Holiness and Lavish Love

"And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints” (1Thessalonians 3:12,13).

Most folks, when they think of holiness, picture dour, off-putting weirdos, or fusty, finger-wagging prudes. But Paul has another take: Holiness is manifest in lavish, continuous, redeeming and reconciling love that bubbles up and flows out to one and all. 

Paul makes the same point about holiness in another text: "(God) chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love" (Ephesians 1:4). The words "in love" as you probably know, may be taken either with the phrase that precedes it (as above), or with the one that follows: "having predestined us (in love) to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ..." (1:5). Translators and commentators disagree and it's impossible to be dogmatic, but the position of the phrase, and its use elsewhere in the letter for human love, rather than God's love (3:17; 4:2, 16; 5:2), argue for the idea that personal holiness and love are inextricably linked and grounded in God's call. Paul's point, again, is that holiness of life is made manifest through love. 

1 Thessalonians 3:12,13, you may have noticed, is a prayer—by Paul for his friends in Thessaloniki. It can be turned into a prayer for yourself, family and friends: "That we may grow in love so that we may become holy and blameless before God my Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." 

Richard Foster says, “To pray is to change." That's how we grow. 

David Roper

6.25.19

Died and Gone to Heaven

"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. You have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory" (Colossians 3:1-4).

In general, folks who move to Idaho adopt our values and attitudes. They shrug off their suits and ties, pull on their 401 Levis, flannel shirts and hiking boots and get into our mind set and lifestyle. In the same way, Paul writes, you who are identified with Christ have died and are now seated with him in "Heavenly places" (Ephesians 2:6). So act and think like you’re living there!

This idea, or so I think, is the thought behind Paul's prayer, "that I may attain to the resurrection of the dead," i.e., "that I may live as though I have been raised from the dead and am now this day in Heaven" (Philippians 3:10). Furthermore, it is an essential part of our Lord's Prayer: that God's moral will may be done "on earth as it is in Heaven." 

Whether we understand this concept or not (probably not), the point is that we can and should manifest in this present age the attitudes—what Paul calls “setting your minds on things that are above”—and the behaviors of the age to come, bring Heaven to earth, if you will, something we can do as God “renews” us and daily informs us by his grace (Colossians 3:10). 

(The tense of the verb "renews" posits an ongoing process. The mood of the verb is passive and suggests something that's done to us and not something we do to ourselves. It is God who works in us, giving us the desire and the ability to do his will. Our "work" is to ask for it moment by moment.)

Imagine a household in which family members reflect the attitudes and actions of the age to come, where compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, tolerance, forgiveness, tranquility, gratitude and love abound (Colossians 3:12,13). Would that not be Heaven on earth?

David Roper

6.22.19

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What Happened to Paul?

"I want you to know, brothers, that what happened to me has served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ (Philippians 1:12,13).

Paul was held for two years in the Praetorium in Rome, the headquarters of Caesar’s personal bodyguard. Though Paul had freedom to move about the building and receive visitors, he was guarded night and day by one of the emperor’s guards.

These men were not ordinary grunts, but the choice young men of the Empire, the best and the brightest, many of whom, after serving in the military, rose to the Roman Senate and other positions of prominence and power.

One by one, these young men were being dragged out of their comfortable surroundings and assigned to guard the Apostle Paul, listening as he dictated letters and chatted with his friends. They must have talked with him at length through the long days and dreary nights, conversations in which Paul reasoned with them about “righteousness, self control and judgment,” and other issues. (Military men and women, no matter how rough around the edges, tend to think deeply about spiritual things.) 

One by one these young men took his thoughts with them back to the barracks to the other praetoria. Thus the gospel become known “throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest.” (Note Paul’s pregnant reference in the closing words of this letter: ”All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar's household" (Philippians 4:22).

Paul's original plan was to travel to Rome and evangelize the city, a strategic center from which the gospel would spread through the empire. His plan was frustrated for several years as he endured imprisonment and delay. 

But the word of God was not bound. It was making its way into the heart of the empire in the hearts of these fine, young men. Thus, what happened to Paul (his imprisonment) “served to advance the gospel.” God’s love was spreading throughout Rome and the Roman world.

How often have I become discouraged because my best-laid plans have gone awry. I must learn from Paul the art of seeing God accomplish his purposes, despite my frustrations and limitations. That’s the sort of thing, you know, for which he’s duly famous.  

So… What’s happening to you? Wait and see what God will do.

David Roper

6.16.19

A Voice Behind

 

“I heard a voice behind me, as of a trumpet” 

—Revelation 1:10

 

I heard a voice behind me;

On the road I had passed by;

It was lost in the way of the garish day;

It was powerless while it was nigh;

It was like the ram in the thicket

That Abraham did not find

Till he turned his back on the coming track,

And looked on the days behind.

 

And so, my soul, it is ever

With the blessings round thy head;

They are not known till the bird is flown,

And the bloom of the flower is dead.

Thou art pressing on to the future,

And the past is out of mind

Till the hour of pain calls thee back again

To dwell in the days behind.

 

Thou art asking a revelation    

Of thy Father's guiding love,

And it seems to thee that thy light shall be

From the things that are stored above,

But the path whereon now thou movest

Is itself with mercy lined,

And the brightest gleam of the upper stream

Shall be caught from the days behind.

 

0 Father of light and leading,

From the top of each rising bill

Let me cast my eye on the road gone by

To mark the steps of Thy will!

For the clouds that surround the present

Shall leave this heart resigned,

When the joy appears in the path of tears

That led through the days behind.

 

—George Matheson

 

God’s will is better seen in retrospect than in prospect. It’s by casting our “eye on the road gone by” that we “mark the steps of (his) will.” 

 

God has an itinerary for each of us, a “course” that we must run (2Timothy 4:7). Our course is charted in the councils of heaven and rooted in the sovereign purposes of God. Yet our choices are not irrelevant. We make decisions every day, large and small, many of which may have life-altering consequences. The question then—forgoing the confounding mystery of God’s sovereignty and human free will—is this: How can we, in our choices, suitably reflect his will? 

 

The answer is clear to me, now that I’m older and have more of the past to see. It is by looking back that I see my Father’s guiding love. I have tasted again and again of the goodness of God; Love and Wisdom have led me all the way. With old Jacob I can truthfully say, “God has been my shepherd all my life to this day” (Genesis 40:15). 

 

So…though clouds “surround the present” and much uncertainty lies ahead, my heart is duly resigned. The “Father of light and leading” will be faithful to show me the way. My task is to follow Him in love and obedience, and leave the next step to Him. 

 

And how will I know the next step? I do not know. I do know, however, that I shall know when I need to know. “My light shall be from the things that are stored above.” On what basis can I have that assurance? By “dwelling on the days behind.”  

 

David Roper

5.11.19

“Fish!”

“As no man is born an artist, so no man is born an angler.”

—Izzak Walton

A number of years ago our three sons and I spent a couple of days drifting and fishing the Madison River in Montana. We hired two guides who also served as our boatmen. The guide I drew was a man who had lived on the river all his life and knew where the big trout held. He was a taciturn man—spoke scarcely two-dozen words in two days. (His longest sentence was muttered under his breath when I broke off a trout: “If you play tug-of-war with a fish, fish will win every time.”) But his few words were immensely helpful. Let me tell you why. 

We were fishing with tiny flies in choppy water; my eyesight is not good these days and I was missing every take. Eventually, my guide began to alert me when a trout moved under the fly by quietly murmuring, “fish.” When I raised the tip of my rod there was indeed a trout on my line. 

I’ve often thought about that guide, the occasion and the great and mysterious opportunities that come our way each day, not to catch fish, but men and women, boys and girls. All day long folks circle around us, endlessly cruising, searching for that elusive “something” that will satisfy the hunger of their souls—all represent occasions to show compassion and understanding in Jesus’ name—opportunities you and I might miss if not alerted. 

May the Great Angler, who knows every heart, whisper “fish” in our ears all day long (Luke 5:9).

David Roper

5.11.19

All through this day, O Lord,

Let me touch as many lives as possible for you... 

      through the life that I live,

      the words that I speak, and

      the prayers that I breath,

In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen 

Everything is Free

"God is continually providing you with the Spirit as a free gift and continually working deeds of power among you. Does he do it because you do what the law commands or because you believe the message that you hear? That was exactly Abraham’s position; he believed God, and his belief was regarded as righteousness" (Galatians 3:5,6). 

Back in my sermon-making days I often approached Sunday morning feeling like Lowly Worm. The week had not gone well: I had not been a good husband, father, or friend. I felt I needed to prove myself to be approved, earn a few points for good behavior, establish a track record of righteousness before God could use me again. I planned to get through the morning sermon as best I could and try to do better next week. 

No, here it’s said that God lavishly, continually supplies us with his Holy Spirit and works powerfully through us as a free gift, and not because we've ever done anything, will do anything, or could do anything to deserve it.

Abraham is Example A. He was a awful husband, if you want my opinion, twice putting Sarah's life in jeopardy by lying to save his own skin. Yet his "faith was regarded as righteousness." Abraham put himself in God’s hands despite his frequent failures and God used him to bring salvation to the world.

There's no justification for being a bad person. Jesus has asked us to follow him in obedience and he supplies the means to do so. Repentance is always in order when we fail to be what Jesus has called us to be. A hard, unrepentant heart will always hinder his purposes for us, but our ability to do “powerful deeds" is not predicated on a lengthy pattern of good behavior. It's based solely on our Lord's willingness to work through us, as we are, a basket of deplorables, saved and sanctified solely by grace.

It's all of grace now. You don't have to work for it. Everything is free.

David Roper

5.5.19

Forgetting the Things Behind

"Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his devises" (2 Corinthians 2:10,11).

"if I have forgiven anything..." A casual aside, almost a throw-away line, that we're likely to miss if we're not paying attention. 

Here's the backstory...

Certain folks in Corinth had mocked Paul's lack of sermonic  polish and savoire-faire (2 Corinthians 10:10 et. al.) Their critique must have cut Paul to the quick. He was their spiritual father and cared deeply for them (1 Corinthians 4:14). 

But Paul had learned not to waste time over hurt feelings. He forgave and readily forgot their critique. "Whatever I’ve forgiven," he writes... and then he racks his brain. "If I have anything to forgive..." He couldn't  remember!

This wasn't dementia; it was godly behavior: God forgets what he forgives (Hebrews 10:17). What Paul forgave he also forgot. 

Forgetting is not a matter of "not thinking about it." It's actually impossible to suppress unwelcome thoughts. (It was Tolstoy, I think, who envisioned a club in which initiates were required to stand in a corner and not think of a white rabbit.) Research in memory suppression suggests that while one part of our brain is trying to tamp down a memory, another part "checks in" occasionally to make sure the thought is not coming back up and simultaneously brings it to mind.

We can‘t stop the initial memory of a troubling event—the thought that pops into our head—but we can refuse to consolidate the memory by rumination. Every time we rehearse a troubling event, we strengthen the memory and the emotions associated with it. Our indignation and anger grow, we become adrenalized again and the event becomes even more deeply imbedded in our memories. 

A moment's thought reveals the truth of that principle. How do we imprint thoughts we want to remember—a poem for example? By repetition."Repetitio est mater studiorum” (“Repetition is the mother of learning”) is an old Latin proverb.

"Disremembering" begins by refusing to recycle the memory of an unpleasant event, turning it over and over in our minds (I admit to some perverse pleasure in that practice) and redirecting our angry, bitter thoughts to prayer and thoughts that are "true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, morally excellent, and worthy of praise" (Philippians 4:8). 

Think about these things, Paul would say, and leave your angry and anxious thoughts behind. (Though I think Paul had something else in mind, it may be helpful to think those thoughts about the person who wronged us. Did not Jesus say we should bless those who curse us?)

Bottom line, when we cling to injustice and turn it over and over in our minds we may—like Charles Dickens' Miss Havisham—freeze our bitterness for all time, imprint it on our souls and on our faces. We will have played into Satan's hands (2:11).  

David Roper

Basket Case

"Frankly, I don’t care for spiritual power much myself. I’ve gotten along much better with spiritual weakness" (G.K. Chesterton, Father Brown).

A few weeks ago I mentioned my most embarrassing moment—a brain-fade on an auspicious occasion. This morning I read Paul's account of his most embarrassing moment:

“If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands" (2 Corinthians 11:30-33).

Paul arrived in Damascus, a newly minted Christian, expecting to set the church on fire. After years of persecuting Christians Paul was now on God's side, God's greatest gift (sans One) to the church. With Paul's vast education, intellectual brilliance, and oratorical skill he could greatly advance the cause of Christ.

Instead of a revival, Paul precipitated a riot. The folks there agreed that they had to get Paul out of town before he caused irreparable damage to the church and, under cover of darkness, put him in a foul-smelling fish basket, lowered him from a window in the wall of the city, and sent him packing (c.f., Acts 9:25). This was Paul's most humiliating moment.

But, this was also the moment in which he took the most pride, a memory that kept him in touch with his limitations. This is the night Paul learned to "boast in the Lord," and not in his own prowess.

"Our sufficiency is of God," Paul wrote in another occasion. If we expect to get anything done for God it will be through weakness and not through strength. That's why God, though he could have chosen anyone, has chosen the foolish, the inept, the improbable,  the impossible—a bunch of basket-cases, if you will—to get his work done.

Which is why he has chosen you and me.

David Roper

6.1.19