WHEN LARRY CRABB HAD CANCER,
IT WOULD BE UNDERSTANDABLE FOR HIM TO THINK
CANCER WAS HIS BIGGEST PROBLEM
BUT IT WASN’T.
WE MAY THINK OUR GREATEST NEED IN AMERICA
IS TO GET A PRESIDENT OF CHARACTER AND INTEGRITY,
BUT THE LORD MAY KNOW WE NEED REVIVAL MORE
AND THAT SUFFERING MAY LEAD TO REVIVAL.
ANY KIND OF LOSS HURTS — BUT IT IS STILL A 2ND THING.
THE FIRST THING IS ALWAYS OUR RELATIONSHIP,
OUR PASSION, OUR INTIMACY WITH CHRIST,
BOTH AS INDIVIDUALS AND AS THE BODY OF CHRIST.
EVERYTHING ELSE WILL PASS AWAY.
OFTEN, IF WE GET THE 1ST THING RIGHT, WE’LL GET 2ND THINGS THROWN IN, OR AT LEAST, BE ABLE TO GET THROUGH THE LOSS OF THEM.
When Steve died, that seemed my biggest problem. But my loss pressed me into Christ like nothing else, and He did take me through the river of grief. I didn’t get Steve back, but I will, one day. Just last week I looked at a bush in my yard that I had deemed dead and planned to pull out.
I was shocked to walk by and see it covered with buds.
I burst into tears, because it reminded me:
Steve isn’t dead at all.
My intimacy with Christ is helping me get through the Shadowlands, despite the great losses that occur down here. And it is also true, that often, when you get 1st things right, you get 2nd things thrown in. When I repented of my control and manipulation and allowed God to be in control, I experienced more of Him — and then, He restored my relationships with my administrative assistants and adult children. He gave me the 2nd thing back!
So, how do we concentrate on the 1st thing? I want to share with you a new song (at least to me!) that is based on this Augustine quote but also gives some ideas on how to press into Christ, how to get 1st things right.
Click here and ponder:
Sunday:
1.What stands out to you from the above and why?
2. How does any of this speak to your heart right now?
Monday-Wednesday
“You dwell in the songs that we are singing, filling up the spaces between our frailty and all that You are…” This is a truth confirmed by the psalms. As I’ve been dealing with 2nd things (my restlessness between books and my sadness over the political situation) I’m concentrating on the 1st thing. I’m singing and I’m praying. What got me through the river of grief and into the arms of God was singing the hymns rich with theology. So I’ve memorized this week “Immortal, Invisible,” for the great truths press me into Him and help me experience Him. I’m going to suggest you choose a hymn or song that is meaningful to you and begin to memorize it. And this is important: when you sing to Him, alone or corporately, don’t engage in relational sin toward God, but truly think about the Words and praise Him with all your mind, heart, and soul. And for praying, especially for our political situation, I’ve found this helpful from Breakpoint: Six_Ways_to_Pray
3. When you are ready — share what song or hymn you have chosen.
4. Read Psalm 37:1-13
A. What is the negative command repeated in v. 1, 7, and 8 and what reasons are given in each case?
B. We have learned that you cannot just stop negative behavior, you must replace it with positive behavior.
What positive behavior do you see listed in verses 3, 4, 5, and 7?
C. TRY THESE THREE STEPS TO EXPERIENCE DIALOGUE WITH THE LORD:
- REFLECT: As you are still before the Lord, do any of these passages quicken you? If so, that’s the Holy Spirit. So ponder what it tells you about God or yourself in relation to HIm
- RESPOND: Pray this back to Him, for the dialogue has begun.
- REST: Rest in the presence of God.
D. How does verse 4 confirm 1st and 2nd things?
5. Read Philippians 4:4-8 for it gives keys for intimacy with Christ.
A. What commands are we given in verses 4 and 5 and why, according to this passage, should we be able
to do this?
B. What negative and positive command is given in 6?
C. What promise is given in 7?
D. What command is given in 8?
I used to think verse 8 meant to think of wildflowers and butterflies instead of war and suffering, but Keller says Paul is talking about doctrine. We are to think about the promises, and the sovereignty, the goodness, and the faithfulness of God so that we can indeed put our trust in Him. This is why I think memorizing songs of rich doctrine is so helpful. Are you working on a song? Or do you have another plan? If so, list it above.
6. How might you apply this lesson to your biggest problem?
Thursday-Friday: Uncovering Satisfaction by Tim Keller
7. This was filmed at Oxford and is followed by a testimony and Q and A — all of which I think are interesting — but I particularly want you to hear Keller’s 30 minute talk and share your notes and comments here.
Saturday:
8. What is your take-a-way and why?
169 comments
5. Read Philippians 4:4-8 for it gives keys for intimacy with Christ.
A. What commands are we given in verses 4 and 5 and why, according to this passage, should we be able to do this?
Rejoice in the Lord always. Show His spirit in your actions. I read three versions; one says “…let your reasonableness be known…”(ESV). Another says “… Let your gentleness be known to all…” (NIV). And the third says “Let all men know and perceive and recognize your unselfishness (your considerateness, your forbearing spirit). The Lord is near [He is coming soon].” (AMP)
What I make of these three verses is we should demonstrate the characteristics of our Lord. We should be able to do this knowing He is coming soon (they all say this in some manner.
B. What negative and positive command is given in 6?
Do not be anxious in anything, but request in prayer, with thankfulness, all your needs.
C. What promise is given in 7?
God’s peace will guard us.
D. What command is given in 8?
To dwell on good, right things.
I see you holding on Laura, despite the great pain in your life, refusing to back up — and God sees too.
5. Read Philippians 4:4-8 for it gives keys for intimacy with Christ.
A. What commands are we given in verses 4 and 5 and why, according to this passage, should we be able to do this?
Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS and let our gentleness be known. We can do this because He is living inside us empowering us.
B. What negative and positive command is given in 6?
Negative is Don’t be anxious about anything…positive is to take our anxiousness or even before we become anxious-take our concerns to God in prayer with Thanksgiving-to press into Him instead.
C. What promise is given in 7?
He will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus..He will be our peace
D. What command is given in 8?
This is Him: True, Noble, Right, Pure, Lovely, Admirable, Excellent, Praiseworthy.. and He wants us to meditate on Him.
Lovely Liz — new to me.
psalm 37
Take delight in the Lord, and HE will give you the desires of your heart.
Be STILL before the Lord and wait pateintly for HIM.
this is what stood out and spoke to my heart. when My first love is HIM all other loves will pale in comparison. My heart will want what HIS heart wants. To be still is so hard some days, still does not always meen I am not moving, it just meens that I am not fretting and trying to change my circumstances… when I am still I have peace in my heart even as the storm is ranging around me.
Philippians 4
I have always been fascinated by vs. 7. That resting in and Rejoicing will guard our heart and our MIND. I wonder how many mental health issues could be cured if this one command was put into practice! I know countless sleepless nights and fretfull days would have been turned into peaceful rest if I had just trusted GOD with ALL my stuff! It is funny how when I loose control of something and IHAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO PRAY AND PRAY ALONE how my heart begins to rest in knowing That I can trust HIM. and even if that is the ONLY thing im FEELING thankful for at the moment….that is enough.
side note….I HAVE SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR! change is hard but it is good. so glad that I serve a savior that loves me enough to take away what I think i need and to give me what HE WANTS ME TO HAVE.
the words to my song to memorize
Letting go of every single dream
I lay each one down at your feet
every moment of my wondering never changes what you see
i try to win this war i confess, my hands are weary i need your rest
mighty warrior king of the fight, no matter what I face your by my side….
When you dont move the mountains im needing you to move
when you dont part the waters i wish i could walk through
when you dont give the answers as i cry out to you.
I WILL TRUST…. I WILL TRUST…. I WILL TRUST IN YOU
truth is you know what tomorrow brings, there’s not a day ahead you have not seen
so in all things be my life and breath…I want what you want Lord and nothing less.
you are my strenght and comfort, you are my steady hand, you are my firm foundation, the ROCK on which I stand.
YOUR plans are always higher, your ways are always good, theres not a place i will go you have not already stood.
When you dont move the mountains Im needing you to move
when you dont part the waters I wish i could walk through
when you dont give the answers as i cry out to you
I WILL TRUST IN YOU
I WILL TRUST IN YOU
I WILL TRUST IN YOU
Perfect song for this stormy time in your life!
7. Keller’s message notes and comments:
Keller spoke on John 6:25-35. Jesus gives us a spiritual metaphor here, that God offers you bread from heaven. We all have a desire for fulfillment, and we look for it in the wrong places. Jesus tells us this in the metaphor of “Don’t work for food that spoils”.
Keller gave a few quotes: “No one lives content.” (Horace) “Even in contentment I feel the need for some imperishable bliss.” (Wallace Stevens)
“When you take away the life lie of anyone, they lose all their happiness.” (Henrick Ibson) What is the life lie? The lie that this, or this, or this – is actually going to make you happy, because nothing will. At some point, life will take away your life lie and then you’ll be distraught.
Keller quoted a columnist named Cynthia Heimel. Heimel knew several actors before and then after they became famous. She wrote, “That giant thing that they were striving for, that thing that would provide them with personal fulfillment had happened and nothing changed. They were still them. If God really wants to play a rotten practical joke on us, He grants our deepest wish and then He giggles merrily when we suddenly realize we want to kill ourselves.”
Keller said that the part about God “playing a rotten practical joke on us…giggling merrily when we realize we want to kill ourselves” is biblical. (I had trouble with this statement. It makes God sound like He is sadistic and takes pleasure in our anguish. I understand the point behind it, that God lets us get to the end of ourselves so we will turn to Him, but the “giggling merrily” when we despair of life makes Him sound cruel.)
I found the part where Keller talked about Augustine the most helpful. It was Augustine who wrote about our “disordered loves”. He said that the reason why we have the discontent we have is because our loves are disordered. What really makes you what you are is not so much what you believe, not so much what you think, not even so much what you do, but it’s what you love; especially what you love the most. Your problem is you don’t love God more than anything else.
“Only love of the immutable will bring tranquility.” Augustine also said that only if you love God more than you love anything else, will your heart not be broken.
Susan – I listened – quickly – to Keller’s talk yesterday…..like you, I was stunned to hear that one statement about God playing a rotten joke on us and then giggling merrily ….and that it was biblical. I actually backed up and replayed that clip because I could not believe I had heard it correctly. It troubled me a lot – and I do NOT AGREE that it is “biblical” – Tim Keller or not!! I do realize though that public speakers have “in the moment” words that they wish they could take back or that they didn’t mean to come out quite the way they did. But even though that tempered my emotional reaction to those words….there was someone I was going to share the talk with that I decided definitely not to based on that statement! It was just too jarring and seemed out of place.
I did think other parts of the talk were really quite good and helpful, but I’m just too tired tonight to go back to my notes …….perhaps tomorrow! Want to say something positive…..but I also really wanted you to know, Susan, that you were not the only one who was a little taken aback by the practical joke segment.
Susan and Jackie — I had the same reaction. Tim Keller or not! 🙂
Susan and Jackie,
I always glean something from Tim Keller, but I too had trouble with that statement and rewound it to be sure I heard him right. I’m sure that, as you said Jackie, public speakers have words they wish they could take back. He is only human. That’s probably why its important that we subject ourselves to a variety of teachers, so that we don’t idolize one in particular. Will continue to listen to and respect Tim Keller.
4. Read Psalm 37:1-13
A. What is the negative command repeated in v. 1, 7, and 8 and what reasons are given in each case?
Do not fret.
a. because of those who are evil and do wrong
b. when people succeed in their ways and carry out their evil schemes
c. it leads to evil
B. We have learned that you cannot just stop negative behavior, you must replace it with positive behavior.
What positive behavior do you see listed in verses 3, 4, 5, and 7?
Trust God…do good. Dwell in the land. Enjoy safe pasture, trust in Him, commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him, wait patiently
C. TRY THESE THREE STEPS TO EXPERIENCE DIALOGUE WITH THE LORD:
· REFLECT: As you are still before the Lord, do any of these passages quicken you? If so, that’s the Holy Spirit. So ponder what it tells you about God or yourself in relation to Him.
I tend to be impatient and often get ahead of the Lord. I tend to fret especially with regards to health issues like my shoulder pain lately and my hypertension.
· RESPOND: Pray this back to Him, for the dialogue has begun.
Lord, I want to trust you. Help my faltering faith. It seems like when it rains trials, it pours. Yet amidst the faltering faith, I hear you say, “Trust me. Commit your ways to me, Bing. Enjoy safe pasture because I will lead you to quiet pastures if you follow me. There is no need to fret-I am your good shepherd. And I love you and I know the desires of your heart.”
· REST: Rest in the presence of God.
You are my rest, Lord. You are the one who rejoices over me with singing. (Just be held by Casting Crowns-thank you, Lord for this song)
Bing–love your response above–praying you can rest in Him~
D. How does verse 4 confirm 1st and 2nd things?
1st thing delighting in the Lord
2nd thing desires of the heart
5. Read Philippians 4:4-8 for it gives keys for intimacy with Christ.
A. What commands are we given in verses 4 and 5 and why, according to this passage, should we be able to do this?
Rejoice in the Lord.
Let your gentleness be evident.
Because the Lord is near.
B. What negative and positive command is given in 6?
Negative: Do not be anxious about anything
Positive: (with thanksgiving) present requests to God
C. What promise is given in 7?
God’s peace will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Whoa! I sure needed this passage tonight. Lord, thank you once again for speaking to my heart regarding a situation at school today. All is well with my soul-thank you!
D. What command is given in 8?
Think on these things-true, noble, right, pure, admirable, praiseworthy, excellent. Think Jesus who is the composite of all these attributes. He embodies everything of these qualities. What would Jesus do? WWJD?
In studying these two things really jumped out at me and this is a huge take away for me. From the Matthew Henry commentary this confirms it.”fret fullness and envy are sins that are their own punishments, they are uneasiness of the spirit and the rottenness to the bones: it is there for in kindness to ourselves that we are warned against them”
” a fretful discontented spirit lies open to many temptations and those that indulge it are in danger of doing evil”
Oh Lord I want to seek You First and make You first in All of my life. Forgive me of the times I have fretted and of envy. Help me Lord this day forward to have a strong check in my spirit when my flesh wants to go that way help me to confess quickly refocus my eyes to You and seeking only You putting You first and KNOW that you will take care of the seconds as You see fit as being best for me. I can already feel so many burdens lifted and I am so excited to really walk this out in myiLife with expectation of a life filled with more of You and your best!!!!!!!
I read as much as I can here and so blessed to be amongst these sisters in Christ who have such a hunger to GROW.Thank you Dee for your leadership here the work you do bringing these studies. I share so much of what I have been learning with others. I so want to GROW.
Good thought — fret being a sin that carries its own punishment
my biggest problem at the moment is that I was lied about and miss-understood. I am loosing a paycheck that was going to go to Abby’s wedding. I was treated in a way that most secular places would not treat an employee and My best friend and her husband are now working for the board that did this.
My response
GOD IS IN CONTROL, HE HAS THIS ALL IN HIS HANDS. I JUST NEED TO REST.
My pride at “being in the ministry” was ugly and HE wanted to take care of that….HE DID
I was putting work before my children and I was running on fumes.
I was emotionally on the brink of a nervous break down, my two oldest getting married, my kiddos growing up, it is a VERY hard place for me to be. I invested all my 20s and 30s and half my 40s into my children, they were my soul purpose and I was so afraid that if I did not find something else to “fill me up” to be useful at I would shrivel up and die when they all left the nest. I wanted something that was mine outside my home. I thought it was “me time” now. time to work on becoming who I was really meant to be.
Well, I am seeing that I will always be a mom, even to married children. cars will always break down, they will always need a listening ear, I will someday be grandma and get to invest my energy into those little people. I do not need an identity outside of my family, my identity was never my family….It has always been child of the one true KING. It was my insecurity and pride that needed more.
I DO NOT KNOW WHAT GOD HAS FOR MY FUTURE, BUT I AM OPEN TO HIS LEADING.
GOD KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT HE WAS DOING….I JUST NEED TO TRUST HIM.
My heart breaks for you in this Cyndi. Betrayal is so painful.
Praying for you as you heal — your perspective is good.
C. TRY THESE THREE STEPS TO EXPERIENCE DIALOGUE WITH THE LORD:
Reflect
Psalm 37:5 “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.”
Such a familiar passage but this part struck me anew this time: “and He will act”. My dad always seemed passive, and at times my husband can be, and I’m usually not good at trusting that he will act when the time is right. But God tells me He WILL act, I can believe He will. My role is to trust and wait. It is so difficult for me to wait. As Bing shared, I often run ahead. I’m a planner, a bit obsessively…and I like to know what is coming and when! (ok, control idol, maybe?!)
So v. 7 is a reminder I need daily: “ Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;”. It seems interesting that He tells us not just to wait, but to do it patiently. This tells me not just the action required, but the demeanor, the heart attitude I am to have. To wait patiently means that I wait with an assurance and faith that I will get what I need, when it’s time.
And then this, a reminder to not compare or worry about what anyone else is doing “fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way…”. We are praying about a possible major life change, and I am very much in this place of needing to commit my way to Him, and wait. I am not sure if He is calling us or if it’s me running ahead, and its hard not to look at others on their way and compare…but I will wait patiently, with the Spirit’s strength, for Him to act.
This passage reminds me of the truths of who God is and who I am. God: He is trustworthy. He will act. I am His child. My job is to trust, and wait.
This whole topic has really been hitting me where it hurts. My counselor had just this past week gotten me thinking about where I am putting God in the different aspects of my life. The Tim Keller talk was covering the same thing and then to top it off, on the way home from work today I was listening to a local Christian station and they too were talking about Augustine and disordered loves. I think God is telling me something…
Me, too, Dawn – this has been very “hard-hitting” in my life.
I used to think verse 8 meant to think of wildflowers and butterflies instead of war and suffering, but Keller says Paul is talking about doctrine. We are to think about the promises, and the sovereignty, the goodness, and the faithfulness of God so that we can indeed put our trust in Him. This is why I think memorizing songs of rich doctrine is so helpful. Are you working on a song? Or do you have another plan? If so, list it above.
I am going to write 10 Scripture references on index cards of the promises and sovereignty of God to remind me when I am struggling to trust in Him.
Philippians 1: 6; Jeremiah 29:9-13; Matthew 11:28-30; Daniel 2:21-23; Philippians 4:4-8; Isaiah 26:3; Proverbs 3:5-6 . I am pondering three more.
6. How might you apply this lesson to your biggest problem?
I think my biggest problem is ME. I can talk about Jesus and who He is but I often want to stay in control of my circumstances and of those I love.
Thursday-Friday: Uncovering Satisfaction by Tim Keller
7. This was filmed at Oxford and is followed by a testimony and Q and A — all of which I think are interesting — but I particularly want you to hear Keller’s 30 minute talk and share your notes and comments here.
Your loves are disordered.” A lifetime struggle it seems for me as identifying 1st and second things can get blurry. Often times my love for my daughter, my job, my ministry, my health, my reputation becomes first things in my life.
Forgive, Lord. I want you to be 1st in my life. My foremost love should be you-let it be from a sold out heart to Jesus and not from a heart that expects only the good things that come from a relationship with you.
What has stood out to you and why?
Disordered loves. Whenever I am in a sea of either doubt, restlessness and anxiety, I need to ask myself. Are my loves in proper order? “Put first things in first and second things are thrown in. Put 2nd things first and you will lose first and second things.” So true, Lord. Let me not forget this.