Viewing entries tagged
trust
Like caffeine: it picks us up, so we don’t stop to think about its source. But hope isn’t neutral. There are many things we hope in that end in huge disappointment and even painful consequences. They leave people feeling hopeless. Or they’re afraid to hope for fear of being let down. Is cynicism the answer?
Stress affects all of us in different ways and it comes from different directions. But when stress is constant and not released, researchers say that it results in anxiety, depression, digestive problems, headaches, muscle tension, and heart disease. Obviously, monitoring stress and finding relief from it is something that needs to be on our radar. What’s fascinating to me is that recent research points in the same direction that the Bible has prescribed for thousands of years.
The tendency is to view verses about hope like the decorations of the Bible – pleasant thoughts that aren’t very functional. But getting serious about hope is one of the primary means God has given us to make progress in personal growth and maturity.
Nobody wants to look back on their decisions with regret, but often we struggle to understand the right direction. I read one article that gave a list of ways to make better decisions. It began with the following:
Don’t fear the consequences
Go with your gut instincts
Consider your emotions
If God doesn’t care and it’s all up to us, maybe that’s the best that we can do. It’s not hard to see how that advice for decision-making could end very, very badly, however. The Book of Proverbs gives us a far more reliable grid through which to process our decisions. Consider these 3 principles.
When it comes to money, we often fixate on more. Selfishness affects us. We’re influenced by unhealthy attitudes toward our finances. The Israelites weren’t all that much different. They famously grumbled and complained to Moses when they didn’t get enough food, but God worked to turn Israel into a generous nation. Seeing how He worked in their lives reveals how He might transform us today.
When someone understands what the Bible calls “good news,” they usually respond with hesitation. The gospel message that Jesus bore the consequences of our sins at the cross sounds like good news, but a little too good to be true. When people hear that all they have to do to receive Jesus’ free gift of salvation is believe in Him, it feels a little like one of those emails telling us that we’ve received an inheritance from a wealthy benefactor. Sure, we have! Click, delete. The problem is that the words we use to describe our response to God are often heard without any context and they’re robbed of their meaning and impact as a result. I’d like to consider one of the key passages that describes how a person can respond to the gospel.
Many people get tongue-tied giving thanks before a meal and feel that their prayers run out of steam (and words!) after just a few minutes. While it’s true that just praying helps you get more comfortable and natural in prayer, I believe that God has given the prayers of Scripture to not only teach us to pray but to guide our prayers. They give us words to express our thoughts and desires to Him.
Do you ever struggle to make sense of your circumstances? Many times, I’ve looked at what’s happening in my life and asked, “What on earth are you doing God?” Some things begin to make sense in retrospect as I look back on what’s happened. Other circumstances still have question marks next to them. There are many things that I’m looking forward to God explaining in heaven, one day. In the meantime, others can help us navigate the murkier days. Last month, I listened to a preacher named Sandy Wilson at a conference in Huntsville. He shared the story of Elisabeth’s Elliott’s first year of missionary service.
Two weeks ago I began to talk about our Learning Centre discussion on the “no strings attached” (N.S.A.) approach to relationships that North Americans are characterized by. I shared that sociologists summarize the Canadian mind-set as being typified by low trust, low obligation and high freedom. These qualities are not just unbiblical but extremely unhealthy because:
Given the emphases of our culture, it’s not surprising to me that baptism has become less and less popular in the church – and yet I’m convinced that it’s one of the things God has designed to bring healing to our N.S.A. issues. When was the last time you thought about baptism?
Earlier this fall, I shared in the Learning Centre about one of the things I learned about Canadian culture when I went to Japan. I didn’t realize until I left my own culture that the Canadian approach to relationships is known by sociologists and others by the acronym N.S.A. That doesn’t refer to the National Security Agency but the “no strings attached” style of relationships that Canadians and Americans have become known for. We’re considered friendly and informal, but as one sociologist described, they “always think everyone is their friend. But they don’t trust anyone.” Or someone described the mindset as, “relationships should be something that exist for the sheer enjoyment of them – not something to which you’re obliged.” Or another person has said, “Our friendships are based on freedom to come and go as we please.”
