Dana's Christian Journey

musings of a thankful cancer survivor

Author: Dana

  • secret

    —

    Dana

    I told Susan last night how “grown-up” John was looking. He’s only six months old, but he has changed so much. I don’t think John has set too many goals at his young age, but he is maturing rapidly. I know the secret… it is the life the Father has put in him.

    So what is the secret to my maturity? Do I need to work harder? Do I need to strive with more diligence? Do I need to pray more? Do I need to set higher goals? I think the secret to maturity for Christians is the same as John’s… it is the Life the Father has put in us.

    “Abide in Me and I will abide in you.” “The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My Name, will teach you all things…” “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you.”

    The Spirit of the Living God, not my own effort, brings the maturity the Father desires. The mature in the Kingdom must remain child-like by depending on the One who aims to mold us into the image of Christ. As Jesus relied totally on His Father, so we are to rely on Him.

    The Holy Spirit gives us our goal and reminds us where to keep our focus. “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith…” The Holy Spirit tells us there is a prize worth any cost. “But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” The Holy Spirit encourages us to constantly talk to the Father. “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” The Holy Spirit gives us energy and power to do the work we are called to do. “To this end I labor, struggling with all His energy, which so powerfully works in me.”

    ‘Thank you, Lord, for Life.’

    “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:13

  • maturity

    —

    Dana

    Baby John will be six months old next week! Can you have a half-birthday party? John can sit up, roll over, and eat baby food! No longer does he just drink milk; he enjoys spinach, carrots, and sweet potatoes! (he doesn’t like peas too much…)

    “We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity…” Hebrews 5:11-6:1

    Milk is important, but we need more. Jesus is the Son of God, born of the virgin, Mary. He lived an obedient life, He died on the cross, and God raise Him to life on the third day. The elementary teachings about Christ bring us the message of salvation. This is where we start, but where do we go next? How does a baby grow? What is the solid food?

    Christ is the solid food! “I am the Bread of Life!” We never need less of Christ, so how do we get more? What could not be explained to these Hebrew Christians? Examine the preceding paragraph:

    “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.”

    Since the writer taught about Melchizedek later in the letter, perhaps the solid food has to do with the life Jesus lived on this earth. Perhaps only the mature can understand the prayer life of the Son of Man. What stirred His emotions to bring forth ‘loud cries and tears’? Did He offer up prayers for a broken world? Did He weep for the lost sheep of Israel? Did He petition the Father for me and you? Can we learn to pray as He did? Why did the writer say He was heard? Perhaps only the mature can understand submission. Jesus lived in total surrender to His Father. How easy it is to talk about the Savior, but will we let Him be Lord over every area of our lives? Will we live in ‘reverent submission’?

    Perhaps only the mature can understand the mysterious ways of God. ‘He learned obedience from what He suffered.’ Is He really a perfect Father? Why does He teach in such painful ways? If God chooses suffering as a part of my journey, will I run or will I persevere? And when Jesus reached full maturity… He laid down His life. The path of maturity is not found in just hearing about this One … true life is found in following Him.

    “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” Philippians 3:10-12

    Let’s press on.

  • thief

    —

    Dana

    My bother, Brian, first spotted the thief as we followed a blue car to the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of South Africa. He was sitting on the side of the road eating a sandwich as we drove by. After parking in a spot by the ocean, three of the four members of a French-speaking family climbed out of the blue car, leaving a young lady in the back seat. We parked beside them and my daughter, Kinsey, and our friend, Sherill, hopped out of our car, leaving the back door open. In an instant there was chaos. The thief appeared between the two cars, just a few feet from Kinsey and Sherill. I’ve never seen such quickness as the two girls dove into our car. All the doors of the blue car were closed, but the thief was not deterred. He opened the front door and hopped in. The lady in the back seat screamed as she found herself alone in the car with a baboon! As quickly as the ape jumped in the back seat, the woman climbed out the back door. The father approached the car to confront the imposter, but when the baboon bared his teeth and growled, he quickly retreated.

    The monkey grabbed a leather purse out of the back seat and leapt out of the car. Realizing her purse was being stolen, the mother and her son yelled some words I did not understand (and probably should not repeat) and ran after the baboon. The humans had no chance catching the thief as he headed for his familiar hills, but it was good they gave chase. As the monkey ran, he unzipped the purse and started tossing things out. Finding no food, he finally dropped the purse and ran away. We applauded the two chasers as they walked back to their car with the recovered goods.

    “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…”

    So what would have happened if the mean baboon jumped into the back seat of my brother’s car? There would have been no retreat! My brother, all 5’6” 150 pounds of him, would have made that monkey wish he had never been born! I am not bragging about the strength of my little brother… I’m describing the heart of a father. His four-year-old son, Noah, was in the back seat… something far more precious than any leather purse. My brother would have fought that enemy to the death in order to rescue his little boy… and Uncle Dana would have helped!

    “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away…”

    ‘Know that I still fight for those that follow Me. I live to intercede for you! Yes, you live in an evil world, but take hope, I have overcome the world! Yes, the devil roams around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour, but you belong to the Good Shepherd who never sleeps and never runs away. Listen to My words and believe what I say.’

    “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” John 10:27-30

  • greetings

    —

    Dana

    “The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house. All the brothers here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss. I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand.” I Corinthians 16:19-21

    A greeting is “an expression of kind wishes.” This first week of school, teachers have greeted students, students have greeted one another, and parents have greeted their children as they arrive home. And with a thankful heart, I send my greetings to you.

    This summer I was able to greet brothers and sisters on another continent. One of our GAC graduates works with Campus Outreach in Johannesburg, South Africa. On a short layover at the airport, we were able to visit with Kris, a young lady who loves the Lord with all of her heart. If Kris could share one thought after a year in the mission field, I believe she would say, “Grow closer and closer to Jesus! No matter what we do, He is our hope!” How easy it is to think we accomplish things on our own, but Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” If a young missionary has learned this in a foreign land, how much more is it true for me!

    In the country of Namibia, I got to greet lovely Christians who have dedicated themselves to serving children, many of whom have lost their parents to the AIDS epidemic that has ravaged much of Africa. If they could share an encouragement, they might remind us of these words of our King: “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for Me.”

    In Cape Town, I was able to greet my youngest brother, Brian, his wife, Sondra, and their two little boys, Noah and Bryson. What a warm reunion. “How good it is for brothers to dwell in unity!” I also got to see many Congolese refugees that I consider dear friends. I can still feel the hug I received from Mama Marcelle in the cold rain of Cape Town. Being on the opposite side of the equator, it is winter in South Africa, but a warm greeting removes the chill of any season. What joy to fellowship with brothers and sisters who prayed diligently for my recovery four years ago. Though we don’t speak the same language, there is love that goes beyond our differences. These Christians, far from their war-torn homeland, might remind us that this world is not our home. “These people… living by faith… admitted they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they left, they would have had the opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country – a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.”

    What blessings we have in Christ! May we have fellowship with Him every day. He gives us reason to live… and He puts life into our greetings.

    “I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name.” III John 13-14

  • end

    —

    Dana

    “The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.” (I Peter 4:7-8)

    It is exam time at school. The students know the end is near, but as you know, not all prepare. Though a final test is imminent, some decide not to care about such troublesome things. Unfortunately, such thinking often leads to disastrous results.

    The apostle wrote, “The end of all things is near…” and we’re closer than those who read the original letter. Is such a word to be taken seriously? Some decide not to care about such troublesome things, but what about the wise?

    “Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.” In the days before the end, the pleasures and worries of life will cloud the mind and hinder prayer. “Watch and pray,” Jesus warned. “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” (Matt 24:37) “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap.” (Luke 21:34)

    As Noah had a task to complete before the end of the earth as he knew it, so we have an assignment: “Above all, love each other deeply…” The apostle Paul makes an amazing statement: “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” (Gal 5:6) Jesus knew the enemy would attack faith and quench love as the end approaches. “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”(Luke 18:8) “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” (Matt 24:12-13)

    So here’s my ending encouragement at the close of a school year: Stand firm. Be self-controlled and alert… and pray. Grow in faith… and love all those around you.

    Once again, I thank you for the love you’ve shown me and my family. Have a great summer!

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