A Good Father?

by Robert Jacobs

We are surrounded by a Christian subculture that often tells us that God wants us to be happy. At first glance, it can be difficult to see what is wrong with this line of thinking. After all, we know that God is a good father who gives good gifts (Matthew 7:11). Why would he not want us to be happy?

The problem with this “happiness logic” is that it distorts the divine image of the Father.  It reduces the idea of virtuous fatherhood to the giving of gifts that bring instantaneous pleasure. God loves us so much more than that. In fact, He is more concerned about our holiness than our happiness. Sure, He gives gifts that can make us happy, but He ultimately wants to give us gifts that do more than provide temporary pleasure. He wants to give us gifts that conform us to the image of His son (Romans 8:29) so that we may “be holy as [He is] holy” (1 Peter 1:16).

Christ provides an example of this reality through his interaction with His disciples. In His gospel, Matthew records the narrative of Jesus walking on the water and calling Peter out onto that same storm tossed sea:

Immediately [Jesus] made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds…When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea…Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” (Matthew 14:22-33)

So how does this story illustrate God’s desire for our holiness rather than just our happiness? First, Matthew notes that Jesus “made” his disciples get into a boat that He knew would be caught up in a massive storm. The word Matthew uses for “made” (ἀναγκάζω) is also used by Euripides, Aristotle, and Philostratus to indicate someone who “carries through by force.” In other words, Jesus forces His disciples to do something they don’t want to do, but in a way that ensures they will make it through.

Look specifically at the way Jesus calls Peter out onto the waves. This was a terrifying situation, not necessarily the kind of experience that would produce untold happiness. Jesus took Peter from the calm sea shore, put him on a boat headed for a storm, and then called him out of the little safety and security that he did have.

So, why would Jesus want to force His friends and followers to do something that would not provide them with immediate happiness? Why would He put them in a situation that, on the surface, even looked dangerous (though He clearly demonstrates His own mastery over the circumstance)?

He did it because He cared about Peter’s holiness more than his happiness. He did it because of what came out of the experience. After going through all of the terror, the discomfort, the distress, Peter was able to declare, “Truly you are the Son of God,” a revelation that impacted his own ministry and countless others through his letters.

How do you view God the Father? Is He a beneficent sky daddy completely focused on making you temporarily happy, or is He a father who is more concerned with your eternal self? Is He going to let you stay in the ostensible safety of the shoreline, or is He the kind of God who is willing to call you out onto the waves so you can discover and embrace truth?

More poignantly for those of us who struggle with SSA, is He the kind of God who will give you everything you are screaming for rather than what you need, or is He willing to not give you what you demand to give you what will make you holy? Look to the example of Peter and embrace the truth that God gives us what we actually need, even if He does not give us what we think we want in the moment.

Embracing the Whole Truth of the Good News

by Robert Jacobs

To much buzz and celebratory fanfare, Apple computers unveiled their tenth anniversary iPhone this week: The iPhone X. With facial recognition software, OLED screen, and TrueDepth camera, the iPhone X offers a plethora of new features to potential uses.

As I thought about Apple’s new product, though, I realized that I would more than likely never use many of the new updates. In fact, I hardly use more than a few of the features offered by my current, two-year-old phone. Besides sending texts, making calls, and taking pictures—all things my good old flip-phone could do—I barely use my phone for much of anything else. Here I am sitting with a computer in my hand that can process 3.36 billion instructions per second (which by the way is 32,600 times faster than the best Apollo era computers) and I use it to take cute pictures of my dog.

Yet, I would argue that most Christians view their salvation the same way I use my smart phone, living their life with only half the gospel in mind.

Now, many of you are probably thinking, “Robert, I am secure in my full salvation. I live my life in the knowledge that I have been justified by the blood of Christ. I am no longer condemned before God for my sins.” Fair enough. But let’s step back and look at the totality of the good news found in Christ.

When asked about salvation, most Christians provide a definition like the one above. If you noticed, the whole definition focused on their legal standing before God, the fact that their guiltiness is removed from them and, consequentially, placed onto Christ. This understanding of justification is absolutely biblical, with a host of versus corroborating this act of divine pardon. Just check out these examples:

·      “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1)

·      “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 5:7)

·      “Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.” (Romans 8:33)

And the list goes on and on.

While salvation clearly includes the concept of justification, the good news of Christ does not end there. In fact, I would even argue that the BEST aspect of the good news is not the fact that we are legally clear before God.

Think with me for a moment. Let’s pretend that you were brought into a courtroom for sentencing. As you stand there, completely guilty of—fill in the worst crime you can think of—the judge suddenly decides to release you of your guilt. Your punishment, instead, has been given to someone else who was willing to take it on. Although I am sure in that moment you would feel relief, the problem is that you would still feel like a scumbag. You DID in fact commit that monstrous, deplorable, and disgusting crime. And even if that news was not publicly broadcast, YOU still know what you did.

You see, if the gospel is simply justification, there would be no living hope. You would stand there in that metaphorical courtroom exposed, naked, and ashamed. But praise God, His goodness includes more than simple justification; it also includes covering.

What do I mean by covering? Let’s go back to our courtroom example. Let’s say that as soon as the judge releases you of your guilt, he then looks at you and says, “I love you and I want to adopt you into my family. You will have the same rights and privileges as my natural son. I want you to know me and live in community with me.”  

This, my friends, is a total game changer. Not satisfied with taking away your legal guilt, God wants to also completely cover your shame, to give you a new identity—his child. You will not be known as the guilty person who was lucky to get off by grace. No. You are now known as a child of the King.

The problem is that we often do not think about this part of the good news. We simply know that we are legally clear before God. Yet, in many ways, we still feel naked, ashamed, and alone. Rather than looking to God for Him to take care of the shame we feel at our core, we desperately look to other identities to cover over our shame, to be anything other than a vile person who got off by God’s grace. We get wrapped up in our identity as an artist, or a parent, or even an SSA struggler, looking to these things to bring covering to us, to distract others and ourselves from the shame that we feel.

Just look at how God wants to remove our shame:

·      “And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth.” (Zephaniah 3:19)

·      “Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore, in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy.” (Isaiah 61:7)

Are you living in light of ALL the good news? Are you looking to Him to cover you, or are you looking to something else to provide that covering? Embrace the whole truth and goodness of your salvation. Look to Him, and he will remove your shame.

Drinking Deep…of the Right Water

by Robert Jacobs

“I just need milk, eggs, and bread,” I told myself as I entered the grocery store. I have a habit of getting distracted. Trips to the store that should take no more than five minutes turn into half hour excursions. I suffer from the “oh, something shiny” syndrome, a debilitating condition that seems to be getting worse as I get older.

With my eyes fixed on the first objective—the dairy case—I attempted to quickly pass through the floral section at the front of the store. Out of the corner of my eye, though, I saw the strangest bouquet of flowers: a set of two dozen tie-died roses. After pausing for a moment to look at the botanical miracle, I quickly got back to my mission, making it out the door in four minutes and forty-two seconds (well, I didn’t have a stop watch running, but it was faster than normal).

When I got home with my provisions, I had a question in my brain that needed an answer: how did they make those roses look like that? Was this some sort of new species of rose? Were they the result of genetic experimentation? Had I simply lost the ability to view colors correctly and, consequently, would need to make an appointment with an ophthalmologist?

I found the answer I was looking for on an on-line flower delivery service’s website. According to Pro-Flowers, “One of the easiest methods for dyeing flowers is to use the absorption method. Florists fill large plastic vases with water along with food coloring. Freshly cut stems rest in the colored water, and, after a few hours of drinking, the flowers display different colors.” In other words, the flowers feed on the water they are placed in, taking on the characteristics of that water as a result.

Given that the scripture repeatedly uses plant based metaphors to describe our relationship with Christ and the process of our sanctification, this principle of plant-dying seems to hold spiritual significance.  In the first psalm, David asserts that he “whose delight is in the law of the Lord and who meditates on his law day and night[,] that person is like a tree planted by streams of living water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither” (Ps 1:2-3).

If a tree is “planted by streams of living water,” then it is that living water that the tree will be drinking through its root system. That living water, in turn, provides nourishment that causes the tree to yield fruit, even in the harshest of seasons. Just like the roses at the grocery store that had taken on the color of the water they were nourished by, so also do we take on the characteristics of that which we choose to feed our souls.

The question for us is, what kind of “water” are we drinking? Are we like the tree described by David in Psalm 1, delighting in the word of God so that we produce His spiritual fruit? Or, are we drinking from another source? Are we drinking from the well of the world, soaking ourselves in that water so that we absorb all its lies and brokenness?

Not sure what water you are soaking in? Just look at the fruit of your life. Do you see love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in your life? Or, are you exhibiting fear, despair, anxiety, bitterness, hypocrisy, selfishness, and impulsivity? The health and even physical nature of the plant, as seen by the dyed flowers in the grocery store, is directly related to its source of nutrients. Feed on His word. Abide in Him. And see the fruit of your life transformed.

Why Am I So Hungry?

 by Robert Jacobs

Don’t go swimming for thirty minutes after you eat. Feed a cold and starve a fever. Don’t swallow gum or it will be in your stomach for seven years.

Our world is full of “helpful advice” and age old adages. But I have always wondered, just how much of it is true? Juliette Steen, the Huffington Post’s Associate Food Editor, got to thinking the same thing and decided to put one of the oldest medical factoids out there to the test: the widely-held belief that it takes 20 minutes to feel full once you start eating. After conferring with Zane Andrews, an associate professor of physiology and a neuroscientist at Monash University, Steen confirms that it does indeed take about 20 minutes to feel full.

As I reflected on this medical reality—feeling guilty for regularly plowing through my lunch while furiously answering emails—I realized that there was an interesting spiritual dimension to this scientific fact. If it takes us 20 minutes to feel physically full, how long does it take for us to feel spiritually or emotionally full?

This was a question with more significance that needed to be pondered. Many of the people I talk with every week at LHM describe feeling emotionally or spiritually hungry. Why was this? Was it that God had not supplied their needs? After they gave up their sinful relationships, did He leave them to starve?

As I dove into contemplation, I settled on what I think are two primary reasons we do not feel “full.” First, I think that many of us are so busy looking to our need for spiritual and emotional fulfillment that we miss all of the ways that God as indeed met those needs. We become so accustomed to having those needs met in destructive ways, that we cannot see how he is meeting them in healthy ways.

In the prophetic book of Malachi, God says, “Test me in this…and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it” (3:10) When we give over our life to God, we do not have to worry that he will not meet all of our needs, even our emotional and relational ones.

Now, for those of you out there saying that you have given it over to Him and you still feel empty and alone, I come to my second reason that I think we feel this way. Often, those of us who struggle with sexual and relational brokenness have a VERY particular way that we want God to meet our needs. We have our empty affirmation, attention, and affection buckets waiting to be filled—left empty, for many of us, by past abuse and/or hurt—by a specific person in our life.

The problem comes when God attempts to fill those empty buckets, but we STOP Him from doing so because He is not filling them in the way that we want. He may be trying to provide you affection from a friend at church who gives you a hug every Sunday, but in your mind you overlook that affection because you are lusting after someone else. God may be trying to provide you with attention through a friendship with a co-worker, but you miss that provision because you pine over an old flame. God may be trying to offer you affirmation from an uncle, but you reject it because it is not from your father.

So, what are we to do?

We wait on God. He has told us that he will supply every need…according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19). Are you waiting on Him? Are you rejecting the ways he is trying to meet your legitimate needs for affection, attention, and affirmation? This week, let’s keep our buckets unguarded, allowing Him to fill us in the way He deems best, waiting on Him to feel full. It may take longer than 20 minutes, but it will be well worth the wait.