Allegory.

Yes, I am going to be an English nerd for a minute. Sometimes in literature, authors write a story that could be interpreted on two different levels: an elementary level and a complex level. This is considered allegory. This is also evidenced in Disney movies, as my family and I discussed at Thanksgiving dinner. There is the playful and simple story that appeals to children in Disney movies, as well as the deeper and more mature level that hits adults right where they are.

The more I read Paul's letters, the more I begin to realize that they are allegorical. There is the level that makes sense to the immature Christian, which is why most young Christians would say that one of those letters is their favorite book of the Bible; but there is also the level that is as deep as the ocean, that even the most mature Christian finds edifying. It is remarkable to me that when I think I know one of the letters (say...Philippians) inside and out, the Holy Spirit points out all sorts of new things to me the next time I read it. It's almost like He makes our eyes skip over the things that we cannot comprehend until we are capable of handling the truths encapsulated in the verses. This should encourage us to seek the understanding that comes from Him more and more. When we commit to dig in to the Word more, the LORD will allow us to get more out of it. How gracious is He!

"Therefore, I, a prisoner for serving the LORD, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God." --Ephesians 4:1.

"Serve the LORD with reverent fear, and rejoice with trembling." --Psalm 2:11.

"If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it." --Matthew 10:39.

Through the Storm.

The wisdom of God is always contrary to the wisdom of the world. Therefore, I suggest that the only way to understand God's ways is to seek His face. The world tells us to hold on to our lives as tightly as we can...it tells us that we can be happy if we can just get enough money and "stuff"...it tells us that recognition and fame is the ultimate goal of our lives. But God tells us that if we give up our lives for Him, we will find the abundant life that He created us for.

"If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for Me, you will find it." --Matthew 10:39.

"The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life." --John 10:10.

Even though we think of "giving our lives up for God" as meaning we must be martyred, only some of us will have this honor. What God is calling us to is surrendering all that we are to His power and sovereignty...and, in turn, we will die...to sin. As described all throughout Romans, but especially chapters 3-6, when we are justified by faith and begin the process of sanctification, sin loses all power over us. Do you get that? When we get to this point, it means that we realize and appreciate Christ's sacrifice in our place...it means that we comprehend the fact that this world is not all there is...it means that we truly are living in the world, but we are not of it.

Ok, enough of that little tangent...but the second I typed "Romans," I knew all hope of staying on topic was lost. When we truly apply Isaiah 55:8-9, we understand that it is for our good that we endure hardship as discipline, because if we are not being molded, then we are not sprinting towards our Savior as we should be. Something that I heard today that I had never really connected with this passage had to do with Psalm 18 (also 2 Samuel 22).

"But in my distress I cried out to the LORD; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from His sanctuary; my cry to Him reached His ears. Then the earth quaked and trembled. The foundations of the mountains shook; they quaked because of His anger. Smoke poured from His nostrils; fierce flames leaped from His mouth. Glowing coals blazed forth from Him. He opened the heavens and came down; dark storm clouds were beneath His feet...The LORD thundered from Heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded amid the hail and burning coals." --Psalm 18:6-13.

God's deliverance came in the form of a storm. We probably all picture God's deliverance in a way that involves Him removing the obstacles and enemies from our lives...but this is not what David describes. God uses ways higher than we can imagine to accomplish what He wants in our lives. Sometimes, His answer to us when we plead for deliverance from all of our circumstances is that He has to take us through more first. We have no idea the ways He is maturing us through all of our problems and trials, but we just need to stick it out and find God's peace in every situation. We are not supposed to be comfortable in this world...we do not belong here! How could life on earth possibly be easy and carefree when this is where we are doing Kingdom work before we get to the Kingdom? (Not to say that good works contribute to our salvation, but the reason we are here is to be God's messengers and servants.)

Even though it hurts...REALLY hurts...to be in this dark and fallen world, we have to be tough. Endurance. Character. Hope.

Hymns.

I had forgotten how much I appreciated hymns until I randomly started looking at them on iTunes tonight. I don't know if it is because I remember singing hymns in church as a kid, or because the Campus Praise Band plays them sometimes (to more contemporary beats), or just because the lyrics are straight from the Word of God, rather than being watered down like some other Christian music...regardless of the reasoning, I am very thankful right now for the blessing of hymns.

It is possible that this all started a few months ago...in a far away land called Bolivia. On our long bus rides across the plains and mountains, we became our own radios. The 20 of us literally sang for hours on end...praising our Savior without the distractions of commercialization or civilization. There is no worship purer than singing the words of Christ right back to Him...no background music, no producers, no recording studios...just our voices bursting out to the open sky. I gained a new comprehension of the song "In Christ Alone" while on that trip...maybe it was the fact that we were so far away from our normal environments and all we could do was count on Christ and acknowledge His sovereignty.

Hymns preach the Gospel. All the time. Without watering it down. Living Water will not quench us if it's watered down.

Just a few suggestions:

• How Deep the Father's Love For Us.
• In Christ Alone.
• It Is Well.
• There is a Fountain.
• Before the Throne.
• Give Me Jesus.
• Agnus Dei.
• Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.
• Hallelujah, What a Savior.

"So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up." --Galatians 6:9.

Remember.

There are a few different forms of "remembering" things: (1) we can cram for two hours before a huge test so that we will remember the answers when we need to know them and forget the next day (2) we can think about something so much that we can't help but remember (3) or we can know something so well that it's always in our brains, but never makes it to our conscious memory. I'm not going to deal with the first one right now, because it is not as big of a deal as the others...I mean, study and know your stuff. The end.

The second type of remembering is the best kind to have...as long as the things we are thinking about are the right things. "And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." --Philippians 4:8. Those are the things we should be focusing on. When I wrote out the definition of (2), all I could think of was the things that we are focused on...so much so that they are almost an obsession. We usually think of obsession as a bad thing...because we have known people who were obsessed with other people, or sports teams, or the way they look, or worrying. But the ultimate obsession is not like this. We should be so obsessed with the story of our Maker that we think about it without ceasing...we should always have His promises on our minds and His commands permeating our hearts...we should never be satisfied with the amount that we talk about our Savior. One thing I've noticed while attending Liberty: the more I and the people around me grow closer to the LORD, the more we talk about Him...it gets to the point that every conversation somehow comes back to the focus of our lives, our Mighty God...that's one of the results of sharpening each other, as Proverbs 27:17 speaks of. Another thing that came up recently in a conversation with my "sharpener": the more we study the Bible, the more we spout out Scripture without even thinking about it. I mean, I really could find something in Romans about most any situation that I'm confronted with.

The third form of remembering, I believe, is the most detrimental. I am ashamed to say that sometimes when I read stories in the Bible, particularly in the Gospels, I think "oh, I remember this...I know what happens next" and a switch turns off in my brain...I think that since I already know the story, I don't need to read and comprehend it again. False. I am amazed that every time I read the Bible, the Holy Spirit highlights different portions of the Scripture, different themes, and different main ideas. If, for instance, we read the story of the crucifixion as if it was the first time every time, I think we would be a lot more impacted by the truths of the words we are reading. It is certainly possible to become so familiar with something that we almost become numb or lukewarm towards it. This only opens us up to the attacks of the enemy...which can lead down the deep, dark paths of sin.

"But don't just listen to God's Word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don't obey, it is like glancing at your face in the mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like." --James 1:22-24.

Fight the good fight. Care. Comprehend. Remember.

Standing on Grace.

It's a lonely place when you're standing on the Rock, but you're still in this world. The company is few...but the company is committed. The enemy likes to deceive us...he is a liar and an accuser...he likes to discourage us...because when we let one ounce of doubt enter into our hearts, he runs with it. When we allow that to happen, we open ourselves up to distraction...and we lose sight of our rightful place, standing on the grace of Christ. This is dangerous...and not in the exhilarating sense...it is detrimental.

"'But the time is coming--indeed it's here now--when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.'" --John 16:32-33.

This, of course, is Christ speaking to His disciples before He was led to His crucifixion...but if we are truly seeking Christlikeness and sanctification as we should be, these words will be true of us. God has placed us on this earth, but He has not left us without the things we need in order to stand strong and to accomplish the work that He has created us to do here.

"I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ's return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation--the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ--for this will bring much glory and praise to God." --Philippians 1:9-10.

Being honest with people and approaching them when something that they are doing is contrary to what God calls us to is a rough thing to do. It is often self-condeming as well...because sometimes the things that stick out to we most in other people are precisely the things that we struggle with most. Nevertheless, it is sometimes painful...but adversity builds character...woo hoo!

"We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment, for we know how much God loves us because He has sent us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love." --Romans 5:3-5. (yes, Romans.)

May we never forget that we are never alone.