Enduring our Present Suffering

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing 

with the glory that will be revealed in us." 

Romans 8:18

I sure wish I always felt like the above statement is true.  In my heart pain during suffering, it is hard to see past my current situation, feelings, pain, or loss to see the coming glory.

Yet, when I do get a glimpse of God's presence, I get a taste of future glory.  Such a taste not only helps me endure, but gives hope.

The problem for me is that a fresh dose of suffering and pain often obscures my vision and taste of God.

Anyway one else have this trouble?

Here is what I have learned about suffering.  In the midst of suffering, I don't even learn that much.  All I can do is endure and search after God's grace.  It takes time and reflection to learn, and in the midst of intense suffering I often lack the strength for reflection.  To claim anything else would be false.

So what does this mean for us?  In the midst of broken relationships that cause so much pain, in the midst of the death or impending death of those we love, in the midst of our bad decisions, how should we deal with suffering?

First, admit to God, yourself, and others that we are suffering.  This is only being honest, and God wants us to be honest with ourselves and others.  Understand that we live in a fallen world marked by suffering.  All of creation "groans as in the pains of child birth" and is subject to "frustration" by the effects of sin.  

We must begin by calling sin, sin.  Sin is much more than our willful actions.  It is missing the mark for the way things should be.  In yourself, in others, and in events confess what has missed the mark of perfection.  Confess what is not according to its created good.  Cry out to God about the pain of separation.   Ask Him to restore and redeem what the consequences of sin have brought about.  We were not created to suffer through separation like death, but God can relate as He and Jesus were separated on the cross as Jesus suffered to do away with sin and death.

Second, remember the gospel.  We have a taste of redemption, adoption, and freedom now in Christ.  One day, He will set all things aright, and we will know in full a restored relationship with God, others, ourselves, and creation.  If you have not believed, repent and accept His love.  Then, hope in the ultimate reality that you belong to Christ.  This life is fleeting.  Eternity is forever.  Pray for grace to "wait patiently" for our final hope.

Third, pray.  This is how the gospel gets applied to our life.  Take time to be before God and ask the Spirit to lead you to pray for what is really needed (8:26-27).  Pray for healing of your soul.  Pray for restoration of broken relationship.  Pray in confession of your sin and the sins of others.  Whatever the cause of the suffering, take time to pray about it.  We were made to live a life of faith.  Prayer is the avenue into an active faith.

So, will this make it all better?  Instantly.  No.  In a week?  Probably not.

Here are some tough questions, what if there is no magic pill that will make everything better?  What if we live in a fallen and messed up world?  What if there is some pain that will mark us for the rest of our life?

How can we deal with this disappointment, injustice, and pain?

The beauty of Jesus and the Word of God is a promise that there will be judgment, healing, and setting of all things right.  It might not happen in this world, but it will be made right in final judgment.

We worship a God that knows our pain, 

keeps our tears in a bottle, 

and loves us so much that He will send comfort now 

and give ultimate comfort later.

So, if you are going through pain and suffering now, keep on going.  Endure.  Seek God's face.  Ask for His grace.  Remember His love.  Trust that He will one day set all things right.

Where is Jesus when life is hard?

"Blessed by the Lord, my rock, 

who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle;

he is my steadfast love and my fortress,

my stronghold and my deliverer,

my shield and he in whom I take refuge,

who subdues people under me."

Ps 144: 1-2

Count is all joy, my brothers, when you meet trails of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.  And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
James 1: 2-4

I love these two sets of truths from God's word!  Today, I hold to them and affirm that they are true truth!

I think these truths run counter to what many Christians around the world have been told about the Christian life.  We have been told, and our heart so desperately wants to believe it, that Jesus will make everything better.  Those who follow Jesus do not have troubles!  We have been taught that we should do our best and Jesus will take care of the rest.

Then we are shocked at the injustice and difficulties we face!

While these ideas do have some merit, they can only be really understood against the backdrop of following Jesus in a fallen world.  Make no mistake about it, we live in a world that is really unjust, ungodly, and often at odds with living an authentic and true life.

In other words, what if the Christian life is more about struggle than victory?  What if our experience is meant to be marked more by warfare than by peace and security?  What happens if our growing in dependence upon Jesus occurs within the context of struggle more than those rare and brief times of peace and security?

Yes, the Christian life is more often than not marked by struggle.  Yet, there is joy, peace, and power in the struggle as we learn to rest in Jesus!

Against what do we struggle?

We battle against the world system that is turned against God.  Its goal is to make the things of God look foolish and to make that which is foolish look great.  The more complete the world's system is against God, the more difficult it is to identify the worldly pull away from truth and righteousness.  We must struggle against the world.

We battle against our flesh.  Our flesh or sinful nature never leaves us.  Even in the most godly person there is a constant struggle against our inward pull away from God.  When the world also matches perfectly with our flesh, as it does in the affluent parts of the world today, the pull of the flesh looks and feels so natural and good.  We must struggle against the flesh.

We battle against the devil.  There is personal evil in this world that seeks to destroy the work of God.  It is personified in the fallen angel named Satan, but he also has a host of demonic associates who work behind the scenes.  These forces empower the world system.  They tempt the flesh.  Then the accuse the believer for being such a hypocrite.  We must struggle against the devil and his schemes.  

How do we fight?

First we must realize we are in a struggle.  We have enemies who are shooting at us and the Church.  They are seeking to eliminate truth and righteousness from every area of life.  If we do not "seek His Kingdom and His righteousness" we will be made ineffective in our struggle.  

Do not be surprised at the trials and difficulties you face.  It is part of life.  In our fallen world, we live in a state of constant struggle.  Relationships are so easily broken.  Security is shaky at best.  Trouble is a constantly unwelcome companion.

Yet, God uses them to "train our hands for war, and our fingers for battle."  Through these struggles, God develops a character of "steadfastness" and strength.  It would be so helpful if we merely recognized God's training program!

All of our trials, all of our struggles, all of our conflicts should point us to the only true "fortress, stronghold, and shield in which we find steadfast love, a deliverer, and a refuge."  Even the process of aging and approaching death can be used to prepare us for everlasting life with our creator.

There is more to life than just this life and our experience of our life.

We are created to know and experience God's love and mercy.  It is found in the gospel.  It is lived by repenting of our sin and self-sufficiency while we look to Christ and His righteousness as our bread of life.  Lord have mercy upon me is a prayer God never despises!  He will send His mercy and grace to us, even in the midst of trials, when we ask Him for help.

Today, may we enter the battle.  May we witness, affirm, and engage in God's training program.  He is the Lord and He loves us.  There is no other god.  Come to Jesus and ask for His grace to believe in His love and watch care as enough.

Why are people such hypocrites?

"Take the case of a sour old maid, who is a Christian, but cantankerous.  On the other hand, take some pleasant and popular fellow, but who has never been to Church.  Who knows how much more cantankerous the old maid might be if she were not a Christian, and how much more likable the nice fellow might be if he were a Christian?  You can't judge Christianity simply by comparing the product in these two people; you would need to know what kind of raw material Christ was working on in both cases."

C.S. Lewis, God in the Dock.

Not long ago, I had the privilege of talking to a man who is either a new Christian or is someone who for the first time in his life has understood the implications of the gospel.  He was sharing how God is changing him from an angry man into someone much more patient and kind.  Yet, he was concerned because he "still had his moments."  He also was worried because he so often did a good deed merely because of his concern for how it made him look.

After our time together, I was thinking of this quote from C.S. Lewis.  I am glad I was able to find it!  I think this man's concerns are natural questions.  They should be questions all believers have and wrestle with often.

Why?

Each of us is such a messed up mix of redeemed "saint" and fallen, sinful child of Adam.  How do we understand and balance these two competing tendencies?  

Let me begin by looking at the life and actions of a typical believer like you or me.  How do we understand our actions in light of the gospel?  Is it not true that there are so many moving parts and factors that shape how each of us respond to any given circumstance. 

I know I respond to difficulties in life and even the small inconveniences so differently when I am sick or really tired than when I am healthy and have had a good night's sleep.  If someone sees me respond on a bad day they might see something different than my actions on a good day.  Should I despair of this known fact?  Should I deny it is true?

Furthermore, I became a believer at age 18.  There were some really rough spots within my formed character when I became a believer.  God was and is so merciful to me, but I am still surprised by the thoughts that flow out of my heart and often pass through my mouth.  Why does the Lord not just zap me and change my heart so I think and say "darn" instead of "damn" when I do something wrong?  I honestly do not think about such words and thoughts, they just come out.  

How about you?  In what areas do you struggle?  How are you often surprised and humiliated by the evil that still dwells within?

Now let me give you the other side of God's story in my life.  The man I spoke with shared that I "said exactly the right thing the first time we talked.  If you said more or less, it might have ruined it."  How did I do that?  I also find that increasingly I just do the right thing without thinking about it.  I show love and grace to people without having to think about what would be loving or gracious.  Most importantly, I am a much better listener than I used to be even as I realize I still need so much improvement.  I find that I am always looking for what God is doing in the hearts and lives of others.

I must confess that none of these occurrences are natural to me.  I praise God that it is His work!  Still, I am haunted by my shortcomings.  I am humiliated by what often flows out of my heart.

Like the cantankerous, sour old maid, I am in need of grace!  I must wonder, what would I be like if Christ did not bring me to Himself all those years ago?  I know that the raw material God had to work with was greatly defaced and misshaped by sin and death before I even came to Jesus.  Those tendencies remain even today!  Yes I am still a sinner.  If you catch me on a bad day, I am sure I do not look like a saint.  In fact, if you are looking for hypocrisy and defining it as not always doing right, I am a hypocrite.

According to the definition of hypocrite as one who always does right, there is only one truly righteous person ever born, Jesus Christ.  I am a mere fallen follower of this great man!  I do not have it all together and I look to Him for grace and forgiveness daily.  

So, if you catch me in some sin, I hope I will be willing to confess my sin and need for this grace.  When I am disappointed and humiliated by my sinful heart, I look to Jesus as my only hope.  

Let me assure you, such thoughts are not natural to me!  My natural inclination is to deny my sin or to try to pass it off as less than what it is.  My natural inclination is to maintain my reputation instead of confessing my need.

For those of us who are not Jesus, I would define hypocrisy differently than always doing right.

I think true hypocrisy is not confessing and living the truth that I am a sinner in desperate need of grace.

Hypocrisy is not merely doing wrong when I should know better.  At times, all of us fail to do the good we know we should do!  No, hypocrisy is knowing I have such wrong tendencies (what the bible calls sin) that flow out of my heart and yet I do not address or confess them.

Are you living in active repentance and dependent faith?  Does confession and repentance come easy to you?  Can you see where you need grace and do you ask God for grace to transform these areas?

If the answers to these three questions are all yes, I think God is doing a great work in your life.  Cling to Christ and grow in grace!  Always point yourself and others to Jesus.

If your answers are no to any of these three questions, you are most likely a self-deluded hypocrite (wow that sounds harsh!  Please know I have lived much of my life in this state.).  Repent and believe.  Ask for grace to see your need.  Cling to Jesus as your only hope.

Growth comes as we reorient our life around Jesus Christ.  Such reorientation is a life-long process.  It is hard work because it goes against our fallen natural tendencies.  May each of us repent and believe in deeper ways this day and this week!

Making Sense of our Experience through the Gospel

As I see it, the gospel is really a story of life.  It is an explanation for why we are here and what we experience.  In the past hundred years, (post) modern philosophy has told us that grand "meta-narratives" are impossible and should be abandoned.

What does this mean?  It means that for post-modern folks, any story beyond our small individual story is an imperialistic attempt at control.  When Nietzsche declared "God is Dead" he argued that each individual could not look to anything outside of themselves for meaning and definition.  Instead, the individual (or at least the heroic individual) had to make their own "narrative" (or story) to define themselves, their desires, their meaning.

Nietzsche was not alone in advancing this argument.  He was merely one of the most colorful.  His philosophy undercut any belief in universal morality, truth, or meaning.  As a system of thought, it leaves the individual alone.  I know it is an ad hominem argument, but in the end, Nietzsche went mad.

Pictures of Nietzsche.  Does he look like someone to trust?  At least he does have a cool mustache!

At least in essence, much of our postmodern thought and philosophy holds to Nietzsche's philosophy.  It can and has been used to emphasize both pragmatic political philosophy and complete human liberty in all matters of sexuality and morality.

The question to ask is two-fold.

First and most importantly, is this philosophy true?  In other words, do these ideas match reality?

Second, at the risk of soundly like a complete pragmatist, does this philosophy bring satisfaction and joy in life?  In other words, does this philosophy work for you, for others, and for society?

On both accounts, I strongly say no!  While it is the philosophy of this age, our age lacks a basis for discovering true love, meaning, purpose, and life.  Nietzsche hated the God of the Bible, but I believe he did not understand that God.  He did not really understand the story.  In fact, most people today who dismiss Christianity do so on the basis of what they have been told about the faith instead of an understanding of the faith as expressed in scripture.

Our world system mocks the Christian faith.  Our churches are full of folks who do not understand the implications of the faith so we do not present the truth of Christ with all its force and weight.  Consequently, most folks in our culture are satisfied to join in the mocking and dismissal of the gospel instead of investigating the life and truth found within its story!

Contrary to postmodern thought, the gospel story is full and rich in its implications and applications.  It is the basis for all great stories in literature.  It resonates with people from every continent.  It has the ring of truth within it.

Why?

Because it is foundational truth!  It is an understanding of the world that makes sense of the often senseless experience we have.  It is not just "personal" as postmodern philosophy would wish to make all truth, but it applies to every situation.

So what is the gospel story?

It begins with God- a creative, loving, and holy being.  God loves His creation and He made it all to be in relationship with Him.  God creates everything from nothing.  This is vitally important.  In most religions, God uses the substance already present to fashion a world.  In the Biblical gospel narrative, God speaks through the Word to bring everything into existence.  This makes God above and beyond all the so called 'gods' of the ancient world.

God creates the entire universe good.  In fact, when he is through with the foundations of creation, He declares everything very good (Gen. 1:31).  Included in this creation is man and woman, who together reflect the image of God.  We were created to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.  We were created for relationship with God, others, and creation.  Furthermore, we were created to be stewards of creation- exploring, protecting, preserving, and using creation wisely.

This explains why sensitive people love the beauty of creation.  It explains why we enjoy the fellowship of others.  It explains why we value elements of culture, art, and music since human creation continues the creative work of God.  As all of these dimensions of our experience reflect the created good, they are beautiful.  As all of these dimension of our experience stray from their created good, they move in the direction of ugliness and distortion.

So how do we move away from our created Good?  The Gospel declares that creation is fallen because of the fall of humanity from a state of perfect relationship to a state of animosity toward God because of sin.  

I know we do not like being called "sinners" but what word better explains our situation?  We often know the good we ought to do, but we lack the will to carry it out.  This is the state of fallenness.  As we move further and further away from the way were made to be, we find it easier and easier to walk in sin without blushing.  Why?  Because sin piled upon sin leads to hardness of heart.  Such a condition refuses to acknowledge its need for God, need for others, or need for being in good relationship with creation.

Does this not describe accurately where most of us live?  Does this not describe your life?  This post is getting very long, so I will pick up here tomorrow.

Coming Revival or Coming Anarchy?

Where are we headed as a people?  Apart from God's reviving spirit, the world system sits at the edge of a great cliff.  Why?  Because the next generation, here and abroad, have been so negatively effected by our worldwide economic policy.  

One generation of hopelessness either leads to revival or it leads to anarchy, revolution, and revolt.  Which option will happen?  God only knows!  

The following is an article I ran across on Zero Hedge today.  Some good stats to ponder.  What do you think?

Submitted by Michael Snyder of The Economic Collapse blog,

Why are young people in America so frustrated these days?  You are about to find out.  Most young adults started out having faith in the system.  They worked hard, they got good grades, they stayed out of trouble and many of them went on to college.  But when their educations where over, they discovered that the good jobs that they had been promised were not waiting for them at the end of the rainbow.  Even in the midst of this so-called "economic recovery", the full-time employment rate for Americans under the age of 30 continues to fall.  And incomes for that age group continue to fall as well.  At the same time, young adults are dealing with record levels of student loan debt.  As a result, more young Americans than ever are putting off getting married and having families, and more of them than ever are moving back in with their parents.

It can be absolutely soul crushing when you discover that the "bright future" that the system had been promising you for so many years turns out to be a lie.  A lot of young people ultimately give up on the system and many of them end up just kind of drifting aimlessly through life.  The following is an example from a recent Wall Street Journal article...

James Roy, 26, has spent the past six years paying off $14,000 in student loans for two years of college by skating from job to job. Now working as a supervisor for a coffee shop in the Chicago suburb of St. Charles, Ill., Mr. Roy describes his outlook as "kind of grim."

"It seems to me that if you went to college and took on student debt, there used to be greater assurance that you could pay it off with a good job," said the Colorado native, who majored in English before dropping out. "But now, for people living in this economy and in our age group, it's a rough deal."

Young adults as a group have been experiencing a tremendous amount of economic pain in recent years.  The following are 30 statistics about Americans under the age of 30 that will blow your mind...

#1 The labor force participation rate for men in the 18 to 24 year old age bracket is at an all-time low.

#2 The ratio of what men in the 18 to 29 year old age bracket are earning compared to the general population is at an all-time low.

#3 Only about a third of all adults in their early 20s are working a full-time job.

#4 For the entire 18 to 29 year old age bracket, the full-time employment rate continues to fall.  In June 2012, 47 percent of that entire age group had a full-time job.  One year later, in June 2013, only 43.6 percent of that entire age group had a full-time job.

#5 Back in the year 2000, 80 percent of men in their late 20s had a full-time job.  Today, only 65 percent do.

#6 In 2007, the unemployment rate for the 20 to 29 year old age bracket was about 6.5 percent.  Today, the unemployment rate for that same age group is about 13 percent.

#7 American families that have a head of household that is under the age of 30 have a poverty rate of 37 percent.

#8 During 2012, young adults under the age of 30 accounted for 23 percent of the workforce, but they accounted for a whopping 36 percent of the unemployed.

#9 During 2011, 53 percent of all Americans with a bachelor’s degree under the age of 25 were either unemployed or underemployed.

#10 At this point about half of all recent college graduates are working jobs that do not even require a college degree.

#11 The number of Americans in the 16 to 29 year old age bracket with a job declined by 18 percent between 2000 and 2010.

#12 According to one survey, 82 percent of all Americans believe that it is harder for young adults to find jobs today than it was for their parents to find jobs.

#13 Incomes for U.S. households led by someone between the ages of 25 and 34 have fallen by about 12 percent after you adjust for inflation since the year 2000.

#14 In 1984, the median net worth of households led by someone 65 or older was 10 times larger than the median net worth of households led by someone 35 or younger.  Today, the median net worth of households led by someone 65 or older is 47 times larger than the median net worth of households led by someone 35 or younger.

#15 In 2011, SAT scores for young men were the worst that they had been in 40 years.

#16 Incredibly, approximately two-thirds of all college students graduate with student loans.

#17 According to the Federal Reserve, the total amount of student loan debt has risen by 275 percent since 2003.

#18 In America today, 40 percent of all households that are led by someone under the age of 35 are paying off student loan debt.  Back in 1989, that figure was below 20 percent.

#19 The total amount of student loan debt in the United States now exceeds the total amount of credit card debt in the United States.

#20 According to the U.S. Department of Education, 11 percent of all student loans are at least 90 days delinquent.

#21 The student loan default rate in the United States has nearly doubled since 2005.

#22 One survey found that 70% of all college graduates wish that they had spent more time preparing for the "real world" while they were still in college.

#23 In the United States today, there are more than 100,000 janitors that have college degrees.

#24 In the United States today, 317,000 waiters and waitresses have college degrees.

#25 Today, an all-time low 44.2 percent of all Americans between the ages of 25 and 34 are married.

#26 According to the Pew Research Center, 57 percent of all Americans in the 18 to 24 year old age bracket lived with their parents during 2012.

#27 One poll discovered that 29 percent of all Americans in the 25 to 34 year old age bracket are still living with their parents.

#28 Young men are nearly twice as likely to live with their parents as young women the same age are.

#29 Overall, approximately 25 million American adults are living with their parents according to Time Magazine.

#30 Young Americans are becoming increasingly frustrated that previous generations have saddled them with a nearly 17 trillion dollar national debt that they are expected to make payments on for the rest of their lives.

And this trend is not just limited to the United States.  As I have written about frequently, unemployment rates for young adults throughout Europe have been soaring to unprecedented heights.  For example, the unemployment rate for those under the age of 25 in Italy has now reached 40.1 percent.

Simon Black of the Sovereign Man blog discussed this global trend in a recent article on his website...

Youth unemployment rates in these countries are upwards of 40% to nearly 70%. The most recent figures published by the Italian government show yet another record high in youth unemployment.

An entire generation is now coming of age without being able to leave the nest or have any prospect of earning a decent wage in their home country.

This underscores an important point that I’ve been writing about for a long time: young people in particular get the sharp end of the stick.

They’re the last to be hired, the first to be fired, the first to be sent off to fight and die in foreign lands, and the first to have their benefits cut.

And if they’re ever lucky enough to find meaningful employment, they can count on working their entire lives to pay down the debts of previous generations through higher and higher taxes.

But when it comes time to collect… finally… those benefits won’t be there for them.

Meanwhile, the overall economy continues to get even weaker.

In the United States, Gallup's daily economic confidence index is now the lowest that it has been in more than a year.

For young people that are in high school or college right now, the future does not look bright.  In fact, this is probably as good as the U.S. economy is going to get.  It is probably only going to be downhill from here.

The system is failing, and young people are going to become even angrier and even more frustrated.

So what will that mean for our future?

The First Counterfeit: The therapeutic gospel

What is the best method of spotting counterfeit money?

I can assure you it is not our current practice of having every sales clerk swipe a pen across every bill that passes by them.  While this might catch some bad counterfeiters, it does not catch the truly sophisticated folks.  I think it catches those who have been passed fake money, but the big time counterfeiter would never be so stupid to get caught in this manner!

No, the best way to spot counterfeit money is to spend hours looking at and studying real ones.

I never had this training, but I am told that to those who have looked at and studied a real $20 or $50 bill for hours can immediately spot a counterfeit even if it looks and feels good to the average eye.

I think this same principle applies to understanding and spot true from false theological ideas.  The best way to spot a counterfeit idea is to take a look at the gospel for long periods of time.  We should study it intently and allow its shape, texture, and form penetrate deeply within our mind, heart, and soul.

When one knows the true, life-transforming gospel, fakes look cheap and unappealing!

In my humble opinion, the problem is that many professing Christians have not had the opportunity to study and know the real gospel.  Why?  Because our theology is shallow, pragmatic, and not truly biblical.  Unknowingly, many of us have settled for cheap imitations of the real gospel.

What is the result?

As a Church, we have lost our prophetic witness.  As individuals, we do not know how to grow in grace and godliness.  In other words, "we have a form of godliness, but we deny its power." (2 Tim 3:5)

What is one such cheap imitation that keeps us from believing and knowing the true gospel?

Trevin Wax calls it the therapeutic gospel.

This imitation gospel has many forms, but all of its forms revolve around me as as individual.  It makes the faith about making me happy and fulfilled as the highest goal in life.

Why is this so appealing?

Because our fallen state leaves us feeling and knowing that something is missing.  We so desperately want peace, security, love, wholeness, and happiness.  Of course God must want this too!

So what is so wrong about these desires?  Does not the gospel proclaim that true joy, peace, and love are found in Christ?

Of course it does!  That is why this counterfeit is so attractive.  The problem is when we believe that joy, peace, and love means fulfilling the "American dream."   The problem is most apparent when we make God our puppet to help us achieve our goals.  In other words, for those who embrace this counterfeit gospel, God's purpose is our happiness instead of our purpose being to glorify and enjoy God.

To illustrate this point, Wax uses the illustration of a happy meal.  As he states,

The brilliance of the Happy Meal comes from its promise not only of the toy, but of happiness.  The mere thought of a McDonald's Happy Meal lights up a child's face.  Parents aren't just purchasing greasy chicken and soggy French fries; they are purchasing an experience that will make their kids feel good.

Sometimes we package the gospel in a way that makes God out to be a kind of Ronald McDonald who wants to give kids a Happy Meal.  We make 'pursuing happiness' the central goal of life, and we work toward this goal by being nice and helpful to other people.  Whenever we do have conflicts, we resolve them quickly so we can restore our own peace of mind.  As peace of mind becomes the goal of the Christian life, the idea that we would need peace with God slowly becomes incomprehensible.  (after all, what could Ronald McDonald possibly have against me?)

How do you know whether you've fallen for the Happy Meal gospel?  One very practical way is to examine your prayer life.  When are you most likely to go to God in prayer?  What kinds of requests do you make?  Is your biggest concern your unmet emotional needs?  Or are you concerned about how your life reflects the glory of God? (45)

I believe the gospel counterfeit is particularly appealing anywhere in the world that has been influenced by rampant consumerism. In fact, most of us who have the means to read this blog believe it at some level!  The real problem with this counterfeit is that it denies the reality of our sinful heart that is in rebellion against God.  It believes that our tendencies and desire are all sent from God.  It denies the weakness of our flesh and the temptations of world to excite our flesh to walk apart from God.  

At its root, this form of spirituality will sap our joy.  It cannot explain suffering and sin.  It cannot tolerate difficult times.  It lacks any power to put to death our very real sinful nature.  In fact, it is so popular because it appeals directly to the worst part of us- that which is in rebellion against God!

What do you do if you have slipped into this belief?  Repent and believe the real gospel.  Take a look at the real gospel in great detail.  Find a local church body that is dedicated to it.  Ask the HS to change your heart so that you deeply desire God's glory more than your own.

In other words, grow up as a believer and pursue maturity!  How?  Walk in true repentance and faith.

Why Economic Systems Fail...

I found this post extremely interesting.  The writer is not writing from a Christian worldview, but he is arguing clearly for why economic theories do not work perfectly because of the fall of humanity.  I will add () and comments where he does this.  

I know some of you do not like economic talk on this blog site concerning authentic spirituality and grace.  I am not sorry, as economic life issues from the condition of our hearts.  In fact, Jesus talked more about money and its relationship to the individual than he did any other subject!  

Why?

Show me your checkbook and I will show you your priorities.  We spend our resources on what we see as important.  Governments/people in power do the same but on a larger scale.  That being said, enjoy these astute observations!

Submitted by Charles Hugh-Smith of OfTwoMinds blog, Found on Zero Hedge 8/17/13.

Although economics doesn't recognize it, the operative phrase here is systemic injustice.

 

Correspondent C.G.D. recently asked what I consider a very profound question: why isn't there demonstrably correct economic theory?

 

"My wife has asked me a 'simple' question that I can not answer. After 2000 years, why do we not know which economic theory is correct: Keynesian or Hayek-Friedman? Surely, there is a demonstrably, statistically correct answer."

Let's add Marxism to the short list of contenders, and then consider why we have cargo-cult faiths (Keynesianism) instead of demonstrably correct models of economic behavior.

 

Many others have noted the obvious, that economics is a pseudo-science rather than a real science: beneath the fancy quantification and math, economics is fundamentally the study of human behavior, and that complex mix of dynamics cannot be reduced to a tidy model that spits out accurate predictions.  (Why?  Because we are created good and we have an innate desire for perfection.  Yet, we are fallen and we work contrary to our created desires)

 

One key element of science is that the results must be reproducible, that is, the same experiment/conditions should yield the same results time and again. I suspect that economic models are not applicable across all times and situations; a model might "work" in one era and in a very specific set of circumstances, but fail in another era or in a similar set of circumstances.

 

Since human behavior is based in culture as well as in naturally selected (genetically driven) behavior, then cultural milieus and values obviously play critical roles in shaping economic behaviors.  (True, but not the whole story.  Fallen human will pollutes and inhabits all cultures.  Each culture might have different forms of sin that dominate, but they all end up in the same place: selfishness rules and power corrupts)

 

So presenting an economic model as "scientific" and quantifiable is in effect claiming that the bubbling stew of human culture can be reduced to quantifiable models that will yield predictions that are accurate in the real world. This is clearly false, as culture is not a static set of objects, it is a constantly shifting interplay of feedback loops.

 

This helps explain why human behavior is so unpredictable. Virtually no one successfully predicted World War I in 1909, and no one predicted the collapse of the U.S.S.R. in 1985.

 

Another reason all economic theories fail as scientifically verifiable models is that economics boils down to a very simple dynamic: those in power issue financial claims on resources as a "shortcut" way of gaining control of the resources without actually having to produce the resources or earn the wealth via labor and innovation.

 

I think this is the one fundamental dynamic of economics, and it does not lend itself to reductionist models.  (Again, notice how people in power use their power to take from others.  Why?  Because they are sinful beings who are fallen and thus selfish)

 

We can understand this dynamic by stripping down the process of expropriation to its basics.

 

In the bad old days of rampaging hordes and empires, those in power simply took what resources and wealth they wanted after defeating the defending army: gold, women, wine, etc. were simply grabbed by the conquerors and hauled off.

 

The advent of finance enabled new and less overt forms of expropriation. Let's say that three traders enter a great trading fair seeking to buy goods to sell elsewhere for a fat profit. That is, after all, the purpose of the fair: to enable buyers and sellers to mutually profit.

 

One trader uses the time-honored method of letters of credit: he buys and sells during the fair by exchanging letters of credit which are settled at the end of the fair via payment of balances due with gold or silver.

 

Ultimately, the trader's purchases are limited by the amount of silver/gold (i.e. real money) he possesses.

 

Trader #2 has access to leveraged credit, meaning that he has borrowed 100 units of gold with a mere 10 units of gold and the promise of paying interest on the borrowed 90 units.

 

This trader can buy 10 times more goods than Trader #1, and thus reap 10 times more profit. After paying 10% in interest, Trader #2 reaps 9 times more profit based on the credit-based expansion of his claim on resources.

 

The issuance of paper money is an even more astonishing shortcut claim on real-world resources. Trader #3 brings a printing press to the fair and prints off "money" which is a claim on resources. The paper is intrinsically worthless, but if sellers at the fair accept its claimed value, then they exchange real resources for this claim of value.

 

Needless to say, those with access to leveraged credit and the issuance of fiat money have the power to make claims on resources without actually having produced anything of value or earned tangible forms of wealth.

 

Those with political power and wealth naturally have monopolies on the issuance of credit and paper money, as these enable the acquisition of real wealth without actually having to produce or earn the wealth.

 

This system is intrinsically unstable, as the financial claims of credit and fiat money on limited real-world resources and wealth eventually far exceed real-world resources, and the system of claims collapses in a heap. Though this end-state can easily be predicted, the actual moment of collapse is not predictable, as those holding power have a vast menu of ways to mask their expropriation and keep the game going.

 

To fill out the menu, just list every program and press release over the past five years of financial legerdemain from the Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank, the Bank of Japan and the Chinese state banks. They all boil down to enforcing the claims of unearned wealth, i.e. freshly issued credit and currency, on real-world resources.

 

Although economics doesn't recognize it, the operative phrase here is systemic injustice.  (This is the condition of our fallen world!  The Church is to prophetically announce and seek to help transform the systemic injustice.  Unfortunately, when the church becomes part of the system it lacks the ability to be that prophetic source of truth.  This can happen whether someone is conservative or progressive/liberal)

How could a good, all-powerful God allow that to happen?

It has been one of those weeks.  Many meeting with folks, much on my plate, and little time or energy left to write.  I cannot believe it is Wednesday already!  Alas, if idle hands are the devil's toys, I have not had to worry about being his pawn so far this week.

Today I wish to explore a question that drives about 95% of those who claim to be atheists.  If God is all-powerful and all-good, why does evil exist?  Could not God just eliminate it?  Does not our experience show that such a God could not exist?

I will get into these questions by giving two examples from my past pastoral experience.  Both occurred while I lived in Maine.  In one week's time, two jarring incidences occurred.

The first involved an auto accident just down from my home where two people were killed.  A man driving a mini-van fell asleep at the wheel, crossed the center line, and hit another mini-van head-on.  The result was the death of two local folks in the car doing nothing but driving home.

Why did God allow this to occur?  I think it is more shocking because it happened near the time when school was letting out and many in our church were on that same road.  It could have been us!

The second question involves a young boy in a local town who is transgendered and identifies with being girl instead of a boy.  In the local paper, the lead story was concerning this "heroic" family who fights against the bigoted, ignorant Mainers who question how this anatomical male can be allowed to use the girl's bathroom in Middle school/high school.  As you can see, our paper has a far-left lean in how they set up the article.

The question was asked, "How does a Christian worldview answer the questions of a transgendered person?"  A second question was related in how do we understand the "obvious" tension between what is and what God's word declares as true?

I think there are two ways to look at both of these questions.  First, one can answer them by saying that what is is what is right.  This is the answer of secularism and most of our culture (including many Christians who have adopted this view).  So with the car accident, we have no answer.  Some will attempt to give it a moral application by saying that such events should prompt us to be thankful for our family.  It causes temporary sorrow, but what can we do?

Others will be outraged.  They will argue that as a culture we should do everything we can to help protect people from such evil.  For many this means legislation against "Driving when tired."  It means a political campaign to stop "senseless" behavior.  Of course the man who had the accident was taking his children from Canada to Boston for a family trip.  Was this "senseless"?  How do we judge?

Many of our seemingly well-intentioned laws are direct attempts to answer such questions.  Folks have determined that they will protect society by legislation.  They will change by political force what is, so the evil consequences will not occur again!

Similarly, in the case of the transgendered boy, many argue what is is right.  This boy did not "choose" his sexual identity, therefore what he is is right.

 Really?  Evolutionary science argues that humans are sexual beings.  99% of men (the other 1% lie) are often attracted to others sexually.  Should they just act on these impulses?  Is what is right?  

What would happen to society if we acted on these impulses?  For one thing Father's Day would be very confusing!  For another, the entire society would break down.  In fact, this is what we are seeing because social planners have implemented these ideas into our culture.  Marriage, fidelity, and purity are seen as prudish and foolish.  Living together, divorce, and sexual exploration are seen as the normal.  Moreover, since we see such behavior, it must be right!  To argue against such behavior means you are bigot, a racist, and an un-enlightened person.

I could say more, but the question was how does a Christian worldview address these questions and tendencies in our culture?

First, we must realize that there are behaviors which are wrong and sinful.  In the article in our local paper, the enlightened, tolerant parents were pitted against a backward, bigoted grandfather who objected to the boy using the girl's restroom saying, "We do not need faggots in our school." (or something like this)  In the judgment of the writer and most posting in response to the article, this man's reaction was harshly judged and condemned.  Is this not declaring his behavior as ultimately and completely wrong and sinful?  Of course it is!  The question is how to judge right from wrong?

Here is where the Christian worldview comes in.  Regardless of whether I think it is wrong, if God declares it so, then it is wrong.  Treating others badly is wrong.  The grandfather should not have said this about the boy.  Yet, questioning having an anatomical male in a girl's bathroom in middle school is not complete foolishness.  This is the center of the debate and discussion.  Merely asking the question cannot be out of bounds, but the questions and answers must be given in a respectful manner.

In terms of this boy, I think the more pressing question is how could he be like this?  How could a good and holy God allow this to happen?  After all, he did not choose these desires.

Jesus actually answered the question in John 9.  When presented with a man born blind, he was asked, "Who sinned, this man or his parents?"  Today we would have asked, is this really the result of individual sin?  The boy had no choice.  This is so unfair!

Jesus' answer is telling.

"It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was in order that the works of God might be displayed in him.  We must work the works of Him who sent Me, as long as it is day; night is coming, when no man can work.  While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." 

John 9: 3-5

Our world was created good, but it is fallen.  Sin permeates every sphere of experience.  There are still vestiges and glimpses of the created good, but sin is present!  The result of sin is more sin, death, and decay.  Individuals, cultures, and entire institutions are in motion either toward or away from their created good.  Jesus entered into this fallen world to help make all things right.  Ultimately it will be right when sin and death is finally destroyed and the new heavens and new earth emerge!  Until then, we struggle against sin, death, and decay.

Thankfully, Jesus' life, death, and resurrection have overturned sin and death.  His Spirit is at work turning individuals to repentance and faith.  These individuals then continue the work of Jesus to bring light into the darkness.  Hopefully and prayerfully this means the turning of other individuals, cultures and institutions back toward their created good.  Such action is not bigoted but loving.

So, why do accidents happen?  We live in a fallen world.  Thankfully our hearts are made for eternity so this world is not all there is.  I do not know the why and neither does anyone else.  I do know that God can work to redeem even tragedy.  Through tragedy love, mercy, and grace are seen.  The key is to not allow tragedy to turn one bitter and blaming.

So, why do people express transgendered tendencies?  We live in a fallen world.  Even our healthy and natural sexual appetites can be twisted and perverted from their created good.  Like all of us, transgendered folks need love and grace!  No one is beyond the power of Jesus to be changed toward their created good.  Healing and restoration are possible.  

I could say more, but I will leave it here.  What do you think?