I was recently motivated to re-visit the subject of humility, and decided to re-read C.J. Mahaney’s small book on the subject, which I read and reviewed on this blog 3.5 years ago (was it that long ago?!).

One of the strengths of the book is C.J.’s very accessible style, which is coupled with very practical suggestions for cultivating this grace of humility.  I’ll leave it as an exercise for you to read the book, which is abounding in useful Biblical references and quotes from other excellent authors on why cultivating humility is so essential.  But as I was reflecting on the book this evening, I thought it would be profitable to highlight (for myself and others) key suggestions C.J. puts forth as ways to cultivate humility on a daily basis.  Here they are:

1. Reflect on the wonder of the cross of Christ.  This is by far the most important and fundamental of all the practices that is commended by the author.  There is nothing more essential to mortifying the sin of pride than recognizing that in the cross is the most vivid picture of the ugliness of our pride.  This is perhaps best said by Isaac Watts in his classic hymn:
   

   When I survey the wondrous cross
   On which the Prince of Glory died,
   My richest gain I count but loss,
   And pour contempt on all my pride.
   

   As C.J. writes:

   “Fill your affections with the cross of Christ,” wrote John Owen, “that there may be no room for sin.” And that includes no room for pride.

2. Begin your day acknowledging your dependence upon God and need for God.  Here C.J. insightfully notes that most of us wake up with little purpose, mostly groggy, and with no sense of vigilance against sin (including pride) which is never at rest.  He says, “instead, you can declare war on pride by speaking the truth to yourself and set the right tone for your day by mentally affirming your dependence upon God and your need for Him.”
3. Begin your day expressing gratefulness to God.  He notes,
   

   “Thankfulness,” Michael Ramsey reminds us, “is a soil in which pride does not easily grow.”  That’s exactly right and we want to cultivate that soil.  So from the outset of the day, I want to greet my Savior with gratitude, not grumbling.

4. Practice the spiritual disciplines — prayer, study of God’s Word, worship.  He writes, “I’ve learned that regardless of how I feel when I’m finished reading my Bible in the morning, I can know that I’ve made the statement, ‘I need You, I’m dependent upon You.’  By quietly pausing to study and read and pray before launching my workday, I can be confident that I’ve taken a step to weaken pride and strengthen humility.”
5. Seize your commute time to memorize and meditate on Scripture.  Here C.J.’s advice is simple.  Consider listening to the Bible, with a view to meditating upon it, and memorizing it, in the so often otherwise wasted minutes in the car going to and from work.
6. Cast your cares upon God.  C.J. writes, “The humble are genuinely care free.  I’ve discovered how true that is myself and my soul.  Where there’s worry, where there’s anxiousness, pride is at the root of it.  When I am experiencing anxiety, the root issue is that I’m trying to be self-sufficient.  I’m acting independent of God.”  So he encourages the believer to daily cast his anxieties on God as a way to acknowledge our dependence on Him, and avoid the prideful attitude of self-sufficiency.
7. “Transfer” all glory to God. C.J. quotes Thomas Watson who wrote, “When we have done anything praiseworthy, we must hide ourselves under the veil of humility and transfer the glory of all we have done to God.”  He adds the helpful metaphor of “cosmic plagiarism” to refer to when we take credit for that which God deserves ultimate credit.  Whatever successes we may experience, we need to immediately transfer the glory to God for that success.
8. Receive the gift of sleep from God and acknowledge His purpose for sleep.  As I am a father of five young children, including a three-month-old infant, sleep is a precious commodity.  But C.J. points out that it is not just a physical commodity, but a spiritual one, for our need for sleep should remind us of our place.  “Each night,” he writes, “as I confront my need again for sleep, I’m reminded that I’m a dependent creature.  I am not self-sufficient.  I am not the Creator.  There is only One who ‘will neither slumber nor sleep’ (Psalm 121:4), and I am not that One.”

The above are the “daily habits” that C.J. commends.  He goes on in the book to suggest more “long-term” practices to integrate into one’s life in order to cultivate humility.  These are more drawn out, so for the sake of this post, I’ll simply list them and commend you to read the book for more details.  The practices he suggests are:

• Study the attributes of God.
• Study the doctrines of grace.
• Study the doctrine of sin.
• Identify evidences of grace in others.  This means actively looking for ways that God is at work in the lives of other people.
• Encourage others each and every day.
• Invite and pursue correction.
• Respond humbly to trials.

As I have begun re-reading the book, I’m finding encouragement and conviction to be more disciplined in the mortification of pride and pursuit of humility in my life.  And I am so thankful that God is for me in this pursuit and I am not on my own.

Many of us have tried many times to read the Bible through one year without success.  I’m one of them, as is my husband.  I’m determined to conquer this seemingly monumental task this year with the hope that I can read alongside my blog friends.  Will you join me and read the Bible together?

The reading plan I’m using is originally devised by Discipleship Journal, and made available and formatted by Bethlehem Baptist Church.  With this plan, you read different selections from four different books of the Bible each day.  There are 25 readings each month which means you can catch up when you fall behind.  I especially like the bookmarks (click through the aforementioned link to print your own bookmarks) which are designed to be placed at four different points in your Bible to track your reading.

So, what say you? Will you join me?

Many Christians celebrate the season of Advent which begins today (Nov 30) and continues up through Christmas Day.  It is a way to build anticipation and often Biblical, Christ-centered excitement as a family/church in contrast to some of the messages we hear (e.g., from retailers and marketing experts).  Our family has done different things over the past couple of years, including a “Jesse Tree” and last year an advent calendar with stockings on the mantel.  Lois discovered today a free resource that looks excellent to help believers who want to focus on Advent in a devotional format:

Christ the King Presbyterian Church in Raleigh, NC, has put together this Christ-centered devotional for families and churches.

The devotional provides helpful background on the celebration of the season of Advent:

The celebration of the season of Advent (which begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas day) dates back to the fourth century. It  is a time that focuses our attention on Jesus Christ’s birth and ministry as well as his Second Coming when he will return to redeem all of creation and rule with all power and authority. Since we can’t anticipate the day or the hour of Christ’s return, we are flled with both a sense of  joyful expectation and humble reverence, with our spiritual focus being on lives of prayer and preparation.

We’ve downloaded and printed a copy of this free resource; each day’s devotional includes a short reading, a Scripture passage, an “adult’s” prayer, and even a “children’s prayer.”  In addition, each day also includes a hymn complete with sheet music — some of which are familiar, some less so.  Fittingly, the first is one that our church sang together this morning: “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.”

We invite you to join our family as we celebrate the season of Advent, and re-ignite our hearts with the joy of Christ’s coming!

Bryan Chapell’s “He is Able and Willing” message (available online for streaming or download) really helped me gain perspective when trials hit.  He based his message on Ephesians 3:20-21 which reads:

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Chapell’s main point was that when we feel we are beyond help or hope, the promise in Ephesians gives us hope in that God is able to do far more than we ask or imagine.   What struck me were the words “far more” because when we are despairing, we fall into the wrong thinking of not being able to crawl out of our holes, even with God’s help.  Not only is God able to help us, He is able to do far more than we could ever envision.  So God is able, but is He willing to help?  The answer is a definite YES.  Why?  Because His glory is at stake.

Whether you’re in the stage of life where you struggle with singleness, infertility, health issues, or relational conflicts, remember that God is able and willing.  It is hard for me not to despair from time to time because of a personal trial I’m still experiencing has been ongoing for three years now.   When I dwell on the length of the trial and no prospect of this trial resolving soon, I despair.  Ephesians 3:20-21 opened my eyes to see that there is triumph and hope because the God I trust in is able to do far more than my little mind can imagine.  Not only that, He is more than willing to help me.  This is an awesome promise and hope for anyone who thinks that God may have abandoned them and left them to figure out things on their own.

On Worship Music

I lead the worship music ministry in our church, under the oversight of our elders.  This has been a tremendous privilege.  Our church is just over two years old and one of the blessings we’ve seen the Lord bestow on us a unity and humility with respect to music in the church, which in recent years has been, sadly, a source of such division in so many churches.

Week over week, I’m responsible for selecting the songs we sing in our Sunday worship services.  As a lover of both well-written hymns of old as well as more recent styles of worship music, it’s been a pleasure to introduce a number of songs to a generationally diverse congregation from a few years to a few hundred years old (the songs, not the saints *grin*).

This privilege is not without its challenges, however.  One of my challenges is being pastorally sensitive to the congregation’s preferences in music and style while maintaining a high standard for the music that we sing as a church.  Our church’s philosophy of worship is well-thought out, and encourages diverse and Biblically-saturated songs:

[The] songs the Church is to be singing are religious, biblical, spiritual and theo-centric in nature. That rules out secular, man-centered, unbiblical earthly songs.

It also provides guidance on what “Biblical” means:

God puts a premium on truth as expressed in words, written and spoken. So the words of our songs sung in church need to be consistent with Scripture—extolling Scripture, explaining Scripture and applying Scripture.

But with the plethora of “Christian worship music” out there, I find myself often challenged to see whether the songs I’m choosing — and often the songs I’m deliberately not choosing — are founded from these principles.  There are a number of very popular songs in the worship music industry, for example, that I very quickly dismiss because I find them lacking in substance and clarity.  This has been a dilemma for me for a long time, which was why I asked the question of pastor and song leader Bob Kauflin via his blog early last year:

I’ve at times received well-intentioned “suggestions” from folks who’ve enjoyed one song or another while visiting other churches (perhaps on vacation).  While occasionally these are nice songs, I’ve often felt that many of the songs simply lack Biblical substance but are musically very catchy… How might you respond to members of a congregation (particularly small churches) who enthusiastically ask for you to play songs that you otherwise feel lacking in substance, or are perhaps even overly man-centered and poorly written?

His answer was very helpful and has given me guidance ever since.  Especially helpful was his closing thought:

I’m sure I’ll make some wrong decisions in choosing what songs we shouldn’t sing. But if my goal is always to sing songs that exalt God’s glory in Christ in people’s hearts and minds in the clearest and best ways, I don’t think I’ll ever have any regrets.

On Suffering

One of the graces God has bestowed on our young church is that He has spared us from any great tragedies.  In so many churches we’ve been through, and so many lives we’ve encountered, one constant has been the reality of suffering.  And, of course, this is altogether consistent with a Biblical worldview.  Anyone who is surprised when suffering and tragedy occur and thinks them to be abnormal has either not lived long enough, or not read his Bible carefully enough (e.g., Romans 8:17-25).  Life is hard in this sin-entrenched creation, and will be until God renews all of creation to glory.  Anything we do as a church — preaching, singing, fellowship — must not be ignorant of this reality.  Nor surprised by it.  In fact, if anything, Christians should be as well equipped (by the church) as anyone to cope with suffering!

On Worship Music and Suffering

Today I came across a moving post on Kauflin’s blog that reminded me why it’s so critical to uphold a high standard in the music of the church.  If we merely settle for “self-expressive” worship songs, and fail to endeavor to actually build up the faith of our churches through songs that express Biblical truth richly and meaningfully, then I believe we fall far short of what we could accomplish in our music.  Kauflin writes about a pastor, Terry Staufer, who he had briefly met last year whose 14-year-old daughter was tragically murdered recently:

Providentially, Terry has been studying the book of Job, and recently wrote a post on the Sovereign Grace CD, Come Weary Saints, a CD we put together for those going through challenging times. When we’re putting together songs for a project, along with trying to write music that people will want to sing and listen to, we always aim to write songs that are rich in biblical truths and the gospel.

Kauflin quotes this bereaved father from his blog:

My wife Juanita commented that one song, It Is Not Death to Die, gripped her from day one. I remember her saying that when we first listened to this album. Now we know why.

Wow.  And now I’m even more deeply convinced that we as churches need music which deepens us, stretches our faith, enlarges our view of God, and enables to express a wide ranges of sentiments (praise, celebration, lament, etc.) in a way that helps us to grow yet still deeper roots in our knowledge of Him.  That’s what worship has to do with suffering.  If the songs we sing as a church bring us little true God-centered comfort when life is normal (read: difficult), then they are of little use.  Our worship music must help us grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, strengthening us through the massive promises of God toward us in the gospel.  As Kauflin writes:

Music can only comfort us emotionally and for a brief time. The gospel comforts us in every way and forever.

This past Sunday, a brother in our church preached a sermon titled “Heart Check.”  He challenged us to examine whether we’d allowed lesser things to displace our love for Jesus (MP3 and handout).  It was a convicting and encouraging message at the same time.

That evening, as I was getting ready to “lay me down to sleep,” I opened to that evening’s entry in Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening.  And was convicted to the core of the smallness of my affections for Christ, and how foolish I have been in many areas of my life — willing to settle for lesser things, instead of pursuing after the only One who could bring my soul deep and abiding satisfaction and joy.

Here’s an excerpt (with updated English) that struck me particularly:

O true believer, called by grace and washed in the precious blood of Jesus, you have tasted of better drink than the muddy river of this world’s pleasure can give you; you have had fellowship with Christ; you have obtained the joy of seeing Jesus, and leaning your head upon His heart. Do the trifles, the songs, the honors, the merriment of this earth satisfy you after that? Have you eaten the bread of angels, and can you live on husks? [Samuel] Rutherford once said, “I have tasted of Christ’s own manna, and it has put my mouth out of taste for the brown bread of this world’s joys.” It seems to me it should be so with you.

I’d encourage you to spend a few moments on the reading yourself.

Suppose I’m standing on the ledge of a mile-high cliff, looking over. And I do this with genuine trust in God to keep me from falling over. But my friend stands back 10 feet from the ledge, offering to me that it’s not so smart to do that with the 30mph gusts that are blowing around us. He trusts God too… but he also thinks it wise to apply common sense in that situation.

So which requires more faith: to take the risk by hanging by the edge, or to be more “conservative” and step back a few feet and enjoy the view (though perhaps a less exciting one)? My guess is that most of us would initially be tempted to say that the one who stands on the ledge is exercising more faith than the one who doesn’t. But I think that would be wrong.

Why? Because our Lord Himself modeled the principle that doing risky (or foolish) things “in faith” isn’t necessarily being faithful. At least, that’s one of my conclusions from his reply to the devil during his temptation in the wilderness:

And [the devil] took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here.” … And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” (Luke 4:9,12)

In other words, he didn’t jump. Not because he lacked faith in His Father, but because “trusting God” (which is good) is not the same as “testing God” (which is bad).

Like it or not, we are surrounded (and influenced) by the culture we live in. And today’s culture is clearly adrenaline-rush-oriented, amusement-centered, and excitement-driven. And it’s a culture that glorifies risk taking! Thus, if our lives seem boring, I think we are tempted to ask ourselves if we are missing out. Not merely on life, but perhaps even on God’s will in our lives.

And thus, we’ve begun to equate “faith” with “taking risks” and “excitement.”

A few years, when I was still single, the Lord placed on my heart a deep burden for global missions, for declaring the glories of God to all the nations. At the time, I couldn’t think of anything more appropriate than “selling all I have” and going to the unreached peoples. Anything else seemed… short of the goal.

But now, a few years later, with a wife, four young children, a house, and an office job, I’m not exactly going to be featured on “Lifestyles of the Glamorous and Exciting.” Instead, most of my days are spent working an office job to provide for my family, or caring for children, or cleaning the house, etc. And Lois could tout an even more “mundane” lifestyle, as a stay-at-home mom, where even conversations with other adults are limited to evening chats online or occasionally on the phone; and otherwise cooking, cleaning, homeschooling, etc. Add to that a tendency to be fiscally conservative (anti-debt, pay off our mortgage ASAP, buy in cash) and to be homebodies (you know where to find us on Friday night!), and we’ve found ourselves singing this song:

Do we simply lack faith? We are wise with finances, careful about time management, and we are raising a family in the suburbs. That seems to take a lot less faith than any number of believers we know who are in debt over their heads due to poor planning or living on the “front-lines” of the missions field or dangerous urban ministry. So many of those “risk-taking” believers have these amazing testimonies of God’s faithfulness in answering their prayers in time of need… are we doing something wrong by not taking those same sorts of risks? Are we living by faith or merely by sight?

And here’s my conclusion after thinking about this question.

First, it’s not whether we take risks per se that shows great faith. The person who takes risks without considering the potential cost is not commended by the Lord (Luke 14:28-30). And taking on debt (financial risk) is not looked well upon either (Proverbs 22:7). So risk-taking is not inherently an act of faith, and faith doesn’t necessarily translate into risk-taking.

Second, if the Lord delivers us when we take risks for Him is not because we had faith, but because He is gracious! God is not bound by our faith to act on our behalf. And the man who makes unwise choices and is rescued from disaster should not be commended for great faith. The glory goes to God for His merciful kindness, and the man should be admonished for his foolishness.

Third, Biblically speaking, faith in God is commended in light of resulting obedience and not mere risk-taking. For example, in Hebrews 11, a number of saints in the Old Testament are commended for their faith. But not because they took great risks (though some did), but because they obeyed the Word of their God!

What then? The real measure of faith in God is our obedience to His revealed will to us, not in the excitement level of our lives. Our lives may feel mundane. But that’s okay, if our “unexciting” lives are committed to obeying God. In the past, and even now, I’ve been really jazzed by an inspiring call to “do missions when dying is gain.” But I find it even more helpful, these days, to take to heart Biola professor John Mark Reynolds’ idea of “bloodless martyrdom”:

Married love is difficult: full of confusion and doubt. Because it is a bloodless martyrdom, designed to purge us of selfishness and show us real love it is difficult.

The concept of “bloodless martyrdom” can be applied to more than just married life. It can be applied to parenting. To homeschooling. To being faithful in my job, or being a good steward of the resources God has provided for us, such as money, house, or cars.

Furthermore, I think the concept of faith-filled “unexciting lives” is utterly consistent with the bulk of the New Testament epistles. If you examine the NT, very few of the members of the church are doing “exciting adventures.” You don’t read repeated calls to “take risks, sell all you have.” Instead, more often than not, the real work of faith, based on mere weight of repetition, is whether we Christians are faithful and obedient to God’s call in things like parenting… marriage… hospitality… ministering to the saints… loving your neighbor.

In short, I think there is a great danger in “romanticizing” the Christian life. God is not looking for His church to be made up of a bunch of risk-taking, “extreme sports” types of people. He is looking first and foremost for faithful friends, faithful husbands and wives, faithful parents, faithful children, faithful neighbors, etc.; whose faithfulness in those tasks is built upon their faith-filled obedience to the God who has called them to such tasks. Even in the face of ridicule or discouragement or boredom.

We should not be like Don Quixote who imagined that the “real life of faith” is built on pursuing great risks and “impossible dreams.” Let’s instead consider the calling he has for each of us, however simple or unexciting, and with great faith, trust Him to accomplish great things through our “small deeds” of daily faithfulness.