Loving Theology

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| Getting Motivated series |

* How Does God Define Success?

* What If I Don’t Succeed? (Fear of Failure)

* What if I’m Not the Best?

* What’s Our Motivation?

* Why Am I in a Dry Season?

* We Need Spiritual Hunger

* Revelations that Change Us

* God’s Glory Concealed

* Hope in Heaven

* Why Did Paul Say YOLO?

* What Is Hope

* Can Society Be An Idol?

* Have We Idolized Reason?

* Why is Good So Good?

* Why is Faith the Answer to Sin?

* Is the Pill Pro-Life?

* Pro-Life Family Planning Guide

* What Does Judging/Helping Look Like?

* Judgement That’s Loving

* Don’t Judge… Help!

* Don’t Judge.

* IVF Guide Discussion

* How to Stay Engaged in Quiet Times

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| Getting Motivated series |

* What’s Our Motivation?

* What if I’m Not the Best?

* What If I Don’t Succeed? (Fear of Failure)

* How Does God Define Success?

Inadequacy vs. Fear of Failure

In our struggle for motivation, a lot of things can stand in our way. Not least of which is fear, particularly the fear of failure. We all feel it, and to be honest, it’s a fairly rational fear. The reality of this world is that even if we try our hardest, even if we are diligent and thoughtful, failure may still find us. This is because of a very simple truth, so many things are outside of our control, even important things. We can do everything right with regards to the inputs (our efforts) and still find that the outputs (the results) are nevertheless lacking.

In this series on Getting Motivated, we talked last time about how to overcome feelings of inadequacy that can hold us back, gaining insight from the Parable of the Talents. If I could characterize the difference between feelings of inadequacy and a fear of failure it would be with a similar description: When we feel inadequate, we feel we’re not able to provide the needed inputs; when we feel a fear of failure, we fear that even with the proper inputs we still won’t achieve the output/results we want. Whereas the servant with two talents taught us how to respond to feelings of inadequacy last time, I saw answers to our struggle against the fear of failure in the story of the servant with just one talent.

The Servant with Only One Talent

In the Parable of the Talents, the master of the house gave talents to his servants based on their ability before going on a journey. To one he gave five, to another two, and to the third he gave just one talent. The first two servants worked hard with what they were entrusted, trading with them to make a return. The third servant, however, didn’t follow their example but “went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money”. But… Why?

Why did he do this? He explains his reasoning when he’s asked to give an account for what was entrusted to him:

“Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.” (Matthew 25:24-25, emphasis added)

Notice how he said, “so I was afraid”. In a way, what he’s describing here is a fear of failure. More particularly, because this statement follows his description o...

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| Getting Motivated series |

* What’s Our Motivation?

* What if I’m Not the Best?

* What If I Don’t Succeed? (Fear of Failure)

* How Does God Define Success?

When we’re considering whether we should do something, whether we should work hard at it, the first question that often enters our mind is this: “Will I be any good at it?” To consider that question, we’ll look at the people who are the best at it and make the honest assessment: “I’ll never be as good as them”. To make matters worse (forgive my honesty) there’s a good chance we’re right.

Before I started writing for Loving Theology, I looked at all the Christian speakers and writers who were incredibly gifted and successful and came to the very accurate conclusion that I would never be that good.

Here’s what’s happening: Because of the way we consider the question, we aren’t just asking if we will be any good at it; we’re really asking if we will be the best at it. We trick ourselves into thinking we won’t be any good at it because we know we won’t be the best at it. There’s no more sure way to kill any motivation than this line of thinking. But what, specifically, is wrong with it? Does the Bible give us a better way to think about it?

Is God Calling Me?

I had this idea in my mind (and I suspect I’m not alone) that because I wasn’t going to be the best at it, I probably hadn’t found what God was calling me to do. I felt there was some niche calling for me out there that God had uniquely gifted me to be the best at if I could just find it. While we might not all acknowledge it in those words, I think this thought affects all of us, making it difficult to feel confident in what God has called us to.

This line of thinking led me to a conclusion: Since I’m not going to be the best, I probably haven’t found my calling and I need to keep searching. God corrected me for the pride in my heart that was underlying this way of thinking. It’s uncomfortable to admit, but He showed me that my own delusions of grandeur were holding me back from embracing His calling because it was more modest than what I had built up in my mind.

The Parable of the Talents

When God first corrected me in this way of thinking, He brought me to the Parable of the Talents which is found in Matthew 25. It starts like this:

“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.

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| Getting Motivated series |

* What’s Our Motivation?

* What if I’m Not the Best?

* What If I Don’t Succeed? (Fear of Failure)

* How Does God Define Success?

The good news of the gospel is that our righteousness, our position with God, our spot in heaven is not based on what we’ve done. On the cross, Christ gave us all this and more when He gave us His relationship with the father as a free gift (check out our post Peace with God). In many ways, this is what makes Christianity so unique: we don’t get ourselves to heaven. But, if we’re totally honest, this encouraging truth can sometimes make it hard to be motivated.

I mean, if what Isaiah said was really true and “all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment” (Isaiah 64:6), then why go through the trouble of doing what’s right? If we’re already saved and we can’t add to our righteousness, it can be hard to get motivated to endure the self-sacrifice of, for example, living generously.

So, What’s in It for Me?

Now this is one of those thoughts we aren’t supposed to have, one of those questions we aren’t supposed to acknowledge crossed our mind. Maybe you’ve found a better (less selfish, more “Christian”) way to word it, but when I’m struggling to find motivation, somewhere in the back of my mind I’m asking, “Why should I go through all this trouble?”. As terrible as it sounds, I’m kind of asking, “What’s in this for me?”

It can be tempting to feel like this isn’t a Christian thought. We sometimes imagine Christianity is about taking what we want out of the equation. It might surprise you to hear that this idea of “emptying ourselves of desire” is actually Buddhist, not Christian. Consider just this small sample of verses:

Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.Psalms 37:4

May he grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans!Psalms 20:4

How much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

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| Revelations and Glory series |

* God’s Glory Concealed

* Revelations that Change Us

* We Need Spiritual Hunger

* Why Am I in a Dry Season?

We have all gone through dry seasons where we feel disconnected from Him, seasons where we don’t see revelations like we used to. Why does this happen? What causes these seasons to sneak up on us? Whereas we have seen why we want to overcome these seasons, today we’re going to look for how we do that by understanding what keeps us there. Whereas we saw the encouragement in Scripture to desire to pursue Him, now let’s see the exhortation to actually do it.

Last time we saw that Paul’s instructions about what keeps a person from being able to eat food were also given to teach us about God’s principles for spiritual food (revelations from God) as well. We saw the theme of these instructions was that we must be willing to work if we want to eat. We must be willing to “seek with all our heart” if we want to find. But the rest of this passage gets so specific and shows us four things that keep us in these dry seasons.

For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now we command and exhort such persons in the Lord Jesus Christ to work peacefully and eat their own bread. (2 Thessalonians 3:10-12, NASB)

Discipline

First, Paul describes those who are “leading an undisciplined life”. That word for “undisciplined” can more directly be understood as “lacking proper order”. I can think of no more perfect word to describe the pattern that I slip into over and over, where I slowly forget the importance of spending time seeking revelation from His word in His presence. I’ve forgotten the “proper order” of things and reduced the importance of what is essential to my spiritual health. What’s more, over time I eventually see and feel the effects this has on every aspect of my health.

When we’re in a dry season, this is the first question we can ask: Have I forgotten the importance of spending time with Him, spending time meditating on His Word?

Idleness

Paul goes on to describe these people as “doing no work at all”. When we think of applying this to spiritual food, it reminds us of something that’s easy to forget: Revelation does not come without work. I can certainly attest to that.

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| Revelations and Glory series |

* God’s Glory Concealed

* Revelations that Change Us

* We Need Spiritual Hunger

* Why Am I in a Dry Season?

We have all felt lost at times. We’ve all struggled with questions about our purpose. Ever found yourself asking “Why am I here?” or “What’s the point?” We could describe this as a sense of dissatisfaction. We are no longer satisfied with where we’re at, with what life has to offer. While it might be unpleasant, this is the first step in an amazing and powerful journey. We’re feeling the first hint of a desire for something more. We’re becoming aware of an appetite we have, a hunger not for physical things like food but for spiritual things like meaning and purpose.

We saw last time that the solution to this journey is found in the way that God reveals Himself, reveals His glory to us. He doesn’t tell us everything plainly but asks us to press into the hunger as we pursue revelation from Him. We saw the promise of how we will be changed when we “search things out”. As we behold His glory, we are transformed into His likeness and experience the fulfillment of our purpose, that we were made in the image of God.

The pattern that’s demonstrated here begins with our desire to search things out and ends with a promise that we will be satisfied. But this isn’t the only time we see this promise in Scripture.

The Promise to the Hungry

Notice the similarity to the promise in Jeremiah 29:

You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13

Like we discussed in the first post, this displays God’s glory by showing us His character, that in His unapproachable glory He has chosen to be approachable. What’s required of us to approach though? What’s required of us to receive revelation? It’s not intelligence or wisdom (see Luke 10:21), because (as we’ve seen) this revelation does not come from our own reading of the Scripture, but from His willingness to reveal the truth to us as we seek.

If not intelligence, what must we have to receive revelation? Spiritual hunger: a relentless desire to know Him. God has made it so simple. To know Him, we must simply want to know Him. In this way, access to God is not reserved for the smartest or wisest among us but all of us have just as much opportunity to receive it. He is so good! He is so kind!

We’ve seen here that as we pursue Him we are changed. That there is a promise to us when we “search things out”. Jesus used the illustration of hunger several times in His ministry to show us ...

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| Revelations and Glory series |

* God’s Glory Concealed

* Revelations that Change Us

* We Need Spiritual Hunger

* Why Am I in a Dry Season?

“It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.” Proverbs 25:2

Last time we began to see the truth in the first part of this verse about the glory of God. This time let’s explore the way that we are changed as we search out what God has concealed.

The Power of Revelation

Truth in the Bible is profound and full of mystery. When we read a verse, it often tells us a simple truth that is helpful to us. But, as we behold that same verse, meditating on it, God begins to reveal a deeper truth that agrees with the first, but provides a fuller understanding of its eternal meaning. It goes something like this:

The first glance we take at the verse is like looking at a picture, flat and still. It tells us something, but we don’t always understand the context. As we stare at it longer, it begins to take shape and we see there’s more than just a surface meaning, but a depth to the truth. It’s like looking at a sculpture, still motionless but now more comprehensive in its significance. As we meditate on it, we see that this truth isn’t static and inert, but alive and breathing. It is filled with the power to change us, and it is still unfolding today, awaiting its fulfillment in nothing short of eternity.

This is a process that depends on Him entirely. While we can read the Bible without Him, we can only receive revelation through Him. Moreover, it is only through the experience of revelation that our hearts are moved to be more like Him. If we had merely read the truth then it might affect our minds for a time, but it would never reach our hearts and it is from the heart that true, consistent change flows.

He Is the Source

So, the truth is not something we simply find, but something that must be sought. In His divine wisdom, He chose not to tell us everything plainly. Instead, He leads us to the truth as He slowly reveals it to us when we seek. This process of revelation, it surprises us, it inspires us. We see Him in a new light; we see how glorious He really is, and it inspires us to be more like Him.

This is the reason this leads to our glory, not because we have any glory on our own, but because this process of revelation inspires us to be like Him, and He is glorious. Paul explains this, how revelation relies on Him and how His glory affects us when we see it, in 2 Corinthians 3:

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| Revelations and Glory series |

* God’s Glory Concealed

* Revelations that Change Us

* We Need Spiritual Hunger

* Why Am I in a Dry Season?

God’s Glory Concealed

When we study the Scripture, we begin with a mystery that is concealed and, through the process of meditation on His word, God reveals the truth to us. Why did God do it this way though? What does this show us? Solomon explained it this way in Proverbs 25:

“It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.” Proverbs 25:2

So, “it is the glory of God to conceal things”. But why? In what way does this demonstrate His glory? As I contemplate that question, I’m overcome with all of the ways this demonstrates His glory. Oh, how does it not! Let me try to do this justice; let me try to illustrate it for us.

Understanding Glory

First, we need to start with a fresh foundation because, you see, the word “glory” doesn’t always settle well for me (and I suspect I’m not alone). When I think of the word “glory” I think of something visible, something that’s on display for everyone to see, something we want everyone to know. Here’s what’s happening: we often mistaken the word “glory” for what would better be described as “fame”. God is glorious whether or not we are aware of His glory.

I think sometimes we can have the impression that God’s priority when He created the world was seeking His own glory; it isn’t. In fact, just a little later in Proverbs 25, the Scripture tells us plainly that it is not “glorious to seek one’s own glory.” (Proverbs 25:27)

God does, on occasion, make His glory known, but that is not His priority. His glory is actually demonstrated in Proverbs 25:2 by just the opposite. His glory is demonstrated by the fact that He isn’t seeking to be known but concealing Himself. I think this is the first way we can understand this verse: God is glorious (in part) because fame isn’t His priority.

Why is this glorious? Consider how many beautiful and glorious astronomical objects (e.g., search “NGC 6357”) were hidden from us for thousands of years. Consider how many more remain hidden now. Their beauty alone demonstrates God’s glory, but does it not add to His glory that He allowed them to be concealed.

| Hope series |

* What Is Hope

* Why Did Paul Say YOLO?

* Hope in Heaven

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Hope enables us to experience the good promises God has for us even while we’re surrounded by the troubles of this life. We saw last time that the Christian life was never meant to be (and frankly cannot be) done without a very tangible, daily hope in the promise of eternal life. It’s in this hope that we can experience joy in all circumstances because the promise of heaven is always present, regardless of what’s happening around us. In many ways, the key to joy, the key to being happy is this kind of hope. But how can we have a hope like this that sustains our joy?

What’s Heaven Going to Be Like?

In simple terms, to have hope in heaven we have to know a little about what it’s going to be like. To get excited about heaven we have to know what’s worth getting excited about. If we’re honest, I think our idea of heaven is one that sounds like it could get a little old. If it really lasts forever, is it maybe, possibly, going to get boring?

Let’s get honest and explore the Scriptures together. We’ll start with what we know about heaven.

God Himself Will Be with Us

“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.” (Revelation 21:3, emphasis added)

The first and most foundational fact about heaven is this, God Himself will be with us fully and continually. Now, that either sounds like the most amazingly, overwhelmingly exciting thing you could possibly imagine, or it, well, doesn’t.

If words like exciting, moving, exhilarating don’t come to mind for you when you hear this, I don’t want that to make you feel bad. It should, however, make us wonder why. To understand what’s missing, we need to know why it would be exciting.

The truth is that this is only exciting when you really know God. When we truly know Him, what He’s like, through a genuine relationship/friendship with Him, the thought of finally, truly, fully, continually being with Him is enough to short-circuit our emotions. He is the truest friend I have ever had. Every kind of love I have seen and felt in this world pales in comparison to any single taste of His love He has shown me, even in rebuking me. When I think about how loved, how peaceful, how joyful, how cared for, how cherished, how satisfied, how fulfilled I have been in just one moment of feeling His companionship. That’s what makes this thought so exciting.

If you haven’t experienced Him in this way, I want this to encourage you that you don’t know what you’re missing. If you want to experience Him like this,

| Hope series |

* What Is Hope

* Why Did Paul Say YOLO?

* Hope in Heaven

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Why Did Paul Say YOLO?

… “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”1 Corinthians 15:32

Life can be difficult. Sometimes it’s just a season and sometimes it’s hard to see when it hasn’t been difficult. But somehow, we are called to have joy through it all. How is that even possible? We saw last time that the answer is hope, that:

“Hope enables us to enjoy the good God has for us even while we are surrounded by the bad that sin has caused”

But in the darkest hours, what hope do we have? What can we hope in when trials and afflictions have overcome us to the point that there seems little good left on the table?

The Promise of Troubles

The first thing that can serve as a foundation for our hope is a promise we were given. But probably not one of the promises you’re thinking of: the promise that we will experience tribulations, persecutions, and hardships. Consider this example where Jesus is “encouraging” the disciples:

“In this world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Jesus does this over and over with the disciples where He warns us about the realities of Christianity. That while there is good for us in following Him, it comes with a cost. Like in Mark 10:29-30, Jesus tells us we’ll be asked to give up a lot but assures us we will gain more than we lose even in this life. As if that wasn’t hard enough, He goes on to warn that even what we gain in this life will come “with persecutions”. Um… thanks Jesus?

Why did Jesus tell us all of this? Was He just weeding out the class to those who were serious? Maybe that was part of it, but the verse from John 16 was just the core 12 disciples, so we know there’s more to it. Jesus actually tells us why:

“I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.” John 16:1

He said these things because they were true, because He didn’t want us to be surprised. So,