Happy Tensions: Head + Heart

Posted on by

Christianity refuses to choose between head and heart. It is both head and heart. It is intellectually credible (if you would take time to study), as well as experientially pleasing. Christ fills our heads, and captivates our hearts. God’s Word forces us to think deeply, but touches us on the deepest level. It is real, and must be experience in real-time.

We each are drawn towards one direction. Be tethered to both. Those who detach the two are either swimming in a sea of religion, or being swept away in an ocean of mysticism.

Know God.

Love Him.

Enjoy Him.

Fill your mind with Him, and never stop swimming in the depths of His love, truth, and taking others to take the plunge with you. We were meant to know God, cognitively and experientially. And we were meant to do that with others, pointing others to Him. God wants to be known. Do you know Him? Do others know Him because of you?

 

Think.

Posted on by

Looking forward to this new book by pastor John Piper — Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God.

Why was it written? Why do you have a mind? How does thinking relate to our emotions and loving people?

Focusing on the life of the mind helps us to know God better, love him more, and care for the world. Along with an emphasis on emotions and the experience of God, we also need to practice careful thinking about God. Piper contends that “thinking is indispensable on the path to passion for God.” So how are we to maintain a healthy balance of mind and heart, thinking and feeling?

Piper urges us to think for the glory of God. He demonstrates from Scripture that glorifying God with our minds and hearts is not either-or, but both-and. Thinking carefully about God fuels passion and affections for God. Likewise, Christ-exalting emotion leads to disciplined thinking.

Readers will be reminded that “the mind serves to know the truth that fuels the fires of the heart.”

Here’s a preview [PDF preview from the publisher as well]:

HT: JT

 

Happy Tensions: What, Why, How … Who!

Posted on by

The Bible specifically tells us the What & Why of God’s revelation, and in many ways reveals to us the How (as well as they where, when, etc.). It is a collection of God’s specifically written 66 books packed with narrative, the great themes of God’s revelation, propositional truths, and a whole lot more, for all Scripture is “breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” ( 2 Timothy 3:16 ). Why? So the people of God will be thoroughly equipped for all of life (every good work, v. 17).

What, Why, How ... WHO!

Related to this, let us consider a different perspective or facet related to What, Why & How, especially related to communicating God’s true Word (preaching, teaching, etc.). For right now let’s think of “What” as the truths of Scripture, the essential doctrines . “Why” would be the theological perspectives and reasons behind these truths . “How” represents principles for godly living derived from Scripture (based on the What & Why), for life application.

But there is still something missing – rather, “Who” is missing?
Continue reading →

 

It should cost us something.

Posted on by

You’re generous, right? You give until it hurts. To whom and where do you give? Why?

Kris Zyp writes with a deft grasp of the monetary and resource disparities in the world and its relation to voluntary charitable contributions to those in need overseas:

poverty “About 1.7 billion people live in absolute Poverty. Poverty is the inability to meet basic human needs, such as clean water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter due to insufficient finances. The United Nations defines poverty as living on less $1.25 (US Dollars) per day (less than $465 per year). About 18 million per year (a third of the deaths in the world) are a result of poverty-related causes. But the real tragedy is the fact that this continues when there are abundant resources to alleviate this suffering. There are plenty of disturbing comparisons of the relative ease with which we bring relief compared to the things which we spend money on here in the states. For example, the most extreme poverty in the world could be eliminated with the amount we spend on ice cream in America, and the cost to bring clean drinking water to most of the worlds poor is less than we spend on our pets in America.”

After some key statistics, Kris continues:

“To be clear, I am not suggesting that it is wrong to give domestically. I certainly wouldn’t discourage local giving. But everyone of us are people of limited resources. We can only give so much. If the purpose of your giving is just to satisfy some religious obligation or clear your conscience, than I guess it doesn’t matter where you give it. If the purpose of your giving is to make a real tangible difference in people’s lives, why not look for how your monies can make the biggest impact for those that need it most?” (emphasis added)

He then ambitiously deals with some common objections to prioritizing international giving:

  1. “But we have poor right here in America”
  2. “Jesus said if someone asks, we should give…”
  3. “We should fix our own problems first”
  4. “But we can give to both, I am in favor of all these charitable causes”
  5. “Handouts just keep people in poverty, they don’t really fix the situation”
  6. “You’re being totally naive, you can’t just boil these complex issues down to monetary figures”

Kris summarizes about out-of-balance giving:

“There is always a tendency to give more to the needs that are closest, but we need to be resolute in considering the needs of those far from us. And I don’t think we are in any danger of giving too much overseas. Even if half of our giving went overseas to meet the needs of the vast majority of the suffering world, we still wouldn’t be overdoing it, and with our current level of less than 10%, giving more internationally will never be likely to put us out of balance.”

(Full disclosure: Kris is my wife‘s brother. I’d still quote him even if he hadn’t taken me rock climbing.)

 

Preservers of the world

Posted on by

Below is a description of the early Christian community (c. AD 130), written to a political leader or other authority figure in the Roman Empire, named Diognetus. The author writes in hopes of communicating the truth about Christianity and thereby gaining clemency for Christians under persecution:

“… [The Christians] display to us their wonderful and confessedly striking method of life.”

“They dwell in their own countries, but only as aliens [1 Pet 2:11]. As citizens, they share in all things with others, and yet endure all things as foreigners. Every foreign land is to them as a their native land, and every land of their birth is as a foreign land to them.”

“The soul is imprisoned in the body, and yet preserves that very body; while Christians are confined in the world as in a prison, and yet they are preservers of the world.”

— Found in Invitation to Christian Spirituality: An Ecumenical Anthology, John R. Tyson, ed., pp. 58-60. Cited as “The Epistle to Diognetus,” in Roberts and Donaldson, eds., TANF, Vol. I, ch. 5-6, pp. 26-27.

Thoughts:

Christians who know this identity in Christ (as foreigners, aliens and sojourners, yet having a heavenly home) will have an identity in the world — being fully present and loving to those around them. They know where they belong because they know to Whom they belong. The imperatives (commands) of the Christian life are rooted in the prior work of God, which is the engine that propels us forward. I found myself rejoicing not so much in a prescription for how to live but a description of how in Christ we can be in His world. Amazing enabling grace!

Earlier in the letter the author states the plain truth of how believing in Christ inevitably makes one the best citizens around [he’s an objective observer] — Christians dwell, share, endure, marry, beget children, obey, love, etc. (Most striking to me is the absence of modifying clauses like “should,” which would give an out to the weak Christians. The writer gives no fancy to a concept of a hypocritical life. The absence of this passive language is more my fault than his, for we have come to accept wishy washy nominalism for self-described Christians.)

The message is embodied in such a way that the people’s lives demand a Gospel explanation. In effect he is giving a gospel explanation as he tells the what and the why of how Christians (are to) see ourselves in this world. I felt like I was reading a summary of the implications of Romans 12 (humility before God, the church family, and outsiders in the world). He ended in stating plainly “Christians love those who hate them,” which lept off the page to me. We are not merely okay will be accepting or neutral towards those who harbor anomosity towards us (noting they themselves may not totally realize why they do so as agents under the sway of the Evil One). How true that as we move upward we are compelled to move outward, missionaries of love like the true Missionary God who loved His enemies (us) and gave Himself for our sake.

Are you a preserver of the world around you? In what way? Get close, step into the mess, be all there.

 

What Drives Us? Perfection.

Posted on by

I’ll be re-posting and finishing a series looking at why we do, think and feel the way we do. The core idea is this: we either make our decisions based on God’s promises in the Gospel, or on something else.

What is that something else? What drives us? What motives lie beneath the surface? Catch up by reading the first one — Preference — and some thoughts on how these factors play out in pastoral counseling.

So, what drives us?

Perfection.I am a ‘recovering perfectionist,’ meaning when asked what drives me, I am more apt to make decisions based on getting things right and seek perfection than on other motives (like preference).

Perhaps I never want to be seen as lazy, or perhaps there is an inner drive for excellence. It can be both a strength and a weakness. When a drive for perfection becomes ultimate, it supplants the Perfect Creator as my source of significance. (The only remedy is to repent and believe the Gospel: we no longer have to work for significance in Christ; rather we work from significance in Christ, according to the Gospel.) There are a couple on this list that that I tend towards, and perfection-driven is one of them.

In short, if perfection drives me: I am my own worse critic, and like to have control.

Let’s look at how this plays out in life. Consider your own heart and motives.

Situation … response:

  • When all is well in my life … Hey, look at me! But I sometimes wonder why it’s not always like this.
  • When trials enter my life … I don’t want others to know that I don’t have my life all together. (So I don’t talk openly about my weaknesses.)
  • When I am criticized, I … Get defensive because no one realizes I’m probably superior to them.
  • My relationship with God is … Makes me feel better (or worse) depending on if I’m meeting my own standards & goals.
  • Motivation: Being right, jealousy.
  • When I sin … I think I should know and do better and beat myself up (failure). Vow to make it up.
  • I trust … in myself and those who share my high standards.
  • My greatest strengths/ weaknesses are … my strength is my high standards & wisdom; my weakness is that I can beat myself and others up emotionally
  • My identity is found in … my own abilities to control life and others.

—

Is that you?

Pride and guilt are horrible task-masters.

Repent of trusting in yourself and trust Christ for your acceptance before God and people.

—

Christianity: The only religion where man is saved when he stops trying to save himself.

By God’s grace we can experience change,
through continually realizing that Jesus is our Perfection,
because He is God’s only way of acceptance.

 

What Drives Us? Preference.

Posted on by

I’ll be re-posting and completing an unfinished series asking the question “What drives us?”  We’ll look into why we do, think and feel the way we do. Can’t promise it will be epic, but it has been a long-time in coming.

—

The core idea is this: we either make our decisions based on God’s promises in the Gospel, or on something else. What is that something else? What drives us? What motives lie beneath the surface?

The idea came to me while meditating on the difference between guilt as a motivator and curiosity, joy, passion, etc…. and for context I must say I was driving. In fact, over a two-minute drive home my mind was flooded with a list of a dozen words that start with “P,” and all describe why we do what we do. I couldn’t pause and jot down notes quick enough. In a future post I will share the scriptural background, and how these motivations interrelate. Plus, how I have used these categories in pastoral counseling.

So, what drives us?

Consider this one relatively easy to identify: our preferences.

Situation … response:

When all is well in my life … When trials enter my life … When I am criticized, I … My relationship with God is … Motivation When I sin … I trust… My greatest strengths/ weaknesses are… My identity is found in …
I feel like my relationship with God couldn’t be better. I try to move on to a better situation. Am sometimes hurt, and move on to other people, places or things. A high priority, but doesn’t necessarily impact every square inch of my life. Preferences I am actually probably more aware of others’ failures than my own. in those who meet my needs and wants. s: my ability to make wise choices
w: those (morons) around me my refined tastes and desire
  • When all is well in my life … I feel like my relationship with God couldn’t be better.
  • When trials enter my life … I try to move on to a better situation.
  • When I am criticized … I am sometimes hurt, and move on to other people, places or things.
  • My relationship with God is … a high priority, but doesn’t necessarily impact every square inch of my life.
  • Motivation: Preferences
  • When I sin … I am actually probably more aware of others’ failures than my own.
  • I trust … in those who meet my needs and wants
  • My greatest strengths/weaknesses are …
    • [strength]: my ability to make wise choices;
    • [weakness]: those (morons) around me.
  • My identity is found in …  my refined tastes and desires.
 

In the incredible ‘already, but not yet’

Posted on by

A.W. Tozer’s essay, “That Incredible Christian” embodies the happy tensions of which I seek to write — how citizens of heaven are intended to live now on earth, in the ‘already, but not yet’ breaking in of the Kingdom of God:

The Christian believes that in Christ he has died, yet he is more alive than before and he fully expects to live forever. He walks on earth while seated in heaven and though born on earth he finds that after his conversion, he is not at home here. Like the nighthawk, which in the air is the essence of grace and beauty, but on the ground is awkward and ugly, so the Christian appears at his best in the heavenly places, but does not fit well into the ways of the very society into which he was born.

The Christian soon learns that if he would be victorious as a son of heaven among men on earth he must not follow the common pattern of mankind, but rather the contrary. That he may be safe he puts himself in jeopardy, he loses his life to save it and is in danger of losing it if he attempts to preserve it. He goes down to get up. If he refuses to go down he is already down, but when he starts down he is on his way up.

He is strongest when he is weakest and weakest when he is strong. Though poor he has the power to make others rich, but when he becomes rich his ability to enrich others vanishes. He has the most after he has given most away and has least when he possesses most.
Continue reading →

 

Idol-Shattering

Posted on by

From the Crossway blog:

We Are All Worshipers

“Worship is unavoidable,” explains Darrin Patrick. “Whenever we stop worshiping God, we worship some kind of substitute instead of God.”

In his chapter “Idol-Shattering” in Church Planter (video), Patrick helps explain and expose idolatry.

The first idolatry: When Adam and Eve willfully placed their trust, significance, identity, security, and future in something other than God. When Paul describes the root of human rebellion, he talks about sin as not just a breaking of the law but rather as an exchange of worship: “[They] exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images.”

Idolatry is: What we put in the place of God that captures our imagination and heart, and then we become servants of our object of worship. Our object of worship will always be the primary influencer of our thoughts, our emotions, our actions, and of course, our lives.
Continue reading →