This is how I have spent my last few weekends. I was sure it would only take me a couple of days so I started on a Friday (the day after Canada day) and have worked every evening I had free as well as a couple of mornings really early before going to work. I am finally almost done. It still needs to be painted but that can wait for a while!
What more can I say that photos cannot?
We had a great time attending Esther’s first "all on her own" recital. Here is one of the songs.
I love the stories of men and women of great faith. Among missionary biographies I have read one that stands out is the story of Adoniram Judson – missionary to Burma (now Myanmar) in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Against incredible odds and through humanly impossible tragedy and suffering he translated the Scriptures into the Burmese language. Judson stands out to me as one of those heroes of faith. His story fits alongside the men and women listed in Hebrews 11. I have sometimes wished I had the faith of men like Adoniram Judson.
Possibly there have been times in your life when you have compared yourself to someone else (someone who seems to be a “natural” at faith) and you have felt discouraged that you did not seem to have the kind of faith they had? Maybe you have read biographies of “great men and women of faith” or heard testimonies of amazing adventures of faith and said to yourself, “Wow, I wish I had their faith!” Guess what? You do! Read what the Apostle Peter wrote in the very first sentence of his second letter.
Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: (2 Peter 1:1 NIV)
Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: (2 Peter 1:1 ESV)
In this letter Peter is writing to remind Christians of some very important truths about faith. The people to whom he originally wrote this letter were coming up against some false teaching in the church and Peter wanted to ensure that they not forget what was true and correct – especially in their understanding of faith. So right from the first sentence of the letter he sets out some facts about faith.
Fact # 1: Peter states very clearly that our faith is something we have received – it is a gift. Each one of us who has turned to Jesus has been given a gift that comes from the depths of God’s grace – the gift of faith. Other scriptures tell us how necessary faith is (i.e. Hebrews 11:6) but here Peter tells us where faith comes from. In and of our natural selves we do not have the ability to have faith. Scripture tells us that we were “dead in our transgressions and sins” but that “God made us alive” (Eph 2:1-5). As God’s Spirit calls us to Jesus he enables us to turn in trusting faith and receive from him eternal life. So our ability to believe (to have faith) is a gift from God.
Fact # 2: Peter identifies our faith as a “common” faith – common in the sense that all Christians possess a faith of equal standing. Dr. Kenneth Gangle writes the following.
The words “as precious” translate the compound word isotimon, used only here in the New Testament. It comes from isos (“equal”) and timē (“honor, value”). The word isotimon was used for foreigners who had been granted the privileges of citizenship which were equal to those of the native born. The faith given them by God was of equal honor or privilege with that of the apostles’ faith. Here Peter foreshadowed his purpose by stressing that the faith of the apostles was no different from the faith of any believer. This contrasted with the pre-Gnostic doctrines of the false teachers who spoke of an inner circle of special knowledge attainable by and available only to a privileged few. [1]
Do you see the implications of what Peter is telling us? You and I do not have an inferior faith to that of any other believer – including the early apostles. We all have been given a “common”, precious faith. A feeling of inferiority has no place in the heart and thoughts of a Christian. The faith that God has given us is “of the same stuff” as those giants of the faith that we so often envy. So why is their experience different than ours? Read on…
Fact # 3: In that same compound word Peter describes our faith as being precious, valuable, something to be treasured. When we are tempted to think that we just don’t have the faith of someone else the questions we should really be asking are, What are we doing with this common, precious faith that we have been given? How are we proving that our faith is valuable to us? Are we encouraging our faith to grow? Do we allow God to stretch it, expand it, purify it? How do we respond when God gives us opportunities to test our faith? Writing about trials and suffering, in his first letter Peter states, "These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." (1 Peter 1:7, 8 NIV). When God allows such things to touch our lives, do we in turn allow him to work his purposes in us? How do we respond to trials and suffering? Do we see them as from the hand of God? I will honestly confess that I struggle with this at times. It is so easy to start to question God and to complain and wilt under the pressure and heat of testing. Recently, my youngest daughter has been a powerful testimony to me of how a young Christian woman handles the disappointments and setbacks of life. In every new situation that has come her way she has consistently chosen to see God’s hand in the things she has experienced. As a result I have had the privilege of watching her grow and nourish her own “precious faith. As Peter points out in the verse above, it is in the crucible where our faith is proven, strengthened and deepened. Do you and I truly want to be men and women of “great faith”? How precious is our faith to us? Never take your faith for granted – it becomes too easy to neglect it. Treasure the faith you have been given. Ensure that it is safe from all those things that would erode it.
Fact # 4: Notice that the avenue through which we receive that precious faith is “…through the righteousness of our God and Saviour, Jesus Christ,…” We owe everything to our beloved Saviour – including our faith. His saving work on the cross for you and me, summed up by Peter in that single word “righteousness”, made it possible for us to be people of faith. That is a fact we must never forget.
Here we are at the gates of a new year. None of us knows what lies ahead. As I contemplate what the possibilities might be, the words of the Apostle Peter come to mind. He wrote, "Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. (2 Peter 3:1).
Wholesome thinking! That sounds like something to ponder at the outset of 2009. How do we approach this coming year with "wholesome thinking?" The words that Peter uses carry the sense of "pure minds" or "genuine" or "sincere" and he writes them to us "by way of a reminder". This reminding is something Peter is intent about. In chapter 1 verses 12 and 13 he wrote, "So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body …" Let’s take Peter’s reminder into this coming year and set our minds to some serious "wholesome thinking."
So, what is wholesome thinking? I think Peter would say that it is "right thinking" – thinking that is true. In the second verse of chapter 3 Peter wrote that we are to remember the Scriptures – both the Old and New Testaments – as we seek to set our thinking to what is right. He wrote, "I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles." As we head out into this New Year let’s be intentional about setting our thoughts on Scripture and thinking wholesome thoughts as a result of being saturated with God’s thoughts. As we spend time in God’s Holy Word we will find that we will begin to be able to think more clearly and accurately about what is wholesome and pure. Wrong or faulty patterns of thought will give way to how God views things.
A few verses down in that same chapter Peter describes people whose thinking has been distorted and false. "First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, "Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water." (2 Peter 3:3-5). Notice that the first area of wrong thinking that these people descend into is wrong thinking about the second coming of Jesus. Will Jesus come in 2009? We do not know but we are to be ready for him and part of the preparation we need to make is to ensure that our minds are full of wholesome thinking.
There may be things we will need to change in our lives so that we can think in a manner that is wholesome… right… pure…! So that we can think clearly.
Peter describes those people as scoffers who deliberately forget. In contrast, the kind of "wholesome thinking" of which Peter is reminding us involves a correct understanding of God, his character, his ways, his plans. It involves right thinking about Jesus – the Gospel message of Jesus’ birth, life, death, burial, ascension, resurrection and imminent return. It involves a true understanding of the person and work of the Holy Spirit, his ministry in the life of the church today and his work in the life of every believer. In short, it is right thinking about theology. In the following verses Peter attempts to correct some of the wrong theology that was out there in his day and he brings his readers back to some sound thinking. After describing briefly what the end of all things will be like he asks (and answers) this question: "Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming." (2 Peter 3:11,12a) Then a few verses further down he writes, "So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him." (2 Peter 3:14) As I read those words I wonder how many challenges to right thinking there will be in the year ahead. There will be many opportunities for us to make choices. Those choices will directly influence how we live – and those choices will be informed by how we think. We live in a culture that has conditioned us to think in certain patterns. The uncertainty of the times will challenge us to reevaluate how we think about certain closely held values. 2009 stands before us but none of us knows what it holds. Will our culturally conditioned "world view" help or hinder us in our pursuit of the kind of godly lives Peter reminds us of? We will need to be able to think clearly this year in order to evaluate how we have been conditioned by things like music, movies, TV, radio, the press, sports and our peers – even our politics. There may be things we will need to change in our lives so that we can think in a manner that is wholesome… right… pure…! So that we can think clearly. Peter was quite concerned about this kind of thinking. In his first letter (his first reminder) we find these verses – notice the context of both is Jesus’ return:
Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. (1 Peter 1:13)
The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. (1 Peter 4:7)
Allow me to challenge us to make 2009 the year of the pursuit of wholesome thinking. Notice in verse 14 how Peter calls us to "make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him". This will require an intentionality on our part to practice thinking clearly – allowing Scripture, prayer and good Christian fellowship to shape the way we think.
Then keep looking for the soon return of Jesus. That ought to have some effect on how we think – don’t you think?
May God bless you this year!
*All Scripture quotations from the NIV. Emphasis mine.
We had a great day celebrating Esther’s birthday. Joel and Andrea and James and Carolanne and Benjamin joined us for the fun.
Bec and I went camping again this summer. Ten glorious days out in the open – enjoying fresh air; ocean vistas and pristine beaches; rigging up the tent with ropes between the soaring, massive firs and cedars (I forgot the tent poles at home); long, lingering evenings reading or poking at the fire; freshly brewed coffee courtesy of our little camp stove; gazing up at the stars through the open top of our tent; wandering forest glades and trails as the warm afternoon sun slanted through the trees; huddling in our tent as thunder rolled and crashed against the hills and flashes of lightening made instant day out of midnight; lazily paddling our inflatable dinghy around the lake and tying up to a leafy branch in a shaded cove to eat our cold pizza from the night before; and “s’mores”. It is impossible to fully describe our experience.
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We took time to relax and enjoy a season of “sabbath”1. As we did, our senses became more and more attuned to God’s extravagant creation all around us. Time after time we would exclaim over some new forest vista or delicate blossom. We breathed deeply and exhaled slowly – the air refreshed and invigorated us. We paused often to just gaze on something that one or the other of us noticed. Often we would exclaim out loud – “Thank you, Lord!” We have returned from our vacation invigorated both physically and spiritually. Truly, thanks be to God!
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We did not rush our mornings but rather made time to linger in prayer and the Scriptures together – enjoying a fresh, spiritual intimacy. It is the lesson of the campfire. Campfires require regular tending. An untended campfire soon goes out for lack of fuel but a well tended one burns hot – radiating its heat and warming all those around. The longer the campfire burns the more and hotter are the embers. Those embers radiate much more warming heat than does open flame – but embers cool quickly if separated from each other – they need each other’s warmth (encouragement) to glow their fieriest. A well directed breeze further stirs glowing embers to give off even more heat.
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Thank you Father for the wind of your Spirit. May he fan our spiritual fire with the breath of heaven and stir in us a white-hot devotion to you.
You can view our gallery of camping photos here.
Ben and family joined us for the afternoon today. Here is a sampling of how the afternoon went…
We celebrated Ben’s first birthday with him on Saturday. It was a fun day of friends and family at James’ and Carolanne’s place. Ben seemed to really enjoy all the attention and all the people.
We also took a short video of Ben and his cousins with his birthday cake.
