When God Asks You to Fight a Losing Battle

I knew I had to get off the couch.

I needed to get ready for Bible study.

But my head was pounding.  I was burning up and I kept getting chills.  If I can just stand up and get myself going...  I stood up and instantly felt dizzy.  I took a few halting steps towards the kitchen and then figured I needed to lay back down, at least for a minute.  I'd thought coming home and resting for an hour or so would prepare me.  Apparently it wasn't enough.

I'm not above calling my mom to ask for advice when I'm sick, so that's what I did.

"Well," I told her, "my symptoms are that I'm getting chills but I'm also really hot.  And when I stand up I get dizzy.  But I need to go to Bible study..."

"Michael, I recommend cancelling the Bible study.  You should stay home and rest."

"Yeah but...yeah, I guess you're right."

I hung up the phone, but I felt defeated.  Usually I could push through tiredness or lack of food or slight headaches or coughs or sore throats...but this time I felt like I couldn't physically make it happen.  There were visitors coming.  I was going to be out of town the next week too.  I felt like a lot of the young people were in a critical place, spiritually.  No one to fill in or take my place on such short notice.  And I was stuck on the couch with a fever.

I had been looking over the passage of Scripture I was supposed to teach on during my "resting" time, when I couldn't fall asleep, and now one of the verses came blaring back into my mind.

"Hosea 10:9  O Israel, thou hast sinned from the days of Gibeah: there they stood: the battle in Gibeah against the children of iniquity did not overtake them." (KJV)

Maybe it was because I was physically worn down and exhausted.  Maybe it was overreaction.  But the verse seemed to slam against my soul and I broke down.  I admit it: I started crying.  Memories of every failure and every person I had ever tried to help or minister to spiritually who had ended up rejecting the truth and/or love of God that I tried to present to them came flooding into my mind.  I had failed over and over and over again in the battle against the kingdom of sin.  I couldn't think of many successes I'd had in all the Bible studies or all the people I had ministered to.  In the battles God had asked me to fight, I had done a lot of losing...and not a whole lot of winning.

Now I know you're probably thinking: "What in the world?  Of all the obscure verses to react to and wimpy ways to act when you're feeling sick...maybe I should find the blog of a sane person to read."

Hear me out, and I'll explain the verse and hopefully encourage you in the process.  But have you ever felt worn down like that?  Like God has asked you to fight a battle that you keep losing?  If so, I believe it will be worthwhile to take a look at the story about the days of Gibeah.  But before we do that, a couple warnings...

*WARNING*  We are about to look at one of the R-rated stories of the Bible, and it's pretty disturbing. Most people don't make a habit of discussing this one very frequently.  Parents you may want to peruse this one before reading it to your kids as a bedtime story.

*DISCLAIMER*  I realize other translations take a different view of Hosea 10:9 than I did in my delirium, but the story of Gibeah speaks for itself, and the point I took from the verse in Hosea can be gleaned separately from the story about Gibeah, so don't take me the theological whipping post for my particular King James-inspired interpretation. :)

Okay, now that that's out of the way, what is all this stuff about Gibeah?

Herein lies a story that should both shock and disturb us and make us feel more than slightly uncomfortable. It took place in the days of the Judges (as did several other of the strangest stories in the Old Testament) when, as the last verse of the book says, there was no king in Israel and everyone did that which was right in his own eyes.

Against this backdrop of no central leader or government, Judges chapter 19 tells about a certain Levite (a member of the tribe of people God had set apart specifically to serve Him out of all the tribes of Israel) had a concubine. Already a little weird.  The Bible tells us that "she played the whore against him" (in other words she was messing around with some other guy) and then took off to her dad's house.  As her "husband", the Levite went to win her heart again and bring her back home with him.  Her dad was thrilled, and after they spent some time together, the Levite set out on the journey home with his concubine.

Here's where the story heads down the path that makes our stomachs turn.  They get a late start heading back home, and night comes upon them before they've reached their original destination, and it becomes clear that they'll have to stop somewhere for the night.  One of the servants wants to go to into a Jebusite city, which is close, but the Levite is worried about what these heathen might do to them and insists that they stop in a city that belongs to Israel (ironic, as it turns out).  Unfortunately, they choose a Benjamite city called Gibeah.  (Were you wondering when Gibeah would come into the picture?)

When they reach the town, they meet a guy who's from the same area, and who graciously offers them a place to stay, and is a little oddly very determined that they won't stay in the street.  As the story progresses we find out why he was so worried about that prospect for them.  They're having a good time drinking wine and stuff, when some evil men from the town whom the Bible calls "sons of Belial" surround the house, and begin beating on the door, demanding that the host bring out his guest so they can have their way with him.  In our day and age it should be easy to fill in the blank about what that means.

In a despicable turn of events, the Levite's concubine is offered up instead.  The evil men rape her, and when the Levite comes out the next morning, he finds her dead on the doorstep.

A horrible story.  But it doesn't end there.  The Levite is shocked that the men of his own country could do such a thing, so in an effort to shock the 12 tribes, he cuts up the concubines body into 12 pieces and mails a piece to the leadership of each tribe.  It works.  The people of Israel are incensed that something so wicked would happen amongst their own people.  They call a big meeting and decide that the men of that city must be punished.  Such an atrocity must not be permitted.  The people of Israel demand that the tribe of Benjamin deliver up the men who committed the crime so that they can be put to death.  Benjamin refuses.  Things escalate quickly, and soon Benjamin is preparing for war against the other tribes.  Civil war has erupted in Israel.

We could say that the people of Israel were overreacting.  But they didn't charge headlong into the fight.  They went before the Lord and sought counsel from God before proceeding with anything.  They even asked which tribe should go up first, and the LORD answers.  "Judah."  Everything seems to have fallen into place.  God has ordained this battle against a clearly wicked sin that must be punished.  He has given His approval and He has always fought on Israel's behalf before.  The odds are good.  400,000 men of Israel versus 26,000 men of Benjamin.  If God has spoken to the children of Israel to go to battle in a battle that is clearly good versus evil, would you not expect the good side to win?  Seems pretty straight-forward to me!

Want to know the only problem?

The men of Benjamin are strong, particularly the men of Gibeah.  Gibeah, the hometown of those wicked sons of Belial, has 700 chosen men, who are all left-handed, and of whom the Bible says "every one could sling stones at an hair breadth and not miss." (Judges 20:16)  Those are some strong numbers on the evil side!  The children of iniquity were powerful and strong.  And you know what?

The good side loses.

They lose 22,000 men.  The men of Israel go to battle against Benjamin, Judah going up first...and they lose.  After God told them to go.  What?

Stunned by their defeat, the children of Israel go up before the Lord, weep and once again ask His counsel.  "Shall I go up again," is the question of Israel, "to battle against the children of Israel my brother?"  Maybe they made a mistake.  Maybe they heard God wrong.  Maybe they missed some instructions.  But you know what God answers? "Go up against him."  God tells them to go again!

Surely they'll win this time!  The people of Israel encourage themselves and set out again. And you know what happens?  18,000 men are struck down by Benjamin...and Israel loses.  Again.  For the second time in a row.  In a battle the Lord told them to fight.

There they stood.  The battle in Gibeah against the children of iniquity did not overtake them.

I imagine there were a lot of questions that night.  God knows the end from the beginning, doesn't He?  God could have helped us win the battle, couldn't He?  Why didn't He then?  Why did God send us out not once but TWICE to fight a battle He knew we were going to lose?  At the cost of 40,000 men??

I think we feel that way sometimes.  We're fighting a battle that we know God wants us to fight.  Maybe it's in prayer for a lost soul.  Maybe it's a battle against an addiction like smoking or porn or homosexual inclinations.  Maybe it's a fight against the devil trying to destroy your family.  And you know God has ordained the battle.  He's told you to fight it.  But you lose.  Multiple times.  Does God really want you to keep fighting?  Even though He knows that the outcome will involve multiple losses?  I think the story of Judges shows us that yes...He does. Sometimes He asks us to fight those battles, even if we lose.

Now, there are probably a lot of theories on why God would do this. In fact, if you have any theories about why this happened in this particular story in Judges, I would love to hear them, because, to tell you the truth, I'm confused about why God would ask them to fight a battle He knew they would lose.  But for the moment, let's not focus on the why.  Let's just acknowledge that that indeed happened.  What are the children of Israel supposed to do now?

The Bible tells us: "all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. 27 And the children of Israel enquired of the LORD, (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, 28 And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days,) saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease?" (Judges 20:26-28)

I love that they went before God again, fasting, and weeping, and giving offerings, and yet again, inquired of the Lord. And the answer came.

"And the LORD said, Go up; for to morrow I will deliver them into thine hand."

And finally, the third time they went to battle...they won.

If you want to read the details of the battle and the strategy they employed, take a look at the rest of Judges chapter 20...it really is a fascinating account.  But for the moment, let's draw back and look at the overall picture.

Sometimes we get the mentality that if God asks us to do something, it's going to be smooth sailing.  And that if it's hard, or if we fail, then it must not have been God who directed us into it.  However, to me, this story in Judges indicates clearly that that's not the case.  Sometimes, for whatever reason, God expects us to fight and fail and lose and fight again.

What do we do when we're in that scenario?

We fight again.  We go before God.  We seek His counsel.  We fast.  We weep. We pray.  We make offerings.  We inquire of Him.  And then we fight again.

What we can't do is give up.

What we can't do is give in and walk away.

You may have failed the first two times...but if God is in it, the third time, you will win! You may fail the first ninety-nine times!  But if God has directed you to fight the battle, keep fighting, and the hundredth time you'll win.

When everyone else is leaving God, the best attitude to have is that of Peter.  When the Lord turns to us and asks, "Will you go too?  Are you also giving up on Me?"  I want to be like Peter and say, "Lord, where will we go?  You alone have the words of eternal life.  Jesus, I may not understand all this stuff you've been saying about eating your flesh and drinking your blood, but I know YOU.  And I'm with You till the end. No matter where you lead us."

Remember I said some other translations have a different view of Hosea 10:9 than the discouraging view I took in my sickness? (And by the way, somebody filled in for me that night at Bible study.)  The ESV has a much more positive translation:

"From the days of Gibeah, you have sinned, O Israel; there they have continued. Shall not the war against the unjust overtake them in Gibeah?" (ESV)

Eventually, the war against the unjust WILL overtake them.  The question is whether you'll keep fighting.

If you feel like you're in a losing battle today, but you know God wants you to fight it, I want to encourage you: Don't give up.  Don't give up on your family, your church, the lost, overcoming personal sins or addictions. The Lord is with you. And eventually...you will win.

Are You In it to Win it Spiritually?

"I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:"

This phrase came to me as I was running.  Or some might call it jogging.  Or wheezing.  Or stumbling.

On a cold, winter's night as my back grew sweaty even as my hands turned to ice...(weird how that works...) as it grew dark, and I heard a dog lunging at a broken fence wanting to eat me, and I thought about how easy it would be for me to slip on an unseen patch of ice on the sidewalk, the question came to me, as it has to many, "Is there really a good reason for me to be doing this?" 

When one asks that in a residential Antarctic miles from home, the mind has a tendency to draw blanks. (...okay, okay, I wasn't miles away. We all know I'm not in that good of shape...it doesn't take far once running in the cold and darkness for me to start wheezing and asking philosophical questions related to runner's nihilism.)  As my mind grasped for intelligent reasons, I tried to think if the Bible had anything to say about this, and my mind went to the above phrase.

"I therefore so run, not as uncertainly..."

Why do people run?  Or exercise or engage in any kind of athletic activity?  It's certainly not because it's always fun.  A lot of times if someone were to ask me how I was feeling after running, the phrase that might spring to mind is: "I'd have to get better to die."  But you see people doing it all the time!  Especially in Colorado.  It's because there's a greater payoff.  People want to be fit.  They want to be in shape.  They want to lose weight.  Etc.

Then there are the really serious runners who run races and stuff.  I've only run in a couple charity 5ks, so my track record (get it? track?) doesn't bear a lot of experience in this arena.  But I knew, even in those, that if I really wanted to win it was going to take a lot more effort and commitment than I had.  You can't just mosey fresh onto a racetrack without any training or discipline and expect to win.  You have to bring your body under subjection.

To win, you have to put forth a little more effort.

To win, a runner will train himself (or "herself" to be politically correct, notwithstanding being grammatically correct) and forgo the luxuries afforded by ordinary people who don't care about winning races.  They eat certain things and buy certain types of clothing and shoes and supplements and don't eat certain things and don't do certain activities and do insane things that others wouldn't.

To win.

But that's only if you want to win.  And I'm afraid, spiritually, many have latched onto our culture's "Everybody is a winner!  Medals and ribbons for everybody!" mentality.

I think sometimes we misunderstand the grace of God, and even do dishonor to the concept of the grace of God, by lowering the bar for people as much as possible.

We mistakenly think that because God's grace extends to even the lowest, dirtiest, most unqualified sinner that we need to make allowances for people's sin.  After all, that's what God does, doesn't He?  We're all winners in Christianity!  Everybody's welcome to come as you are!

Or is that a misunderstanding of God's grace?

I fear that we see grace as a cover-up rather than an enabling force.  And when we see it like that, I believe we mock it.

God's grace is so powerful, not because it lets just anybody in, but because when it lets anyone in, it is able to raise them up to a position of power and strength and confidence and victory to truly walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ!  (Or run, if we want to stay with our analogy.) 

I want to submit to you that God's true grace doesn't say: "Aww, I know you're pathetic.  But that's okay, because we're all pathetic here!  Just come on in, and don't worry about wiping your shoes on the mat!"

What if, rather, God's grace says: "I know you're pathetic.  I know you're weak.  I know you're weighed down and that sin easily besets you.  But you don't have to stay that way.  Come!  Let us lay aside every weight and the sin that easily besets us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God!"

What if God's grace says that?  Does that change your concept of it at all?

Now let me throw something else at you...

What if we had the attitude in Christianity of running to WIN?

Rather than worrying about leaving others behind, or trying to make people feel better for not being as good, what if we were striving to WIN?

"Whoa, whoa, now just hold the phone there Johnny Raincloud!  That doesn't sound very Christian!  We need to make people feel good so they keep running!  We fall behind to run with the rest of the pack to make sure everybody crosses the finish line at the same time!  How could you be so unloving?  Somebody take away his participation trophy!"

Before you haul me off to be tarred and feathered, take a look at this verse from the Apostle Paul.

1 Corinthians 9:24  "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain." 

Paul tells us to run to WIN!  That's my translation of the last part of this verse.  And he compares it to a race in that everybody runs, but only one receives the prize.  That's what makes it a competition!

So in Christianity, obviously we're not running for wealth or fame or accolades or selfish reasons...or at least we shouldn't be.  So what is our motive?  What is our goal?

Interestingly enough, the Scriptures leading up to this familiar one are familiar but for another reason...

1 Corinthians 9:18-19, 22-23

(18)  What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.

(19)  For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.

...

(22)  To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

(23)  And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.

Paul said he had no choice but to preach the gospel.  That wasn't an option for him.  His reward was to go above and beyond the call of duty.  So what did going above and beyond the call of duty look like for him?

He made it very plain in the verses leading up to this that it is the right of a minister of the gospel to live financially off his work of preaching the gospel.  There is practical and Scriptural precedence for this.  But Paul didn't use this right.  Why not?  

"Paul, people are taking advantage of you!  Surely you could get more done if you stopped working and preached the gospel full time!  It's your right!  Use it!" ...  

The reason Paul didn't take advantage of this right was because he didn't want ANYTHING to be a hindrance to people receiving the gospel.  He went above and beyond for the sake of the gospel that had saved him, the gospel he loved.  Like Jonah, he was constrained to preach and at least give the message as a good watchman.  Anything beyond that, he did willingly and from his heart.

Why was Paul saying any of this anyway?  Sometimes we compartmentalize Scriptures so much to illustrate certain truths and principles that we miss the larger heart issues of what was being said.

He uses the example of the way he handled the ministry to back up the point he was making about how the Corinthians should live in chapter 8.  "Michael, this is getting a little out of hand...next you'll be taking us all the way back to Genesis..."  Wait!  Don't leave!  Stay with me!  I'm going somewhere and we're almost there!

He didn't HAVE to work and support himself.  He COULD have taken money from the Corinthians.  But he didn't use this right.  Why?  For the gospel's sake.  To save more men's souls.  He was free from all men!  Yet he saw himself as a servant to ALL.  Why?  That he might gain the more.  Paul wasn't just trotting down the racetrack to get by.  He wasn't content with settling with the bronze.  He was running with purpose.  He was running to WIN!  If his job was to save souls then he wasn't going to cut corners and just do what it took to get by!  He was going to bring his body under subjection and do what it takes!  He would become all things to all men!  Whoever they were!  That takes discipline!  That takes courage!  That takes determination!  That takes an attitude that's in it to win it!  And why not?  This is for the sake of Jesus!  The One who died to save us!  For the sake of the gospel that brought us this freedom!  Paul wasn't in it just to skate by...he was in it to win.  Win souls.  Win for Jesus.  Win for the gospel!  To maximize his potential!

Paul was desperate for the Corinthians to understand this.  They knew how to be Christians.  Look back to chapter 1 ("Augh, I knew he was going further back!") and you'll see that they didn't come behind in any spiritual gift and that they were enriched in utterance and knowledge.  They were good at what they did.  They had an answer for everything they were allowed and not allowed to do.  To the point where they were arguing and causing division (chapters 1-4) and even justifying fornication (chapters 5-6)!  By knowing so much, they were starting to miss the point.

And that brings us to meat offered to idols.  ("Of course...where else would it bring us?")

I've heard a lot of people use the mentality that the Corinthians had in 1 Corinthians 8 (and even use those particular Scriptures) to justify odd things.  Here's the point: the Corinthians had studied and come to the correct conclusion that it didn't matter if they ate meat offered to idols or not.  Idols weren't real gods...the meat is better anyway, and by golly, if we eat we're not any better, and if we don't eat we're not any worse!  It's just meat, after all!  And we shouldn't have to give up OUR meat for some superstitious nonsense about it being offered to idols.

A lot of people end there.  What they don't realize is that though Paul agrees with this assessment about the meat itself, that wasn't his point in writing 1 Corinthians 8.  His point (as is shown everywhere else meat offered to idols is mentioned) is that they shouldn't eat it.  Why?  Not for their own sakes, who could eat the meat with a clear conscience...but for the sake of others who couldn't.  In other words, he was asking the Corinthians to give up the RIGHT they had to eat that meat to save and uplift more souls.  To keep ANYTHING from getting in the way of the gospel.  The Corinthians were technically right.  They had the knowledge from studying it out about how the meat would or wouldn't affect them.  But how would their freedom and knowledge affect others with less knowledge?  Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.

A modern example (which, if you're inclined to be rubbed the wrong way, skip this paragraph), that I've heard people use the Corinthian reasoning on is modesty.  When talking about certain specific modesty standards and giving girls the reason that guys minds might be tempted to lust because of something a girl wears I've heard girls say phrases like: "Well, then they need to get their minds out of the gutter!  They can't choose my clothes for me!  I've prayed and I'm not convicted by this particular issue!"  Technically, they're right.  Many are knowledgeable about the issue and have good reasons for why they allow what they allow and are very convincing and correct that it won't send them to Hell.  But knowledge puffs up, while love builds up.

Here's my point...what rights are we willing to give up to win spiritually?

A runner can technically have whatever they want and still maintain a level of health and ability to run well.  But the ones who want to WIN will give up things that others may allow.  For the sake of the race.  To win.

If we want to win souls, we have to have the mindset of being in it to win it.  Ironically, I've heard people use the verse where Paul says "I am become all things to all men, that I might by some means save some" as a reason for lowering the standards of the church to look more like the world.  I don't believe that's what he's talking about there.  Grace doesn't lower the bar.  Grace trains people and enables them to reach above and beyond the bar!  (Whatever the bar is...I'm just using the phrase because I've heard it before.)

We do what it takes to win people!  We become all things to all men out of love, but that might mean disciplining ourselves a little more than we want to!  But are we in it to win it spiritually?

This isn't only about winning souls.  It's about winning in our Christian walk.  It's about winning in this life lived for the gospel.  It's about running as hard as we can, regardless of what others are doing!  I heard someone say once when it comes to an attitude of leadership, "Don't keep looking behind you, trying to bring others up to your level.  Then you're taking your eyes off Jesus.  Lead by keeping your eyes focused right on Him and running towards Him with all your might!  Then people will see your example and follow!"  I really like that.  Let's lead by running!  Running to win!  It doesn't mean we're selfish or self-focused.  It means that we are in this to win it.  We're not focused on anything but the face of Jesus and we're running towards Him with everything we have!

In closing, let the words of the Apostle Paul sink in.  And hopefully, his mentality will become each of ours.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

(24)  Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.

(25)  And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

(26)  I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:

(27)  But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

Me in it to win it at a 5k!...in the ladies category, at least...

Okay, I never said I was the best example of this concept in my personal running life.

Second Nature

I began to wonder the other day what my role would have been if I had lived in an area of Nazi-controlled Europe as a Christian.  Have you ever thought about that?  Of course, most of us who have read The Hiding Place or heard about Dietrich Bonhoeffer, automatically think, "Well, of course I would be one of the ones helping the Jews to escape out of Europe!"  But would we really?

I recently read The Auschwitz Escape by Joel Rosenberg (an excellent book, by the way...highly recommend it!), and this section jumped out at me.  It's a conversation between a Jewish boy (Jacob) and a Christian pastor (Luc) who have both been caught and taken to the Auschwitz concentration camp.

Jacob changed the subject.  "You sound like a good Christian."
Luc shrugged.  "I've tried to be."
Jacob stopped his work and looked Luc in the eyes.  "Then what are you doing here?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean Abby says you've been rescuing Jews, giving them a place to stay, feeding them, putting their kids in your schools, giving the men jobs. What for? Why take such risks?"
"How could we not?" Luc asked.  "My Savior tells me to love my neighbors.  The Jews are my neighbors.  It's not complicated."
"But you're a Gentile," Jacob said. "Look at you.  You're blond-haired, blue-eyed.  You could pass for an Aryan, for crying out loud.  Why not just blend in?  Why not pretend you're one of them, at least until the war is over?"
"Who, the Nazis? I could never be a Nazi."
"Why not?"
"Because they hate the Jews," Luc said.  "And I could never hate a Jew."
"Why not?"
Luc stopped working, straightened up, and looked Jacob square in the eye.  "Because, Jacob, my Savior was a Jew," he replied.  "The Bible teaches me to love Jews.  To bless the Jews.  And anyway, if you ask me, the question shouldn't be 'Why are you, a Christian, here in a death camp, condemned for trying to save Jews?' The real question is 'Why aren't all the Christians here?'"

That last question is haunting, isn't it?

"The real question is 'Why aren't all the Christians here?'"

Because the truth is that all of them weren't.  Some of them had bought into Nazi propaganda.  Some of them even justified their lack of action because the Jews had persecuted the early Christians (an insane form of anti-Semitism in light of Romans 11!).  And some of them had just blended in.  Not really helping the Nazis or hurting the Jews...but not really stopping the Nazis or helping the Jews either.  Just kept going about life in the middle of one of the greatest spiritual battles of modern times.

So again I ask: which would you be?

I began to think about how I would even have started helping.  If they weren't targeting me to begin with, would I have gotten involved or would I have kept going about my daily life?  I hear about atrocities in the news all the time, but I usually don't do anything about it.  I don't feel like I can.  Would I have felt that way about the concentration camps?

Then I thought, if a Jew came to my door specifically and asked for help, what would my response have been?  That seems to be how several of the players in the Nazi Resistance got started.  And what would make me say "Yes, I'll help, at the cost of my own personal safety."  The only thing would be if Christ's commands were so ingrained in me that it was second nature.

After all, what separated the Christians who helped from the Christians who didn't?  If Christianity is true and Jesus's teachings are true then like the Christian pastor in the death camp said, ALL Christians should have been in there!  But they weren't.  Not because they didn't have Bibles.  Not because they hadn't heard the teachings of Jesus.  But because it wasn't PART of them.  It wasn't second nature to them.  Just like it isn't to many of us.

2 Peter 1:4 says, "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."

That means that through the promises of God, we can develop a second nature that goes against our own human survival instinct and selfish nature.  We can be partakers of a second nature.  And that second nature is The Divine Nature.  That's the only way we can escape the corruption of this world.

I began to pray after I had read that book, "God, I want what you say to be written in my heart, so ingrained, so part of me, that it's second nature."  I want to act like Jesus.  I want His Nature!

Whenever I'm around someone that's hurting, I want my second nature to kick in.

Whenever I'm around someone in need, I want my second nature to kick in.

Whenever I'm around something evil, I want my second nature to kick in.

When I'm going through daily, menial chores, I want my second nature to kick in.

When my family is driving me crazy and I want to lash out at them, I want my second nature to kick in.

If a Jew ever knocks on my door asking for help, I want my second nature to kick in.

What are the promises of God Peter is talking about?  If the promises of God are the means by which we are partakers of the Divine Nature then I want to know what those promises are!  I won't pretend to know exactly or limit Peter's words to certain promises.  But there are a couple promises God makes in Scripture that apply here, I believe.  Titus 1:2, for example, says we have hope of eternal life, which God that cannot lie promised before the world began.  So one of those promises has to do with salvation.  And what happens at salvation?  Let's look at another promise of God from the Old Testament.

Jeremiah 31:33  But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 
Jeremiah 31:34  And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. 

Do you grasp the meaning of this?  The LORD is saying that in the new covenant that He's making, He will write His laws on the inward parts of people, in their hearts, so that they won't have to refer back to someone else to know what God wants, because they will know God themselves!  God promises a personal relationship with each individual in which He writes His laws on their hearts.

In other words, His laws become second nature to them.

That's part of what Peter was saying.  By this great and precious promise of God of salvation, we become partakers of The Divine Nature, the very nature of God so that what HE wants becomes second nature to us.  Natural to us, rather than what WE want.

I encourage you to read the rest of the chapter to get context, for the promises God gives us to be able to live this life by His Spirit.  2 Peter chapter 1 is so rich in depth with the practical instruction about how to live life with the character of God growing inside of us.  Diligence is required on our part, make no mistake, but also make no mistake that it is only through the power of the Spirit that we accomplish it.

So I ask again: are God's laws written on your heart so that they are second nature to you?  I ask myself this question over and over.  I pray that God makes it so.  And another of His promises remains true: "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."  That is the only way we will be able to develop this second nature.

The Luxury of Prejudice

There are times when conviction hits you harder than at other times.  This happened to me several weeks ago, right when we were getting the news about the 90+ Christians who had been kidnapped by ISIS in Syria.

I was working on some website stuff for the church, and collaborating with a friend via Facebook, when he asked me if I'd heard the news about the kidnappings and sent me a link to a news article.  It had an instant sobering affect.  Here I was, in my pajamas...sipping a cup of coffee, with an episode of the Beverly Hillbillies loaded up on YouTube as I worked on a church website while 90 Christians halfway across the world were concerned for their lives.  Like I said, it sobered me.  It sobered me, not necessarily because I wasn't being persecuted and was enjoying the comforts of America, but because I wasn't even considering those who were under the threat of dying for their faith.  And it sobered me more because my first inclination was to ignore the news article because there was nothing I could do about it anyway.

What really made this an impacting moment for me (rather than just a passing pang of guilt) is due to what happened later in the day.  As I was praying later on, I began asking God what was on His heart.  What He was thinking about.  And those 90 kidnapped Christians instantly came to my mind.  But as I began praying, rather than just mumbling a prayer that God would Sovereignly take care of the problem and rescue them, I think I got a deeper glimpse of one of the aspects of Jesus' nature.  The following two portions of Scriptures kept coming to me:

Acts 9:4  And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? Acts 9:5  And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 

Matthew 25:40  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 

And as I thought of those verses and the suffering of those Christians in Syria, I began to empathize with them rather than simply praying for them, because I believe that's exactly what Jesus was doing.  When Christians were being persecuted in Saul's day, Jesus took it personally.  He didn't just look down on them with sadness...He spoke of it as if HE was the one being persecuted.  He doesn't just shake his head at people who do wrong and reward those who do good...He identifies with those in suffering as if it were being done to Him.  He suffers WITH them.

I know this probably seems like it has nothing to do with the title of this post.  But I wanted to underscore the importance Jesus places on the "least of these" and the importance of identifying with people in their suffering rather than just ignoring it because it makes us feel uncomfortable and guilty.

I'm not saying you have to constantly be depressed because somewhere in the world someone is suffering...but I AM encouraging us to broaden our perspective and see the bigger picture of what is happening in the world and focusing on what Jesus focuses on and care about what--or rather WHO--He cares about.

We're going through the gospel of Mark in the Junior High Youth Class I teach on Wednesday nights, and over and over again as I've prepared for these lessons, I've noticed how much Jesus cares for people.  Take chapter 5, for example.  Jesus goes way out of his way, across the Sea of Galilee in the middle of a storm to a Gentile region where people don't even accept Him (they ask Him to leave shortly after He arrives), in an area that is unclean and dedicated to devils...just to reach out to one man who was bound by a legion of demonic powers.   Then when He gets back to the other side, He stops on His way to a very important, righteous man's house just to acknowledge a poor woman who had the faith to push through the crowd to touch the hem of His garment.  The Jesus I serve is a man who will go out of His way or pause whatever He's doing...no matter how inconvenient or strange to the people around Him...just for one soul.  That's pretty remarkable.

At this point, you might be thinking, "Yeah, yeah, Michael, but we already know all this.  We know Jesus is like that."  Yeah...but are you like that?

I've noticed a disturbing trend in some of the Christian circles I frequent, particularly with young people.  I call it "the luxury of prejudice".

Although we know that Jesus came to save sinners and that our most important job on this earth is to make disciples of all nations and try to reach the lost to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to the power of God...sometimes it's too easy to sink back into our comfortable church cliques and to enjoy the Luxury of Prejudice.

The Luxury of Prejudice says something like this:  "I know I have to love everybody as a Christian...but that doesn't mean I have to LIKE everybody, or hang out with everybody!  There are some people whose personalities just don't jive with mine, and some people just really get on my nerves, and trust me...you DON'T want me to be around those people too long, cuz things will get meeeeesssssyyyy and I will end up not representing Jesus at all.  So I'll try to be nice to them but I don't necessarily want them coming to all of our get-togethers."  Does that sound familiar at all?

Don't get me wrong--some of that might be reasonable...if you're not trying to follow Jesus' footsteps.  But, as Christians, we are supposed to give up our right to the Luxury of Prejudice.  I know that some people are annoying.  I know that some people have obnoxious personalities.  I know that some new converts can say and act in ways that just make you cringe.  And I know that there are people who are very high-maintenance and self-absorbed and want to talk about themselves all the time or absorb the spotlight.  We may feel justified in ignoring or brushing those people off.  But for just a moment I would like you to identify people in your life that may fit that category and then think about how Jesus feels about them.  Try to identify with them the way that Jesus does.  Stop claiming your right to the Luxury of Prejudice.  That is one luxury as Christians that we simply cannot afford.

I started out this post with the story about how I tried to more intentionally identify with the suffering Christians in Syria.  I realize that there is practically nothing practical that I could do to help them.  I can't swoop in in a helicopter to rescue them or anything like that.  There will be people in your life that you may not be able to help for various reasons.  Sometimes it's not appropriate.  All I'm saying is that we need to try to adopt the attitude Jesus has towards people, and let that be our top priority.  I hope this makes sense and helps us in some way.  I promise I'm still working on it too.

Understanding What the Will of the Lord Is

I believe there are times of waiting.

There are times when the Lord does not want us to take action, but rather, would have us to be still and know that He is God.

Times when we must put aside our own plans and wait to hear a word from the Lord.

But I also believe there are times when we use this as an excuse.  Times when we know what the will of the Lord is, even if we haven't received a specific word from Him giving us detailed instructions about our next step.

I was thinking about the wait-staff at a restaurant.  They are supposed to wait on the customers, right?  They are supposed to be ready to take their orders and be watching for when they may need a refill or their check.  And yet, it would seem strange to us if we just saw them leaning against the wall, texting, or laying back on the lounge chairs, watching the game, or hovering around our table whistling.  Oftentimes, a good waiter will see when my water needs to be refilled before I'm even aware of it, and yet, they are not just waiting for me to snap my fingers.  The best waiters are those who are actively waiting.  In service and fetching things before I even realize I need them.

I know that seems like an odd preface to a post about understanding the will of the Lord.  But I believe that our concept of waiting on the Lord can sometimes get in the way of us doing the will of the Lord, which is why I began that way.  The will of the Lord so often seems like such a mysterious concept to us.  Sometimes it may be.  But it doesn't always have to be that way.

I used to think the command in Ephesians 5:17 was an odd one.  Look at it with me.

Ephesians 5:17  Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. 


The ESV says: Ephesians 5:17  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 

My initial thought was: Easy for you to say, Paul!  Don't you have a direct line to heaven?  With visions telling you to go to Macedonia and angels appearing to strengthen you and tell you to keep everybody on the ship with you so that nobody will be lost despite the storm?  How can you just cavalierly command us to understand God's will?  Aren't God's ways above our ways?  Aren't His thoughts above our thoughts?  Isn't He the one who chooses to reveal or hide His will from us?  Isn't the impetus on HIM to help us understand His will?  But Paul says, "Hey, don't be foolish.  Understand God's will."  Oh sure.  Don't be foolish.  Great.  Thanks.

My confusion with this verse came from the assumption that there was nothing we could do to facilitate an understanding of God's will.  You probably already realize this, but that isn't the case!  I realized that as we were studying the context of this chapter in our Bible study on Ephesians.

Paul has been explaining the way the members of the church of God ought to conduct themselves prior to this in Ephesians.  In chapter 5, he makes it very clear that no sexual immorality should be a part of our lives, because we are children of the light and should be exemplifying CHRIST'S love, as opposed to the world!  And at the tail end of this discussion, he instructs not to be unwise, but to understand what the will of the Lord is.  And that's when it dawned on me. He's not introducing a new thought, telling us to go try to figure out God's will. He's saying, "Hey, I'm telling you God's will right now.  Don't be foolish and ignore this.  Understand that God's will is for you to walk as children of light, and not to partake of the works of darkness!"  Don't be stupid and do the wrong thing.  Understand that this is GOD'S will. The will of the LORD.  Don't confuse that with your own will.  And with that little revelation, I realized that there are a lot of places where the Bible explicitly tells us what the will of the Lord is!  Let's look at a couple of them.

1st Thessalonians 4:3  For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: 

1st Thessalonians 5:18  In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 

1st Peter 2:15  For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: 

There are some things we don't need to pray about!  We don't need to pray about whether or not we should move in with our girlfriend, even if we're unmarried!  We don't need to pray about whether we should give thanks to the Lord in this specific circumstance!  We don't need to pray about whether it's the will of God that we do well, even in the face of criticism and false accusations!

Let me give you a little more controversial, sensitive, personal example.

I've found recently, that as a Christian young man who is trying to figure out his career and future life situation, that it can be daunting and scary to step out and do something without having a specific word from God about something.  My temptation is to wait and take a very passive position to see how God works and what opportunities He opens up and what He drops in my lap.  Yet, I know from His Word (Proverbs 6 and 1 Timothy 5 and 2 Thessalonians 3, specifically) that it is His will that I be working.  That I'm diligent and saving for the future and preparing myself.  I can't see specifically where I'm supposed to go or what I need to be preparing for and I may not even be able to do anything right now that I really like, but I know that that's what I'm supposed to do, so I should take steps of faith to do what is honoring to God, even though I have fear and trepidation at the result.

Hopefully, this post is helpful for someone.  Please don't take this post in the wrong way, contrary to the spirit it was written in.  Some things you can't help and you have to wait on God for them.  Others, you can certainly do something about, and should have the integrity of character to act upon those things, even if it's uncomfortable.

Mary's Song: A Sure-Fire Way to Get Favor with God!

Two of  my favorite passages in Scripture are the songs that two different women of faith sing when they know they are going to have a baby.  Familiar is Mary's song in Luke 1:

Luke 1:46-55

(46)  And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,

(47)  And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

(48)  For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

(49)  For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.

(50)  And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.

(51)  He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

(52)  He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.

(53)  He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.

(54)  He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;

(55)  As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.

The other, which sounds very similar, and which Mary may have been thinking of, comes from Hannah, after her prayer begging God to give her a child was answered.

1st Samuel 2:1-10

(1)  And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.

(2)  There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.

(3)  Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.

(4)  The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.

(5)  They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble.

(6)  The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.

(7)  The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.

(8)  He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, and he hath set the world upon them.

(9)  He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.

(10)  The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.

You know one of the primary virtues about God I see both women acknowledging in these prayers and songs?  How God lifts up the poor and puts down the rich, causes the barren to bear, and the mother of many children to wax feeble.  How He exalts the poor, those of low degree, the beggar, the feet of His saints, fills the hungry, sends away the rich empty, breaks the bows of the mighty men, scatters the proud, puts down the mighty from their seats, and breaks His adversaries in pieces.

Isn't that epic?

God is a God who looks out for the poor, the despised, the down-trodden, the weak, and lifts them up to a place of honor.  It's what every great story describes, and the makings of every epic that has ever been told.  There's something in our hearts that loves the old story, because God loves it!

But bummer for those who aren't poor and suffering, huh?

If you fall into the above category of being poor and suffering, rejoice, because God is on your side!

If you don't see yourself in that place, living in wealthy, suburban America where all your needs are essentially provided for though, you might be wondering about my title: A Sure-Fire Way to Get Favor with God.  After all, Mary found favor with God.  And that should be something we all desire.  But according to these poetic praises, He mostly finds favor with the helpless that are naturally that way from their circumstances.  What if we don't see ourselves in that place?

Before I go on, I want to clarify.  Just because someone is rich or in a position of honor at this current time doesn't mean they're beyond the reach of God's favor.  There's a reason we all love the simple picture of the manger scene, isn't there?  Despite it being Biblically inaccurate and historically flawed, the principle it communicates rings true with us.

I could be wrong, but I think what we like about it is that it combines two classes of people.  The poor and lowly shepherds and the rich, powerful, wise magi meet together at this stable to worship Jesus.  Both found favor with God.  But there's a simple reason found in the attitude of humility in both.

Grace

Another word to describe 'the favor of God' is 'grace,'  I didn't use it initially because I think sometimes in Christendom something turns off in our brains when we hear the word 'grace.'  It's been used so often in pulpits and songs and Bible studies, and we think of it as the means of our salvation that's offered freely that we don't have to do anything for, so we don't really think about it except to thank God for it.  Favor with God or "grace," however, isn't something we always sense, even after we believe we've been saved.  But did you know the Bible actually describes a way to receive grace that God can't refuse?  True story!  Before you block my blog for blasphemous content though, take a look at a verse that describes exactly who God gives grace to.

Proverbs 3:34 Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.

God gives grace to the lowly.  Sounds very similar to Mary and Hannah's songs of praise, doesn't it?  How does that apply to us?  Peter quotes this verse, and gives our application of it in his first letter.

1st Peter 5:5-7

(5)  Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

(6)  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

(7)  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

God gives grace to the lowly or to the "humble,"  That means if we want grace, we need to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God and cast all our care upon Him.  We need to subject ourselves to one another.  If we feel that God is resisting us, we may need to examine our hearts for any vestiges of pride.  Because it's clear that God resists the proud.

James also describes this as a way to deal with conflict in the church and eliminate it...from fightings and quarrelings to favoritism and prejudice.  His answer is this verse to combat our own naturally envious and lustful spirit is this verse from Proverbs.

James 4:6-10 

(6)  But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

(7)  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

(8)  Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

(9)  Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

(10)  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

There's a very simple reason that I say this is a sure-fire method for obtaining God's favor, or grace.  It's because He promises that He can't resist this spirit.

 Psalm 51:17  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. 

 Psalm 34:15-18 The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.  The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

I know this is a simple post.  But sometimes when life gets complicated I have to go back to the very foundational and simple elements of faith, and what I absolutely know to be true about God beyond a shadow of a doubt.  Whether you're struggling with how to get along with others, or wondering if God despises you because it doesn't seem like He's close to you...examine your heart.  Clothe yourself in humility, fall on your knees, cry out to God, cast all your cares upon Him, and become broken and contrite.  He promises if you draw night to Him, He will draw nigh to you.  Because in order to draw close to God, you have to be humble, and He is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and a broken and a contrite heart, God will not despise.

Eternal Bent

Only one life, a few brief years, 
Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears; 
Each with its clays I must fulfill, 
living for self or in His will; 
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, 
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
- C.T. STudd

Sometimes the deepest conversations happen on the way to doughnut shops. You know?

"So what are you looking for in the girl you marry?"

I was just thinking about what I was wanting in a cream-filled doughnut, and suddenly you're asking me to switch gears in my head to talk about this?  Now in all honesty, I do love having friends who ask me deep questions and will challenge me to think through life issues.  But, also in all honesty, if you spring a question like that on me at the spur of the moment you may not get a satisfactory, succinct answer.

I stammered out cliches and verbal pauses and caveats and qualifiers for about ten minutes as my friend patiently waited for my stream-of-consciousness to stop.  Finally, I halted my verbal pausing, and said, "You know, one of the main things that I want is a girl with an eternal bent."

He had been staring out the window (probably to hide his bored expression from me and most likely wishing he had never asked the question), but now he turned his head quizzically and looked at me.  "What do you mean?"

"Well, sometimes people aren't living for anything greater than the here and now.  I want the person I spend the rest of my life with to be motivated by something beyond herself.  You can usually tell when the focus is more on temporal things and things that have to do with living in the here and now...but there's a subtle difference when a person lives his or her life in reference to eternity.  Some people just have a different...I don't know...bent."

He smiled and said, "You know, that's the first intelligent thing you've said in the last ten minutes.  Turn here.  If you get a hot drink with your doughnut it's only $1.39."

For some reason that little phrase echoed in my head for the rest of the evening.  And kept popping up over the next couple weeks.  "An eternal bent."  What's different about people who live their lives with an eternal perspective?  You see different people in history who made a great impact on the world spiritually that I really look up to and respect... C.T. Studd, David Livingstone, Amy Carmichael, Mother Theresa, the Apostle Paul, Hudson Taylor, Brother Andrew, Corrie ten Boom, David Wilkerson...what motivated these men and women of God to do the things they did?  To accomplish what they accomplished?  They had a different perspective than the average college student who wants to go party abroad just to have a good time.  Their motivation was deeper.  More significant.

You ever wonder how the Apostle Paul endured all the things he went through?  And endured with PASSION?  He didn't simply keep a good attitude through all the persecutions and backstabbings and fasting and care for the churches...he kept his purpose and his passion alive!  How did he do that?  He says he was content in all situations, but in the same letter said that he kept pressing forward for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus!  How did he do that?  What did he know that most people don't realize in their fight to survive and have significance?  What was his motivation?   He was content when he was in prison in Rome because he knew he was on the track that God wanted him on.  He was always looking ahead to the next thing like Lystra, Derbe, Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, Corinth, Ephesus, Rome, Spain!  What was his goal?  What was he working for?  What made his life worth living?  Read the book of Philippians and then explain to me: What motivated such confident passion?

He had a glimpse of something that went far beyond himself.  He had purpose and meaning that OUTLASTED his life here on earth!  Think about that!  He wasn't afraid to die.  In fact, he would have embraced death except for the fact that he thought he could be of more service and benefit to people here on earth. (See Philippians 1:20-26 if you don't believe me.) He gives us his perspective in 2 Corinthians 4.  This is why he didn't give up, didn't lose passion...

2 Corinthians 4:16  For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. 

2 Corinthians 4:17  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 

2 Corinthians 4:18  While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 

His outward man was perishing!  This is NOT an empty statement.  Want a sample of some of the things he went through?  In his own words:

• thrice was I beaten with rods, 
• once was I stoned, 
• thrice I suffered shipwreck, 
• a night and a day I have been in the deep; 
• in journeyings often, 
• in perils of waters, 
• in perils of robbers, 
• in perils by mine own countrymen, 
• in perils by the heathen, 
• in perils in the city, 
• in perils in the wilderness, 
• in perils in the sea, 
• in perils among false brethren; 
• in weariness 
• and painfulness, 
• in watchings often, 
• in hunger 
• and thirst, 
• in fastings often, 
• in cold 
• and nakedness..."

What motivated him to endure all that?  Certainly not temporal enjoyment!  His focus couldn't have been on his own pleasure!  He saw these "light afflictions" as he calls them as working towards a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory!  Not only did he not begrudge them... I think he saw them as necessary.  As something that was working towards a greater goal.  Something that tipped the scales so much that these things seemed light in comparison.  You have to have knowledge of something greater in order to see things in this light...you have to have special knowledge, a deeper insight, a secret understanding of something that is to come, otherwise you'll bail at the first sign of any of the things on this list!

What did he understand?  What did he see?  He saw something beyond the temporal.  He didn't look at things that were seen.  He looked towards eternity.  There was something in eternity that motivated him beyond the pressures and troubles and sufferings of this present life!

"For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life." (2 Cor. 5:1-4)

Paul didn't want to be found naked.  Full of the shame of a life that didn't result in any weight of eternal glory.  He desired to be clothed upon because eternity is the only thing that can make sense of this life that we're living and give it any purpose and meaning! The focus towards eternity isn't morbid.  It's looking towards something greater and more lasting.  The focus is so that mortality (the ability to die--living this life the way we're living it) will be swallowed up in REAL life!

What does this look like in our practical, daily lives?  Am I saying that every statement we make should include a reference to eternity?  No, but I am saying that overall, our lives should be lived in the shadow of eternity, not lived as if this is all there is.  Like Moses says in Psalm 90, "teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom."

The list of things that Paul went through was trivial to him. Most of us wouldn't call what he was going through "light affliction".  It's convicting because I've complained louder about my first world problems!

• "I got this keyboard for my tablet and it won't even work! I have to use the touch screen, for crying out loud!"
• "Sheesh, I have to wait a long time for the free Wi-Fi to load in this air-conditioned, comfortable coffee shop as I sip my $4 coffee...it's been...what? Half a minute?!"
• "Man!  First I had too many chips for my dip and now I have too much dip for my chips!"

Anybody feelin' me?

Now don't get me wrong--I'm not saying that every statement we make or everything we think about should be qualified by some statement about eternity.  (e.g. "Well, how is clipping my toenails right now going to affect eternity??")  I'm just saying the general direction of our lives should be colored by an understanding of eternity and with what's really lasting.

After all, we ALL have aspects of both sides of the issue.  We are human and we live here on this earth, so there is a part of everyone that is material, fleshly, and temporal.  And that's necessary.  We don't want to be "so heavenly-minded that we're no earthly good."  But if this life is the only thing we're focusing on, there's a problem.

Deep down, we all have that tug towards eternity.  We all long for purpose and meaning and a successful life, and that's the spiritual/soulish part of us.  The eternal part that knows there something more.  The difference is what our bent is.

Which side determines your decision making?  When you make a decision about whether or not you should laugh at a friend's joke, or treat someone to lunch, or accept an invitation to a party, or give money to the homeless guy on the street who could probably get a job, or decide how you should spend your vacation time, or where you should go to church, or which classes you should take this semester, or which college you should go to, or who you should marry...which side of you is making that decision?  What is your bent?  Is it the spiritual/eternal side?  Or the human/temporal side?  How do you have a successful spiritual life like Paul?  Will your human side enter into some of these decisions?  Absolutely, and rightfully so!  But what is your focus?  What is your bent?

I believe it may very well be a a very subtle difference in our day-to day temporal lives.  A person with a temporal focus and a person with an eternal focus might go to the same church, the same school, work at the same job, interact with the same people, but the overall perspective of living in the light of eternity will make a huge difference in the way we perceive the events of our lives.  Are we marrying someone just because she's physically attractive or because we can make a greater impact towards the kingdom of God together?  Are we studying abroad because we believe we can make a greater impact towards the kingdom of God or because we think it'll benefit as a person as we have a good time?  Are we working at that particular summer camp rather than going on a missions trip because we think it will benefit eternity or because there are cute counselors there and we want to go rock-climbing for free?  What is our bent?  

That's part of the reason Paul gives this admonishment to the redeemed in Colossians 3:

Colossians 3:1  If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 

Colossians 3:2  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 

What are your affections set on right now?  What do you feel love and excitement and passion about?  There's nothing wrong with being excited about simple things in life!  In fact, that can be a great thing!  But will it last throughout eternity?  Why are you excited about that?  What does God feel about what you're affectionate about?

What is your overall purpose?  When your life is over will you have done something that impacted eternity?

God is the only one who can give you a lasting passion.  But you have to seek Him for that.  Ask and it shall be given you, seek and ye shall find, knock and the door shall be opened unto you!

"Delight yourself also in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to Him.  Trust in Him and He will direct your paths."

You may not know what your purpose is.  You may not know what God is calling you to do to have an eternal impact!  If that's you, I understand!  And I'm willing to submit to you that's alright!  All I can tell you is that if you have been born after the Spirit, please continue to walk in the Spirit!  God's timetable is not our own!  He is more concerned in our character than our calendar, and in our holiness than our happiness!  He's got a plan for you!  He knows right where you're at and right where He wants you to be!  So the answer is: if you are risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God.  What does that mean?  Knowing the triumph of Christ on the cross...the triumph over sin...the triumph over death...the triumph over depression, over suffering, over disease, and sickness and meaninglessness and purposelessness and Hell, seek those things which are above!  Seek those things which are above where Christ sits on the right hand of God in the ultimate position of triumph.  Seek and ye shall find!  Set your affection on those things.  On the things HE values.  Then you will find meaning.  Then you will find purpose.  Then you will find value.  You are dead.  Your life is hid with Christ in God.  That, then, is where you need to seek.

I find this prayer of C.T. Studd becoming my prayer.  It has never been so poignant in my life.  And maybe this will become your prayer too because of the truth it contains.

Give me Father, a purpose deep, 
In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep; 
Faithful and true what e’er the strife, 
Pleasing Thee in my daily life; 
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, 
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
- C. T. Studd