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Archive for March, 2011

The goodness of God in protecting us against the culture – through disability!

Posted in Quotes, Scripture on March 11, 2011| 3 Comments »

Disability causes many to question the goodness of God. I know I once did.

But there is also a way to think of disability in terms of how it protects us from passively accepting everything the culture wants us to believe – like ‘good people’ (which we are told we are even in light of all the evidence to the contrary) only deserve ‘good’ things in our lives.

We know that life includes hard things – we simply can’t avoid it if disability has entered our family.  So we read the Scriptures with that in mind, and understand the sovereignty of God as being over all things, including hard things.

Of course, not everyone has that advantage like we have.  And when I see pastors warning their people to fight against being sucked into unbiblical ways to view the world, I realize how much grace God has given to me through my son’s disabilities and my wife’s cancer.

For example, D.A. Carson, in How Long, Oh Lord, warns against Christians assuming ‘we ought to be immune from such evil and suffering.’  And he also offers a good solution!

We remember the wonderful triumphs of Joseph, Gideon, and David; we meditate continuously on the miraculous healing of the man born blind, or on the resurrection of Lazarus. We are less inclined to think through the sufferings of Jeremiah, the constant ailments of Timothy, the illness of Trophimus, or the thorn in Paul’s flesh. A righteous man like Naboth perishes under trumped up charges (1 Kings 21). The “good guys” do not always win. .  . we may be infected by a pious version of the raw triumphalism that prevails in much of the surrounding culture because we have not taken care to follow the balance of Scripture.  Carson, p. 25.

Yes, the whole Bible is good for us to know!  It protects us from thinking, and behaving, in ways that are not God-honoring or helpful to other people!

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16).

I learned that lesson because God brought disability and disease into my home.

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“When the Lord utters a promise, He never runs back from it” – Spurgeon

Posted in Sermons, Special Events on March 10, 2011| Leave a Comment »

I was reading through Spurgeon’s sermon, ‘The Anchor‘ that he delivered in 1876 and thought of the theme for the Children Desiring God conference: Holding Fast to the Word of Truth:

What is our anchor? It has two great blades or flukes to it, each of which acts as a holdfast. It is made of two Divine things. The one is God’s promise, a sure and stable thing, indeed! We are very ready to take a good man’s promise, but perhaps the good man may forget to fulfill it, or be unable to do so—neither of these things can occur with the Lord—He cannot forget and He cannot fail to do as He has said! Jehovah’s promise, what a certain thing it must be! If you had nothing but the Lord’s bare Word to trust to, surely your faith should never stagger. To this sure word is added another Divine thing, namely, God’s oath.

Beloved, I scarcely dare speak upon this sacred topic! God’s oath, His solemn assertion, His swearing by Himself! Conceive the majesty, the awe, the certainty of this! Here, then, are two Divine assurances, which, like the flukes of the anchor, hold us fast. Who dares doubt the promise of God? Who can have the audacity to distrust His oath? We have for our anchor two things, which, in addition to their being Divine, are expressly said to be Immutable—that is, two things which cannot change! When the Lord utters a promise, He never runs back from it—“the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” Has He said and shall He not do it? Has He promised and shall it not stand fast? He never changes and His promise abides from generation to generation!

Good men DO forget their promises, or find they cannot fulfill those promises.  But God ALWAYS fulfills his promises. What a great truth to teach to the next generation!  And what a great comfort for us living in the uncertainty of disability, disease, and suffering.

Personal note: I have a Kindle and access to the internet about anywhere I go.  But I discovered a small collection of Spurgeon’s sermons in the church library one Sunday between services. What a find! There is definitely still a place for church libraries.

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“His grace is capable of stupendous feats of love” – John Piper

Posted in commentary, Scripture on March 9, 2011| Leave a Comment »

One of the arguments raised in support of abortion is that we can prevent the suffering that comes with disability.  In essence, it is better to destroy a child with disabilities than to let him live a life that may include suffering, for himself and for his family.

There are too many people who believe that lie.

Pastor John goes right at that question in Brothers, We Are Not Professionals (emphasis in bold is mine):

5.  By judging difficult and even tragic human life as a worse evil than taking life, abortionists contradict the wide-spread Biblical teaching that God loves to show His gracious power through suffering and not just by helping people avoid suffering.

This does not mean we should seek suffering for ourselves or for others. But it does mean that suffering is generally portrayed in the Bible as the necessary and God-ordained, though not God-pleasing plight of this fallen world (Rom. 8:20-25; Ezek. 18:32). It is seen as the necessary portion of all who would enter the kingdom (Acts 14:22; 1 Thess. 3:3-4) and live lives of godliness (2 Tim. 3:12). This suffering is never viewed merely as a tragedy.  It is also viewed as a means of growing deep with God and becoming strong in this life (Rom. 5:3-5; James 1:3-4; Heb. 12:3-11; 2 Cor. 1:9; 4:7-12; 12:7-10) and becoming something glorious in the life to come (2 Cor. 4:17; Rom. 8:18).

When abortionists argue that taking life is less evil than the difficulties that will accompany life, they are making themselves wiser than God who teaches us that His grace is capable of stupendous feats of love through the suffering of those who live.

John Piper, Brothers, We Are Not Professionals, p. 223.

Personal note: until Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God came out, Brothers, We Are Not Professionals was my favorite Piper book.

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Please pray for the CDG Conference this week

Posted in Prayer Requests, Special Events on March 8, 2011| Leave a Comment »

On Thursday more than 800 people will be gathering for the 2011 Children Desiring God Conference in Bloomington.  I think nearly 100 are coming from outside the United States!

Please be in prayer for this conference.  We know the enemy of our faith hates the theme of this conference, Holding Fast to the Word of Truth, hates the leaders who are coming, and hates the idea of the next generation learning about the sovereignty of God in all things through the Word.

Yet, it is precisely because it is based on the Word that I have hope it will have lasting impact!  And when leaders (and families) soak in these truths, they are better equipped to deal positively and proactively with families dealing with disability.  So, this isn’t a small thing for us!

The CDG team sent this list of prayer requests for the conference.  Will you join me in praying?

  • Our Plenary Speakers (John Piper, Russell Moore, Kempton Turner, and David Michael) and 26 Seminar Leaders—that their messages will overflow from God’s work in their hearts, bringing honor to Him through His word of truth. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.—Psalm 19:14

  • CDG Team (David, Sally, Jill, Brian, Rachel, Jim, Beth, Sarah, and Karen)—for the Lord’s wisdom and guidance as we prepare, trusting that God can do anything and will provide for all of our needs. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.—2 Corinthians 12:9
  • Our Team of 150+ Volunteers—that the Lord will provide all that they need to serve well in the strength that that He provides. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.— 2 Corinthians 9:8
  • Staff at the Conference hotel and transportation providers—that we can work well together, giving honor to the Lord in all of our interactions before, during, and after the event so that they will be drawn to Him. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.—Matthew 5:16

  • Our Attendees—for those coming from around the U.S. and from other countries. And pray that all of our attendees will be encouraged and equipped to return to their churches and homes to bear kingdom fruit in the hearts of the next generations. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.–2 Corinthians 4:15

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“He will save you even now!” C.H. Spurgeon

Posted in Quotes on March 7, 2011| 2 Comments »

A reminder that we should never despair, no matter the circumstance!

From Charles H. Spurgeon in his sermon, Hope in Hopeless Cases, preached in 1868:

The kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, while on earth, was so extensive as to touch the confines both of Heaven and Hell. We see Him at one moment discoursing with Moses and Elijah in His Glory, as though at Heaven’s gates, and lo, in a few hours we see Him confronting a foul spirit, as though defying the infernal pit. There is a long journey from Patriarchs to demons, from Prophets to dumb devils, yet mercy prompts Him and power supports Him so that He is equally glorious in either place!

. . . Our Lord’s transfiguration did not disqualify Him for casting out devils, nor did it make Him feel too sublime and spiritual to grapple with human ills. And so, at this hour, the glories of Heaven do not take Him off from the miseries of earth, nor do they make Him forget the cries and tears of the feeble ones who are seeking Him in this valley of tears. . .

I say again, it is infernal impertinence that has dared to suggest the idea of despair to a sinner! Christ unable to save? It can never be! Christ outdone by Satan and by sin? Impossible! A sinner with too many diseases for the Great Physician to heal? I tell you that if all the diseases of men were met in you, and if all the sins of men were heaped on you, and if blasphemy and murder and fornication and adultery—and every sin that is possible or imaginable had all been committed by you—the precious blood of Jesus Christ, God’s dear Son, could cleanse you from all that! If you will but trust my Master—and He is worthy to be trusted and deserves your confidence—if you will but trust Him, He will save you even now!

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“The source gives its own product” – Mary Beeke

Posted in Book Commentary, Quotes on March 6, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Years ago, when Paul was still very young, an older saint stopped to talk with me at church.

She didn’t use any of the ‘right’ words to describe Paul’s disabilities; in fact, she used most of the wrong words!

This was in the days when I was hyper-sensitive about anything connected to my son or his disabilities.  I was more than prepared to take offense at the smallest of things, and using the wrong words would not have been a small thing.

But all I felt were her godly affections for me and for my son.

I thought of that old saint as I read Mary Beeke’s The Law of Kindness: Serving with Heart and Hands:

Oil flows from an oil well. A mountain stream produces fresh water. The source gives its own product. A loving heart produces loving words. Some fountains trickle, some effuse. Whether we speak much or little, let our words be good and kind.  Beeke, p. 179.

Her words weren’t ‘correct,’ but her heart certainly was.  Her loving heart made her words land on me as loving.

The Holy Spirit helped me see something, or, rather, he helped me to feel something real and powerful in the midst of so much chaos and hurt and bitterness in those days.

Why am I a Christian hedonist today? At root, of course, is that God did the miracle of making me finally alive. But God has also used old (and young) saints to pursue us in love, and that love comes from an overflowing joy in and gratefulness toward Jesus.  And I want to be like that.

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The darkness really is that dark

Posted in commentary, News on March 5, 2011| 1 Comment »

Most Americans, even those who generally support a ‘right’ to abortion, don’t like the idea of later-term abortions.

Ann Furedi points out why this is intellectually dishonest:

To the ‘ethical straddlers’ concerned about gestation we must ask: is there anything qualitatively different about a fetus at, say, 28 weeks that gives it a morally different status to a fetus at 18 weeks or even eight weeks? It certainly looks different because its physical development has advanced. At 28 weeks we can see it is human – at eight weeks a human embryo looks much like that of a hamster. But are we really so shallow, so fickle, as to let our view on moral worth be determined by appearance? Even if at five weeks we can only see an embryonic pole, we know that it is human. The heart that can be seen beating on an ultrasound scan at six weeks is as much a human heart as the one that beats five months later.

That sounds like a great case against all abortions!

However, she’s actually arguing the opposite.

The moral principle at stake in the debate on later abortions, the one that genuinely matters, has been ignored completely in the recent discussions. This is the principle of moral autonomy in respect of reproductive decisions. To argue that a woman should no longer be able to make a moral decision about the future of her pregnancy, because 20 or 18 or 16 weeks have passed, assaults this and, in doing so, assaults the tradition of freedom of conscience that exists in modern pluralistic society.

Let’s remember what moral autonomy gets us on ANY issue:

None is righteous, no, not one (Romans 3:10).

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

For the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).

And let us also not forget what moral autonomy means in this case – the destruction of a small human being by larger human beings.

Even a pluralistic society dictates limits on that sort of behavior for the sake of the weaker members.  Where that weaker member lives shouldn’t make a difference.

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Evidence of what fearlessness looks like

Posted in Book Commentary, News, Quotes on March 4, 2011| 1 Comment »

Dianne won’t like me writing this, but I’m going to do it anyway.

She gave a great presentation to the MOMS (Making Our Mothering Significant) group at the Downtown campus on Tuesday.  I know it was recorded; I’ll point to it when it is available online.

It was God-honoring and ‘as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.’ She told the truth about how hard it is, and how good God is.  She reminded those 35 or so moms where their real hope must be.

And I get to experience the blessing of that kind of wife!

She had shared her remarks with me before she spoke, but as she spoke I was reminded of something Pastor John had preached about and then wrote about.  It is a great description of Dianne:

The next thing to see about Christian womanhood, after hope in God, is the fearlessness that it produces in these women. So verse 5 says that the holy women of old hoped in God. And then verse 6 gives Sarah, Abraham’s wife, as an example and then refers to all other Christian women as her daughters. Verse 6: “And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.”

So this portrait of Christian womanhood is marked first by hope in God and then by what grows out of that hope, namely, fearlessness. She does not fear the future; she laughs at the future. The presence of hope in the invincible sovereignty of God drives out fear. Or to say it more carefully and realistically, the daughters of Sarah fight the anxiety that rises in their hearts. They wage war on fear, and they defeat it with hope in the promises of God.

Mature Christian women know that following Christ will mean suffering (2 Tim. 3:12). But they believe promises like 1 Peter 3:14, “But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled,” and 1 Peter 4:19, “Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.” That is what Christian women do: They entrust their souls to a faithful Creator. They hope in God. And they triumph over fear.

John Piper, This Momentary Marriage, pp. 97-98.

Is her (or my) first response always fearlessness?  Certainly not.  But I have seen her wage war on fear in the midst of some pretty frightening circumstances: disabled son, prematurely born son, Stage IV cancer. I know where her hope lies.

 

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How can WE give God pleasure? Hope!

Posted in Quotes on March 3, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Pastor John examines Psalm 147:11:  but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.

The reason our hope is a pleasure to God is because it shows that all our joy comes from the bounty of his grace. And the reason our prayers are a pleasure to God is because they express this God-exalting hope. It is a precious thing beyond all words – especially in the hour of death – that we have a God whose nature is such that what pleases him is not our work for him but our need of him.

John Piper, The Pleasures of God: Meditations on God’s Delight in Being God, pp. 215-216.

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What do we need most in all the world?

Posted in commentary on March 2, 2011| 2 Comments »

Disability is, almost by definition, painful.  If there isn’t physical pain, then there is the pain of being different, of being rejected by others, of everything just seeming to be harder than it needs to be.  And permanent disability lasts a long, long time.

Where is God in this?

Paul Tripp, in Broken Bone Hymns:

Now, you have to ask, “Why would a God of love ever bring pain into the lives of the people he says he loves?”

The difficult things that you experience as God’s child that may seem like the result of God’s unfaithfulness and inattention or anger are actually acts of redemptive love.

You see, in bringing these things into our lives God is actually fulfilling his covenantal commitment to satisfy the deepest needs of his people.

And what is it that we need the most?

The answer is simple and clear throughout all of Scripture: more than anything else we need him.

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