not to do because He orders all of the events in our lives and cares for us as a loving Father. When we worry and fret we fail to trust in Him and we think somehow if we worry enough about the situation we can come up with a solution. The Lord knows how prone we are to prideful unbelief so He gently encourages us:

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? ~ Matthew 6:25-27

Diagnosing this kind of anxiety is not rocket science and it doesn't take a doctor, psychiatrist, or prolonged Biblical counseling sessions to deal with it because the cause is obvious.  We worry about money, our health, family, relationships, and this or that.  In other words, we can easily put our finger right on the problem. This kind of worry can become so excessive that it can even lead to panic attacks.

A plethora of books are available on the subject, but we have in our possession something so much better to combat our worries and fears! We have the living and active Word of God which is the only Counseling Book containing supernatural ability to change our thinking habits as we apply it through the power of the Holy Spirit!

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart "~ Hebrews 4:12

One of the problems with psychology that can also happen in Biblical counseling is that people often run to the professionals before they flee to Christ and His Word, hoping the counselor might be able to gaze into their soul, figure them out, and then perform the corrective surgery. Now, please don’t misunderstand me because I’m not saying that we shouldn’t seek Biblical counsel, because God has richly blessed the church with people who are gifted to help others in this way. But we must realize that we already have a “Wonderful Counselor” (Isaiah 9:6) who says “I will counsel you with my eye upon you” (Ps 32:8.). Our heart is so utterly deceived by our own sin that no one can truly understand it but the Lord. At the end of the day, (or session) it will only be Christ who can fix our broken minds and hearts and deliver us from our angst.

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? I the LORD search the heart and test the mind" ~ Jeremiah 17:9

Biologically Based Anxiety

This kind of anxiety can hit us like a ton of bricks coming virtually out of nowhere, even in our sleep! It can strike when things are going well for us spiritually and we’re prayed up, confessed up, Scriptured up,and trying our best to walk with Christ. In spite of this we can become sidelined with relentless panic attacks, anxiety that won’t let up over time and sometimes dark depression. Like David we cry out to the Lord “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my anxious thoughts!” (Ps.139:23 ) and still we come up empty handed and miserable. Friends, if this were the kind of anxiety that resulted from sinful unbelief and worry; we would know it because our God does not play hide-and-go-seek games with us concerning our sin when we desire holiness!

It is believed that most people will experience at least one panic attack in their lifetime but this is something way beyond the norm. This type of anxiety interferes with a person’s life and well being and can even become disabling. If you find yourself in this place you need not condemn yourself, or ALLOW others make you feel that you’re a spiritual failure, rather you should consider making an appointment with our doctor.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) of the American Psychiatric Association, although controversial among Christians, establishes specific criteria for coding and determining whether a mental disorder is due to a general medical condition or a psychiatric one:

'There is evidence from the history, physical examination, or laboratory findingsthat the disturbance is the direct physiological consequence of a general medical condition’ (1) When a mental disorder is due to a general medical condition, one does not diagnose the primary psychiatric disorder with the same symptom, but rather codes the symptom secondary to the general medical condition. Thus,with anxiety one would not code 300.02, generalized anxiety disorder, but rather 293.89, anxiety disorder due to a general medical condition.(2)

Anxieties triggered by medical conditions are well documented by the National Institutes of Health and all major teaching institutions. Some of the most common causes of anxiety (and depression) are endocrine disorders, autoimmune diseases such as hypothyroidism (Hashimoto’s), hyperthyroidism (Graves Disease), heart and lung conditions, gastrointestinal problems and other illnesses such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Fibromyalgia. Additionally, chronic long term stress, such as being the caregiver for a sick loved one can also upset our chemistry. And then there are those pesky hormonal fluctuations that can trigger panic attacks and depression in women going through peri-and menopause.

If you and your doctor decide medication would be best for you, please understand that it is no more sinful or shameful to take medication for anxiety than it is to take it for diabetes or high blood pressure!

And in the case of hormone or thyroid imbalances, it’s often just a matter of getting those things leveled out with hormone replacement medication. Most of us are already aware that drugs can be doled out too freely, but we’re not talking about that issue here. More often than not medication will only be needed temporarily unless there is a chronic illness.

The believer who desires to live abundantly in Christ will find the struggle with biologically based anxiety to be a very real and serious affliction which can be compounded by the fact that our minds are always engaged with our bodies. In other words, we can easily slip into a perpetual pattern of sinful worry and obsession during medically induced anxiety and panic episodes. This can become a vicious cycle that we must strive to break free from, but nothing is too difficult to sort out for the Lord who made us!

We can benefit greatly from simple things like breathing and relaxation techniques, mentally holding up a big red “Stop Sign” when we feel ourselves slipping into panic mode, and taking a warm bath with a cup of hot tea. Above all we need to pray and use our Bibles to talk to ourselves. Self-talk is very therapeutic! Here’s an example of how the Psalmist did this:

"Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God." ~ Psalm 43:5

Regardless of the source of our anxiety it would serve us well to write down comforting Scriptures and meditate on them daily. Post them by your bed or on your fridge. Remind yourself of all the wonderful promises of God. He knows our frame because He created us and we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” – even with our imperfections.

Casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you. ~ I Peter 5:7

(1) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Fourth Edition, Washington DC, American Psychiatric Press, 1994, 7
(2)  "Anxiety and Endocrine Disease" by Dr. Richard C Hall: University of Florida, Gainesville


Suggested Resources:

The Peace that Passes Understanding, by Ed Welch
Christians Get Depressed Too, by Dr. David Murray
The Anxiety Cure, by Dr. Archibald Hart
TableTalk Magazine, Anxiety, January 2010
Medical Conditions That Cause Anxiety

 

Idolatry in the Rearview Mirror

Not long ago I was talking with a young mom who was discouraged by her husband’s long work hours. This happens to be a subject with which I’m familiar. Until just after our second child was born, my husband worked seven days a week for most of the year. I know quite well the frustrations of the long days alone with infants and toddlers, missing my husband and needing a break!

I did my best to encourage her, though if there are magic words to remove such a burden, I’ve yet to discover them. But I sensed this issue had grown so large in her mind that she saw it as the one barrier to her happiness. She seemed to believe if this one problem could be fixed, everything else would be okay. I picked up on this because I used to feel the same way.

It’s often easy for me to see when a younger woman is basing her happiness on the fulfillment of a particular desire, because I used to be such a woman. I thought that whenever I got married, had a baby, got a house, got a new job, etc., THEN I would be content. All of those milestones once loomed large in my mind, and all of them have long since passed. And yet I’m still discontent. I still grumble.

But my middle years have ushered in a new kind of idol -- the idol of looking back. I see all the mistakes I made and roads not taken. If only had a been a better parent, not wasted so much time, bought stock in Amazon when it first went public -- you name it -- then I would be so much better off than I am right now.

Looking back at my mistakes, though, can be just as sinful pining away for a hope deferred. It shows that I’m not putting my hope and happiness with Christ and his grace, but in my own circumstances, or at least, what I imagine my circumstances could have been. I’m not rejoicing that in Christ my sins are forgiven and that he’s working all things for my good and his glory (Romans 8:28), but instead murmuring about what I should have done differently.

Learning from our mistakes is a good thing. Seeing the fruit of our bad choices reminds us of the seriousness of our sin. In the case of the young mother, because I had been in a similar situation and often handled it badly, I was able to share some of what I learned and (hopefully) help her feel less alone (2 Corinthians 1:4).

In Philippians 3:12-14, Paul uses the analogy of a runner in a race to describe the Christian life:

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

A runner who is continually looking behind him will not run a good race. In the same way, rehashing all my mistakes and regrets hinders my progress as a Christian. Instead of celebrating Christ’s sacrifice that covers all my sin, I throw a pride-fueled spotlight on the "perfect" life that could have been mine if I had just done better. We need to continually look forward, with our eyes on Christ, trusting in his grace and mercy.

Give thanks to the Lord

Today is Black Friday, that day of unbelievable deals, massive crowds, and record revenues. Of course, I use the term "day" loosely as it seems that Black Friday has expanded to include Black Thursday afternoon. Not only that, I've been receiving emails all week from retailers proclaiming the early start to Black Friday shopping, which in my mind begs the question: can it still be Black Friday if it's really Monday? Hmmm....

Poor Thanksgiving. It's become the forgotten holiday, squeezed as it is between Halloween and the biggest shopping day (day-and-a-half) of the year. I suppose Thanksgiving suffers from a lack of commercial and retail appeal: no candy, costumes, or gifts to drive consumer spending and thus all the corresponding so-called celebratory hype. Pumpkins and mums, turkey and dressing, they can only carry the market so far.

However much the holiday may be overlooked, thanksgiving itself--the giving of thanks--is rather en vogue at the moment, what with gratitude journals and the enumeration of thousands of gifts. Friends are posting things for which they are thankful on their Facebook walls, one for each day of the month of November, and some of us are tweeting our spontaneous thanksgiving marked with the hashtag "novemberthanksgiving". Beyond the month of November and throughout the year, many bloggers devote space on Thursdays to give thanks for the week's blessings and providences.

This is a good thing. Few things evoke my own thanksgiving like others' joyful testimony of the Lord's goodness. In other words, gratitude prompts gratitude. When I see you acknowledge the blessings of warm socks and a cup of coffee, I realize the Lord's grace to me in similar, ordinary gifts.

And not merely in the small and ordinary. Indeed how can I read of Naomi's humble gratitude for the Lord's severe mercy and not be moved to offer my own sacrifice of praise?

As we read in Naomi's beautiful testimony, thanksgiving is not mere acknowledgement of something that we like or makes us happy. Of course, it is good and right and beneficial for us to gratefully acknowledge that which gives us joy; yet if we only make the list or post the status or tweet the appropriate hashtag we haven't engaged in the kind of thanksgiving the Bible exhorts.

"Give thanks to the Lord," the psalmist asserts, "for he is good; for his love endures forever!" (Ps. 118:1) More than identifying a passing pleasure, we give thanks to the Lord. Yes, my morning cup of coffee is a joy for which I am grateful but the joy isn't merely in the coffee itself! Rather my joy is in my God, the Giver of all good things. My giving thanks for His grace to me--in a beautiful fall morning, in the laughter of my sons, in the pumpkin bread in my oven, in His sustaining strength in trial and difficulty--my giving thanks for these blessings and more declares His goodness and proclaims that He is the joy beyond all joys, the true Treasure, the One from whom all blessings flow.

Whatever you are thankful for this season--and I pray your list is long--may your thanksgiving turn your heart to the only One worthy, our kind and gracious Father who loves us with an everlasting love. He has blessed you richly not merely for the blessings themselves, but so that you may know the greater blessing of seeing Him in them. Let us set our hearts to consider His love in the everyday glimpses of grace, yes and amen. Let us also look beyond the lesser joys to the surpassing joy of the cross and His sacrifice and our salvation. He has given us all things in His Son, the indescribable gift! He is good and His love endures forever!

Freedom From Want

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. Food, family, football, and shopping frenzies are some of the things associated with this holiday. However, this painting by Norman Rockwell is the image that pops into my head when I think of Thanksgiving. There's an abundance of good food on the table, multiple generations present, and smiles on every face of this one big happy family. There's a wholesome "God's in His heaven, all's right with the world"¹ feel to this scene. Interestingly, the title of this painting is Freedom From Want.

I can relate to that. Who wouldn't want freedom from want? No want of material possessions, financial security, health, loving relationships, and happiness. But life rarely resembles a Norman Rockwell painting. Between the exile from Eden and Jesus' return, our families bear fresh wounds and old scars from this broken world. Hardship, estrangement, divorce, sickness, and death have taken their toll, and it hurts. Holidays like Thanksgiving often make the pain more acute because the longing for all to be well is yet to be met.

But even if we could be free from every earthly want, there's a need that goes much deeper. We were blind to it, blind to the sin that separated us from our holy Creator. But in love and mercy, God opened our eyes to see our true condition. The Holy Spirit came to us when we were dead and gave us life. He gave us faith to believe and put our trust in the only One who could pay the penalty for that sin and live the perfect life God requires.² Jesus quenches our thirst³ and satisfies the hunger of our souls⁴, which gives fresh significance to the words, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want."⁵

This comforts me when I am tempted to count my losses more than my blessings this time of year. Although life is not what I imagined it would be (and it never is), I regain perspective in light of the gospel. "My best life now" or deliverance from sin, salvation in Christ, and the promises of God? Fleeting happiness or joy that defies circumstances and sweetens every sorrow? No contest.

I'm also comforted by a scene no painting will ever capture - an unbroken family circle, the gathering of all the saints around the throne of God and of the Lamb. Every tear will be wiped away. There will no more sorrow, sickness, sin, or death. All that separated us from God will be gone, and wonder of wonders, we will see Him face to face and dwell with Him forever.⁶

What a never-ending Thanksgiving Day that will be. I can't wait.

1. Pippa's Song, Robert Browning

2. Eph. 2:1-10, 2 Cor. 5:21

3. John 4:13

4. John 6:48-51
5. Psalm 23:1
6. Rev. 21:1-4, Rev. 22:1-5

Lessons in the darkness

Today, we welcome Naomi Millar as a guest blogger.  Naomi is one of the many wonderful, ordinary women that I have met through blogging.  Her story will bless you.


I will lift up my eyes to the hills - from when comes my help? ... My help comes from the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth.

On Sunday March 6^th 2011, my husband, Tim and I were thrust into a trial – one which we never expected nor could have imagined. Our 3^rd child, Cameron (aged 6 at the time) had been vaguely unwell for a number of months, off and on. He had been having low-grade fevers, intermittent abdominal pain, and just prior to diagnosis he developed fatigue and a rash called Petichiae (a rash which appears due to a low platelet count).

As people talk in detail of their whereabouts on September 11^th 2001, the same can be said of the day we were informed our boy had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia.

We had an inkling that something was wrong when he wanted to be held on my knee at dinner, then lay down after the meal. The low-grade fever came in the evening, accompanied by heavy sweats, then suddenly, a rash which wouldn’t blanch when we held a glass to him.

Tim took him to the local Emergency Room. I stayed home with Cameron’s siblings, still believing that he would arrive back from the hospital fighting fit, and everything would be just fine.

One hour later I received a call from Tim: “Naomi, they have a needle in his arm and they’re doing blood tests.” My reply was “Oh, ok. Phone me, then, when you know more,” part of me not believing it could be anything more than a common childhood illness, and yet another part of me knowing that Leukaemia was a very real possibility.

He called back within a few minutes with the news that it was indeed serious. He had Leukaemia.

Disbelief, utter dependence upon God and emotions I’d never experienced before flooded my soul. I recall asking Tim to repeat it all and saying “What are we going to do?” “I need to be with him.” “What’s going to happen?” I don’t thinking I’ve ever experienced a feeling of needing to be with someone in such a strong sense.

From a healthy, strong and active little boy, we were now nursing a child who was doing very poorly. Our great need and dependence upon God’s help in the next hours, days and weeks was the air that we breathed. Three days after his diagnosis, we were told that he was also high-risk and was placed on the most intensive treatment regimen.  

'Only your restless heart keep still

and wait in cheerful hope, content

in taking what His gracious will,

His all-discerning love, has sent;

for all our inmost needs are known

to Him who chose us for His own.’

‘Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will trust in the name of the Lord…’ Psalm 20:7

The Psalms became a great source of comfort to us – there they were, full of examples of David calling upon God for aid in time of need and trial. We didn’t read much else. Most mornings we woke up to emails of Scripture-filled encouragement from God’s people. We found in the distractions of a busy hospital ward that being spoon-fed God’s word was such a help. Dear saints from across the globe upheld us in prayer; those close to us sent meals to the hospital where Cameron spent a month isolated from visitors. His appearance changed on a daily basis from the harsh effects of chemotherapy and steroids.

Tim reminded me of the events which took place in the life of Abraham and Isaac.

Genesis chapter 22:

Some time later, God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love – Isaac – and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

There he was, this great man being called to sacrifice his son! We can observe Abraham approach this painful trial with much faith. Effectively he said, “Here is the child you blessed me with – I place him into your hands, Lord.” As we know, the story ends well. Isaac was a test of Abraham’s faith.

We found ourselves in a similar situation. We knew all the risks of treatment, but we needed to give him this treatment. It was a matter of life or death, but we HAD to place Cameron into our Father’s hands.

As we cried out to God for His help, His comfort and healing, we felt compelled to remind Him of reasons why He should heal Cameron and give him length of days.

Hannah cried out to God for the gift of a child, so she could give him back to God! We believe that although her situation was different – she was childless – we had children – the same principle applied. We asked God to give us our child – let us keep our son so that we can train him up in the fear and admonition of the Lord, and that maybe one day God would use him for His glory.

There were many occasions when we asked God “Why?” We still do at times – but does not scripture command us to trust in Him? Job, The Psalmist and Christ himself all asked “Why?” at times? We learned that is it ok to ask Him “Why?” and for us to wait upon Him to reveal His ways to us - but it is not ok for the believer to be bitter and un-accepting of any situation into which He has placed us. To have freedom to seek His face and ask “Why did you allow this to happen?” “Why did you choose us, and Cameron?” - - this was liberating to us!

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:1-4

Though-out this year and a half, we have experienced His goodness and His great compassion – and we are full of gratefulness.

Half-way through his 3 years of treatment, the intensive phase now over, Cameron has coped well and seems to be responding positively. He is full of energy, at times! (Though his journey is not yet complete, and he still has difficulties due to side-effects) We look back upon this dark, but blessed era in our lives, not with much pain and sadness but as a time when God revealed His ways to us – and while we would not have chosen His ways in this instance – they are always best.

C.S Lewis said, ‘We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.’ He always does the best for those who love Him, but He has promised to comfort us in our distresses!

He taught us (and is still teaching us) to be more appreciative of small things in life which can be so easily taken for granted; just being able to be together as a family was a blessing.

Even in the darkness (the contemplation that we could lose Cameron, and the separation from the rest of our children), we can now say:

‘I will remember my song in the night;
I will meditate with my heart,
And my spirit ponders’ Psalm 77:6

The words of this song are apt.

‘Is the midnight closing round you?

Are the shadows dark and long?

Ask Him to come close beside you

And He’ll give you a new sweet song.

He’ll give it and sing it with you;

And when weakness lets it down

He’ll take up the broken cadence

And blend it with His own.

And many a rapturous minstrel

Among those sons of light

Will say of his sweetest music,

‘I learned it in the night.’

And many a rolling anthem,

That fills the Father’s home

Sobbed out its first rehearsal

In the shade of a darkened room.’

~ Author Unknown

Naomi Millar has been married to Tim, a science teacher, for fourteen years.  They have four children, Bethan (13), Jacob (11), Cameron (8) and Rhiannon (5).    They are members of Magherafelt Reformed Baptist Church in Northern Ireland.  Naomi is a full time mother and a  very part time piano tutor/accompanist.

The Radiance of the Glory of God

He is the radiance of the glory of God....

This text is one of seven statements about the Son found in Hebrews 1:2b-3.* The Son of God, writes the author of Hebrews, is "is the radiance of the glory of God."

Glory is a biblical word that’s not been easy for me to nail down and I suspect I’m not alone in this. I’ve collected a few definitions of glory, and they are all different. Even the experts find glory difficult to define. I settled, in the end, on John Piper’s definition. God’s glory, he says, is "the going public of [God’s] infinite worth"—"the radiance of his manifold, infinitely worthy and valuable perfections." You might say God’s glory is all that God is, shining forth. Or it’s what God is, in all his greatness, made known in creation.

God's glory, then, is in the Son, and he beams it out. We could say, given the definition above, that the Son radiates the infinite worth of God so that we can see it and know it. Or we might say that the Son reveals the glory of God in the same way the brightness of the sun shows the sun itself. All that God is, in all his greatness, shines out in the Son.

Athanasius used this statement in his fight against the Arian heresy. He argued for Christ's deity from this text, because, he said, it showed that Christ was co-eternal with God the Father.

Who does not see, that the brightness cannot be separated from the light, but that it is by nature proper to it, and co-existent with it, and is not produced after it?

According to Athanasius, this statement in Hebrews teaches us that the Son is eternal in the same way God is, that he is inseparable from God, just as the brightness that radiates from a light is co-existent with the light itself and inseparable from it. If a light exists, so also the brightness of the light; if God is exists, so too the Son, shining forth God's glory. And if God is eternal, then the Son is eternal, and if the Son is eternal, he is God. 

The Son is eternally the radiance of the glory of God. Even in the incarnation, he continued to shine with God's glory. It's true that while he walked the earth, Christ's glory was veiled, with the veil pulled back just once for a brief glimpse at his transfiguration, when, writes Peter, "we were eyewitnesses of his majesty." However, in a counterintuitive twist—unexpected, but so right when you think on it—it is in the veiling of God's glory in the incarnate Christ that we, as sinful beings, can actually look on the glory of God.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.... No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known (John 1:14, 18 ESV)

The veiled glory of Jesus is glory revealed in a form we can see. As God in flesh, Jesus showed us the glory of God so that we can know him.

What's more (This is yet another twist, an even deeper one.), as he prepared to die, Jesus told his disciples that it was time for him "to be glorified." His whole life manifested the glory of God, but his dying was, to quote D. A. Carson, "[t]he most spectacular display of God's glory...." The cross revealed so much of who our God is: His holiness, righteousness, justice, power, wisdom, goodness, love, grace and mercy were all on show. (Is there more?) Even the crucified Christ was radiating God's glory. Or better yet, especially the crucified Christ was radiating God's glory.

Do you see the glory shining from Christ? If you do, thank God for it, because it is God 

who has shone in [your heart] to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6 ESV).

In God's first act in the application of salvation, he shines in to show us his glory shining out from the face of the incarnate Son. At the transfiguration, the appearance of Jesus' face changed so it shone like the sun in a display of God's glory. In us, the heart is changed so we see Christ's face as it really is, shining like the sun in a display of God's glory. I like to think of this as a sort of transfiguration in our hearts: God changes us so that we see that Christ is the radiance of the glory of God.

---

*I wrote something about another of the seven statements a few weeks ago.

We have a winner!

Congratulations to Juanita Stauffer, the winner in our book giveaway!

Thank you all for participating!

Resting in God's Sovereignty

You rarely notice a significant moment until it has passed. It’s only in the pondering that you realize its importance.

I was helping with Vacation Bible School. My task was to help herd a group of elementary schoolers (who are now adults) from chapel time to Bible story time to game time to snack time. Along the way I noticed another woman had joined us, but I was too distracted to think much about it. She was a member of the church, and I assumed she had shown up to lend a hand.

Then the VBS director came to the door. “Jane*, what are you doing here? We need you downstairs.”

Jane smiled. “I felt led to stay up here.”

I’ll admit, I was impressed by that statement. I assumed she must be really in tune with the Holy Spirit to readily interpret such a calling. The director, however, was having none of it.

“No, you’re committed to help downstairs. That’s where you’re supposed to be.”

I honestly can’t remember what happened next. My attention was probably drawn away by a rowdy child or spilled cup of Kool Aid. The conversation, however, stayed with me for a long time.

I’ve tried many times to write about this subject, particularly this incident. I alluded to it on my on blog in posts concerning an especially trying season after we moved to our current town.

You see, for far too long I imagined that God had plan for me that I might miss if I wasn’t careful. I worried that the sense of dread that I felt before a trip was God warning me that disaster would strike if we left home. I assumed that the sudden thought to go check on the baby was a signal from the Holy Spirit that he might be choking or suffocating. If I awoke in the night I imagined that it was a sign that I was to listen for an intruder.

It’s an exhausting way to live one’s life. What started as an earnest desire to follow God and please him had morphed into a terrifying superstitious existence. (Since the worst of it occurred during the pregnancy/postpartum/toddler years, which in my life was 1996 through 2003, I assume it was partially fueled by hormones and aggravated by lack of sleep.) Hormones or not, though, it revealed my fearful heart and my mistaken belief that God required my help.

But it wasn't always negative things. Many times I felt a strong desire to do something big for God. Something risky and exciting, and yes, often more glamorous than the everyday things I was already doing. I don't recall ever feeling "led" to do the laundry or dust the furniture. Like the woman at VBS who felt called to abandon the mundane but necessary task of working in the kitchen, I wanted a holy stamp to apply to my own wishes and desires. Sometimes, though, it takes more courage to persevere where we are.

I’ve now learned to rest hard on God’s sovereignty. I no longer worry that God is laying out a proverbial trail of popcorn that I’m supposed to notice and follow. If I feel lack of peace about going to the grocery store, I realize that I’m probably dreading the long lines and large bill, and no longer fear that God’s trying to tell me the store’s roof is about to collapse and I better stay home. And while the desire to write is always with me, I can't abandon my primary calling as wife and mother.

When I write about this new peace, however, I can’t help but feel that I’m not communicating it adequately. It tends to come across as coldhearted and Mr. Spock-like: Just use logic! List the pros and cons!

But it’s not like that at all. I feel closer and more in tune with God than ever before. The difference is that I no longer worry that I have to see God’s plan ahead of time, I just trust that whatever happens he’ll see it though.

Trust God, submit to what’s revealed in his Word, and then rest in his sovereignty to work out everything for your good and his glory (Romans 8:28) by the counsel of his will (Ephesians 1:11)

*Not the real name

Psalm 37:3

I have in my Bible a beautifully rendered bookmark created by a talented artist friend of mine. "Trust in the Lord and do good," it reads, referencing Psalm 37:3. My artist friend sent me the bookmark, and the admonition, during a time of my life in which it was very difficult to do either, trusting the Lord or doing good.

She, my friend, had found that verse to be a source of great encouragement during her own spiritual crisis and out of her empathy--and her talent--she passed that encouragement on to me. This particular spiritual crisis was deeply painful to me and left me feeling weak and fretful, insecure and anxious. My heart had been broken and I could not escape the grief that accompanied leaving our church family of thirteen years. Though I trusted the Lord's sovereignty and was fully confident that this was what was required of us, it was a sharp and painful disagreement, to be sure, that led to our parting of ways. It was hard. It hurt. I grieved.

During those days I honestly couldn't decide which was the more difficult: to trust the Lord or to do good. I knew the Lord was strong and faithful but leaving our church, beginning a new plant, all seemed a little too risky. Will He show Himself faithful on our behalf? Are we crazy to chance this leap of faith? I wondered, and yes, I doubted. Even as our conviction grew, my doubts sometimes loomed even larger.

And to do good? What about those who hurt me, the ugly emails, the vicious rumors, the anonymous letter? What about the reproach and loss of reputation we would now bear? I didn't want to do good, not in certain instances, and the challenge of Psalm 37:3 revealed this insidious root of bitterness and anger that sought to consume me.

Despite my doubts and my reluctance to do good the Lord has been faithful. Even when we are faithless He will be faithful, yes and amen! He has done more than we could ask or imagine and I am humbled by His gracious providence and His glorious plan. It is my joy to boast in Him for it has been the Lord's work from the beginning, glory to His name!

I do not forget, though, from whence He has brought me. I was talking to a friend just this week who is enduring her own spiritual crisis and struggling to trust the Lord and to do good. With heart breaking on her behalf, I told her what my friend told me. I've also sent a bookmark (courtesy of my friend the artist) to another sister enduring a similar heartache. Maybe you too find it difficult to believe, to hope. Let me encourage you: trust Him. Do good.

Trust in the Lord when you can't see what He's doing and when you are tempted to doubt His good, perfect, and acceptable provision. Remember the gospel and remind yourself that He who has given you His Son will also in Him freely give you all things. All things! Nothing can separate you from His love, that love He demonstrates at the cross of Christ. He sees. He knows. He hears. He answers. He works it all out and you will--you will!--see His glory as you trust Him in humble surrender. You can endure these light and momentary troubles because an eternal weight of glory awaits!

And yes, do good, even when it hurts, when you feel that bitterness seeking a stranglehold in your heart, when you are afraid your efforts will be misunderstood, mischaracterized and maligned. In humility love and serve whomever the Lord puts in your path--those who are with you and those who may be opposed to you. Remember Jesus who endured such hostility from evil men and be encouraged to not grow weary in doing good. Recall the riches of His grace that He has lavished on you and be a conduit of that same grace as you seek the good of others through the power and provision of the Spirit within you. You can't but Christ can.

Are you enduring a season of heartache and struggle? Does your heart well up in grief and pain? Are you shaken by difficulties and doubt? What encouragement my friend sent to me I now pass to you: Trust the Lord. Pour out your heart before Him. Take it to Him and leave it in His all powerful hands. Your good and His glory are at stake and He is faithful. And yes, you can do good even to those who may hurt and malign you--how? Because He is good and He is sovereign.

Trust Him, sister. Do good. In the end, He will show Himself faithful in ways yet unimagined, glory to His name...

Remedial lessons

There are some days when I can relate to the Israelites wandering in the wilderness. I've learned a lesson on the sanctification road, one that had to be repeated several times, mind you. But rather than mastering it and moving on, I quickly forget, so it's time to go around the mountain again. And again. And again.

"Will I ever get it? Surely I should know better after being a Christian for x number of years. I even prayed this time..."

But instead of repenting, picking myself up, and getting back in the race, I get disappointed, discouraged, and frustrated because I thought I could do better. 

Hmmm. "Because I thought I could do better?" Sounds a bit like performance-based Christianity rearing its ugly head again. 

There's no question that we should express godly sorrow, quickly repent, and seek God's forgiveness. We should have a healthy sense of the indwelling sin we will be battling for the rest of our lives. We should have a holy discontent and a desire to love God as we ought and to grow in godliness. But is it 3 strikes and you're out? Is there a certain amount of wallowing necessary to regain favor with God? 

No! God accepts us based upon Christ's merits alone. Even as we mature in the Lord, the balance never shifts to where we begin to earn our way with God. From beginning to end, our standing is the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Period. 

Also, the hope to cross the finish line doesn't depend on finally "getting it" but on the promises of God. Paul doesn't tell us "he who began a good work in you got you off to a great start but you're on your own the rest of the way." Instead he writes, "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." (Phil. 1:6)  Likewise grace has been given "to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives." (Titus 2:12) Even the ability to "walk worthy of our calling" springs from "the immeasurable greatness of his power towards us who believe" and "the immeasurable riches of his grace." (Eph. 119:; 2:7; 4:1) "What we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is." (1 John 3:2) 

So I may be taking remedial lessons for the rest of my life, but I have hope and so do you. We will be presented holy, blameless, and without reproach. (Col. 1:22). It's a done deal. God has said so in His word and He is faithful to fulfill it.

I am not what I ought to be. Ah! How imperfect and deficient! I am not what I wish to be. I abhor what is evil, and I would cleave to what is good. I am not what I hope to be. Soon, soon, I shall put off mortality, and with mortality all sin and imperfection. Yet, though I am not what I ought to be, nor what I wish to be, nor what I hope to be, I can truly say, I am not what I once was—a slave to sin and Satan. And I can heartily join with the apostle, and acknowledge, ‘By the grace of God, I am what I am.’¹  ~ John Newton

And his grace toward me was not in vain. 1 Cor. 15:10

1. Quoted in John Whitecross, The Shorter Catechism Illustrated (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1968), question 35. ht: Tolle Legge

November Thanksgiving

With the beginning November, our thoughts are led to Thanksgiving.  Well, at least, if you live in the United States they are!  I am not American, and we already celebrated Thanksgiving here in Canada, but I do like to join in with the expression of thanks I see many of my blogging friends engaging in during the month of November.

In light of that, the other ladies and I would like to show our thanks for the warm way our readers have treated us since we began this blog in September.   And what better way to show thanksgiving than to give away a good book?

We are hosting a giveaway this week.  To one lucky lady (or a gentleman who would like to give it as a gift!) we are giving away a copy of Lydia Brownback's latest book A Woman's Wisdom.  While I have not personally read it myself, I have seen rave reviews all over the place.  The link will take you to Westminster Bookstore, where there is a clip of an interview with Brownback discussing the book.

At the end of this post, our own Staci Eastin provides a review.

Here are some guidelines for entering:

Leave a comment in the comments box.   Please leave either your name or a unique way of identifying yourself.  Using "anonymous" can be confusing, because more than one person may use that, and when I enter all the names in the spreadsheet, there may be a few "anonymous" and I don't have a way of identifying each one.  If you choose to use your first name only, at least leave an initial for your last name or something to differentiate yourself from others with the same name.  If you don't want to use your last initial, put a number or other symbol with it.

If you are not comfortable with leaving a comment, click on the "Site Admin" link in the sidebar and send us an e-mail.

Entries are restricted to Canada and the United States.

The giveaway closes on Sunday, November 11, 2012, and the winner will be announced and contacted the following day.



Review

Although the book of Proverbs was written as advice to young men in ancient Israel, it provides wisdom for all human beings. In A Woman's Widsom: How the Book of Proverbs Speaks to Everything, Lydia Brownback takes that advice and applies it to the lives of 21st century women. But this is not just a book of helpful hints for an easier life. As Lydia writes in the preface:

Because the book of Proverbs provides us with a poetic road map of how God has designed the world to work, following its practical day-to-day guidance will surely make your life more pleasant. But disconnected from its divine source, even this will prove hollow in the end.

Throughout the book, Lydia takes us through the book of Proverbs, but more importantly points us to our ultimate hope, found only in Christ.

The nine chapters of this book are divided in three parts. Part one discusses what wisdom is and why it matters. The heart of the book, part two, explores six things wise women know. These six chapters cover our words, friendship, self-control, feelings, finances, and sex. The final part is an in-depth look at Proverbs 31.

All the book is solidly biblical and helpful. The final chapter on Proverbs 31 was, in my opinion, the strongest chapter in the book. This chapter is often boiled down to a giant, unrealistic "to-do" list, but Lydia managed to bring out the heart issues behind the actions, all while grounding it in the gospel.

I also enjoyed the study guide at the end. This is not just a handful of discussion questions tacked on the end, but a thorough exploration of the principles in every chapter. The questions meatier than those of many Bible studies on the market today. The book also provides a web address where the study guide can be printed out at a larger size, which would be very helpful.

And though were not supposed to judge books this way, I think cover is exceptionally pretty, which is a plus.

This book would be a good choice for a book study or to use in a discipling setting. Even if you feel you don't need advice in say, finances, you might find something to think about. This is a solid resource for Christian women.

This review originally appeared at Writing and Living on May 16, 2012. A review copy of this book was provided by Crossway Publishers. This review contains my honest opinion. -Staci Eastin

Lifting Up Our Shamefaced Heads

Earlier this week I had a thought that surprised me for its vileness. I considered, more seriously than I’d like to admit—even to myself—doing something mean because I wanted to put someone else down to make myself seem better. I didn’t turn the thought into action and it was tempting to gloss over my sin as insignificant.

Yet it wasn't insignificant. It showed the corruption of my heart, a rot in my core. My thoughts were thoroughly shameful and it pained me to bring them to the light, examine them and admit they were mine.

How thankful I am that Christ’s own righteousness is counted as mine! It's the one truth that can turn despair over sin into joyful relief.  As the Heidelberg Catechism (Question 60) says, I am righteous before God, even though 

my conscience accuses me
of having grievously sinned against all God’s commandments,
of never having kept any of them,
and of still being inclined toward all evil,
nevertheless,
without any merit of my own,
out of sheer grace,
God grants and credits to me
the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ,
as if I had never sinned nor been a sinner,
and as if I had been as perfectly obedient
as Christ was obedient for me.

I am acceptable to God not because of my own worthiness (and not because of the worthiness of my faith, either, which is also not what it should be) but because of "the satisfation, righteousness, and holiness of Christ" which "is my righteousness before God."

I know God sees my sin, right down to my fleeting horrid thoughts, but at the same time, he sees me through the lens of Christ's own righteousness. I am forever graciously clothed in Christ's righteousness. As Leon Morris points out, 

this means more than being pardoned. The pardoned criminal bears no penalty, but he bears a stigma. He is a criminal and he is known as a criminal, albeit an unpunished one. The justified sinner not only bears no penalty; he is righteous. He is not a man with his sins still about him.1

Or in my case, as a justified sinner, I am not a woman with my sins still about me.

If I were not counted righteous in Christ, would I have admitted the seriousness of my sin? I'm not sure. Maybe, but maybe not. Without Christ's righteous record counted as my own, would I have felt the need to build my own good record? And since I couldn't do it by not sinning, would I have done it by ignoring my sin?

Because God counts me righteous in Christ, I am free to see my sin as it is without despairing. I have no need to minimize it. I can confess my sin honestly because it does not change how God sees me; it does not change my standing before God. Christ's righteousness gives me the joyful relief that comes from knowing that, because of Christ, I bear no shame.

Count Zinzindorf writes in his hymn Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness that Jesus's "blood and righteousness" (These two words are code for all Christ's obedience in his life and death counted as our own.)

My beauty are, my glorious dress;
Midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed,
With joy shall I lift up my head.

That Christ's righteousness is ours causes us to lift up our heads in joy. Zinzindorf is refering to the time of judgment at the end of the age, but what will be true for us then is also true for us now. Right now, I stand before God as a sinner declared righteous in Christ. I am beautifully dressed in his blood and righteousness.

And this is true for all believers. We have no stigma; we are not people with our sins still about us. Because Christ's righteousness is counted as ours, we can lift up our shamefaced heads with joy. 

---

1From The Cross in the New Testament