Sometimes we make our faith in Jesus way too mystical.

For example, how often have you said or heard the phrase, “I’ve got a peace about [insert decision/circumstance].”? If I haven’t said those exact words, I’ve at least thought them in one form or another. And we speak about this peace like it has some form of divine authority.

I know I’m making the right decision, because I have peace.

But what exactly do we mean when we say, “I’ve got a peace about…”? I think we mean that we feel peace about a particular decision or circumstance, which makes us confident that God has our back. We feel comfortable accepting a particular job, or entering a relationship, or purchasing a house because we have peace.

But is a sense of peace a sign that we’ve made the right decision? The answer is…maybe.

Isaiah 26:3 says, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”

Notice where the peace comes from. It comes from fixing our minds on God and placing our trust in God.

Philippians 4:6-7 says, “…do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding comes from letting our requests be made known to God. The peace isn’t a divine guarantee that we’ve done the right thing. Rather, it’s the result of trusting in the God who cares for us.

Sometimes we’ll make the right, God-honoring decision and not feel a drop of peace. The reason we don’t feel peace is not because we’re out of the will of God, but because we aren’t fixing our minds on God. If we don’t feel peace we shouldn’t automatically assume that we’re making a wrong decision. We should first see if we’re trusting in God and fixing our fearful minds on Him.

And on the flip side, sometimes we’ll make a decision that isn’t God-honoring and yet still feel peace. If I make a significant decision without getting any counsel from others, it’s quite possible that I could feel peace when I shouldn’t be.

What do you think? What role should “peace” play in our decision making?

For more on biblical decision making, read:

• Discovering God’s Deep, Dark, Mysterious Will

• Discovering the Will of God (Pt. 2)

• Overcoming The Paralysis of Indecision

• Only A Fool Wouldn’t Ask

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+photo by fazen

A gazebo for smokers stands outside our local hospital.

Often when I drive past it, I see what appear to be health care professionals puff, puff, puffing away on their cigareets.  I have to smile.  Surely they know Kools cause cancer.  Maybe they don’t believe it.  Maybe they think they’ll beat the statistics.  I can imagine a doctor exhorting a patient to ditch his butts then stepping outside for a smoke break.  Serious disconnect, like an Amish guy telling me I should drive a black buggy then peeling out in a red Mustang.

Like the dad who blusters “Do what I say, not what I do!”   A 6-year-old can see through that a mile away.

People love it when Christians don’t live gospel-shaped lives.  They love it when Christians talk about integrity, then stretch out their breaks at work.  They’re glad when believers laugh at a dirty joke or join in slander.  They’re happy when Christians talk about love then mock homosexuals.  They love it because that gives them an excuse – Christianity must not be true if it doesn’t change lives.  It’s not true if it doesn’t make people humble, honest or pure.  People love it when a pastor falls because if a leader doesn’t practice what he preaches it shows he doesn’t really believe it.

In 1 Timothy 4:16 Paul says,  “Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching.” Be sure you’re holding to the gospel and that the gospel is shaping your life.  Practice what you preach, because the doctrine you profess and the life you lead affects others.

In the second half of v16 Paul tells Timothy he must persist in ensuring his life and belief match up “for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.”

As Timothy persisted in preaching the gospel and applying it to his life, the combination of his words and life would influence many.  I want to live the gospel I preach.  Let’s all seek the grace of the Lord to stay in sync.

photo by Gullig

Over the years, Josh Harris has proven that he’s a fantexcellent (see ‘fantastic’ + ‘excellent’) writer and teacher. His first book, I Kissed Dating Goodbye was a conversation-shaping book within many churches, and basically set the parameters for the dating/courting/dorting issue.

I like reading Josh’s books. They’re always well written, insightful, and challenging. Dug Down Deep, which releases on 01/19/2010, is no different in that respect.

This book, however, is a little different than Josh’s previous books. It’s very conversational and autobiographical. It’s like you and Josh are hanging out, talking about the Bible and knocking back lattes at Starbucks. And I think the conversational element of the book is part of what makes it so good.

You see, this book is about doctrine. People tend to react in two ways when they hear the word ‘doctrine’. One group gets a wicked grin across their face that says, I can’t wait to beat someone into submission with this doctrine! The other group shudders in a way that says, Doctrine is cold, boring, divides churches, and is only enjoyed by boring people. But Josh won’t let you fall into either category.

Josh makes it clear that everybody is a theologian. Theology is simply what we believe about God, and we all believe stuff about God. The question is, are you a good theologian or a bad one? He also makes it clear that theology really matters. I mean really matters. He says:

Theology matters, because if we get it wrong, then our whole life will be wrong.

But theology isn’t supposed to be boring. On the contrary, good, biblical theology is at the heart of a vibrant, loving relationship with God. Josh comments:

I write in hopes that you’ll catch a glimpse of how good and beautiful the old paths of orthodoxy are, how firm and trustworthy the solid rock of sound doctrine can be for your life.

Because doctrine is so important, Josh then spends eight chapters talking about essential Christian doctrines. He dives into the doctrines of God, scripture, the incarnation, the atonement, salvation, sanctification, the Holy Spirit, and the church.

Don’t misunderstand though. This isn’t a systematic theology. Josh certainly explains each doctrine from scripture, but he doesn’t stop there. He also revels, marvels, and rejoices in each doctrine. It’s obvious that he’s on an all-out mission to show the reader why these doctrines matter and why they’re so glorious. For example, when talking about the atonement, he says:

Do you see how essential the atonement is to the Christian faith? Apart from the cross of Jesus Christ, our lives dead-end in hopelessness and terror.

In the final chapter of the book, Josh argues for what he calls ‘humble orthodoxy’. It’s not enough to simply know the truth. Our attitude matters as well. Doctrine isn’t a weapon for us to use in theological fistfights. Rather, a true understanding of God should bring us to our knees before God. True thoughts of God always lead to humility.

If the thought of studying about God seems boring, you need to read this book. You can’t read this book without being persuaded that theology matters. A whole lot.

If you don’t know much about God, you need to read this book.

And if you’re a theology buff who has a dog named ‘Propitiate’, you should also read this book. It may give you fresh perspective on glorious truths you’ve known for many years.

So go out and pre-order this book. Now. I mean right now.

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2 TI 2.12 if we endure, we will also reign with him…

Endurance is critical to the Christian life.  We must endure, because God has ordained that it takes time to form the character of Christ in us.  It takes time for the Spirit to produce his fruit in us.  And it takes time for us to put do death our remaining sin.

Charles Simeon was opposed and persecuted for 49 years in his pastorate at Holy Trinity in Cambridge.  At age 71, his friend Joseph Gurney asked him how he had endured all those years of suffering.  He answered:

“My dear brother, we must not mind a little suffering for Christ’s sake.  When I am getting through a hedge, if my head and shoulders are safely through, I can bear the pricking of my legs.  Let us rejoice in the remembrance that our holy Head has surmounted all His suffering and triumphed over death.  Let us follow Him patiently; we shall soon be partakers of His victory.” *

We must not mind a little suffering, because in the end we will be transformed into the image of Christ, free from sin, filled with the fruit of the Spirit, sanctified, purified, glorified, a spotless bride, prepared to gaze on the face of Christ.  No one in heaven will regret one second of suffering endured for Christ.  We’ll say the pain we endured was but momentary and slight compared to the eternal weight of glory it prepared for us in heaven.  We’ll say it would be worth enduring a thousand lifetimes of suffering for all the joy we’ll experience forever in Jesus’ presence.

We must not mind a little suffering.  We’ll soon be partakers of Christ’s victory.

*From H.C.G.  Moule, Charles Simeon, quoted by John Piper in, “Thoughts at 60 on Third Campus Thrills and 1 Corinthians 15:58″

photo by Hair-Flick

There are times when suffering seems absolutely senseless.

What good is coming from daily migraines, or consistent financial struggle, or prolonged singleness? Can anything useful come from joint pain or struggling with an unbelieving family member? It’s hard for us to see it and we certainly don’t feel it. We just can’t see what God is doing in the midst of suffering.

But in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, Paul gives us God’s divine perspective on suffering. He says:

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.

Through our current sufferings, God is preparing us for an incredible glory that is to come, and if we didn’t experience these sufferings, we wouldn’t be prepared for the glory. Ligon Duncan makes this point when he says:

You couldn’t bear the glory that God has in store for you, unless you had been held up by God in your affliction in this life. (From Does Grace Grow Best In Winter?)

Doesn’t that encourage you? Our sufferings are hard. They don’t always make sense to our limited minds. But we can know that God is using them to prepare us for something glorious.

God doesn’t waste suffering. He’s using your headaches, and backaches, and heartaches to prepare you for glory. If we didn’t experience the suffering, we wouldn’t be ready for the glory.

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I know, O Lord…that in faithfulness you have afflicted me (PS 119.75)

A young man named Nathan from our church joined the Army a couple years ago, his goal to be in the Special Forces.  When he went into SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Training – essentially POW Training) he had to sign a release that they could break a couple of his bones.  Nathan could accept this affliction because he understood the purpose of it – to make him into a Special Forces soldier.

Believers can be content under affliction when we know God’s purpose in affliction: To make us like Christ.

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.  And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.  RO 8.29-30

God predestined those he chose for this glorious end: “to be conformed to the image of his Son.”  To be like Christ.  To have Christ completely formed in them.  Another way of putting it is to be “glorified.”

God uses many things to conform us to Jesus – his Word, the Spirit, fellowship, prayer.  And in his providence, he also uses persecution, sickness, loneliness, and financial trials to name a few.  In other words, sometimes he must break our bones.  He breaks our bones of pride, self-sufficiency, unbelief and selfishness.  But when he does break our bones, he heals us as well, and in the end we’re more like Christ.

If there were no purpose to our suffering it would be meaningless.  Aren’t you glad that God’s purpose to make us like his Son will make it all worthwhile in the end?

photo by bartheq

Such ingenuity requires a caption. Supply it!

So this week the ESV Study Bible is turning one. In honor of my favorite Study Bible, I wanted to provide you with seven reasons I love the ESV Study Bible.

• It can be used for self-defense if I get trapped in a dark alley by a communist mob boss. The smart folks at Crossway realized that there will be times when a Bible needs to double as a weapon, and so they created a Study Bible that has some serious weight. Don’t come too close bad guys or, “WHAM” – Bible to the kidney.

• It’s packed with helpful articles. Before each book of the Bible is a helpful section explaining the purpose of the book, outline of the book, recipients of the book, etc. There’s an article on the history of salvation in the OT, the Bible and world religions, the Septuagint, and loads of other clarifying articles.

• It’s too large to fit into Bible cases. No praying hands, bald eagles, or pictures of Dale Jarret on this Bible. It just won’t fit. And I like it that way.

• Smart guys at my disposal. The study notes were not written by folks of average intelligence like myself. If I had written the study notes most of them would have said, “I’m not exactly sure what this means but I think it has something to do with prayer.” Fortunately, the notes were written by world class biblical scholars Thomas Shreiner, Wayne Grudem, and Iain Duguid. It’s like I have them with me each morning as I read my Bible.

• It comes in leather. I have the calfskin version of the Study Bible, and I’m pretty sure that’s the version that John Wayne, Chuck Norris, and Macho Man Randy Savage would use. And maybe King James.

• Diagrams galore. There’s a well known saying: “A diagram is worth approximately 400 words”, which is another reason to love the Study Bible. It’s packed with diagrams. The book of John alone has diagrams for: Specific References to Jesus as God, Seven Signs Pointing to Jesus as the Messiah, Tangible Images of Belief in Christ, Physical Items Used By Jesus to Describe Spiritual Truths, and six others.

• It promotes physical health. Carry this baby around for a week and see if you don’t notice a change in your biceps. How do you think I got to be so strong?

I absolutely love the Study Bible and am so grateful to the folks at Crossway for making it accessible. Go out and get one. I mean right now.

1 CH 16.7 Then on that day David first appointed that thanksgiving be sung to the Lord by Asaph and his brothers.

David’s first order of business after bringing the ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem, was to get the worship team singing thanks.

This agrees with Psalm 100:

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name! (v4)

Coming to God with thanks is a great principle.  Obviously there are times we come to God with cries for help, mercy, or wisdom on our lips.  But there are great benefits to coming to the Lord with gratitude before starting to ask him for things.

I’ve found that giving thanks first lifts my eyes off my circumstances and onto the One who controls my circumstances.  By thanking the Father for all he did for me in sacrificing his Son on the cross, it gives me confidence he’ll meet all my lesser needs.  When I preface my requests with praise to Jesus for his power, love, and wisdom, it strengthens my trust in him to care for me.  By recalling and thanking him for past mercies and faithfulness, it bolsters my faith for his future faithfulness.

Some morning soon try this, spend your whole “prayer” time thanking Jesus for things.

Start with spiritual blessings – salvation, forgiveness, justification, adoption, the gift of eternal life.  Then move on to material and temporal blessings – your family, health, eyes, ears, strength, food, home, car, etc.

Let thanksgiving be your first order of business.  It’s a happy exercise.

photo by dmachiavello