Miles Stanford on self denial

Posted on February 4, 2013 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment

We often come across Christians who are bright and clever, and strong and righteous; in fact, a little too bright, and a little too clever – there seems so much of self in their strength, and their righteousness is severe and critical. They have everything to make them saints, except . . . crucifixion, which would mold them into a supernatural tenderness and limitless charity for others. But if they are of the real elect, God has a winepress prepared for them, through which they will some day pass, which will turn the metallic hardness of their nature into gentle love, which Christ always brings forth at the last of the feast.

– Miles Stanford

Quarterbacks, kings and the rest of us

Posted on February 1, 2013 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment

The Quarterback

A lot is being made of the fact that when Alex Smith of the San Francisco 49er’s lost his job as starting quarterback, he acted like a professional and continued to work hard to help his team. Just this morning, I heard that the head coach commended Alex for stepping in to help coach his replacement.

Alex did not lose his job because he failed. The team had a winning record when he was replaced. I doubt that he stopped believing in his ability to get the job done, nor did he lose his desire to play. I am sure that when the first whistle blows on Sunday that Alex will feel a pang knowing that unless his replacement gets hurt or plays poorly, he will not get to play.

It is fascinating to listen to sports talk radio as they discuss this. They admire Alex’s circumspection and reluctance to cause a problem. But, they are sometimes at a loss to figure out what would motivate him to take this so well.

Most attribute Alex’s behavior to the fact that he is likely to get a large contract next year from a team that is in need of a starting quarterback if he does not cause problems in the locker room. Some attribute it to professional pride. Others point to his respect for his coach. Is it possible that he is doing it because it is the right thing to do, no matter the consequences? Without him telling us, it is impossible to know for sure what his motivation is.

The King

Jonathan was the crown prince. When Saul, the king, could no longer reign, Jonathan would assume the throne. Yet we learn in the book of 1 Samuel, that God had a different plan. David, the shepherd and giant killer, was God’s choice to be king after Saul.

Jonathan could have participated with Saul in the attempts to remove David as a threat. Jonathan could have complained, mocked or ridiculed David as a usurper to the throne. Yet, Jonathan did none of these things. What he did do was to help David and to make a covenant with him. Jonathan was content to serve under David, he understood that to submit to David was required of him in submission to God.

The rest of us

Our culture puts a lot of pressure on us to succeed and move up. “Second place is first loser” is often said with regard to sports but this attitude transfers into all of life. We fell pressure to move up the corporate ladder, add more clients, build our income or increase our prestige. We are told that we should never accept a lesser position, that we should strive and do whatever it takes to get the higher one.

Despite what self-help gurus and advertisers tell us, we cannot all be the boss. We cannot all come out on top. Some of us are underemployed. Some of us are in positions in life that are not what we would consider optimal. How do we deal with this?

The Bible has examples of men and women who had legitimate reason to be frustrated with their circumstances but choose to be content while they waited for change. Joseph, Daniel, Abigail, Moses and Ruth come immediately to mind. All of these were commended for their faithfulness despite their frustrating circumstances. They did not wallow in self pity, nor did they give up hope for change, they trusted God with their desire for improvement.

We can learn from Jonathan and Alex Smith that while it may not be glamorous or yield reward in the short run, faithfulness in the role we are currently given is the right thing to do.

For the Christian, who is seeking God through his circumstances while waiting (and perhaps striving) for change, we have the assurance that God “is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6 NASB)

Play backup if it is necessary but be preparing for the move up when God deems the time to be right.

It’s a matter of perspective – reaction to the angry atheists

Posted on January 30, 2013 Written by Mark McIntyre 5 Comments

It is an over simplification, but the work of some popular atheist writers can be summed up in the phrase, “God does not exist and I hate him.” The God they deny is presented as a vengeful and capricious dictator along the lines of Nero. Passages from the Old Testament are pulled from their context to support the notion that God is a monster and should be hated. The tone of these writers is often one of anger or disgust.

This is a very different view from the way that Jesus represented his Father. In Luke 15, Jesus presents an image of God as a loving father who is watching and waiting for his wayward son to return. When the son eventually comes back, the father greets him with rejoicing rather than reproach. The son comes home expecting a tongue lashing but instead finds himself the focus of celebration.

The church can unwittingly reinforce the negative view of God by presenting the Christian life as one of rule keeping. When Christianity is reduced to a set of do’s and don’ts, the implication is that God is watching and keeping score. When in reality, God does not keep score and it is the church members that are watching.

The primary thing that believers can do in response to the claims of the angry atheists is to continue to walk in relationship to God and live out the claims of the Gospel.

Paul tells us in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” (NASB) The salvation to which Paul refers is not a one-time event such as buying a lifetime membership to a shopping club. Salvation is an ongoing process of reclaiming the territory lost to the Enemy in the fall. Elsewhere Paul uses the analogy of clothing to describe this; we are to put off the old man and put on Christ, like we put on and take off garments.

Living out the claims of the Gospel means being loving when attacked. It means being patient with those who are irreverent toward God. It may mean that we suffer real persecution for our beliefs. In short, it means that we respond to the world around us the way we see Jesus responding to it in the Gospels.

Recently, a commentor on this blog correctly pointed out that we cannot argue anyone into the Kingdom of God. Those who have the perception of God as an angry and vengeful bully will not be persuaded by quoting Scripture or well reasoned arguments. The only thing that may break through is a life lived in imitation of Jesus.

A line that I heard a while back comes to mind, “you may be the only gospel that your neighbor reads.” It is by living out the truth of the Gospel that we can provide the correct perspective on who God is. We are called to represent him well, as did our example, Jesus.

Andrew Murray on taking up the Cross

Posted on January 28, 2013 Written by Mark McIntyre 1 Comment

Christians need to understand that bearing the cross does not in the first place refer to the trials which we call crosses, but to the daily giving up of life, of dying to self, which must mark us as much as it did the Lord Jesus., which we need in times of prosperity almost more than adversity, and without which the fullness of the blessing of the cross cannot be disclosed to us.

-Andrew Murray

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