Category: Christian Life

Many times in our lives we have all wondered what was going on. We have tried to answer the question of what is happening and where is God when things are going wrong. We have all asked God questions like “What is going on God?” or “Why is this happening to me?”.

I know I have asked these questions on several occasions. And people would tell me that God was trying to teach me something. Now to tell you the truth this never really helped me at all. I don’t know about you but when I am dealing with life that is trying to wash me away in a tidal wave of problems, trying to find out what God was trying to teach me and then not being able to figure it out and so having no answer that could help me understand and endure my circumstances just added to my frustration.

I recently came to understand what God was doing in my life when everything is going wrong. It helped me to understand that I hadn’t missed out on the purpose He had for me, I had just misunderstood the methods He was using to accomplish His purpose in me. And what a relief it was when I learned this. So let me share with you what I learned.

I have learned that there are 4 stages God brings each one of us through that will enable us to fulfill His purpose for us. God designed each one us with a purpose in mind. Not one of us is a mistake. We all have a reason for living. And the 4 stages God brings each one of us through can be summed up in one statement. Things happen TO me, so that things can happen IN me, so that things can happen THROUGH me.

There is a purpose for our struggles. God allows things in our lives to bring out His life in us. For we are supposed to be “Christ like” after all. And for many Christians this is a serious struggle for them to accomplish. We have forgotten that it is God’s job to bring out the life of Jesus in us. All we need to do is respond.

So what are the four stages we have to go through? They are;

• • Revelation
    • This is where God reveals to us both Himself and our purpose

• • Confrontation
    • This is where Things happen TO me.
    • This is where God deals with our character
  • Transformation
    • This is where Things happen IN me
    • This is where God changes our character
  • Manifestation
    • This is where Things happen THROUGH me
    • This is where our purpose comes to pass

It is important that we go through all of these stages, because if we don’t we won’t get to see the fulfillment of what God has purposed us for. And we can be encouraged that everything that happens in us is for our good. Even when it doesn’t seem that way. God desires greatly for us to become the people He designed us to be. For us to be fulfilled and excited by our lives. And if we are willing to allow Him to work in our lives and change us, we can see His plans fulfilled in us. Everyone of us has an amazing potential within us. It is up to us whether we accomplish and live out that potential or whether we simply let is waste away on the shelf.

Recently I have read a great book, ‘The Ragamuffin Gospel’ by Brennan Manning.  It is book that I would recommend to everyone.  He looks at the struggles we have with following Christ and the trouble we make for ourselves.  I won’t spoil the book for you by telling you any more, but I will say it is worth the read and will revolutionize your life.

In his book he makes a statement that has had me thinking for months.  He called most Christians ‘Functional Atheists’, and as I have thought about what this means and the implications of it I have come to agree with him.  Unfortunately I have to say that in my life I have been guilty of being a ‘Functional Atheist.’  So what is a ‘Functional Atheist’ you ask, and how can a Christian be one?  Well let me explain.  Brennan Manning states ‘Functional Atheism’ as

“The belief that nothing is happening unless we are making it happen. Though our Christian language pays lip service to God, our way of functioning assumes that God is dead or in a coma.”

How many of us have heard or even used the phrase ‘God helps those who help themselves’?  I know I have.  And in some respects this phrase is true, because if we are unwilling to put our lives in motion into the basic acts that God would have us doing then He is unwilling to help us.  Let me explain.  If we are unwilling to get a job and pay our bills and be responsible God will not miraculously make us profitable and pay our way for us.  However we have taken this phrase further than God intended.  In my own life I have “trusted God” to help with my finances but then when God didn’t ‘seem’ to intervene I got out the credit card and made my own way.  So I paid lip service to the truth of scripture that God will look after me and when He didn’t work it on my schedule, I then acted in my own strength and made my own way.

How many of us have done the same thing?  And in more areas than in our finances.  We say that God is looking after us, and make our requests known to God and then we get uptight and try to solve our problems ourselves.  Often only making a mess.  So by our actions we demonstrate that God is uninterested in us and uninvolved in our lives, even though we say the exact opposite.  And to a watching world, who sees us doing this we seem to not believe what we are preaching and then wonder why they don’t want what we are offering.

I have found that God doesn’t always work on our time-table.  When you know the beginning from the end you can see things from a different perspective.  One year I needed new tires for my truck before winter.  They barely had traction on dry pavement let alone on ice and snow.  But my finances were low and I could not afford them.  I got myself worked up as October changed into November and wondered why God wasn’t helping me.  These tires were not something I could do without, so they weren’t just something I wanted.  They were a legitimate need.  And it really seemed like God wasn’t answering.  But that year we got snow really late.  It was two days before Christmas when snow finally came.  Which is very unusual where I live.  It often snows in September/October here.  And two weeks before it snowed I got a cheque in the mail from a tax rebate that paid for my tires.  I got them before it snowed.  God looked after me even though He did it in a way I didn’t think about or understand until afterwards.

When we take our burdens upon our shoulders we often remove God’s ability to help us. Only when we begin to trust Him and allow Him the time to work on His schedule and not ours will we begin to see His hand in our lives the way He is longing to.  Matthew’s gospel states that God works in our lives according to our faith.  What we are believing God can do will show in our actions.  And mine have shown little faith I must confess.

So in this new year and as I grow in my relationship with my Creator and Saviour I am choosing to lose the ‘Functional Atheist’ from my vocabulary and allow God to do what He does best, look after me and reveal His life in me.  Can I invite you to share my journey?

Well it is Easter time again and a time of celebration for many people.  There are religious services that last anywhere from 3 days to 50 depending on your background and denomination, and there are secular celebrations as well.  Easter is known by most people regardless of your faith as the time that Jesus died and was raised again.  But it is also a time where we celebrate the Easter bunny and chocolate egg hunts, and Easter egg painting  just to name the most common.  Depending on your nationality there may be even more types of celebrations.

This is the time where Christians focus on what Jesus did for us.  The fact that He not only came to earth and lived among us, but died in our place and was raised again and is seated in heaven at God’s right hand is foundational to our beliefs.  But just how much impact does this have on our lives?   How much of what we do is simply religious tradition and how much is what we believe and live.

According to statistics the majority of Christians believe the same things as the world does.  And even joins in the celebrations.  Now there is nothing wrong with egg hunts and painting.  I have done both in my life.  The question is do we truly live what we believe?  Easter is a time of profound celebration in my life since I encountered Jesus and His love for me.   And the more I reflect on how great His love is just for me the more I am moved and the more my heart rejoices.  What a joyous celebration, and this is what is supposed to happen for every Christian.  Unfortunately most Christians would tell you that they have no experience of God’s love for them personally.

The love of God is so immense that words cannot express.  And it is available for each one of us.  God loves us each so much that He cannot live without us, so He came and died for us.  What an amazing God.  God knew each one of us before He created the world, and He knew what it would cost Him to be in relationship with us and He still created each one of us.  And His love never changes and never lessens.  It is always set on extravagant.  And He doesn’t love me any more or less than He loves you.

So how do you get to know His love for you?  First you need to have a relationship with Him.  It was for this purpose that you were created.  So, you ask, how do I get a relationship with God?

First you need to recognize who you are.

We all know our need for God on a deep instinctive level.  Whether we recognize it or not it is there.   And we try so many things to fill that need that leave us unsatisfied.  And if we do recognize the need, we try to work our way into God’s approval.  We try to be good people and measure up.  But God’s standard is absolute moral perfection, and we simply cannot measure up to this standard on our own.  In fact this is the reason God gave us the 10 commandments.  So that we could come to understand that we cannot find our way to Him on our own.

Second we need to recognize who God is.

Jesus came to live among us and lived, died and was raised again so that we could have that relationship with Him.  Jesus came and paid our penalty.  You see the penalty for our not measuring up to God’s standard is eternal separation from Him and eternity spent in hell.  But this was not God’s plan.  He never intended hell for us, but there had to be a penalty for the choices that we made.  All of the things that we do that break God’s moral law mean that we deserve a eternity in hell.  But God doesn’t want for us to go there, so Jesus came and paid our penalty.  It would be like you being on trial for murder.  The law demands a penalty for your crimes.  And no amount of pleading or being ‘a good person’ can save us from that penalty.  But someone came into the court room and paid your penalty for you so that you wouldn’t have to.  His name is Jesus.  And He desires to have a relationship with you.  In fact this is what eternal life is defined as in scripture.  Knowing God and Jesus whom He sent personally and intimately.

Third we need to receive the gift God offers.

If someone offers you a gift and you leave it on the table and walk away it does you absolutely no good.  We must pick up and receive the gift offered.  And it is the same with the gift of life Jesus offers each one of us.  We can say that we don’t believe in God and leave the gift on the table.  But this doesn’t change the fact that there is a gift there with our name on it.  And Jesus loves each one of us so much that the gift remains there for us should we decide to return and pick it up.

Lastly we simply need to ask God to show us His love.

Now sometimes there are things in the way of Him showing us.  The main culprits are bitterness and unforgiveness.  If we hold on to them they put up a wall that God cannot get  through.  So we need to respond to His voice and allow Him to bring down the walls in our lives and then get ready for the flood.  When the love God has for you soaks in that is the only words I can give to describe the feeling.  A flash flood of love hits you and wow.  How great and extravagant is the love God has for you and I.   I welcome you to join in the experience.  It will change your life forever.