Pleasure and Pain

The more I think about the world, the more I realize how brilliantly and intricately everything has been crafted by God.

Think about the fact that humans experience pleasure. There are things in life that genuinely make us happy. Anything from hugging someone you love, eating a piece of chocolate cake, riding a bike down a steep hill, or singing your favorite song. There are so many things in life that bring us pleasure!

However, no matter how much pleasure we experience on this earth, it never seems to be enough to satisfy us. It only builds in us the desire for more. More happiness. More joy.

And then there's pain, suffering, anguish. Anything from the loss of a loved one to a stubbed toe. We know from suffering that things in this world are not as they ought to be. Things could get better. Things should get better.

What if God created us so that we could only experience pain and suffering? When offered an eternity in heaven, we would probably respond with complacency. You see, the only reason we desire heaven is because we've already had a small taste of 'heaven on earth.' We can only desire everlasting joy because God has given us a very real taste of temporal joy. When you take a bite of cake, you are building a category of 'joy,' which God uses to point us to him.

What if God created us so that we could only experience pleasure? When offered an eternity in heaven, we would probably pass it up. Why would you choose heaven if you were perfectly happy on earth?

God has designed us as creatures who experience both pleasure and pain. Heaven draws us because it is in God's presence that we have fullness of joy. Already knowing what partial joy is, of course we're ready to experience joy in its fullness. Heaven also draws us because God will wipe away every tear from our eyes. Not only will we have more of the good experiences in life, but we will lose all of the bad experiences.

So there you have it. Both pleasure and pain should instill in us a desire for heaven. I think that one without the other would make things very strange and difficult. Praise God for His wisdom!

Work and the Pursuit of Happiness

Take a look around. Have you ever wondered why the happiest people you know are so often the ones who live an average life and work an average job? One of the happiest people I know works part-time job behind a cash register making a little more than minimum wage. Why does he seem happier than the person who has everything? Which person really has more? The one who has more happiness, or the one who has more money (which is only a means to happiness)?

Here's a short word from the wonderful world of vanity (a.k.a. Ecclesiastes). 

1. Money doesn't satisfy the one who loves money (5:10). Remember that you cannot love God and money. If money doesn't satisfy the one who loves money then who should you love, God or money? 

2. After a long day of hard work, the laborer takes delight in sleep (5:12). I certainly hope you've experienced this. Nothing's better than climbing into bed when you're absolutely exhausted from the day's work. As you lay there under the covers, the bed somehow feels softer and your mind is at rest because you know that your work is done and you've earned your rest. Remember, you not only earn money when you work...you earn rest. Also, the blessing of sleep comes whether or not you earn enough to eat a lot or a little (5:12). 

3. In contrast, the rich man who does not work will not be able to sleep because of his full stomach (5:12). He does not partake in the laborer's rest. 

4. Not all hard workers enjoy their labor (5:13-17). Some people work relentlessly day and night, simply to lose their money on a whim. This is vanity and grasping for the wind. Plus, this man doesn't even enjoy the process of making money. Rather, he constantly eats the bread of anxious toil, with much vexation and discontentment. 

5. Some men do receive joy from their labor (5:18-20). These men not only enjoy the fruit of their hard work, but they enjoy the hard work itself, namely the lot which God has given them. It is only by the grace of God that someone can enjoy their labor as well as the fruit of their labor. That's why Solomon calls it "the gift of God" to accept your lot and to rejoice in your toil. 

6. You need God to enjoy life (6:1-2). There is an evil under the sun: "a man to whom God gives wealth, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to enjoy them." It is only by God's grace that we can accept the work He has allotted to us and enjoy the blessings of life and labour. 

Lie: money=happiness. 

Truth: love of money=idolatry, sin, and unhappiness. 

Lie: work=unhappiness

Truth: God=the Giver of all good gifts, especially work/rest

Prayers of the Saints

There is something very humbling about the nature of prayer. As my pastor would contend, the 'power of prayer' is really just the power of God. There is no inherent power in prayer. Thus, when God chooses to wrap Himself up in a cloud 'so that no prayer can pass through,' He shows that He owes us no obligations (Lam. 3:44). Prayer is not a vending machine. And if it is, then it only works when God wants it to.

I can only imagine the stories we'll hear in heaven. A missionary who was strengthened by the prayers of his sick mother thousands of miles away. A great pastor who survived college only because of the prayers of his six year old sister. Thousands of people who received new birth through the Holy Spirit in response to the prayers of faithful saints. How many of your own prayers God will show you the answer to. He'll take you aside and show you that He was listening, even though it felt like He wasn't.

One of my favorite things about prayer is that it levels the Christian playing field. When God is the one working, He can use any of His servants to perform the same task. He listens to the 40 year old pastor as well as the 10 year old girl. I'd like to think that God builds his church on the prayers of the young and the weak Christians. Perhaps for no other reason than to humble the strong and show off His strength.

Please continue to pray. Much of the fruit will not be seen until that Day, but continue to believe that it will be worth it. Prayer may very well be the most fruitful practice of the Christian life. The only catch is that you must believe that God hears and answers, and that can be difficult. May God give us eyes to see that He is working!

God Knows

As human beings, there are many times when we just want to be alone. To have no one present, no one watching. Although it is good to be 'alone,' this type of mindset can be dangerous. You see, what we mean by being alone is only partly true. Indeed, you may be the only human in the house, but to say you are 'alone' is to have weak eyes that do not look past the physical realm.

We know from Scripture that God is everywhere. David says in Psalm 139, "Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?" God is not only in heaven, but also in the depth of hell, on the peak of every mountain, and at the bottom of every sea. There is no where you can run from him. There is no where you can go to be truly alone. 

How should this effect us?

1. We should have a holy fear of God. God is always in the room. He knows every thought that comes into your mind. He knows that you are thinking about him right now. He not only knows your actions, but also your thoughts, motives, and heart inclinations (cf. Hebrews 4:12). He knows that you foolishly try to hide the wicked things that you've done from his eyes, trying to cover them up and conceal your motives. His eye pierces much deeper than the 'eye of Sauron.' 

2. Conscious acknowledgement of God's presence should keep us from sinning. To say that you're going to be completely alone is completely absurd. It's also extremely dangerous. When we think we're 'alone' we are less afraid of sinning because there are no apparent consequences. The lie is that no one will see us do it. There will be no consequences. God is not as present as another human would be. But God is actually more present. He not only sees your body, but your heart, your mind, and your soul. Why do we act as though he isn't? True acknowledgement of God's presence should keep you from the sin that an acknowledgment of your dad's presence in the room would.

3. Apart from Christ, God's omnipresence is the most fearful thing in the world. The author of Hebrews says, "And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account." Every evil thought, every moment of envy, anger, bitterness and pride has been marked by God. You will be accountable to him for your deeds. Nothing goes unnoticed. Nothing goes unpardoned. That is terrifying. 

No wonder the next verse says, "Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confessions." Christ was most ferociously tempted when he was 'alone' in the wilderness. Yet he stood the test and did not sin. Every thought was pure, every action undefiled. Because of Christ, we can enter before the throne of grace with confidence, knowing that none of your failures will not be ignored...but paid for at Calvary. 

Fear and Faith: Part IV, "Christ Our Healer"

One aspect of faith is fearing God as the all-powerful and all-encompassing God, and trusting that in his goodness and faithfulness he will use his power to deliver you from your bondage. Such was the faith of a woman in Mark 5 who had a discharge of blood for twelve years. She had spent all of her money visiting many physicians, but nothing seemed to work. I'm sure she began to doubt whether or not she could ever be healed.

Then one day the woman began to hear stories of a man who was in town. Word had it that he had the miraculous ability to heal people. She said to herself, "If I could touch even his garments, I will be made well." Other physicians had failed her time and time again, but she had an unusual feeling that this Jesus was actually able to heal her, even if she only touched the end of his cloak!

Immediately when the woman touched Jesus' garment she knew that she had been healed of her disease. Such power she had never known or imagined. Jesus felt this power going out from him and turned around looking for her. Then the woman, realizing that his power had filled and healed her, came to him in fear and trembling, fell before him, and told him the whole truth. She laid herself before him and didn't know what to expect. She knew he was strong enough to heal her, but was he good? A sigh of relief must have flooded over her soul when she heard him say, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease."

I pray that this would be our reaction to experiencing firsthand the power of Christ! We should not be ignorant of his strength or ever lose sight of his power. We ought not to forget that the God of love and mercy could easily cast us into an eternity of torment. He has no restrains, he has no limits, and he has no obligations. We are pitiful, beggarly, and rebellious creatures who are constantly in need of his love and mercy.

We must come to Christ. This woman had a physical disease for twelve long years, but we have been spiritually in need of a physician for much longer. We have a disease that no other physician could ever heal. We ought to tremble in fear, telling Christ the whole truth. Oh how we should long to hear him say to us, "your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease!"

- Mark 5:24-34

Fear and Faith: Part III, "Beggars of Jesus"

After Jesus commanded the storm as well as his disciples to be at peace, his next encounter would be a spiritual one. As he entered the country of the Gerasenes, a man with an unclean spirit came bursting out of the tombs. He was a terrifying figure, and people had often bound him with chains. But time and time again he would break the shackles and chains that so loosely confined him. This man received his strength from a legion of demons and no one could control him. Until Jesus stepped on the stage.

When the demon-possessed man saw Jesus approaching he cried out loud, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me." Even this man acknowledged Christ's power and authority. The demons who were strong enough to subject an ordinary man were found themselves begging Jesus not to torment them and to allow them to enter into a nearby herd of pigs. Upon their request, Jesus gave them permission to do as they had asked. There were so many demons that they caused a herd of 2,000 pigs to run into the sea!

Not only did Jesus demonstrate power over the wind and the sea, but also over the demonic spiritual forces. Both were obliged to obey his commands and subject themselves to his will. On the first account, the disciples' response was a proper fear of Jesus. In this account, the people who had previously known the demon-possessed man (who was now dressed and civilized), may have been as afraid as the disciples had been. However, instead of staying with Jesus and trying to know him better, the people began to beg him to depart from their region.

As we saw with the Israelites, there is a fear that draws you in faith toward God as well as one that drives you away from God. These men were obviously the latter. The demon-possessed man was a good example of the former.

Mark 5:1-20

Fear and Faith: Part II, "Christ in the Storm"

The disciples' boat felt tiny amidst the devastating storm. Many of them had grown up as sailors and had doubtless experienced the terror of the sea, but this storm was different. The winds burst with incredible velocity and the waves were breaking into the boat. It was filling up with water and the disciples knew that it was only a matter of time until they were engulfed in the dreadful abyss of the sea. Darkness clouded their minds. Fear gripped their hearts. In desperation they looked for Jesus. Despite the rising tempests, they found their Teacher in the stern, sound asleep on a cushion. "They woke him and said to him, 'Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?'" They must have been wondering how he could have abandoned them in such a trivial moment.

Then Jesus "awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, 'Peace! Be still!' And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm." Then he turned to his disciples and asked, "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?" 

What if Jesus had asked why they were so afraid before he calmed the storm? Their response probably would have beens somethings like "Why do you ask us why we are so afraid? The sheer impact of those waves are the most powerful force we have ever experienced. Why wouldn't we be afraid? We have every reason to fear, our lives are at stake." 

By standing up and calming the storm, Jesus answered their question. "This storm is not the most powerful force you've ever encountered. I am. Let me show you the power and authority that I exercise over my creation and you will no longer be afraid of the wind and waves" (not in the Bible). Jesus is that force with which none greater can be conceived. In response, "they were filled with great fear and said to one another, 'Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?'" 

As created beings, fear is part of our nature. We will always be afraid of something because their will always be something greater than us. However, I think that it is wrong to be afraid of something less than God. He alone is worthy of our fear. Hopefully, the upcoming blogs will help us to see what a proper fear of God is compared to an improper one. For now, glory to God who is there in the storm! May we fear him above any other force, for he is above all things.

Mark 4:35-41

Fear and Faith: Part I, "God on Mt. Sinai"

Flashes of lightning, the blast of a trumpet, and the looming Mount Sinai covered in smoke caused the people of Israel to tremble in fear and distance themselves from God. Terrified of God and afraid for their very lives, the people of Israel said to Moses, "You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die" (Ex. 20:19). Moses responded, "Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you..." (Ex. 20:20). What?!? Are the people of Israel suppose to fear God or not? Why does Moses say "do not fear" and in the same breath say "that the fear of him may be before you"?

We do need to fear God, but that fear can either cause us to run away from him in terror or to run toward him in faith. But what does it mean to fear the Lord? This is a difficult question. Scripture teaches much about this topic, and I'm looking forward to sharing a few insights on the relationship between fear and faith in the Gospel of Mark. 

So please join me in observing more closely some of the pieces of God's life here on earth. Jesus exercises power to calm storms, cast out demons, heal the sick and diseased, feed five thousand, and to walk on water. When encountered with the cosmological power of Christ, the proper response is not to be driven away in fear, but to be driven toward him in faith and love. I hope these next few posts will help inspire you to a proper awe of God, a purer worship of him, and a deeper love for King Jesus.