We introduce this song tomorrow for congregational worship. It is by Keith and Kristyn Getty. Enjoy!
Beneath the Cross of Jesus
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Author Archives: ivanjamestruman
10 Things to Believe while you’re in the Furnace
The fourth verse of “How Firm a Foundation” reminds us of our Lord’s promise:
“When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, my grace, all-sufficient, shall be thy supply; the flame shall not hurt thee, I only design, thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.”
This reminds us of Daniel’s furnace story and the apostle Peter’s exhortation that presents the Christian life as a fiery furnace that refines gold (Daniel 3; 1 Peter 1:6-7).
We’re presently going through Daniel in our small groups so that we will have courage to live for the Lord through the heat of life. In Daniel 3, the story points us to the promise of our Savior who said that he would never leave us nor forsake us, and that includes the furnace of life. In fact, the fiery furnace of the Hebrew children is a picture of the entire life of the Christian. When we turned to the Lord we invited the scourge of the world and the refinement of Christ. And this heat that is upon us will not end until we are finally at home with our Lord, unscathed from what the world attempted to do – to wrestle our faith away from the Lord. I want to share with you 10 things to believe while you are in the furnace.
1. First, believe that the entire Christian life is like gold refined in a furnace. Though our lives are supplied with much tranquility and pleasant times, the whole of it is best described like heat that wicks out the impurities from gold. The furnace of Daniel 3 is a metaphor for your entire life with Christ.
2. Believe that the furnace is ordained – it’s not an accident or random chink in your life – Daniel 1:2.
3. Believe that every furnace is different for each child of God. Our Lord said to take up “your” cross and follow him. Your cross will not look like any other – your’s is tailor-made for you, and you alone. One child of God will endure multiple cancer episodes his entire life while his brother in Christ beside him will have splendid health, but fight against pride, self-assurance, and self-reliance as he knocks down 400k per year.
4. But believe also that every furnace has the same goal – to be conformed to the image of Christ and to “approve”, that is, test your faith – 1 Peter 1:12; 4:12ff. This also means that you are not alone as if you’re the only one struggling with cancer, or pride, or endless bureaucracy with lawyers, doctors, and health-care.
5. Believe that every furnace has an end – your suffering will not be forever. In fact, it is very short-lived compared with the joy and peace and vitality of life that awaits you – Daniel 3:27.
6. This is like #3 above but a littler broader. Believe that God loves you even though your furnace is hotter than others. This will help you to not envy those whose furnaces are a little cooler than yours. If your life seems to be more difficult than others, you must believe that God is not more upset with you than with others; you must believe that he knows what is the right temperature to purify you; you must believe that he is keeping you from bowing down to false gods; and you must believe that has the right to treat you differently than his other children.
7. Believe that it is better to be nearly alone in the furnace with the Lord and a few close friends, than to have the world’s red carpet under your feet – Daniel 3:23-25. Remember, King Neb could not keep his men from dying, while the Lord kept his alive.
8. Believe that the injustices of the furnace, though ordained of the Lord (just like the wicked crucifixion of Jesus) – will one day get their just due. For all the harm that you have endured from people – the lies, the manipulation, the back-stabbing, the slander, the passivity and indifference, not one single injustice will remain unsettled. All will be made right in the end – Daniel 3:29-30. (as a footnote: Keep in mind that the unbelievers and wicked of this world are having the best times that they will ever have. Yes, long for justice from the Lord, but do not gleefully anticipate the eternal ruin and punishment of the lost).
9. Believe that Jesus died alone and abandoned in his furnace so that you might live through yours – Matt. 27:46. You were miraculously saved because Jesus wasn’t.
10. Believe that God loves you if you love his Son(John 8:42) . Do you love his Son for what he has done for you on the cross to take away your sins? Then know this: there will come a day when you will compare your eternal joy with your furnace, and say, “For it [the furnace] was a light [marsh-mellow] and momentary [poof] affliction compared with this eternal Holiday at the Sea.
“Be True to Yourself” – Sound Advice?
But what if my heart is leading me to lie, steal, commit adultery, murder, and covet? May I still follow my heart and be true to myself?
We hear this counsel from high-profile socialites, aristocrats, philosophers, and sages of sorts: Be True to Yourself. Some go so far as to advise you to not allow any shame for any reason into your life – as if there is nothing to be ashamed about if it was what you wanted to do for yourself. Hhmmm? Let’s think about this and see if it pans out for our good in everyday happenings.
First, I think there is something right about this motto. If you shared with me how hard it is to keep working toward your Master’s degree, while your best friend keeps ridiculing you, telling you that you’re a failure – out of jealousy, then, be true to yourself! That is, don’t let people box you in and limit you from broadening your skills, education, and worthwhile pursuits.
So there is a whisper of advice that seems to fit with our everyday experiences. Very true, we can heed the scorn and belittlement of those around us who want us to fail because of their jealousy, to our demise. But we need to stay the course, and remain true to what we have come to believe is good for our welfare in this life. It takes prudence and courage to know when a scoffer is attempting to derail your efforts, and to keep-on-keeping-on against the cynical wind.
However . . .
My Self cannot consistently be the goal for navigation in this life – it only causes more harm than good. For example,
If I really stayed true to myself when Cheryl asks me to help her hoe the garden, she would wrap that hoe around my head. ‘Ouch’ – that motto hurts! To Be True To Myself when asked to do something that I don’t want to do, or is out of my proverbial comfort-zone, does not bode well for me or for those that I care about. One cannot simply use this advice as an out when put in uncomfortable circumstances.
Again, for example,
If you, as an 18 year old young man, shared with me that you want to make it big in the music industry – but you needed to borrow $50 from me, I would have a few questions. Like, “Do you have a job?” You reply, “No, I don’t want to waste my time working for McDonald’s 40 hours a week when I can be working on lyrics and chord progressions.” I can certainly tell you that I would not put money into your hand and say, “Be True to Yourself – Live Long and Prosper.”
And again, for example,
If you grew up believing that the acquisition of material wealth was the measure of your humanity and self-worth, and consequently you keep your credit cards maxed out, you buy on impulse, you refuse to spend less than what you earn – all because you NEED to feel special via a new purchase, then “Be True To Yourself” is bad advice. Here’s why:
Your Self is not the first and foremost consideration for well-being – it’s an assumed implication of your consideration for others. It goes like this: Love Your Neighbor As Yourself. Meaning, just as you instinctively and naturally consider your well-being, you first treat your fellow-man with the same consideration that you would desire from them. The only way to be true to yourself is to first be true to others. Ultimately, Be True To Yourself fails to take in the full spectrum of human interaction. But what Jesus said does. That’s because Jesus knows what we deny about ourselves. Jesus knows how selfish and self-centered we are. He knows that when push comes to shove, we will turn away from our fellow-man for our own personal gratification and comfort.
This does not mean that you can’t tell your kids to be quiet because you’re preparing for a test; or, that you can’t say no to a request if it is inappropriate or too imposing upon your time. It just means that when you say yes to yourself, have you first considered that it is also right to say no to others? Saying no to a certain other is the right thing to do if they were in your shoes – they too would want the right to say no, if you were too demanding and manipulative with their time. See how this works?! When you love others as yourself, you can make a decision that is best for you because it is what you would desire for them – if they were in your place.
In the end, Jesus beats what the world offers because he calls me to turn away from myself and turn to others, first. That’s because Jesus wants me to spend more time thinking about others than myself. And because of that, any consideration for myself is now guided by how I would want others to treat me. In the end, to love your neighbor as yourself is better because it is the offspring of , “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.” In the end is Christ crucified for all the harmful ways that I have been true to my selfish self.
Joel Osteen: Harmful if Swallowed
Back in 2006 I wrote a critique of Joel Osteen’s book, Your Best Life Now. I wrote this for my own edification and have never posted it – until now. I am regularly asked about my take on his teaching. I have placed this (nearly 9,000 words long) in “Your Turn” – a page on the desk of this blog. Here is the link for your convenience:
I do not take lightly the arrival of viewing Mr. Osteen as a false prophet; his words reveal what he thinks about God, Man, and the Scriptures. With no intention other than to inform and instruct, and maybe, even to persuade, I encourage you to soberly consider his words with Scripture as I have done. If you have questions for clarification, please ask – I’ll do my best to answer.
A Great Song for the New Year
We sing this song this Sunday!
“What Cancer Cannot Do”
My parents received a Christmas card from some special friends that shared this title and perspective below. But if cancer is not your lot in life, something else is just as formidable and threatening for the New Year. Replace the word “cancer” with whatever feels overpowering, threatening, and frightening. Look to Christ who overcame all things and believe that he is Lord over all things, including the bad stuff.
“Cancer is so limited . . .
It cannot cripple love
It cannot shatter hope
It cannot corrode faith
It cannot destroy peace
It cannot kill friendship
It cannot suppress memories.
It cannot silence courage.
It cannot invade the soul.
It cannot steal Eternal Life
It cannot conquer the Spirit
We cannot understand the countless mysteries of life, yet we rest in the promise of One who does.”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you with peace as he ordains every trial for your future enjoyment of his grace.
A Most Hopeful Song for the Christmas Season
I truly enjoyed learning to play this on the piano. I think we’ll sing it in worship!
Redneck Merry Christmas 2014 from WV
Thanks to Grace Community Church for giving me some extra time with my dad!
Suffering and Sadness During Christmas – part 8, final.
Though I have dozens of short paragraphs and unfinished thoughts unwritten in my diary, scattered throughout the days and weeks of this episode, below was my last full-length entry. This will be my last one on this subject. If you have followed along, my hope is that you have gained a psalm-like voice for your own sorrows, that you see that the Lord is calling you to himself as you feel abandoned and cherished by him – all at the same time, and that you not alone.
Today’s date is Jan. 28, Friday, about 3 pm – exactly six weeks since this tour-de-psalms began on Dec. 17, 2010. As I write, sitting in the Surgical Operation Waiting Room, Cheryl is in her second surgery this week to remove left-over pieces of the stone in the right kidney. If all goes as explained, we should be home tomorrow. We look forward to the tubeless silence.
Danger in THE SERENITY ROOM: There is at Least One False Savior in There
The heart is filled with irresistible urges for refuge and so are the psalms. But what the heart seeks for safety is not always safe. False hopes and trusts are always offering their wares for our heart, but seasons of fear and sorrow bring a special vulnerability to the equation – You are looking for quick relief from pain. As the first nights slowly ticked by, I began to face the possible reality of being a widower at age 46 – never really thought so deeply about it until now; never had to because nothing has ever come close to such forced meditation. I felt lost and unidentified – like looking in a mirror with no reflection. You’re gone.
I began to think ahead, prepare my mind, imagine what would I do, how would I parent as a single dad, how I would handle bits and pieces of my life that Cheryl has always taken care of – like balancing the check book and feeding me (two things that someone must do for me)! I tried to look on the proverbial bright side of things and I tried to not feel so hopeless and despondent as if my future without Cheryl was not a happy possibility. I found myself anesthetizing my ache by imagining all the good that could come from Cheryl’s death (Please hold on to your booing and your tomatoes until you hear me out).
My future-gazing went something like this, in a matter-of-fact kind of way – sort of like a syllogism that reaches for a logical conclusion:
Major Premise: God is Good, Kind, and Generous (see, I was being a good theologian)
Minor Premise: Because God is all of the above, he will turn my sorrows into dancing (good so far)
Conclusion: God will make me happy again with another wife, more time for personal pleasures, and less time in the garden, because, I will subtly bring up gardening as I e-harmony for a new wife online. Any hint that she likes gardening will cause an immediate internet disconnect – oops. Happiness secured.
But as my mind was meandering along this route the false Savior was exposed, hiding in the background like a thief to steal my joy in God and thus steal glory from God. What alerted me in this night-watch hour were the psalms as God’s Spirit woke me from my delirium: My happy future without Cheryl was a Christ-less one, forged in my mind in less than a minute. Was it a Christ-less one because I would deny my faith if she dies? No – not that I could foresee. But it was a future without Jesus because I began to equate happiness with a new wife, broader freedoms for personal pursuits, less time doing the things that are way beyond my preferences. In other words, I was putting my hope for a happy future not in knowing Christ more fully in my loss, but knowing Me more fully in my personal pursuits. Ok, now you can boo and toss your salad to me.
Not that my heart embraced this sordid conclusion, but it was there – and I hated it. It was a lie that the world, flesh, and the devil has hoodwinked the world with, and to my shame, me too and too often. What saved me? The true Savior as he walked me through his blessed hymnbook:
“Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God” – Psalm 43:3-5.
“One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock” – Psalm 27:4-5.
“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” – Psalm 16:11.
The false Savior in THE SERENITY ROOM was me. And the false gospel message was the promise that I can make “lemonade from lemons” and believe that I can be happy again because God will give me all the things that bring me pleasure. Please don’t misunderstand: I do not mean to say that God is not concerned with resupplying relational and material gifts in the midst of earthly loss; He is concerned with our temporal happiness and will, if he deems it best for us, supply these needs. But our wise and loving Savior is most concerned with what brings us the most joy – Him! And all temporal losses are gain, if the loss is the means by which we come to know Christ more fully than if we had not lost.
“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord . . . that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” – Philippians 3:8a, 10-11.
Here’s a question for your heart and mine when we are suffering and about to lose or think we’re going to lose something dear and precious to us:
Is the deeper fellowship of Jesus Christ the future gain of your present loss? If not, then you and I will waste our loss. Why? Because the red-ink spiritual economics of loss, without knowing Christ more fully as the goal, is only more negative loss. However, God does not withhold the positive economics of suffering: Christ + Loss = More of Christ. All glorious gain!
It’s just a little after 5 pm. I just met with the surgeon: “Cheryl’s kidney is clean – we’ll cork the drain tube late this evening, pull it tomorrow morning and send her home around noon.”
The Lord is worthy of our hope and trust – all the time!
Ivan
Suffering and Sadness During Christmas – part 7
January 26, 2011
It’s here. The morning that the Lord has made like he has since the beginning when the heavenly host shouted with joy and the morning stars sang over what the Triune God had done (Job 38:6). Ecstatic joy, not erratic excitement, was and is to come and presently is the most appropriate response to God’s handiwork. Creation is the stage upon which the godliness of God is displayed in the cross of Christ. And this much-anticipated morning will be no less. I’ll get to this gospel message and my fear in a moment.
Cheryl’s laparoscopic surgery is today – around noon. It’s supposed to last about an hour. By this evening we’ll know whether she can return home tomorrow or if a second attempt is needed on Friday. We give thanks to God for your prayers, for God has chosen to use them and has safely brought us by grace to this moment. Keep us in prayer this day as you have – by the end of this day may our Risen Savior receive glory for what he has done for us.
When affliction is upon you it is as natural to contemplate your personal sins as is breathing air:
“Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses. Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins” – Psalm 25:18.
I distinctly remember the first time that I wondered if God was punishing me. I was around age 9. I had a stomach ache from eating too many apples and thought that God was angry with me for some unknown reason. Even at that young age one can begin to muse on the mystery of personal pain and the vengeance of God. Thankfully, a little later the stomach ache went away and so did my wondering. And as a 9 yr. old, back to playing.
But when I was in THE SERENITY ROOM an annoying conundrum began to whirl around in my head that I have long entertained but not at this level: Are my sins, at least in part, the reason why I’m in this room? My tormented prayers began to sound out: “God – are you punishing me for some unconfessed sin? Have I angered you for the last time? Will you now get even with me?” Not all seasons of affliction cause me to question this way but this time was different. I was afraid – really afraid. This is why your heart has to be literally filled to the brim with the gospel as your SERENITY ROOM comes upon you like a thief in the night.
To honestly answer, “Are my sins, at least in part, the reason why I’m in this room?” – yes and no, is the gospel truth. Yes – because if there were no sins, at all, anywhere, nowhere in my life and in yours, and in the entire human race, then there would be no affliction. No Sin . . . No Sorrows! You and I suffer because of our contribution to God’s Wonderful Creation: We have sinned. It’s a grievous and outrageous act when a creature created in the image of God for the eternal enjoyment of God turns against his maker and then happily feels jealousy, envy, covetousness, murderous rage, lust, revenge, self-pity, selfish ambition, self-righteousness – and pride. I do admit, it is a no-brainer to discern the connection between sinful laziness and getting a failing grade on a test, or the persistent pleasure of porn and a crumbling marriage, or a judgmental eye and lack of sustained friendships – all examples of the consequence of sin in the heart. But it is not so easy to discern the connection of personal sin to this kind of affliction.
Here is where the gospel is exquisite and requisite for THE SERENITY ROOM: If Jesus’ death on the cross was insufficient to satisfy the just wrath of God for my sins, this affliction would be directly related to my personal sins. In fact, if Jesus’ blood is not enough then nothing is! You and I would be thrown into a dungeon “yesterday” and we would never get out. There would be no grace – at all – in your affliction. But the prayer of the afflicted can sound like this as it did for me:
“Dear Lord, because you sent your son to die in my place, ‘remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O LORD!’ – Psalm 25: 7
And,
“The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust” – Psalm 103:8-14
Are my sins, at least in part, the reason why I’m in this room? Though in one sense, yes, but in another, with joyful praise, No. Jesus has died and is risen. My sins, not in part, but in whole – are nailed to the cross and I bear them no more. Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, O my soul.
I’m not saying that it is easy to discern the connection between personal sin and suffering. But I’m just happy as can be in THE SERENITY ROOM for my Savior’s sweet sacrifice has removed my sins from me.
As these gospel drenched, cross anticipated psalms filled my heart and my crying began to cease, I fell asleep whispering to myself:
“God is satisfied with his Son. I am in the Son and the Son is in me. I am afflicted. God loves me like he loves his Son. Jesus is enough. I love Jesus. Praise his name!”
Ivan
the sound board 