Dana's Christian Journey

musings of a thankful cancer survivor

Author: Dana

  • come near

    —

    Dana

    On my first day of teaching this school year I asked each student to
    write what he or she would like to gain in Bible class the remaining
    weeks of the semester. The overwhelming majority of answers had
    something to do with getting closer to God and understanding him
    better. What a great goal! But is it safe?

    From The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis – regarding
    Aslan, the Lion who represents Jesus:

    “Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.

    “Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “Who said anything about safe?

    ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

    “Come near to God and He will come near to you.” A woman had been plagued with bleeding for twelve years. No doctor had been able to help her, and though she had spent all her money, things were getting worse instead of better. When she heard the ‘Gentle Healer’ was in town, she boldly fought through the crowd to simply touch the hem of his garment. Her great faith was rewarded as healing instantly came to her body, but she was not allowed to shrink back to her home unnoticed. “Who touched my clothes?” Jesus asked. Mark says this woman fell at his feet trembling with fear. Holy fear is not uncommon for those who come close to God, but as He comes close to us we receive assurance and blessing. “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

    His best friends, who followed him (and failed him), were asked a troubling question: “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” What is the cost of following the risen King? “Pick up your cross and follow me” does not sound too comfortable. John the Baptist, who determined to become less as Jesus became greater, did not always understand why things were happening the way they were. “Why, if Jesus is really the One, am I sitting in this dark dungeon?” John’s disciples took his questions to the Master and while Jesus sent back a message to confirm the truth, He gave no simple answer for John’s suffering. Today, scores are suffering because they carry the name of Jesus. “We have learned that suffering is not the worst thing that can happen to you. Disobedience to God is the worst thing.” Tran Mai, a Vietnamese pastor, shared what Christians in his land have learned through persecution. “Blessed is the one who does not fall away on account of me,” Jesus said. He knows that doubts, fears, and temptations to retreat will always beset those who aim to come near.

    So… the hope for the seeking young person (and me and you) is the promise of the Living God: He will draw close to those who draw close to him. Though the path may not be easy or safe… it is the only path to take. Jesus once asked his closest disciples if they wanted to leave him. “Lord, to whom shall we go?” Peter asked. “You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” This is our faith… and “He rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

    “… let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10: 22-23

  • history

    —

    Dana

    We all know George Washington was one of our founding fathers and the first president of the United States. Even before I moved to Georgia, I knew that James Oglethorpe was one of the instigators of an idea to create a colony giving debtors and other ‘unfortunates’ of England a chance to start afresh in the ‘new world.’ I guess I had lived in Atlanta eight or ten years before I learned my county was named after Button Gwinnett, one of three Georgians to sign the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Only last week did I learn of his unfortunate death. Within one year of signing the declaration, another Georgian named Lachlan McIntosh called Gwinnett “a scoundrel and lying rascal.” If Button had simply recited the “Sticks and Stones” verse and ignored the insult he might have lived a lot longer. Instead, he challenged McIntosh to a duel which resulted in a terrible wound. He died three days later.

    “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of Heaven and earth and does not live in temples made with hands… From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.” (Acts 17:24-26)

    This goes for George Washington, Button Gwinnett, and me and you. When I get a little sad at the realization I probably won’t make it into any History books, I remember there are quite a few people in our country who know nothing at all about Button Gwinnett and even more on this planet who have never even heard of George Washington. Truly, the only Person that needs to be known by every individual on earth is the One who saves our souls.

    I’m not positive but there may be one place I have visited that had never heard the name of Jesus. My son, Taylor, and I were with a missionary in a remote village in Benin, West Africa. I couldn’t understand the language, but it seemed a real possibility that the Good News was being proclaimed there for the very first time. There are places on this earth today where Jesus is totally unknown and a few bold believers are praying “Here I am, send me” to fulfill the will of the Father that all men find him. The next verse from the Acts passage above says: “God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.”

    The disciple’s place in history is to point to the One everything revolves around – the King, the great High Priest, the Savior of mankind, Jesus Christ. There needs be no goal of “making a name for myself” when Jesus is the One who deserves to be famous. Most of the people we meet have heard of Jesus but may not realize the urgent need to know him. A missionary friend in Sweden recently shared in an e-mail that only 1% of the population of Sweden regularly attends church. In a survey done among the Swedish youth, 99% said they would consider going to church if they thought there would be some relevance to their lives. The missionary’s next sentence was: “Come Lord!”

    Jesus came and lived and taught who God really is… “but his own did not receive him.” Today his ambassadors are not only given the task of proclaiming the Name through whom all can be saved, but we are charged to live in such a way as to demonstrate relevance. Does my faith make a difference in the time and place where I live? Only if I adopt the attitude of John the Baptist as Jesus came on the scene: “He must become greater; I must become less.” As we give up ‘self’, Jesus shines all the brighter. “Come Lord!”

    “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

  • reminder

    —

    Dana

    Fred is a friend my age who has been dealing with liver disease quite a while and is on the list for a liver transplant in Maryland. He called to encourage me while I was in the hospital, though he has really been in a more difficult trial. Sunday I called to encourage him, but he is the one that was the encourager. He reminded me of an important attitude. “I don’t care if it is a bad day or a good day, I always give thanks to the Lord.”

    Our city has experienced unprecedented flooding this week and many have suffered great loss. A news crew filmed a circle of eight or nine people praying as the devastation was shown in the background. The section of the prayer shown on television was full of praise and thanksgiving. Though they had lost their homes and property, they were giving thanks that they had been rescued and they were praising their Father in the name of their Savior, Jesus Christ.

    “Be joyful always, pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (I Thessalonians 4:16)

    It is God’s will for those in Christ to be thankful. This is the reminder I’ve needed this week.

    Written from prison:
    “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4-7)

  • possessed

    —

    Dana

    One son is awestruck, overwhelmed, and possessed by his father’s love. Perhaps various temptations attempted to lure him back to a life of sin, but the thought of ‘the forgiven’ leaving the favor of his dad seems unfathomable. After being so broken and torn, why would we ever run from the hand that welcomed us, forgave us, and healed us? But since we know ourselves, we sing the prayer in the old hymn, “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing”:

    “Oh to grace, how great a debtor, daily I’m constrained to be.
    Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee.
    Never let me wander from Thee, never leave the God I love.
    Here’s my heart, Lord, take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above.”

    The older brother was not broken or torn… but he was in the worst of shape. Perhaps when you are healthy, rich, smart, or popular you’re in more danger than the sinner in the ditch. “You think you’ve got it all together and don’t need a thing, but I’ll tell you the truth — you’re in a desperate place.” That’s what the wise father could have told his oldest son long before he skipped out on his brother’s party. This brother thought he had been dishonored because his father had shown mercy to his rebellious brother. But he did not really know his father or the meaning of love and compassion. He was consumed with two thoughts from a darkened perspective: how good and deserving he was and how bad and undeserving was his brother.

    “Examine yourselves…” the apostle counsels. But we’ve got to examine truthfully. We’ve got to deal with reality. The older brother would have written a glowing self report about his character, his work ethic, and his faithfulness to his father. But what was the truth? What were his motives? This is why we must ask the Holy Spirit to examine our hearts and expose anything that does not line up with the Holy Christ who rescued us. Though everyone should have run to the One who came to save them, John says, “His own did not receive him.” He was unrecognized and unaccepted. “In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.”

    So is there any difference today? Christians can easily point to sin in the world and say, “The darkness is worse! Look how many reject God!” But the Father is looking first at his own children. Has the Light overcome the darkness? Are members of God’s family more like the older brother in Jesus’ parable or a rescued lamb? Surely God wants humility to describe his household. “But Lord, could you really use me? I’ve been such a wreck. Look how proud I have been and how many times I’ve sinned. I’ve dishonored you so often, how can you call me a chosen one? I don’t deserve…”

    “You’ve come to the cross, my child. There you received mercy and grace. I filled you with my Spirit and all your sins are forgiven. You’ve come to me empty-handed… as a little child, and I’ve given you new life. Stay in this surrendered place and walk in my Light. All the world holds dear shall become worthless to you, for you shall see my glory. Eternal life is this: knowing me… true life, true joy, true peace. You are robed in the righteousness of my Son… who perfectly lived out the life I asked him to live and then laid it down. When I look at you, I see him and great joy fills my heart. The day of the great wedding feast is fast approaching; do not be complacent. Be light in your world!”

    “Yet to all who received him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12

    “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God! And that is what we are!” I John 3:1

  • obsessed

    —

    Dana

    I stayed with my parents in Chattanooga this past week. Even though I’m a grown man and my sister and two brothers are grown, my parents are still obsessed with their children. If you have kids, you understand… which should give us a tiny glimpse into the love God has for us. It is not that the universe revolves around us by any means. In fact, if we just look up we have to agree with David, who wrote: “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have put into place, what is man that You are mindful of him, the son of man that You care for him?”

    But He does care and a case could be made that God is obsessed with us. What else explains his incredible plan to save us? The father, who went out each day to look for his lost son, is the picture Jesus paints of God. And when he saw the broken beggar, who had squandered his inheritance, walking toward home, the father ran to him, embraced his son, and threw a huge party to welcome him home. This father was also obsessed with his other son and tried to bring him into the celebration, though the older brother refused. The father wanted fellowship with both his children, but only one could humbly grasp the true character of his dad.

    The more we see this extravagant love and the more we understand the forgiveness we have received, the more obsessed we become with the Father who sacrificed his only Son to bring us into his family. Surely it is the Holy Spirit who brings such realization and surely conviction of sin is a necessity. If the older brother, confident of his own righteousness, had only realized his selfishness and rotten attitude, he would have also asked for forgiveness and entered a setting of joy and peace.

    I’ve been obsessed with many things in my lifetime, but what are those things worth? But “to know Christ” is worth everything. How He loves us… and “we love because He first loved us.” Is there any greater purpose in life?

    “I am always with You; You have held my hand. You guide me with your advice, and later You will receive me in honor. I have no one in heaven but You; I want nothing on earth besides You. My body and my mind may become weak, but God is my strength. He is mine forever.” Psalm 73:23-26 (NCV)

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