Personal, Gone Private, Gone Pagan.
Under the influence of Western Culture, Christianity tends to take on a uniquely individualistic cast, a “Jesus and me” kind of faith. We talk much about a “personal relationship with Jesus.” And it is certainly true that we are brought, by God’s grace, into personal communion with Christ. But Christianity is equally a faith that is meant to be anchored in community.
via First Excerpt from Chapter 12 – Broken-Down House by Paul David Tripp: Excerpts & Tweets.
The greatest single problem in the church today is that too many people have taken a “personal relationship with Jesus”, made it private, and then called it good enough to the detriment of the body of Christ. It is sin at its most rampant manifestation, where God’s command to love neighbor is eschewed by an unquenchable love for self baptized under the guise of piety and spirituality.
Things I’ve Learned as We Round the Corner to Week 25
Something miraculous happened this morning. No, it wasn’t finding a Starbucks accidentally in a Kroger shopping center in Aiken, SC. And it certainly wasn’t me actually finding a parking spot this morning at the hospital. No, it was actually that God answered prayer, and our baby is still in Momma, which means that we have officially entered Week 25.
There are other things that I am learning as well… for the convenience of the reader I’ve placed it in a bulleted list.
- New Medical Terms: Chorioangioma, Perinatal, Neonatologist. Oh yes, and what a hospital defines as “bedrest”.
- New patterns of existing: Hospital, Home, and Hospitality. Hanging out in the hospital room with Jen, driving back home, and staying with family… having to become OK with not knowing where I am going to be from one moment to the next.
- New levels of dependence: I am out of control. Now, let’s be clear, I never really was in control, but at home we at least had some level of ignorance. Now that we are here in the hospital, we are aware of more of what is going on than we ever were before, and have heard more scary what-if possibility’s than we have before. Each day is a cause to rejoice, and a reason to celebrate. But each day comes with its own necessity to rest and rely on the Lord’s provision for our son as each day he develops more and more.
I read on one of Paul Tripp’s twitter feeds for his recent book Broken-Down House
this quote:
So much of daily comfort comes from circumstances making sense…But waiting takes you beyond your wisdom, understanding & ability.
Waiting. Rejoicing? Yes. But waiting… that is where we are. We aren’t waiting for an impersonal force in the universe to simply “reveal our fate”, but we are waiting on the Lord, and journeying with him in the Veil of the Valley. We join our voice and our prayers with the Psalmist, who says:
[40:1] I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry. [2] He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. [3] He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD. (Psalm 40:1-3 ESV)
So, the journey continues. We walk with the Lord as we wait on His will. Thanks for laboring in prayer for us. We rejoice that God has sustained us thus far, and will continue to do so.
