God the Wire Artist
In PT 1, we discussed the place that stress has in a healthy Christian walk. In PT 2, we talked about how to differentiate between the good stress and bad stress in our lives. Now we’re going to explore the calculated precision of the stress that God allows to enter your life. His purpose, and His control over what "final product" you project to be- a Christian enjoying the endless love of God, a Christian who has accepted the evil ways of the world, or a lost soul that will be forever separated from the Father's love. In chemistry terms, the variables that govern your belonging in one of those three categories are surrender, trust, and faith in God. Remember I said that God allows us to be stressed- bent and shaped like a wire- in the ways of His wonderful will. A wire does not necessarily want to bend easily, but the metal worker puts strain on it and shapes it to his liking. Almighty God allows trials and tribulations to shape us to His liking- in accordance to His perfect plans for our lives. The wire art of God is beautiful in the truest sense of the word; however, if we resist His attempt to craft us into the children He wants us to be, we miss the bus on the opportunity to be molded by our Holy Father. The wire does not easily bend to the desires of the artist, as we do not always surrender to the will of God; the artist must then test the wire, finding ways to make it bend properly. He can hammer it, apply more pressure to it, or twist it. In the same way, our God must test us through trials and tribulations (what we could collectively call stress) to shape us. But we can rest assured that our Father, as the author and illustrator of my salvation, will never bend the wire too far as to snap it. He will only bend the wire as far as far as it can be bent without snapping. Our loving Father will never ask us to do anything He has not already made possible for us to do, and in regards to temptations, 1 Corinthians 10:13 says,
“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
O how God loves us! He tests us to see if we will either trust Him and be shaped to His pleasing or if we will resist His pristine artistry and become a disfigured mound of steel. And our God knows that being bent is neither painless nor effortless, thus He gives three means by which we can surrender our stress to Him- prayer, meditation, and praise.
In the next installment, we’ll discuss prayer as a means for dealing with stress the Christian way in greater depth.
As a brief overview,
Prayer- Philippians 4:6-7- We’ll discuss the importance of persistence in prayer.
Meditation- Matthew 11:28-30, John 14:27- We find peace in the promises of God in His Word.
Praise- James 5:13, Psalms 103:1-5- We remember those powerful promises and know that they reign over this universe from the beginning to the end.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
The Bane of My Existence: Stress, PT 2 (John 14:27)
Continuing in this series of messages regarding stress both in college life and in the Christian walk, I first want to give a clear differentiation between good, healthy stress and bad, malignant stress. As I discussed previously in PT 1, I believe stress has a healthy place in the Christian walk. God uses stress to alert us in times when we forget His bold and powerful promises to us. He promises to provide (Jehovah-Jireh), to shepherd us (Jehovah-Rohi), and to heal us (Jehovah-Rophe), but yet many times in our lives, we fall victim to our own conceit. It’s like Satan calls out from the Burger King from Hell saying, “Have it your way!” Well, friend, we MUST realize that our way is not always God’s way. And therefore, my definition of good stress is that which God uses to keep us from falling victim to complacency, both in our Christian walks and in our ministries. For you baseball fans, it’s God’s way of going from fastball to changeup. He is lighting a fire underneath you, because like a good parent, your Father in Heaven challenges you to grow spiritually, emotionally, physically, and mentally. Your Father in Heaven desires that you do not fret or become anxious when his trials give you stress, but rather that you fall on your knees and pray to Him for guidance. It’s a tool that God uses to test your loyalty and faithfulness in good times and bad times.
Now let’s discuss bad stress. Bad stress, in my opinion, is the stresses in our lives that we create ourselves. We create this stress ourselves by not trusting God to fulfill his promises. For example, one might be applying to a graduate school or a medical school- a stressful process indeed- but a process that is completely in God’s hands. If we pray for His will to be done, WE CAN’T GO WRONG! God’s plan for each and every one of His children is perfect, yet so often we question whether God will provide us with what we need. By stressing over matters in God’s control, we essentially say to God, “Father God, you’re lying!” That sounds absolutely horrific and sacrilege to say, but it’s true. I’ll give you another example. For some folks, there is stress in tithing, because for some people, a pay check is hard to come by, but I strongly believe that the stress of tithing is merely God asking us, “Are you going to obey My commands and trust that I will provide for you, or will you reject My love and My promises?”
Bad stress is also stress that one does not surrender to God. It becomes baggage and cancer, as I discussed in “Baggage Claim”. We must remember that we don’t get to pick apart God’s gifts and take only what we choose. It’s an all or nothing proposition. We don’t have the choice to say, “Well God, I want to keep your gift of salvation, but I want to be able to hang on to some of my sins. I like to hang on to some of my sins, because I like feeling like I’m in control of my situation.” We have to be willing to allow God to be in control of everything in our lives, from our finances to our relationships. Academically and emotionally, we MUST whole-heartedly believe that God is the Alpha and the Omega. He is EVERYTHING! We are insufficient to achieve victory over sin alone! The gifts that this secular world have to offer you can not compare to the gifts that your Father in Heaven has promised you, as John 14:27 says,
"I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn't like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid."
If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you don’t have to worry about your fate as lost people do. As a matter of fact, lost people have a legitimate reason to worry, because they have not yet accepted the eternal gifts of God that provide the only means for victory. God gives you victory if you trust Him.
I promise, in the next installment, I’ll start discussing the three ways to deal with stress in the Christian way. They are prayer, meditation, and praise.
Now let’s discuss bad stress. Bad stress, in my opinion, is the stresses in our lives that we create ourselves. We create this stress ourselves by not trusting God to fulfill his promises. For example, one might be applying to a graduate school or a medical school- a stressful process indeed- but a process that is completely in God’s hands. If we pray for His will to be done, WE CAN’T GO WRONG! God’s plan for each and every one of His children is perfect, yet so often we question whether God will provide us with what we need. By stressing over matters in God’s control, we essentially say to God, “Father God, you’re lying!” That sounds absolutely horrific and sacrilege to say, but it’s true. I’ll give you another example. For some folks, there is stress in tithing, because for some people, a pay check is hard to come by, but I strongly believe that the stress of tithing is merely God asking us, “Are you going to obey My commands and trust that I will provide for you, or will you reject My love and My promises?”
Bad stress is also stress that one does not surrender to God. It becomes baggage and cancer, as I discussed in “Baggage Claim”. We must remember that we don’t get to pick apart God’s gifts and take only what we choose. It’s an all or nothing proposition. We don’t have the choice to say, “Well God, I want to keep your gift of salvation, but I want to be able to hang on to some of my sins. I like to hang on to some of my sins, because I like feeling like I’m in control of my situation.” We have to be willing to allow God to be in control of everything in our lives, from our finances to our relationships. Academically and emotionally, we MUST whole-heartedly believe that God is the Alpha and the Omega. He is EVERYTHING! We are insufficient to achieve victory over sin alone! The gifts that this secular world have to offer you can not compare to the gifts that your Father in Heaven has promised you, as John 14:27 says,
"I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn't like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid."
If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you don’t have to worry about your fate as lost people do. As a matter of fact, lost people have a legitimate reason to worry, because they have not yet accepted the eternal gifts of God that provide the only means for victory. God gives you victory if you trust Him.
I promise, in the next installment, I’ll start discussing the three ways to deal with stress in the Christian way. They are prayer, meditation, and praise.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
The Bane of My Existence: Stress, PT 1 (Philippians 4:6-7)
In this commentary on Christian living focusing on college life, I want to explore the Bible for practical “take-home” messages that we can hold on to, even in our times of distress. I want to take a look at how a Christian should look at S-T-R-E-S-S. It plays a prominent role in the lives of most everyone above age 13, and believe it or not, I believe it has its proper place in your life, unless you let it get out of hand. In a later article, I’ll discuss Christian methods to cope with stress.
If you feel like stress is dominating your life, I want you to use quantify your stress. So I might say, “Joe Fong, on a scale from 1-10, how stressed are you this week?” Obviously the response to that question can vary, but it’s important to note that labeling your stress level with a number offers us a means by which we can gauge our stress level. Remember, stress kept your ancestors alive! But doctors will tell you too that stress can literally kill you too. But tag your stress level with a number 1-10. Is it 3, 4, 6, 9, 10, 11+?
Why is this so important? Well I believe that whole-heartedly that God Almighty is in omnipotent control of the universe and we ought to trust Him, but the leading the Christian life does not imply a stress-free day. I believe stress has its benefits in the Christian walk. Call me crazy, but stress is a measuring stick by which we can determine our level of trust in God. It's a good litmus test for us to use to see if we are drifting away from God’s love for us; are we are trying to “do things our way and not His way”? A statement I reference frequently, Christians have made Christianity a crisis religion; we treat God as if He is an emergency hotline for use "after business hours" or "in case of fire". This couldn’t be any more incorrect, as we should seek the face of God for all things and offer Him our utmost praise, as Philippians 4:6-7 says,
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
I believe that stress is God’s wake-up call in our lives. Stress is God’s way of reminding us that we are insufficient to handle the rigors of a secular, Pagan world that does not honor our Holy God. It is His reminder to us that we are fallen, but that only in trusting Him, we may stand victorious.
Stress is important in the Christian life also because it reveals to us when we have forgotten or ignored God’s powerful promises. Let me run down a few of the names of God mentioned throughout scripture.
JEHOVAH-JIREH -"The Lord will Provide."
JEHOVAH-ROPHE- "The Lord Who Heals"
JEHOVAH-SHALOM- "The Lord Our Peace"
EL SHADDAI- "God All Sufficient."
JEHOVAH-ROHI- "The Lord Our Shepherd"
Let us remember that almighty God demonstrates His own love for us daily. Next time, we’ll talk about Christian ways to deal with stress.
If you feel like stress is dominating your life, I want you to use quantify your stress. So I might say, “Joe Fong, on a scale from 1-10, how stressed are you this week?” Obviously the response to that question can vary, but it’s important to note that labeling your stress level with a number offers us a means by which we can gauge our stress level. Remember, stress kept your ancestors alive! But doctors will tell you too that stress can literally kill you too. But tag your stress level with a number 1-10. Is it 3, 4, 6, 9, 10, 11+?
Why is this so important? Well I believe that whole-heartedly that God Almighty is in omnipotent control of the universe and we ought to trust Him, but the leading the Christian life does not imply a stress-free day. I believe stress has its benefits in the Christian walk. Call me crazy, but stress is a measuring stick by which we can determine our level of trust in God. It's a good litmus test for us to use to see if we are drifting away from God’s love for us; are we are trying to “do things our way and not His way”? A statement I reference frequently, Christians have made Christianity a crisis religion; we treat God as if He is an emergency hotline for use "after business hours" or "in case of fire". This couldn’t be any more incorrect, as we should seek the face of God for all things and offer Him our utmost praise, as Philippians 4:6-7 says,
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
I believe that stress is God’s wake-up call in our lives. Stress is God’s way of reminding us that we are insufficient to handle the rigors of a secular, Pagan world that does not honor our Holy God. It is His reminder to us that we are fallen, but that only in trusting Him, we may stand victorious.
Stress is important in the Christian life also because it reveals to us when we have forgotten or ignored God’s powerful promises. Let me run down a few of the names of God mentioned throughout scripture.
JEHOVAH-JIREH -"The Lord will Provide."
JEHOVAH-ROPHE- "The Lord Who Heals"
JEHOVAH-SHALOM- "The Lord Our Peace"
EL SHADDAI- "God All Sufficient."
JEHOVAH-ROHI- "The Lord Our Shepherd"
Let us remember that almighty God demonstrates His own love for us daily. Next time, we’ll talk about Christian ways to deal with stress.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Baggage Claim (Psalm 51)
Imagine this for a moment. Your best friend has just dropped you off at the airport terminal and you're standing at the check-in counter along with your mountain of baggage. You definitely want to carry all of that baggage on board the plane with you, but the cleanly-dressed gentleman working behind the counter says you need to check-in your baggage because its large, heavy, and extremely cumbersome for you to carry-on. As much as you desire to take all of your baggage as carry-on, it's just not going to happen; you're certainly not going to be flying on that airplane unless you a) call up your bestie and leave most of your heavy baggage with him or her, b) check-in the baggage, or c) don't travel. Obviously c) is not a choice; but whether you choose a) or b), you're "letting go" of your baggage in some way, shape, or fashion. That baggage keeps you from moving forward on your schedule.
Similarly, our shame, regret, and guilt (collectively, emotional baggage) about our past sins prevent us from progressing along our individual Christian walks. In Psalm 51, David first confesses his sin and expresses regret towards God for his sinful actions. Secondly, David promises to learn from his past transgressions while educating and converting sinners. God forgives his sincere and penitent heart.
With our emotional baggage, we have the same choices as a traveler at the airport. We can lighten our load of baggage by leaving it at the door, or better yet, we can seek the help of a professional baggage handler. Our professional baggage handler is God. David "made it right" with God, and as Christians, the gift of Jesus Christ allows to surrender our regrets to the Father. Follow David's example and don't be let the guilt of your sin keep you from living for Christ!
Similarly, our shame, regret, and guilt (collectively, emotional baggage) about our past sins prevent us from progressing along our individual Christian walks. In Psalm 51, David first confesses his sin and expresses regret towards God for his sinful actions. Secondly, David promises to learn from his past transgressions while educating and converting sinners. God forgives his sincere and penitent heart.
With our emotional baggage, we have the same choices as a traveler at the airport. We can lighten our load of baggage by leaving it at the door, or better yet, we can seek the help of a professional baggage handler. Our professional baggage handler is God. David "made it right" with God, and as Christians, the gift of Jesus Christ allows to surrender our regrets to the Father. Follow David's example and don't be let the guilt of your sin keep you from living for Christ!
Welcome!
Welcome to Words From His Word, a Bible-honoring website dedicated to offering messages from the incorruptible Word of God. This website is primarily focused towards reaching the students of Christian Brothers University (Memphis, TN), as a corollary to the Chosen Generation (Mondays, 5 PM, St. Joseph's Chapel, Barry Hall) and Passion (Wednesday, 7 PM, Stritch Lounge) Bible Studies here at CBU; however, anyone is welcome to discover the unfailing love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by either reading the messages presented on this website or by attending the bible studies listed above. I will try to post messages at least 2-3 times weekly, so feel free to subscribe and revel in God's Word.
"Then Jesus declared, 'I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.'" John 6:35
"Then Jesus declared, 'I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.'" John 6:35
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