Ch. 2 - From Him, Through Him, To Him (Part 3)

Okay, so there were several quotes that I wasn't able to fit into the last 2 posts that I simply must give to you!  These are my favorites, that were not only the recipients of highlighter vomit but also received stars:

"And regardless of how complex, convoluted, or impossible your situation may seem or actually be right now, the wisdom of God is much more than adequate to walk you through it.  'For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, & the weakness of God is stronger than men' (1 Cor. 1:25)."  (pg. 33)

"But we stand in this line with the Lord Jesus, for whom the ways of God meant divesting Himself of His rights, experiencing rejection & ridicule on a scale never known by anyone before or since, then ultimately enduring a cruel death on the cross.  'How inscrutable.'"  (pg. 37)

"The appropriate response to the fathomless depths of God's wisdom & ways is to step out of the spotlight & turn the spotlight on Him.  It is to say, 'Amen!' - wholeheartedly affirming our agreement with the Word of God."  (pg. 39)

"The way God goes about redeeming this broken world is so very different than the way we would do it.  So when we can't understand what He's doing or why He's doing it, it's not our place to challenge or dispute, but rather to humbly bow before His sovereignty, His goodness, His mercy, & His greatness - 'the riches & wisdom & knowledge of God' - & to align ourselves with His purposes, embracing His will."  (pg. 42)

Remember the third point in Part 2, about us saying, "Yes, Lord"?  Well, Nancy also shows that saying "Yes, Lord" will mean that we say "no" to some things & "yes" to others.  Would you like to know what these things are?  Buy the book! ;-)  Seriously, you'll be glad you did.

Ch. 2 - From Him, Through Him, To Him (Part 2)

Today, let's move to the so what of Romans 11:33-36 as laid out in Voices of the True Woman Movement. We all know, or I hope we do, that we don't come to Scripture just to gain knowledge. We don't read Scripture just for the what, right? After all, the heart of Scripture is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it's all His story & we all know that there's both a what & a so what. Jesus Christ lived a perfect life, died the only sin-atoning & wrath-absorbing death, rose again from the grave, & ascended into heaven where He reigns at the right hand of the Father. There's the what, & the so what is that we are now children of God & co-heirs with Christ who have been commanded to love one another, serve & worship God with all of our hearts, & make disciples of all nations. Scripture influences our lives. It doesn't just work that way with the Gospel. Since all of Scripture is about Jesus - either in foreshadowing, in consummation, or in expectation of His return - then all of Scripture has so what applications for our lives.

I have to say that, although I thoroughly enjoyed this whole chapter, I particularly relished this "response" portion. The fact that my highlighter threw up all over this entire chapter bears this out. Everything in me shouted, "YES!" as I read Nancy's 3 main responses of a true woman to the truth of God's Word.

     1.) A true woman lives a God-centered life. (pg. 40) "She lives to reflect the beauty & wonder of His ways & to join every created thing in heaven & earth in glorifying & worshipping Him eternally. This is her reason for living." A true woman realizes that her life is not about her. It's not about her comfort or her discomfort. It's not about her realizing her dreams or seeing them dashed. This life is not about us. It's all about Him. Our every desire should be wrapped up in seeing God glorified, however that may come about. And when - not if - our path leads through suffering, we must remember that "our greatest problems, no matter how enormous & unsolvable they may seem, become puny when measured against the vastness of God." When we stay focused on God, our lives are put into perspective. And, not only this, but focusing on God inevitably gives us hope!

     2.) A true woman trusts in God. (pg. 41-43) As we all know, suffering is a part of life. We are told time & again in God's Word that trials will come our way. And sometimes, we can feel so overwhelmed that we lose sight of God. We sometimes even feel like He's not there. Sometimes, we become very afraid by an uncertain future that is completely out of our control. "But the true woman doesn't give in to fear. . . . She knows the One in charge of 'all things' can be trusted to know what He's doing. He has a plan we would not have scripted, a plan we may not understand, but it is His plan, & His plan is good, wise, & can never be thwarted. So a true woman accepts His plan as good, though it may not be the way she defines as good. She knows it's God who defines good, so she leans on Him." One thing that struck me in reading this point is that God has shown Himself trustworthy through the ages by keeping His promises. Each time I see a rainbow, I am in awe that a biblical promise is being kept right before my very eyes. Praise be to God, that He kept the ultimate promise when He sent His Son to be born as one of us as our perfect sacrifice! He has shown Himself faithful. We can trust Him completely.

     3.) A true woman says, "Yes, Lord." (pg. 43-45) The focus of this chapter has been Romans 11:33-36, but if you read Romans 12:1 - which directly follows this passage - you find that Paul appeals to the brethren "by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, living & holy & acceptable to God." In writing this post, it's occurred to me that these points all really flow into & overlap each other. The theme that runs through them all is that God is in control & we are to respond to Him in worshipful submission. We are to sacrifice our plans, our desires, our will to His plans, desires, & will out of a heart that has one overarching goal: to bring Him glory. I mean, we absolutely could push to live our lives our way to achieve our purposes; many people do. But if we do that, we must remember that we are then living for that which is passing away. This world will end. But the Word of God endures forever. Don't be foolish & toss aside the imperishable for the perishable. Listen to my favorite paragraph of all: "[The true woman] lives intentionally, not just drifting from one meaningless activity to the next, letting the circumstances of life pull her along. She's willing to be like a salmon, swimming upstream, living a counter-cultural life in an unholy world for the glory of God. She's willing to make personal sacrifices, not constantly asking, 'What will make me happy?' Rather, she wants to know: 'What will please You, Lord?' 'What will further Your kingdom?' 'What will display Your glory?' Her heart attitude is, 'If it pleases You, it pleases me.' The true woman reflects the spirit of Mary of Nazareth when she said in response to God's calling, 'I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word'" (Luke 1:38).

Before we leave this chapter, let us remember that we can't be this "true woman" on our own. It's tempting to read these points with a self-reliant attitude, but that's exactly the opposite of what our attitude should be. We must remember that we can't "succeed" at any part of the Christian life apart from the grace of God. It's right & good for us to want to be this kind of woman, to want our desire to be solely for God & His glory. But it's wrong to think we can do so without His help. So, as we ponder "the depth of the riches & wisdom & knowledge of God" & seek to apply His Word to our lives, let us also remember the cross of Christ where we laid down our selves & were clothed with Him.

Ch. 2 - From Him, Through Him, To Him (Part 1)

Oh, the depth of the riches & wisdom & knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments & how inscrutable His ways! "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor?" "Or who has given a gift to Him that he might be repaid?" For from Him & through Him & to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen. ~ Romans 11:33-36

These verses - & the chapter that expounds upon them - are a mountaintop experience. As Nancy Leigh DeMoss states, this doxology connects the what of Romans 1-11 to the so what of the rest of the book. And when you stop to behold the transcendent beauty inherent in these verses, it simply takes your breath away. It did mine. In order to give you the same sense of awe as I gained in reading this chapter, I'm going to devote 2 posts to it - one for the what & one for the so what.

"This passage . . . gives us a perspective - a grid - for responding to His sovereign choices in our lives, especially those we cannot understand." (pg. 29) And aren't there a lot of those? There are a lot of circumstances in our lives that we just simply can't understand why they're happening the way that they are. If we were in charge, we would orchestrate things in a much more painless way. Why is God doing it this way? Why do I have to experience strife in family relationships or discontentment in my job? Why is it necessary to go through a spiritually dry season? To put it bluntly, as these very verses show, because He has a depth of wisdom, knowledge, & judgment that is beyond us. We can't search them out. We can't easily understand them. We have to get it through our heads that our way is wrong & God's way is right. . . & we don't have to understand it. He is wholly other & completely above us in all ways. Unlike us, He has no lack of wisdom or knowledge. Nothing escapes or surprises Him. He knows everything about the momentous events of history all the way down to the minute details of our every day lives. He not only knows them, He's in control of them. And this brings immense comfort to His children because we know that no matter how out of control we are, He never is. Nothing ever happens to us apart from His will. And because "God works all things together for good for those who love Him & are called according to His purpose", we can rest assured that when we get that dreaded diagnosis or lose our job or face infertility or any other crisis, He is taking care of us. His plans are for our good, not for our demise. Even when - especially when - it hurts, we can know that He's working His sanctification in us, so that we will be like Him. How can we know that? "For from Him & through Him & to Him are all things." All of the circumstances in history & in our personal lives happens in order to bring Him glory. When evil occurs, He receives glory in His wrath toward that evil or in bringing the evil doer to repentance & forgiving that evil in His mercy. When one of His children suffers well, such as Rachel Barkey, trusting in Him come what may, He receives immense glory! When one of His children gives up a comfortable life to spend their lives living out & preaching the Gospel, such as Katie Davis, God receives glory! When parents joyfully raise their children in the fear & admonition of the Lord, faithfully going about their daily duties out of love for God, He receives glory. What in the world makes such people trust & serve a God they cannot see or touch? Faith. Faith that God's "riches & wisdom & knowledge" are of such unfathomable depth that we can never know them fully. Faith that lets go of having to know everything God knows for one simple reason: He knows it & that's enough. Faith that knows that God is good & only gives the best gifts to His children. Faith that knows that even when it hurts, God is there, He's working out His plan - again, for our good - & in the end He will get the glory & we will receive immense blessing. This faith is not of us. It's of God alone. To Him be glory forever. Amen.

Voices of the True Woman Movement - Introduction

Voices swirl around us every day. Voices speaking to us, calling to us, exhorting us to listen to & believe them. The siren call comes from out of the movies & TV programs we watch, the music we listen to, the books & magazines we read. It even comes to us in the voices of our friends, family, &, yes, our own thoughts. And these voices may carry life or death into our lives, depending on their message.

     "So much is determined by which voices we hear & heed: our sense of who we are & why we are here; the way we relate to others; the choices we make; the way we spend our moments & years; our personal, emotional, & spiritual well-being; & yes, the ultimate outcome of our lives." (pg. 11, Voices of the True Woman Movement)

That's the voice of Nancy Leigh DeMoss, author of Lies Women Believe & the Truth That Sets Them Free & host of Revive Our Hearts. Hers is a voice worth listening to & trusting, because she is influenced - nay, molded & defined - by God. When she speaks, she speaks not from her own opinions & prejudices, but from the authority of God's Word. She studies His Word & she applies it to our lives with amazing wisdom, insight, & love.

Hers is just one voice in the True Woman Movement. This is a movement dedicated to "calling women to be 'true women' of God, to anchor their lives in His Word, to live out what it means to be redeemed women, & to embrace His calling for their lives" (pg. 13). The book Voices of the True Woman Movement is a result of the first True Woman conference that took place in 2008. This book is going to be the focus of my next several posts. As this was one of the top books on my wish list, I eagerly signed up to get this book for free in exchange for blogging about each chapter. I have listened to Nancy for more than 3 years now, including going through her "True Woman Makeover" twice, & have never failed to walk away with an enriched faith in God. She constantly encourages me that I can be a godly woman in all of my roles through the strength of Christ. Hers is a message of life - everlasting life as only found in the life, death, & resurrection of Jesus Christ. Please join me as she & so many others speak these life-giving words into our lives.