On Trusting God

What does it mean to fully trust God?
I don't know.
Here's what I do know.
After 7 months, three weeks and two days of pursuing my own desires, plan and ideals; I am finally beginning to realize what one aspect of trusting God looks like.
As I have fought with my own emotions and desires in this one pursuit, I have told God again and again, "I know what I'm doing." In the end it took the words of a man much wiser than I, who has authority over the situation, and a friend who saw the look in my eyes, to tell me to let God handle it. All that to say, I'm slowly learning that God is in control of my life, and that I need to stop worrying about the future. Planning, yes. Worrying and obsessing about it? No. Which brings me to the topic of today's post.

The Sovereignty of God in the Lives of His Children
I believe that God has a plan for my life. As I have been contemplating the future, I have been overwhelmed with the Love of God. Romans 8 pictures the love of God, both in saving us and protecting us from harm.

Romans 8:26-35a
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.
Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

There are three things about this passage that specifically stand out to me.
First, the Spirit of God knows what we need and want, even when we can not express it fully. He listens to us, and intercedes with us to God. And it is comforting to know that God not only knows what I want and need, but is also working for my benefit within his will.
Second, for those God has called out, he specifically works for our good. Even as God has chosen us, he has called us. He has individually spoken into the lives of people, and called them to himself. And as he has called us, he then justified us at the cross, so that we who he called could return into the original fellowship between God and man. And then, having justified his people by his blood, this God takes the time to make us holy over time. God is invested in my life.
Last, I love the language of verses 33-35. That we can take comfort in being in the Love of God, because of the work of Christ on the cross. Because, God loved this world so much, that he sent down in his son, to die on a cross, to rise, and then to make intercession before God the father for us, his children. My comfort in times of trial comes in the cross. That Christ would die, rise and intercede for me, is the ultimate demostration of God's love for me.

A Messy Topic and a Missional Response

"Dating", "girlfriend", "courting", "relationship"...
There are fewer words that make a single guy nervous than when an older relative or friend brings up "the" topic. In the words of my dear aunt Barbara, "So, Tim, are you seeing anybody right now?" While I always answer the question the same way ("Not right now, Aunt Barb, but I have some possibilities") I often wonder what God has for me during this time.

These past few weeks, I have been in earnest prayer and petition before God as I have been prayerfully been considering a good friend of mine as someone with whom I would like to begin a relationship. As I have gotten to know this young woman and see her character, I have become increasingly convinced that God has pointed her out to me. As I understand her better, I respect her more and more. But more about her later.

In my browsing today, I ran across Josh Harris' Blog and was intrigued by an article linked off of that page. In it, the author was discussing what it means for a guy to model Christ for his girlfriend/fiancée . It hit me as I was reading that I should be seeking to model the love of Christ for my friend, even though we are not currently "dating". It hit me that if I am to serve her as her brother in Christ, then I must actively lay down my life, so to speak, for her. And not just for her, but for all my family of faith.

Missionally speaking, it is the job of those who claim Christ to lay down our lives for those around us. This may mean that we let others do things that we don't like, that we take time to care about their lives, that we give of our time to help others. Which brings me back to relationships.
As a single guy, I had given up trying to impress girls. I was sick and tired of doing things for girls and then having them think I was hitting on them. It was simply not worth the looks, comments and emails I got, to serve them. But in preparing my heart to enter into a relationship, I have begun to realize that if I am not serving my Christian family, how can I serve any girlfriend?

As I have been pondering these things, I have realized that I must seek something different in a relationship with this girl (or any other). Where before I was seeking my own pleasure and happiness in having someone else care about me, I am now going to try to focus on serving her and caring about her rather than trying to please myself. This will be difficult for me, as I am as selfish as every other human on the planet. I pray by God's grace to build the friendship I already have with this young woman into something more God-glorifying through our mutual service to each other, and our mutual love for the God who saves us.
Be in prayer for me, as I seek to live out the Love of God in my family of faith, and in my relationship with a particular young woman.

Living Like the the Word Says

[What does Missional living look like to me?]

As part of the Missional Syncroblog at Missio Dei I am taking some time to reflect on missional living and some of the mandates of the Word of God.

Missional – The intentional association of ones life with a particular passion or goal.

I first heard the term missional in the spring of 2005, when I picked up Mark Driscoll’s book Radical Reformission. As I read the book, I began to realize that my “Christian” life needed some rethinking. I followed up that book with Velvet Elvis, Blue Like Jazz, and then A Generous Orthodoxy. As I have sought to become a missional man, I have sought out the bible, and looked at the commands and example of Christ

Missional living looks like Acts 2:41-47.

So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Christ followers are devoted to the fellowship of the body. We share each others lives, we love the Word, we live in the spirit. And perhaps most importantly, we see that the community of faith grows through the salvation of individuals.

Missional living looks like Matthew 28: 18-20.

18 And Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

Christ followers are devoted to helping people grow spiritually. We take seriously Christ’s command to make disciples. We seek to bring people into the community of Christ through the sharing of the word and call to repentance. We do this in the authority of Christ.

Missional living looks like Isaiah 58: 6-10.

Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
8 Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you;
the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry, and he will say, Here I am.
If you take away the yoke from your midst,
the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
10 if you pour yourself out for the hungry
and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness
and your gloom be as the noonday.

Christ followers love people. We seek to make people’s lives better. We live our lives in service to others, and seek to demonstrate God’s love and justice in a hurting world. We desire to see the whole world reconciled to God and made right.

Missional living looks like II Corinthians 5:17-21

17 If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Christ-followers have been given a mission. We have been called to bring the reconciling message of Christ to a lost and hurting world. We all are “ambassadors of Christ” who demonstrate the sacrificial love of God to the world. We must demonstrate the love that sent the Son to die, to every person we meet. In the text, the call is not merely to evangelize, but to bring about the reconciliation of sinners to God. This means more than just a heart change, but also the reclamation of human dignity and personhood.

Let us live these truths as missionaries in our Culture.
Let us love others with the love of Christ, and demonstrate the change He has made in us.

Synchroblog Participants

Jonathan Brink - Meeting God Where He’s Already Working

Ben Wheatley - Are Things You Are Living For Worth It

Blake Huggins - What Does Missional Living Look Like

Alan Knox - Living in the love of God

Dave DeVries - The Missional Challenge

Bryan Riley - What Does Missional Living Look Like To Me

Global Prayer Gathering - Saturday Afternoon and Evening

This afternoon, we got the opportunity to pray for individual field operations that IJM has around the world. It was amazing to see the people God is using to fight the good fight. The prayers of the saints were encouraging, even as we heard of horrible sins and great victories.
We went into downtown DC to pray at several of the national Monuments there, my group going to the Jefferson memorial. It was incredible to feel the awesome power of this city in the larger scope of the world, and to remember that while we fight to save individuals, there is a bigger picture. [Sorry no political rant today.]

Global Prayer Gathering - Saturday Morning

I got the opportunity to spend some more time in the 24hr prayer room early this morning, as God began revealing truth to me in his Word. I got the privilege of praying through Romans chapter 13, where the apostle Paul reminds the faithful that the time is coming, when the daylight shall break forth, and light will shine in the darkness.
Breakfast at Panera led to some thoughts on the face of Justice in modern Evangelicalism. There are Pentecostals, Methodists, Episcopals, Catholics, Baptists, Charismatics, Presbyterians and even Mennonites here. We are all worshiping the same Savior, and pleading with the same God for the redemption of victims. We are crossing denominational lines, even as we seek to bring Justice to a broken and hurting world. I was ashamed of my Baptist denomination, when I heard the stories of our brothers in the UMC and PCUSA churches, who are raising thousands of dollars to help free slaves in India. I was equally embarrassed when some of our Pentecostal sisters got up and shared how they were literally paying for dozens of specially-trained nurses in Guatemala, so that these nurses could help rape victims seek justice from their rapists. Without going off on a rant, I am eagerly praying that Southern Baptists will see God’s heart for Justice, and seek to make our world a better place. Sometime next week, I’m going to post some thoughts on evangelism and justice, though I have not the time or energy to do so today.

Global Prayer Gathering- Friday

[I'm live blogging from the IJM Global Prayer Gathering in D.C.]

I was struck by the different kinds of people at the Banquet we had tonight.
There were lawyers and hippies, teenagers and grandparents, charismatics and fundamentalists, African Americans and Asians, Democrats and even a few Republicans. And we were a family. We were united by two simple truths. Jesus Christ has changed us, and God desires justice for this world.
We heard amazing stories of how God is moving (though for security, I’ve been asked to not post details). We heard of prosecution and restoration, torture and healing, rape and just punishment. God is working through the International Justice Mission.
We were led in worship by Ten Shekel Shirt, who took us before our God and helped us remember why we are fighting against injustice. I personally have not felt any freer in worship than when we sang Mighty to Save. The deep truth that our God is indeed in control of everything really hit home as we heard about the atrocities going on in the world and the men and women of God who are fighting against evil.
The last corporate event of the evening was a time of late night worship.
Even as a Baptist, it was amazing to tangibly feel the presence of God in out midst. We sang, we prayed and through it all, we worshipped. That time of worship led me naturally into a time of prayer in the 24hr prayer room at the hotel. For the first time in a long time, I was able to let go of some of the selfish things that have been consuming me, and truly pray for the world.

Justice

I'm going to the IJM Global Prayer Conference in DC this weekend, so this will be the last post before my Syncroblog at Missio Dei. For those of you who didn't know about this group, I've included some stuff about IJM. Please be in prayer for everybody involved, as there will be people from all over the world coming DC.

International Justice Mission is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals work with local governments to ensure victim rescue, to prosecute perpetrators and to strengthen the community and civic factors that promote functioning public justice systems. IJM's justice professionals work in their communities in 12 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America to secure tangible and sustainable protection of national laws through local court systems.

Our Response:

International Justice Mission’s first priority in its anti-trafficking casework is to secure the protection of the law for trafficked women and children forced into commercial sexual activity. IJM investigators spend hundreds of hours gathering and documenting undercover evidence of trafficking and sexual exploitation. Using this evidence, IJM staff members then work with local authorities to remove victims from forced prostitution and ensure that they have access to aftercare services to meet their vital needs. IJM lawyers work to secure the conviction and sentencing of traffickers and other perpetrators in an effort to deter future crimes. Sex trafficking will endure as long as it remains a profitable criminal enterprise. By freeing victims and prosecuting their perpetrators, IJM operations increase the risk and decrease the profitability of trafficking. IJM works to combat sex trafficking in India, Cambodia, Thailand and the Philippines. In the 10 years since the organization’s founding, IJM investigations have resulted in freedom for hundreds of girls and women held by force in the commercial sex trade.

Vintage Faith means more than just First Century Christianity

My faith was refreshed today by our body singing this old hymn of the faith.
I hope we do not throw out the baby with the bath-water of modernism.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood;

How His kindness yet pursues me
Mortal tongue can never tell,
Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me
I cannot proclaim it well.

O that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in blood washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace;

Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,
Take my ransomed soul away;
Send thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day.

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

On My Birthday

Today I "celebrate" another year of my life.
As I have been contemplating lately, I thought I should post my life verse.

It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Phil 1:20-21

May this verse encourage you, as it has encouraged me.