The Inevitability of Suffering -

 

“More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
- Romans 5:3-5

“Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ.”
- 2 Timothy 2:3

“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith - more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire - may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
- 1 Peter 1:6-7

“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

- C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain (HarperCollins, 2002), p. 91

“There is nothing accidental, or fortuitous, or contingent about God’s work. It is all planned and worked out from the beginning right until the end. In our experience it comes to us increasingly, but in the mind and purpose of God, it is already perfect and entire.”
- D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Why Does God Allow Suffering?, p. 122

“…God wills that the mission of the church advance through storm and suffering.”
- John Piper, Suffering and the Sovereignty of God, p. 91

“Suffering, for the Christian, is a vocation – we are called to suffer.”
- Dan McCartney, Why Does it Have to Hurt? – The Meaning of Christian Suffering, p. 101


Dear Friends,

Here’s a promise - Christians will suffer. In the words of one author, suffering is not a matter of if, but, when. For all of us suffering has already come or is soon coming. In the mystery of God’s wise providence suffering is sent to every true Christian to serve purposes that only God-directed suffering can. We may recoil at the prospect and promise of suffering, but it is precisely in the crucible of affliction that God accomplishes His most enduring work. And though suffering is not salvific (securing redemptive favor with God), it does have a sanctifying effect. With the effectual work of the Spirit, suffering changes us and makes us more like Jesus Christ. God uses the crucible of suffering for our good and His glory.

In reading through a sermon by Puritan John Owen on affliction he commented that suffering and affliction have an effect upon the Christian that nothing else can have. I know that suffering has had this effect in my own life. Some of the suffering Judy and I have experienced I never want to experience again, however, each time I think about these sufferings I thank God for what He has accomplished through them. There have been severe trials that have come that have served God’s purposes far more effectively than anything else imagined. Suffering is not some foul fiend to steer clear of. Suffering is the handmaid of God’s sanctifying purposes. In the Christian suffering is a sure indication of the presence of sanctifying grace.

As Christians, here are a few things to remember about suffering –

1) Suffering is an indication of sonship (Hebrews 12:6-11).
2) Suffering is a sign of Divine love and not Divine abandonment. We only have to look at the Cross to see God’s favor to sinners in the grandest display of suffering (Romans 8:32).
3) Christ is identified with His people and His people are identified with Christ in suffering.
4) All suffering is God-ordained.
5) Suffering is designed to bear good fruit in us.
6) Some suffering will not make sense this side of heaven.
7) All suffering will make sense in heaven.
8) Suffering provokes us to bear with one another, pray for one another, and love and serve one another.
9) Suffering brings God glory and serves our good.
10) There are things God can accomplish in us, both individually and as a church, that come about only in the crucible of suffering.

As God inevitably brings suffering our way may we resolve to embrace it with great gratitude, love for Him, and confidence in His grace-filled purposes.

Dan

The Story of Two Gardens -

It has been said that the entirety of redemptive history can be summed up by a visit to two gardens. The first garden at the earliest place in recorded history…a place of beauty and perfection where a declaration of supreme good was given by the Creator. In this garden the Creator walked with the creature in the cool of the day in unspoiled fellowship and felicity. The relationship between Creator and creature continued unsullied until the creature bowed his back and pushed himself away from the Creator in his twists and turns of sin and rebellion. No longer in fellowship the creature hid in embarrassment and shame. The garden grew full of thorns and weeds. Once held in joyful submission to the creature the creation itself now spun out of control, groaning under the weight of the creature at odds. The garden itself became a symbol of the Creator/creature relationship gone bad. Years would pass, but these were years given with a promise; a promise that someday all would be made right again, thorns would no longer infest the ground and felicity would one day be restored. In the first garden Adam had made a mess, but in the second garden another Adam would make a way. He would be a second Adam, a better Adam, a complexity of both Creator and creature, a God-man whose entry into a garden came not by life, but by death. He would be the head of a new nation, bought with a price. A willing humiliation His death would ensure not only life, but also the death of death itself and the promise of life without end. Jesus, as the second Adam entered the second garden. He whose brutalized and lifeless body descended into a dark tomb in the second garden would also be raised in that same garden on the third day. From that day forward the earnest money of a new creation, an incorruptible and glorious creation, has been received. The promise given has become the promise kept, and will one day be the promise fully and finally received. As we recount our own lives, two gardens tell the story. 

- DJM

Sunday - January 3rd, 2021

I Have an Eye Problem -

It shouldn’t come as a surprise how often in the Bible God decries hypocrisy. Jesus made a painful point of it over and over (Mt. 7:3-5). You know, that saying one thing and doing another annoyance. It’s easy to spot hypocrisy in others, but always quite evasive in our own lives. We can justify our hypocrisy right out of existence, and do so without even breathing hard. 

This is a warning, and one I’m attempting to fold into my own life. If, and especially, you’re a Christian there must be a conscious fight to minimize hypocrisy in your life. Otherwise we live a lie. There must be a transformative congruence between what we say and what we do. Thankfully we’re not alone in this work as the Church’s recent celebration of Pentecost testifies, but it is work nonetheless.

As this topic relates to our current conflicts, it can be very easy to say the right things, post the right hashtags, align with all the right causes, post all the right memes, and even march in the right protests, and yet to not really love our neighbor. The command to love our neighbor is imperatival and specific. In other words it is a command with substance. It looks like something. It will cost us something. It looks and feels like love. To say or to post something that has no basis in real and demonstrated action is…well…it’s hypocritical.

God’s desire is for His people to be wholly holy. What I mean by this is that we live lives of declarative and demonstrative congruence. We not only talk the talk; we walk the walk. If we are going to talk about the evils of racism there must be some sort of demonstrable congruence to that declaration in our own lives. We must love our neighbor…and not by hashtag or meme post alone. Otherwise, we are hypocrites.

Christian, if you want to make a difference start with proximity. Love those that are not like you that are within proximity to you. You know, like a neighbor…a stranger. Every one of us has people around us that are different from us. Start there. And I dare you, don’t post a picture of what you’re doing on Facebook. No one else needs to know. Hypocrites do what they do for show and God detests it. God is pleased to see His people acting in love and mercy with great sacrifice, and with no thought for themselves.

This is how real change will take place.

- DJM

6/2/2020

None Like You - Mother's Day 2020

‘Ain’t no woman like the one I’ve got.’

- The Four Tops, Ain’t No Woman

‘Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.’

- Proverbs 31:29

‘…to lose your life for another, I’ve heard, is a good place to begin.’

- Andrew Peterson, Dancing in the Minefields

Every year at this time there is a pause to reflect upon those women who have had significant impact in our lives.  Truth be known, I have been surrounded by amazing women….

Grandma Rosie was her name, and she was my maternal grandmother. She passed away in 1993, but not before she made significant influence into the life of her children and grandchildren. She was deeply loved by those who knew her. She had a delightful smile and twinkling eyes, and her ability to cook up a storm was legendary. I'm not typically a fan of pumpkin pie, but hers had changed my mind. She also was a world-class knitter. There are still some sweaters and afghans around that bear her creative mark. She lived through the Great Depression and consequently lived a simple life in a modest home in Spokane, WA. She was beautiful and loved her family deeply.   

My paternal grandmother passed in 2014.  Her health was failing and her memory gone, and she lived to be 97.5.  She lived an amazing life.  Raised in the rough and tumble mining town of Anaconda, Montana, her life was never easy.  With the challenge of alcoholic parents at a young age she took care of her even younger siblings and when the authorities found out all of the children were placed in a state orphanage and were kept there until they could fend for themselves.  Life was much more difficult then.  She married my grandfather and their marriage was always a challenge.  Still, she soldiered on until my grandfather’s death in 1996.  My grandmother lived a life in service to others.  A while back I had a meal with a couple she and my grandfather befriended in the 60’s, the wife had escaped from East Germany and the husband had escaped from Czechoslovakia while both were under communist rule and they had no friends or family in the states. My grandparents 'adopted' them as their own. My Gramma Erma was full-blooded Swede and was tough as nails, but she loved her family. 

Judy’s mom Ramona passed in 2017.  Judy’s mom was an incredible treasure.  She could make me laugh like no other and her bold witness for Christ was unexcelled. I learned much from Ramona.  She has raised four children and worked hard as a farmer’s wife.  When the Minnesota winters got too cold she faithfully followed her husband to the Pacific Northwest.  And when her husband George died in 1984 Ramona only redoubled her efforts at loving and serving her family.  Always quick with conversation, you’d find that no one was a stranger to her.  Her life had truly been lived for others and her latter days were spent caring for her elderly friends.

My own mom is a rich treasure as well.  She raised three headstrong rambunctious boys and lived to tell about it.  She and my dad will soon be married 64 years and in case you’re counting that’s a long time.  She is a faithful Christian wife and mother and doesn’t mind speaking up about it.  She loves my dad, her church, and Christ. Her kids, grandkids, and great grandkids are always on the receiving end of her many kindnesses.  

I have five amazing daughters.  Each one unique and each one gifted in so many ways.  

Lydia, our youngest, is now a young married woman.  She and Renard have soon been married two years. She is mature and intelligent and has a sense of humor and wit that runs deep.  We can just look at one another and burst out laughing.  She has made it much more difficult for me to be serious about anything anymore (She once asked me how the motorcycle riding high-school flunkie got the high-school honor roll cheerleader! To which I still don't know the answer!).  Children and adults love her.  Her friends love her. Her nieces and nephews can’t get enough of her.  Her smile lights up any room.  Never concerned about herself, her life has been lived serving others as well.

Alexis in my daughter-in-law. She is the best thing to ever happen to my son Nate. Nate and Alexis have been married six years. She is incredibly bright and stunningly beautiful and she is the best mom to her two young daughters. Alexis has a very difficult job of her own as an emergency services dispatcher, but compounded with being the wife of a law enforcement officer she has a quite difficult role. She has a wonderful sense of humor, and is able to keep track of Nate's keys and wallet!    

Esther is my third oldest.  She and Tim have been married 17 years and they have four beautiful children.  Esther is quiet, pensive, bright, very capable, and opinionated.  She loves her family like a mama bear and heaven help the person that tangles with her.  She makes friends forever and is as true blue as the day is long.  She teaches her children well, is an excellent cook, and always makes sure we are well fed.  In fact, her home is often a revolving door of hospitality. She has an amazing flower garden that is the envy of those that see it. We have great conversations, can incessantly tease one another, and we never really take one another too seriously.

Hannah is my second oldest; picture Sandra Bullock’s character in The Blind Side.  No one can make Judy laugh like Hannah.  She says and does hilarious things that manage to get to the most ticklish spot on our funny bone.  She is tough as nails but tender as well. Hannah and Jim have two beautiful children and they've been married 19 years.  Jackson is the family athlete and Bella is Hannah’s ‘mini-me’.  Hannah is the diligent student in the family and has several degrees in nursing.  Her vegetable garden is a thing of beauty. Hannah exudes kindness and everyone loves her as well.  If you are discouraged your cares are her cares.

Sarah is my oldest.  She is an entrepreneur, a businesswoman, and a tremendous help to her husband.  Sarah and Kevin have been married 24 years and have four beautiful children.  They are incomparably generous and are always looking for ways to help and serve others.  Sarah can make a meal for an army on a moment's notice. Sarah’s boys work harder than most men I know, and Sarah and Kevin’s work ethic is the envy of the family.  Sarah is compassionate, serious-minded, plainspoken, articulate, and committed to her family.  She has a way of always getting to the nub of the matter. 

Next is my dear wife Judy.  The reason our four daughters are the way they are is because of her profound influence upon them.  Judy is funny, reflective, smart, hard working, full of mercy, wise beyond words, longsuffering, quick to overlook a fault, a faithful friend, and is always glad to make sacrifices for others.  Our home bears the marks of her love and care, and her flower garden is stunning this year. Her life has been lived in serving her family and others.  She has shown us what it looks like to suffer well and to come through tremendous trials with her faith intact.  There is truly none like her.

In each of these women the grace of God is evident.  In each of these women I am blessed beyond measure.  Their worth is far above the richest treasure.  

-DJM

Mother's Day 2020

That Glorious Scandal

"The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone," and "A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense." 
-1Pe 2:7-8 ESV

'Paul’s theology of the cross involves his theology of the resurrection and is simply unintelligible apart from it.'
- Richard Gaffin, The Scandal of the Cross

“The Gospel is ‘the greatest drama ever staged … a terrifying drama of which God is the victim and the hero'"
- Dorothy Sayers, Creed or Chaos, ch. 1

"It was not nails that held Jesus to that wretched cross; it was his unqualified resolution, out of love for his Father, to do the Father's will - and, within that framework, it was his love for sinners like me. He really could not save himself."
- D.A. Carson, Scandalous- The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus, p. 30

"There is no better news for sad men, for distressed, desponding and despairing men, than this - the Savior lives, able still to save and willing to receive you to his tender heart."
- Charles Spurgeon, The Lord is Risen Indeed, Twelve Sermons on the Resurrection, p. 102

The drama of the gospel is a story unlike no other. In this story the hero is not hailed, but mocked. He is not sustained by superhuman powers…in fact, he dies. The accolades originally directed toward him give way to rejection and disdain. After all, heroes are not supposed to become the victim. The Creator succumbs to the malevolence of the creation, and this death comes willingly, not with reluctance. He does not save himself. In fact, it is death that brings life. The gospel, in all of its tragedy and offence, brings glory. Death becomes its own victim. Through the mystery and the glory of the crucifixion and the resurrection every enemy is finally overcome. This is the ultimate scandal and if it has no place of offense with us we’ve not understood it well. There is divine wisdom and human absurdity in the cross and resurrection. Surely God could have done it another way…or not. In these singular events God has revealed the very heart of the gospel. The Son has revealed His heart for His Father. God has revealed His own heart for the world. Because of His love God has inclined His heart for the world. By love God has directed His heart toward His creation. By love God sends the emblem of His love, His own dear Son, to die. By love God raises His Son from the grave. And by love God vanquishes every enemy and removes every obstacle to His love for people like you and me. Our redemption has been accomplished by a glorious scandal.

Today I’m rejoicing with you in the scandal signified by a cross, a cross saturated in gospel love.

-DJM

04/09/2020