Love Amidst a World of Hate

Lately, I've become aware that we live in a world that is filling with hate. Our brothers and sisters are being slaughtered and each time I turn on the news, it seems there is more tragedy at the hand of man. (Bringing back memories of Cain and Abel anyone?) Sure, there are the feel-good fillers about the elderly reaching the 100 year plus milestone and celebrations of human dedication and triumph in sport and ingenuity, but on the whole I often get more depressed by the state of our world and wonder what kind of world my children will grow up in.

The articles  "Does Islam Inevitably Lead to Violence" (Caleb Greggson) and "The FAQS: Islamic State Beheads 21 Egyptian Christians in Libya" (Joe Carter) over at the Gospel Coalition, made me grow in awareness of the causes of some of these tragic killings and I also became more aware of the tough call for us as Christians to be filled with love, instead of fear and hate. 

As we read through the book of 1 John, we quickly see the theme of love emerge. We can be struck by the love the Father has lavished on us in 1 John 3:1 and are reminded to love God (1 John 4:7) rather than the things of the world (1 John 2:15-17).  John then writes that we will be known by our love:

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so love us, we also ought to love one another. no one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us." (1 John 4:7-12).

Did you catch that? We love because God first loved us, seen most evidently in his gift of Jesus. We then will be known as a child of God because of God's love being lived out in our lives (1 John 5:1). In God's Kingdom, it is love that overcomes the dark evils of the world (1 John 5:4) and most specifically, the love through Jesus and belief in him (1 John 5:4-5). You see, our faith and love in Jesus cannot be taken from us, it is a light that is ever-shining. We are not of this world and so no matter what comes, our love for Jesus radiating out of us through our joy and hope and assurance of faith cannot be suppressed. 

It is helpful to be reminded that our world looks dark, because it is: "We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one." (1 John 5:19). It is also good to remember that as children of God, we have knowledge of the true light in Jesus and can grow more and more to know him and become like him, "we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ."(1 John 5:20). Let us remember "He is the true God and eternal life" (1 John 5:20 b) and so we are to love and hope in him. We are to keep ourselves from the love of the things of this world and be filled with love for the world as it is in darkness and needs to be illuminated with the love of Jesus. We also have hope: one day we will be enveloped in this love tangibly, as we are reunited with him and the rest of our family. Oh the depth of his love, and the sweet sweet mercy and grace shown through our glorious Saviour!




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New Book Review- Women of the Word, Jen Wilkin

Happy Lord's Day! How great to share with one another worshipping our Great God. Often on Sundays I think about singing in heaven as one accord, with brothers and sisters from all different cultures and in all different tongues... pretty awesome stuff it will be!

Anyway, I've just uploaded a new book review "Women of the Word" by Jen Wilkin (Crossway, 2014). Check it out here. 

You Want Me to READ?

I have always been a reader. I love to read and before children use to measure how 'relaxed' I was during a holiday break by how many books I had read. There is something quite satisfying about completing a book. Lately, I've found my reading practices a little more sporadic. I have books on tables all around the house that I've half read, depending on my mood and energy levels and have seen this also as a sign of a little bit of lack of discipline on my part. 

A few months ago, I read this great article "How to Read a Christian Book" by Jean Williams, that was published in The Briefing. I found it challenging to see that as Christians, reading should mean more than just relaxation. Reading can be a wonderful way to spur us on as we pursue God, furthering our spiritual growth. This doesn't just happen randomly however, it is the result of intentionally selecting what books we read. 

As an English teacher before my children came along, I remember lots of students complaining that they weren't "readers." If you are sitting there saying the same thing, let this be an encouragement:

Jean Williams' writes, "When I had babies and thought I’d never get time to read again, John Piper taught me that if you read for just 15 minutes a day, even if you read slowly, you’ll get through 20 books a year. Tim Challies points out that, even if you only read in the bathroom, you can get through a book or two a year." Quite a challenge, don't you think?

In her article, Williams also details 11 ways to read a Christian book. It is more than just enjoying the plot line. As we read to further our relationship with God, it is helpful if we really absorb what we are reading, applying what is good and throwing out what is bad. How can we do this? Some people find it helpful to highlight or make notes in the book, others like reading slowly or re-reading books, still others benefit from reading overviews first. 

Comprehension questions that are helpful when reading are:
1. Prior to reading, ask yourself- What do I think this book is about?
2. During reading, continue to ask yourself- "What is this author telling me? Do I agree or disagree with their point-of-view? Is this point-of-view supported by what I know of Scripture? Is there someone I can run this idea past if I am a bit unsure of it?" 
3. Also during reading, make connections with other things- "What does this remind me of? Is there a Bible passage, sermon or other book that makes similar points?" 
4. Make notes too- highlight important points, tag spots, journal...
5. Finally, once you have finished reading ask yourself- "Is this a book I would recommend to a friend? Why/Why Not?" 

So how do we select helpful books? I think recommendations are a great starting point. The important thing though is to really look carefully at who or what is recommending the book to you. Just because a book is sold in a Christian Bookstore, does not automatically mean the book is theologically sound. It is important to pray for discernment as we choose books and as we read them. Reading Book Reviews is also a helpful practice.  

Some great places to look for book recommendations or reviews are on websites such as Desiring God or the Gospel Coalition. I know Desiring God have a few posts of recommended reading lists- 14 Best Books of 2014, or What are Some Books That Desiring God recommends. So too, the Gospel Coalition review books and have their top 2014 picks here. 

For more on this topic? Please have a read of Jean William's article and if you're super keen, Tony Reinke has written a book "Lit!", which is reviewed here by Tim Challies. 

Happy Reading!

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New Discussion Page- Facebook

I know after my post on Facebook and my struggles with it, it may seem funny to be creating a Facebook page for Pursuits of God. Well, I have thought about it and would love to hear from you about your journey with God and open discussion. So tentatively I am re-entering the Facebook world with a purpose (and accountability in your company to manage my time on Facebook more successfully).

Over the past months on my blogging journey, I have come to realise two things:

1. It is a funny thing blogging- you write in the quiet of your own home and share your thoughts/struggles/ pilgrimage of life with God with an unknown audience (and then get surprised when people read your sometimes a little random thoughts).

2. You often wished you knew more about the people who are reading your blog and hear their thoughts.


So, as we are created for community, I have started a Facebook page (link here) to make discussion more accessible, get to know each other and help us encourage one another as the day draws closer! So add me and introduce yourself- love to hear from you!

Your sister in Christ,

Emily x

A Little Sunday Perspective

The sun peaks through my blinds, painting light over my face. I listen to my husband making breakfast for my children and I nuzzle down under the blanket a little further. Since we started having a set sleep-in day, his on Saturday morning and mine on Sunday, it has become something that I look forward to on those mornings when the kids are up bouncing around before the sun. This morning, my heart fills with joy. It is the Lord’s day and I get to be with his people; my people.

It hasn’t always been like that. In the past I have come to Sunday and looked for reasons why a rest at home would be more beneficial, or why rushing off after church is what we need. But in these times of excuses, I realized I often felt disconnected from the body of believers- like an outsider looking in on something that I wanted to be a part of but just couldn’t quite get there. Things have become easier as our bubba is now 1 and copes more with the church routine and this too gives me a bit more freedom to really connect with people. 

We were created by a communal God for community. We are part of a family. In 1 John 3:1 we read, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” I think those three words have become a favourite phrase for me- “and. so. we. are.” God has paid the price, we are part of the family, a child of the King of Kings. His love has drawn us in, enveloping us like my blanket does now. He sees our weaknesses and loves us. He sees our strengths and loves us. He sees us when we are changing our little one’s nappy, or when we are leading worship in church and loves us the same. And the ultimate place we see this love? In Jesus.

As Sally Lloyd-Jones writes, “Jesus was showing people what God’s love was like- his wonderful, New Stopping, Never Giving up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love” (The Jesus Storybook Bible, 2007, Zondervan). Today as I head off to celebrate the life we have in Jesus, I want to seek forgiveness for my times of tired irritation at my kids this week, and I want to simply enjoy being covered in the love of Jesus. I also want to look for the tired mamma who is feeling like she is the outsider looking in, and show that she is my sister in the great family of God. I want us as mammas to support each other in this journey with God's love as the glue.

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A Little Marriage Mystery- Part 2

Valentine's Day has been and gone for another year. We have celebrated love and eaten a few extra chocolates. But what about the rest of the year? In my last post, I talked about how I was challenged this year to look at Valentine's Day as a celebration of marriage and ultimately marriage as a celebration of the relationship between Jesus and the church. It got me thinking... how does this relationship between Jesus and his church translate into the relationship between a husband and a wife? What is there to be learnt from Jesus and his bride that can be implemented into our marriages, even after the roses have wilted and the love-themed chocolates are on a half price discount at the local store?

In Ephesians 5:22-24, wives are told to submit to their husbands, as the church submits to Jesus. Often this type of submission feels like it is preached as a life sentence and in post-feminist culture submission is a weakness. This is so far from the beautiful, biblical view of submission. Biblical submission means, for us as wives to “recognize and honor the greater responsibility of your husband to supply your protection and sustenance; be disposed to yield to his authority in Christ and be inclined to follow his leadership” (Piper). It is a beautiful thing to come under the protection, spiritual leadership and nurturing love of our husbands.

In Ephesians 5:25, husbands too are instructed to love and treasure their wives, as Christ does the church. Husbands are to copy Christ’s example of love- sacrificial love. Jesus served his disciples by washing their feet, serving them and loving them so fiercely it took him to the cross. Likewise, husbands should treasure their wives with sacrificial love. When as women we are nurtured and loved in this way, submission becomes a desire and serving a joy. Sure, there are days when we are both feeling empty and it is hard to give, yet in relationship with Jesus and partnership together, we can reach the fullest measure of fulfilment and blessing as we experience exactly what marriage is meant to be. It is a daily choice- to love through sacrifice and submit through humbly living out the reality of the ultimate sacrificial love in our lives.   

This morning, so soon after Valentine's Day, I found myself arguing with my husband about clothes left on the floor. I ended up declaring that from now on, he could wash his own clothes. As I loaded the washing machine (with his clothes left out) I started bolstering my resolve- telling myself in self-righteousness that I was in the right- after all, it isn't like I enjoy doing the washing! But in the middle of this inner tirade, you know what happened? The Holy Spirit convicted me of my sin and made me question how I was showing love to my husband through this. How was I honouring him? How was I helping and supporting him? How was I respecting him as the church respects Christ? If I continued with my resolve, how would that impact our day, week, month and how easy would it be for bitterness to come storming in through our door and into our relationship? Oh the depth of his mercy and grace that we should be called children of God (even though we have these moments of irritation) and that when we confess our sins he is faithful and just and forgives. (I ended up sneaking back into the laundry and throwing his clothes into the load ;) )  

It is my prayer that God would grow me in this journey of being a wife and work through me by graciously allowing me to model godly submission to my daughter. It is my prayer that God will use me to empower my husband to be all that he can be as he leads our family in the ways of God. It is also my prayer that my husband will love me as Christ loves the church. I also pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to convict us both as individuals of sin in our lives, so that we can know the grace and forgiveness that flows from the cross. 

Extra Reading? Valentine's Day is for Getting Drunk, Jon Bloom, Desiring God Blog 

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A Little Marriage Mystery- Part 1

I can still see him approaching me- it was our study period and we were in the library. I was a 17-year-old girl and was known as one of the few Christians of our grade. With my head in a book, I was aiming to use the period to get as much accomplished as I could. I was slightly self-conscious and often seemed weighed down by the high expectations I placed on myself.

Who was he? He was an 18 year old, confident and easy-going lead singer of one of the bands in our local community. He was always ready with a joke and seemed to dance to his own song, not burdened by the opinions of others. His singer status had meant he had captured the eye of a few girls in our grade and I was not immune to his steel blue eyes, dimples and red hair. With the brief chats we had had, I knew that he was struggling with his faith, working out where God fitted in life and was trying to decide whether to pursue God wholeheartedly or not. He made me think. On his quest for desiring a genuine life, he drew me in. He made me start thinking about why I did things and encouraged me to not be hypocritical about my faith, but make it my own. 

This year, we celebrate nine years married and have been blessed with two children. Somedays those library chats seem a lifetime ago. We strive for God to be the centre of our marriage and our own lives as individuals, sometimes we get there. Sure, we have highs and lows but stopping to think of God's work through marriage is an important thing. God seems to craft love stories, just as we delight in them.

Ever wonder how our desire for romance and love translate into Biblical truth? Are these just fancies or is there something innate in our make up that cause us to crave being treasured and loved for who we are? We are now a few days away from Valentine’s Day- the celebration of all things love. What does it all really mean this love and how do we navigate these paths while desiring God and his glory above all else?

As Christians, when we celebrate romantic love, we should be celebrating marriage. As a symbol of Christ's relationship with the church, marriage points us to Jesus and his redeeming work on the cross. Ephesians 5:22-33 shows us that Paul understood that marriage is a symbol of Jesus' relationship with his bride- the church:

2 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

In verse 32, Paul describes marriage as a 'mystery' that points to Jesus and the church.  As John Piper, in his sermon on marriage says, “Marriage is a mystery. There is more here than meets the eye. What is it? I think it's this: God didn't create the union of Christ and the church after the pattern of human marriage; just the reverse, he created human marriage on the pattern of Christ's relation to the church.” Just as the husband and wife become one flesh (Ephesians 5:31), faith too bonds Jesus Christ to the individual believer and church as a whole. 

As we gear up for celebrating love and love in our marriages, may we too take a moment to examine our relationships with our ultimate groom- Jesus Christ. Does we need some time out to enjoy Him? Do we need to withdraw to a quiet place to listen to Him? Do we need to take some time to celebrate Him and His ultimate sacrificial gift of love?

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Help! My Brain Is Scrambled

Somedays motherhood makes my brain feel scrambled. Between the lack of sleep, extra breastfeeding-induced hormones and trying to keep my tribe fed, clothed and loved, it often feels like there is little brain-room for other things. Children are an amazing blessing from God, but I have to admit sometimes I crave a little bit of peace and quiet to just give my brain a rest. When nap-time comes, I am usually found in a comatose state, catching whatever minutes of extra sleep I can. This is not a unique story, rather one shared by millions of mothers around the globe. It isn’t new: motherhood is one of the most challenging things we as women will ever do.

Yet in this season of caring for littlies, it is easy to use our tiredness and lack of peace and quiet as an excuse for not fitting God into our lives. Lack of peace and quiet was my go-too reason for not reading my Bible. It seemed that there were always other things to be done and while I did try and want to spend time with God, it became another reason for guilt to creep in instead of grace driving me to the feet of my Saviour.

Filling Instead of Emptying

There is nothing wrong with craving some peace and quiet. Even Jesus took time to withdraw from the crowds to pray (Luke 5:16). But what I am learning is that in the busyness of mothering, when we sit down next to our children playing dress-ups and open the Bible to read a snippet, God meets us there.

I was craving an emptying of my mind, yet I have come to understand God calls us to fill it. Vishal Mangalwadi, an Indian Christian Philosopher, proposes that the key difference between Buddhism and Christianity is that Buddhists try to empty their mind to gain enlightenment (for example, Yoga), while Christians are called to fill their minds with God and His Word (Philippians 4:8). In Psalm 1 we read that blessed is the man whose “...delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:2).

As mothers, when we read only a small portion before motherhood calls, it is sometimes easy to feel defeated. But we can have hope: Isaiah 55:10-11 says that just as the rain makes the earth sprout, “so so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” It humbles me to think about the number of times the Holy Spirit has brought whatever little verse I had read that morning back to my mind throughout the day, helping me savour the goodness of God and helping me meditate on His Word.

Glorifying Instead of Self-Gratifying

I’m not sure if you are anything like me, but when the peace and quiet did eventually come, I would often find things that I ‘deserved’ such as a nice cup of tea, reading a novel or losing myself in some mind-numbing television show. Then one day it dawned on me- I had been using the noise of the day as an excuse for not spending time with Jesus and then when peace and quiet came around, a hundred other options sprang to my weary mind.

Gloria Furman, in her book Treasuring Christ When Your Hands are Full (Crossway, 2014), quietly reprimanded me on this way of thinking. She reminded me that God created these children and gave them to me as a blessing, so he knew I was in a ‘noisy’ stage of life. Furman then encourages women to recognise God in all facets of our day and make time for him in the middle of the noise. I also came to see it is not a one-way pursuit: God wants to spend time with me too! As I started to actively seek to spend time with God, creative ideas came to my mind: I could pray as I wash up, or put a Bible verse to meditate on for the week above the baby’s change table. There are countless ways we can spend time talking to and thinking about the God we serve.

As we make spending time with God a priority, we will see that our thoughts, desires and attitudes will change (Psalm 37:4). Instead of making the day about us and focusing on the trials and tribulations that come each day, we can find delight and hope as we seek to glorify God. We will begin to recognise the little pearls he places in our day and he will provide us with the grace and strength that we need to get through it.

It is something I still struggle with- it seems to be a daily struggle between my fleshly and spiritual desires and then just the day-to-day jobs that need to get done. But in this challenge of mothering I know I am a more peaceful, Godly mother if I take even a few moments at the start of the day to lift my eyes to the hills and recognise my Saviour who can grant me his spiritual refreshment, quiet mind and strength for the day ahead.

Putting on our God-focused Glasses

Where is your heart this morning? Not the beating one, pumping blood around your body (I'm hoping that is in your chest as it should be). I mean the one that contains your loves, your desires, your treasures. Since becoming a mum, I often feel so full of protective love for my family that I sometimes feel my flesh tugging my heart towards them more than to God. When this starts to happen, I feel my fears for them increase and my trust of God decrease. Know what I mean? 

In 1 John 2: 15-17 we read,

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life[a]—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

But doesn't God want us to love the world as he does? After all, "for God so loved the world..." (John 3:16). He does want us to love the world. What he doesn't want, is for us to be devoted to a world where he is not honoured or treasured (see James 4:4). In this passage, we see that John defines what he is talking about- 'all that is in the world- the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life' (1 John 2:16). If our desires take the place of God or when they are not directed toward God, they become idolatrous (strong word hey!)

In the book, "Who Do You Think You Are?" (2013, Thomas Nelson), Mark Driscoll writes about idolatry in our lives and how easy it is for things of the world to creep in and take hold of our heart strings and define who we are. He gives a great little acrostic to help us remember what IDOLS can be. 

I- Items
Our desire for things can be a stumbling block for us. We go to the shops and look through the beautifully displayed clothes, food, furnishings and Lady Lust starts weaving her tentacles into our heart. "What we own is our public way of projective our desired image. The examples are endless...Consumer culture is so pervasive that we take it for granted, and almost no aspect of life is untouched by it. Everywhere we turn, we run into advertising telling us to buy things we don't need, with money we don't have, to impress people we don't know..." (Driscoll, 2013, p.7).

D- Duties
It is so easy to fill our lives with things that we do. We feel satisfaction when we complete a task, or when we volunteer for serving others, or when we have achieved something. This has been a struggle for me stopping work and becoming a full-time mother. Somedays I don't feel a sense of achievement and this frustrates me. I perceive motherhood too is a culturally less-than-esteemed role, being a 'full-time mum' does not seem like some amazing achievement, particularly when you are asked, "Yes, but what do you do during the day" or "when are you planning to go back to work?" I find it a helpful reminder- "The truth is that you're not what you do. You have God-given natural talents, Holy Spirit-endowed gifts, and unique abilities. You also have duties, but these duties do not define you, because your identity is not determined by what you do. Rather, who you are in Christ helps you faithfully pursue your duties and use your abilities without them becoming the essence of your dignity and identity" (Driscoll, 2013, p.9).

O- Others
Do we put other peoples' opinions or relationships with others as a way that we feel valued and successful? Do we place how many Facebook friends or Blog followers as part of our identity? "This propensity to find our identity in others is commonly referred to as giving in to peer pressure, people pleasing, codependency, and having a fear of man. Practically, this explains why we'll often change our appearance and behavior depending on whom we're with and whom we seek to impress... This explains why some friends and family members can be so demanding, smothering, and needy. It also explains why we're so easily inflated by praise and deflated by criticism. It's as if others have the ability to determine our identity for that day based on a word or even a glance. In giving this power over our lives to others, we give them a god-like position to rule over us and define who we are." (Driscoll, 2013, p.10). 

L- Longings
What do you long for? Do you spend your days hoping and waiting for the next best thing? Sometimes, I find myself thinking... "When the kids are older, I'll be able to have more sleep", or "When we go on holidays, I'll be able to have a bit more rest" or "when I return to work we will have more money". These things I realise are me living in the future, instead of in the present. Enjoying the day I am given today, and really engaging with my God, my husband, my children and my friends in the here and now for eternity is what I am called to do. "Longings give us hope that tomorrow might be better so we can persevere today. We all have longings, but when they become the source of our identity, our life becomes inordinately governed by our feelings and our future rather than our present, and God's past, present, and future work on our behalf"  (Driscoll, 2013, p.10).

S- Sufferings
This one seems like a strange thing to have as an idol. We all dread the thought of suffering. But when we do suffer, it is often easy to wear it as a badge of honour, broadcasting our identity to others based on whatever we are going through- Cancer-survivor, enduring a long and hard pregnancy or labour, allergy-sufferer, exhausted mother. After the first year of being a mum, I realised I was saying how exhausted I was whenever someone asked how I was doing. I came to realise maybe this is just an aspect of motherhood. While it is good to share our suffering and be honest with one another, it is easy for this to become something that equates our worth- how strong and brave we are, or how hard we have things. We should be defined by Jesus, rather than by whatever hardship we are going through. 

I find it a challenging list. I so often think of idols as either the Israelites worshipping the golden calf in the Old Testament, or someone over-polishing their gleaming red sports car (weird that this is the first thing that always pops into my mind when I think of idol!) Instead, it is so much more. Our love for the world and what the world has, can slowly and sneakily creep into our thinking and our hearts. Augustine once wrote, "Hold fast to Christ. For you he became temporal, so that you might partake of eternity" (Homilies on the First Epistle of John 2) Let us fix our eyes on God and worship HIM, rather than the blessings that he gives us or trials he allows for us. 

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