Random Thoughts @trevordrinen

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Thursday, February 16, 2012

TRusT - involves 'us'.

TRusT - involves 'us'.

“5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.” - Proverbs 3:5-6 (NASB)

Let’s do this and kick things off via defining, “trust.” According to Wikipedia, “Trust is the reliance on another person or entity.” In other words, “Rely on the LORD with ALL your heart.” Trust & reliance both require an action of dependance on another. Why is it hard for me to completely “trust” another? Hmm... Trusting another doesn’t allow be to be in control of the the situation. Wow.... .... this brings an element of emotional fear into the picture. Why was fear triggered? Interesting, this brings things full circle to a personal issue of control / trust.

Okay, let’s look at the reminder of verse 5 and 6. “.... do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.”

Time to make a totally transparent observation! A lot of the time I trust my understanding more than God’s.

Why? Nothing is more precious to me than the illusion of my own virtue. AKA: I think very highly of my wisdom / opinion.

A-Acknowledge that all my ‘great’ understanding is NOT my own and actually comes from God.
Acknowledging that even my wisdom comes from God does some internally.

A-Take baby steps of trust.....
How? This requires me to first do something I have an extremely hard time with: to slow down, to be still! Sitting somewhere quite, opening the Bible, reading it, allowing it to penetrate my life, and then interacting with the text.

Trust requires an action of me.... responding .... Responding requires me to first listen. Listening requires me to slow down with the purpose of responding. This requires for me to pause, relax, breathe, focus, and interact with that which I’m trying to hear. . .

God are YOU asking me to . . . r e a l l y s l o w d o w n a n d b e w i t h Y O U 1 0 0 %?

God help me TRUST in YOU with all my heart and NOT lean on my own understanding. In all my ways HELP me acknowledge YOU, (TRUSTING) YOU will make your paths straight.” - Proverbs 3:5-6 (NASB) - Trevor

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Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Do WHAT? Are YOU CrAZy God!!??

Do WHAT? Are YOU CrAZy God!!??

 “15 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. 16 Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. 17 I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18 The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.” Exodus 14:15-18 (NASB)

Let’s back up a bit and go Exodus 14:10-14, “10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. 11 They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” 13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Now let’s read verse 15, “15 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.” This text reviles an underlying truth about mankind's character which I find some what comical but oh so true!!!! I love how Moses encourages the Israelites and then God turns and reviles Moses true colors! Ya!

I can’t imagine what Moses felt! Pharaoh army approaching! The Israelites yelling at him! The water’s before them.... .... the chaos, the stress, the weight of leadership!!! At times I’ve tried to visualize myself in Moses shoes, but have a very difficult time grasping the magnitude of the event - physically, mentally, and emotionally. Other times I’ve questioned, ‘was this a mere fantasy or was this really possible?’

A researcher Carl Drews of the National Center for Atmospheric Research found that a steady 63-mile-per-hour (100-kilometer-per-hour) wind over a digitally reconstructed east-west running lake at the Mediterranean end of the Nile, near today's Port Said, would push the water west to the far end of the lake, as well as south, up the river. The model showed that this would expose wide mud flats where the river entered the lake and leave a land bridge high and dry for four hours. (*Drews has been studying the Red Sea story for years as a student and now has published a paper on the matter, which was his master's thesis, in the journal PloS One.)

APPLICATION =A:
    A-When I hit a dead end, help me turn to YOU!
    A-God, YOUR ways are far beyond mine.
    A-Help me learn to hear and respond to YOUR voice.

Let’s wrap things up and go Exodus 14:19-25
19 Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, 20 coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long. 21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, 22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. 23 The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. 24 During the last watch of the night the LORD looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. 25 He jammed[b] the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The LORD is fighting for them against Egypt.”

“8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:5-9.

Thank YOU for giving me the faith to believe - please help me where my faith is lacking so that YOU my be glorified and honored through me. - Trevor

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How can I forgive when it hurts so much?

How can I forgive when it hurts so much?

“For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” Matthew 6:14 (NASB)

As I read Matthew 6:14 a few questions lingered in my mind:
How does the Bible define “forgiveness”?
Their are over fifty (50+) verses that touch on “forgiveness.” It’s from those verses we can obtain a direction definition:
Forgiveness is typically defined as the process of concluding resentment, indignation or anger as a result of a perceived offense, difference or mistake, or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution. The Oxford English Dictionary defines forgiveness as, 'to grant free pardon and to give up all claim on account of an offense or debt'. The concept and benefits of forgiveness have been explored in religious studies, the social sciences, and in medicine. Forgiveness may be considered simply in terms of the person who forgives including forgiving themselves, in terms of the person forgiven or in terms of the relationship between the forgiver and the person forgiven. In some contexts, forgiveness may be granted without any expectation of restorative justice, and without any response on the part of the offender. In practical terms, it may be necessary for the offender to offer some form of acknowledgment, apology or restitution, or even just ask for forgiveness, in order for the wronged person to believe himself able to forgive.
How does the Bible define “sin”?
According to James 4:17 states, “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.” So, sin is knowing what you ought to do and then NOT doing it or knowing what NOT to do and then doing it.

What is the difference between cultural and biblical forgives? What does the actions of forgiveness look like in reality? How do I forgive some for the pain they’ve caused me? How do things looking after I’ve ‘asked’ for “forgiveness”? What should I do if I’m dealing with personal / inward regrets / forgiveness issues?

I’ve often had to acknowledge my misconceived definition of things in the midst of discovering the truth. Let’s first go, 9 Things Forgiveness Is NOT. (Note: ***Are excerpts from "Taking Out the Trash," Real Marriage from Mars Hill.)

1. FORGIVENESS IS NOT DENYING, APPROVING, OR DIMINISHING SIN THAT IS COMMITTED AGAINST US.

After being sexually molested by a neighbor earlier in life I quickly learned that I cannot say I’m are fine, that it was no big deal, or that, since it was in the past, I’ve just moved on. I must be honest about the reality of the sin if I want the forgiveness to be equally earnest. In forgiving, I’m, in fact, saying they are wrong, I do not approve of their sin/action, and that it really is a big deal and not a trivial matter.

2. FORGIVENESS IS NOT NAÏVETÉ.

Naïve people are prone to live as if the world were not filled with depraved sinners capable of evil, and they often become naïve by not really looking at the sinfulness of sin, including their own. Such people are not forgiving sin as much as they are ignoring it. (***)

3. FORGIVENESS IS NOT ENABLING SIN.

To forgive people is not to remain stuck in their cycle of sin, thus being complicit and enabling their continued transgression. (***)

4. FORGIVENESS IS NOT WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO ACKNOWLEDGE SIN, APOLOGIZE, AND REPENT.

The sad truth is that some people will never fully repent, and others never at all. Others we will never see again, or they will die before we hear an apology. I forgive because it is what God requires and what we need, not because our offenders have apologized. I’ll never forget the time God gently asked me, “Trevor, who are you to withhold anything I’ve freely extended to you?”

5. FORGIVENESS IS NOT FORGETTING ABOUT SIN COMMITTED AGAINST US.

It is actually impossible to completely forget such things. This is why when God says, “Their sin I will remember no more,” it does not mean that he has no memory, but rather that he continually chooses not to bring it up or keep it in the forefront of his thinking. Indeed, because God is all-knowing, it is, in fact, impossible for him to actually forget something. (***)

6. FORGIVENESS IS NOT DYING EMOTIONALLY AND NO LONGER FEELING THE PAIN OF THE TRANSGRESSION.

Once I choose to attempt live out biblical ‘forgiveness’ rather than cultural ‘forgivness’ I felt the appropriate depth of grievous pain caused against me. Overtime I had to choose by grace not to be continually paralyzed or defined by it. For a long time I was captive in a emotional prison not knowing how to get out.... a healthy understanding #6 deeply intertwined with #7 help me make forward progress one day at a time.

7. FORGIVENESS IS NOT A ONE-TIME EVENT.

Those who have been sinned against commonly have seasons when they feel afresh the pain of past hurts and have to forgive their transgressors yet again.

8. FORGIVENESS IS NOT RECONCILIATION.

It takes one sinner to repent, and one victim to forgive, but it takes both to reconcile. Therefore, unless there is both repentance by the sinner and forgiveness by the victim, reconciliation cannot occur, which means the relationship remains continually broken until reconciliation does occur. Forgiveness is the beginning of potential reconciliation but is not in and of itself reconciliation. Forgiveness takes a moment. The trust that reconciliation requires is gained slowly and lost quickly.

9. FORGIVENESS IS NOT NEGLECTING JUSTICE.

In fact, if a crime has been committed, we can simultaneously forgive someone and call the police to arrest him or her. God will deal with every sin of every human being justly. For those who repent of sin and come to faith in Jesus Christ, justice came at the cross of Jesus, when our Savior suffered and died in our place for our sins. For those who do not repent of sin and come to faith in Jesus Christ, their justice will come in the punishment that is assigned to them in the conscious eternal torments of hell. By not seeking vengeance, we are not neglecting justice, but rather trusting God for perfect justice and getting ourselves out of the middle between the sinner and God. Romans 12:19 instructs precisely this: “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’” (***)

"Not forgiving someone can quickly turn into bitterness and bitterness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die." -Ron McManus

Such a silly thought, and yet, we do it all the time.

I know that I’m are not bitter when I actually want those who have sinned against me to be maturing Christians and, in addition to praying for them, I forgive them in hopes of showing them the gospel of grace.

God help us to forgive those who have wronged us so that we can set down our glasses of poison and live in the fullness of God's forgiveness.

You can do it, you know. God will help you! It's a choice.

“8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:5-9. - Trevor

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Tuesday, February 14, 2012

LOVE is culturally CoNFusING!!!!

“if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails.” - 1 Corinthians 13:3-8 NIV

Love is a confusing thing in our culture. And the reason it’s a confusing thing in our culture is because we love everything! We will use that word to describe everything from breakfast to our sporting team, to our spouse, to our children. It’s like the only word we have that denotes positive emotion.

Now, normally when we say or hear or think the word “love” in our culture, we get this emotive kind of idea of “Cupid love” that I think we got from the Romans. It’s this idea that love is this powerful, emotional force that, when it strikes you, you can’t do anything but give in to the mysterious weight of it. And it sweeps us away into everlasting joy. Now, if we are to be honest that’s somewhat of a FREAKY idea! It’s just this force, the naked angel in a diaper—bam—got somebody—and now they have been swept away in this mysterious force called “love.” We can’t control it. It’s either there, or it’s not there. Either the naked angel in a diaper shoots us, or he doesn’t; but we can’t control it. I mean, I can’t just decide to love you. Something’s got to happen. That mysterious force has to grab me. It’s not sustaining. It’s not fulfilling. It’s not safe, and in the end it brings about monumentally more destruction than it ever brings joy. A part of love is being deeply trusted which results in both individual’s experiencing safety. So what safety is there in my wife’s life if, at any moment, in any hotel room across the country that I’ve ever been in, the naked angel in a diaper pops me, and now I all of a sudden I love somebody else?!!? “Sorry. It’s this mysterious, monumental force—It’s struck me. I never saw it coming. And now all the love that was once on you has completely gone. And I cannot control Cupid, mama. Sorry. I’m out. I don’t love you anymore. I don’t love you anymore, and I can’t control it. It’s just too powerful.” There’s no safety there. So it’s not fulfilling. It is cheap! The reason you have all that is because usually you’re under the delusion that the person’s perfect. So how quickly does perfection fade and the need for grace begin to reveal itself?

I have monumental biblical reasons that this is problematic - if the Scriptures are the triune God’s self-disclosure of life as He designed it, revealing Himself to us in all things, then what God is trying to lead us to when He teaches on love is the deepest, most vibrant, most sustaining, life-giving kind of love there is. And He’s going to take love to a place that’s very, very, very difficult to comprehend. Outside of His regenerate work in your heart, there’s no possible way you can experience the kind of love that He’s unpacks to us in the Bible - no way! I don’t care how virtuous you are, this will take a divine act. It’s here Luke 6:27 says, “But I say to you who hear...” Now I need to stop.... ....Over and over and over again in the teachings of Jesus, He’s going to say things like this: “He who has an ear, let him hear. He who has been given eyes, let him see.” And here He goes again,“For those of you who can hear.” He’s saying, There are some of you who will be unable to hear what I’m about to say. You do not posses the spiritual depth, width, the regenerative power of the Holy Spirit in your life, so what I’m about to say to you might even sound offensive. But he who has an ear, let him hear. He who has the ability to hear, listen. And if you’ve ever wondered why religious people get angry, nothing is more precious to religious people than the illusion of their own virtue. And when Jesus starts to attack and remove that and reveal the need for grace in everybody, those who have, in their mind, bought into the illusion of their grandeur, tend to get a little upset.

So already we’ve got some problems in regards to our current definition of Cupid love and biblical love. “Love your enemies.” So the question we’ve got to answer is: how? How do you love your enemies?

APPLICATION =A:

Let’s look at how we’re to do that; we’ll talk about each. “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” These are the ones that require initiative on our part. So watch what He does to love here and how He expands it. He just says, “Do good to those who hate you.” Here’s our initiative as believers, those who hear or those sealed with the Holy Spirit. Here’s our job for those outside the kingdom who hate us. What is our role? What is our response? What is our initiative? Do good. Which means if the crazy neighbor hates me, I mow that part of the lawn. If the crazy neighbor hates me, then I go get his trashcan, and I bring it up and set it up next to his garage door. If the coworker hates me, I do good. If the crazy cousin—you know, crazy cousin Carl— everybody’s got him. If you don’t—hey, Carl. We do good. Let’s NOT merely be good church people - and what I mean by that is, let’s not hear biblical truth and apply it in some ambiguous fashion. Or maybe know it but don’t apply it at all. Or—here’s my favorite down here—know it so we can tell others to do it. So is there someone who’s an antagonist against you? Someone who hates you? Someone who would actively work against you? The Scripture says you take the initiative.

A church can grow daily in numbers if people are strengthened in their faith daily. In other words, if individuals are strengthened in their faith daily the organization of the church will grow in numbers - one person at a time!

My bottom line personal application today: To choose and live out biblical love! A love that I don’t always understand and continually need God’s direction in.

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