Master

"The pursuit of life is not to find freedom but to find the right master." Pastor Joe Focht

I have begun reading Absolute Surrender by Andrew Murray. The book begins with a passage from
1 Kings 20:1-4:

"And Benhadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together: and there were thirty and two kings with him, and horses, and chariots; and he went up and besieged Samaria, and warred against it. And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city, and said unto him, Thus saith Benhadad, Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliest, are mine. And the king of Israel answered and said, My lord, O king, according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have." (emphasis mine)

Ahab gave all that was asked of him. He absolutely surrendered. Murray points out the condition of God's blessing for every child of God is absolute surrender of all into His hands. Everything must be given up to the right Master. What holds us back from absolute surrender? That is different for each of us. Let us start by saying "My God, I am willing that You should make me willing."

Burdened beyond measure

Sometimes you have to be forced into taking action. A few weeks ago, my smartphone started letting me know when I received an Email in my AOL account. This might appeal to some people, but for me it totally stressed me out! All day long I'd hear the cute "ding" letting me know I received ANOTHER Email. It was out of control. That was it! I got into my Email account and started unsubscribing to every superfluous Email I could find. I should have done that months ago. I'm glad I was forced to do it now.

I am coming to understand that God allows us to be pushed to the breaking point to force us to make a change, step up to the plate or crucify a bad habit. This morning I read 2 Corinthians 1: 8-10:

"For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us,"

 When I am burdened it is because I am in charge. I am trusting in my own ability, not God's. May God grant that we would take action and decide to trust in Him, the One who has the power over death itself!

Am I prepared to die?

The most recent beheading of a second American journalist makes me recall the slaying of 5 American Missionaries at the hands of the Huaorani warriors back on January 8, 1956.

There is, however, a key difference in their stories. Jim Elliot and his 4 friends were prepared to die to see the Quechua Indians in Ecuador brought to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Jim's journal entry for October 28, 1949, expresses his belief that work dedicated to Jesus was more important than his life (see Luke 9:24 in the Bible). "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." 

One of the most amazing facts of the account of their slaying was that the missionaries had guns with them when they were attacked and speared to death. They had decided beforehand that they would not use them on the people they were trying to reach. Why? They stated that they knew they were going to heaven, but these Indians would not, unless they were saved.

I cannot help but ask myself "Am I prepared to die?"

Why?

I finished re-reading the book of Job in the MacArthur Daily Bible. John MacArthur's note from Day 23 was powerful. I quote part of it here.

Why doesn't God answer all of Job's (and our) questions?

"This question assumes that if God answered all our questions, it would be easier to believe. This is not true. Trust goes beyond answers. Sometimes, questions become a way to avoid trust. (emphasis mine)

Take, for example, a little girl invited to jump off the stairs into her father's waiting hands. She asks, "Will you catch me daddy?" He answers, "Yes, I will!" She may jump or she may proceed to ask endless versions of her first question. If she does jump, it will be more because of whom she knows her father to be than because of his answer to one of her questions. The fact that she jumps does not mean that she has run out of fears or questions; it means that her trust is greater than her fears or questions."

How I agree with this! I know that I have thought that if only I had some answers, I would be able to trust God. In avoiding trusting God, I missed out on the peace and joy that comes from jumping into my daddy's arms. Perhaps instead of asking God why He allows things to happen, I need to spend time getting to know His character. Trust will follow.

What changed my mind?

I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior in college at age 19. Prior to becoming a born again believer, I lived as most of the people my age did. I was in the world and I was of the world. Therefore, when I heard what the world said about a particular "hot button" issue, I accepted it as truth.

When I became a Christ follower, more mature Christians bought me a Bible and explained the importance of reading it. So I read it. Then I read it again and again. I read it so much that it fell apart and there wasn't much to highlight anymore! (I still have that special Bible) And what happened? I began to change my thinking on certain issues. I began to adopt a Christian Worldview. My husband has been saying it over and over lately: "you cannot change someone's mind or actions if they have not given their life to Jesus Christ and have not left their nets to follow Him."

I believe a Christ follower reads the Word of God and accepts all of it as Truth. I am not saying that we won't struggle to accept some of it, for there are many mysteries in it, but I am saying that it will become a strong foundation for the believer. Jesus Christ is the Word. Therefore, to know the living Christ, you must know the written Word. Change begins in the mind, therefore I encourage everyone who calls themselves a Christ follower to read the Word. A lot of people I know are reading it "together" through a cool Bible App. Check it out at https://www.youversion.com/

Depression

I suppose many people are blogging about the death of comedian Robin Williams. Are they blogging about suicide or depression? What can I add to the conversation?

Well, for one thing, I have experienced depression firsthand. As a follower of Christ, I believe there is another whole dimension of depression. In addition to the typical symptoms, you often experience a crisis of faith or "a dark night of the soul" as many refer to it. The book Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light reveals that this saint experienced her own dark night. During it, God is silent, leaving you to feel as if He has abandoned you. It is not a fun place to be, trust me. My own dark night (which lasted years) began as grief after the death of two of my children. No one understood my pain. Some scriptures helped me to understand that I was not alone (see Psalm 13:1-4), others horrified me (see Lamentations 3:1-20). The whole time God refused to answer any of my questions.

The turning point came when I gave up trying to understand and I surrendered myself to His plan, no matter what. It was then that I began to move back into the light. Later I found this poem written by Amy Carmichael that I now refer to over and over again, especially when I am tempted to despair again. I hope it brings someone help.

In Acceptance Lieth Peace by Amy Carmichael

He said, “I will forget the dying faces;
The empty places—
They shall be filled again;
O voices mourning deep within me, cease.”
Vain, vain the word; vain, vain:
Not in forgetting lieth peace.

He said, “I will crowd action upon action,
The strife of faction
Shall stir my spirit to flame;
O tears that drown the fire of manhood, cease.”
Vain, vain the word; vain, vain:
Not in endeavour lieth peace.

He said, “I will withdraw me and be quiet,
Why meddle in life’s riot?
Shut be my door to pain.
Desire, thou dost befool me, thou shalt cease.”
Vain, vain the word; vain, vain:
Not in aloofness lieth peace.

He said, “I will submit; I am defeated;
God hath depleted
My life of its rich gain.
O futile murmurings; why will ye not cease?”
Vain, vain the word; vain, vain:
Not in submission lieth peace.

He said, “I will accept the breaking sorrow
Which God to-morrow
Will to His son explain.”
Then did the turmoil deep within him cease.
Not vain the word, not vain;
For in acceptance lieth peace.

No fear

This is a quote by Albert Barnes, theologian (December 1, 1798 – December 24, 1870)

"If a man had perfect love to God, he would have no fear of anything - for what would he have to dread? He would have no fear of death, for he would have nothing to dread beyond the grave. It is guilt that makes people fear what is to come; but he whose sins are pardoned, and whose heart is filled with the love of God, has nothing to dread in this world or the world to come."