Scott Fillmer

The Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards

Scott Fillmer — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:34:02 +0000

I finally got back into the reading swing a few months ago and first on my list was a book that had been on my list for a long time, The Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards. This book, even after having finished a complete reading, is so monumental that it would require several more readings, at a much slower pace, to even begin to comprehend it’s value. First published in 1746, written around the time of the Great Awakening when “affections” were running wild (many people would have a dramatic “religious awakenings” with loud wailing and moaning but not a true change of heart), this book must have been seen by the people of North Hampton at the time as quite a controversial book. Today, The Religious Affections has the honor to be listed among the classics delivered by some of the greatest theologians, but if read in context of today’s culture, and viewed as being directly applicable today, it might be seen as even more controversial today than it did in the late 18th century.

Still, it’s truths are so relevant, it’s pious statements so profound, it tends to show how far we have come (or how far we have slid) from the “religion” of the Great Awakening. Where Edwards was once trying to discern true affections from Pharisaical outcries, we the church in the 21st century are similar to the 18th century church of North Hampton in some respects. We have and show almost no true affection in worship to God, a breaking of the will by the heart, for a God who deserves the utmost adoration for every breath we take, and yet we posses more entertainment emotion (for lack of a better phrase) than any generation in previous history.

As the book opens, Edwards puts forth nine evidences that true religion lies much in the heart of the affections. In seminary (of all places) it has often been said to me that a mature Christian needs both the head and the heart, both knowledge and true affections towards God. If you are in the camp that uses “knowledge puffs up but love edifies” (1 Corinthians 8:1) to excuse yourself from study you are missing half of what Paul is saying, and the same is true to those who only seek after knowledge. Any surface reading of scripture clearly shows that God insists on both, and Edwards certainly agrees. ”He that has doctrinal knowledge and speculation only, without affection, never is engaged in the business of religion.” [1]

In these nine evidences Edwards lays out his thesis and speaks directly to the church of the 21st century.

That religion which God requires, and will accept, does not consist in weak, dull, and lifeless wishes, raising us but a little above a state of indifference: God, in His word, greatly insists upon it, that we be in good earnest, “fervent in spirit,” and our hearts vigorously engaged in religion (Romans 12:11) and to “Be ye fervent in spirit, serving the Lord… serving the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and will all thy soul?” (Deuteronomy 10:12).

While we certainly can claim we don’t have dull and lifeless worship services (in fact we can claim the opposite since our worship “production” can rival that of the Discovery Channel at this point), we can still have a lifeless and dull heart. Paul in Romans 12 isn’t saying the dB rating of the worship should be vigorous, he is saying that “our hearts [should be] vigorously engaged” in worship. John takes it one step farther when talking about the church in Laodicea saying that Christ utterly detests a lukewarm church (Revelation 3:16).

I would highly recommend The Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards to anyone who might be interested. It certainly was a challenging read, it wasn’t the most straight forward easy to read pop-Christian publication that tends to make the rounds today, but I wouldn’t expect it to be either. Books that we fully understand from a quick initial read probably don’t further our understanding in the subject at hand and Affections is one of those pieces of literature that could be read over and over again.

[1] Jonathan Edwards, The Religious Affections, (Carlisle, CA: The Banner of Truth Trust, Versa Press, Inc., 1986), 30, 27.

Can We Actually Know the Attributes of God?

Scott Fillmer — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 21:00:25 +0000

This coming Sunday our church moves into their fall schedule with the start of a new series on the attributes of God. This should be a great look at a few of the many elements that make up the existence and nature of God Himself. I was thrilled when I found out this was the next series since I had just finished my own research on the attributes of God, specifically that of God’s love (research post as The Attributes of God: Analysis on the Basic Dimensions of God’s Love if you are bored), but there are an infinite number attributes that could be studied in detail. Paul says it best in Romans when he asks “who has known the mind of the Lord?”, for the depth of the riches, wisdom, and knowledge of God is so great, that we could never fully exhaust our understanding of God’s greatness (Romans 11:33-34).

One of the more recent theological champions of the attributes of God is the author, theologian, and pastor, A. W. Tozer (April 21, 1897 – May 12, 1963). Tozer wrote a book entitled The Attributes of God (Volume 1): A Journey Into the Father’s Heart, which takes a look at God’s infinitude, immensity, goodness, justice, mercy, grace, omnipresence, immanence, holiness and perfection, and this is the reference book for our upcoming series on the attributes of God. Tozer spent much of his ministry studying what he deemed to be one of the most important questions to ask, what is God like?

Can We Actually Know God?

I think too often today we take a more pluralistic (or post-modern if you like) view of this question, and answer “who are we to think we can know God?”, and then push it off to the back burner and say why bother trying something impossible. To answer in that manner is to excuse oneself from the rigors of pursuing a relationship with God, but it is more than that, it is to deny scripture itself.

In Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians he talks to the church about Christ’s judgment at the second coming (2 Thessalonians 1:8). At the time of the second coming, Christ will punish two distinct classes of people; those who “do not know God” (cf. Romans 1:18-32), and those who “do not obey the gospel” (cf. John 3:36). Jeremiah the Prophet spoke to Judah just before the impending invasion of the Babylonian army and told them they were fools because they didn’t know God, but instead certainly knew the way of evil (Jeremiah 4:22, Isaiah 1:3 and Psalm 82:5).

There are many other examples, but the point is, if we are called by His name, we are called to know God. We can spend a lifetime doing this, but God loves those, and has made Himself known, to those who seek Him out (Proverbs 8:17).

Great Resource for Audiobooks

A quick plug to those who enjoy digging in deeper to these and other topics of faith. Christian Audio (christianaudio.com) has one of the largest selections of Christian audiobooks, and each month they give away a free audiobook. This month happens to be The Pursuit Of God (Unabridged) by A. W. Tozer, and you can download it for free until July 31st. Not only is this title free, but all of A. W. Tozer’s other books are only $4.95 until the end of the month. This is a fantastic resource, and I would recommend Christianaudio to anyone interested in audiobooks (you can listen on your iPod, MP3 player, iPad, iPhone, whatever, and you can also follow them on Twitter @ChristianAudio).

I have no stake in the company or know anyone personally over there, I have just used their resources and have never had any issues with quality or service (only wish they had even more titles than they do). I often depend on a wide range of resources for studying, but even iTunes can’t beat an unabridged book like that for $4.95. That’s my plug for the month, if audiobooks are not your thing, get a copy of Tozer’s books in print, you won’t be disappointed.

The Complete Egoist

Scott Fillmer — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:59:23 +0000

I have tried over the years to reconcile the whole of what is social networking to how it helps or destroys the effort of devoting one’s life to the pursuit of God. Reading through a sermon written by a family member in 1976, I came across this poem by Arthur Guiterman called “The Complete Egoist”, who wrote this around 1930 about our pursuit to self. I wonder what he would think of our narcissism in 2010.

A Mollusc who dwelt in primordial slime
Was always himself to the innermost core;
As being himself took up most of his time,
He never did anything more.
Still just as he was, though long ages have flown,
He stands on the specimen-cabinet shelf
A fossil, immortal in durable stone,
A monument raised to himself.

–Guiterman ~1930

4th of July Fireworks from Auburn Alabama // Video

Scott Fillmer — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 14:04:36 +0000

Each year we usually go see the fireworks put on by the city of Auburn, and this year they were worth the wait. I wanted to post a very quick video of the finale, in part for a friend of mine who didn’t come out to see the fireworks saying he would prefer to watch them on the computer, so here they are. I also wanted to test the video quality of my iPhone while shooting at night, not bad video for a phone. Too see the full 720p HD version change the resolution below or click on the video.

Hope everyone had an enjoyable weekend.

The Principle of Context from Joshua 7:1-26

Scott Fillmer — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:52:57 +0000

Something my study of Joshua examined this week was the correlation between the Old Testament literary devices (plot, characters, conflict), and the principles we the church try to pull from the Old Testament that don’t actually apply when viewed in the context of scripture. The post below was the result of that particular study.

Literary Features of Joshua 7:1-26

This section of Joshua addresses two interconnected stories, the defeat of Israel at Ai and the sin of Achan. This was basically Israel’s first defeat in the conquest, and after a stunning victory by God at Jericho, Israel suffered a humiliating defeat by a small city said to be no match (Joshua 7:3) for Israel’s might of 30,000 men.[1]

In this narrative, the author, generally said to be Joshua, uses a bit of irony by comparing and contrasting, the previous story in Joshua 2 about Rahab and the sheltering of the spies. The irony used by Joshua is that someone who had only heard of the God of Israel listened and obeyed (Joshua 2:21), while the sons of Israel who had actually witnesses God’s fulfilling promises and power, disobeyed (Joshua 7:1). Throughout both narratives many parallels are seen like this one. Rahab, a woman, was a Canaanite, and her family survived, while Achan, a man, was an Israelite, and his family perished. Rahab hid the spies on her roof, and Achan hid his stolen items under his tent. The Israelites, through God’s hand, won a great victory at Jericho by following God’s instructions, and they were humiliated at Ai when they failed to follow God’s instructions.

Another literary feature used in Joshua chapter 7 is a somewhat obvious cause and effect. When looking at Israel’s sin, the author makes a point to show that this sin was a grievous act against God Himself. More than just a theft and violation of the Eighth Commandment, (Exodus 20:15) it was an adulterous act. This was the same Hebrew term used in Numbers 5:12-13 to describe the betrayal of an adulterous wife, now used to describe Israel.[2] This act of sin was the cause of Israel’s defeat at Ai as the Lord’s anger burned against Israel (Joshua 7:1, 11-12). Joshua 7 is split into two sections, verses 1-15 dealing with Israel’s defeat, and verses 16-26 dealing with Israel’s sin. One section examines the event or action that then caused the effect in the other section. Ai was a small city, one that Israel should have easily taken (Joshua 7:3-4), but instead Israel lost 36 people (Joshua 7:5), and the previously promised city of Ai.

Interpretive Issues or Problems Often Presented Today

Many times the 21^st century church is quick to point out all kinds of life application principles from the Old Testament that just are not present in the context of the written text. Context is extremely important when dealing with the Old Testament and many times the principles taken can do, what Haddon Robinson describes as, “the heresy of application” by creating what was never there in the first place (see “The Heresy of Application” by Robinson).[3]

In Joshua 7, principles from all across the spectrum of sin can be used for life application. Some principles are better than others, but some, like “effectively overcoming defeat” and “how to fight despair and depression” are probably not the principles the author had in mind when he wrote Joshua 7. Yes, Joshua basically whined, moaned, and mourned about Israel’s sin and loss at Ai (Joshua 7:6-7), much like they had done in the past (Numbers 11:4-6 and many others), but the overall context of the entire book of Joshua was not out to teach a principle about how to overcome depression.

Contextual Application Principles from Joshua 7:1-26

The application we can take away from Joshua 7:1-26 is about sin. This can be presented in so many different ways like fighting covetousness, secret sins, sin effecting more than just the individual, hidden sin that harms the whole church body, the small sin, fighting the sins of the flesh like gossip, criticism, envy, jealousy, and countless others examples that could be extracted from the reading of Joshua 7. An overall principle in the context of the book of Joshua is probably closer to a statement like “the worst enemy that you have is yourself.”[4] “[You] are the greatest handicap that you have in your Christian life”, and often the most destructive block to God’s blessings.[5] Israel was given the land by God; all they had to do was take it. There were three small enemies that stood in the Israelites way when they arrived, Jericho, Ai, and the Gibeonites. Israel’s army of 30,000 fighting men (Joshua 8:3) was no match for Ai (7:3); all they had to do was to keep from defeating themselves.

Another similar, in context, principle that can be taken from Joshua 7 would be that Christians today are given enormous spiritual blessings by God, but how many Christians live as if they have none, as if that are not really entitled to the blessings of God. Israel was given a huge piece of land (Joshua 1:3). God gave them title to over 300,000 square miles of fruitful land, and even at the height of Israel’s day, they only took possession of 10% of God’s promise to them, only about 30,000 square miles of the Promised Land.[6] How many Christians or churches in our 21^st century culture are not taking possession of 90% of God’s blessing because of sin and unfaithfulness to God?

Principles, even heretical principles, can easily be taken from the Old Testament scriptures and applied to our 21^st century culture. Perhaps the most important principle in teaching from the Old Testament is the principle of context.

[1] Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald B. Allen and H. Wayne House, , Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary, ed. Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald B. Allen and H. Wayne House (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999), 284-285.

[2] David M. Howard, Jr., The New American Commentary: Joshua, Vol. V, Joshua (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001), 188.

[3] Haddon Robinson, “The Heresy of Application,” Preaching Today’s Sermons, 2001, http://www.preachingtodaysermons.com/heofap.html (accessed June 18, 2010), 16-19.

[4] J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee, Vols. 2, Joshua-Psalms, 5 vols. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1982), 16-19.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid.

Three Solutions to the Problem of Evil

Scott Fillmer — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 20:10:47 +0000

In one of my discussions this week we took a brief look at some of the reasons and solutions to evil. Using Erickson’s Christian Theology as a base, he identifies three solutions to the problem of evil and how God’s greatness, goodness, and the presence of evil can all be active forces at work in the world today. The three solutions outlined are; a rejection of Omnipotence in the form of Finitism (a finite God), a modification of the concept of God’s goodness, and the outright denial of evil.

The first solution, rejecting Omnipotence, is something the 21^st century culture has embraced with open arms. Not only has society accepted a finite God, the eastern philosophy also known as dualism has taken a stronghold in western society Christianity. This form of dualism present today was introduced by subtle infusion over an extended period of time to where today; even Christians accept dualism. The worldview promoted in this respect is good verses evil, dark verses light, and ultimately God verses Satan. The problem with this solution is that it philosophically fails when compared to scripture. God and Satan are not on even ground, battling against each other for supremacy. God created everything, including Satan, the fallen angel. Angels are perhaps shown to be more powerful than humans (2 Peter 2:11; Psalm 103:20), but nowhere in scripture does it say they are equal with God.

The second, a modification of God’s goodness, is sometimes seen by a hyper-Calvinist view (a view some argue is more Calvinist than Calvin himself was), where God is the ultimate cause of everything, including sin, and man has no freedom of the will to do anything other than what God has predisposed man to do. God’s cause of good and/or evil that occurs is simply what God does. This view brings forth its own questions; such as, if evil is good, then what is recognized as good, lending itself to ask, does evil even exist. This view is also inconsistent with God’s own nature since we know that God, by nature, is good.

The third, a denial of evil, is also a popular notion in the 21^st century worldview. Known as the option for Christian Science, they believe that matter or material is just an illusion where evil does not really exist. Their conclusions, based upon the notion that (1) material existence is an illusion, (2) since all is God, all is good, (3) therefore evil is an illusion. The issue with this view is somewhat obvious in the fact that evil has not ceased to exist just because this particular worldview exists, and there is no explanation to the “illusion” of evil.

In an oversimplification stated here, Erickson’s conclusions are that evil is a necessary accompaniment to human existence and that evil in general is the result of sin, Adam’s choice to sin, and God’s allowing this sin to take place.[1][2]

[1] Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology, 2nd Edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007), 437-456.
[2] This is a greatly over simplified post on a very complex topic. The solutions provided are an overview of the scholarly examples currently being studied. C.S. Lewis also had some great arguments on the problem of evil and why it exists in the world today.

Happy Anniversary, 17 Years Has Flown By

Scott Fillmer — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 20:49:31 +0000

It’s is hard to believe but today, 17 years ago, my wife and I got married. This particular anniversary was a little different since Deborah would normally be sitting in the next room on a normal day, and this week she is in Denver teaching a hand quilting class, and it just happen to fall on our anniversary. So, Happy Anniversary Deborah. I think this is actually the first time in 17 years that we actually haven’t been together on June 11th.

The time has just flown by, yet I can almost remember every day. Anyone who says marriage is easy is crazy (or isn’t married) but I wouldn’t trade it for anything with you Deborah. Sorry we couldn’t be together today, so in place of getting to go out somewhere nice tonight, I, of course decided to make a video for you of little bits of our 17 years together.

Really really hard to believe it has been 17 years. Can’t wait to see what 17 more years has in store for us (which would be the year 2027, yikes).

Being the Church in Buloba Uganda

Scott Fillmer — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 15:04:10 +0000

I love it when the church actually is the church. Paul had such a desire to get to the unreached nations of the world that he probably died on his way to Spain, not in retirement, but with a passion to reach Spain and the world beyond for Christ. There are many things and purposes for the local church, but one undeniable charge to us from Matthew 28 is to tell those people who have never heard about Christ, the great news of salvation.

This week our church sent the latest team over to Uganda. After commissioning them on Sunday in the photo above, they were off to Atlanta for 16 hours of flight time through several countries. We are partnering with a local church in Buloba, Uganda to literally help build the church over there. It has been such a great long term, ongoing effort, and I know everyone that has gone to Africa has come back with a great exhilaration for what God is doing in Uganda.

If you would like to follow their blog posts while they are over there for the next week, you can read their posts on their blogs at Lee Cadden and Brian Johnson. Some photos from Uganda taken from Lee’s blog are below, the sunset is looking over Lake Victoria in Uganda, very near where they are staying. Be sure to check out both of their blogs for the latest.

Apple and AT&T Unleash Another Round of Consumerism Meth

Scott Fillmer — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 15:08:59 +0000

I will be the first to say it, I love Apple. I love how they market their products. I love how they package their products, and I love the innovation they have created, much of which has changed the face of the world forever. AT&T, not so much, but it’s a package deal. In doing so, they have also created new type of consumerism like none who have come before, and all during a recession at that.

This time from the WWDC, Apple comes out with another technological landmark product, or an update to a landmark product, the iPhone 4 with iOS 4. Not just fabulous eye candy, which Apple always seems to achieve, but innovations to a cell phone that have never been seen before, and as Apple does so well, they made it a must buy item, with even more help from AT&T.

To Buy In or Not to Buy In

That really isn’t all bad of course, but, from a Christian perspective, there has to be a reality check somewhere along the way. The arguments you could make on both sides of this debate are endless. The huge, broad, range of reasons why we as Christians should or should not consume, and how much, and of what products, could contain volumes. I just wanted to touch on one specific aspect, AT&T’s early up on their contract dates.

In the information age of 2010, we are now the most instant and disposable consumers the planet has ever seen. We can’t wait for anything, ever, and most of the time we don’t have to. The comment above from WWDC on MacWorld’s live stream just hit the nail on the head.

You mean I have to wait two and a half weeks to get an iPhone 4? Augggggh!

He was kidding, but, not really, and AT&T agreed. [Not trying to pick on Jason Snell from Macworld, I loved reading his live updates from the keynote, and I can't imagine how many tweets I read that said the exact same thing... except they were tweets from pastors of large evangelical churches, worship leaders, seminary students... in other words, the church body (yes we love our Macs)... all clamoring to buy Apple's latest.]

Buy Now, Save Later, Sign Here

At the same time Steve Jobs was giving the keynote, news from AT&T started surfacing that they would graciously allow almost anyone anyone who had a contract with them (that would be everyone who uses an iPhone in the U.S.) that extended beyond 2010, to upgrade to the new iPhone 4, right now. [For those unaware of how cell companies work, AT&T dings you for a 2 year contract every time you get a new phone, but after one year, you can get another new phone, at a discounted price, and up your contract again for 2 more years.]

By the time the keynote was over, yes, even Apple made it official. AT&T was going to allow their customers to spend money on a new iPhone, right now, instead of having to wait for the contract upgrade date to come up (mine is in August and my wife’s is in October). All it will cost you, besides the price of the phone of course, is another two years of your life, in bondage to AT&T. [Of course you can break the contract but AT&T also upped the ETF (Early Termination Fee) to $325 PER PHONE starting June 1 for anyone wanting to free themselves from Ma-Bell, and at the same time did away with their unlimited data plan.]

When Does the 2-Year Curse End?

So, where or when does it end? I started looking at it from my own point of view. Both of our phones are actually, banish the thought, only 2nd generation iPhones (old iPhone 3G’s, not the 3G-S). Our one year contract date (stated above) comes up this year and we could just wait and upgrade then. But if we do that, we will actually be EXTENDING our contracts to October 2012. If we upgraded right now, we would be out of our AT&T contract in June 2012. But hey, even Steven Jobs carries an old phone (or hasn’t updated the OS), so maybe we could do the same.

Either way, we end up committing to a 2-year relationship with AT&T (not that we have a choice in the matter), at some $2,000+ a year. A commitment that not even many parishioners will do for their own church. We could say no, enough is enough, and just sit there and read 2 Corinthians 6:14 over and over until we convince ourselves that life is possible without a 2 year contract?

I guess it is possible to be without a cell phone contract? Two households in my immediate family actually don’t have one (my sister’s and my uncle’s), so I know it’s possible. But me, I have been “under contract” in one form or another to a cell phone company for more than 15 years, that’s something like $36,000 give or take, and longer than many marriages last today. As it turns out, those contracts never do expire. Once you are in, they’ve got you, and there’s no way out. It’s like trying to quit the gym.

It’s legal, immediate, addicting, consumerism Meth, AT&T & Apple style, except an intervention won’t work. You either pay a lot now to get out ($650 for a household of 2), or you pay a ton in little 2-year chunks until the next must have device comes out. To bad I don’t actually have AT&T cell coverage where I live, then I could actually get some use out of my AT&T never-ending contract. Oh well, at least I can upgrade to the new iPhone 4, who cares if I can actually make a phone call.

Thanks, Paul of Tarsus

Or, maybe Paul actually knew what he was talking about when he wrote to the Corinthian church way back in the mid 50′s. Even though it is such an ingrained part of our culture, such an integrated part of our lives in the 21st century, maybe we should, at least question, whether we as believers in Christ should be “bound together” by such terms.

Concern, Timing, and the Attitude of Nehemiah

Scott Fillmer — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 15:30:54 +0000

Sunday, we started a new eight week look at the book of Nehemiah. A few years ago I completed a class study (about 4 months long) just on the book of Nehemiah, scripture by scripture. Prior to that class I really had no idea who this man was or what he did. After the class I had such inspiration for how God had used Nehemiah and what he, through God, was able to accomplish for the people of Israel, that it has stuck with me ever since. Now, years later, I have certainly not rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, but I am still influenced each day by that study.

Now, I almost get to look at this series with fresh eyes and a new understanding of what God can do, with any of us, who have a passion and/or burden for the Lord and His work. To get the series started, Rusty put out three points about Nehemiah and I thought I would share them here, starting with Chapter 1, verse 4.

Nehemiah Had Deep Concern

After hearing from his brother about the condition of Jerusalem, scripture says Nehemiah wept, mourned, fasted, and prayed. Obviously over great concern for the state of the people of Israel, Nehemiah’s first step was to seek God. Although he was a great man of physical action, this wasn’t his first step, it was to seek out God, and show his genuine concern for what had happened.

Frequently the first thing we want to do when we see an injustice or something of concern is jump in with everything we have. As the Israelites had seen many times before, without God, much of what we do can be pointless, even if we are passionate about the issue at hand. When the Israelites refused to take the land, which God had promised to Abraham’s descendants, God punished them, not allowing them to take the land at that time.

They decided they were just going to go ahead and go anyway after being admonished by Moses, but then it was too late. In Deuteronomy 1:40-45 Moses recounts what happened. “And the Lord said to me, ‘Say to them, “Do not go up nor fight, for I am not among you; otherwise you will be defeated before your enemies.” (v. 42)

The Timing Was Deliberate

As with the example above, the phrase “timing is everything” is not just an empty saying, in many cases, it really is everything. Nehemiah didn’t just rush head first into a plan of action, he waiting on God’s timing. The text says he waited “for some days”, for God’s timing. It turns out Nehemiah waited about 4 months before putting God’s plan into action.

Often when we wait for God, we find God. God is in the waiting. Our 21st century culture knows almost nothing about waiting for anything anymore. We are just about as instant a society as one could be now, so waiting on God’s timing is hard. Do we not generally think our timing is God’s timing instead of the other way around today? Many times, I know at least in my own walk, I often can only see what was God’s timing through the lens of history.

Looking back it is easier for me to see when the timing was purely my own and when what I deemed to be doing nothing, was actually waiting for God’s own timing. Psalm 27:14 says “Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord .” A tall order for us today, but one Nehemiah did before he went on to build a wall, and renew the spiritual life of a broken nation of Israel.

Nehemiah had a Deferential Attitude

Perhaps one thing that made Nehemiah such a great tool for God was his attitude. He was the greatest coach of all time, and it eventually translated into the people he lead to build the wall. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says “whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” I love that verse. We are not restricted in doing things for the glory of God on Sunday mornings, it says, “whatever” we do.

Nehemiah’s attitude was a game changer, he made the small picture big, the little things, huge, many times just with his attitude towards the work at hand, for the glory of God. When we are in the midst of the struggle, we cannot always see the whole picture, but God can. John Piper explains it in his classic book Desiring God that God can look through a wide angle lens or a narrow lens. He can see both our own seemingly small struggles, and yet see the entire picture and how it turns out in the end, we often can’t, but we can have the attitude of Nehemiah.

I am looking forward to the next 7 weeks to see what God has in store for Nehemiah, and His local church here in Auburn.

Scott Fillmer

The Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards

Other Posts Related to this Topic

Can We Actually Know the Attributes of God?

Can We Actually Know God?

Great Resource for Audiobooks

Other Posts Related to this Topic

The Complete Egoist

Other Posts Related to this Topic

4th of July Fireworks from Auburn Alabama // Video

Other Posts Related to this Topic

The Principle of Context from Joshua 7:1-26

Literary Features of Joshua 7:1-26

Interpretive Issues or Problems Often Presented Today

Contextual Application Principles from Joshua 7:1-26

Other Posts Related to this Topic

Three Solutions to the Problem of Evil

Other Posts Related to this Topic

Happy Anniversary, 17 Years Has Flown By

Other Posts Related to this Topic

Being the Church in Buloba Uganda

Other Posts Related to this Topic

Apple and AT&T Unleash Another Round of Consumerism Meth

To Buy In or Not to Buy In

Buy Now, Save Later, Sign Here

When Does the 2-Year Curse End?

Thanks, Paul of Tarsus

Other Posts Related to this Topic

Concern, Timing, and the Attitude of Nehemiah

Nehemiah Had Deep Concern

The Timing Was Deliberate

Nehemiah had a Deferential Attitude

Other Posts Related to this Topic