C.S. Lewis

Standing Fast and Running Slow

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standing-tallI’ve always be thankful for some of the wording in I Corinthians 16: “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love (13-14).”

Since I’m a little slow of foot, I don’t run much; but, I’m a Gold Medal winner when it comes to standing.  If Paul would have said “run fast,” I’d be in serious trouble.

The word stand is grēgoreō, and it means “to be vigilant and attentive.” There are several things that demand your attention, and Peter issues a warning about two of them.  One is pride and the other one is the adversary:

God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble’. So, humble yourselves under God’s strong hand, and in his own good time he will lift you up. You can throw the whole weight of your anxieties upon him, for you are his personal concern. Resist the devil: you are in God’s hands.

Be self-controlled and vigilant always, for your enemy the devil is always about, prowling like a lion roaring for its prey. Resist him, standing firm in your faith.

What is the link between the pride and the adversary?  In the Proverbs, pride is listed as one of the seven deadly sins, and it’s characterized as a “My way, not Thy way” attitude.  This was the case when Lucifer rebelled against God:

“I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High(Isaiah 14:13-14).”  

To borrow a phrase from Zig Ziglar, this is “stinkin thinkin,”and Paul warned of it: “I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one (Romans 12:3).”

Pride is thinking too highly of yourself, and it always separates you from God. The Bible says, “In his pride the wicked does not seek Him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God (Psalm 10:4).

C.S. Lewis defined pride as, “the complete anti-God state of mind.”

Instead of trying to lift yourself up in the false bravado of pride, humble yourself before God, and He will lift you up.  This is one of several paradoxes of Christianity:

  • To find, you must lose—Matthew 10:39
  • To receive, you must give—Luke 6:38
  • To be exalted, you must be humble—Matthew 23:12
  • To be great you must be small—Matthew 18:4
  • To be strong, you must be weak—2 Corinthians 12:9,10
  • To rule, you must serve—Mark 10:42-45
  • To live, you must die—Galatians 2:20

The key to this is found in the last nine words of I Corinthians 16: “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love (13-14).”

Paul’s “key” was a statement, but you might understand it better in the form of a question: Who do you love the most, self or the Savior?

The Hum of Sweet Harmony

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egoIt seems to me that friction and factions are striking a note of discord much too frequently.  Everyone is asserting their rights, and no one is willing to play second fiddle.  As a result, society has lost the sweet sound of harmony.

This is evident whether you are looking inside of the church or outside of the sanctuary, and it was one of Paul’s major concerns when he wrote the letter to the Philippians. Paul knew that sweet songs of harmony are sung in the key of humility.

Humility is the love song of the church, and Paul penned the lyrics in the second chapter of Philippians:

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,  fulfill my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, sharing the same feelings, focusing on one goal.  Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.  Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.~ Philippians 2:1-4

One verse of this song seems to summarize all of it: “Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.”

A good understanding of humility is important, so I encourage you to give a little thought to these wise words :

  • C. S. Lewis: Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.
  • Thomas Merton: Pride makes us artificial and humility makes us real.
  • Andrew Murray:  Pride must die in you, or nothing of heaven can live in you.
  • D.L. Moody:  A man can counterfeit love, he can counterfeit faith, he can counterfeit hope and all the other graces, but it is very difficult to counterfeit humility

The difference between the genuine and the counterfeit, is the difference between a juice harp and the music of the Boston Pops.  One is noise, and the other is the hum of sweet harmony.

You can listen to the difference for yourself by clicking on each of these words: Juice Harp and Boston Pops.

The Thunder of Pain

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Shape of the heartGod was in the business of dealing with hurting hearts long before Billy Ray Cyrus became a one hit wonder singing about an “achy breaky heart.” Psalm 34:18 supports my statement: “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart.”

When our hearts ache, we feel less like Jesus who walked on water and more like Peter who sank. When Peter began to focus on the howling winds of adversity, he was deaf to the quiet voice that promised: I will never leave you or forsake you.

Warm fuzzy platitudes, and comfortless clichés do little to alleviate the pain that overwhelms us as the waves do the sand on the sea shore—one wave followed by another. The anguish of pain is a stark reminder that we are mere mortals. Henri Nouwen once said that “Christ becomes most present when we are most human.”

The family of Lazarus had some very “human” expectations of Jesus. After all, they were some of Jesus’ closest friends—and they expected more. They expected Jesus to arrive earlier and they expected Him to heal their dying brother.

When expectations meet reality, disappointment can be the result. This reminds me of something Kay Arthur said, and I’ve quoted it before: “The disappointment has come—not because God desires to hurt you or make you miserable or to demoralize you or ruin your life or keep you from knowing happiness. He wants you to be perfect and complete in every aspect, lacking nothing. It’s not the easy times that make you more like Jesus, but the hard times.”

Philip Yancey has made a similar statement: “We tend to think, ‘Life should be fair because God is fair.’ But God is not life. And if I confuse God with the physical reality of life- by expecting constant good health for example- then I set myself up for crashing disappointment.”

C.S. Lewis reminds us that, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

During the difficult and painful times of life, we should remember that, “Hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us (Romans 5:5).” Perhaps Lewis had this verse in mind when he wrote: “When pain is to be born, a little courage helps more than much knowledge, a little human sympathy more than much courage, and the least tincture of the love of God more than all.”

When disappointment comes and the aching of your heart is so intense you think it might not beat again, you may be closer to God than you think. This is because, “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart.”

If you can tune out the thundering pain for just a moment, you might hear His quiet voice: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matthew 11:28-20).”