Consistency

So I have this problem. Whenever I think things are going badly for me, I feel really close to God. I am especially dependent on him because I know that he is the only one who can fix my problems. I know that if I trust in him more and rely on him more fully, things will get better. I pray really diligently that I will be content, but really I hope that God will fix whatever it is that I think is amiss.

That's when the problems start.

God is faithful. He answers our prayers. Even when we pray for contentment when what we really mean is "fix this. change it," he knows what we want and what we need.

So. Things are hard, I get really close to God, and then he makes them less hard because he is so merciful to me. The appropriate reaction in that situation would be to become closer to God, to be more grateful for his impact in my life, and strive to seek such a great and merciful creator more fully.

But I don't do that. I pray and pray and pray and things get better, and then I'll say something like, "Man! I'm such a winner." ....that literally happens.....all the time. And that's embarrassing.

So that's something I am trying to work on--consistency. I think it's great to be close to God when you think things are difficult, or when they are not how you want them to be. But it is also so important to remember him in our prosperity. When we pray for blessings, and God gives us blessings, we can't forget that he was the giver, and that we didn't deserve it.

We see the incorrect attitude toward God's blessings exemplified in the Israelites during the period of the judges. They would forget God, become wicked, be punished and have hardship, cry out to God that he would remove their hardship, receive a deliverer, be really happy that God saved them, and then forget God again. I know that was a foolish and wicked thing for the Israelites to do, but it's high time I realized it is foolish and wicked for me as well.   


If you are like the Israelites or like me and you struggle with being consistent in your devotion to God through good and bad times, here are some some passages that can encourage us all to do better:

2 Chronicles 16:9     For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.     
God is consistently watching out for us

James 1:17      Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
God is consistent in his blessings

Ephesians 2:4-5      But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved
God is merciful toward us. He gave us everything.

Matthew 6:30      But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the overn, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
God is the source of the things we have. He will provide.

Pslam 121     

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
    From where does my help come? 
 My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.

 He will not let your foot be moved;
    he who keeps you will not slumber. 

 Behold, he who keeps Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

 The Lord is your keeper;
    the Lord is your shade on your right hand. 

 The sun shall not strike you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

 The Lord will keep you from all evil;
    he will keep your life. 

 The Lord will keep
    your going out and your coming in
    from this time forth and forevermore.

 God is looking out for you.

So I realize now that these passages are ones that comfort me when I'm in those harder times, when I feel as though I am extra reliant on God. But I think that if I just continually had these passages in my mind and on my heart, I would realize that these are the things that are happening in the good times in my life. I have prosperity because God is diligent in his watching over me. I have blessings because God gives them to me. I always have salvation from God, for which I should be continually thankful. Everything I have is because God is looking after me and giving things to me. And God is watchful over me in the good times in my life, blessing me and keeping me from evil so that I may enjoy his majesty. Those passages aren't just encouragement, they are facts, and I should treat them that way when I feel as though I am particularly blessed.

Deciding What to Do

Deciding what to do in any given situation can be really difficult. I know from personal experience that as much as I may prepare for a circumstance, when it comes to a snap decision, I don't always do the right thing. The Bible says a lot about choice-making, but I just want to bring out one thing I've been thinking about from Colossians on this subject.
Colossians 3:17

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.


This passage can help us make more righteous decisions in two ways.

1. Before you do something, think to yourself, "Can I do this in the name of the Lord Jesus?" Because here's the thing, what you do is a reflection of Christ whether or not you want it to be. People see your actions and associate them with our Lord. If it's uncomfortable to associate the name of Jesus with what you are planning to do, don't do it.
2. Before you do something, think to yourself, "Should I be thanking God for this action?" We don't thank God for sins, or at least we shouldn't, because no sin or evil thing comes from Him. If you can't pray after a decision and say "Thank you God for letting me do ______," or "Thank you God for the consequences of _______," don't do it.

Today's post is short, but hopefully very helpful. Let's look to God's Word to help us make better choices in all situations.

Contentment

I think one of the things Satan wants most in our life is for us to be discontent.

If we aren't content with our possessions, maybe we will steal.
If we aren't content being single, maybe we will look for affection in the wrong places.
If we aren't content in our marriage, maybe we will just end it.
If we aren't content with our faith, maybe we will just drop it.


When I decided I was going to write a blog about contentment (a quality that I am really trying to build in myself), I realized that I didn't really know what the bible says about being content. I mean I have a general notion, certainly, but we can't expect ourselves to embody the qualities the bible encourages in us if we don't even know what the bible says. So I looked up the word "content" on an online ESV. It appears about 12 times in that version. I'm just going to go through them here, and we will learn about contentment together.

Exodus 2:21- Moses was content to dwell with Jethro.

Joshua 7:7- After they are defeated at Ai, Joshua wishes the people of Israel would have been content beyond the Jordan.

Judges 17:11- The Levite was content to dwell with Micah.

2 Kings 14:10- Jehoash (king of Israel) tells Amaziah (king of Judah) to be content with the glory he received from defeating the Edomites and to not face the Israelites in battle. Amaziah doesn't listen and is defeated.

Job 20:20- In describing the wicked sufferer to Job, Zophar mentions that the wicked man is not content with what he has, and that he will try to get everything he wants. This is not a good thing.

Luke 3:14- John, in preaching to the multitudes, tells people not to defraud one another, and he specifically tells soldiers to be content with their wages.

2 Corinthians 12:10- Paul is content with weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities, because his weakness is Christ's strength.

Philippians 4:11- Paul has learned to be content in all circumstances because Christ strengthens him.

1 Timothy 6:6-8- Paul tells Timothy that godliness is of great gain if one is content. If one has food and clothing, he should be content, because wanting to be rich causes him to fall into temptation.

Hebrews 13:5- The Hebrew writer exhorts his readers to be content, free from the love of money, because Christ will not forsake them.

3 John 1:10- John tells Gaius that Diotrephes is not content with talking wicked nonsense, so he also refuses to welcome the brothers. This is bad.


There seem to be five main themes in these verses:

1. Be content with where you are
2. Be content with what you have
3. Be content with what is happening to you
4. Discontentment has consequences
5. Contentment is possible--you have Christ for strength and support

I especially like the Old Testament verses about contentment. I have never really looked at them before.

I'm not exactly sure what to make about what Joshua said in Joshua 7. He makes this excalamation before the Lord tells him that they lost at Ai because of sin. I think it does show us something about Joshua's attitude. In his mind, if the people of Israel would have been content beyond the Jordan, these bad things wouldn't have happened to them. Again, not really sure about this one. Something to think about.

The 2 Kings passage is more clear. Jehoash knows he is going to beat Amaziah. He tries to tell him that he just needs to be happy with the battles he has already won. He needs to not get a big head and think he can go up against the Israelites because he can't. Or perhaps it is that he needs to not get greedy for more glory than he has, causing him to make a decision that wasn't going to turn out well.

I think what Zophar says in Job is really great. It probably wasn't what Job needed to hear, but it's definitely what I need to hear. It's the wicked person who isn't content with what he has, and this discontentedness is only going to lead to horrible things. He isn't satisfied, and he won't ever be satisfied, and it will destroy him.

With Moses and the Levite, contentedness was pretty straight forward. They got in these situations living in these places and they said "Okay, I'm willing to do this."



I just think being content is so important, especially seeing the consequences that come from refusing to be content. It's bad news trying to get more than what you've been given, or trying to change the situation that God has given you. There's a reason we are told to be content--it's better. It keeps us from sinning and shows our trust in God. Philippians and Hebrews especially show us the trust aspect of contentedness.

I want to leave you with the words from Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

God is watching out for us. He gave us the circumstances we are in for His glory. In faith, let us strive to be content.

Freedom in Christ

I've had other things on my mind this week that have nothing at all to do with freedom in Christ, but I said in my last post that I would write of freedom in Christ so I'm just going to shift gears and do it. Those other thoughts can be blog posts for other days. I really do think this is important.

My friend Ben and I recently finished a study of the book of Galatians. I have to say, I knew very little about the book before we started reading it. The basic plot of Galatians is this: The Galatians are in danger of following after teachers who want Gentile Christians to follow Jewish laws (specifically the law of circumcision). Paul, to convince them that this is a terrible mistake, first explains how he is a true apostle and shows that the message he originally gave to the Galatians came from God. He reminds them that this message centers on faith and Christ and shows them how they are justified by faith and not by works of the law. Paul goes further, telling them that the Jewish Law actually enslaved them. Once Christ came, there was no longer a need for the Jewish law to instruct them and Christians became free. He tells the Galatians that this freedom should not be used for sinning, since sin similarly enslaved them. To go back to the law, or back to a life of sin, would be trading in their freedom for slavery. Those who were trying to make them follow Jewish laws were not trying to help them, but were trying to make themselves look good and were profaning Christ's sacrifice. (I certainly recommend reading the book. It's only 6 chapters and I'm sure my summary isn't satisfactory.)

The major take away for the Galatians was that they should not follow the Judaizing teachers.

There are many applications for us as well, but the one I want to focus on here is the true freedom we have in Christ.

Paul explains this freedom in two ways:

First, we have freedom from impossible rules and regulations. You just couldn't keep the Jewish law perfectly. It served the purpose of showing the Jewish people what sin was, but it couldn't justify them. Under the law, people knew that they were bad, but there was really no way to make themselves good. There were certainly righteous people under the Law, but their righteousness did not come from doing the works of the law, but through faith. We certainly also have things to do in Christ, but we are not justified by doing things, but by having faith in Him (Gal 2:16). Although we are still incapable of doing everything we want to do, or everything we are supposed to do for Christ, doing things is not the metric by which we are judged. This is a lenient system--a gracious system in which God has recognized our imperfection and given us a way to be counted righteous anyway, through the death of his son.

Freedom from impossible standards and regulations.


Second, we have freedom from sin. Let us not deceive ourselves into thinking that the bad things that we want to do are good for us. God sent the Holy Spirit specifically to tell us that those things we want to do are actually not what we should do (Gal 5:17). And it's not because God is just a bad guy who doesn't want us to have fun. Really honestly think of the problems sin causes in your life or in the lives of people around you, and I think you will see the wisdom in abstaining from sin. On top of that, the scriptures tell us that sin brings forth spiritual death (James 1:15). Despite knowing this, we still sin. Why? Because Satan has tricked us into thinking that we must follow our sinful desires. And he doesn't take a passive approach; Satan seeks us out to try to make us do bad things that will lead to our eternal death (1 Peter 5:8). We are very truly enslaved to sin. Satan deceives us into choosing it, and then it kills us. There is really not a worse scenario. However, through Christ, we can give up this bondage (Rom 6:6). Christ, through his perfect example and his precepts, showed us that we don't have to sin. On top of that, he provided us with the means for repentance and a hope of salvation. This means that when we choose sin, it does not have to condemn us to death. We are able to repent, to serve Christ, and to have life.

Freedom from sin. Freedom from death.


We are not oppressed in Christ, we are oppressed outside of him.

Non-liberatory Agency

Congratulations! You read the title of my blog post this week and are still reading. Hopefully this post will be much less complicated that the title makes it seem. We will see. [edit: I don't think its any less complicated. You can bail out now.]

In my "Figurative Painting in Islam" class yesterday, we were discussing the role of the veil in the Muslim religion and culture. I am by no means an expert on this subject, even after the discussion yesterday.

There were many differing views about veiling. We discussed Quranic passages, the Bible, the hadith, colonialism, feminism--you name it, it came up. Everyone thought different things and we were really unable to reach a consensus besides "probably governments should not regulate veiling or not veiling in any way." Who knows if we were even right about that.

The class was the most strongly divided about whether or not the veil is a sign of oppression. Many thought that it definitely was in most, if not all, scenarios. Far fewer thought that, at least in some circumstances, the veil was not oppressive at all.

This is where the idea of non-liberatory agency (and the connection to Christian faith) comes in. One of the authors we read, Adair Rounthwaite, discussed the veil and the situation for Muslim women. She argued that Muslim women could gain agency by conforming to the religious or cultural standard set for them by others.
If my readers aren't familiar with the idea of "agency," it has a lot to do with personhood and voice. The more agency you have, the more you matter. If a person has agency, they are allowed to choose, and others in society recognize and allow their choices. (For example: it could be argued that an artist who does not sign their work has no agency, because no one can recognize his work as being his).
Anyway, this particular author argued that women who took the veil because they believed it would help them become closer to an ideal had more agency than we would typically ascribe to them. A woman who took the veil was able to take personal action to fulfill her desire to conform to a standard. Instead of the standard oppressing her, or taking away her agency because it caused her to conform, it actually enabled her to have agency. In this way, the agency was non-liberatory. The woman did not have to break free from this religious tradition to in some way reclaim her agency. 

I liked that a lot, because it challenged the prevalent assumption that rules necessarily oppress. People think that if someone tells you to do something that you don't want to do (or that is uncomfortable, or seems to you to be irrational), and you comply, that they are somehow forcing you or squelching your ability "right" to choose, and thus your agency is denied. People seem to especially think that with regards to religion--Christianity as much as Islam.

The problem with that logic is that actually Christianity gives us the ultimate choice. The Bible absolutely gives us standards, but then God gives us the ability to work toward these standards. He asks us to choose him by doing certain things being certain kinds of people, so that we can in turn be chosen by him. If I want to choose God and be chosen by him, I am absolutely allowed to. Part of choosing him is submitting to his standards and requirements. If I don't want to submit to his standards, I absolutely don't have to--nobody is forcing anybody to choose God. If, however, I want to choose God and be chosen by him, God isn't suddenly oppressing me. He is allowing me to become the type of person that can be chosen by him through the standards he has set out for me. Maybe some of his requirements are hard or uncomfortable, is it oppression then? Still no. We still have choice, and if we are going to choose to conform to his standards, we have to choose that.

I could spend pages going through every hypothetical question that could arise when I assert that God's rules aren't oppressive, but I don't think that I really need to. By following God's regulations for my life, I am choosing to act in a certain way. That's basically the definition of agency. Even if something seems oppressive to modern sensibilities (submit to your husband, for example), it doesn't mean that I lose agency if I do that. I'm still choosing. I'm still acting. I still have free will. I have learned that a certain way of living is right, and that God chooses a certain type of person, so I live and try to become that type of person. It's not oppressive. Nobody makes me--I can reject God if I want. But I don't, because he is alive and he reigns. I don't want this "freedom" that people think is offered by liberatory agency. If I break free from Christianity, not only will I have chosen to my own destruction, but I will also have no more agency than I did when I chose Christ in the first place.



(I think I will maybe turn this into a series about oppression. I think I've addressed here how Christianity is not oppressive in that it does not take away agency, but I think that there are other ways in which people could find it oppressive that I have not yet addressed. I've been meaning to write a post on freedom in Christ anyway.)