Testing

What does a time of testing produce in our lives?  What is it that Christ wants us to know, to learn, to unearth in a time of trial?  

Daily now we hear on the news how desperate peoples lives have become.  Our real estate agent was relating to us that it has gotten so bad in her business that people are beginning to act irrationally, almost to the point of having mental breakdowns.  She is referring to people who make their living buying and selling homes, and also a great deal of people who are loosing their homes because of job loss and foreclosure.  We have looked at some houses in Charlotte that were huge, 4000+square feet, that are going for a song, because they have been taken over by the banks (of course, you that really know me, know that I could not handle a house that big, I can't even keep the one I have now clean).  She said it has been common even in million dollar homes where the banks have taken them over to find that when the people moved out they destroyed part of the home.  They will make holes in the walls and splatter paint all over the carpet and floors.  I was aghast.  These are desperate times.

Christ calls us to a different way of doing things.  In our society where the dollar is king we can be an example to desperate people in showing them how to live in a world where materialism will always leave you bankrupt in more ways than just financially.  That's exactly where our trials come in to play.

Matthew 5

The Beatitudes

1 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them saying:

3"Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they will see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called sons of God.

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

*It is no coincidence that right after Jesus speaks of the above, He links them to being salt and light.  (my note)

Salt and Light

13 "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

14 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

During my devotions this morning I found some encouraging quotes that echo what I am trying to say.  The first one is from RC Sproul's Tabletalk Magazine, 

"Christians are no longer under the curse of the Law (Gal. 3:13-14).  Yet until we are glorified, the presence of sin within us clouds our minds, preventing us on many occasions from seeing the truth about our own deeds and motivations.  Reading the Mosaic law and its interpretation in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7) remind us of the thoroughgoing nature of sin and helps us see the evil still within us so that we might repent of it and put it to death."  

The other devotion book I have been reading is Sam Storm's To the One Who Conquers, which is a devotional centered on the Seven Churches in Revelation.  Storms summarizes a sermon by Jonathan Edwards as follows, "All the good that we have, said Edwards, is in and through Christ.  It is through him alone that true wisdom is imparted to the mind   It is by being in him that we are justified, have our sins pardoned, and are received as righteous into God's favor.  Through utter dependence on Christ alone we have true excellency of heart and understanding and our actual deliverance or redemption from all misery, as well as the bestowal of all happiness and glory."  This quote comes from a series of sermons by Edwards in Sermons and Discourses ed. by Mark Valeri.  

The Beatitudes is about repentance and dependence .  It is a little like the Law of the New Testament, it is meant to open our eyes, ears, and hearts to the reality of indwelling sin.  As we see God for who He is, and see our sin for what it is, then we repent, and can truly be salt and light to the world.  Of course, this is not a one time event, it is a pattern lived over and over.  We would all be struck down on the spot if Christ showed us the depravity of our hearts all at one time. In His mercy He shows us a little at a time, and if we are truly repentant then we are made more and more dependent on Him alone.  

What does this have to do with foreclosures and the grip of materialism in our society you might ask?  Everything!  We as believers are tempted in every way like the world is, except we have a "get out of jail card, free."  As we learn the wisdom of this pattern through the trials where our material goods are taken away, then as we repent, then we learn through this wisdom that we then can model and impart to those around us.  People are desperately needing this now.  Do you work in a bank, a financial institution, or a business that is holding on for dear life?  Maybe you know someone that is really struggling financially. Americans are vulnerable right now.  This might make them more inclined to hear the Gospel. It is an excellent time, not to be silent, but to model to them with our lives and our words, that this world is not our ultimate home, that we can be content with less, and that money is not where happiness is found, and we do not have to wait to have a good day according to the news.  

This is only going to happen by seeing God for who He is; He is always good, always loving, always Holy, and by seeing our depravity, and then to repent and by glad.  Hard lessons.  Hard trials.  Maybe this trial of the loss of finances is really for the Bride of Christ to learn, not so much for our pagan neighbors.  Just a thought.  

Awaiting Him who owns the cattle on a thousand hills.......................Lynn