"Recycle yourself"
As I was driving home for work this week and stuck in 280's lovely rush-hour traffic, this was the statement plastered on the back of the SUV in front of me. Written in fine print below this slogan was the imperative to be an organ donor.
Are you recycling yourself? I'm not talking about donating your organs, I'm referring to giving your life for God's glory and for the sake of others. The way to recycle yourself is to invest your life in the eternal.
Think about the legacy you want to leave on this earth. How do you want to be remembered? What kind of change do you want to effect in this world? Are you making a difference for God in the lives of people and in the lives of generations to come?
Are you even on the path leading to the type of legacy you want to leave? Or is your current reality a far cry from where you'd like to be?
Abraham died this week - in my devotions, that is. As I was studying the portion of Genesis 25 that closes the curtain on Abraham's life, I contemplated his legacy. The New Testament is riddled with mention of this patriarch, and for me, two aspects of his legacy stand out in Scripture.
1. Faith
From leaving Ur to trusting God's promises to sacrificing Isaac, Abraham believed God. Throughout his life, God was teaching Abraham how to live by faith. While he didn't always get it right, Father Abraham was faithful overall, and "...his example became the reference point to understanding that salvation comes through faith" (R. Kent Hughes, Genesis: Beginning and Blessing). God was not only teaching Abraham about faith, He was using Abraham's life to teach others about faith (James 2; Hebrews 11). What God teaches us is not just for us alone. It is also for the sake of others.
2. Christ
Abraham lived in covenant with God by faith, and God chose to establish His people through Abraham and to bless the nations through his offspring. This came to fulfillment in Christ. Christ came through Abraham's line, and He made reconciliation possible between man and God. This is the inheritance that Abraham passed on to his descendants and, ultimately, to all people. We can become Abraham's offspring through accepting Christ as our Savior (Galatians 3).
Did he have any clue as to how God would use his life? Did he realize that his story, his one small dot on God's eternal timeline, would be affecting and instructing millions of people centuries later? No! And we don't know the big picture of how God will use our lives and deaths - our stories - both while we're alive and after we're gone. But we, like Abraham, need to be faithful in our daily lives. We need to be seeking after God, especially if we want to leave a legacy that pleases and praises Him.
Are you recycling yourself?
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Sleeping Giant
"We have awakened a sleeping giant and have instilled in him a terrible resolve." As the shipmen on his boat celebrated their successful attack on Pearl Harbor, these were the words that were uttered by Japanese Admiral Yamamoto.
The church in America is a sleeping giant.
While warfare occurs all around us, we are oblivious, or like the 80% of Americans who did not think that our country would war with either Germany or Japan in World War II, we are incredibly naive. Sometimes I wonder if a Pearl Harbor-sized attack on the church is enough to arouse the sleeping giant that we've become.
We have an enemy. Scripture teaches us that Satan "prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). He's after God's people, and he shoots to kill. Knowing the enemy - that's one of the primary rules of combat. But if you don't think you're in a war, then there's no reason to study the enemy. What enemy, right?
This is my homework assignment for a class - to amass what I can from Scripture regarding Satan's worldview, his views of God and of people, and his purposes and methods. Knowledge is good, but it needs to be applied in order to serve any good. Now, I'm no Jedi knight or ninja warrior, but I want my life to be used to "kick in the gates of Hell." So I'm a little excited about this assignment.
Do we have a "terrible resolve" as the church? Are we urgently spending our lives for the sake of the Gospel? Are you diligently engaging in prayer both for yourself and for all of the saints? The Apostle Paul challenged the Ephesians to "keep alert with all perseverence, making supplication for all the saints," (Ephesians 6:18). This is crucial because we are not fighting this battle alone, and we need to support our fellow comrades by interceeding for each other. The members at my church made the commitment to pray for the nations each day of this year, and as I've been reading the prayer requests and the stories of what believers are going through on the other side of the globe, I am seeing the great need experienced by my brothers and sisters and am convicted to support them through my prayers.
Check out Operation World if you want to join in receiving prayer updates for the nations.
We are engaged in a spiritual battle. First of all, I hope you know what side you're on. Second, do you dress out each day for war (Ephesians 6:14-17)? Third, do you know how to wield your weapon, and are you using it (Ephesians 6:17)? Fourth, are you battling on your knees?
Alertness asserts the need for prayer, and through prayer, the believer remains watchful, which is important when our enemy is prowling around. Recently, one of my professors has begun prefacing his call to arms (he's the one who tells us to "go kick in the gates of Hell") with the reminder to "pray before you do" because living proactively for Christ is not a matter in which we engage lightly or without thought or prayer. As soldiers go through boot camp and train, prayer is our preparation as well as our power in the trenches.
In his prayers in 1:15-23 and in 3:14-21, Paul prays that the church would understand the great power that God has placed at their disposal to enable them to live according to God’s calling. God equips the church with the power and the means to live victoriously, which is why Paul reminds his readers to utilize the mighty strength that God has already provided for them (6:10). God gives this armor to believers for the purpose of defending themselves from the cosmic powers, but each believer is responsible for taking it up and putting it on (6:13). The church lives in the evil day (6:13), and only by using what God has provided can the church stand firm against the evil powers.
Don't be caught unaware. Don't allow the enemy to perform his own version of Pearl Harbor in your life. Don't be a "sleeping giant." Being on the winning side should instill in us a "terrible resolve" to take up our armor, to pray, and to fight against our enemy. By utilizing the armor that God has provided and by remaining watchful and in prayer, believers can defend the church’s position while it awaits for God to accomplish the final destruction of the evil powers.
"Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm" (Ephesians 6:13).
The church in America is a sleeping giant.
While warfare occurs all around us, we are oblivious, or like the 80% of Americans who did not think that our country would war with either Germany or Japan in World War II, we are incredibly naive. Sometimes I wonder if a Pearl Harbor-sized attack on the church is enough to arouse the sleeping giant that we've become.
We have an enemy. Scripture teaches us that Satan "prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). He's after God's people, and he shoots to kill. Knowing the enemy - that's one of the primary rules of combat. But if you don't think you're in a war, then there's no reason to study the enemy. What enemy, right?
This is my homework assignment for a class - to amass what I can from Scripture regarding Satan's worldview, his views of God and of people, and his purposes and methods. Knowledge is good, but it needs to be applied in order to serve any good. Now, I'm no Jedi knight or ninja warrior, but I want my life to be used to "kick in the gates of Hell." So I'm a little excited about this assignment.
Do we have a "terrible resolve" as the church? Are we urgently spending our lives for the sake of the Gospel? Are you diligently engaging in prayer both for yourself and for all of the saints? The Apostle Paul challenged the Ephesians to "keep alert with all perseverence, making supplication for all the saints," (Ephesians 6:18). This is crucial because we are not fighting this battle alone, and we need to support our fellow comrades by interceeding for each other. The members at my church made the commitment to pray for the nations each day of this year, and as I've been reading the prayer requests and the stories of what believers are going through on the other side of the globe, I am seeing the great need experienced by my brothers and sisters and am convicted to support them through my prayers.
Check out Operation World if you want to join in receiving prayer updates for the nations.
We are engaged in a spiritual battle. First of all, I hope you know what side you're on. Second, do you dress out each day for war (Ephesians 6:14-17)? Third, do you know how to wield your weapon, and are you using it (Ephesians 6:17)? Fourth, are you battling on your knees?
Alertness asserts the need for prayer, and through prayer, the believer remains watchful, which is important when our enemy is prowling around. Recently, one of my professors has begun prefacing his call to arms (he's the one who tells us to "go kick in the gates of Hell") with the reminder to "pray before you do" because living proactively for Christ is not a matter in which we engage lightly or without thought or prayer. As soldiers go through boot camp and train, prayer is our preparation as well as our power in the trenches.
In his prayers in 1:15-23 and in 3:14-21, Paul prays that the church would understand the great power that God has placed at their disposal to enable them to live according to God’s calling. God equips the church with the power and the means to live victoriously, which is why Paul reminds his readers to utilize the mighty strength that God has already provided for them (6:10). God gives this armor to believers for the purpose of defending themselves from the cosmic powers, but each believer is responsible for taking it up and putting it on (6:13). The church lives in the evil day (6:13), and only by using what God has provided can the church stand firm against the evil powers.
Don't be caught unaware. Don't allow the enemy to perform his own version of Pearl Harbor in your life. Don't be a "sleeping giant." Being on the winning side should instill in us a "terrible resolve" to take up our armor, to pray, and to fight against our enemy. By utilizing the armor that God has provided and by remaining watchful and in prayer, believers can defend the church’s position while it awaits for God to accomplish the final destruction of the evil powers.
"Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm" (Ephesians 6:13).
Sunday, January 24, 2010
A Relationship Manifesto - Part 2
"THE ONE"
One of the best pick-up lines I've ever heard goes something like this:
"So you know in the Garden of Eden when God made woman from Adam's rib?
Well, if that's true then you're one prime rib!"
As much as I enjoy cheesy pick-up lines, bless the poor guys who actually try to use them. But it is one of many crazy things that I have watched people use in their efforts to find and to catch "the one." As many of you know, I've been studying Genesis, and in chapter 24, Abraham sends his servant on a quest to find "the one" for his son Isaac. Here's some highlights about what God taught me regarding this endeavor - it totally was not what I expected.
God sovereignly provides for His people.
I do NOT mean that God will provide an husband or a wife for each person. For some, His plan involves a life of singleness, and while many of us pray that is not His plan for us, we must remember that this life is not our own. It belongs to Him, and it is His to do with as He wishes. Furthermore, His way is best. If it is His design for you to be single and you were to marry anyway, you would be engaging in a life that was not all that it could be because of your disobedience - and who knows how this would affect the lives and eternities of others. A life invested in the eternal is willing to die to personal desires and dreams for the sake of Christ and others.
So what does that statement involve? Journey with me in the quick study of 4 famous couples in Scripture.
1. Adam and Eve (Genesis 2) - God created Adam and set him about naming the animals and tending to the affairs of the Garden. God determined that "it is not good that the man should be alone" (2:18), put Adam into a deep sleep, and performed a surgery in order to create a "helpmeet" for him. This couple spawned the rest of humanity.
2. Isaac and Rebekah (Genesis 24) - Abraham sent his servant to find a wife for his middle-aged (by our standards) son, Isaac. The servant traveled hundreds of miles east from Canaan to Paddan-Aran in order to locate this proverbial needle in a haystack. Abraham and the servant were both confident that God would provide. Upon arriving in Nahor, the servant prayed asking for God to show him the girl by causing her to supply not only him but his thirsty camels with water, and "before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah...came out with her water jar on her shoulder" (24:15). BEFORE the servant had finished his prayer, Rebekah showed up, which means that God was already answering his prayer before he had even prayed it. Not only that, but Rebekah went to the tremendous effort of demonstrating hospitality to this servant and his caravan. God's choice couldn't have been clearer if there were flashing billboards pointing at Rebekah! Not only that but Rebekah was willing to follow a perfect stranger to a land she'd never seen to marry a man whom she'd never met - this just demonstrates even further how God's hand was directing this entire relationship. After marrying, God gave them two sons, Jacob and Esau, and from Jacob's line came the nation of Israel - the nation through whom God would send His Son, thus, keeping His promise to Abraham that from Him all the nations of the world would be blessed (Gn. 12:3).
3. Ruth and Boaz (Ruth 1-4) - A married Jewish couple, Naomi and Elimelech, moves their family to Moab when Israel experiences a famine, and in the course of 10 years, Naomi was both a widow and childless. Without family, provisions, or land, she heads back to Israel with her Moabite daughter-in-law, Ruth. Ruth, a Moabitess, a Gentile. To Israelites, she was no better than a dog. What Israelite in his right mind would marry a Gentile, especially a Moabite after what transpired with the Moabite women in Numbers 25? Naomi and Ruth's future seemed grim indeed. But one day, Naomi "just happened" to send Ruth to glean fields for grain in order to appropriate for them some food, and Ruth "just happened" to glean in the fields of Boaz. Although Ruth had no clue who he was, Boaz, as a relative of Elimelech, had the ability to serve as a kinsman-redeemer and to provide for Elimelech's family.
The Lord serves in the background throughout this story, weaving circumstances so that Ruth and Boaz marry. Nothing in this story is happenstance - it is the providence of God. And at the conclusion of this book, we read a genealogy that tells us that the great-grandchild of this Moabite woman and faithful Israelite is none other than King David. And in the genealogy of Matthew 1, we see that it is through Ruth's line that the true King is born - Jesus, the one "who is called Christ" (Mt. 1:16).
4. Mary and Joseph (Matthew 1; Luke 1-2) - A young Jewish girl was engaged to Jewish carpenter, but before their wedding, Mary was found to be with child. Although an angel had appeared to her telling her that God would perform a miracle and, by the power of the Holy Spirit, would cause her to become pregnant without having sex, Joseph believed the worst and was prepared to quietly end the relationship until he had an angelic visitor of his own who authenticated Mary's story. God wanted this couple to be together because He had chosen them to be the earthly parents of His only Son - the One Who would be the Savior of the world.
So what does all of this have to do with locating "the one"?
In these four love stories, we see the sovereignty of God. We see how it is His providence that brought them together. He worked the events of history to bring these couples together, and it was for a specific purpose. It was not just so they could get married and procreate. God's purpose for their marriages involved the provision of His people. It was for the sake of others.
I do believe that God puts people together and that, for those who are to marry, there is one perfect person whom He has in mind for them. It is not happenstance or chemistry that causes people to end up together. It is God's handiwork, and it is for a bigger purpose.
Going back to the study of Isaac and Rebekah, Genesis 24 demonstrates God's providence in bringing the two together. He sovereignly selected the perfect spouse for Isaac - the wife who would be the best fit for fulfilling with Isaac God's plan of establishing His people. Together, they were used by God for this purpose.
Two people should not get married unless they serve God better together than they do apart because marriage, like everything else in life, is not about us but about God. This is the picture that we see in these four couples. Together, they were able to fulfill God's plan in a way that they could not have done as singles. And God used their marriages to provide for His people. God meant for their marriages to occur for the sake of others.
In Scripture, we see that God's plan involves marriage as a picture to the world of the relationship between Christ and His church. This is part of His purpose in bringing people together - to be His witnesses in this manner. Marriage serves a bigger purpose than just the joining two lives - it is a graphic picture to a lost world of the sacrifice and love of God, of the submission and service of His people, and of the intimate relationship that He seeks to have with us. Husbands and wives are supposed to demonstrate through their marriage what a relationship with God looks like.
In the Meantime
Before searching for or waiting on "the one," we need to understand why God brings people together in the first place. Now that this has been established, let's see what Scripture teaches about "the one."
1. We need to be faithful in what God has called us to today.
Each of those four couples was not spending their time pursuing a relationship. Rebekah was not on the prowl for a husband when she came to the well and offered water to a stranger. She was simply going about her daily tasks with faithfulness, and Genesis 24 depicts her as a woman of character. Adam was not sitting around lamenting the fact that he did not have a partner; he was faithfully doing the work that God had given him when God put him to sleep only to have him wake up married! Be faithful where God has put you with the task that He has given you. Plus, you aren't going to be worth having if you spend all your time and energy looking for "the one" instead of being the one whom God has called you to be.
Don't be consumed or stressed about finding "the one" - be focused on faithfully completing what God has for you today. Keep your eyes on the big picture, on the eternal rather than the temporal. "Set your mind on things above, not only earthly things" (Colossians 3:2). In the scope of things with all of the lost and needy and dying people in this world - is finding "the one" really what's most important? How often is the Lord's work your priority? Do you spend more time worrying about this issue than you do engaging in God's work? If so, that's an idol, and you need to follow Joey Gladstone's advice and "cut it out!"
Also, lead with your head - do not just blindly surge into a relationship and base it all on feelings because a relationship is more than just feelings. Knowing that God's design for marriage involves it serving as a witness to the world of the commitment, sacrifice, and intimate connection between God and His people - such a relationship cannot simply be sustained by feelings. Feelings will fade. A husband will not always feel like putting his wife's needs ahead of his own. A wife will not always feel like submitting to her husband. Love is a choice, and it involves great sacrifice. Therefore, tread prayerfully and thoughtfully from the get-go.
2. Trust God.
Our faith in God and our obedience to God are directly related. When we trust, we obey, and when we disobey, we are simply communicating our lack of faith in God.
Look at Abraham's statement of faith about the Lord's provision for his son: "The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me and swore to me, 'To your offspring I will give this land,' he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there" (Genesis 24:7). From his past experiences, Abraham knew that the God Who had called him and Who had sustained him would continue to provide for him. God had never given Abraham any reason to doubt Him. And thousands of years later, God has never given us any reason to doubt Him. But you will not have this assurance if you do not know God and if you are not abiding in God.
Before the creation of the world, God already had a plan for your life. He has written your story, and He already knows who you are to marry - if you are to marry at all. And His plan is perfect because He is perfect. Furthermore, He will lead you - just stick to His script. As with Isaac and Rebekah, God knows the exact location of your needle in a haystack, and He will arrange events in order for that needle to become apparent at just the right time. "God's hand may be hidden, but his effective power is absolute" (R. Kent Hughes, Genesis: Beginning and Blessing).
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6).
3. Pursue God - not some guy or girl.
Until you are seeking God first, you will not be content in your relationships with people. You won't be happy with a boyfriend unless you're right with God. Only God can satisfy. Only He can give you true security and significance. Only in Him will you find contentment. Don't seek from others what only God can provide. Don't make a relationship your idol, your substitute for God. Trust me, a substitute is never as good as the real thing.
4. Wait on God
We don't need to try to make things happen with someone because, when we do this, it's not going to turn out good because we're not waiting on God's will to happen in His time. We might even be pursuing something that is outside of His will for us. Is getting "it" - is getting married or having someone worth the misery and the effects of disobeying God? Wait on God. His way is best. Trying to move ahead of Him or attempting to manipulate events to work the way we want simply communicates our lack of faith in God. Don't settle. Don't go for what would be easy. Do not seek what is ungodly or go after the wrong person (or even the right person at the wrong time). Wait on God - He will show you His way in His time.
5. Pray.
We specifically see this in the story of Isaac and Rebekah. The servant spends a good portion of the chapter communicating with God either through prayer or praise. He knew that God had a plan and that He needed God's help to recognize the girl God had for Isaac. And God answered his prayers. We also see that Isaac (while waiting for the servant to complete his mission) spent time in prayer and meditation (Genesis 24:63), and Scripture seems to indicate that this was not simply a one-time event for him. While we do not know what he was meditating on or praying for, the important thing to note was his involvement in this discipline. Follow the example of the servant and Isaac. Pray for the person God has for you. Pray for their walk with God. Pray for patience - that both of you will wait on God's timing and direction. Pray for yourself - that you will be faithful and diligent in what God has for you. Pray for wisdom.
6. The character of "the one."
More will be blogged about this in the days to come, but in the meantime, Abraham specifically commanded the servant not to choose a wife for his son from among the Canaanite women (Genesis 24:3-4). Basically, God's people only need to pursue and marry God's people. For what partnership has light with darkness (2 Corinthians 6:14)?
7. Assess your motives.
Why are you so desirous of being in a relationship? Is it for selfish reasons? If so, you're not ready for a relationship. One of the commentaries I read while studying Isaac and Rebekah stated that "this marriage was essential to the work of God in the world. Perhaps the question that should be asked today by those who seek guidance in such matters of life is not whether God will lead a person to the right partner but of what value to God such a marriage would be. Prayer for guidance through such circumstances cannot come from a selfish motive; it must be for the will of God" (Allen Ross, Creation and Blessing).
Whether or not God has a spouse for you, live in obedience, faith, and prayer to God with the motivation of loving and serving the One Who is sovereign over all.
Let me leave you with these lyrics. They're from a song written by a music intern at our church specifically for the sermon series our pastor led on the book of Ruth (the song and the sermons are on iTunes if you want to check them out).
"I already wrote the end of the story.
You were made for me,
And I'll never leave you.
And in the end you will be happy.
And in the end you will be with me.
In the end, it's all for my glory."
One of the best pick-up lines I've ever heard goes something like this:
"So you know in the Garden of Eden when God made woman from Adam's rib?
Well, if that's true then you're one prime rib!"
As much as I enjoy cheesy pick-up lines, bless the poor guys who actually try to use them. But it is one of many crazy things that I have watched people use in their efforts to find and to catch "the one." As many of you know, I've been studying Genesis, and in chapter 24, Abraham sends his servant on a quest to find "the one" for his son Isaac. Here's some highlights about what God taught me regarding this endeavor - it totally was not what I expected.
God sovereignly provides for His people.
I do NOT mean that God will provide an husband or a wife for each person. For some, His plan involves a life of singleness, and while many of us pray that is not His plan for us, we must remember that this life is not our own. It belongs to Him, and it is His to do with as He wishes. Furthermore, His way is best. If it is His design for you to be single and you were to marry anyway, you would be engaging in a life that was not all that it could be because of your disobedience - and who knows how this would affect the lives and eternities of others. A life invested in the eternal is willing to die to personal desires and dreams for the sake of Christ and others.
So what does that statement involve? Journey with me in the quick study of 4 famous couples in Scripture.
1. Adam and Eve (Genesis 2) - God created Adam and set him about naming the animals and tending to the affairs of the Garden. God determined that "it is not good that the man should be alone" (2:18), put Adam into a deep sleep, and performed a surgery in order to create a "helpmeet" for him. This couple spawned the rest of humanity.
2. Isaac and Rebekah (Genesis 24) - Abraham sent his servant to find a wife for his middle-aged (by our standards) son, Isaac. The servant traveled hundreds of miles east from Canaan to Paddan-Aran in order to locate this proverbial needle in a haystack. Abraham and the servant were both confident that God would provide. Upon arriving in Nahor, the servant prayed asking for God to show him the girl by causing her to supply not only him but his thirsty camels with water, and "before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah...came out with her water jar on her shoulder" (24:15). BEFORE the servant had finished his prayer, Rebekah showed up, which means that God was already answering his prayer before he had even prayed it. Not only that, but Rebekah went to the tremendous effort of demonstrating hospitality to this servant and his caravan. God's choice couldn't have been clearer if there were flashing billboards pointing at Rebekah! Not only that but Rebekah was willing to follow a perfect stranger to a land she'd never seen to marry a man whom she'd never met - this just demonstrates even further how God's hand was directing this entire relationship. After marrying, God gave them two sons, Jacob and Esau, and from Jacob's line came the nation of Israel - the nation through whom God would send His Son, thus, keeping His promise to Abraham that from Him all the nations of the world would be blessed (Gn. 12:3).
3. Ruth and Boaz (Ruth 1-4) - A married Jewish couple, Naomi and Elimelech, moves their family to Moab when Israel experiences a famine, and in the course of 10 years, Naomi was both a widow and childless. Without family, provisions, or land, she heads back to Israel with her Moabite daughter-in-law, Ruth. Ruth, a Moabitess, a Gentile. To Israelites, she was no better than a dog. What Israelite in his right mind would marry a Gentile, especially a Moabite after what transpired with the Moabite women in Numbers 25? Naomi and Ruth's future seemed grim indeed. But one day, Naomi "just happened" to send Ruth to glean fields for grain in order to appropriate for them some food, and Ruth "just happened" to glean in the fields of Boaz. Although Ruth had no clue who he was, Boaz, as a relative of Elimelech, had the ability to serve as a kinsman-redeemer and to provide for Elimelech's family.
The Lord serves in the background throughout this story, weaving circumstances so that Ruth and Boaz marry. Nothing in this story is happenstance - it is the providence of God. And at the conclusion of this book, we read a genealogy that tells us that the great-grandchild of this Moabite woman and faithful Israelite is none other than King David. And in the genealogy of Matthew 1, we see that it is through Ruth's line that the true King is born - Jesus, the one "who is called Christ" (Mt. 1:16).
4. Mary and Joseph (Matthew 1; Luke 1-2) - A young Jewish girl was engaged to Jewish carpenter, but before their wedding, Mary was found to be with child. Although an angel had appeared to her telling her that God would perform a miracle and, by the power of the Holy Spirit, would cause her to become pregnant without having sex, Joseph believed the worst and was prepared to quietly end the relationship until he had an angelic visitor of his own who authenticated Mary's story. God wanted this couple to be together because He had chosen them to be the earthly parents of His only Son - the One Who would be the Savior of the world.
So what does all of this have to do with locating "the one"?
In these four love stories, we see the sovereignty of God. We see how it is His providence that brought them together. He worked the events of history to bring these couples together, and it was for a specific purpose. It was not just so they could get married and procreate. God's purpose for their marriages involved the provision of His people. It was for the sake of others.
I do believe that God puts people together and that, for those who are to marry, there is one perfect person whom He has in mind for them. It is not happenstance or chemistry that causes people to end up together. It is God's handiwork, and it is for a bigger purpose.
Going back to the study of Isaac and Rebekah, Genesis 24 demonstrates God's providence in bringing the two together. He sovereignly selected the perfect spouse for Isaac - the wife who would be the best fit for fulfilling with Isaac God's plan of establishing His people. Together, they were used by God for this purpose.
Two people should not get married unless they serve God better together than they do apart because marriage, like everything else in life, is not about us but about God. This is the picture that we see in these four couples. Together, they were able to fulfill God's plan in a way that they could not have done as singles. And God used their marriages to provide for His people. God meant for their marriages to occur for the sake of others.
In Scripture, we see that God's plan involves marriage as a picture to the world of the relationship between Christ and His church. This is part of His purpose in bringing people together - to be His witnesses in this manner. Marriage serves a bigger purpose than just the joining two lives - it is a graphic picture to a lost world of the sacrifice and love of God, of the submission and service of His people, and of the intimate relationship that He seeks to have with us. Husbands and wives are supposed to demonstrate through their marriage what a relationship with God looks like.
In the Meantime
Before searching for or waiting on "the one," we need to understand why God brings people together in the first place. Now that this has been established, let's see what Scripture teaches about "the one."
1. We need to be faithful in what God has called us to today.
Each of those four couples was not spending their time pursuing a relationship. Rebekah was not on the prowl for a husband when she came to the well and offered water to a stranger. She was simply going about her daily tasks with faithfulness, and Genesis 24 depicts her as a woman of character. Adam was not sitting around lamenting the fact that he did not have a partner; he was faithfully doing the work that God had given him when God put him to sleep only to have him wake up married! Be faithful where God has put you with the task that He has given you. Plus, you aren't going to be worth having if you spend all your time and energy looking for "the one" instead of being the one whom God has called you to be.
Don't be consumed or stressed about finding "the one" - be focused on faithfully completing what God has for you today. Keep your eyes on the big picture, on the eternal rather than the temporal. "Set your mind on things above, not only earthly things" (Colossians 3:2). In the scope of things with all of the lost and needy and dying people in this world - is finding "the one" really what's most important? How often is the Lord's work your priority? Do you spend more time worrying about this issue than you do engaging in God's work? If so, that's an idol, and you need to follow Joey Gladstone's advice and "cut it out!"
Also, lead with your head - do not just blindly surge into a relationship and base it all on feelings because a relationship is more than just feelings. Knowing that God's design for marriage involves it serving as a witness to the world of the commitment, sacrifice, and intimate connection between God and His people - such a relationship cannot simply be sustained by feelings. Feelings will fade. A husband will not always feel like putting his wife's needs ahead of his own. A wife will not always feel like submitting to her husband. Love is a choice, and it involves great sacrifice. Therefore, tread prayerfully and thoughtfully from the get-go.
2. Trust God.
Our faith in God and our obedience to God are directly related. When we trust, we obey, and when we disobey, we are simply communicating our lack of faith in God.
Look at Abraham's statement of faith about the Lord's provision for his son: "The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me and swore to me, 'To your offspring I will give this land,' he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there" (Genesis 24:7). From his past experiences, Abraham knew that the God Who had called him and Who had sustained him would continue to provide for him. God had never given Abraham any reason to doubt Him. And thousands of years later, God has never given us any reason to doubt Him. But you will not have this assurance if you do not know God and if you are not abiding in God.
Before the creation of the world, God already had a plan for your life. He has written your story, and He already knows who you are to marry - if you are to marry at all. And His plan is perfect because He is perfect. Furthermore, He will lead you - just stick to His script. As with Isaac and Rebekah, God knows the exact location of your needle in a haystack, and He will arrange events in order for that needle to become apparent at just the right time. "God's hand may be hidden, but his effective power is absolute" (R. Kent Hughes, Genesis: Beginning and Blessing).
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6).
3. Pursue God - not some guy or girl.
Until you are seeking God first, you will not be content in your relationships with people. You won't be happy with a boyfriend unless you're right with God. Only God can satisfy. Only He can give you true security and significance. Only in Him will you find contentment. Don't seek from others what only God can provide. Don't make a relationship your idol, your substitute for God. Trust me, a substitute is never as good as the real thing.
4. Wait on God
We don't need to try to make things happen with someone because, when we do this, it's not going to turn out good because we're not waiting on God's will to happen in His time. We might even be pursuing something that is outside of His will for us. Is getting "it" - is getting married or having someone worth the misery and the effects of disobeying God? Wait on God. His way is best. Trying to move ahead of Him or attempting to manipulate events to work the way we want simply communicates our lack of faith in God. Don't settle. Don't go for what would be easy. Do not seek what is ungodly or go after the wrong person (or even the right person at the wrong time). Wait on God - He will show you His way in His time.
5. Pray.
We specifically see this in the story of Isaac and Rebekah. The servant spends a good portion of the chapter communicating with God either through prayer or praise. He knew that God had a plan and that He needed God's help to recognize the girl God had for Isaac. And God answered his prayers. We also see that Isaac (while waiting for the servant to complete his mission) spent time in prayer and meditation (Genesis 24:63), and Scripture seems to indicate that this was not simply a one-time event for him. While we do not know what he was meditating on or praying for, the important thing to note was his involvement in this discipline. Follow the example of the servant and Isaac. Pray for the person God has for you. Pray for their walk with God. Pray for patience - that both of you will wait on God's timing and direction. Pray for yourself - that you will be faithful and diligent in what God has for you. Pray for wisdom.
6. The character of "the one."
More will be blogged about this in the days to come, but in the meantime, Abraham specifically commanded the servant not to choose a wife for his son from among the Canaanite women (Genesis 24:3-4). Basically, God's people only need to pursue and marry God's people. For what partnership has light with darkness (2 Corinthians 6:14)?
7. Assess your motives.
Why are you so desirous of being in a relationship? Is it for selfish reasons? If so, you're not ready for a relationship. One of the commentaries I read while studying Isaac and Rebekah stated that "this marriage was essential to the work of God in the world. Perhaps the question that should be asked today by those who seek guidance in such matters of life is not whether God will lead a person to the right partner but of what value to God such a marriage would be. Prayer for guidance through such circumstances cannot come from a selfish motive; it must be for the will of God" (Allen Ross, Creation and Blessing).
Whether or not God has a spouse for you, live in obedience, faith, and prayer to God with the motivation of loving and serving the One Who is sovereign over all.
Let me leave you with these lyrics. They're from a song written by a music intern at our church specifically for the sermon series our pastor led on the book of Ruth (the song and the sermons are on iTunes if you want to check them out).
"I already wrote the end of the story.
You were made for me,
And I'll never leave you.
And in the end you will be happy.
And in the end you will be with me.
In the end, it's all for my glory."
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
A Relationship Manifesto - Part 1
Female submission. Gender roles in relationships. Waiting for "the one." Setting boundaries. Emotional needs and how they influence one's choices in whom to date. Love languages. Establishing standards. The precarious line between "friend" and "friendlier." Differences in the way men and women think.
Bet I've already hooked your attention.
As a single female of marrying age in this culture, it is hard to escape the topic of relationships. Perhaps you can identify. In the past 3 1/2 years, I have attended, served, or been in approximately 35 weddings, and this number continues to increase. Each time I visit with my extended family, they ask about my dating life. When I gather with my small group girls or with my girlfriends, the topic of men and relationships always comes up. One of my college friends even facebooked me this week, and at the end of her message, she asked whether or not there is currently a fella in my life. I confess - I'm guilty of doing this to others. Then there is the litany of chick flicks, chick reads, and love songs that pervade the marketplace and influence society's views on relationships.
Don't worry - this is not a bitter diatribe against dating, people in relationships, or guys in general. The above paragraph is simply an observation of reality. This post is nothing more than my thoughts and opinions about various topics relating to relationships.
Female Submission
Oooh - let's start with the controversial topic, the one that men love bring up. In fact, I was recently telling a friend of mine that God taught me a lesson of submission while in India, and his reply was, "Now that's what I'm talking about!"
I think I give off the air of a feminist, but I'm actually quite old-fashioned when it comes to this issue. Let me rephrase this, I believe it in theory, but I'm not always the best at putting it into practice. But I will tell you that the man makes the difference.
Surprise, surprise - I'm going to a wedding this weekend. This time, I'm a friend of the groom, and it is this particular friend who unknowingly taught me the joy of submission. In 2007, he was my director at camp, and he is one of the best servant leaders with whom I have ever worked. I did not always agree with him, and he will quickly tell you that I am stubborn and am certainly not a shrinking violet when it comes to stating my peace. But I respected him and did my best to support his decisions. I wanted to support him. Why? Because of his heart for God and for people and because he strove to serve his team, which often involved personal sacrifice.
Because of him, I got a glimpse of what Ephesians 5 hints at, for the principles that Ephesians applies to marriage also applies to other contexts. How a man treats his wife will affect her desire to submit to him. If he loves her and communicates that love in a manner that she understands, she will have a stronger desire to submit to him. If he is a godly man, she will want to follow him. Keep in mind that the context of Ephesians 5 is comparing a marriage relationship to the relationship between Christ and the church. The wife is to submit to the husband as the church is to submit to Christ.
As women, Scripture commands wives to submit to their husbands (Eph. 5:22). There's no getting around it, and honestly, I don't want to.
A few caveats:
First of all, wifely submission does not hinge on the husband's behavior toward her. She is told to submit - period.
Second, this command does not mean that she should follow her husband into sin, keep all of her thoughts and opinions to herself, or abstain from making decisions in the family. A solid marriage necessitates communication between the husband and wife, and both partners should freely share and be involved in the decision-making process. However, the Lord did appoint the man to be the leader of the household, and as women, we must demonstrate respect as the husband leads out as the head. Furthermore, a wife should encourage, aid, and pray for her husband as he strives to lead.
Third, for some reason - I can't imagine why - whenever this topic comes up, guys often like to toss up the verse from 1 Corinthians 14 about women keeping quiet and being submissive.
Let's have a quick lesson in hermeneutics. In this chapter, Paul is dealing with the subject of orderly worship. The Corinthians had sent Paul several questions to which he was responding, and he was also commenting on issues in the church about which the messengers had told him. Disorderly worship, specifically regarding prophecy and speaking in tongues, was one such issue. Most scholars agree that there was an issue with women engaging in disruptive speech in church. It is not wrong for women to prophesy or to speak in tongues or to teach, but it was being done in a way that was culturally inappropriate and outside the bounds of scriptural guidelines, which is why Paul told the women to refrain from speaking in church. In the Roman culture, women were little more than property to be owned, and Christianity had given them dignity and enabled them to lead and to serve in the church. Some of the Corinthian women had taken this new-found freedom a little too far - to the point that it was becoming an hindrance to outsiders accepting the Gospel because it was inconsistent with accepted standards of modesty in that culture.
As an aside, I also want to note that there are numerous text critical issues in this passage, particularly with 14:34-35; therefore, tread carefully with interpreting this passage or with tossing up a command from Scripture out of context or with little understanding of the cultural factors surrounding the passage. With this cultural understanding, we can know that this command is to be understood as a restriction of rights in a way that is "consistent with the sacrificial death of Jesus 'for' others (11:24), with the pursuit of love (12:31b-14:1), and with the edification of the church (14:3-5, 12, 26)" (Frank Thielman, Theology of the New Testament).
Does this command apply to women of every era and culture? Personally, I do not think so - at least for today's woman in America, and my interpretation is based on my understanding of the culture and of the audience that Paul was originally targeting with this message. However, there are places in the world today, such as Muslim contexts, where women probably would need to remain silent in church. This is not because God thinks any less of women; it is for the sake of the Gospel. We need to be true to Scripture and culturally appropriate in our verbal and non-verbal presentation of our faith. And at some times and places, this might require that we as females keep our mouths shut. From experience in such cultures, I've learned that biting my tongue and praying make this a little easier to accomplish, but like I told you, submission is easier in theory than in real life. But it is God's design, and His ways are perfect, which is why there is joy in doing what He has designed us to do. There is joy in living out our calling.
Bet I've already hooked your attention.
As a single female of marrying age in this culture, it is hard to escape the topic of relationships. Perhaps you can identify. In the past 3 1/2 years, I have attended, served, or been in approximately 35 weddings, and this number continues to increase. Each time I visit with my extended family, they ask about my dating life. When I gather with my small group girls or with my girlfriends, the topic of men and relationships always comes up. One of my college friends even facebooked me this week, and at the end of her message, she asked whether or not there is currently a fella in my life. I confess - I'm guilty of doing this to others. Then there is the litany of chick flicks, chick reads, and love songs that pervade the marketplace and influence society's views on relationships.
Don't worry - this is not a bitter diatribe against dating, people in relationships, or guys in general. The above paragraph is simply an observation of reality. This post is nothing more than my thoughts and opinions about various topics relating to relationships.
Female Submission
Oooh - let's start with the controversial topic, the one that men love bring up. In fact, I was recently telling a friend of mine that God taught me a lesson of submission while in India, and his reply was, "Now that's what I'm talking about!"
I think I give off the air of a feminist, but I'm actually quite old-fashioned when it comes to this issue. Let me rephrase this, I believe it in theory, but I'm not always the best at putting it into practice. But I will tell you that the man makes the difference.
Surprise, surprise - I'm going to a wedding this weekend. This time, I'm a friend of the groom, and it is this particular friend who unknowingly taught me the joy of submission. In 2007, he was my director at camp, and he is one of the best servant leaders with whom I have ever worked. I did not always agree with him, and he will quickly tell you that I am stubborn and am certainly not a shrinking violet when it comes to stating my peace. But I respected him and did my best to support his decisions. I wanted to support him. Why? Because of his heart for God and for people and because he strove to serve his team, which often involved personal sacrifice.
Because of him, I got a glimpse of what Ephesians 5 hints at, for the principles that Ephesians applies to marriage also applies to other contexts. How a man treats his wife will affect her desire to submit to him. If he loves her and communicates that love in a manner that she understands, she will have a stronger desire to submit to him. If he is a godly man, she will want to follow him. Keep in mind that the context of Ephesians 5 is comparing a marriage relationship to the relationship between Christ and the church. The wife is to submit to the husband as the church is to submit to Christ.
As women, Scripture commands wives to submit to their husbands (Eph. 5:22). There's no getting around it, and honestly, I don't want to.
A few caveats:
First of all, wifely submission does not hinge on the husband's behavior toward her. She is told to submit - period.
Second, this command does not mean that she should follow her husband into sin, keep all of her thoughts and opinions to herself, or abstain from making decisions in the family. A solid marriage necessitates communication between the husband and wife, and both partners should freely share and be involved in the decision-making process. However, the Lord did appoint the man to be the leader of the household, and as women, we must demonstrate respect as the husband leads out as the head. Furthermore, a wife should encourage, aid, and pray for her husband as he strives to lead.
Third, for some reason - I can't imagine why - whenever this topic comes up, guys often like to toss up the verse from 1 Corinthians 14 about women keeping quiet and being submissive.
Let's have a quick lesson in hermeneutics. In this chapter, Paul is dealing with the subject of orderly worship. The Corinthians had sent Paul several questions to which he was responding, and he was also commenting on issues in the church about which the messengers had told him. Disorderly worship, specifically regarding prophecy and speaking in tongues, was one such issue. Most scholars agree that there was an issue with women engaging in disruptive speech in church. It is not wrong for women to prophesy or to speak in tongues or to teach, but it was being done in a way that was culturally inappropriate and outside the bounds of scriptural guidelines, which is why Paul told the women to refrain from speaking in church. In the Roman culture, women were little more than property to be owned, and Christianity had given them dignity and enabled them to lead and to serve in the church. Some of the Corinthian women had taken this new-found freedom a little too far - to the point that it was becoming an hindrance to outsiders accepting the Gospel because it was inconsistent with accepted standards of modesty in that culture.
As an aside, I also want to note that there are numerous text critical issues in this passage, particularly with 14:34-35; therefore, tread carefully with interpreting this passage or with tossing up a command from Scripture out of context or with little understanding of the cultural factors surrounding the passage. With this cultural understanding, we can know that this command is to be understood as a restriction of rights in a way that is "consistent with the sacrificial death of Jesus 'for' others (11:24), with the pursuit of love (12:31b-14:1), and with the edification of the church (14:3-5, 12, 26)" (Frank Thielman, Theology of the New Testament).
Does this command apply to women of every era and culture? Personally, I do not think so - at least for today's woman in America, and my interpretation is based on my understanding of the culture and of the audience that Paul was originally targeting with this message. However, there are places in the world today, such as Muslim contexts, where women probably would need to remain silent in church. This is not because God thinks any less of women; it is for the sake of the Gospel. We need to be true to Scripture and culturally appropriate in our verbal and non-verbal presentation of our faith. And at some times and places, this might require that we as females keep our mouths shut. From experience in such cultures, I've learned that biting my tongue and praying make this a little easier to accomplish, but like I told you, submission is easier in theory than in real life. But it is God's design, and His ways are perfect, which is why there is joy in doing what He has designed us to do. There is joy in living out our calling.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Beauty and Brokenness
A marriage of beauty and brokenness - that's my summation of what I saw and experienced in India.
The Brokenness:
The sleeping bodies of the homeless lying on the streets at night.
The stretchers filled with the dying struggling with disease and despair as they live out the rest of their days at Kaligat, Mother Teresa's home for the sick and dying.
The thousands of idols being worshiped in the place of the one true God.
The call to prayer blasting its reminder for all Muslims to gather in prayer to Allah.
The little boy whom I saw imitating his father in bowing before Krishna.
The street children - most of whom have some type of illness and will not have an education or a way to end the cycle of poverty in which they are trapped.
The beggars. Some ill, some handicapped, some mentally disabled, some the victims of terrible circumstances - all with no hope of a better future.
The thousands of people chaotically pushing and inching their way close enough to throw their offerings before Kali's image - a goddess who is not real, who cannot smell their incense, who cannot hear their prayers, and who cannot do anything to help them.
The craftsmen who worshiped the very idols that they were making.
The toddler whom I saw playing in his own urine on the side of the street with no one around to take care of him.
The animals sacrificed as atonement to gods who do not have the authority to accept the substitution or to provide a pardon.
The millions of lost people who inhabit that land.
The low respect for human life that pervades the culture.
The utter hopelessness implicitly and explicitly expressed because of the people's efforts to satisfy themselves with everything but God.
The spiritual bondage of the Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, atheists, etc. who inhabit the country.
Knowing that almost every person whom I saw or passed on the street is headed to an eternity of separation from God unless something intervenes and changes their trajectory.
People often romanticize missions, but there is nothing romantic about Kolkata. It is much more of a tragedy. I'm not saying this because I had a bad experience there because that is not the case. It is because the city is so desperate, so dreary, and so lost. Millions of people are dying there without knowing Christ. The city is significantly contributing to Hell's population. And many have not even heard the truth. They do not even know. They spend their entire lives believing a lie.
The Beauty:
In order to observe and to appreciate the beauty, it is necessary to know and to experience the brokenness. It is akin to how one cannot truly experience the heights of joy unless having also known the depths of pain. In this case, it is necessary to have experienced the converse in order to appreciate the value of its opposite.
India is a marriage of both partners, of beauty and brokenness, and at the core, knowledge of these two spouses necessitates an abiding relationship with God.
The national believers who are burdened for their lost countrymen and who are striving to live out their calling and to be faithful witnesses for God.
The children at the Good Hope School. Not only are they receiving an education, but these are Hindu, Muslim, and street children who are hearing the Gospel. This place is one bright ray of hope in the city.
The Christians with whom we worked - their dedication and the love for God and for people that sustains them.
The seeds that were planted, the conversations that were had, the Bibles and tracks that were passed out, the prayers that were uttered on behalf of so many.
The beauty of the imago dei in each person. Whether they know Him or not, they are made in His image.
The religious freedom that legally exists in the country. India is not closed to the Gospel.
The sweet fellowship we shared with the national believers.
The beauty of God's creation - the bright colors of the fruits and vegetables lining the street markets, the beautiful flowers that poked out in random and unexpected places, the majestic snow-capped mountains of the Himalayas seen high above the clouds, the natural beauty of the rice fields and waterfalls and countryside that we passed.
The sisters and volunteers with Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity - their sacrifice and their work among the "least of these."
The opportunities that God provided to share Christ with people.
The belief that the prayers for laborers to work this harvest will be answered, that Christian brothers and sisters will heed the call.
Knowing that God is sovereign over all. Nothing happens without His consent or knowledge. He loves these people, and He desires their redemption.
Knowing that one day when I am standing before the throne of God, I will be surrounded by a great host of believers from all nations and people groups - including Bengali and Indian brothers and sisters. I just pray that their number on that day will be reflective of the current Bengali and Indian population on the earth.
"After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'" (Revelation 7:9-10)
The Brokenness:
The sleeping bodies of the homeless lying on the streets at night.
The stretchers filled with the dying struggling with disease and despair as they live out the rest of their days at Kaligat, Mother Teresa's home for the sick and dying.
The thousands of idols being worshiped in the place of the one true God.
The call to prayer blasting its reminder for all Muslims to gather in prayer to Allah.
The little boy whom I saw imitating his father in bowing before Krishna.
The street children - most of whom have some type of illness and will not have an education or a way to end the cycle of poverty in which they are trapped.
The beggars. Some ill, some handicapped, some mentally disabled, some the victims of terrible circumstances - all with no hope of a better future.
The thousands of people chaotically pushing and inching their way close enough to throw their offerings before Kali's image - a goddess who is not real, who cannot smell their incense, who cannot hear their prayers, and who cannot do anything to help them.
The craftsmen who worshiped the very idols that they were making.
The toddler whom I saw playing in his own urine on the side of the street with no one around to take care of him.
The animals sacrificed as atonement to gods who do not have the authority to accept the substitution or to provide a pardon.
The millions of lost people who inhabit that land.
The low respect for human life that pervades the culture.
The utter hopelessness implicitly and explicitly expressed because of the people's efforts to satisfy themselves with everything but God.
The spiritual bondage of the Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, atheists, etc. who inhabit the country.
Knowing that almost every person whom I saw or passed on the street is headed to an eternity of separation from God unless something intervenes and changes their trajectory.
People often romanticize missions, but there is nothing romantic about Kolkata. It is much more of a tragedy. I'm not saying this because I had a bad experience there because that is not the case. It is because the city is so desperate, so dreary, and so lost. Millions of people are dying there without knowing Christ. The city is significantly contributing to Hell's population. And many have not even heard the truth. They do not even know. They spend their entire lives believing a lie.
The Beauty:
In order to observe and to appreciate the beauty, it is necessary to know and to experience the brokenness. It is akin to how one cannot truly experience the heights of joy unless having also known the depths of pain. In this case, it is necessary to have experienced the converse in order to appreciate the value of its opposite.
India is a marriage of both partners, of beauty and brokenness, and at the core, knowledge of these two spouses necessitates an abiding relationship with God.
The national believers who are burdened for their lost countrymen and who are striving to live out their calling and to be faithful witnesses for God.
The children at the Good Hope School. Not only are they receiving an education, but these are Hindu, Muslim, and street children who are hearing the Gospel. This place is one bright ray of hope in the city.
The Christians with whom we worked - their dedication and the love for God and for people that sustains them.
The seeds that were planted, the conversations that were had, the Bibles and tracks that were passed out, the prayers that were uttered on behalf of so many.
The beauty of the imago dei in each person. Whether they know Him or not, they are made in His image.
The religious freedom that legally exists in the country. India is not closed to the Gospel.
The sweet fellowship we shared with the national believers.
The beauty of God's creation - the bright colors of the fruits and vegetables lining the street markets, the beautiful flowers that poked out in random and unexpected places, the majestic snow-capped mountains of the Himalayas seen high above the clouds, the natural beauty of the rice fields and waterfalls and countryside that we passed.
The sisters and volunteers with Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity - their sacrifice and their work among the "least of these."
The opportunities that God provided to share Christ with people.
The belief that the prayers for laborers to work this harvest will be answered, that Christian brothers and sisters will heed the call.
Knowing that God is sovereign over all. Nothing happens without His consent or knowledge. He loves these people, and He desires their redemption.
Knowing that one day when I am standing before the throne of God, I will be surrounded by a great host of believers from all nations and people groups - including Bengali and Indian brothers and sisters. I just pray that their number on that day will be reflective of the current Bengali and Indian population on the earth.
"After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'" (Revelation 7:9-10)
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Imago Dei
This past week, the 2 year-old that I nanny told me that he wanted to be a superhero (this was after he told me that I could be in his rock band along with his aunt and Terence Cody). In relation, on my last day in India I had gotten up early to walk around and to pray a little when I came across two little boys who were pretending to be Batman and Spiderman and who were trying to conquer the dang crows that were everywhere in the city. And I thought to myself how some things don't change no matter what continent one is on. I also pondered why it is that boys can be so enraptured with superheroes, which led me to the image of God. I'm not trying to go John Eldredge on you, but in different ways, males and females reflect something about the God Who created them, the One in Whose image they are made.
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." (Genesis 1:27)
Before leaving for India, the whole concept of the imago dei became impressed on my heart. I didn't know why. But God was telling me that it would somehow be connected to India.
I was listening to a podcast by Tim Keller on Genesis 1:26-2:3, and he made the comment that Manhattan has 60,000 people living per square mile in that city. Since there's more image of God per square mile in Manhattan than anywhere else in America, how can God's love not be more intensely focused on that place?
India has the world's second largest population - 1.17 billion people. Kolkata alone is a city of about 15 million people. One Sunday while I was in church in India, a pastor commented that, since God loves people, God loves India more than any other country in the world except for China.
So what are the implications of people being made in the image of God?
1. Value
Being made in the image of God gives someone instant value. They are unique. They expressly communicate something about the Creator that no one else can. This gives dignity to human life.
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you..." (Jeremiah 1:5a)
Each life has been formed by God. He has made you exactly the way you are for a specific reason. He knows you (Ps. 139). And He loves you just the way you are. You are a reflection of Him.
As I was surrounded by a thousand Christian Indian students in Shillong, God reminded me that each of these precious people reflect something about God that I cannot. And because they are believers, I need them. As part of the same Body, we all need each other. I may live on the other side of the world, but we all need each other to be the Body, to live out the calling that God has placed on us, to use the gifts and talents that He has given to us. If we don't, the Body and the world will suffer as a result.
2. How we treat people
Infanticide. Abortion. Euthanasia. Race. Mental ability. - Our views on these issues stem from our belief on the value of human life. Either we firmly hold that each life is precious because it is made in the image of God, or we base our judgment of a life's worth on human capability.
Warning: basing life on one's capability quickly makes a life expendable.
A low respect for human life is the reason for so much of the disparity that I saw in India. It is why parents sell their children to work in factories or sell them into prostitution just for the money. It's the reason for the caste system that, although legally abolished, is still socially upheld. It's the foundation for the low regard for women. This is what happens when individuals and when whole cultures do not view people as made in God image. They are disposable. There is no human dignity here. Value comes from what you do, not who you are. Therefore, work is essential because it gives you your worth. But when God is not the foundation, the building will crumble.
When I was in the slums of India, I had only walked a few feet when I determined not to take any more pictures of the people in those slums. In a small way, I wanted to preserve what little dignity they felt that they had. I wanted to demonstrate respect towards them, especially in a society that has little respect for its untouchables. I wonder how many of these people realize that they are valuable to God or that they are valuable period. Who has told them that they are loved? Who has told them that they are precious and that they have worth? Even if they have heard such words, have they been treated in such a manner?
Consider this statement by C.S. Lewis in his sermon entitled "The Weight of Glory":
"It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature, which if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, marry, snub, and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendors."
When we look at others and when we interact with people, do we do so with the mentality that they have been created in God's image? What dictates preferential treatment but a view of worth based on capability rather than on their creation.
How can we love God if we do not love the people - all of the people - whom He has created?
Every time I walked the streets or drove down the road, God reminded me that the people swarming around are His. He made them, and He loves them. This changed how I looked at the beggar, the broken, and the Brahmin. It made it easier to look on them with love and to act accordingly even when they smelled bad, frustrated me, scared me, or broke my heart. God loves them. He is broken over their hurts and over their bondage to so many lies.
Be a blessing.
When we are blessed by the Lord, we should bless others. We must become channels of God's blessings and love. We must give hands and feet to the Gospel. We must show its truth by living and working out our faith. We must offer ourselves to be the grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies in order to produce life.
The people that I saw and met - they don't even know that they were made in the image of God. Most do not even know God. They worship several of gods and goddesses, but they do not know the One True God, which is the crux of the entire matter.
If you look at the scads of photos that I took while in India or even my top 20 on this blog, the people in those pictures may now be but a blur to you, just a nameless person in a photograph. But that person is a reflection of the Creator. You may not know their name, and I may not be able to pronounce it. But God knows them intimately. He made them, and He wants them to know Him and to be in relationship with Him.
They have value to Him, yet we walk by them without seeing them. We flip quickly through photo albums of people and places that mean little to us but that are deeply known and loved by God. We're quick to become desensitized to abject poverty, to the vaporous nature of human life, and to man's desperate need for God. But what's important to God should be essential to us. If we truly have the conviction that what we believe is real, then we would go to them that are in darkness. But, instead, we are allowing Satan to buy up the opportunity while we're wasting time trying to decide if we're willing to pay the cost.
*India Journal, January 3rd:
"You formed them in the womb. Before the creation of the world, You had a plan for their life, a reason for their existence. They bring something to Your creation that no one else can bring. They reflect You in a way that I cannot. They have value and worth, not because of their caste, color, SES level, etc. They have value and dignity because they are Yours. You made them. Like the Wemmicks in Max Lucado's children's books - they are special. We, like snowflakes, are one of a kind. There is great potential in each soul. There is great capability in each person because of the marvelous design of their Creator.
Do we view each other in this manner? Do we treat each other as though this is reality? Because this is the reality. How God loves the leper and the dalit! How God knows their name, knows the number of hairs on their head, knows the length of their days, knows their comings and goings! Not only does He know, but He cares about it all because He cares about THEM.
The baby girl in the decrepit tent in the Guwahati slums - God sees her poverty. He sees her beauty. He sees what she could be. Do we? Why aren't we going and helping such as these? If we truly believe in the imago dei, then why aren't we helping to improve her situation? Why are we allowing the hopelessness to continue?
The beggars lined along the paths to the temple - destitute, dirty, damned to a life of hunger, a life of hopelessness, and an eternity in Hell. What are we doing to elevate their status, to improve their conditions in life, to give them knowledge of the hope and future they can have in Christ? Do we even 'see' them?
In John 9, Jesus gives sight to the blind man, but in verse 1, John tells us that first Jesus SAW this blind beggar. While talking with His disciples and walking down the road, Jesus did not ignore the beggar. He was not ignorant of His plight nor hardened of heart towards his great need. He saw the man's pain and did not pass him by. Jesus values each person even those whom His culture did not esteem - tax collectors, Samaritans, women, and sinners. Jesus loves them all.
'"'Truly I say to you, as you did to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'" (Matthew 25:40)
'...you did it to me.' - What have you done to your Lord?"
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." (Genesis 1:27)
Before leaving for India, the whole concept of the imago dei became impressed on my heart. I didn't know why. But God was telling me that it would somehow be connected to India.
I was listening to a podcast by Tim Keller on Genesis 1:26-2:3, and he made the comment that Manhattan has 60,000 people living per square mile in that city. Since there's more image of God per square mile in Manhattan than anywhere else in America, how can God's love not be more intensely focused on that place?
India has the world's second largest population - 1.17 billion people. Kolkata alone is a city of about 15 million people. One Sunday while I was in church in India, a pastor commented that, since God loves people, God loves India more than any other country in the world except for China.
So what are the implications of people being made in the image of God?
1. Value
Being made in the image of God gives someone instant value. They are unique. They expressly communicate something about the Creator that no one else can. This gives dignity to human life.
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you..." (Jeremiah 1:5a)
Each life has been formed by God. He has made you exactly the way you are for a specific reason. He knows you (Ps. 139). And He loves you just the way you are. You are a reflection of Him.
As I was surrounded by a thousand Christian Indian students in Shillong, God reminded me that each of these precious people reflect something about God that I cannot. And because they are believers, I need them. As part of the same Body, we all need each other. I may live on the other side of the world, but we all need each other to be the Body, to live out the calling that God has placed on us, to use the gifts and talents that He has given to us. If we don't, the Body and the world will suffer as a result.
2. How we treat people
Infanticide. Abortion. Euthanasia. Race. Mental ability. - Our views on these issues stem from our belief on the value of human life. Either we firmly hold that each life is precious because it is made in the image of God, or we base our judgment of a life's worth on human capability.
Warning: basing life on one's capability quickly makes a life expendable.
A low respect for human life is the reason for so much of the disparity that I saw in India. It is why parents sell their children to work in factories or sell them into prostitution just for the money. It's the reason for the caste system that, although legally abolished, is still socially upheld. It's the foundation for the low regard for women. This is what happens when individuals and when whole cultures do not view people as made in God image. They are disposable. There is no human dignity here. Value comes from what you do, not who you are. Therefore, work is essential because it gives you your worth. But when God is not the foundation, the building will crumble.
When I was in the slums of India, I had only walked a few feet when I determined not to take any more pictures of the people in those slums. In a small way, I wanted to preserve what little dignity they felt that they had. I wanted to demonstrate respect towards them, especially in a society that has little respect for its untouchables. I wonder how many of these people realize that they are valuable to God or that they are valuable period. Who has told them that they are loved? Who has told them that they are precious and that they have worth? Even if they have heard such words, have they been treated in such a manner?
Consider this statement by C.S. Lewis in his sermon entitled "The Weight of Glory":
"It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature, which if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, marry, snub, and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendors."
When we look at others and when we interact with people, do we do so with the mentality that they have been created in God's image? What dictates preferential treatment but a view of worth based on capability rather than on their creation.
How can we love God if we do not love the people - all of the people - whom He has created?
Every time I walked the streets or drove down the road, God reminded me that the people swarming around are His. He made them, and He loves them. This changed how I looked at the beggar, the broken, and the Brahmin. It made it easier to look on them with love and to act accordingly even when they smelled bad, frustrated me, scared me, or broke my heart. God loves them. He is broken over their hurts and over their bondage to so many lies.
Be a blessing.
When we are blessed by the Lord, we should bless others. We must become channels of God's blessings and love. We must give hands and feet to the Gospel. We must show its truth by living and working out our faith. We must offer ourselves to be the grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies in order to produce life.
The people that I saw and met - they don't even know that they were made in the image of God. Most do not even know God. They worship several of gods and goddesses, but they do not know the One True God, which is the crux of the entire matter.
If you look at the scads of photos that I took while in India or even my top 20 on this blog, the people in those pictures may now be but a blur to you, just a nameless person in a photograph. But that person is a reflection of the Creator. You may not know their name, and I may not be able to pronounce it. But God knows them intimately. He made them, and He wants them to know Him and to be in relationship with Him.
They have value to Him, yet we walk by them without seeing them. We flip quickly through photo albums of people and places that mean little to us but that are deeply known and loved by God. We're quick to become desensitized to abject poverty, to the vaporous nature of human life, and to man's desperate need for God. But what's important to God should be essential to us. If we truly have the conviction that what we believe is real, then we would go to them that are in darkness. But, instead, we are allowing Satan to buy up the opportunity while we're wasting time trying to decide if we're willing to pay the cost.
*India Journal, January 3rd:
"You formed them in the womb. Before the creation of the world, You had a plan for their life, a reason for their existence. They bring something to Your creation that no one else can bring. They reflect You in a way that I cannot. They have value and worth, not because of their caste, color, SES level, etc. They have value and dignity because they are Yours. You made them. Like the Wemmicks in Max Lucado's children's books - they are special. We, like snowflakes, are one of a kind. There is great potential in each soul. There is great capability in each person because of the marvelous design of their Creator.
Do we view each other in this manner? Do we treat each other as though this is reality? Because this is the reality. How God loves the leper and the dalit! How God knows their name, knows the number of hairs on their head, knows the length of their days, knows their comings and goings! Not only does He know, but He cares about it all because He cares about THEM.
The baby girl in the decrepit tent in the Guwahati slums - God sees her poverty. He sees her beauty. He sees what she could be. Do we? Why aren't we going and helping such as these? If we truly believe in the imago dei, then why aren't we helping to improve her situation? Why are we allowing the hopelessness to continue?
The beggars lined along the paths to the temple - destitute, dirty, damned to a life of hunger, a life of hopelessness, and an eternity in Hell. What are we doing to elevate their status, to improve their conditions in life, to give them knowledge of the hope and future they can have in Christ? Do we even 'see' them?
In John 9, Jesus gives sight to the blind man, but in verse 1, John tells us that first Jesus SAW this blind beggar. While talking with His disciples and walking down the road, Jesus did not ignore the beggar. He was not ignorant of His plight nor hardened of heart towards his great need. He saw the man's pain and did not pass him by. Jesus values each person even those whom His culture did not esteem - tax collectors, Samaritans, women, and sinners. Jesus loves them all.
'"'Truly I say to you, as you did to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'" (Matthew 25:40)
'...you did it to me.' - What have you done to your Lord?"
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Top 20 from India
I literally took hundreds of pictures in India, and if you want to thumb through them all, most are on FB. However, here is the narrated version of the top 20 significant pictures from the trip and why.
1. The woman on the far right is why this picture is important. Her name is Mrs. Beulah, and I was able to have several conversations with her and just sit at her knee and glean from her wisdom and spiritual insight. This woman is dialed in to God, and she was able to shed some light on what God is doing in India and how to pray for the people there.
2. Let's just say I am very adept at using the squatty potty. I carried my own TP and antibacterial everywhere for such a time as this because it was hardly ever provided for you. In relation, let's just say you don't shake hands, eat, or gesture towards people with your left hand.
3. Spending New Year's Eve at a convent in India burning an effigy of Anselm with the sisters definitely is one of the most random events in my life, but this is how we heralded in 2010.
4. On New Year's Day, we were driving to Guwahati from Shillong, and suddenly, we looked outside of our taxi's window and saw these elephants just walking down the street!
5. Early one morning, we got up and walked through the slums of Guwahati before its inhabitants left for the day. I've seen the ghettos and homeless of America and the Roma communities of Europe, so I am not unfamiliar with poverty and desperate circumstances. But nothing prepared me for the slums of India. There is so much brokenness. So much disparity. Such hopelessness. It was heartbreaking to see. I only took a handful of photographs because I wanted to demonstrate dignity towards the men and women whom I passed - people who do not even know that they have value and worth because of the God Who created them in His image. They reflect something completely unique and special about the Creator, and they do not even know Him. And unless we tell them, they may never know. Unless we help them, they are doomed to die in the squalor that I saw, the disparity that is their reality.
6. I passed by this baby girl while in the slums, and I pondered her future. Unless someone intervenes, her trajectory is firmly set towards poverty, an early death, and an eternity in Hell. Who will heed the call and go to her?
"Does it not stir up our hearts to go forth and help them, does it not make us long to leave our luxury, our exceeding abundant light, and go to them that sit in darkness?" (Amy Carmichael)
7. Cricket is to India as SEC football is to the South.
8. The platform in this picture is an altar at a Hindu temple where they perform animal sacrifices. Although I was not able to take pictures, there was an Hindu temple that we visited in Kolkata where the priests would place the offered goat's head between two stakes, chop its head off, remove the body, and the person making the offering would put his head between the two stakes and put the goat's blood on his face. The priest told us that they do this to emphasize substitution, the animal taking the person's place. It is such a stark reality of how Satan twists the truth into a lie. They don't know that the One true God has already sacrificed His Son on our behalf. They don't realize that the gods to whom they are appealing cannot see their offerings, smell their incense, or hear their prayers. Why? Because the gods that they worship are not real. They are not living. And they cannot save them.
9. This is a line of people waiting to see the image of a god at a Hindu temple. The cage in which they were waiting is indicative of their spiritual bondage. They are so lost, and they don't even know it. How much money, time, and effort they put into worshipping these gods - especially when so many of these people are destitute. And what is truly tragic is the children who were waiting with their parents in these lines. It's reinforcing the cycle of idolatry. What will it take to break this cycle? Who will share with them the Truth?
"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound." (Isaiah 61:1)
10. This is a Sikh man with his daughter, and it is one my favorite pictures from the trip. They may not know God, but He formed them in the womb. Before they were born, He knew the length of their days and the events of their lives. And, oh, how He loves them! He has made them in His image.
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." (Genesis 1:27)
11. I was unprepared for the enormous number of beggars and homeless that I encountered in India. There was one night when I was walking down the street to purchase some water, and I could barely walk on the sidewalk because of all of the sleeping bodies of the homeless. Kids would grab at my clothes and walk with me holding their hands out and calling "Auntie, please!" I could not help them all, and at times, it even became a safety issue to help them. I often felt hopeless because there are so many homeless - I could not help them all. I could not even make a dent into solving the problem. A man at breakfast one morning reminded me that I was simply called to be faithful in helping the people God put before me. Imagine if the whole body of believers were to be faithful in helping the "least of these."
12. The street children. Our group helped teach English at two different schools while we were in Kolkata. One of the schools picks up street children and tries to educate them. Education is not compulsory in India, and as a result, only about 65% of India's population is educated. While riding the bus with these children one morning, I had about three of the toddlers in my lap, and my hands could feel the rattling in their chests that comes from inhaling so much of the pollution from the heavy traffic. It's what happens when one is homeless and lives on the sidewalks of the street. These children are often ill because of inadequate healthcare, poor sanitation, and wretched living conditions.
13. While riding around the Victoria Memorial in Kolkata, I saw this young child begin to just urinate on the sidewalk. When I turned back around, this same child was playing in his own urine. There was no one around him to watch him. He was all alone. I wanted to gather this little boy and so many of the other children that I saw and take them home with me - to provide for them a home, to show them love, to give them a hope and a future, to introduce them to Jesus.
14. Our group went to Kumar Tuli one afternoon, which is the section of Kolkata where the idols are made. There were thousands of idols lining the street, sitting out to dry. I watched one man making the fingers that would be attached to one particular goddess, and I saw other men adding paint to other idols. How can people believe in something that they make with their own hands? We talked with several of these men, and they told us that they worship these gods and goddesses. While we were there, I watched people come up and kneel and pray before these images - images that were not even finished yet! My heart burned with anger and with sorrow. Anger that so many people worship something other than the one true God, and sorrow that so many people believe a lie.
15. This photo is a stand-in for something that I saw while inside this temple and that I will never forget. This is the Birla Mandir, a Hindu temple devoted to RadhaKrishna, and we had gone to tour and to talk with people here. Because I was there at dusk, I saw the call to worship, and as I was leaving, I watched a little boy imitate his father in kneeling down before Krishna's idol and praying to it. My heart screamed to God for this precious child to sift the truth from the lie and to follow a path different than the one taken by his father and ancestors. It was like watching a soul enter the courts of Hell and pay homage.
16. The school in which I taught is a Christian school, and looking at the children in this place was like a bright ray of hope. The kids coming to this school are from Hindu and Muslim families, and because their families are poor, they would not have been educated unless this school was present and offering free education. Plus, these kids are hearing the Gospel. The little girl in the right of this photograph is a little jewel - so intelligent and precious.
17. We volunteered with Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity, and I went one morning to visit the exhibit and mother's tomb. I was struck by her dedication and by the service done by her and the sisters in Kolkata - particularly after walking through and praying with some of the inhabitants of Khaligat (mother's home for the sick and the dying). This phrase written in flowers on her tomb stems from Matthew 25 when Jesus tells His followers that whatever they do to the least of these, they do unto Him.
"How can we love God whom we do not see, if we do not love our neighbors whom we see, whom we touch, and with whom we live?" (Mother Teresa)
18. The people are so beautiful - so reflective of the imago dei. It reminded me that even in the midst of so much brokenness there is still great beauty to behold.
19. Getting henna is definitely out-of-character for me, but I was able to have a great conversation with a Hindu woman who came up to Lindsay and me while we were having it done.
20. I spent one afternoon in a village outside of Kolkata, emphasis on village. It was like being in the jungles of South America or the grasslands of Africa - no running water, although I had cell phone service. And when it got dark, I could not even see my hand right in front of me. There was a precious teenage girl who held my hand and guided me through the narrow land bridges between the ponds and rice fields in the village as we visited several homes with some native church planters and shared our testimonies with the families. Initially, we began in the center of the village, where the well was located, and had some activities for the children and women. Here, they are gathered while we explain one of the activities. At the far left corner of the picture, the tip of the idol and altar in the village's square is visible. Even in the villages, there were idols, which emphasizes the great need for God in the country of India. While I was at church over there, a pastor made the comment that God loves India more than any other country in the world except for China because God loves people and because India is the second largest country by population. God has so much love for these people, and they do not even know Him or know how much they are loved.
1. The woman on the far right is why this picture is important. Her name is Mrs. Beulah, and I was able to have several conversations with her and just sit at her knee and glean from her wisdom and spiritual insight. This woman is dialed in to God, and she was able to shed some light on what God is doing in India and how to pray for the people there.
2. Let's just say I am very adept at using the squatty potty. I carried my own TP and antibacterial everywhere for such a time as this because it was hardly ever provided for you. In relation, let's just say you don't shake hands, eat, or gesture towards people with your left hand.
3. Spending New Year's Eve at a convent in India burning an effigy of Anselm with the sisters definitely is one of the most random events in my life, but this is how we heralded in 2010.
4. On New Year's Day, we were driving to Guwahati from Shillong, and suddenly, we looked outside of our taxi's window and saw these elephants just walking down the street!
5. Early one morning, we got up and walked through the slums of Guwahati before its inhabitants left for the day. I've seen the ghettos and homeless of America and the Roma communities of Europe, so I am not unfamiliar with poverty and desperate circumstances. But nothing prepared me for the slums of India. There is so much brokenness. So much disparity. Such hopelessness. It was heartbreaking to see. I only took a handful of photographs because I wanted to demonstrate dignity towards the men and women whom I passed - people who do not even know that they have value and worth because of the God Who created them in His image. They reflect something completely unique and special about the Creator, and they do not even know Him. And unless we tell them, they may never know. Unless we help them, they are doomed to die in the squalor that I saw, the disparity that is their reality.
6. I passed by this baby girl while in the slums, and I pondered her future. Unless someone intervenes, her trajectory is firmly set towards poverty, an early death, and an eternity in Hell. Who will heed the call and go to her?
"Does it not stir up our hearts to go forth and help them, does it not make us long to leave our luxury, our exceeding abundant light, and go to them that sit in darkness?" (Amy Carmichael)
7. Cricket is to India as SEC football is to the South.
8. The platform in this picture is an altar at a Hindu temple where they perform animal sacrifices. Although I was not able to take pictures, there was an Hindu temple that we visited in Kolkata where the priests would place the offered goat's head between two stakes, chop its head off, remove the body, and the person making the offering would put his head between the two stakes and put the goat's blood on his face. The priest told us that they do this to emphasize substitution, the animal taking the person's place. It is such a stark reality of how Satan twists the truth into a lie. They don't know that the One true God has already sacrificed His Son on our behalf. They don't realize that the gods to whom they are appealing cannot see their offerings, smell their incense, or hear their prayers. Why? Because the gods that they worship are not real. They are not living. And they cannot save them.
9. This is a line of people waiting to see the image of a god at a Hindu temple. The cage in which they were waiting is indicative of their spiritual bondage. They are so lost, and they don't even know it. How much money, time, and effort they put into worshipping these gods - especially when so many of these people are destitute. And what is truly tragic is the children who were waiting with their parents in these lines. It's reinforcing the cycle of idolatry. What will it take to break this cycle? Who will share with them the Truth?
"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound." (Isaiah 61:1)
10. This is a Sikh man with his daughter, and it is one my favorite pictures from the trip. They may not know God, but He formed them in the womb. Before they were born, He knew the length of their days and the events of their lives. And, oh, how He loves them! He has made them in His image.
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." (Genesis 1:27)
11. I was unprepared for the enormous number of beggars and homeless that I encountered in India. There was one night when I was walking down the street to purchase some water, and I could barely walk on the sidewalk because of all of the sleeping bodies of the homeless. Kids would grab at my clothes and walk with me holding their hands out and calling "Auntie, please!" I could not help them all, and at times, it even became a safety issue to help them. I often felt hopeless because there are so many homeless - I could not help them all. I could not even make a dent into solving the problem. A man at breakfast one morning reminded me that I was simply called to be faithful in helping the people God put before me. Imagine if the whole body of believers were to be faithful in helping the "least of these."
12. The street children. Our group helped teach English at two different schools while we were in Kolkata. One of the schools picks up street children and tries to educate them. Education is not compulsory in India, and as a result, only about 65% of India's population is educated. While riding the bus with these children one morning, I had about three of the toddlers in my lap, and my hands could feel the rattling in their chests that comes from inhaling so much of the pollution from the heavy traffic. It's what happens when one is homeless and lives on the sidewalks of the street. These children are often ill because of inadequate healthcare, poor sanitation, and wretched living conditions.
13. While riding around the Victoria Memorial in Kolkata, I saw this young child begin to just urinate on the sidewalk. When I turned back around, this same child was playing in his own urine. There was no one around him to watch him. He was all alone. I wanted to gather this little boy and so many of the other children that I saw and take them home with me - to provide for them a home, to show them love, to give them a hope and a future, to introduce them to Jesus.
14. Our group went to Kumar Tuli one afternoon, which is the section of Kolkata where the idols are made. There were thousands of idols lining the street, sitting out to dry. I watched one man making the fingers that would be attached to one particular goddess, and I saw other men adding paint to other idols. How can people believe in something that they make with their own hands? We talked with several of these men, and they told us that they worship these gods and goddesses. While we were there, I watched people come up and kneel and pray before these images - images that were not even finished yet! My heart burned with anger and with sorrow. Anger that so many people worship something other than the one true God, and sorrow that so many people believe a lie.
15. This photo is a stand-in for something that I saw while inside this temple and that I will never forget. This is the Birla Mandir, a Hindu temple devoted to RadhaKrishna, and we had gone to tour and to talk with people here. Because I was there at dusk, I saw the call to worship, and as I was leaving, I watched a little boy imitate his father in kneeling down before Krishna's idol and praying to it. My heart screamed to God for this precious child to sift the truth from the lie and to follow a path different than the one taken by his father and ancestors. It was like watching a soul enter the courts of Hell and pay homage.
16. The school in which I taught is a Christian school, and looking at the children in this place was like a bright ray of hope. The kids coming to this school are from Hindu and Muslim families, and because their families are poor, they would not have been educated unless this school was present and offering free education. Plus, these kids are hearing the Gospel. The little girl in the right of this photograph is a little jewel - so intelligent and precious.
17. We volunteered with Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity, and I went one morning to visit the exhibit and mother's tomb. I was struck by her dedication and by the service done by her and the sisters in Kolkata - particularly after walking through and praying with some of the inhabitants of Khaligat (mother's home for the sick and the dying). This phrase written in flowers on her tomb stems from Matthew 25 when Jesus tells His followers that whatever they do to the least of these, they do unto Him.
"How can we love God whom we do not see, if we do not love our neighbors whom we see, whom we touch, and with whom we live?" (Mother Teresa)
18. The people are so beautiful - so reflective of the imago dei. It reminded me that even in the midst of so much brokenness there is still great beauty to behold.
19. Getting henna is definitely out-of-character for me, but I was able to have a great conversation with a Hindu woman who came up to Lindsay and me while we were having it done.
20. I spent one afternoon in a village outside of Kolkata, emphasis on village. It was like being in the jungles of South America or the grasslands of Africa - no running water, although I had cell phone service. And when it got dark, I could not even see my hand right in front of me. There was a precious teenage girl who held my hand and guided me through the narrow land bridges between the ponds and rice fields in the village as we visited several homes with some native church planters and shared our testimonies with the families. Initially, we began in the center of the village, where the well was located, and had some activities for the children and women. Here, they are gathered while we explain one of the activities. At the far left corner of the picture, the tip of the idol and altar in the village's square is visible. Even in the villages, there were idols, which emphasizes the great need for God in the country of India. While I was at church over there, a pastor made the comment that God loves India more than any other country in the world except for China because God loves people and because India is the second largest country by population. God has so much love for these people, and they do not even know Him or know how much they are loved.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
A Chance to Die
"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him." (John 12:24-26)
Surrounded by death of all kinds while in India, this is the passage that reverberated in mind during the entire trip, and in relation, this is the question that God has not let me escape: In what way will I die?
Dying so that others may live. This is what Jesus did, and we are called to follow Him and His road led to Calvary. It is a way marked by suffering and sacrifice, but it was necessary for the Father's glory and for the sake of others. And as the Father sustained the Son, He will sustain His children as they follow Jesus' example.
Holding on to life - this is when we truly lose it. Therefore, we need to loosen the vise grip that we have on our life and let go of our it and of all of the things with which we fill it - things that are empty, things which moth and rust will soon destroy.
Anyone who truly serves God must follow His example. The litmus test of whether or not you are a follower of the Savior: dying to yourself in order that others may live and know God. Do you pass the test?
We can either love our lives here and live for the present, pursuing our dreams, or we can live our lives for the eternal, knowing that we may not see the results of ours sacrifice this side of Heaven. Which will you have: instant gratification or a life lived in pursuit of the holy rather than momentary pleasure?
How does God want you to live your life? In what way does God want you to "die"?
I want to live for the eternal. I want my life to result in fruit that will eternally abide. Since I've been in India, I've recognized more of what a sacrifice this truly involves. But if the Lord calls, how can I refuse? This is His life - I forfeited it to Him years ago.
"To leave that which I love and expose myself to new labours and sufferings, which will be great...but the voice kept on saying, 'Wilt thou refuse?'" (Mother Teresa)
"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into the harvest." (Matthew 9:36-37)
There is such a need for laborers in Kolkata. These people are like sheep without a shepherd. They are so lost, and they don't even know it. There are hundreds of people who are dying in this city each day without knowing God. They need to know! Break our hearts, God, over this great need. I pray that we as believers will all be willing to spend our lives working the harvest. This is my one chance to die - and I eagerly seek to do it for my Lord.
Because people need to know.
"If the leaves had not been let go to fall and wither, if the tree had not consented to be a skeleton for many months, there would be no new life rising, no bud, no flower, no fruit, no seed, no new generation." (Elisabeth Elliot)
Surrounded by death of all kinds while in India, this is the passage that reverberated in mind during the entire trip, and in relation, this is the question that God has not let me escape: In what way will I die?
Dying so that others may live. This is what Jesus did, and we are called to follow Him and His road led to Calvary. It is a way marked by suffering and sacrifice, but it was necessary for the Father's glory and for the sake of others. And as the Father sustained the Son, He will sustain His children as they follow Jesus' example.
Holding on to life - this is when we truly lose it. Therefore, we need to loosen the vise grip that we have on our life and let go of our it and of all of the things with which we fill it - things that are empty, things which moth and rust will soon destroy.
Anyone who truly serves God must follow His example. The litmus test of whether or not you are a follower of the Savior: dying to yourself in order that others may live and know God. Do you pass the test?
We can either love our lives here and live for the present, pursuing our dreams, or we can live our lives for the eternal, knowing that we may not see the results of ours sacrifice this side of Heaven. Which will you have: instant gratification or a life lived in pursuit of the holy rather than momentary pleasure?
How does God want you to live your life? In what way does God want you to "die"?
I want to live for the eternal. I want my life to result in fruit that will eternally abide. Since I've been in India, I've recognized more of what a sacrifice this truly involves. But if the Lord calls, how can I refuse? This is His life - I forfeited it to Him years ago.
"To leave that which I love and expose myself to new labours and sufferings, which will be great...but the voice kept on saying, 'Wilt thou refuse?'" (Mother Teresa)
"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into the harvest." (Matthew 9:36-37)
There is such a need for laborers in Kolkata. These people are like sheep without a shepherd. They are so lost, and they don't even know it. There are hundreds of people who are dying in this city each day without knowing God. They need to know! Break our hearts, God, over this great need. I pray that we as believers will all be willing to spend our lives working the harvest. This is my one chance to die - and I eagerly seek to do it for my Lord.
Because people need to know.
"If the leaves had not been let go to fall and wither, if the tree had not consented to be a skeleton for many months, there would be no new life rising, no bud, no flower, no fruit, no seed, no new generation." (Elisabeth Elliot)
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