I have a wonderful plan for your life. Why don't you get it?

The humble truth of the matter is that we come to every relationship with an agenda. As Paul Tripp says, we often approach people with the self-serving attitude of “I love you and I have a wonderful plan for your life.” Somehow they just don’t "get it!"

“Whatever controls my heart will control my responses to people and situations.” –Paul Tripp, Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands

Today I arrived at work in a good mood. It was going to be a good day. But, some of my coworkers didn’t seem to be on board with my agenda. I was expecting efficiency, cheerfulness, and bustling productivity and was quickly disappointed when things didn’t go according to plan – MY plan. My initial feeling of cheerfulness quickly turned sour when my expectations were disappointed. I promptly turned into an irritable, prickly grump! I didn’t have to do much self-reflection to figure out what was controlling my heart in this scenario. Trust me, I’ve been here before! I’m an organizer. I haven’t asked my mom, but I’m pretty sure I was born with a day planner in my hand. I like to know what to expect, and I like to plan for every unforeseeable event. I hate surprises or the unknown. The sad thing is that people are always getting in my way. Life gets in my way. And I get annoyed. Planning is not evil in and of itself and a little organization never hurt anyone. But there are times (more often than I’d like to admit), that this love of security and predictability becomes a monster. Sometimes it becomes an idol. Why is this a problem? It is a problem because I am serving a false god of temporal security rather than putting my security in God. This is a problem because God is a holy and jealous God and must be served ALONE. My false god of security also puts me at odds with any person who would dare stand in the way, and people DO, much to my dismay! The idols must be repented of and dethroned. What should rule in their stead? What SHOULD control my actions? God should be on the throne. His love and grace ruling in my heart should be the motivating factor in all my dealings with my neighbors. My first concern should be what God’s agenda is for my day. Then I should seek to glorify Him by loving and serving others. When I get angry, irritable, or respond in a manner that is anything less than loving and Christ-like, I can depend on the fact that something ELSE is ruling my heart.

“A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

Sovereignty, Grace, and Glory

“An encyclopedic, problem-solving approach to Scripture is totally inadequate for the true depth of our need.”-Paul David Tripp

The simple truth of this statement is astounding. I have been guilty of regarding my Bible as a self-help manual. The concordance has been my best friend, and I know the favorite passages for the common problems and needs. Forgiveness? Here’s a list of verses for that! Struggling with prayer? Here are some key verses on that topic! It’s true that the Bible does address a myriad of topics, which is very helpful. But the more I learn and grow, the more I realize how the gospel and the whole story of redemption relate to everyday life and situations. The theme of God’s sovereignty spoke sweet words of comfort to me recently when I was faced with false accusations. It told me that the Sovereign King of the universe has a purpose in suffering, and that He allows it for my good and His glory. The theme of His grace had something to say, too. It told me that I am as much of a sinner as my accuser, and told me to love and forgive as I have been forgiven. The theme of God’s glory was not silent on the matter either. It spoke of the holiness that Christ is forming in me – that others might see His image in me so that He would be glorified.I’m realizing that the gospel is not just about Christ dying on the cross, something that we learn about when we get saved, and there’s an end of it. It speaks to me daily of what I was (a sinner), what I am (in Christ), and what I will be (with Him in glory). These broad themes in Scripture speak to me NOW, in whatever I am facing. They give me comfort, hope, direction, purpose, identity. They tell me of a God that has a plan, a purpose, and the power to bring it about. The gospel was good news when God saved me from my sins. But it is just as applicable to me now as I walk through this sinful world! It orients me to my world and teaches me about the God that I put my trust in. He is a faithful God!

Blessed or Bitter? Glorifying the God of our Circumstances

Sometimes life hurts. Physical ailments, broken relationships, injustice, dashed hopes, unmet expectations, unanswered prayers… Every person faces trials to some degree or another. Sometimes it’s hard to see God’s sovereignty through the fog of pain and confusion. Why does God allow us to suffer? What should be our response to trials?

 Pain and Pity

We’ve all met them – bitter, sad creatures who have experienced some hard knocks in life: who walk around, bent under the heavy weight of their burdens, delighting to brandish their sorrows to anyone who will listen. These people are bitter, angry, and pathetic. They are discouraging to be around! Quite frankly, I’ve known people who, when faced with a LITTLE trial, literally ceased to function! I've been there. Sadly, there have been times when that scenario could have described me. I am happy to say that not everyone is like that, because what a depressing world it would be if we all carried around our burdens like a heavy load and sat around complaining about all the negative things in our lives. We’d have a lot to talk about, but it would be rather depressing!

I’ve known people who let pain define their lives, but I’ve also known people who let pain be an instrument of grace and growth. These people, rather than carry their burdens as a means for seeking pity, have allowed their trials to teach them -looking on them not as curses, but blessings. These people radiate the joy of the Lord! What makes the difference?

 God wants me to be happy, right?

When we look at overwhelming circumstances, it’s hard to see how God is working “all things for good.” (Romans 8:28) Our idea of “good” is often very different from God’s. We have this mental image of the perfect life: a perfect spouse, perfect job, perfect children, nice house, nice car…you get the idea. We would consider these things “good”. Many people have this mistaken idea that God wants us to have every desire of our heart and to live out our lives on earth in peace with every earthly comfort possible. But that perspective is not Biblical. God’s will is not to make us comfortable. God’s will is to change us.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Romans 8:28-29

What is this“good” that God purposes to do? He wants to conform us to the image of Christ. That is the ultimate good He is working toward in all our circumstances. Is it always pleasant? No. Does it always “feel good” at the time? No.

“…we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” Hebrews 12:9-11

Sometimes we foolishly think that God is like us. He isn’t! God is more holy, more powerful, and more glorious than our finite minds could ever imagine. This may come as a surprise, but redemption is not about us. We were created and redeemed HIM and for His glory! (Proverbs 16:4) God is not so much concerned with our happiness, but with our holiness. We must be made like Him!

“Follow…holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord…”Hebrews 12:14

God’s work of sanctification is life-long and will not be complete before we stand before Him in heaven.

Lies or Truth…?

Many people measure God’s love towards them by their feelings or circumstances. These are faulty guidelines by which to measure God’s love. Our hearts are “deceitful and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9) and our feelings are wishy-washy, often changing from moment to moment. Our circumstances are often tools that God uses to expose the true beliefs of our hearts. There was a time in my life when I went through a difficult season. I was struggling with pain and confusion. It seemed as if God had forgotten me, and I certainly couldn’t see how God was working all things for good. In the midst of my grieving, someone said to me,“God didn’t die!” To my shame, that’s how I was acting. It’s easy to say that you believe God is good, but what about when you lose your job? Do you believe God is good then? Or did God “slip up” and let something bad happen? I’ve met many Christians who profess the sovereignty of God, but when trials come…well, we quickly learn what their beliefs truly are. Our “functional beliefs” are the ones that we live by. These are the beliefs that orient us to our world and our circumstances. They command our actions. The Bible says of God, “…Thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee…”(Jeremiah 32:17) I know this verse and I profess to believe it. But, I start to worry about…my job, my future…it could be any number of things that keep me awake at night. Now, wait a minute! What happened to “there is nothing too hard for thee?”There is a contradiction between what I know and what I believe. What am I trusting in? I am making God small and putting circumstances in the position of ultimate power and authority. I am either believing that God is too great to be bothered with my circumstances, or I am believing that He is unable to do anything about them. Is that what I profess? Of course not! I would never say that my circumstances are greater than God! Oh, but Satan loves to plant seeds of doubt in our minds. He loves to come along and whisper, “Yea, hath God said?” If I doubt that God cares for my needs, I am questioning His sovereignty, His love, and His wisdom. There have been many times, to my shame, when I have walked around in defeat as if God were not on the throne just because things didn’t go according to my desires. These lies have become my functional beliefs – the ones that I am living by.

Blessings or curses?

We think of blessings as those things that make us happy and comfortable. But shouldn’t we look on our trials as blessings when they are primarily what God uses to make us like Himself? If we believe that God is sovereign, then all things, good or bad, come from His hand. If that is the case, then even the trials and tribulations are part of His divine will and purpose in our life! We are blessed that He cares about us enough to not leave us where we are but that His love is purposeful and redemptive!

Some of the blessings in trials:

· They expose our hearts and show us what we’re made of. 

· They show us the emptiness of temporal pleasures and make us long for heaven.

· They cause us to seek God.

· They show us our sinfulness and our need for God’s mercy.

· They teach us humility.

· They cause us to grow.

· They are instruments of God’s mercy and grace.

· They can be a testimony to others.

· They teach us that God is sufficient.

· They are one of the main tools that God uses to make us into the image of Christ.

Looking back on my life, I can see that the times of greatest growth were the times of greatest trial. The easy times when I didn’t have so many struggles were times of sort of resting– not really growing, just sort of complacent. Every time when I’ve had difficulty, that’s when I’ve been learning, stretching, growing, leaning, seeking, and falling, but getting up again. I’ve learned more in a short time during the trials than I could have ever learned in those times of ease! I remember during a period of deep struggle, I said, “Lord, bring on the trials, if only to make me more like You!” I don’t recommend praying that prayer. I would never wish to go through that particular situation again. But even in the midst of my pain, I could see that God was using that very hurt to cause me to seek Him. When my silly dreams and hopes had been stripped away, all I could do was cry out to Him. And I learned that He was enough. He is the Sacrifice that will never be rejected, a Keeper that never sleeps, the Great Physician, the Healer of broken hearts, the Friend that never fails, and the Hope that never disappoints.

A godly response to trials

You have a choice. Will you be bitter or blessed? Maybe your circumstances are painful, but God is still good. He uses evil for good and makes the bitter sweet. He gives “beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.”(Isaiah 61:3) Give Him glory no matter what you’re facing. He is worthy of our praise! Know that God is sovereign. Believe it and live what you believe. Don’t complain about your circumstances because they are from God! Rather than praying for God to change your circumstances, pray for God to use your circumstances to change you. Give thanks for what God is doing. Maybe you aren’t at a place where you can thank God for the heartache or the loss. But you can rejoice in that God has allowed it for your good and His glory. Rejoice that He is using the trials and circumstances to wean you from this world and make you into His image.

 “How can all things be worked together by God for good? The answer is at hand. It is because God's ultimate purpose is to make us like Christ. His goal is the complete restoration of the image of God in His child! So great a work demands all the resources which God finds throughout the universe, and He ransacks the possibilities of joys and sorrows in order to reproduce in us the character of Jesus.” -Sinclair Ferguson

To God be the glory!

Additional Scriptures on the topics of trials and suffering: Job 23:10, Romans 5:3-5, Romans 8:17-18, 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, 1 Peter 1:7, 1 Peter 2:20-24, 1 Peter 4:12-16

The Sympathy of Christ

Recently I was in a tough situation where I had been hurt by another person. I was plagued with despair, confusion, hurt, and bitterness. So many times I thought, “No one understands the hurt and pain I feel. No one sympathizes with what I feel.” Every time I shared with someone how I had been hurt, I was left with a sick, empty feeling in my stomach. Even sympathy from friends didn’t bring me comfort. As I spent time studying and crying out to God, I came across this verse:

“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:14-16

Isn’t it amazing that Christ understands our struggles? This verse says that He is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He was a human being who experienced the same things that we do: temptation, hunger, pain, cold, rejection. When He faced the deepest struggle of His life – His crucifixion – all of His disciples left Him. Even His Father rejected Him and He was left to face the wrath of God alone. He did all that for us! No one was there to give love and comfort when He needed it most. No one was there to sympathize with His suffering. And yet, when WE are going through our own struggles, He is there to love and comfort us. He understands because He was a human being just like us. But do you know what the most comforting thing of all is? He faced all those things without sinning. We cannot say that about ourselves. We sin daily. Even our best deeds are tainted with sinful motives. But when God looks at us, He sees Christ. From our perspective, we see our failure – our sinful past, and the sin that continues to plague us daily. But God looks at us and sees Christ’s perfect obedience. He sees Him facing the same temptations we do, and responding in holiness and righteousness. And that’s what He sees when He sees US in Christ!!! Because of that, we can come boldly to Him – without fear of rejection or abandonment, and without anxiety wondering if He will understand or care for us. When we are in a difficult situation, His sympathy is the only sympathy that matters because He is the only One that can give the mercy and grace that we so desperately need!

I’ve found that when I’m anxious, angry, or depressed, it’s helpful to ask myself, “What am I believing about God?” Usually when I am anxious, I am believing a lie. My deceitful heart is telling me that God doesn’t care or is unable to change my circumstances. Don’t let your feelings dictate what you believe about God because they lie! Our trust should be in what God’s Word says, not what our heart says. What does God’s Word say about YOUR current struggle? It says that Christ is touched by your difficulties. He sympathizes. He faced temptation without sin. And because His sinless life has been put to your account, you can come boldly to God, knowing that He hears and accepts you because of Christ! When you are feeling hurt because of lack of sympathy, fear of failure, or anxiety, remember that Christ knows, understands, and invites you to come boldly to God. He offers His free mercy and grace to help you! When you are anxious and dealing with fearful thoughts, ask yourself, “What am I believing about God?” If your beliefs are not biblical, repent of them, and go to God’s Word to see what IS true about God. If we can grasp what is true about God’s character, it goes a long way to dispel fear, anxiety, anger, and all those sinful feelings and thoughts.

"...Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." Hebrews 13:20-21

Forgiveness and the Courtroom of the Heart

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.” James 1:19-20

When compared with Christ’s example of godly anger, I’m afraid my own anger doesn’t “make the cut.” My anger is usually self-righteous and self-serving. Recently I was faced with some criticism that really stung. I felt like it was unjust and inaccurate, so I thought I was justified in getting “a little hot under the collar.” My first reaction was to try to explain my original actions, and when I realized that my accuser wasn’t interested in listening, I condemned my accuser to “death by silence.” I set myself up as investigator, prosecutor, witnesses, judge, jury, jailer, and hangman. I had all the bases covered, and I felt pretty good about meting out “justice” for my wrongful accusation. Then I started my studies for the week. I had to read four articles on anger, and I thought, “Well, this should be an easy week. I don’t have a problem there!” How deceitful and self-righteous my heart is! It was easy for me to see anger in the heart of my accuser, but I self-righteously held myself to a different standard. I could be “miffed” because I was the one that was wrongfully accused! I used a more subtle form of anger – silence – to coerce some sort of remorse from my accuser. That was easier to justify than harsh words and open hostility.

I fought a long battle with this scenario. I knew that I should have a Christ-like, gracious response to the situation, but honestly, I would rather justify my sinful anger by cloaking it and giving it a nicer name. When I finally asked myself the question, “What do I love instead of God?” the answer was clear. I was loving and serving my reputation, my pride, my self-righteousness, and other’s opinions before God. I was not seeking God’s glory. I was not seeking the good of His people. I was seeking ME, MY RIGHTS, MY REPUTATION! I am grateful that God patiently exposes my heart through the mirror of His Word. Not only does He reveal my sinful heart, but He gives HOPE: repentance, forgiveness, and the power to change by His grace!

“Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.” Proverbs 10:12

“And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8

Sin, Lies, and Starving

“Sin must be refused and starved, not played with and fed.” –Sinclair Ferguson

Sin is like a cancer that grows and takes over everything in the body. If given a place in the body, it is not satisfied to remain there in isolation, but according to its’ very nature must expand, grow, and invade every other part. It is not passive, but aggressive. In the face of passivity, it overpowers, crushes, and devastates. It quietly feeds off the seemingly “innocent” pleasures and the next thing you know it has taken over and consumed the soul. As a believer, I have to be vigilant. Satan, the father of lies, is vigilant: he is active, pursuing, and aggressive.

I have been learning the need to “take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,” to weigh my thoughts against the true Word of God. When held up to the light of Scripture some of the most seemingly innocent thoughts of doubt and anxiety are shown to be what they are: sinful, blasphemous lies. These anxious thoughts, if given a place and a little sustenance, will grow like an insatiable cancer, bringing with it a host of other lies. One thought of doubt whether God truly cares about my personal needs will bring into question His sovereignty, His love, and His wisdom. If I believe a “little lie,” I can be convinced of many lies about God’s character. If I entertain a thought that I will never have victory in an area of struggle then I can be convinced that God’s grace is not sufficient to help me and that I can never be “holy enough” to be acceptable in His sight. That’s all it takes: one “little lie.” That’s all it took to destroy the whole of the human race in the Garden of Eden. These lies cannot survive in the environment of the truth of God’s Word. They die a sudden death when exposed to the illuminating, cleansing power of the Truth. It is necessary for me to daily fill my mind with the Word. The health of my soul depends upon it. Passivity will not do. My adversary is vigilant. But my God is vigilant, too; seeking, preserving, and keeping me. To God be the glory!

The Holy Intruder

“God is vastly patient and relentlessly persevering as He intrudes into your life.” –David Powlison

I love this truth. I need it. It is an unspeakable comfort to me that God is not passive, waiting for me to work up enough self-will to shed my sinful habits and become a better person. If it were left to me, I’d never change. In my depraved, sinful heart, I’m comfortable where I am. I like my sin. But there is this holy unrest and discomfort that comes from outside of myself. When I see the immense price of redemption – so costly to the One who paid it, yet righteousness offered as a free gift to me - my sin becomes a very ugly thing.

God has been seeking me all along. When He saved me, I was a self-righteous, arrogant sinner, quite proud of my own morality and virtue. I did not see myself as a miserable sinner in need of a Savior. God came as a holy Intruder, invading my life when I seemed most set in my self-righteousness. I had not sought Him. And yet, He came. He did not need my invitation, because He created and owned me. He became a Father to me – my Advocate, my Righteousness, my God.

God’s grace did not leave me where I was when He saved me. Still He sought me. Over time I grew complacent in this relationship. I allowed other loves to become idols and gave them His rightful place in my heart. In loving mercy and endless patience, He sought me still. God allowed those idols to be taken from me. I saw them for what they were – empty, fleeting, temporary pleasures that will one day be burned up.

It’s as if daily He turns the lights a little brighter – He reveals more and more those sins that dominate my heart, yet at the same time I see more of His mercy – that grace that is effectual, pursuing, endlessly seeking my heart and making me into His image. I am so grateful for this God who is active, pursuing, and intrusive. He knows what I need, and where I lack the self-will and power to change, He has that covered. He not only gives that self-revelation, He also gives a revelation of Himself so that I know what I should be, and He gives the grace to change.