Insights Magazine: April 2013

april 2013

Who's in control?

In this issue

8 11 3

Holding on Loosely Charles R. Swindoll

6 A Guaranteed Investment Robyn Roste

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Laughing Matters You've Got Mail Phil Callaway

"How can I trust that God is in control...?"

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11 Questions for God About Special Needs Steve Johnson 14 Q & A Steve Johnson

Copyright Š 2013 Insight for Living Canada. All rights reserved. No portion of this monthly publication may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission from the publisher. Insights is published by IFLC, the Bible-teaching ministry of Charles R. Swindoll. IFLC is an autonomous ministry and certified member of the Canadian Council of Christian Charities.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture passages are taken from the NASB. Unless otherwise noted, photography and illustration by IFLC staff. Printed in Canada.

Holding on Loosely

by Charles R. Swindoll

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hortly before her death, Corrie ten Boom attended our church in Southern California. Following the service I met briefly with her, anxious to express my wife’s and my love and respect for her faithful example. She inquired about my family…how many children, their ages—that sort of thing. She detected my deep love for each one and very tenderly admonished me to be careful not to hold on too tightly. Cupping her wrinkled hands in front of me, she passed on a statement of advice I’ll never forget. I can still recall that strong Dutch accent: “Pastor Svendahl, you must learn to hold everyting loosely…everyting. Even your dear family.

Why? Because da Fater may vish to take vun of tem back to Himself, und ven He does, it vill hurt you if He must pry your fingers loose.” And then, having tightened her hands together while saying all that, she slowly opened them and smiled so kindly as she added, “Vemember…hold everyting loosely…everyting.”

Since our Lord is sovereign, not only are our times in His hands, so are all our possessions and all the people we love. Releasing our rights to Him includes the deliberate releasing of our grip on everything and everyone. Easy? Never.

Daniel Hans, a fellow pastor in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, found this out the hard way. In his penetrating volume God on the Witness Stand, he describes how:

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Two days ago, I watched my daughter die. Seeing one’s child slowly die forces a reexamination of all that one holds sacred yet easily takes for granted—life, love, God….

For over two weeks I watched my daughter slowly waste away. First she lost the 4

Holding On Loosely continued from p. 3

ability to sit, then the ability to swallow, then the ability to speak, then the ability to move anything except her eyes and tongue, then her ability to see. I prayed throughout that she would lose her ability to breathe.

During this time, an image filled my mind, an overwhelming image. It featured God on the witness stand in a courtroom with me as a hounding prosecutor seeking to unravel the twisted threads of a great injustice. This image did not originate with me…. It was Job who most fully incarnates my image of God on the witness stand. For it was Job who pleaded, “But I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to argue my case with God.” What follows is an imaginary dialogue… a running, still-unfinished debate between Pastor Hans, the prosecutor, arguing his case in a courtroom, and God on the witness stand. Because of limited space, I must give only excerpts, but you’ll quickly get the drift.

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Prosecutor: God, I speak now from my heart rather than my mind. I put away the mind’s arguments and my heart cries out, “You do not know what it is like! You have no idea what it is like to watch your child slowly die. You have no idea how I am feeling, how I am hurting.”

God: You forget that I do know what it is like to lose a child, an only child …. You do not think His suffering was real? You doubt that His death was…agonizing to me?

Prosecutor: I do not deny the reality of His death. However, He had the resurrection awaiting Him. He had hope within His grasp.

God: Is not that same hope available to you? You need more than a creator and sustainer who can guard life as it is this moment. You need a redeemer ….

I can restore that which is broken, save that which is lost, resurrect that which is dead…. I give new life.

Prosecutor: I believe that, but still I do not understand why my daughter must be the experiment for the theory. It does not make sense that this should be tested on a three-year-old…. I do not understand such happenings.

God: Nor will you fully understand…. Your mind demands explanations and answers. Yet the greater need is of the heart. You need meaning in tragedy more than understanding of tragedy. You need love to fill the void. You need hope in a painfully depriving world. You ask my reasons. They are beyond you.

Instead, I give you something useful…. I give you myself. I am at the center of all life. I can bring meaning to the most perplexing mysteries. I ask of you but one thing, that you trust me. No matter how confusing and painful…trust me.

I could have given answers to your questions; but answers would not have made any difference. You do not need my answers. You need me.1

A moving account of one man’s struggle to release his grip on what really wasn’t his to begin with. It must be more painful than you or I can imagine, unless, of course, you have been there. And since we do not know who will be there next, I think we would be wise to start practicing Corrie ten Boom’s seasoned counsel, given to me years ago. Whatever you have that may mean more to you than it should or

whomever you love too much and therefore cling too tightly, release. “Vemember… hold everyting loosely…everyting.” ▪ 1. Daniel T. Hans, God on the Witness Stand: Questions Christians Ask in Personal Tragedy (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1989), as quoted from Preaching. com, http://www.preaching.com/ sermons/11565500 (accessed Feb. 13, 2013).

Photograph of Chuck Swindoll © 2012 by Luke Edmonson

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omething I wrestle with almost daily is my self-perception. Some days I give myself too much credit and some days not enough. But most of the time, I don’t see myself properly. My self-perception is skewed.

For example, I’m reading a book called The Five Money Personalities (a take off The Five Love Languages I’m sure). It describes

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these five personalities in detail and then asks you to complete a quiz to determine what your money personality is. Here are the categories:

Saver Spender Risk Taker Security Seeker Flyer

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As I read through the descriptions I felt aligned to a few of the categories, but most of all I thought I could be considered a savvy (albeit calculated) risk taker—if not my primary money personality than at least a close second.

I went into the quiz with great confidence. The results were…confusing. To me at least.

“What? I’m a saver/security seeker?

That’s the most rigid combination of the lot!” I exclaimed this to my husband whose “yeah, I know” expression said it all. My selfperception of my money personality was off. Like, WAY off.

It makes me wonder what else I have backwards. When I read parables like those in Matthew 13 I think to myself “I’m on board, I would be just like those guys.”

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” (vs. 44-46 NIV) But now I wonder if that’s true. Would I really sell everything I had? Everything?

Really?

Perhaps in reality I’m closer to the ruler mentioned in Luke 18 who asked Jesus what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. He was a good person—he kept to all the commandments, and yet Jesus told him there was one thing he lacked. “Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me,” (v. 22). When Jesus said this, the man became sad because he was wealthy.

I identify with this man. Jesus was asking him to take the ultimate risk—to get rid of

everything he had on earth and exchange it for an unseen treasure in heaven. I get it, that’s asking a lot. How could he be sure Jesus would come through for him?

So badly I want to be someone who holds her earthly possessions with a loose grip.

But with my monetary predisposition to saving and preparing for the future…how do I learn this?

Would I really sell everything I had?

Everything?

Really?

For me the key lies in the parables.

Describing the kingdom of heaven as a treasure and a fine pearl that people find tells me they recognized the value of what they were seeing. They had learned to grasp the things of God—their focus was on things of eternal value. Once they saw the treasure they did not hesitate to cast off their earthly belongings and trade them in for the treasure. Its worth was so obvious the choice was clear.

When people clue in to how valuable the kingdom of heaven is they are transformed—externally and internally. Recognizing the treasure for what it is prompts you to change the way you live, to get rid of everything hindering intimacy with Christ.

Looking at the kingdom of heaven like a guaranteed investment works with how I’m wired. I don’t need to worry about becoming a risk taker because there’s no risk! All I need is the discernment to recognize real, lasting treasure when I see it. ▪ Robyn Roste is the Living Bridge Media manager at Insight for Living Canada.

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Laughing Matters

In first grade I received my very first letter. eems the government mistakenly drafted me for the Vietnam War. Still it was nice to get a letter from someone.

When Ramona and I were dating, we lived in the same town yet wrote weekly letters, most of which we’ve kept to this day.

They chronicle a thousand things we’d forgotten, and some we were glad to forget.

In those days I checked my mailbox eagerly. You never knew. One day an envelope arrived that said, “Caution: Snake Eggs.” When I slit the envelope, something sprang out at me. It was a paper clip wound with a rubber band, but I had the shakes for days. I married the girl who sent it to me, and there have been other surprises along the way. Most of them good ones.

I miss the concrete world of real mail.

I’d settle for a paper cut to bring it back.

Somewhere the world changed. Long distance rates plummeted, texting took off and nine out of every seven people bought cell phones. We’ve saved time, but I’m not sure we’ve redeemed it. I’m as guilty as the next guy. Email is efficient, but speed is not always commendable. I love the personal touch of a letter. A tangible reminder that someone thought enough of me to spend a whopping eight cents on a postage stamp.

Once I overheard my parents talking about a letter Dad had received. “Remem-

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ber the Three Day Rule,” Mom said. I was curious about the rule. “When you write anything negative in a letter,” she told me, “you let it sit in a drawer for three days.

Then read it again and decide whether you should fix it.”

Though I use email regularly, I’ve tried to abide by that rule. Twice I have sent things I wish I hadn’t: once it took a long trip to fix it, the other time a phone call. By its nature, email seems to fight our need to stop and contemplate what we are saying, to carefully consider our words. As a Christian, I am to be a person of the spoken and written word. Those words should build, nurture, encourage and affirm.

None of these develop quickly.

Email is efficient, but speed is not always commendable.

A pastor told me that his church was split apart when emails—many containing gossip, slander and personal attacks against him—were forwarded around the world. I suggested he place this on his answering machine: “Hello, if you wish to criticize last Sunday’s sermon, press one.

To gripe about the music, press two. If you have some encouragement, the pastor will be right with you.” Instead he included in

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the church bulletin some helpful rules for electronic communication: 1. Never write anything you wouldn’t want the entire world to read.

2. Never use email to confront, correct or confess. Do this in person. Don’t reply to such email. Ask for a personal meeting instead.

3. Use email to exchange factual information or to send love, encouragement, and support.

4. Let your speech be seasoned with love, grace, and salt.

Missionary friends in the Philippines once emailed to tell me that their son Kyle was seriously ill. The mother said he loved my books and asked if I’d be able to send him something from Canada. Flattery will get you everywhere, so I sent him a package: “Snake Eggs: Use Caution.” Not really.

Instead, our family put together a small packet of goodies for him.

Six weeks later, to my delight, I unravelled a brown parcel secured by a thin red ribbon and festooned with bright blue Filipino stamps. Five packages fell out. Dried

mangoes and pineapples labelled “To Die For.” Flavoured nuts ranging from “Mild” to “Mother-in-Law Hot Pepper.” Within minutes I wrote the following: Dear Forest and Carol, You won’t believe what arrived in my mailbox today. Wow! In moments like these I find being a Christian tough work. How I’d love to lock myself in a room somewhere and savour them all by myself. But I shall share. I promise. Thanks so much. You are wonderful. I am thrilled to hear that Kyle is doing better. Smack him between the shoulder blades for me! May the Lord continue to strengthen you as you serve Him there.

100,000 Blessings! Phil May I suggest that you send such a note today? Email it if you must. But better yet, drop it in an envelope and send it off tomorrow. Just don’t try to mail it with an eight-cent stamp. ▪ Visit Phil Callaway online at laughagain.org

on the air in MAY

Dropping Your Guard In a world that focuses on images and quick impressions, we have forgotten how to really know one another. Many of us recoil from true intimacy. In this series Chuck Swindoll delves into God’s Word to reveal strategic principles for building open and authentic relationships.

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Upcoming Messages Include: Digging Deeper, Risking Change Getting Closer, Growing Stronger United and Invincible When the Fellowship Breaks Down

Questions for God about

S p ec i a l Needs

by Steve Johnson

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was just a young boy when I Word says His ways are not our ways…He met Doreen. She was about has plans and purposes we know nothing 14 and since her home on about…He’s working all things together the reserve was too far from for good…that trials produce perseverance her school she lived with our family. The and faith…and that His grace is sufficient.

God tells us all these things and they’re school she attended stigmatized her and her classmates with the big block letters true. But He leaves it up to us to apply the across it reading, “School for the Mentally truth to our own situation.

Retarded.”

Nowadays we use politically correct What’s going to happen? phrases like “special needs,” and “persons There’s uncertainty and fear. My niece with disabilities.” Terms more general writes a blog about her family and in it says, and innocuous to everyone except those “Sometimes, as I lay in bed with my daughter who must deal with them on a daily basis. drifting off to sleep beside me I am plagued I mention Doreen because she was the by an irrational fear that holds me hostage first of many people with special needs to until I too, slip off to sleep. And while I have cross my path in a direct way. But it was come to acceptance of this fear often, every not until my own son was diagnosed with time it rears its ugly head my breath catches a mental disability and my niece’s daugh- until I can find the voice of reason pleading ter was born with Down syndrome that I with me that there is no use being afraid of began to feel more personally involved things that have not yet happened and may and impacted. I’ve started to think theo- in fact, never happen. And then, I feel silly logically about parenting and special afterward for entertaining such a fear and needs. As a result I’ve discovered three yet, I can't help but wonder if there are other questions that parents who have children mothers out there that share my debilitating with special needs often ask God. thoughts that even now, grip me.”1

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Why, God?

"God is in control and while He might bring sickness or disease, He will use it for good."

For some it’s a “Why me God?” question. Parents look at normal families and silently wonder if they’re being punished or if something’s wrong with them. They view the situation as an adversity or hardship.

We ask “why” because we want things to make sense. I questioned, “Why him?

Why my son? Why my niece?” Job asked God “why?” 16 times. And like Job we may even ask, “What’s the point of life when it doesn’t make sense, when God blocks all the roads to meaning?” (Job 3:23 MSG).

God doesn’t give us direct answers. His 12

I know I need to trust the Lord. And I know He cares about my family because as I look in the pages of Scripture I see His compassion and special attention toward those who have special needs—the blind, crippled, paralyzed, mute, deaf, and those with chronic health problems. At the same time I know I must wisely use what God has provided now to prepare for my son’s care later.

Questions for God About Special Needs continued from p. 11

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How can I manage?

No matter what we face, managing our family situation begins with an attitude of acceptance—a surrender of our will to God’s. In acceptance there is peace.

Again my niece writes, “I had to come to a point of surrender and acceptance. Acceptance that God is in control and while He might bring sickness or disease, He will use it for good. He had already used [my daughter] to touch so many people and I had to trust her life was in his hands.”2 Often in God’s plan more is accomplished for the kingdom when someone lives with a disability or special needs than when one doesn’t. Character is developed; God’s strength and grace is manifest through human weakness, and the power of God rests on those people in a way it wouldn’t otherwise (2 Cor. 12:8-10).

Managing also comes down to hope.

With hope there is strength. Isaiah 40:29-31 gives us the promise of a secret source of energy. “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint”(NIV).

Every parent of a special needs child has more questions than answers. But our Heavenly Father understands and promises His presence. And there’s no question about that. ▪ 1. http://www.kristaewert.com/2012/05/mothering-childwith-disability-secret.html 2. http://www.kristaewert.com/2012/02/mothering-childwith-disability-secret.html photos © Krista Ewart

Steve Johnson is the executive director at IFLC.

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by Steve Johnson

Question: How can I trust that God is in control when it seems like everything is out of control and nothing makes sense?

Answer: There are five biblical truths that we need to understand, believe, and weave together to answer this question.

First, God is all-powerful. “Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns (Rev 19:6 NIV). “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2).

Second the Scriptures assert that our all-powerful God is in control. Psalm 115:3 declares, “Our God is in the heaven; He does whatever He pleases.” That’s why we make our human plans but the Lord determines the outcomes (Prov. 16:9). And His control extends to everything: “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who 14

works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will” (Eph. 1:11).

A third truth to consider is God exercises His control according to ways and purposes we don’t know or understand.

He tells us, “’For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD” (Isa. 55:8). “The LORD works out everything to its proper end—even the wicked for a day of disaster” (Prov. 16:4). He can do this because He is God and it is His right. As Paul wrote, “Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?” (Rom. 9:21).

These first three truths might seem to portray God as distant and impersonal. But Scripture teaches two more truths about God we must also weave into our under-

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standing of His control over the events in our lives if we are to fully trust Him. The fourth truth is God is infinitely loving. The Psalmist writes, “Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him” (Ps. 32:10), and “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him” (Ps. 103:11).

From Jeremiah, “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future,’” (Jer. 29:11). And the Apostle Paul sums this point up well in Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

God will never do anything or allow anything that is not consistent with His infinite love for us. Whatever events transpire must first be planned and allowed by God who has the best interests of His children in mind.

The fifth and final important truth is God is infinitely wise and knowing. Therefore,

His ways are the wisest and best. In Christ “…are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3). And, “To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding” (Job 12:13). The Psalmist says, “To Him who made the heavens with skill, For His lovingkindness is everlasting” (Ps. 136:5 NASB). God knows the past, present, and future and not only what was, is, and will be, but also what might have been.

We are finite. With our limited knowledge, wisdom, and vapour-length existence, it’s only natural that the ways and purposes of an infinite God don’t always make sense to us.

When it seems like things are out of control, choose to believe they’re not. Everything is in God’s omnipotent, wise, and loving control for our good. Surrender yourself to His purposes and His will and you’ll find you can relax and rejoice in His work.

I hope this helps.

- Steve

rollercoaster

© shutterstock.com/GOLFX

“God will never do anything or allow anything that is not consistent with His infinite love for us.”

Steve Johnson is the executive director at IFLC.

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