The Perfect Wisdom of Our God

God is wise. This can be defined in this way; 'His choice of the highest end and the best means to that end.' Simple, right? Easy to understand--God is wise. He does what is best to achieve the highest end, which is His glory and the good of His people. But, how does this apply in every day life? How can we live this out? How can we turn our knowledge of God's wisdom into wisdom on our end--that is applying our knowledge?

We were studying the wisdom of God in one of our last Bible Studies. God is wise so we can be comforted when trials come, knowing it is for the highest end. All the trials that occur are for the good of those that love Him and for His glory. He is constantly at work in our lives for our spiritual good and for His glory.

As we were learning this, I was dealing with a baby who refused to sleep. When I finally got him to sleep, a short time later another child started crying and then woke the baby up. Usually our baby is asleep almost immediately--we never hear him in the evenings. But he was up all evening. I was tired. When the Bible study members left I felt like I was ready to cry--what was I going to do with this crying baby? Why was he crying? I was already so tired, how could I handle a late night? Frustration oozed out of every pore.

My husband graciously took the baby, told me to go to sleep and I headed to bed. But, I could not sleep. I could still hear him crying whenever my husband stopped walking. So I started to pray, 'Lord, please let him sleep, let us sleep...' and then I stopped as a thought came to mind. God is wise. He knows why the baby is crying. He knows that it is what is best right now, even though I don't understand it. He is in control of this situation.

Now, instead of praying that the baby would stop crying, and that we could get sleep, I hopped out of bed, ready to take over for my husband. I was now armed with the knowledge and the joy that God is wise--that in His wisdom, this was the best means for the highest end. I realized that this crying baby was the means that God had chosen to fulfill His purposes. I didn't (and still don't fully) understand what those purposes were, but I found such joy in knowing this and in resting in this truth.

Knowing that God is wise we can find joy in each situation we find ourselves in. We ought to put aside all grumbling and complaining, as no situation is out of His control. He has wisely brought about each and every trial for His glory and our good. All praise and glory to Him!

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9

~Fenna

Don't Play The Goat

    As some of you know, we have a few goats on our farm. Some month ago we bought a sheep. We hoped that the sheep and the goats would get along together. But the sheep was not accepted by the goats. The sheep has been here for a number of months, and she is still isolated from the goats. A couple of weeks ago we bought a male goat for breeding purposes. Right away, the goat was accepted into the small goat herd. Meanwhile the sheep is still ostracized. There is a good lesson here about spiritual things.

  Jesus told His disciples "If the world hates you, understand that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out it, the world hates you." John 15:18-19.  Jesus  compared believers to sheep and unbelievers to goats. Matthew 25:31-33. So hopefully you can see where this is going.

  Goats and sheep don't mix. Neither do Christians and the world. We are different by nature. The Christian is born of God with the Spirit living within him. They are a new creation in Christ and so they love different things. Christians have different goals, ambitions, and purposes. We belong to a different family, kingdom and country.

   The world loves darkness and sin. They belong to the kingdom of darkness. Since they love darkness, they hate the light. They have no love for the true God. Men and women of all religions and beliefs can find some common ground. They all belong to the same family and kingdom. But there can't be fellowship between the sons of darkness and the children of light.

     A Christian must expect to be excluded from the world, like my sheep was excluded by the goats. We may be friendly with them and even enjoy their friendliness. But there is a world of difference between us.We don't mix well like oil and water or sheep and goats. If you can have deep friendships with unbelievers, if you can have no problems being partners together in some enterprise, if you are comfortable at the parties of the world, if you don't feel out of place in worldly discussions, then you have a problem.

    Christians that can feel at home among the people of this world have a problem. They may be weak spiritually and have an unhealthy appetite for the things of this world. These sheep act too much like goats to be an offence. But they are in great danger. For in this case the Christian is like a sheep among wolves who will tear them to pieces. These kind of sheep may not even be sheep. They may be goats that only pretend to be sheep at times.

   A Christian who lives a godly life, will be despised by the world. A healthy sheep is one who evangelizes the lost, who stands fast on truth in life and doctrine, and who lives for a heavenly purpose and kingdom. If you do this, you will shine in the darkness, and the darkness will run from you or try to snuff you out. When this happens, it is a good sign. Rejoice and be glad for great is your reward. So don't act like a goat, be a good sheep.

And by the way, we sold our sheep recently. Since it would not eat with the goats and it had to dig through the snow to find grass, we felt that it was time for it to go. Thankfully we found a good home for the sheep, with some other sheep friends. But I don't think there is any spiritual lesson to this part of the story.

Brad

The Everlasting Arms

It has been some time since I wrote on this blog. I certainly have not been idle during that time. Much has happened these past weeks. Many big things have come up. Important and even life-changing issues are being considered. Troubles and sorrows are thrown in the mix as well. I have been crushed but held up. I have been perplexed and in despair. Fear and courage compete in my heart. There have been frustrations, disappointments, and joys. But in all this the Lord has been my strength.  He has heard my cry and answered me. 

I came across this line from a tombstone recently that summarizes my experiences and hopefully

yours.   

  "A wretched, poor and helpless worm

    On Thy kind arms I fall" 

 These two lines originally come from an Isaac Watt's hymn. Later William Carey asked that they be inscribed on his tombstone. These simple words give us the whole of what the Christian life is. In the beginning we recognize that we are weak and vile sinners. We can do nothing to save ourselves. God's word tells us to trust in the work of Christ for salvation and forgiveness. So with a divinely given faith, we helplessly fall on God's arms for mercy. But this trust does not end here. The Christian continues to see that he is weak and helpless. There is more sin in his soul than was first thought. Trials and troubles come to show us how weak we are. In all these times of pain, trouble, sorrow and distress, we fall on the strong arms of our God. No Christian who has even trusted their Heavenly Father to catch them was ever let down. Those arms can hold the whole universe, how much more His child who was bought with the blood of Christ. This picture of the arms of God is not just found in this hymn. It is found in God's word as well. Deut 33:27 says, "The God of old is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms."  God is our home when we are pilgrims in this strange world. God's arms will hold us up though out our pilgrimage. He is always the same and His help is everlasting. Saints of today can be encouraged by the faithfulness of God to the saints of yesterday.

If you learn anything from this post, then learn this. God is reliable and faithful. I have found it so. It is when we see our weakness and fall on the kind arms of the Lord, that we will find that He will catch us and hold us close to His heart. 

"But He said to me,"My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses so that Christ's power may reside in me." 

2 Cor 12:9

Brad

Come to Me

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

- Matthew 11: 28-30

I’ve been feeling rather discouraged lately in my struggle against sin.

There are certain sins that are so deep rooted that it feels like they keep rearing their ugly head, no matter what my resolve is. No matter how hard I try, I see and feel these sins lurking in the depths of my heart. And, when they break through in my words and actions, my soul longs to tear them, roots and all out of my heart. But I cannot. No matter what I try to do, they stick.

It’s interesting when you first become a Christian, that it seems like so many sins just fall away. You look back and wonder, ‘where did that go? Why do I find no joy or satisfaction in doing the things I used to do?’ The joy that is felt when you see how God has changed your heart and changed the longings of your heart. You desire to please Him. You long to do His will. You want to know more about Him and who He is.

But that ‘high’ doesn’t seem to last. Often the sin of pride starts to show as you wonder why others aren’t growing or haven’t grown as you have. Then you see more sins that are much harder to fight than the more ‘outward’ sins of your actions. You start to see how wicked the heart really is. How it is just steeped in sin—rotten to the core.

This is where discouragement can settle in as it has with me. I see how wicked my heart is. I see my failings, and short comings, and then I try to fight it. On my own.  And, that is where the mistake is made. I cannot fight sin on my own. I cannot live a life that is good enough or that pleases God. Oh, I long to. I so desire to please Him and yet I know that even my best attempts are as filthy rags before Him, all my labor is in vain. And, in my looking at myself, and my rottenness, I forget to look at Christ. I forget to look to Him and His righteousness. The righteousness He has clothed me in. I forget to cling to Him—to take His yoke upon me. I forget to learn from Him. I forget to immerse myself in His Word, and to cast my prayers at His feet. This is when my soul is heavy laden—cumbered with a load of care.

May I continually cling to Him, to find my joy and salvation in Him alone.  Not in my own works, not in my feeble attempts, but in Him alone. May I find rest for my soul in Him for He is gentle and lowly in heart. 

What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged—
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful,
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy-laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge—
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He’ll take and shield thee,
Thou wilt find a solace there.

Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised
Thou wilt all our burdens bear;
May we ever, Lord, be bringing
All to Thee in earnest prayer.
Soon in glory bright, unclouded,
There will be no need for prayer—
Rapture, praise, and endless worship
Will be our sweet portion there.

-Joseph M. Scriven

~fenna

To Marvel at Life

 

March 2, 2013 and April 28, 2013.

Both are days that are forever etched in my memory.
They are days when I began to realize just how precious each child is.
They are days when I finally understood the pain of an empty-armed mother.
They are the days I found out I had lost a child.

No, they had not been born yet.
I never saw their little toes, their tiny hands, their sweet mouth and nose.
I never smelled that newborn smell.
I never held them in my arms.
They died hidden from my eyes.
They died while still in the womb.

 

Some months later, I was pregnant again.

Very cautious.

But hopeful.

At 11 weeks the bleeding started.

I curled up on the couch and cried.
Emailed a friend to ask for prayers.

I was certain I had lost a third.

That evening, I headed to the ER.

'Just to know for sure,' I told my husband.

They got me in pretty quick.

And, the doctor started asking questions, then checked for a heartbeat.

thump....thump....thump....

I had a hard time believing it but there it was.

thump....thump....thump....

Weeping, I thanked the Lord that this baby was still alive.

 

About 30 weeks later, I'm holding my newborn daughter.

My 7th child.

My 5th child that I am privileged to hold, to smell, to gaze on.

And all I could do and can do is marvel.

Marvel at the beautiful gift of life that God has given us.

Marvel at how any child is born alive.

Marvel at the beauty that is my daughter.

Marvel at the precious gift that each of our children is.

Marvel at the graciousness of God to let us hold and love and care for these children.

'For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your books were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.'
Psalm 139:13-16

~fenna



Sinfully Selfish

Before I had children, I would not have thought of myself as selfish, at least not very selfish.

Five children later, I know I am selfish.

I know that I do not like getting out at night when I'm sleeping in a nice, warm bed.

I know that I do not like when the laundry mountain piles up and it never seems to end.

I know that I do not like when a new mess appears in minutes when I've just spent hours cleaning.

I could continue...

But, I don't think I realize how selfish I am. Even now.

When I read the Bible, when I read how God the Father sent his only Son to die for us--to take on Himself the wrath of God, I catch a glimpse of God's unselfishness--of his kindness, grace, and mercy.

It is then that I start to realize the extent of my selfishness--how deep it runs.

How sinful selfishness is. How sinful I am.

And it is then that I realize how much I need forgiveness--how much I need Christ's righteousness, because it is only through his saving work on the cross, through the Spirit dwelling in me that I can even start to fight my sinful selfishness.

"So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin." -Romans 7:21-25

~fenna

 

 



With Thanksgiving

 

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:4-7

 

It is so easy to be anxious--to not think on the fact that God is our ever present help. He is the one through whom we can give grace and love to our children. There are many days where, as I'm struggling with impatience, frustration, and selfishness that I'm just breathing out prayers to God to give me strength--to give me the grace that I need. But, as the text says we're to make our requests through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Even in the difficult moments. Even when you can get nothing done because your child is clinging to you and whining because he or she is not feeling well. Even when you're trying to potty train and the puddles keep appearing--right after you've put him or her on the toilet and they 'were done.' Even when your child shows a lazy, rebellious attitude. Let us make those requests but let us also give thanks in those situations--that they are opportunities to serve. Opportunities to show love and grace. Opportunities to disciple a child and point them to Christ.

 

~fenna