It is Finished

A couple of weeks ago, we were singing “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us” in church when God spoke to me about something. We came across the line, “His dying breath has brought me life, I know that it is finished.”

It is finished. God said two things to me about this short phrase. One, I don’t owe anything for my salvation. There’s no outstanding balance that I have to pay off for my salvation; Jesus paid the tab in full. He didn’t say he’d match funds with me; he paid the price for my sins completely. The reality of that is so hard to grasp, but each time the Holy Spirit opens my heart to receive a little more of that Truth, I’m knocked to my knees in utter amazement. How deep the Father’s love for us, indeed.

Two, I really need to stop judging other people in their sins. It’s finished, remember? Jesus paid their tab in full as well. No matter what their sin is, it’s taken care of. Period.  

How Deep the Father’s Love

How deep the Father’s love for us,
How vast beyond all measure,
That He should give his only Son
And make a wretch His treasure.
How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns his face away,
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory.

Behold the man upon the cross,
My sin upon His shoulder,
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers.
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished.
His dying breath has brought my life,
I know that it is finished.

I will not boast in anything,
No gifts, no power, no wisdom.
But I will boast in Jesus Christ,
His death and resurrection.
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer.
But this I know with all my heart,
His wounds have paid my ransom.

Beyond the Homosexuality

I have been studying the book of John, and I’ve finally arrived at chapter 9 where John writes about the time when Jesus healed the man born blind. Interestingly, I read that even though there are other instances of Jesus healing blind people, this is the only time he heals a man born blind.

That really has nothing to do with my point, but I thought it was neat. I love little facts like that.

Anyway, Jesus spots this blind man as he’s walking along, and his disciples ask him, “Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Now this was a pretty popular idea; the Jews of the day believed that sin brought divine punishment. I love what I read in Dr. Constable’s notes: “The disciples did not look at the man as an object of mercy but rather as a subject for a theological discussion. It is much easier to discuss an abstract subject like ‘sin’ than it is to minister to a concrete need in the life of a person.”

Ouch. That one hits home. I’m particularly convicted about my attitude and behavior in  regards to the issue of homosexuality. The issue is a hot topic these days, and most people have a pretty clear stance on it. But I find myself guilty of discussing and debating the morality of homosexuality without ever caring about the people who are living a homosexual lifestyle. Homosexuality has become a political issue to be discussed, and we are choosing to ignore the fact that there are people practicing homosexuality that need to know their Savior, that are hungering for the love of their God, whether they know it or not. To be honest, I have forgotten that these people are in need of Jesus just as much as I am. Their homosexuality makes them no less a person, no less a man or woman in need of a Savior. Their sin is no worse than my own, and that one sin is no worse than any other sin. I have to ask myself: Have I allowed myself to become so caught up in the fight against homosexuality that I have forgotten about the people caught in the crossfire? People who practice the homosexual lifestyle that I preach about and fight against are real people who need to experience the forgiveness that comes from Jesus, not just because they practice a homosexual lifestyle, but because they were born as sinful humans just as I was. They are people who need to know about the Almighty God who knows their name and loves them personally and deeply. They are people who are suffering, people with pain in their hearts just like I have. They’re people that Jesus died to save, people Jesus longs to call his own. Have I chosen to discuss theology in lieu of loving my neighbor?

Reality Check – It’s much easier to discuss theology than it is to love my neighbor and be a vehicle of God’s redeeming love. But think of where we’d be if God had decided to just sit around and discuss theology instead of doing something about our sin.

Guard Against Gardasil

Within the last two years, you may heard about or seen commercials for a new vaccine called Gardasil. It’s commonly advertised as a vaccine against cervical cancer. But if you listen to the commercials carefully or read anything about the drug, it’s not a vaccine against cancer. It’s a vaccine against an STD called Human Papillomavirus (HPV) that can cause cervical cancer. U.S. News and World Report states, “HPV is believed to infect about half of sexually active women in North America, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported, making it the most prevalent sexually transmitted disease in modern times. Only a relatively small number of those infected go on to develop cervical cancer.” A New York Times article from Feb. 2007 says, “Gardasil protects against two strains of H.P.V. that cause about 70 percent of the cases of cervical cancer as well as two other strains that cause genital warts.” While the two articles differ on how many cases of HPV turn into cervical cancer, the point is that this vaccine is one that prevents an STD, not cervical cancer.

So basically it’s a drug that gives women the hope of fighting off some of the negative consequences that result from a sexually promiscuous lifestyle. I’m aware that you can contract STDs other ways besides being sexually promiscuous, but I’m willing to bet that’s not how most people get them.

What really irritates me is that this vaccine is being pushed for girls and women ages 11-26. It’s been approved for use in girls as young as 9. Are you kidding? Nine? Eleven? They’re not even teenagers!

What irritates me even more is the fact that within a few short months of this drug being released on the market, legislation started popping up all over the place to make this a mandatory vaccine for all females age 11-26. Why does this bother me? Let me see if I can sum it up:

• I don’t like the government requiring me to vaccinate my eleven year old daughter against the consequences of sexual immorality while I’m trying to instill in her the value of sexual purity. It just doesn’t jive well with me.
• I’m not ok with being required to give my daughter a vaccine that has barely been on the market for two years. According to the New York Times article mentioned above, “Typically new vaccines, like the one for chicken pox in the mid-1990’s, have been rolled out gradually in this country, with public health officials endorsing mandatory use only after several years of experience have shown the new products to be generally safe and effective.” Remember that legislation started appearing in courts only a few months after this drug was released. Why? Vaccines for adolescents that ward off whooping cough and meningitis have been introduced over the last few years, and no one is trying to make those mandatory yet. Why not? Why just this one vaccine? By the way, many of the government officials sponsoring these bills to make Gardasil mandatory are receiving funding from Merck, the drug company producing Gardasil.
• Another interesting point from that New York Times article: “Gardasil and another vaccine under development by the drug maker GlaxoSmithKline are aimed at the human papilloma virus, or H.P.V., which is known to be the cause of cervical cancer. Analysts see a potential $5 billion a year market for H.P.V. vaccines, and some say that Merck is intent on inoculating as many girls as possible before the introduction of Glaxo’s product, which could become available this year.”

Reality Check - Please be wise consumers. Listen. Don’t take everything at face value. Think. Use your brain. You are a sheep among wolves. Be as innocent as doves and as wise as serpents.

If you want more info, please read the articles above for yourselves. Also check out this and this.

Richard Foster on Waiting

A post on A Place for the God-Hungry prints Richard Foster’s words on waiting:

“Waiting!  It is among the most universal of human experiences. 

• Waiting to begin school.
• Waiting to get our braces off.
• Waiting for our first date.
• Waiting to graduate.
• Waiting to marry.
• Waiting for our first job.
• Waiting for our first baby.
• Waiting for our first house.
• Waiting to retire.
• Waiting . . . waiting to die.

Waiting is among the most common ventures in human life, and the more Christian spirituality touches common life redemptively, the more it deepens in meaning.

Waiting is right at the heart of Christian spirituality.  Think of Moses waiting in the desert for silent year after silent year.  Think of Elijah, sequestered in his cave, keeping a lonely vigil over earthquake, wind, and fire.  Think of Mary waiting patiently for the fulfillment of the word of the Angel Gabriel.  Think of Saul — Saul who became Paul — being instructed by the Spirit in the deserts of Arabia for three solitary years.

 Waiting is the hidden preparation through which God puts his ministers.  We neglect it to our peril.  I remember as a young, brash pastor waxing eloquent about Moses in the wilderness and telling the people that we need to learn all these lessons so that it won’t take us forty years like it did Moses.  Just then a wise and respected member of our fellowship spoke up calmly; “I doubt it!” he said.  Those three words took all the pompous air out of my sermon that day and taught us a valuable lesson.  Especially me.  Waiting is not something to be avoided at all costs.  In waiting we learn things that we learn in no other way.”

Click here to read the rest of Richard Foster’s letter about waiting.

Waiting

If you read my post called Living in Between, you know that for a while now I’ve felt like everything in my life is on hold. One year ago, my husband and I moved 3 hours away from our home town so that he could pursue a job and a calling. A move like that can really shake your life up; it can even feel like everything is falling apart sometimes. Ever since the move, I feel like I’ve been waiting for the pieces of my life to fall back into place. And my husband and I can both sense some pretty big things about to happen in our future, but the waiting is so frustrating to me. But I’m (somewhat reluctantly) learning how to live in the middle of waiting. 

I recently heard something I had never thought of regarding the Israelites and the Promise Land. The Israelites waited and waited for the Promise Land, and finally they arrived. However, they still had a bit of waiting to do. You see, the Promise Land was full already; lots of different groups of people already lived in the land God had designated for his people. Instead of just wiping them out with one quick swipe (as we all know God is perfectly capable of doing), God told his people, “But I will not drive them (the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites) out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you. Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land” (Exodus 23:29-30).

So while I’m waiting to “take possession of the land,” I’ve got to stop thinking that each day is purposeless, wasted, and useless. That’s very hard for me because right now I’m believing the lie that I’m not the person I was created to be and I’m not doing the things I was created to do. But that is not the truth! Years ago I surrendered my life to God. Little did I know then how much He was going to take me up on the offer. My life is not my own. God is determined to raise a woman in me after his own heart…in spite of myself. I can kick and scream and whine and complain all I want, but he’s never letting go of me. He’s going to use me for his glory. And I’m not getting out of that deal. So unless I change my attitude and perspective, I’m gonna feel like I’m stuck waiting forever.

Last Sunday, my husband prayed over me and asked God to give us both some hope regarding some situations we’re facing. And God faithfully and quickly answered his prayer. For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been walking around saying that I’m at the end of my rope. But on Sunday, God graciously showed me what’s beyond the step I’m on right now. Do you know what I saw? More rope! Of all things to see, I saw more rope. My first thought was, “Crap! I don’t want there to be more rope! I’m tired of this waiting game! Is anything ever going to happen??”

But then I heard God say that I’ve only been saying that I’m at the end of my rope because I’m sick of waiting. It’s my way of trying to force something to happen, my own little subtle rebellion. And it’s not going to work. But by showing me that rope, God threw me a life line. He told me, “Little by little, Hallie. Until you have increased enough.” The fact that I saw rope all along the entire path set before me gives me assurance that God is in control and that he is sovereignly working his plan in his time. These days are not purposeless. I’m not just wasting time right now. He has not forgotten me. He is taking care of me, and he is using me for his glory…which is really all I’ve ever wanted anyway.

 So I’m going to keep waiting. Only now it doesn’t feel so much like waiting. It kinda feels more like…living.