Crushed

    This morning was unusual - I felt hard pressed, crushed, perplexed, persecuted, .... by lots of problems.  It felt like more than just the problems themselves - it felt spiritually oppressive.  So at lunch I decided to find a verse I was sure talked about being hard pressed but not crushed, persecuted but not abandoned.  Of course that is 2 Corinthians chapter 4.

    I also looked up the reference in My Utmost for His Highest to see what Oswald Chambers wrote about it.  I was looking for comfort and strength but part of me was also having a little pity party.

    May 14th's note has that reference and included this, "No matter how disagreeable a thing may be, say- 'Lord, I am delighted to obey Thee in this matter' and instantly the Son of God will press to the front and there will be manifested in my human life that which glorifies Jesus."......"You must keep yourself fit to let the life of the Son of God be manifested, and you cannot keep yourself fit if you give way to self-pity."

    This was what the Holy Sprit was already beginning to speak to me about.  I had been reminded of something Gail said recently. She was criticized by someone and felt very hurt.  Instead of holding a grudge, she said, "who am I am that I can't be humbled? Maybe God wants to teach me through this."  That was a powerful reminder to me for my problems at work.  Am I too proud to let God humble me?  What if he uses other people to do it?  Do I really rejoice in my lack of knowledge, wisdom, or strength so that I can fully rely on his all-sufficient grace?  Can I be a disciple who truly rejoices to be counted worthy of suffering for the Name?

    I prayed, "God, I am delighted to obey you.  If troubles lets me die more to myself - I thank you for using it, if criticism humbles me- I accept it, if feeling like I am drowning in work lets me rely on you to prioritize - I thank you for that,....".

    Every week I write a different verse, quote, or thought on the bulletin board in our administration building.  I hadn't done it yet this morning.  After lunch, I wrote what struck me about the first verse of that powerful chapter.

                2 Cor 4:1 "Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose hope."
"This ministry is not something that we are doing for God - it is something he is doing for us.  Through his grace he is letting us humans be involved in his plan of redemption for a lost world.  It is our priveledge to suffer with Christ.  Only when we come to that realization do we become thankful that he is using these troubles to rid us of ourselves to fully know His power -therefore we do not lose hope."

    I have to say the rest of the day came with the same problems that the day started with, but the entire afternoon had none of the feeling of dread, doom, and resentment that I began the day with.  God didn't solve the problems, he solved an attitude problem in his child.  God won't let these problems crush me or destroy me - not the real me, the one that belongs solely to Him.  The only thing he intends to help me crush is the self-centered old nature - but I have to chose that, He won't force me.

    I don't know what problems you are facing today.  I pray that they will make you more fully conscious of God's strength, wisdom, and grace.  If you are feeling crushed, chose instead to let it crush self-centeredness and find that what remains is Christ in you - indestructible, eternal.  I pray that you will see sometimes he allows the testing of our faith to develop our maturity, truly dying to self so that Christ may live through us and be seen by all - even ourselves.  Pray the same for us in PNG (it seems God often later needs to remind me of things he has already taught me!).  It is through God's mercy that you and I have a ministry in his kingdom work, and the struggles that go with it.  Praise the Lord!

In Christ
Scott for the Dooleys

Judges

I am behind on blogging.  I have sent out some e-mail's to our group that I have forgotten to post until now.  So here they are.  This one from early Sept.

            I have been reading Judges lately.  It is in many ways a sad tale of the same cycles of turning away from God that have marked much of human history. I see so much of the church in it (in any country).  It seems to be human nature - the people of God turning away to follow the ways of the world and the culture that surrounds them, forgetting his past miracles and mercies.  Eventually God allows his people to suffer the natural consequences of sin and withdraws his hand of protection (after all we have told him we don't want him around anymore anyway).  When we are oppressed, crushed, miserable, and find we have no strength to get out, we finally turn to God.

            I think what has struck me most in Judges is the power of one faithful person to shape a community or even a nation.  In summing up the theme of Judges it says, "Whenever the Lord raided up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived...." (2:18) Over and over throughout the book when God would raise up a judge, Israel would follow God and that judge until they died, "but when the judge died, the people returned to ways ever more corrupt....(19). 

            It is striking to me in these stories why the people who have turned from God would follow these judges.  Gideon (ch 6-9) was the least of his family, from the smallest tribe.  We know Gideon received the signs of the fleece and other signs to assure him of victory, but that was for him personally.  The only thing the people knew he had done was simply to break down his fathers idols (and that in secret at night).  Have you ever wondered why people rallied to him in the first place?  They didn't receive the confirmation of the fleece.  Why did people listen to him when he sent tens of thousands of soldiers home and then divided them again until he only had 300 men to fight an uncountable hoard? 

            Why didn't God give a sign to the whole nation?  Well I guess he did.  Once Gideon truly believed God had called him and was with him, he was willing to stake his life on it.  And that changed everything.  Sometimes God just needs one person with unwavering faith to inspire others.  Gideon's personal faith became the sign to the nation.  It was the same for many of the other judges - people followed them before any military victories.  Their faith inspired others to have faith. 

            So why is the church so anxious to fit with the world's philosophy, to bend our beliefs to match secular humanism, consumerism, grace without repentance, a "name it and claim it" Santa Claus of a god, or any other trend that pops up?  Why do we keep looking so much like the world around us?

            I am proud to have seen over and over in my life how one person can make a difference - in a group of friends, in a work place, in a community, and even in a nation.  I have seen so many times the effects of one life who affects many - and often they have not even know it.  We have seen a single person stop a tribal fight, a person who was wronged bring healing to families through forgiveness, a bad situation turn into a prayer meeting, one faithful person keep a whole group from doing wrong, the attitude of one person changing the attitude of the whole....  

            I am not suggesting we become fire brand preachers shoving truth down people's throats, but faithful people of God.  People who don't compromise our integrity in words or in action, people who love God and others, people who defend the defenseless, love the unlovable, touch the poor and the outcast, are peacemakers, and are unashamed of the gospel of Christ - even if they stand alone.  What is amazing is that when it looks like we are left alone how God uses it to call others to stand as well.  

            That is who I want to be.  That is who I pray you will be.  That as long as we are alive we are drawing people to God. 

Scott for the Dooley family.

Please keep praying for the hydro project, for elections, and for Gail's health.  In both the hydro project and the elections just a few Christians standing up in the community can make a world of difference.