In Praise of God

I have recently been reading a great book that I would like to recommend.  Unpacking Forgiveness by Chris Brauns is  loaded with Scripture and excellent teaching from God’s Word.  If you are struggling with bitterness or forgiveness because you feel you have been wronged, I strongly recommend that you read this book right away.    Even if you read this book just to be better equipped to help others, you will probably discover that you have learned something to benefit yourself as well.    This book is helpful for day to day, minor issues as well as large, life-consuming problems.

Brauns defines forgiveness as “a commitment by the offended to pardon graciously the repentant from moral liability and to be reconciled to that person, although not all consequences are necessarily eliminated.”  He goes on throughout the book to break this down and help you “unpack forgiveness” by explaining biblical truth about God’s forgiveness and your responsibilities as well as offering practical helps for dealing with your thoughts and feelings.  Brauns also uses examples of real-world situations to help put personal situations in perspective.

While Unpacking Forgiveness is instructional, it is also comforting.  One reason I enjoyed this book is because the writing style is very conversational.  The author deals with a heavy subject in a way that is manageable; I felt as if he was helping me through a difficult problem with compassion, and yet he wasn’t letting me off the hook for my responsibilities.

I resisted reading this book, which a friend had recommended to me, because I thought I would be loaded with guilt, and I thought I already knew what the Bible had to teach about forgiveness: forgive because you have been forgiven, and if you have been offended follow Matthew 18.  Yet Brauns unpacks many more truths that are worth discovering.

While reading this book, there were times I put it down for a couple of days to think about about what I had read and really process it.  Nevertheless, it is generally an easy read, and I learned a lot.  It is also filled with practical application.  I can truly say that reading this book and applying it changed my thinking about forgiveness and helped me deal with an ongoing issue.

In my next post I will share some points from the book on dealing with bitterness and how to stop thinking about an  issue that is consuming your thoughts.  Stay tuned…

Strangely, I woke up this morning thinking about illness, death and dying.  Why do we have to die?  Why do we have to endure so much illness?  (Yes, I know the biblical short answer:  “Because of sin.”  But why did God choose these to be the consequences of the fall?)

After a few moments of sadness, unease and prayer, the thought came to me that, even though death is an enemy and consequence of sin, illness and death are both gifts, part of God’s common grace toward all mankind (even as painful and heart-rending as they are).

Think about it.  No other consequences of sin could or would catch our attention so thoroughly, so often, or with such emotion.

No other consequences would be equally present in every culture, every day, of every year, of every century.

No other consequences would repeatedly bring all mankind face to face with some of life’s most important questions:  Why do we have to die?  Why is there so much suffering?  Why does God allow this?

For believers, these “gifts” hold even greater importance, for no other consequences would allow us so many opportunities to powerfully point unsaved family, friends and acquaintances to the hope found in God alone and to the promise of eternal life.

No other consequences would evoke such praise, worship, gratitude and hope as, time and again, illness and death compel us to run for help and peace to the person, work, sacrifice and promises of our Lord Jesus Christ.

No other consequences could so strongly cause our hearts to yearn for the kingdom of heaven.

And so today my new question is this:  Am I faithfully using every instance of illness, death and dying to catapult my heart into greater love, service and devotion to my God?

Crossbearing.  Truthfully, it’s not something which comes often to mind . . . but I know it should.

Matthew 16:24  Then Jesus told his disciples, If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

 

Mark 8:34  And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 

 

Luke 9:23  And He said to all, If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

Recently, I have been powerfully reminded of Christ’s call to crossbearing as I have been reading Walking as He Walked by Joel Beeke.  While this book has been greatly encouraging, it has also been exceptionally convicting.  Beeke’s thoughts on crossbearing have huge implications for marriage, parenting, discipleship, hardships…and all of life!  For instance, he says:

“We want to be smooth and sanitized Christians–not cross-carriers.  The cross is an offense to us.  The cross gets in our way.  To take up Jesus’ shame, Jesus’ cross, and to follow Him is against our nature.  It spoils our plans.  It breaks our selfish utopias.  If forces us to set priorities in our lives.  It brings us face to face with our selves and with God.  The cross exposes us to who and what we are.”  (page 11)

“Crossbearing is for your benefit; it is your Father’s gift to you.”  (page 19)

“…remember, He [Christ] has measured out your every cross.”  (page 22)

“Your future is not here, your life is not here, your joy is not in this world.  You were redeemed for a better world, and this life is but the preparation by which God prepares you to be with Him.”  (page 22)

“When you murmur and chafe and rebel against your cross, you are not following your Master.  You are denying your discipleship.”  (page 25)

In the midst of the busyness and uncertainties of life today, I am thankful to Dr. Beeke for prompting some much needed self-examination.  My fervent prayer is that I would not murmur or chafe against my Lord, but willingly, and gratefully, let Him prepare me to live with Him for eternity. . . in whatever way He determines is best!