Godward Toil

His eye was undimmed, his vigor unabated

Several times this week I felt tired, old, and weary. Too many deadlines and too little sleep. At one point, I read this, which reminded me of what seeing the glory of God can do for a man: "Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eye was undimmed, and his vigor unabated." (Duet 34:7)

My weariness is normal...and lifts my eyes

More encouragement from Ecclesiastes.  The verses I included in my previous post had one phrase that I did not mention, but which later brought me comfort:

All things are full of weariness;
a man cannot utter it;  (Ecc 1:8)

Later in the same chapter, we read this:

And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind. (Ecc 1:13b-14)

I often get discouraged about how much apparently meaningless nonsense I have to spend my day dealing with.  There are two truths that encourage me about this at different times.  One truth is that God is sovereign over all that "nonsense" and is working every bit of it for my good (Roman 8). The other is the truth contained in this Ecclesiastes passage:  that the normal human experience involves being busy with unhappy business.   Marvelously, these two truths can work together to lift our eyes to heaven!   God is working in every detail of this world.  The world is full of unhappy striving. God is keeping me and moving me ever onward toward ever increasing joy in his glory in heaven!  

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.  And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved.  (Romans 8:19-24a)

Lord, help me hold on to a vision of heaven, as I muddle and groan in the world today.

You're list will never get shorter!

One of the principles I appreciate about GTD, and often remind people when I'm counseling them about living more productivity for God, is that your list will never get shorter.  God is always working, His kingdom is always advancing, the world is always decaying.  So every time you cross something off, something new will appear.   One of the first rules I share with people (and try to remind myself every day) is "Give up the fantasy of completion."

In my daily Bible reading, I came across this passage in Ecclesiastes which caused me to meditate, once again, on this principle:

All streams run to the sea,
but the sea is not full;
to the place where the streams flow,
there they flow again.
All things are full of weariness;
a man cannot utter it;
the eye is not satisfied with seeing,
nor the ear filled with hearing.
Ecc 1:7-8

The work I have to do in my life--for my job, for my ministry, for my family--is like the streams running to the sea, and sound going to the ear.    If the stream had as its goal to fill up the ocean and be done, it would be sorely disappointed, and badly confused about its purpose.   That doesn't mean that the stream's work isn't important;  it's essential.  It's just that the goal is not clearing my list, any more than the goal of listening to music or of looking at my wife as to fill my ears and eyes so that they don't ever need to listen or look again.

Praise the Lord for his wise and perfect Word, sufficient for every circumstance of life!

Biblical truth about anger

A friend asked me for theological and counseling resources related to anger.   In putting together some materials, I was reminded of two important biblical truths about anger that have helped me in my own life, and in counseling others: 

The first is encapsulated by something that C.S. Lewis wrote in one of his poems, "Anger's the anesthetic of the mind."   That is, we feel angry to feel better.  We express anger to feel better or to fix a situation that seems wrong.  When God blessed Abel, Cain was "very angry." (Gen 4:5)  God encouraged him to "do well," (Gen 4:7) but rather than engage his mind and the Lord in how to do well, he sought a shortcut to feeling better by giving full vent to envy and resentment.   It is natural, in the flesh, to try to correct wrongs and hurts through anger.  It honestly feels like it's going to help.  This is why James needed to warn us that "the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God."   It's hard to believe that sometimes.  The feeling that our anger is productive for justice is so seductive.  But in fact, our anger is a way of numbing ourselves from the feelings with which we can cry out to God.  Anger feeds pride and circumvents sorrowful dependence.

The second (which I first learned from John Piper in Future Grace ) is that trust in God's wrath is the best antidote to anger.  Every wrong perpetrated against me or anyone else will be punished in hell.  Every one.  The punishment will either rest on the perpetrator or (if s/he embraces Christ for forgiveness and righteousness), on Jesus Christ.  Either way, justice will be done!   Paul instructs us to rest in the knowledge of God's wrath and justice: "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19)   David knew this when he acted with unbelievable restraint and felt such unbelievable humility in the face of Saul's anger and wrongdoing.  Over and over he says to Saul, "May the Lord judge between me and you, may the Lord avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you." (1 Samuel 24:12).

These truths together can elucidate almost any situation that relates to anger.   They draw out the deep waters of the heart (Prov 20:5) about which we are often deceived (Jer 17:9), and point a way toward peace and purification from anger's poison.

The purest words ever spoken from a pulpit

The first 17 minutes of this sermon by John Piper put a stake in the ground for my life.  Pastor John recites scripture from the heart the way I want to, and want my children to.  Paul said to the Corinthians, "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ."   So I am within God's plan for the body of Christ when I desire to imitate this precious brother's Word-soaked life.   These 17 minutes are my vision of biblical productivity.  These words are tools for Godward toil.   If you do nothing else on the Internet this week, watch or listen to (don't just read) this sermon about Scripture memory.

Encouraging faithfulness to core disciplines

I've been considering this morning how to encourage faithfulness to the core disciplines of hearing from God through Bible reading and prayer.   This topic has come to mind for three reasons: 

1. I am always seeking strategies for defeating sloth and distraction in my flesh. 
2. My current focus on church ministry teams has me pleading with God for a team of brothers and sisters who are in the word and praying every day because (as I've discussed in my posts on Psalm 127), the house we build will either fall down or do no lasting good unless the Lord builds it.
3. I recently listened to John Piper's annual sermon exhorting his people to faithful and fruitful prayer.  It is always one of my favorites of the year (last year's blew me away).  This year Pastor John strongly emphasized building habits around prayer, including committing to a time and place.

I've heard the exhortation for having a time and place many times, and of course it is wise.  But I also sense it is incomplete for many people.   I needed to link my disciplines to other actions and habits in my life.  For me, the most helpful strategy has been the "no email before bible" resolution.  This strategy built Psalm 127 thinking into my day--I was essentially saying to myself, "Don't fool yourself into thinking that any work or personal correspondence that is not build upon your relationship with God will be any good to anyone."    I was also trying to defeat Satan's subtle tactics to get me off track with what is most important--"just take care of this one thing and get it off your mind so you can really focus on your Bible," the devil would prompt--which of course just got me off to the races, never to return to my plan for quiet time with my Lord.

I have not always been faithful to my resolution, but it has helped a lot.  I'm considering upping the ante on it by changing some usernames or passwords to include phrases like "IvereadmyBibleGod" somewhere in them (note to hackrs:  this is an example and it won't be in any of my passwords, which will be way more disguised:).   I've also thought about a yellow sticky over the keypad of my work and cell phone that says "Remove only after daily devotions" which would require me to take it off before the Lord prior to using.  After all, the whole reason he has blessed me with a phone is so that I can do my work or ministry for Him!   How silly is it for me to use a phone without seeking him for purity and purpose in all I do?   I'd love to find a way to disable my car with a prayer detector that wouldn't let it start until I had earnestly sought Him!

Now, I know these kinds of suggestions open one to charges of legalism, which is why I LOVED Piper's direct response to this criticism in the prayer sermon this year:

And meanwhile the devil is whispering all over this room: “The pastor is getting legalistic now. He’s starting to use guilt now. He’s getting out the law now.” To which I say, “To hell with the devil and all of his destructive lies. Be free!” Is it true that intentional, regular, disciplined, earnest, Christ-dependent, God-glorifying, joyful prayer is a duty? Do I go to pray with many of you on Tuesday at 6:30 a.m., and Wednesday at 5:45 p.m., and Friday at 6:30 a.m., and Saturday at 4:45 p.m., and Sunday at 8:15 a.m. out of duty? Is it a discipline?

You can call it that. It’s a duty the way it’s the duty of a scuba diver to put on his air tank before he goes underwater. It’s a duty the way pilots listen to air traffic controllers. It’s a duty the way soldiers in combat clean their rifles and load their guns. It’s a duty the way hungry people eat food. It’s a duty the way thirsty people drink water. It’s a duty the way a deaf man puts in his hearing aid. It’s a duty the way a diabetic takes his insulin. It’s a duty the way Pooh Bear looks for honey. It’s a duty the way pirates look for gold.

It goes without saying that just because I remove a yellow sticky from my phone, read my Bible pray, doesn't mean that my heart is with the Lord.  The habit doesn't make the heart, but not having the habit can destroy chances of developing the heart.  That is too big a risk for me.  I  fear wasting my life and time building houses, keeping watch, rising up early and going late to rest (Psalm 127:1-2) if the Lord is not in it.  I also fear for a church ministry team that would meet to talk, plan, and work without every person continually asking God for an renewed mind (Romans 12:2) and a pure heart (Psalm 51).  Join me in praying for faithfulness to core disciplines this year.

Productivity in the face of sorrow

John Piper drew from Daniel to encourage us toward biblical productivity in a post on the DGM blog yesterday.   I appreciated this encouragement to press on in God's work despite the sorrow and pain around us, and was surprised at the foundation Piper pointed to for the productivity:  God's great love for us ("you are greatly loved" Dan 9:23).    In my work, faced all the time with horrific pain and sorrow.  I often take solace in God's wisdom to get out of bed, stay focused and productive.  But I hadn't previously meditated on love, per se, as a source for strength and perseverance when news is bad.   In fact, as I examined myself, I discovered that God's great love for me is not a truth that touches me very often.  I feel much more in touch with others of his attributes and other parts of his goodness toward me.   So this was a helpful call to awaken to this love and derive comfort, strength, and good works from it.

What will I be found doing when He comes?: Productivity reflections on 1 Thesssalonians

2 Thes 1:5-10 refers to the judgment and joy that Christ will bring when "the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels."   Paul draws a stark and frightening contrast between the suffering that "those who do not know God and those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus" will experience, and the glory and marveling that his saints will enjoy.   As I read this passage, I asked myself, "What will I be found doing when He comes?"   

This question can be (and has been for me at various times) a deterrent from obvious moral transgression.  It is a frightful thing to imagine being found rejecting God and willfully engaging in sin.  But it seems just as important to consider the more subtle aspects and implications of this question.   "What will I be found thinking about, focused on, working on, resting from?"    Productivity is so much about what has your attention.    It doesn't mean we need to be "doing" all of the time--the most productive thing at any given moment might be rest or meditation.  It will be a marvelous thing to be found sitting quietly--or even taking a break in a day of hard work and diligence.   But I do not want to be found wasting time with things that either numb me to God's designs or focus me on myself.  Almost anything can be a candidate:  shopping, overeating, web surfing, worrying, social networking.  I also do not want to be found wasting time for lack of planning, like spending 2 hours looking for a lost document in a pile of un-filed papers, or bouncing from task to task without completing any because I don't know what to do next.

Only God knows when he will come (e.g. 1 Thes 5:2).   And when He does, those who are truly his sheep will forget everything we were doing or not doing when we hear His voice.  In the meantime, faith is staying with Him, peacefully and diligently walking in the good works he has prepared beforehand for us to.

Paul prays for Thessalonians' resolutions, for the glory of God

I took encouragement this morning from Paul's words for the Thessalonians in 1 Thes 1:11-12.  He told them that he was praying that God would, "fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ."   

• This passage encouraged me with the following truths:It is good and right for Christians to "resolve for good."  (He wouldn't be praying for God to fulfill their resolutions if it weren't good to be making them to begin with!)
• My resolutions and works of faith are fulfilled by God's power (not my own).
• The end (the "so that") of my resolutions and work is for the name of Jesus to be glorified and for me to caught up in that glory with him ("glorified in you, and you in him").

So, take heart, and be bold in what you resolve for Christ today!

Who is "getting things done"?

In my post yesterday about Psalm 127, I offered a few reflections on the relationship between Psalm 127: 1-2 and productivity.  Today I want to add a related point about the strange and wonderful revelation in these verses of God's sovereignty and our co-workmanship.

Similar to the verses I posted about after hearing a Piper sermon, and so many others (like Phil 2:12-13), verses 1 and 2 of Psalm 127 has that strange and wonderful property where the subject or actor of the sentence fluidly shifts between God and man: "Unless the Lord builds...those who build..."   Who is doing the building here?  The Lord or those who build?  The answer, inexplicably, marvelously is YES!

How could the Maker and Sustainer of the universe being doing the puny little things I'm doing?  Building houses, writing emails, teaching classes..he's doing all of it!  What power...and what an unbelievable foundation to stand upon upon as I go about trying to manage what seems like an impossible number of tasks.  Keep me on that Rock, oh God!