quick thoughts on anger

"...the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God."

~James 1:20

I read this verse a few weeks ago and have meditated on it a bit since then. 

In the book of Ephesians, Paul advises us to "be angry, and yet do not sin" (4:26).  He knew that as humans, anger is an inevitable emotion for all of us in this fallen world.  But he also knew that without the love of God in our hearts, this anger can become a catalyst in the manifestation of any number of sins since without His help, we have no hope of controlling this powerful emotion on our own.

Being angry on occasion is normal, and sometimes even beneficial if we keep tabs on it and deal with it properly.  But we're not designed to harbor our anger continuously.  That's where the above verse in James comes in.  Even if we call on God's help in the midst of an episode of anger, and we are successful in avoiding any kind of sin during that time, I really think being angry for an extended period of time can prevent us from running after His righteousness and blessings.  Of course there are exceptions to this rule; sometimes righteous indignation combined with Providence can certainly further God's kingdom (such as Jesus turning over the money-changers' tables in the Temple).  But for the most part, we're better off if we deal with our anger quickly and concisely, without giving in to the temptation to sin and without letting our anger keep us from doing what God has called us to do.

I'm usually not one to act out on my anger; I tend to be more prone to stuffing my anger inside and letting it stew instead.  But I'm thinking that doing this is really just as bad as physically acting out my anger.  If I'm angry at someone, and do nothing to fix the situation, I'm usually rendered useless in regards to His kingdom.  In addition, that anger makes me vulnerable toward more attacks from the Enemy; just check out a later verse in that passage in James, where he says that allowing our anger to remain in us only gives the devil "an opportunity" (v. 27), or in other translations, "a foothold."  Anger will only beget more anger, and that anger will only beget sin, unless we call on God the minute that powerful emotion sets in and ask for His help in resolving it.  A life bent toward achieving His righteousness can't be spent wading in the mucky waters of anger and bitterness.

first fruits

"In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of  first fruits among His creatures."  James 1:18

The Means...

God brought us forth by exercising His will.  This suggests a deliberate, premeditated, and purposeful action on His part.  Wherever He has brought you today, it was not the result of an afterthought, a mistake, or simply a lack of action on His part.  He has a will, and He never hesitates to exercise it.

God also brought us forth by the word of truth.  1 Peter 1:23 goes further to say we have been "born again...through the living and enduring word of God."  He spoke the world into existence, and He spoke you into existence.  His loving words not only brought us into this physical realm, but also into a lasting, amazing relationship with Him if we accept His outstretched hand and invitation.

...to the End.

What does it mean to be part of God's first fruits?  Based on Jeremiah 2:3 and Revelations 14:4 (scriptures that were footnotes for this verse in my bible), I think it means to be set apart as holy to the Lord.   In the Jeremiah scripture, the prophet states that anyone who "devours" Israel will be overtaken by disaster.  So not only does God set us apart as holy, He also provides a hedge of protection around us to help keep us holy.

Additionally, being a first fruit is living your life as your sacrifice to God.  First fruits of the harvest were always set aside and offered up to God as a sacrifice of thanks, a humble way of thanking Him for protecting the crops and for His sovereignty.

The verse from Revelation that's referenced above describes "chaste" followers of God following the Lamb wherever He goes, and that they "have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb" (14:4).  So being a first fruit means you follow Jesus....wherever He goes and wherever He takes you.  It means that you have been bought with a price, and as a result your overwhelming gratitude becomes one of the many reasons why all you want to do is follow Him.

I'm a far way away from really appreciating what it means to be one of God's first fruits.  Since these first fruits are described as "among men" or "among His creatures," that means, of course, that these first fruits are set apart and certainly do not include all of God's creation.  So with the many labels I'm continually adding to my identity (Chosen.  Royal.  Loved.  Saved.), I'm adding another one to the list:  First Fruit.  May I continue to delve further into this part of my identity as His child.

considering it all joy

"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."  James 1:2-4

I've read these verses hundreds of times over the years, but this week God showed me something new as I read them.  And of course it had to do with joy.  He's been bombarding me with this concept of being joyful lately, since I tend to be more on the melancholy and pensive side of things.  It's almost like I'm afraid to find joy in the little things, because what if it's not there in the bigger things?

I always considered this act of "considering it all joy" to be a simple, almost passive behavior.  Trials will happen to all of us; it's inevitable.  But when they happen to me, I tend to be more active with getting through the trial, not with finding joy within it.  And I think that's where I've been going wrong all these years.

We read in these verses that the testing of our faith produces endurance (or, in other translations, perseverance).  But what if finding joy within the trial that's testing our faith actually causes the product of endurance?  What if instead of being a passive behavior, finding joy becomes a catalyst that results in endurance?  Think about it.  Whether we strive to find joy in our trials or not, sooner or later we will get through them.  That testing of our faith could just as easily result in burnout, discouragement, and staying stagnant in our faith if we don't make finding joy a necessity.  No matter what the trial is, we could come out of the other side more mature and complete, or we could come out more frustrated and doubting than ever.  The difference is JOY.

So how do we find joy in the midst of trial?  Here's an idea.  Look to God, and instead of asking Him WHY, ask Him to remind you of WHO He is and WHAT He has done for you in your:

• past.  He has already come through for you and has helped you during past trials.  Did you try to find the joy in those trials, or did you just struggle to get through?  How did you feel on the other side?
• present.  He is doing a mighty work in you right now, using whatever trial you're in as a sculpting tool to shape you into something new and stronger.  He wants you to come out of this trial as someone who looks more like Him, someone more complete and sure in their faith.  
• future.  He will bring you out of this trial.  It won't last forever.  And you won't be the same person who entered that trial.  Skip down to verse 12:  "Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him."  Only having joy in that trial will help you to focus on the Lord, to love Him, and to come out of that trial the right way.

So this behavior of "considering it all joy" really isn't an option.  It's a necessity.  If we want to learn from our trials and allow God to use those hard times to mold us and strengthen us, finding joy within the storm is really the only way to make that happen.  And being joyful doesn't mean having a smile plastered to your face, or denying the difficulty of the circumstances you find yourself in.  It doesn't mean to suck it up or to ignore your feelings of sadness and concern.  It simply means to worship Him.  It means making a choice to praise Him even when you're not sure what He's doing.  And it means drawing closer to Him and thanking Him for sticking with you as you learn from that trial.  When the trial is over, that catalyst of joy will result in greater endurance, which will probably help you persevere when the next trial comes.  Best of all, that endurance helps us become more mature in our faith, meaning a much more meaningful walk with Him.

Can you find joy in trials such as poverty, disease, and death?  I think you can.  Yes, it's hard to consider it all joy when you've lost your job, when a friend's body is wracked with cancer, or when a loved one dies.  But if you look to the One who is sovereign over all of this, He can help you find joy.  I can think of no better source of joy than our Heavenly Father, and He is always ready to share that joy with us if we only ask.

mirror, mirror

Am I the only one who has the tendency to be extremely self-critical?  I've become more and more aware lately of how I continuously beat myself down for everything, from not doing the dishes right away to the way my clothes fit.  The latter, my physical appearance, tends to be more of an issue with me.  I'm hoping this is a common thing.  But more than that, I'm hoping it's easy to fix.

In the book of Ephesians, Paul prays for "enlightened eyes" for the people of Ephesus so they would know the hope to which God has called them (Ephesians 1:18).  I think this should be my prayer too.  Without this renewed vision, it's impossible to focus on anything but the wrong thing.  Enlightened eyes help us see past the temporary and past the surface.  God told Samuel the prophet that God cares more about the heart than the outward appearance (1 Samuel 16:7); with enlightened eyes, couldn't I be the same way?

Every morning I look into our bathroom mirror.  I see myself when I brush my teeth, wash my hands, do my makeup, and straighten my hair.  All the while my eyes are staring back at me, telling me everything that's wrong.  Your have dark circles under your eyes.  Your hair is frizzy.  Your arms are flabby.  Your stomach is still fat.  Sure doesn't sound enlightened, does it?

Sometimes my husband and I write little notes to each other on that same mirror using a dry erase marker.  A couple of weeks ago, he wrote "I love you" on my side of the mirror, and a few days later he added "best mommy in the world!" right underneath it.  It took me a few days after that to notice that in order to see my appearance, I had to look through those words written on the mirror.  Although I could move toward the other side of the mirror where there was nothing blocking my reflection, I found that I had a much better view right where I was at.  My husband's words of encouragement and affection effectively blocked out those dark circles and frizzy hair, and drew my attention away from what I thought I was wrong with me.  I had to read those words anytime I looked in the mirror, and they helped me to "see" who I really was.  I am loved, and I'm a wife and a mother.  Looks SO much better now.

Maybe that's how those enlightened eyes work.  Is it like putting on glasses to see everything through God's eyes, or is it like having cataracts that block out these negative thoughts and words we speak over ourselves day in and day out?  Might be a little of both.  Either way, I want more of His vision and His outlook.  I want to quit wasting time criticizing my flaws and instead glorify Him for all the good He's given me.  It's a tough thing to do, but really, it's not as though living the self-critical life is that easy either!

who are we? {part 4}

Welcome to the last installment of this series on identity.  Actually, there's a lot more to be said on this subject, but as it pertains to 1 Peter 2:9, God led me to keep this series relatively short.  For the previous posts in this series, just click on the tag "identity."  :o)

First, let's review the verse that has served as our focal point.  I know I need a quick review since these posts have had more space between them than I intended!

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9).

In this last section, we'll delve further into the idea that we are "a people for God's own possession."  After considering our role as the "chosen race", the "royal priesthood", and the "holy nation", this one sounds a bit more personal, doesn't it?

My oldest sister has six kids.  She had a girl first, followed by three boys and a girl who naturally got more and more curious about their older sister's stuff as they got older (the sixth kid is still technically a baby, but I'm sure he'll be the same way once he's mobile.  Aren't all kids?).  In a house with that many people, you end up sharing mostly everything.  But in the past couple of years, the rule of "the treasure drawer" has been established to maintain some sense of privacy.  My niece reserves the top drawer of her dresser for what she calls her "treasures"; her camera, drawings, journals, and other special things that her younger siblings are not to touch.  Everything else outside that drawer is understood to be shared, but the items in her treasure drawer are for her alone, and a sibling can only have access to them with her permission.  This idea caught on quickly...now the younger siblings have treasure drawers too!

That's how we are with God, in a way.  He views us as His treasures, despite our appearance or shortcomings.  Like frayed or torn coloring book pages, we might also be a little rough around the edges.  But God sees our value, and reserves us for a special place where no one else can touch us without His permission.  Sure, the enemy can mess with our circumstances; God may allow some hardships to come our way and it may seem that we've been stolen from the drawer and left in a dusty corner somewhere all alone.  But we never lose that "treasure" status with God, as long as He is the Lord of our lives.

Although my niece's treasures are safely kept in her drawer, she still takes them out and uses them.  She snaps pictures with her camera, reads her journals, or shows her mom pictures she's drawn.  But she still watches over them and protects them the entire time they're outside of the drawer to make sure her siblings don't misuse them.  It's the same with us.  There's intimacy, security, and comfort to be had in that treasure drawer, but we are also called to serve God outside of it so we may "proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."  We are here to glorify God and to testify to His goodness and mercy, and we can do that in a variety of ways, whether it's witnessing to someone who's searching, preaching a sermon, or simply going to work every day because God has called us to that job to provide for our family.  And the entire time we carry this purpose out, we are still in God's hand.  He still protects us as if we're safely hidden away in a drawer. No one has access to us without His permission.

If something is "for your own possession" and is extremely important to you, you're going to guard it with your life and make sure it doesn't get lost, stolen, or misused.  God sent His Son to die for you and has called you "His own possession." Sounds like you're pretty important to Him, huh?

As we end this series on identity, I'll leave you with two questions to mull over.

1. Do I truly understand my identity as one for God's own possession, as one of His very precious treasures?
2. In what ways do I proclaim the excellencies of God?

Thanks so much for reading.  I know this series helped me to better understand who I am in Christ.  I pray it did for you too.  :o)

Who are we? {Part 3}

Yikes.  Sorry it's taken me so long to post again.  I really need some prayers concerning time management!  Lord, help me to seek You first!  Thank You for Your grace and for speaking through me as I type out this post.  On to Part 3.  :o)

In Part 1 of this series on 1 Peter 2:9, we learned that we are a chosen race.

In Part 2, we learned that we are a royal priesthood.

Today, we'll focus on the fact that we are a holy nation.  What does that mean for our identity as Christians?

This "holy nation" idea was by no means a new idea when Peter wrote this verse.  If you read Exodus 19:3-6, God Himself called Moses and the Israelites a holy nation.  He calls them this right before He gives Moses the Ten Commandments and other parts of the Law. 

You've probably heard that "holy" means "set apart," usually for some special purpose.  By calling His people "holy," God was setting them apart from all the other peoples of the earth.  He gave them the Law so they would know that their holiness could only come through Him, and also so they would know how to walk that holiness out.  That meant being different from everyone else, from the food that they ate to the way they bathed, and from the holidays they celebrated to the pastimes from which they abstained.  It meant performing multiple sacrifices a year, whether for giving thanks, commemorating an event, or confessing a sin.  And it meant being united under Him; that's where the "nation" part comes in.  While they were to be separate from everyone else, God called His people to also be united in a single purpose:  to obey His voice and keep His covenant (see verse 5 of Exodus 19).  In other words, to bring Him glory. 

God set the bar high for His holy nation given the depth and complexities of His Law (just keep reading past Exodus 19 and you'll see what I mean!), and in His sovereignty He knew that there was no way imperfect humans could ever fulfill the Law within their own power.  As hard as they tried, the Israelites fell short of His glory time and time again, and we do the same today (see Romans 3:23).  That's where Jesus comes in.  He served as the ultimate sacrifice, cleansing everyone's sin once and for all, and ushering in a new covenant that focuses more on forgiveness than performance.

Although we live under this new covenant and are free from much of the confines of the Law from the old covenant, we are still called to be a "holy nation" today.  What does that mean for us?  It means being different and set apart from everyone else by walking in God's will and reflecting His glory.  Others may call you "strange," "radical," or "boring" based on how you live out this purpose.  It may mean giving up certain things in order to focus more attention on God and others.  In everything, however, "set apart" simply means living by God's standards instead of the world's standards. 

Let's not forget the "nation" part.  We are also called to be united in our mission to be set apart.  Kind of a paradox, isn't it?  What else would you expect from a God who strikes to heal (Isaiah 19:22), or whose Son left the riches and glory of Heaven to be born in a lowly stable and live the simple life of a carpenter before beginning His ministry?  God often works within the paradox and the least expected.  Just another example of how His thoughts are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:9)!  Though we're called to be set apart, we're also called to work together.  Though we were created to be different, we're called to be "perfectly united in mind and thought" (1 Corinthians 1:10).  That means that we Christians were not set apart in order to look out for our own interests, but to serve and to fellowship with other Christians as a unique and "holy nation."

This part of our identity can be difficult to carry out in the world we live in today.  The anonymity of online social networking, the distractions of a more hurried pace in life, and the existence of numerous denominations within the Christian faith can potentially compromise our ability (and really, our desire) to enjoy united fellowship with other believers and to truly live our lives as set apart for Christ.  We were meant to be holy, and we were meant to be a nation.  Set apart, yet united together for Him.  What does that mean for your identity, and for your life?  Please pray that God will begin to reveal to you your place in His holy nation.  Come to Him with open hands for whatever He wishes to give you, or to take away.  And ask Him for His help in living out your identity in Him.

Who are we? {Part 2}

For Part 1 of this series on identity, go here.

Thanks for coming back for Part 2!  First, let's read the focus verse of this series again:

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."

1 Peter 2:9

Today we're going to delve into the idea that we are a royal priesthood, an idea that was made into a reality with Jesus' death and resurrection.

So what does it mean to be in a royal priesthood?  First, let's hone in on that word royal.  When I see that word, I think of a kingdom.  Kings and queens also come to mind, along with "royal family" and reigning with power.  Guess what?  If you're a child of God and have trusted Him to be the Lord of your life, you're part of His royal family.  He reigns over you with love and mercy (along with some loving discipline when needed!), but unlike an earthly king who usually has strict and limited opportunities for an audience, you're allowed free access to your Heavenly King and you have His undivided attention.  And as Christians we're destined to reign with Him as well, because we have been purchased by the blood of Jesus.  As John writes in the book of Revelation:  "You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign over the earth" (5:10).

So what does it mean to be in a priesthood?  Think about the priesthood of the Old Testament.  They were all Levites, descended from a special bloodline.  According to Exodus 40:15, they were qualified for the priesthood by both their bloodline and an anointing.  They had sacred duties within the temple and were in charge of performing sacrifices on behalf of the rest of the people.  Just one priest was allowed to enter the holy of holies (the shrouded place where God's presence rested), and only once a year.  Priests interceded for the people and served as a "go-between" when others needed atonement for sins they had committed.

According to the book of Hebrews, these priests were replaced by Jesus when He rose from the grave and established a new covenant with His "permanent priesthood" (7:23-25).  His death was the ultimate sacrifice that was a once-and-for-all covering for mankind's sin.  Through the Holy Spirit, we're allowed constant access to God's presence without a shroud and without the limitations of a singular location like the holy of holies.  He was anointed by God with the Holy Spirit and with power (Acts 10:38), and He continuously intercedes for all of God's children (Hebrews 7:25).  Much better than a human "go-between," right?

Where is our place in this permanent priesthood?  The Bible says we are to fix our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2), and make Him our ultimate example on how to live and how to walk out our faith.  We have also been anointed by God (1 John 2:20), and as His anointed we are called to carry out sacred duties for His kingdom.  These sacred duties are the "spiritual sacrifices" mentioned earlier in 1 Peter 2 (verse 5), and can be things like intercession, serving others, leaning on God through hardship, studying His word, seeking intimacy with Him, evangelizing, sharing words of knowledge with others, exercising our spiritual gifts, etc.  Basically whatever Jesus did during His stay here on earth.  These spiritual sacrifices have been made acceptable to God through His example, and so we are called to do them as well.

In Part 1, we learned that we are chosen.  Reading further, we realize that we are chosen to be part of a royal priesthood.  Not because of who we are or what family we are born into (much like how a royal family or a bloodline of priests operates), but because of who God is and our willingness to let Him rule first and foremost in our lives.  The next time you find yourself struggling with your identity, remember:  You are part of a royal priesthood that will last forever.  If the identity you're trying to live in doesn't allow for this kind of reality, toss it for your true identity!  :o)

Stay tuned for Part 3!