When the Lord Sets His Shears on You

James Williams

The cold grasp of Winter was losing its grip and being overpowered by the warm embrace of Spring.

My yard was transforming from brown to green and the eerie stillness morphing into buzzing insects and the smell of freshly-cut grass. Evenings spent near the fireplace were giving way to sunny outings in the garden planting veggies and pulling weeds.

Spring gardens require many tasks to thrive, one of which is pruning. I recently took a pair of scissors and went through the row of onions cutting the newly developed seed pods on the top of the plants. Then, I went to each tomato plant and cut off side shoots and "suckers."

If I don't prune these unnecessary growths, they will take nutrients and energy that would otherwise go to developing bigger fruit and healthier plants. While cutting off parts of the plant may look like I'm destroying it, I'm actually improving its health and ability to thrive because I know precisely what needs to be cut.

Sometimes we feel like life is “cutting” us unnecessarily; like the pain we experience is arbitrary. But behind those cuts, there’s a Master Gardener who knows exactly what he’s doing.

THE MASTER GARDENER

Jesus teaches in John 15, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine dresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit."

“For reasons I cannot comprehend, the Lord has a plan for my life to bring glory to his name.

For reasons I cannot comprehend, the Lord has a plan for my life to bring glory to his name. He takes a wretched sinner like me, gives me a new heart, and then begins the life-long process of sanctification. He intends to use all his children to carry out the works he has prepared for us to do, for we are his workmanship (Eph. 2:10).

To be fruitful branches, we must abide in the Vine for sustenance, as Jesus teaches in John 15:4: "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me." Those who abide in him bear much fruit (v. 5).

SIDE SHOOTS AND SUCKERS

However, like the side shoots and suckers that show up on my tomato plants, sin and unnecessary weight (Heb. 12:1) threatens to distract and keep us from abiding in Christ.

Satan is often at work to tempt us and throw us off-course, and all too often our gullible and sinful hearts are obliging. Once God-centered desires become me-centered. Actions done for the good of others slowly morph into opportunities for personal gain.

Slowly but surely, these extra growths begin to thrive and jeopardize the possibility of healthy fruit. Recognizing this danger, the Master Gardener gets his shears and begins to cut away.

WHEN THE LORD SETS HIS SHEARS

The pages of Scripture illustrate the Lord's pruning in the lives of his children:

• Abraham's faith was pruned through years of waiting for the promise.

• Although he thought he hid his sin well, David learned the joy that comes through confession and repentance when the Lord brought his sin to light.

• Through loss and hardship, Naomi saw firsthand the provision of the Lord that turned her bitterness into worship.

• Peter learned the unconditional love of the Master through his denial and restoration.

• The Lord kept Paul humble and dependent by giving him a thorn in the flesh and denying Paul’s requests to remove it.

During Jesus's earthly ministry, he didn't avoid potentially awkward conversations but rather spoke directly to the person's sin struggle with truth and grace. He knew exactly what needed to be pruned and masterfully made his cuts.

“Reading about such pruning in others in encouraging, but it’s not so enjoyable when the Master Gardener sets his shears to my heart.

Reading about such pruning in others in encouraging, but it's not so enjoyable when the Master Gardener sets his shears to my heart. Pruning hurts, and I'd much rather avoid it. I see the Lord pruning through the everyday challenges, and I feel the shears pressing in when the demands of life seem too much to bear. But it might be that these cuts are leading me to Christ.

When bank accounts are red, relationships feel like war, and expectations are tossed like paper plates after dinner, it may very well be the Lord snipping away. He's cutting out my impatience by putting me in situations I can't control. He's chipping away at my anger through children who don't always obey. Difficult people in my life are perhaps the very shears God is using to prune the unloving growths in my heart.

WHEN THE LORD KEEPS CLIPPING

Knowing that the Lord is using such difficulties to prune me provides long-term hope, but it sure is painful in the moment. There are times the Lord keeps clipping and I’m not sure how much more I can bear. I don't always see the beauty in the midst of it because being pruned often feels like you're under attack.

But I know an experienced gardener doesn't prune the plant to hurt it, but to help it flourish. Because I desire more tomatoes and larger onions, I make the necessary cuts now. Likewise, the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5) are brought about by the needed cuts of our Master Gardener.

“An experienced gardener doesn’t prune the plant to hurt it, but to help it flourish.

He's given us the Word to show us who he is and how he's at work in this world. He gives us the Holy Spirit to convict us of sin and lead us to holiness. He gives us the church to teach us and to lovingly confront the sin that we are blinded to. He put us in situations where we cannot rely on our own strength or wisdom, but solely on his. He's provided all we need for life and godliness.

At times, we can see the Lord at work and, even through the pain, understand the cuts he's making in our life. Other times, the Lord's pruning is beyond our understanding and mysterious to us.

THE PROOF IS IN THE PRUNING

Whether we understand or not, our call is to trust. We are not always aware of the unfruitful areas of our heart, but the Lord who knows the very hairs on our head also knows exactly where the pruning is needed. So he keeps cutting.

The beauty of it is that if the Lord continues to prune, then he hasn’t given up on us. How do we know? Well, the proof is in the pruning. Dead or fruitless plants are pulled up and thrown in the compost pile, not pruned. Each cut, though it hurts, is a reminder of the Lord's gracious work in our lives and the truth that he will continue the work he began in us (Phil. 1:6).

God is still working in his children to bear fruit for his glory; His cuts are not flippant and unnecessary, but precise and needed. The Master Gardener knows exactly what he is doing.

James Williams serves as  Associate Pastor at FBC Atlanta, TX. He is married to Jenny and they have three children and are actively involved in foster care. He is in the dissertation stage of a PhD in Systematic Theology. You can follow James on Twitter or his blog where he writes regularly.

Posted at: https://gcdiscipleship.com/article-feed/2019/6/5/when-the-lord-sets-his-shears-on-you

Spiritual Fruit Grows Slowly

By David Qaoud

I have braces. As a result, I must see an orthodontist every month. My conversation with her goes something like this:

She asks me how’s it going. I tell her it’s not going well. She asks me why. I tell her I’m not seeing any results. She affirms me that I am. I affirm her that I’m not. She points out areas of growth, and tells me to be patient. “See you next month,” she says. I leave.

Next month arrives.

She asks me how’s it going. I tell her it’s not going well. She asks me why. I tell her it’s the same as last month — I’m not seeing any results. She affirms me that I am. I affirm her that I’m not. She points out areas of growth, and tells me to be patient. “See you next month,” she says. I leave.

Next month arrives.

She asks me how’s it going. I say — you know, I think I’m starting to see some results, to which she replies, “I told you so!”

Is this the exact wording of our conversation? No. I am exaggerating to make a point, and my point is this: growth in life often happens at a frustratingly slow pace.

Such is the case with the fruit of the Spirit.

Paul speaks of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). Those of us with fruit gardens know that fruit grows slowly, and often takes much time and thoughtfulness. When Paul uses this metaphor, he is reminding his audience that spiritual fruit is similar to physical fruit: both grow slowly.

As others have pointed out, your growth in the spiritual fruits should not be measured day-by-day, but year-by-year. Consider your growth, for example, with the fruit of patience. Do not ask yourself: “Am I more patient today than I was yesterday?” If you do, you are bound to be frustrated.

Instead, ask yourself: “Am I more patient today than I was five years ago?” If you walk with and obey Christ, the answer will be yes. The Holy Spirit is the One who grows these attributes in you; growth is inevitable as you obey him.

God is 100% committed to your sanctification. Play your part by appropriating the means of grace; healthy fruit does not grow with an irresponsible gardener. But don’t become restless when your growth doesn’t happen as soon as you’d like. The best fruit often arrives from a long season of tenderness, care, and patience on the part of the gardener. But the end result is worth it. Growth takes time.

10 Questions for Examining Yourself

Colin Smith

Examining your life is essential to your growth as a Christian believer. Seeing your own sins and failings will make it possible for you to confess, repent, find forgiveness, and grow in grace. These are the steps by which we move forward in the Christian life. If you can’t see your own failings, you can’t make progress.

Self-examination is also a dangerous business. Satan will try to subvert your self-examination by pulling you down into self-condemnation and despair. So be careful. While you have one eye focused on your sin and failure, keep the other eye focused on God’s grace given to you in Jesus Christ.

God has given two gifts to help you examine yourself successfully. These are his Word and his Spirit. The Word will show you sins and failings. The Spirit will open your eyes to see them.

Self-examination, rightly pursued, will bring great benefits to your Christian life.

Three Guidelines for Self-Examination

1. Be intentional.

Set aside a specific time to examine your own life. Find a place where you can be alone. Bring your Bible, a pen, and some paper. Expect God to show you things that need to be confessed and changed. You may choose to tell a friend that you have set aside time to examine your life. You might ask them to pray for you, and commit to share what God has shown you.

2. Be specific.

Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to see what is going on in your life. Read the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17). Work through the ten questions that follow, noting what God brings to your mind.

3. Be a believer.

Bring what God shows you to him in confession as a believer. Pray, believing in the blood of Jesus Christ shed, so that the sins you are confessing should be forgiven. Pray, believing in the power of the Holy Spirit, enabling you to change. Pray, with confidence that God is gracious and loving towards you, and that he is working in your life.

10 Questions for Examining Your Life

1. First Commandment: God

You shall have no other gods before me. (Exodus 20:3)

What disappointments has God allowed in your life? How have these affected your love for him?

Pain and disappointment often reveal the degree to which we love and desire God’s gifts more than we love and desire him. Your confession will begin here.

2. Second Commandment: Worship

You shall not make for yourselves an idol. (Exodus 20:4)

In what ways would you want God to be different from who he is?

The desire for God to be different is idolatry. It shows discontent or dissatisfaction with who he is or what he does. This is sin and will be part of your confession.

3. Third Commandment: False Religion

You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. (Exodus 20:7)

In what ways do you least reflect the image and likeness of God?

Being a Christian means that you bear the name of Christ. People make judgments about Christ by what they see in those who bear his name. Use this part of your confession to ask God for growth in areas where you need to better reflect his character.

4. Fourth Commandment: Time, Work, and Rest

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. (Exodus 20:8-9)

How could you improve what you offer in your working life? How can you better order your life so that you complete your work and preserve time for God and for other relationships God has entrusted to you?

God has set a pattern for your work and rest in the way that he created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. The pattern of God’s work gives us a template for work, reminding us that God calls us to be productive and to find joy in the work that he has given us to do. Take a careful look at the vigor of your work and the balance of your life.

5. Fifth Commandment: Authority

Honor your father and your mother. (Exodus 20:12)

Who has God placed in a position of authority in your life? What are they saying to you? How are you responding?

Father and mother are the first authority figures God places in your life. Difficulty in submitting to others often indicates difficulties in submitting to God’s authority over your life. Examine yourself carefully here.

6. Sixth Commandment: Peace

You shall not murder. (Exodus 20:13)

With whom are you most angry and frustrated at this time? Is there someone with whom you are looking to get even? Are you harboring resentment in your heart?

Our Lord traced murder back to its roots in anger (Matthew 5:22). You may not be able to bring healing to every relationship, but you can guard your own heart. Confess any bitterness in your heart to God. Ask him to cleanse it from your soul.

7. Seventh Commandment: Purity

You shall not commit adultery. (Exodus 20:14)

In what ways have you given expression to lust?

Jesus traced adultery back to lust in the heart (Matthew 5:28). Lust will destroy your soul if you feed it and allow it to grow in your life. Your thoughts reveal who you are in your heart. Make an honest confession to God as you examine this area of your life.

8. Eighth Commandment: Integrity

You shall not steal. (Exodus 20:15)

How can I take less and give more?

God gives. Satan steals. The essence of stealing is that you take what God has trusted to someone else, but do not give what God has entrusted to you. Use this part of your self-examination to look at what you are taking from others and what you are giving back. Look especially at what you are receiving from God and what you are giving back to him.

9. Ninth Commandment: Truth

You shall not give false testimony. (Exodus 20:16)

What has God trusted to me?

In the ninth commandment God calls you to be a person who can be trusted. Make a list of what God has entrusted to you. Take an honest look at how you are being faithful or unfaithful with that trust. Ask God to prepare you for what he will entrust to you in the future.

10. Tenth Commandment: Contentment

You shall not covet. (Exodus 20:17)

What are the greatest desires of your heart right now? How do these relate to God’s purpose in your life?

All of our sins flow from the root problem of sin that lies in the human heart. Being a sinner, you desire the wrong things. You don’t find joy or satisfaction in the right things. That is why God gives you his Spirit to change and renew your heart. Use this final part of your self-examination to look beyond sins you have committed to sins that may be growing undetected in your heart. Ask God to cleanse your heart of wrong desires and to keep you from future sins.

Posted at: https://unlockingthebible.org/2019/06/10-questions-for-examining-your-life/

With God All Things Are Possible Part 2

A Guest Post by Pat Quinn 

A Word from Bob: You’re reading Part 2 of a two-part blog mini-series by Pat Quinn. You can read Part 1 here: What You Signed Up for Is Impossible!

Hopeful and Liberating Truth 

In my last blog we looked at the story of the rich young man in Mark 10:17-27 to show that the kind of change that needs to take place in biblical counseling is simply beyond our power. We cannot move hearts to love God more than the world or radically change the direction of people’s lives. Jesus said:

“With man it is impossible.”

This is sobering but necessary truth. But he also said:

“All things are possible with God.”

This is hopeful and liberating truth. We’re going to look at the life and teaching of the apostle Paul to show how God does the impossible to change lives.

The Life of Christ in the Life of Paul 

Paul had all the advantages a Jewish man could want to seek acceptance with God: ritual purity, ethnic heritage, tribal status, political correctness, religious zeal, and legalistic blamelessness (Philippians 3:4-6). But as is so often the case, Paul corrupted these advantages by trusting in them as his righteousness (Romans 10:3). His self-righteousness led to an entrenched pride and fierce hatred for Jesus and his followers:

“But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem” (Acts 9:1-2).

Could there be a less likely follower of Jesus imagined? Could change ever seem this impossible?

What happened? Paul met Jesus on the Damascus road (Acts 9:3-19).

The resulting change was so profound that later, this once violent persecutor, said:

“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ” (Philippians 3:7-9).

Jesus and the gospel had the power to do the impossible: change Paul from a hater and persecutor to a lover and missionary.

“All things are possible with God.”

So what might this look like in ordinary lives?

The Gospel of Christ in the Teaching Of Paul 

Ephesians 2:1-10 is Paul’s beautiful exposition of the power of the gospel to change lives. Notice how it flows from his own experience and how it gives great hope for personal change in our own lives and in those we counsel.

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins  in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—  among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind] 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— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

7 Gospel Reminders 

How does Paul explain the impossible change God brings about in peoples’ lives?

1. In his rich mercy and great love He raises people who are “dead in trespasses and sins” to new (not merely improved) life in Christ. New Life.

2. He redirects people from following this corrupt world and its dark prince unto destruction in order to follow Christ Jesus the King unto eternal life. New Lord

1. He transfers our destiny from this present destitute world to the riches of the coming ages. New Destiny.

1. He liberates us from the slavery to our sinful passions and desires by His sovereign grace to walk in Christ-like obedience. New Freedom.

1. He transforms our identity from children of wrath to future rulers. New Identity.

1. He replaces our former misdeeds with good works that He has prepared for us. New Behavior.

2. He rescues us from proud self-sufficiency to humble gratitude. New Orientation.

Total transformation of heart and direction and identity and lifestyle and destiny. All by sovereign, free, irresistible, invincible, God-exalting, Christ-treasuring, Spirit-empowered grace.

“All things are possible for God.”

And He chooses to use us as His agents, ambassadors, instruments, and co-workers. This is profoundly humbling yet deeply encouraging:

“So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:7).

Questions for Reflection

1. Which part of Jesus’ saying do you more resonate with as a counselor: “With man it is impossible” or “All things are possible with God”?

1. Why are both statements necessary for effective counseling?

Posted at: https://www.rpmministries.org/blog/

With God All Things Are Possible

Pat Quinn

8 Biblical Counseling Insights from Mark 10:17-27

1. The rich young man was eager for “counsel” from Jesus. He “ran up and kneltbefore him.” Sometimes people eagerly seek our counsel as well.

1. He had a clear counseling goal: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” His goal was not only clear, it was intentionally spiritual and he was ready to get to work! This makes counseling so much easier, right?

1. Jesus, the Wonderful Counselor, met the young man where he was at: “You know the commandments,” although Jesus clearly had a deeper agenda for him. It also says that “Jesus, looking at him, loved him.” This has all the makings of a successful counseling encounter.

1. Jesus saw into the young man’s heart and revealed the one thing that was keeping him from eternal life: his wealth. Jesus wanted to free him from his idol—“sell all that you have and give to the poor”—and to unite him to Himself—“And come, follow me.” Jesus knew that the freedom and fullness the young man desired could only be found in relationship to Him. How wonderful to so quickly get to the true issue and set forth a truly helpful and hopeful goal.

1. As the counseling conversation unfolds, we see both a harmony between the young man’s and Jesus’ counseling goals and a profound dissonance. Both wanted the young man to have eternal life. But the terms were radically different. The young man wanted to keep what he felt were doable commandments and also keep the wealth he found his identity and security in. Jesus wanted to free him from self-righteousness and love of wealth and give him true riches and abundant life. What happens when there is a clash of preferred outcomes?

1. Now comes the climax of the story: confronted by Jesus’ demand of radical discipleship, the young man “went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” It’s striking and instructive that Jesus didn’t go after him or lower His demand. He let him walk away sorrowful. Has this happened to you, that what you offered as a biblical counselor was not what the counselee wanted?

1. Here’s where the title of this devotional comes from. Twice Jesus exclaimed “how difficult it is” for those who are rich to enter the kingdom. His disciples were dumbfounded and cried out, “‘Then who can be saved?’ Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.’” What you signed up for is impossible.

1. There we have it. If we are aiming at the same things Jesus is in our counseling— a new heart orientation and life direction—we will find it humanly Humbling and sobering. But possible with God. Encouraging and hopeful.

Why is biblical counseling “impossible” for man and only “possible with God”?  John Piper says it well:

“This is the hardest work in the world: to change the minds and hearts of fallen human beings, and make God so precious to each other that we count it all joy when trials come, and exult in our afflictions…. The aim of our ministry to each other is impossible. No techniques will make it succeed. ‘But with God all things are possible.’”[1]

Paul Tripp has called biblical counseling “the counseling no one wants.”

I would add, “and the counseling everyone needs.”

God has called us to the glorious and messy work of changing hearts and lives for the glory of Christ. What we’ve signed up for is impossible for us but gloriously possible for God.

The Rest of the Story 

In my follow-up post, we’ll look more closely at how this is possible for God.

Questions for Reflection 

1. What have you learned about God, yourself, and others from your counseling experience?

1. What would you say to a young overconfident counselor?

1. What would you say to a weary disheartened veteran counselor?

Pat Quinn: Pat is the Director of Counseling Ministries at University Reformed Church, where he applies his love for the gospel to counseling, training counselors, serving as an elder, consulting, preaching, and occasional worship leading. He has degrees from Michigan State University (BA) and Calvin College (MAT) and received counseling training from the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation. Pat has been a member of URC since 1974 and has been married to Judie since 1976. Pat and Judie have two grown children and six grandchildren. He is a council member of the Biblical Counseling Coalition and part of the blogging team. In addition to his responsibilities at URC, Pat leads the Mid-Michigan Biblical Counselors group.

[1]John Piper, “Counseling with Suffering People,” The Journal of Biblical Counseling, 2003, p.19.

Posted at: https://www.rpmministries.org/2019/05/what-you-signed-up-for-is-impossible/

Find the Point of Entry

Stephen Kneale

We’re coming into that time of year when we are under attack. I don’t mean spiritually; Satan doesn’t particularly abide by the seasons. No, our house is currently under attack from ants. Every year, they find some way in. Through some crack in the wall or gap in a floorboard. Every day we hoover them up and, the next, come down to find them swarming in again.

As I was trying to remove the latest incursion, I was given some simple but effective advice. Find where they are coming in and focus preventative measures on the point of entry. I was able to follow a line of ants to a tiny gap near the front of our house. We have initially put down washing up liquid (they seem not to like it) which is keeping them at bay. This is tiding us over until we can get some ant powder to ensure they don’t keep coming back.

But sin seems to have a similarly persistent habit of encroaching on us. We may find ourselves falling into sin again and doing little more than the spiritual equivalent of hoovering up the ants. We sin, we repent, but the very next day, there it is back again. We think we have dealt with it, we think we have resolved the problem, but really we have only cleared up the mess left from the latest iteration. And so, unsurprisingly, it happens again, and again, and again. It’s not that we don’t want rid of it, it’s just that the only tool we ever reach for is one that deals with the problem after it has arisen.

Just like with our ant problem, we need to find the point of entry and enact some preventative measures. If we know we are prone to particular sins, its not much good simply clearing away as and when it happens. We might be repentant, and genuinely mean it, but its not going to do much in the long run to stop it happening again. And if we know we are prone to such sins, genuine repentance means more than just cleaning up after the fact but putting ourselves in a position, and putting things in place, to limit the possibility of it happening again.

In other words, we have to find the point of entry for the sins to which we are prone and lay the spiritual equivalent of ant powder to prevent it getting in. There comes a point at which, knowing we are tempted to certain besetting sins, we are dicing with death if we aren’t willing to inconvenience ourselves enough to stop falling into it. That is not to say you will necessarily never see that sin again – just as my laying ant powder doesn’t mean I will never see another ant inside my house – but it does make it that much less likely and evidences a desire to mortify it.

If Jesus can talk seriously about hands chopped off and eyes gouged out if they cause you to sin (cf. Matthew 5:29f), why should we be any less serious about it? If your internet connection causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. Better to lose your ISP than to enter Hell with your wifi password. It’s no good insisting that you need the internet (or even, your computer) for your work. The prostitutes who came to Jesus, no doubt, had similar concerns. If your ministry is causing you to sin, stand down and do something less visible. Better to end your ministry than to enter Hell with your pastor’s contract. It’s no good insisting your church will probably fall apart if you leave. No doubt the early church viewed the apostles as they were martyred similarly.

We are, by nature, self-justifying creatures. Any sin to which we are prone may come with excuses. The circumstances under which we repeatedly find ourselves falling can readily be justified as necessary. Yet a repentant heart would do what is practicable to inconvenience itself enough to minimise repeat occurrences. There comes a point at which, if we’re not willing to do so, we are proactively giving sin a foothold and evidencing a heart that is happy to indulge sin. And that, dear reader, is a treacherous path indeed.

We will all have besetting sin this side of glory. None of us will free ourselves from sin influence in this life. As such, we must find the points of entry and take preventative measures before we find ourselves infested. Some of that will be positively stepping into our time with the Lord, being honest with him in our prayers about our struggles, seeking to surround ourselves with those who will encourage us to press on in the church. But some of it might involve placing ourselves in positions where the sins to which we are prone will have a much harder time gaining entry. It may mean doing what some would consider drastic because we don’t want to dishonour the Lord.

If we’re frequently failing to honour the Lord in our existing circumstances, we have to ask whether we love the Lord more than we want the thing causing us to sin. A genuine love for the Lord will mean we want to honour and glorify him more than we want anything else. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

Posted at: https://stephenkneale.com/2019/05/22/find-the-point-of-entry/

THE GRACE THAT SAVES ALSO TRAINS

Posted by Justin Huffman 

The grace of God that saves us also trains us: “The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us…” (Titus 2:11-12).

God’s grace teaches us to adorn the gospel with our behavior (Titus 2:9-10), to deny ungodly desires (Titus 2:12), to live well in this present age (Titus 2:12), and to look for the coming of our Savior (Titus 2:13-14).

First, God’s grace teaches us to adorn.

The context of Paul’s saying that the grace of God trains us is that Paul is graciously telling us what God requires of servants.

It is God’s grace that he tells us what is right and good in the details of daily life.

The grace of God saves, yes, but it saves by teaching! It trains us to battle against sin, to battle for our marriages, and not to battle endlessly with our employer.

The grace of God delivers us from — among other things — our own solutions. So, Paul tells Titus, the grace of God teaches us to adorn the gospel with our behavior. Our chief concern is no longer our personal rights or selfish interests; our goal in life grows beyond ourselves to embrace the cause of Christ in the world.

God knows the areas where we struggle to implement the gospel, to live out the implications of the gospel. It is at this difficult-but-essential point of personal application that God’s Word meets us with its sufficient, equipping instruction. You adorn the gospel, you make the doctrine of God our Savior look beautiful, by … working hard at your job each day, by being a trustworthy, reliable employee.

The grace of God teaches us to adorn the gospel by doing the difficult work of faithful, cheerful, trustworthy participation in the plan of God for us — whatever mundane, unglamorous details may be involved in this endeavor.

Second, the grace of God teaches us to deny.

There’s no way around it. God’s grace brings salvation, freedom, everlasting joy … but it also brings self-denial as a means to these very ends. The grace of God brings with it the power to say “No!” to sin, in all the various ways it presents itself to us (Romans 6:2, 11-18).

The adjective “worldly” in front of “passions” in Titus 2:12 is important, because strong desires are not in and of themselves bad. It all depends on what it is you are passionately desiring! Jesus desired [same word] to take the Lord’s Supper in Luke 22:15; Paul desired to meet with other believers face-to-face in 1 Thessalonians 2:17.

The problem with many Christians is that we are saying “No!” to the wrong passions, to the wrong lusts!

We long to be in God’s Word, communing with God in prayer, seeking out the fellowship of the saints … but we say “No!” to these desires. The grace of God teaches us to deny ungodliness, to say “No!” to worldly passions — and to say “Yes!” over and over again to our longing for Christ.

Third, the grace of God teaches us to live.

The Christian who is adorning the gospel with their faithful service, who is turning away from sin and to Christ each day, is truly and deeply living.

The grace of God teaches us this life matters and teaches us to live it well. But the grace of God also teaches us that living “well” means more than merely living for our own pleasure or purposes. It means living righteously, godly in this present age.

There is a right way to live, and a wrong way to live.

It is not merely a matter of personal preference or perspective. There is an objective standard for “right” — and that standard is God. The grace of God teaches us this present life matters … and it teaches us how to live it well, how to live it in a way that is truly, eternally good!

Finally, the grace of God teaches us to look.

Jesus Christ gave himself for us! This is the amazing revelation that is the Christian gospel. Jesus gave himself in order to redeem us from all lawlessness, from all sin. Not a single stain left. Jesus came to redeem us from all sin, and you and I must rest in his ability to do what he came to do.

But Jesus gave himself, not only to redeem us from sin but also to purify for himself a group of separated saints who are zealous of good works. They are not just saying “No!” to worldly lusts; they are saying “Yes!” to the glory of God being displayed in their lives. And Christians do this by looking to Jesus each and every day.

This is the lesson we must learn over and over again: to live in this present world, but not to live for this present world.

We live in this world, looking for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ! We adorn the gospel in order to dimly reflect the glory that will be on full display in that final day of Christ’s return! We deny worldly passions because our affections are set on the superior pleasure of seeing Christ face to face. We seek to live right in this present age because we know there is a standard of “rightness” that transcends this world, and by whom this world will one day be judged.

Posted at: http://servantsofgrace.org/the-grace-that-saves-also-trains/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=SocialWarfare

Killing Sin by the Spirit

By Steve DeWitt

For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” (Romans 8:13 ESV)

The key phrase here is, “put to death the deeds of the body.” The Greek word for put to death is used 11 times in the New Testament, 9 for actually killing people.[1] One example is Stephen, the first martyr, who was put to death. Same word. This is not a nice word. This is a bloody word. A word of execution. It simply means, kill it. Legalism says, stop it. Romans says, kill it. This requires a posture toward sin that is much more like an assassin. Ruthless. Cold, hard hatred of sin.

Jesus said the same when he said, “if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off.” (Matthew 5:30) It is not physical dismemberment, but a spiritual dismemberment that sees sin as leading to death. It is an abuse of grace that makes us OK with sin thinking, I’m going to heaven anyway. That is an incredibly dangerous posture toward sin and calls into question if we truly understand Jesus shedding his blood for that sin.

We should think of sin like cancer patients think of their cancer. The fighter-types hate cancer. What if you talked with someone after a bout of cancer and they said,

I miss my cancer. Oh, I remember when I had lots of cancer. Such freedom I felt. Those were the days. Wow, the cancer parties were incredible! Many of my entertainment choices celebrate cancer. I remember driving for my chemo treatments—those were great days. If only I could have another chemo day. Cancer made me so happy.

When you talk with cancer patients, they’ll tell you the only way to beat cancer is to declare war on your cancer. When you see a bald woman wearing a wig, or a scarf on her head, respect her; she went to war. You must kill those cancer cells. How many of them? All of them. You hate it. You are willing to deal ruthlessly with it. Change your diet. Change your lifestyle. Stop your smoking. Whatever. You will shoot chemicals and radiation in your body to kill cancer. The courage in those cancer wards comes from people who don’t want to die, they want to live!

Romans 8:13 says, hate your sin. Hate it. See it as creating death in you. Don’t coddle it. Don’t ignore it. Go to war with your sin. You can’t defeat cancer by loving cancer and you can’t overcome sin and temptation by loving your sin. There is an old word that describes going to war and killing sin. Mortify it. When you see that word, it means, kill zone. DEFCON 1. Going nuclear. Annihilation. Is this the posture of your heart toward your sin?

Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

© 2019 by Steve DeWitt. You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that: (1) you credit the author, (2) any modifications are clearly marked, (3) you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction, (4) you include Bethel’s website address (www.bethelweb.org) on the copied resource.

Posted at: https://stevedewitt.org/2019/03/10/killing-sin-by-the-spirit/

Cut Off Your Hand: How Far Will You Go to Save Your Soul?

Article by Jon Bloom

Losing a sense of God’s holiness is the first warning sign of entering a spiritually dangerous place.

Externally, everything might look fine: Our families might be well, our ministries might be flourishing, we might be receiving recognition and walking powerfully in our spiritual gifts. But inwardly, we’re wandering.

External phenomena do not reliably indicate our spiritual health. Families and ministries can struggle and go wrong for reasons that have nothing to do with our spiritual states. And history is full of examples of men and women who exercised spiritual gifts with great power for a period of time — even when involved in gross secret sin. Besides that, externals are usually lagging indicators of spiritual decline. By the time our decline starts surfacing, it often has reached a serious state.

What to Watch

The thing to watch is our sense of God’s holiness.

“The loss of the sense of God’s holiness always produces the loss of the sense of sin’s sinfulness.”

I don’t mean our doctrinal knowledge of God’s holiness. That’s something we might affirm and even teach when secretly we are in a place of decline. The doctrine of God’s holiness is real to us only when we have real fear of God. And one clear evidence of this is our fear of sin. The loss of the sense of God’s holiness always produces the loss of the sense of sin’s sinfulness. When God is not feared, sin is not feared.

A tolerance of habitual indulgence of sin — a lack of fear over what slavery to sin might imply (John 8:34) — is an indictor that the fear of God is not governing us. And when we are in such a state, Jesus tells us what we need to do: cut off our hand.

Absolutely Terrifying Reality

Matthew 18 is a sober read. Jesus gets very serious about the extremely horrible consequences of sin. And he says this:

Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire. (Matthew 18:7–9)

Note the words eternal fire in verse eight. For most of the history of the church, some have asserted either some form of ultimate universal salvation for everyone or ultimate annihilation of the lost. But for the entire history of the church, the vast majority of Christians and the vast majority of the church’s most eminent and reliable theologians have affirmed that what Jesus and the apostles taught about hell is eternal, conscious punishment. Those three words describe an absolutely terrifying reality.

Metaphor, But No Hyperbole

I used the words “extremely horrible” and “absolutely terrifying” very carefully and intentionally. They are among the only fitting words we have to describe hell, the eternal death that is the wages of sin (Romans 6:23). No one wants to experience this. And it will be the reality experienced by everyone who is a slave to sin and not set free by the Son (John 8:36).

“If we don’t reverence God as holy in our private lives we are on a perilous path that leads to destruction.”

That is why Jesus uses the extreme metaphor of cutting off our hand and tearing out our eye. Extreme danger calls for extreme measures of escape. Yes, the mutilation imagery is a metaphor, but it is not hyperbole. We know it is a metaphor because the literal loss of a hand or an eye doesn’t get to the root issue of sin. But radical and painful amputation of stumbling blocks out of our lives may be the only way to escape falling headlong into sin’s insidiously deceptive snare.

We may need to “mutilate” — chop off — a habit, a relationship, a career, certain personal freedoms, whatever is causing us to stumble. Because far better that we enter life having lost those things than kept them and lose our souls (Luke 9:25).

Cut Off Every Hand

When we lose the sense of God’s holiness, Jesus’s warnings in Matthew 18land lightly on us. We reason that such a warning is for someone else. We don’t seriously think it applies to us. Nor do we seriously think it applies to other brothers and sisters who are characterized by worldly concerns and pursuits and are rather numb when it comes to sin.

We might take consolation that our affirmation of orthodox doctrine, external affirmations, and “fruitful” labors demonstrate we’re on the right path. But if in the secret place, we’re tolerating sin, tolerating relative prayerlessness, tolerating a lack of urgency over lost souls, it is an indicator that something is wrong. If we don’t reverence God as holy in our private lives, we are on a perilous path that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13).

“A tolerance of habitual indulgence of sin is an indictor that the fear of God is not governing us.”

Jesus provides us the cure to this deadly infection: cut off every hand that is causing you to stumble. And he really means it. “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your heart” (Hebrews 4:7). Whether we have just ventured on to this road or been on it way too long, the time is nowto repent and take the extreme measure to amputate whatever is entangling our feet in sin (Hebrews 12:1). We must plead with the Lord and do whatever it takes to see the fear of the Lord restored in our hearts.

Choose Life

For the Christian, the fear of the Lord does not compete with our joy in the Lord. Rather, it’s a source of our joy in the Lord. Isaiah prophesied this about Jesus: “And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:3). Jesus delighted in the fear of his Father, and God wants us to enjoy this delight too. Because “the fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death” (Proverbs 14:27). And “the friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant” (Psalm 25:14).

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). Conversely, losing the fear of the Lord is the beginning of foolishness. The reward of such wisdom is eternal life (John 3:16) and fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11). The reward of such foolishness is absolutely terrifying.

When we notice a diminishing of our healthy fear of God, the loss of a sense of his holiness, that is the time to take action. Let us repent by cutting off every foolish hand and, as Deuteronomy 30:19 says, choose life.

Jon Bloom (@Bloom_Jon) serves as author, board chair, and co-founder of Desiring God. He is author of three books, Not by Sight, Things Not Seen, and Don’t Follow Your Heart. He and his wife have five children and make their home in the Twin Cities.

Posted at: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/cut-off-your-hand?fbclid=IwAR1imRst4w_BUYraBBq_tNkY9ZGiB6M78GQTEFS3K17hKgBHfKupWUjsW0Y

Five Signs Your Brother Needs Your Help

Dan DeWitt

Most vehicles have a number of warning signs to alert you to potential problems. I remember my old college car that had a “check engine” light that I learned to blissfully ignore all the way until the engine locked up while driving down the interstate. Similarly, my current vehicle has a service light that comes on when I need an oil change. I sometimes ignore that for a couple weeks as well.

We can be pretty good at ignoring the safety alarms in our spiritual lives as well—and the flashing lights in the lives of others around us. The truth is, we all need help from time to time. No one is so strong that they never falter. But how can you tell if your Christian brother is stuck in a rut and needs your help to get out? Here’s five warning signs you can look for:

First, is he present? This is rather obvious, but shouldn’t be ignored. Is he showing up to worship, to Bible study, to gatherings of other Christians? If he isn’t, don’t assume he is okay (Hebrews 10:25).

Second, is he participating? Maybe he is present but not active. Does there seem to be a marked difference in his involvement? Does he seem distant? Is he quiet in Bible study in a way that is uncharacteristic? (1 Corinthians 12:15-26).

Third, does he seem to be pursuing things of the Lord? Sometimes we can be actively involved in a faith community but not seeking to grow. Does he talk about reading God’s Word, or trying to better obey a command, or confess areas of weakness? Maybe he’s been open to things like that before but now seems reluctant to go there. (Psalm 119).

May God help us all to walk together, out of our ruts, away from our sin, and forward in the path he has set before us

Fourth, does his passion for God seem to have cooled? Jesus said that the greatest command is to love him with all of our heart, mind, strength, and soul. That should make us stop and think. Our love for God is a monumental priority.  Not only should we make this our priority for ourselves, but it should be a priority for how we care for each other and help each other grow (Revelation 2:4).

Finally, do you see progress in his life? Maybe he isn’t skipping out on fellowship and accountability, but it seems like is happy to press the cruise button in his spiritual life. He might be stuck in a rut (2 Peter 1:5).

But before any of us runs off to analyze a Christian brother – let’s consider our own lives. We might need to remove the plank in our own eye before assessing the splinter in theirs (Matthew 7:5).  The Apostle Paul’s warning is a great place to begin as we consider talking to a fellow believer about their spiritual growth:

“Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, for each one should carry their own load.” (Galatians 6:1-5, NIV)

Maybe your brother needs your help. Maybe you need your brother’s help. May God help us all to walk together, out of our ruts, away from our sin, and forward in the path he has set before us (Hebrews 12:1-2).

That’s precisely why I wrote Sunny Side Up. The Apostle Peter messed up pretty badly when he denied Jesus three times. But our Lord graciously gave him the chance to make amends over a breakfast conversation in John 21.  Jesus called Peter to enjoy a life of all-out commitment to Christ. He calls us to the same thing. And that’s what Sunny Side Up is about—for flawed guys like me to catch the vision and the joy of living all out for Christ. 

Posted at: https://www.thegoodbook.co.uk/blog/interestingthoughts/2019/02/05/five-signs-your-brother-needs-your-help/?fbclid=IwAR1kyrw0G-Eadw_sxSDy-OL0LXkczMK3Qu3GZkVC-lzzgwW1pBnRFYzdysE