Joy that Can't Be Taken Away

Joy in the midst of sufferings sounds like nonsense until one ponders how often it occurs in everyday life: having surgery, giving birth to a child, preparing for an athletic contest, agonizing over information before a big test, pushing your muscles to climb a mountain, and on and on. We recognize that in each of these it is not suffering nor joy that is being pursued. Rather, one has set a goal and is doing what is necessary to achieve it. The "Joy of the Lord"comes when one sets his goal to grow in knowledge and imitation of Jesus; believing the promises of God and committing one's self to walk in obedience to God's commands no matter what the consequences. The writer of Hebrews points us in the same direction when he wrote: "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:1-3).

Sharing in Christ's Sufferings

Nobody gets excited about the prospect of suffering. It's only when we see suffering as an unavoidable path to our goal that we gain the courage to walk the path. In a religious culture where God is often viewed as wanting nothing more than to make our dreams come true, talking about joining Christ in his suffering and death is a tough sell. However, when we align ourselves with the purposes of God in bringing his kingdom into this world, suffering for Christ becomes an honor and a privilege. This is why Paul could write, "For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, . ." (Philippians 1:29).

Suffering is certainly not the end in itself; as though we make it our goal to suffer! Rather, suffering is a means to an end. Jesus suffered that we might live. We suffer that God might be glorified in us. May God grant us the courage and faith to join Jesus in his sufferings whenever obedience to the Name calls us to walk that path.

Ben's Engaged

Last week Liz and I went to Abilene to celebrate Ben and Laura's engagement. Ben is quite the romantic and planned a very special evening for Laura on the night he proposed and graciously included his and her family after he "popped the question". Laura is a wonderful young lady and she and Ben make a great couple!

On Sunday, while you at Clear Lake were being blessed to hear from Jeremy Pierce, Liz and I went to church at the Maryneal Church of Christ (about an hour west of Abilene) to hear Ben preach. He is preaching there part time while he works on his Masters in Theology at ACU. It was a special time and we are proud of the man Ben has become.

Three Great Young Preachers

Two weeks ago we heard from Jeremy Glover. This past Sunday we got to hear Renzo preach in Spanish and next week we will hear from Jeremy Pierce. I am currently in Abilene and am taking the week off. I'll be back in town next Monday.

Growth In Christ

I met a person the other day who told me how he had lost his job. He said that he worked in an environment where deception was necessary in order to survive. The workers would fudge on details in reports made to superiors because the work was stressful and people felt like they couldn't accomplish everything expected of them. My friend, who is a Christian, tried to be honest in his dealings with people and his reporting. However, one situation arose where he failed. During a meeting he was confronted about a difficult situation he had been involved in. He looked his superior straight in the eye and told a lie. What he said was what the supervisor wanted to hear, but it wasn't the truth. My friend left that meeting and was seized with remorse. He had done the very thing everyone else was doing, but it wasn't the way of Christ. He went back and confessed. The end result was he lost his job.

Later in our conversation he asked what I was preaching on Sunday. As I described the difference between "growth in confidence" and "growth in Christ" he asked a question about the concept of joining Christ in his suffering and becoming like him in his death. I told him that his returning to his supervisior was a perfect example of "dying to self" so that Christ could live through him. Although he lost the job, he grew spiritually. Because of his willingness to humble himself he came to know Christ better and thus was able to imitate him.

A Novel Idea!

I recently finished reading Tim Woodroof's wonderful novel based on Paul's letter to the Philippians. The first edition is called A Distant Presence. Although the book is out of print, one can still find used (or should I say pre-owned) copies available for purchase. The first 2/3 of the book contain the story of Paul's relationship to the Philippian church including reasons for writing them a and the reaction of the church upon receiving it. The second part of the book contains a commentary of the book of Phillippians where the author explains why he included what he did in the narrative. As one who has devoted his life to studying the scriptures and helping people understand and apply that information; I loved this book! To read my review look to the left on my blog and click on the link, Byron's Brief Book Reviews. You will also be directed to where you can order a used copy or a new copy of The Messenger, which is the same novel without the commentary.

Spiritual Role Models

Thinking about role models this week made me want to begin the sermon talking about actors, models, athletes, and musicians. It seems that we often limit our talk of role models to high profile, high paid entertainers. We marvel whenever they are "good role models" and whine when one of them is a terrible embarrassment to the human race and call them "bad role models". Thankfully I resisted the urge to include such rambling in the sermon (sorry I can't say the same for my blog :-).

I find Paul's use of Timothy and Epaphroditus as "spiritual role models" for the Philippians as an insightful, pastoral way to help these new Christians have some "flesh and blood" examples of how to follow Jesus. If the greatest goal of our lives is to become like Jesus we must find those who are serving him well and imitate them as they imitate Christ. They are seldom found among the high profile, wealthy, influential individuals often held up as "role models." True spiritual role models will usually be found among the low profile, humble, selfless servants who go about their business of following Christ whether anyone is watching or not.