Category: Suffering & Trials

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Canada Clint Personal Growth Spiritual Growth Suffering & Trials Theology

God Gets Me

Pause for a second and ask yourself whether you have forgotten that in all your mysteries and confusion and wondering about tomorrow, that God “reveals deep and hidden things, he knows what is in the darkness, ..the light dwells with him”  God alone interprets you. He gets you.

And that is the message Daniel went with to the king of Babylon when the king was looking for extraordinary insight— into his dreams.

Daniel didn’t come as another expert. He pointed exclusively to God, saying “but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries” (2:28).  This simple saying is a summary of the whole book of Daniel. There is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. 

Daniel clarified that God had revealed the mystery of the dream to him by grace alone. He said it was “not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king and that you may know the thoughts of your mind” (v. 30). 

Only God can interpret the world. Only God gets you. Because only God can explain to you the deep, hidden questions you have not even asked. 

Only God Gets You. 

Now in verses 31-45 God uncovered to Daniel what the dream was, and what it meant. This was a special revelation, that was true and without error. 

And to summarize, the dream was of a succession of historical kingdoms from Nebuchadnezzars’ at the top down through the Medo-Persian to the Greek and the Roman. They are represented as the image of a man and the different materials from head to toe describe characteristics of the kingdoms. 

What is important to recognize at this point is two things:

First, this was a supernatural revealing of world history spanning 600 years and explaining it before it happens.  This would be like someone in England in 1419 having just won ownership of Northern France in the 100 Years War, being able to see Britain voting on Brexit in 2019. That prophecy would have seen the Reformation, the French Revolution, WWI&II, the Cold War, the Internet and the iPhone. Only God interprets the world

Second, there are only variations on the Babylonian empire from Nebuchadnezzar onward. There is no mention of any Israelite kingdom, no mention of a kingdom of God’s people that is created by human action. Many heretics and false teachers throughout history have attempted to create what is called, “the Fifth Monarchy”. But you can’t create it, or make it with human hands. People can create a Christendom, but only God can bring the kingdom that never ends. 

Into all of the confusion about our world, and even about our own personal selves, wouldn’t it be wise to consider God who is outside of our time-space continuum, who created it and created us, as a being the true interpreter of our existence?

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Christel Family Spiritual Growth Suffering & Trials

Can I release my sons into God’s divine care?

I am starting to realize the trials that my boys will face in this life.

At some point, maybe sooner rather then later, they will endure mocking and name-calling from their peers. If they choose to follow Jesus they will face even greater opposition. Maybe they will go off to war or be missionaries in a hostile country. The difficult part for me is that I won’t always be there to help them. For that matter, I may not be capable of helping them.

I remember how things were a few years ago when my sons were a lot younger. One time we were walking back to our vehicle after dining out and a drunk man started talking to my boys. Afterward, my oldest said, “He sounded like he was speaking funny. Maybe he is from somewhere else.” My middle boy commented, “He was speaking nice words.” The innocence of their words, however lovely and generous, made my defences come up a bit. I said, “When you are with Mom and Dad you can be friendly and say hello to everyone. If you are ever by yourself, don’t talk to strangers.”

“Why can we talk to strangers when you are around?”

“Because I would protect you if there was a bad person.”

One of my boys, who will remain nameless, laughed out loud. He couldn’t help himself. He could barely speak, he thought I was telling a good joke.

“What could YOU do to defend us?”

Thankfully, my darling husband came to the rescue of my wounded pride.

“Oh, if Momma got upset she would be a force to be reckoned with!”

We all had a good laugh at this, but there was truth to my son’s words. I cannot be their ultimate lifelong defender. I cannot pave the road for them and smooth every bump. I cannot stop every bad thing from ever happening to them.

There is only one who calms the waves and stops the storms. There is only one who sees and knows all things at all times. He is the one who orchestrates all things for the good of those who love Him, however painful they may be.

Can I release my sons into his divine care? Will he not pry my fingers open anyway? I have a choice between fear and trust. How can I not trust in him? He can never fail. He will never forsake. His sufficiency is much greater than my own.

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Clint Gospel Puritans Suffering & Trials Theology

Our Heart’s Delight is in the Destination

If you are raising kids you might have a plan for their schooling and their activities. 

Or if you’re going to school yourself, you might have a path for the courses you want to take in order to start a career. 

Or if you are in business you might have a map for the sales and the growth that you want to get.

All of us have plans and tracks and maps. 

But often we find ourselves with the wrong map, or what we think is the right map with the wrong destination. 

Just ask the person next to you when was the last time you were lost. Did you look at the GPS? Did you ask for help? 

Your answer to that question might depend on whether you’re male or female. 

The Philippian Church thought that they had arrived. They were mature. They had a connection to an apostle. They were successfully Roman in a Roman World.  But they had become discontent, divided, and despairing. 

They had gotten off track. They thought they had arrived, but they still had a long way to go. They thought that their success, or their status, or their theology could make them happy.

Is that you this morning?  Have you been tempted to think that you’ve arrived?   

When we look to the Word of God, we may discover that some of us here have not arrived and are lost— horribly lost. Or we may find, that the destination we’ve mapped for our joy is totally wrong. 

Instead, we need to map our joy— so that in the Lord, we rejoice— always (Phil 4:4) 

The Start and Finish

Paul starts with this command: Rejoice. What is joy? Joy is the heart’s delight in the heart’s destination. As Augustine, the 5th Century North African theologian said:

You move us to delight in praising You; for You have formed us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in You.

Confessions and Letters of St Augustine, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers 1:1

Are you restless today? Maybe it is because you are not delighting in God, nor finding your rest in God. Maybe your heart’s delight is aimed at the wrong destination. 

Remember how Jesus had joy and delight in doing the Father’s will? In the language of Psalm 40:8: “I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” On the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, Jesus prayed, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Lk 22:42). How could he say that? As Hebrews 12:2 says about Jesus, it was, “for the joy that was set before him [he] endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Joy is Commanded

John Piper, has written more on Joy than any modern writer. He describes his awakening in 1968 to the importance of joy for the Christian. He said: 

Perhaps most shocking to me in 1968 was the simple and obvious observation that this joy in God is commanded.

The Psalms are littered with joy in God commanded for us:

  • Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
  • Psalm 33:1 Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright.
  • Psalm 32:11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

So our joyless-ness is disobedience. 

Are There Two Classes of Christian?

Now before you balk at that. Just let that sink for a minute. Paul’s command to rejoice always might tempt you to think that there are two classes of Christian. Joyful Christians and UnJoyful Ones. 

But there are not two classes of Christian. Paul commands all believers to rejoice. Paul and James are in complete agreement here. James opens his letter with this command to rejoice, in trials even:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

James 1:2-4

Where is the sphere of your joy? Where is it located? If you were to show me a map of where your joy is could you direct me there? For the Christian, they are always driving to the Lord, and their joy is located there. 

The Happy Place

The Christian may not be always happy with circumstances, but they are happy in that location— in the Lord. Consider this “happy place” that is “in the Lord”

  • In his love for you
  • In his forgiveness for your sins
  • In his cleansing of your guilt
  • In his  Holy Spirit, who is your Holy Spirit
  • In his Father, who is Your Father
  • In his Rule and Reign
  • In his soon return. 

The Puritan Thomas Watson made the observation that, “one smile from Christ’s face will make us forget all our afflictions.” This is why our joy is a fruit of the Spirit, as Galatians 5:22 says. 

Our joy comes from God because our heart’s delight is our heart’s destination.

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Christel Home & Health Spiritual Growth Suffering & Trials

Getting Older: Humiliation and Hope

Lately, I’ve been thinking about finishing well.
I sometimes wonder whether my mind or my body will break down first. I think about the frustration of going from competency to helplessness. What will it be like to have my independence taken away from me? Someday I will no longer be able to drive or live on my own. I may not be able to dress or bath myself. I wonder if I will have the humility to laugh or if I will feel degraded. I recently saw an older person stumble and spill their coffee on their pants and someone’s floor, and feel humiliated. We will all experience this someday.
I think about having loved ones die and being alone. I once heard a widow recount how she was no longer included in certain social events after her husband died because tables were set for an even number, and couples like to hang out with other couples.

The Temptation of Bitterness

I wonder how difficult it will be to journey through old age. Why do some people finish so well, and others act with such ugliness. Some are kind, joyful, and contented even though their life is far more difficult then it was in younger years. Others seem bitter, selfish, and demanding, like they are owed something and not getting their due.
I imagine it is tempting to think, ‘Is this it? Is it all over? Isn’t there supposed to be some payoff for all the things I’ve accomplished in my life?’
I’m sure that the difficulties of old age will exacerbate my sinful tendencies. It’s easy to be a good person when your life is great, but it’s far harder to put sin to death when life is difficult.

Being Forgotten

The elderly are somewhat forgotten in our world. Their spotlight stolen by the young and upcoming. I am convicted that I desire far too much attention from other people. In the words of Robert Murray McCheyne, “I need to be made willing to be forgotten.” If my identity is in Christ alone, then even in my loneliest times, it will be enough. How is it possible that I am loved by the God of the universe–intimately, unconditionally–because of Jesus’ work on my behalf? This truth makes me hopeful.

The Last Chapter

As I contemplate these things, what gives me the greatest hope is this: old age is not the final chapter in life. There is eternity after that. And that is when the payoff comes for those who trust in Jesus for salvation. When our broken, decaying bodies will be made whole again. All that is crooked and wrong in the world will be gone and the beauty of our Saviour will be before our eyes night and day. “In Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).

Final Thoughts

As I contemplate further, I wonder why I assume that I will live into old age anyway? Perhaps I will see my Saviour sooner than I think.
Maybe this all seems a little morbid. I do realize that there is no surer way to make good company uncomfortable than to talk about death. But I wonder if we too often live in a world where sin does not exist and death does not happen. That’s a false reality. But the hope of heaven is truer than we can imagine.

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

2 Cor 3:18

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Clint Home & Health Spiritual Growth Suffering & Trials

You’re Suffering But People are Watching

Entering a hospital can be like walking into a furnace of suffering. When you’re there, you know everything is painful. Any type of serious medical problem can be an open invitation to enter a furnace of affliction that is unwelcome and without easy escape.

Since the pain that people feel can only be really understood by the person experiencing it, sometimes it’s hard for others to empathize sufficiently. So going through the furnace of affliction can be very isolating.

Who is Watching You in the Furnace?

You might be in the furnace, but you never know who is watching.

I was speaking with a church member the other day and she said that the way that she and her husband were responding to medical trials made other family members puzzled. Why weren’t they freaking out? Why weren’t they having a nervous breakdown? Why weren’t they collapsing?

Know that in the furnace, people are watching. And God’s people offer a strange, other-worldly witness to the comforting care of their Lord. Onlookers can’t explain it, which is why Christians must do so.

Inviting Inspection

The witness of the believer in the furnace is so distinct that it invites inspection. The experience is similar to the curiosity which Nebuchadnezzar had when he threw the Hebrews into the furnace (Dan 3:20). When they weren’t consumed, Nebuchadnezzar was without explanation. When he saw there was “one like the son of the gods” in the furnace with them, he was compelled to come closer to the door of the furnace and inquire.

The furnace itself didn’t invite inspection. But the fact that the believers were preserved in the furnace did. Nebuchadnezzar was drawn to ask questions of the sustained sufferers. And his conclusion was that “there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way” (Dan 3:29).

Shackled But Singing

How we suffer is observed by others. When the believer is trusting in God through suffering, they are given a relative peace that passes understanding (Phil 4:7). Their mind is “stayed” on God, so God keeps that mind in “perfect peace” (Isa 26:3). This is not to say that a believer doesn’t have pain or agitation. But what happens is that the believer has a relative peace that defies explanation. People will attempt to ascribe it to medication, or personality. Yet God is able to keep a believer in a category-defying peace of mind which invites inspection.

It is like the prison scene when Paul and Silas were immobilized and shackled in the stocks (Acts 16:24-25). Yet with all of the pain, discomfort, distress and fatigue that their situation brought, they were singing! When sufferers are shackled but singing, it invites inspection.

Of course, the earthquake and the near suicide attempt of the jailer added to the drama in Philippi. But when the smoke cleared and the men were still in the prison, the jailer had to enter and inquire at the feet of Paul and Silas. It is clear that God gave peace to these men, which could not be explained naturally by the jailer. This caused the man to ask, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30).

“Shake Their Heads in Wonder”

Another member of our church has been in the hospital for the past two weeks. The situation was extremely serious and the doctors had grim prospects for her. Two weeks later she is still recovering but the urgency has passed. What looked bleak before looks hopeful today. Aspects of her recovery have defied medical explanations. Her husband wrote that the doctors, “shake their heads in wonder”.

You may be in the furnace of affliction, shackled to suffering. Yet you don’t know who is watching. Maybe the relative peace of mind you are given in your sufferings will invite inspection. Maybe God’s deliverance of you will cause others to shake their heads in wonder. Whatever the trial, we know that God is able to work through it, and draw the lost to “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor 4:6).

unsplash-logoDaan Stevens

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Christel Home & Health Spiritual Growth Suffering & Trials

Broken Jars and the Weight of Glory

Like you, we have often asked the question, “Why, Lord? What are you trying to teach us? What are we supposed to be learning from these trials?” But we know the answer.

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us…” (2 Cor. 4:7)

“Jars of clay” is a description slightly unflattering, but very true. It seems the more I long to be invincible, the brighter my frailty is put on display.

I remember a trip with my boys when we strolled through a graveyard (I know, it’s kind of morbid). We read the gravestones and patched together pieces of lives past–war heroes, children, cowboys, mothers and more–whole families buried together. Once vibrant and alive, now turned again to dust.

Ironically, I was struck by hope because the One with “surpassing power” gives life to ashes.

When the God-Man, Jesus Christ, came into our world to redeem the lost, new life broke into our dying world. My “jar of clay” is being renewed from the inside out. I feel the pain of sin and it’s consequences, but each stroke against me corresponds to a renewal inside of me. A renewal begun and sustained by the Almighty.

I know that there is glory in my future. Glory that is weighty. Glory that is eternal. Glory that is beyond comparison. With each small affliction we are being prepared for it. As the Apostle Paul says:

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Cor. 4:16-18)

The other night as Clint was drifting off to sleep, I suddenly had a very pressing theological question for him. (I seem to do this to him far too often…but then again I have to take advantage of the perks of being married to a pastor!) He graciously woke himself up and spoke with me about what it means for God’s glory to have weight. I wondered if God was resting too weightlessly on me. But if God’s glory truly has weight to it, it should press down on us. We should feel affected by it. This is a glory that demands our attention and fills us with delight.  It takes effort to seek God’s face, but those who behold it agree that there is no earthly comparison. And as Pastor John Piper says, “beholding is becoming.” (cf. 2 Cor. 3:18)

I don’t enjoy difficulties or love affliction, but I have confidence in God’s promises for the future. If each affliction renews and prepares me for His glory, I cannot long for an easy life. If nothing else, this difficult year has taught me something about finding pleasure and joy not through ease of life, but in the face of Jesus Christ–the only One that completely satisfies.

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Clint Spiritual Growth Suffering & Trials

Are You Racing to the Finish Line?

More people are becoming racers these days. Spartan races. Ironman races. Marathons. Road races. Few Sundays pass when there isn’t a group of people wearing bright stretchy shirts trying to remind themselves that they are still alive.

But on Sundays there is another group of racers. They don’t have sweat-wicking shirts, though they might carry a water bottle. These other racers are fighting to finish the race of life. And they are committed to doing it within the boundaries of the path of faith.

The Other Endurance Race

The second group of racers have it harder, not easier than the first group. The fight of faith and the endurance to finish the race requires continued faith in Christ. An eight-month training regime will not do. To race the endurance course of faith means that you give your life to the race, and you run it until your running days are over.

The Christian believer continues forward through pain and trials, while still believing in Jesus Christ. To stop believing is to quit the race. But to keep on believing is the greatest challenge of all the obstacles a believer encounters.

Paul’s Strategy for Racers

The first-century Greco-Roman world was well aware of marathons, olympiads, races, boxing matches and other contests. Paul of Tarsus, a Roman citizen, frequently used the metaphor of these contests to illustrate Christian faith.

When he spoke to the leaders in the Ephesian church he expressed his desire to be more than a race participant. He wanted to be a finisher. He said:

But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

Acts 20:24

Paul was prepared to sacrifice his own comforts in order to finish his course. Since the opportunity to race was given to him by his Lord Jesus, he treated the privilege of participating in the race with the honour it deserved. To be permitted to run was a higher privilege than the mayor Boston could give to a marathoner.

Paul’s goal was not a perishable wreath (1 Cor 9:24-27). Unlike the winners of the Boston Marathon or the Tour De France, Paul’s name would not be forgotten. The reason is that death makes all our earthly achievements to be short-lived and perishing. Only the rewards that are granted in the heavens by an ever-living Lord are the victories that can last.

The Racers’ Reward

Paul was committed to winning this imperishable prize. He would fight to the end to attain it because it was so valuable, worthy and honourable.

He possessed the single-minded focus of a long-distance runner. Paul explained his manner of running in a letter to the Philippian church:

…forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Phil 3:13-14

Paul’s running strategy sounded similar to the best strategies of marathoners through the centuries. The great difference however was the track. Paul was running in the race of faith, desiring to persevere in crossing the finish line still believing in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Racing with Jesus

No feature of the road race analogy differs more between the sporting marathons and the biblical life of faith than the inclusion of Jesus himself.

Although races have fans, and even the Christian life is surrounded by “so great a cloud of witnesses”, (Hebrews 12:1), there is nothing that compares to the presence of Jesus running before the Christian.

In fact, Jesus has already run the course, and has ensured that all who follow him will finish it. So the final key strategy which the Christian marathoner must employ to simply to look to Jesus. The result of this focus is that Jesus himself will lead us to victory. Looking to Jesus holds the key to crossing the finish line. The writer to the Jewish Christians told them they should run in this way:

looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:2

Unlike any Spartan race, Jesus himself is the trailblazer (archegos, Gr.) who guarantees the finish (teleiotes, Gr.) of all the racers. No marathon organizer can make that personal guarantee. And the race of faith is utterly impossible without the gift of faith being given by the trailblazer and brought to completion by his power too.

It’s no wonder then that the Christian in the race of faith is called to endurance. Jesus himself took delight in the reward of being vindicated as truly God. His delight in the finish was greater than the shame of sacrifice and suffering.

Finishing the Race

The Christian must have the reward in their eye. They are called to single-minded focus. Christians are instructed:

 …let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

Hebrews 12:1

Christians may not go to church in logo-covered lycra but they are in a race. They live in faith until the end when they can say, as Paul did, “I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim 4:7) since the one who started them in the race is the one who guarantees their finish (Phil 1:6).

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Christel Church Home & Health Spiritual Growth Suffering & Trials

Advice for Struggling Church Members

Many dear friends have difficulties in their lives that don’t make for good small talk. They feel about as useful to the church as a clock without batteries. And the fact that they make it out to church at all is God’s grace.

It’s tempting to retreat from people in these times, but we must keep coming back because God warns us against quitting fellowship (Heb. 10:25). The opposite of our instinct is what we really need most, and when it comes down to it, our trials are not always about us. Sometimes we go through them for the sake of others.

The Importance of Struggling Church Members

The Apostle Paul describes the church as a living body whose head is Christ. Each individual is an essential part. Some parts of the body appear weaker or less visible and we are tempted to view them as less important. But Paul confronts this misconception in 1 Cor. 12:20-22:

…THERE ARE MANY PARTS, YET ONE BODY. THE EYE CANNOT SAY TO THE HAND, “I HAVE NO NEED OF YOU,” NOR AGAIN THE HEAD TO THE FEET, “I HAVE NO NEED OF YOU.” ON THE CONTRARY, THE PARTS OF THE BODY THAT SEEM TO BE WEAKER ARE INDISPENSABLE…

Against all logic, the weaker ones are “indispensable” to the church. When circumstances cripple you, your ministry may be smaller and less obvious to others, but your worth is not diminished.  The church needs your weakness as much as you need its strength.

5 Practical Tips For Struggling Hearts

Even the most resilient church members have bad days. Some days our hearts feel so fragile that we can’t bear the thought of rubbing up against the opinions of others. Three godly women advised me of what I might do in my circumstance. Here are their suggestions:

  1. Instead of going into all the details of your life, ask people to pray for you in specific things. For example, “Please pray that I could find contentment this week. I’m struggling to wait on God’s timing.” Or whatever is relevant to your circumstances. God works through the prayers of his people and most are happy to pray for you if you ask.
  2. Don’t take responsibility for making others feel okay about your circumstances. People in the church will grieve with you when you grieve. It’s okay. You don’t have to comfort them on your behalf.
  3. If you are having a particularly bad day, avoid small talk. Retreat to a quieter corner and have one or two slower, more focused conversations.
  4. Try not to be hard on people if they are insensitive. They may be feeling guilty that they haven’t asked you about your troubles for a long time, not knowing that you just hashed through it with five other people and you are weary.
  5. It’s okay to divert the conversation. A vague answer followed by a question can put the attention on someone else. And sometimes the best thing we can do is get out of our own head and encourage another person. Because perhaps you—in your messy, unstable life—will speak into someone else’s life the exact insight that they need to hear. God’s strength is made perfect in weakness and sometimes Christ’s power works through us when we feel our most inadequate (2 Cor. 12.9).

This advice has helped me to be part of church life even on days when I’m struggling. In my experience, the times that I wanted to fellowship the least I often benefited the most or had a surprising opportunity to speak into someone’s life. What God is teaching me in my struggles is often the exact thing that someone else needs to hear.

But it is also important to admit our limitations. Pride makes us hate to admit neediness of any kind, but the truth is, we need each other and ultimately, we need Christ. And sometimes our weakness offers the perfect vantage point to encourage those around us in the Lord.

An earlier version of this article was published at CBMW, Why the Church Needs Struggling Members.

unsplash-logoSam Moqadam

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Christel Gospel Marriage Spiritual Growth Suffering & Trials

Does Godliness Seem Like An Intimidating Goal?

I walk hand in hand with the man I love. Golden evening sun warms the flowing barley field, and we circle around it in contented quiet. My husband knows me well. My sensitive nature has been bruised, and I still feel the effects of it. Sometimes I wish I had thicker skin, but I’m reluctant to form calluses that shut people out. What I really want is to be able to forgive when people hurt me. But I’m weary, and it feels hard.“It’s like a muscle you have to train,” he said gently. “You just keep practicing until it becomes easier.”His comment got me thinking more about training for godliness. Each choice—no matter how small—is like flexing a muscle. The apostle Paul encouraged his spiritual son, Timothy, to “train yourself for godliness” (1 Tim. 4:7). And I wonder if training looks more ordinary than we imagine. As strange as it sounds, sometimes we need to think smaller. Our longings for extraordinary experiences can blind us to the opportunity right in front of us. Even good ambitions require little steps first. Before you climb a mountain, you have to do your push-ups. And sometimes finding the motivation to “train yourself” is harder than you imagined.

God’s Grace Is More Than a One-Time Blessing

Do athletic metaphors for spirituality make you feel deflated? Maybe you are struggling in your spiritual life and can’t imagine how you could run harder. Christians feel the pull of sin because we live in tension between what is sometimes called “the now and not yet.” Christ’s sacrifice for our sin has made us “perfect” and yet we are “being sanctified” (Heb. 10:12–14). Our position before God is holy, and yet in practice, we still struggle with sin—both our own and also the sins of others. Paul describes it by saying, “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. . . . Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Rom. 7:19, 24).We all feel this tension of not being good enough and frustration with struggles that we can’t seem to conquer. Remember there is grace for this moment. God’s grace is not exhausted by justification but overflows into sanctification. So we can respond with Paul, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Rom. 7:25).

Where Do You Find Hope?

Scottish pastor, Robert Murray M’Cheyne, once said, “For every look at self, take ten looks at Christ.” In other words, however long we analyze our struggles, we need to spend that amount of time—times ten—meditating on Christ and His promises. When we read God’s Word, listen to preaching, and pray, our minds are transformed and our spirits are renewed. These disciplines feel ordinary, and even boring at times, but God uses these ordinary means of grace to do an extraordinary transformation in our hearts. Far too often our struggles blind us to the hope in front of us. Like a millionaire who acts homeless, we have a wealth of resources in Christ but can’t see past our circumstances to take hold of it. But when we look to Christ, we find hope, because in Him we have everything we need for life and godliness (  2 Peter 1:3). Does godliness seem like an intimidating goal? Do you know that there is hope in Christ when your heart feels weary?

A version of this article was posted at TrueWoman.com under the title, Spiritual Training for Weary Souls 

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Canada Clint Global Gospel Society Suffering & Trials

The Persecution Spectrum

Could it be that we misunderstand the persecutions which Christians face? On the one hand, we can think that only the imprisoned are persecuted. At the other hand, we can argue that every resistance from the world, the flesh and the devil is a species of persecution.

Degrees of Persecution

I think it’s better to think of persecution on a spectrum. When seen on a spectrum, persecution of Christians is not limited to the extremes of being either non-existent (we’re not persecuted in the West) or state co-ordinated (Stalinist, Maoist, etc). There are degrees. And each degree requires a measured response.

Persecution in the West

In the West, the spectrum of persecution applies. It is not like the overt political co-ordination of other countries, but it is moving along the spectrum in that direction.

Part of what is happening is that there is a vast shift which removes the cultural elites of the past and replaces them with others. Christians are not in the cultural elite anymore. In fact, they are viewed with suspicion. The result is that Christians won’t get preferential treatment. When they enter grey areas, Christians won’t get the benefit of the doubt. Christians were in the habit of feeling they ought to have their voice heard, as much or more so than other citizens. Now when their voice enters the public square, many people are looking for a way to turn off the microphone. It’s not always state co-ordinated. But it is social, informal and real.

Denunciation as Persecution

I was reminded of this when our church posted an announcement on social media about an upcoming conference on biblical sexuality. The comments were hostile. When I tried to be winsome and persuasive, I was accused of being arrogant and not secular enough in my reply.

From this exchange I realized something. The person who was so incensed by our conference did not want to dialogue with me. They wanted to denounce me. Denunciation has been a form of persecution made popular in the twentieth century, particularly in communist countries. There is no physical effect. There is not even a legal component. But denunciation is a more aggressive form of opposition than mere disagreement.

Distorted Views of Persecution

Now if you agree with me that persecution is on a spectrum, the temptation will be to distort the proportions of the persecution that you might feel. It can be easy to dramatize our psychological injuries into massive systemic plots. In fact, across society, this is already happening as people will claim that others are expressing micro-aggressions against them. If we make a co-worker’s denunciation of us into a basis for a rights crusade, we will have lost the battle completely.

Our Adversary

Instead, we have to consider how the early Christians faced varying degrees of persecution. In the first century when Peter wrote to the “elect exiles” in the region of modern Turkey, he reminded them that the first persecutor was the devil. He called him the “adversary” and likened him to a prowling lion “seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

According to Peter’s logic, a Christian who reads his first letter needs to be watchful for this persecutor, the devil. In fact, Peter instructs:

Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world

1 Peter 5:9

Unless you are going to interpret the passage in a way that limits Satan’s activity only to the work of governments, you will broaden the application. Persecution is on a spectrum. If we don’t recognize the spectrum, we will be “ignorant of his designs” (2 Cor 2:11) and fail to resist the devil when he works in ways other than government-sanctioned persecution.

Not Bitter and Fuzzy

We ought to beware of letting our happy, yet clear witness turn bitter and fuzzy. If we give our best energies to fighting for a cultural seat at the table, we will have little energy left to be faithful ambassadors of another kingdom. If we lobby only for societal rights, we’ll be fuzzy about the superior summons to belief in the gospel. If we are shrill in our replies to sinners who are “without God and without hope in the world” (Eph 2:12), then our bitter witness will only communicate that our gospel is powerless to change hatred to love. The gospel even creates love for enemies (Mt 5:44).

Practice Joyfully Clear Witness

Our gospel witness muscles can practice responding to persecution in the less intense end of the spectrum. That practice will prepare us for more intense sufferings. At least Christians will stop being surprised by the spectrum of persecution. Peter says we shouldn’t be surprised (1 Peter 4:12). We know that it is coming. If we respond with joyful clarity about the truth of the gospel, we can have confidence that we share in some degree with the “same kinds of suffering… experienced by [our] brotherhood throughout the world” (5:9).

Above all, we need to remember that we “share Christ’s sufferings”, with the goal that we “may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed”. (4:13). Let us embrace our joyfully clear witness. This witness is both our duty and our joy across the entire spectrum of persecution.

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