"The Terminal" ~ R.C. Sproul, Jr.

I am always drawn to people who exhibit faith in & love for God in the midst of heartbreaking circumstances.  I believe that John Piper is right when he says that "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him . . . in the midst of loss, not prosperity."  R.C. Sproul, Jr.'s wife is battling cancer yet again, & he is meeting this challenge with exactly that kind of vulnerable yet strong faith that whatever the outcome, God is good & will see their family through.  I saw just the other day that the clinical trial that she was involved in did not work for her, so it's back to more chemotherapy.  It breaks my heart for people to suffer.  I wish suffering wasn't part of life, because it's not natural; it's not the way God created our world.  But it is a reality in this fallen world, & it not only sanctifies us so that we're more like Christ, it also makes our very souls yearn earnestly for the return of our King.  I received a new "Kingdom Notes" in my email a couple of days ago, & it was so touching, so poignant, so true, I just have to share it with you.  Please keep the Sproul family in your prayers, & let us all bear in mind that, whether we have a doctor's diagnosis or not, we are all terminal & must "look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:15-16)

"The yellowing sky confirmed the wisdom of the forecasters, a tornado might well be just around the bend. With one eye scouring the landscape I dutifully herded my then seven children into our basement. One of them, worried, asked me- “Are we all going to die?” Tender hearted father that I am, I told the truth- “Of course…but probably not today.” We survived the weather that day, but we are all still terminal.

As my wife continues her valiant fight against leukemia she too occasionally asks me to look into my crystal ball. She wants to know if she is going to make it. The doctors don’t know, and they are considerably more knowledgeable than I am. So I tell my wife what I do know- “I don’t know if you are going to get well or not. I do know that that day was appointed before all time. Nothing will make it a day later, nothing a day earlier. Cancer cannot determine when you go home. Only your Father can.

God can and does give clues, from time to time. The Bible affirms that He opens and closes the womb. That doesn’t mean that Abraham and Sarah didn’t have reason to be surprised. That Denise is ill, that it is this kind of cancer, that form of leukemia, this other test result suggests that we have more reason to worry about her than me. Seeking to decipher all these clues causes us to ride a roller coaster of hope and fear. I have come to learn, however, that my confidence on a given day is likely more tied to how poorly I slept the night before than it is deciphering the results of a CT scan.

My calling then is to rest in, to believe, to be comforted by what He has spoken clearly. Providence is His, but there He speaks a strange language in muted tones. His Word, on the other hand is both loud and clear. We know, for starters, that God Himself is behind this. God will either defeat the cancer He has sent, or He will have sent the cancer that calls her home (Isaiah 45:7). We know that whether her time is sooner or later, it works out for the good not only for her, but for her husband and children (Romans 8:28). We know that whenever He calls her home He will at the same time heal her fully (Revelation 21:4).

Insofar as I am able, by His grace, to believe what He has revealed, I am able to be at peace about what He has not revealed. Insofar as I seek to learn the secret things, I will fail to believe what He has revealed. One thing we know for certain- He is good. He loves us with an everlasting love. That doesn’t answer the question of the day or the hour. It just makes it not so important.

It is a good and proper thing that I should, and you as well if you are willing, pray that God would make Denise well, that He would allow us to grow old together. It is, however, a better thing to pray that I would be a faithful husband to my love, and a faithful father to the children He has blessed us with. It is less important that He believe me and my conviction, that the kingdom would be better with her here. It is more important that I believe Him and His promise that the gates of hell will not prevail (Matthew 16:18), and that He who has begun a good work in us will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus (Ephesians 6:10). This train is bound for glory."

Faith in the Midst of Cancer

The Story of Zac Smith from NewSpring Media on Vimeo.



A Story from Adam Kring on Vimeo.

Tears of Hope
 
God is still God, & God is still good.  Some of the most beautiful words I think I've ever heard.

Genuine Faith Renounces Sin

“Faith in Christ carries in itself a renunciation of that rival power that King Jesus conquered — sin. And where that renunciation of sin is not present, neither is genuine faith in the One who defeated it.”

~Greg Gilbert, What is the Gospel?
Of First Importance

Suffer Well

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies." (2 Cor. 4:8-10)

I've been thinking about suffering a lot lately. Now, don't get all worried & run off; this is not going to be a sad post. I promise! So, sit your hiney back down & move your hand away from the mouse. I've been thinking a lot about suffering because we all have those times. Regardless of the bill of goods that the health, wealth, & prosperity teachers like to try to sell us, Scripture says that we will suffer. Some people are caught completely unaware by suffering. They are fair weather "Christians"; when the inevitable storms blow, they crumple. I'm not talking about grieving; this is normal. Even Jesus grieved over Lazarus' death right before He resurrected his lifeless body. But some become angry with God & walk away from Him because they feel that He owes them only pleasant experiences in life. Not to be too blunt, but that's a lie. There is absolutely no biblical basis for these beliefs. They should be discarded & repented of. We see myriad examples of Christians suffering in Scripture. Of course, the first to come to mind is Jesus Christ Himself. Further, not a single apostle escaped suffering. Most of them were martyred. 2 Timothy 1:8 calls us to "share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God". In his epistle, James exhorts us to "count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds". When, not if. To be a Christian is to suffer. To be a Christian who suffers well is to be a Christian who glorifies God & brings honor to His name. It's to show to the world that Christ is worthy of our suffering.

To endure persecutions from unbelievers in the form of imprisonment, torture, & rape & respond by praying for your persecutors' salvation; to face cancer - as Rachel, Matt, & Christian have - & determine that it's worth it to you to suffer & even die if Christ is glorified & people are brought to salvation; to declare, "The Lord gave & the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord", upon finding out that your bride has been killed in a car accident - this makes God look glorious! The world doesn't understand this kind of faith, & they are drawn toward its Founder & Perfecter, Jesus Christ.

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith--that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. (Phil. 3:8-11)

Packing an Umbrella

We've all heard the old adage "If you pray for rain, you'd better pack an umbrella". Mama sent me an email just this morning with a story about a couple married 5 years who prayed for children & proved this adage true as God blessed them with 4 children in as many years. At the top, she told me that this would be me in a couple of years, realizing my heart's desire in a house full of children. I pray so. My heart has really been aching the last few days for my children. My arms have felt so empty. I asked Michael today through tears, "How can I miss someone so much that I've never met?" We were standing in Costco, looking at the children's clothes, which I was affectionately stroking, wishing for the babies that I'm trusting God to give us. I decided then to "pack an umbrella". So, in faith that God is working to bring our children to us, Michael & I bought 6 outfits -- 3 girls' & 3 boys'.  These are closeup shots of the coordinating bibs that came with the outfits.  They're so cute!

We know that God has called us to this adoption, & because that's true, we also know that He will complete the adoption & unite us with our babies when the time is right. Sometimes it can be hard to hold on to this assurance, though, especially as more time goes by & we still don't have the funds to move on. Although I have these weak moments (thankfully few) where I wonder how it's all going to happen - if it's all going to happen - knowing that it will happen in God's time is comforting to me in my waiting. It's also comforting to know that our family & friends who love us are supporting & praying with us for peace, patience, & for the safety & well-being of our babies until God brings them to us. So, as we wait, we also prepare for God to bring the rain. I hope it's a deluge!