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	<title>DEEPERDEVOTION.com</title>
	<link>http://deeperdevotion.com</link>
	<description>Delivered Monday through Friday, our daily devotions are the perfect companion to your time in the Word. Biblical, consistent, and with over three years of back content, DEEPERDEVOTION.com is a great resource for everyone. Check us out on the web at www.deeperdevotion.com</description>
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		<category>Devotions</category>
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		<itunes:subtitle>Daily Devotions from DEEPERDEVOTION.com</itunes:subtitle>
		<itunes:summary>Delivered Monday through Friday, our devotions are the perfect companion to your time in the Word. Biblical, consistent, and with over three years of back content, DEEPERDEVOTION.com is a great resource for everyone. Check us out on the web at www.deeperdevotion.com</itunes:summary>
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		<item>
		<title>Being Honest with Others</title>
		<link>http://deeperdevotion.com/weblog/1749</link>
		<comments>http://deeperdevotion.com/weblog/1749#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 11 Apr 2008 10:14:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Glenn Ansley</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Weblog]]></category>
<category>accountability</category><category>friendship</category><category>honesty</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://deeperdevotion.com/weblog/1749</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I read an encouraging post this morning by Christian musician, Rebbecca St. James. In her post, she challenges students to be open with each other. Here is a snippet of what she said:
 Hearts wide open before others. Thats a very cool thought! If we live with a purity of spirit well have nothing to [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[I read an encouraging post this morning by Christian musician, Rebbecca St. James. In her post, she challenges students to be open with each other. Here is a snippet of what she said:
 Hearts wide open before others. Thats a very cool thought! If we live with a purity of spirit well have nothing to hide. We have nothing to be ashamed of, no fear of being found out. What a liberating feeling! That doesnt mean were perfect, just that we are committed to living openly and honestly before others.
I agree with her and likewise encourage you to be honestly open with someone today. I have several close friends that have the right to ask me anything they want about my walk with the Lord, my personal sins, and the way I&#8217;m leading my family to know the Father more deeply. I have found that the more honest I am with them about such things, the greater the opportunity the Holy Spirit has to use them to convict and encourage me. Accountability is something that doesn&#8217;t have to happen in structured groups at designated times. Biblically, it happens while we simply live our lives together as brothers and sisters under our God and Father.
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Psalm 136:1-26</title>
		<link>http://deeperdevotion.com/weblog/1747</link>
		<comments>http://deeperdevotion.com/weblog/1747#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Nov 2007 13:48:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Glenn Ansley</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Weblog]]></category>
<category>thanksgiving</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://deeperdevotion.com/weblog/1747</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 2 Give thanks to the God of gods, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 4 To Him who alone does great wonders, For His lovingkindness is everlasting; 5 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 2 Give thanks to the God of gods, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 4 To Him who alone does great wonders, For His lovingkindness is everlasting; 5 To Him who made the heavens with skill, For His lovingkindness is everlasting; 6 To Him who spread out the earth above the waters, For His lovingkindness is everlasting; 7 To Him who made the great lights, For His lovingkindness is everlasting: 8 The sun to rule by day, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 9 The moon and stars to rule by night, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 10 To Him who smote the Egyptians in their firstborn, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 11 And brought Israel out from their midst, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 12 With a strong hand and an outstretched arm, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 13 To Him who divided the Red Sea asunder, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 14 And made Israel pass through the midst of it, For His lovingkindness is everlasting; 15 But He overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 16 To Him who led His people through the wilderness, For His lovingkindness is everlasting; 17 To Him who smote great kings, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 18 And slew mighty kings, For His lovingkindness is everlasting: 19 Sihon, king of the Amorites, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 20 And Og, king of Bashan, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 21 And gave their land as a heritage, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 22 Even a heritage to Israel His servant, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 23 Who remembered us in our low estate, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 24 And has rescued us from our adversaries, For His lovingkindness is everlasting; 25 Who gives food to all flesh, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 26 Give thanks to the God of heaven, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>30 Hour Famine?</title>
		<link>http://deeperdevotion.com/weblog/1746</link>
		<comments>http://deeperdevotion.com/weblog/1746#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Nov 2007 19:57:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Glenn Ansley</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Weblog]]></category>
<category>fasting</category><category>prayer</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://deeperdevotion.com/weblog/1746</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I talked to my mom on the phone this week and she mentioned that they youth group at my home church in Florida participated in a 30 hour Famine last weekend. She said that they group had a lock in where they spent much of the night praying for people around the world. The next [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[I talked to my mom on the phone this week and she mentioned that they youth group at my home church in Florida participated in a 30 hour Famine last weekend. She said that they group had a lock in where they spent much of the night praying for people around the world. The next day they went to one of the neighboring communities and served food at a soup kitchen.
I&#8217;ve never participated in a 30 hour famine, nor do I know anyone that has (aside from the youth group I mentioned above). I&#8217;m curious, have any of you ever participated in a 30 hour famine? What was your experience? How did it benefit your relationship with God? Was it a positive or negative experience for you?
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		<item>
		<title>Trial Marriages?</title>
		<link>http://deeperdevotion.com/weblog/1745</link>
		<comments>http://deeperdevotion.com/weblog/1745#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 19 Nov 2007 11:58:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Glenn Ansley</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Weblog]]></category>
<category>marriage</category><category>obedience</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://deeperdevotion.com/weblog/1745</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I heard a story on the radio this week where a lady referred to her current husband (# 3) as her first. She claimed that her previous two marriages were only trial runs and that you have to try spouses on until you find the one that fits.
The story immediately rubbed against my Christian values [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[I heard a story on the radio this week where a lady referred to her current husband (# 3) as her first. She claimed that her previous two marriages were only trial runs and that you have to try spouses on until you find the one that fits.
The story immediately rubbed against my Christian values (especially since I was still thinking about the whole friends with benefits fallacy). After the story was over and I turned off the stereo, I had to ask myself, &#8220;Why is this such a big deal? Why do I get so defensive when I hear stories like this one?&#8221;
As a believer, I care deeply about what God&#8217;s Word instructs me to do. On account of this, if God tells me that marriage is forever or that I should only have one wife, I seek to obey what He has commanded. But on what grounds has He commanded me? Why would God ask such things of me? Has God given us rules in an arbitrary manner, or is there purpose behind them? I think the correct answer is the latter of the two, and I think that is why I get so defensive when I hear stories like the one above.
As I stated above, I am a believer. This means that I have placed my faith in Jesus. I have publicly affirmed my belief that 1) I am sinful, 2) God is just, 3) Because of this I deserve to spend all of eternity separated from God 4) But God, in His infinite love sent Jesus to pay the penalty for my sins, and (4) that because I believe this - because I place my faith in Jesus - I know that I can now spend all of eternity with God.  This belief that I have is huge. It affects every aspect of my life. One primary aspect that it affects is my belief in God&#8217;s wisdom. How can I place my faith in Jesus but not trust that what He has commanded me is of equal importance. Let me bring this diversion back to our case in point.
God has designed marriage in a certain manner (to be a lifetime commitment between one man and one woman - Genesis 2). His commands that I marry once, that I refrain from sexual activity outside of marriage, and that my marriage must be a lifetime commitment is based on His knowledge of what He has designed. There is wisdom in obeying God&#8217;s commands for more than the fact that He is God. We should obey His commands (like the ones above) because He is looking out for our own good when He gives them to us. Not obeying God&#8217;s commands is like ignoring the rules at the pool. If we fail to follow the instructions provided to us my by the creator, we are putting ourselves in risk.
That is why I disagree with this lady&#8217;s testimony. I think it is unwise ignore God&#8217;s clear instructions. He knows what is best for us.
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		<item>
		<title>Thank you, God</title>
		<link>http://deeperdevotion.com/weblog/1744</link>
		<comments>http://deeperdevotion.com/weblog/1744#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 18 Nov 2007 11:30:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Glenn Ansley</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Weblog]]></category>
<category>thanksgiving</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://deeperdevotion.com/weblog/1744</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It is true that Christians should be thankful every day of the year, but this week I want to publicly thank God for the following things in my life:

 The gracious sacrifice of Jesus for my sins
 A wonderful upbringing by parents that taught me to love God at an early age
 My siblings, Laurie [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[It is true that Christians should be thankful every day of the year, but this week I want to publicly thank God for the following things in my life:

 The gracious sacrifice of Jesus for my sins
 A wonderful upbringing by parents that taught me to love God at an early age
 My siblings, Laurie and Drew&#8230; I spend way to little time with them these days
 My wonderful, beautiful wife, Krisite and the wealth of meaning, wisdom, and companionship she gives to me
 Our precious daughter, Grace (she&#8217;s 14 months) and our youngest child (still 4 months away from being born)
 All of my extended family and in-laws
 My friends from high school, college, and North Wake
 The unshakable faithfulness of God to take me through the many hard and difficult periods of life
 DEEPERDEVOTION.com and the many people who challenge me to think more about God on a daily basis

As I attempted to create this list, I realized that it could go on forever and that I should limit it due to space. It is amazing to me the many ways the Lord has continued to bless me and my family. He is faithful even when we are unfaithful. I pray that you would take a quiet moment this week to spend time thanking God for the wonderful blessings He has poured out on you and your family. After that, make it a point to praise His goodness to those around you. Happy Thanksgiving!
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		<item>
		<title>What is Man?</title>
		<link>http://deeperdevotion.com/weblog/1743</link>
		<comments>http://deeperdevotion.com/weblog/1743#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 17 Nov 2007 22:47:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Glenn Ansley</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Weblog]]></category>
<category>God</category><category>humanity</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://deeperdevotion.com/weblog/1743</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I ran across a post today by Jake White that speaks of the woundesrous nature of God&#8217;s awesomness in relation to man. This is one of my favorite characteristics of God to meditate upon. Jake, in his post, references Psalm 8:3,4. What a wonderful passage!
&#8220;When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[I ran across a post today by Jake White that speaks of the woundesrous nature of God&#8217;s awesomness in relation to man. This is one of my favorite characteristics of God to meditate upon. Jake, in his post, references Psalm 8:3,4. What a wonderful passage!
&#8220;When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?&#8221;
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		<item>
		<title>Can Christian&#8217;s Have Friends with Benefits?</title>
		<link>http://deeperdevotion.com/weblog/1742</link>
		<comments>http://deeperdevotion.com/weblog/1742#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 17 Nov 2007 14:43:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Glenn Ansley</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Weblog]]></category>
<category>dating</category><category>sex</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://deeperdevotion.com/weblog/1742</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Hugh Heffner, the founder of Playboy, once said, &#8220;sex can sometimes, quite properly, be an end in itself.&#8221; Behind this statement is the belief that sexual activity is solely physical in nature. I am afraid that the same faulty thinking is what motivates the idea of &#8220;friends with benefits.&#8221; Many of you have asked about [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Hugh Heffner, the founder of Playboy, once said, &#8220;sex can sometimes, quite properly, be an end in itself.&#8221; Behind this statement is the belief that sexual activity is solely physical in nature. I am afraid that the same faulty thinking is what motivates the idea of &#8220;friends with benefits.&#8221; Many of you have asked about this lately. As a Christian, is it okay to embrace the idea of having friends with benefits? I think the biblical answer to this is no. Let&#8217;s quickly explore two major reasons for this conclusion.
Sex should not be separated from love and marriage
If you believe that Bible to be God&#8217;s revealed word to humanity, it is impossible for you to have friends with benefits. Sex is good. God created sex, but He did so for certain purposes and within a given context. Genesis two specifies that context as marriage between a man and a woman. Sexual activity outside of marriage is sinful before the Lord.
Honorable sex is not selfish in nature
As a believer, you have the privilege of looking to Jesus as your ultimate example of true love. In His death on the cross, we see that true love is sacrificial in nature, not selfish. True love places others first. (John 15:13). This truth extends to sex because sex (and all sexual activity) is not to be separated from love. Selfish sex does not honor God. Sexual activity should not be pursued for your own physical gratification. The Bible understands sexual activity as an act of giving, not receiving. To enter into a sexual relationship solely for your own satisfaction is sinful before the Lord.
As I said, these are only two of many reasons that &#8220;friends with benefits&#8221; should not be embraced by Christians. If you are not a believer, I do not expect that the reasons given will carry any weight. Only those that wish to honor God with their purity will find validation in the above reasoning (1 Thessalonians 1:3-8).
This post has been in response to the question &#8220;Can Christians have friends with benefits?&#8221; If my response has raised further questions, please feel free to leave a comment or submit them here.
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		<item>
		<title>God, You, Pain and Suffering (part three)</title>
		<link>http://deeperdevotion.com/weblog/1741</link>
		<comments>http://deeperdevotion.com/weblog/1741#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 13 Nov 2007 15:15:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Glenn Ansley</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Weblog]]></category>
<category>God</category><category>hope</category><category>life</category><category>pain</category><category>suffering</category><category>tragedy</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://deeperdevotion.com/weblog/1741</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This series is addressing the question, &#8220;How do you, as a believer, relate to God after unexplained pain associated with a personal tragedy?&#8221; In the first post, I suggested that we use Job as an example. In the second post, I laid out the importance of preaching the truths of Scripture to yourself in the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[This series is addressing the question, &#8220;How do you, as a believer, relate to God after unexplained pain associated with a personal tragedy?&#8221; In the first post, I suggested that we use Job as an example. In the second post, I laid out the importance of preaching the truths of Scripture to yourself in the midst of unexplained personal tragedy. This post points to the importance of practicing what you preach.James 1:22-25 has great wisdom for us to follow in light of our first post:
But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;  for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.
What good would it do for us to continually preach the truths of Scripture to ourselves if we failed to change our attitude and our actions in light of those truths? I know what you&#8217;re thinking. It is tempting to be skeptical at this point. Of course we should practice what we preach&#8230; but what does that mean?
Change Takes Action
Honestly, it took Kristie and me some time to get to this point. We didn&#8217;t realize that we were claiming the truths of Scripture, but failing to modify our attitude and actions. We were living out the negative warning in the above verses. We agreed with the truths: God is infinite in His goodness, justice, and redemption, but we failed to do anything more than affirm that. We found it difficult to pray to God, to enjoy worshiping Him with other believers and to share His love with others. This was directly related to our unwillingness to let go of the &#8220;Why did this happen to us?&#8221; question. Our affirmations of God&#8217;s infinite nature were beneficial in that they kept us from wandering too far from the truth, but we insisted on keeping God on trial. It was this attitude that hindered our relationship with God. A change in attitude only came with a change in action.
Submit to God&#8217;s Infinite Nature
Job does exactly this in 42:5. He confesses to the Lord, &#8220;Hear, now, and I will speak, I will ask you and you instruct me.&#8221; What we find here is a beautiful initiation of the truths that Job had previously preached to himself and prayed to God. Job, rather than playing the role of a prosecutor who has put God on trial, humbly submits to God. He still asks God a question, but it is not as the pot, demanding to know why its maker made it the way he did. Instead, Job, aware of his finite nature, approaches an infinite God like a child and says, &#8220;Instruct me Father. I trust in your infinite goodness, justice, and redemption. What would you have me to do?&#8221; Job is putting action to his belief. He is practicing what he preached. True change began to take place in Kristie and my life&#8217;s only after we submitted to God&#8217;s finite nature and stopped demanding that He explain why we had to experience such pain and suffering.
Publicly Confess Your Finite Nature
Once such submission happened, the healing process began and we found that the next natural step was to publicly confess our finite nature against God&#8217;s infinite nature. As we forsook our selfish questioning of God and began to listen to His instruction, things became clear that were once fuzzy. Many of the questions asked in the first post in this series were answered. Furthermore, God used our public confessions of His infinite goodness, justice, and redemption to affect those around us. We were allowed to be a blessing to those around us. This is echoed in Job&#8217;s story as well.
We find Job&#8217;s repentance in 42:6 (&#8221;Therefore I retract, and I repent in dust in ashes.&#8221;) and we see God using His repentance to bless those around him (He offers burnt offerings for his friends&#8217; sin) in verse 7.
Job&#8217;s submission and repentance is a direct result of practicing what he preached to himself and prayed to God. This submission and confession restored his trust in God and allowed God to use him as a blessing to those around him.
Kristie and I continue to confess God&#8217;s infinite goodness, justice, and redemption to those around us. Our understanding of God and our trust in Him has been restored even in the midst of never-explained pain and suffering. It has often been tempting to understand this trust in God and blessing to others as a justification or explanation for our suffering. This, however, would be to negate the truth that led us out of that turmoil. Rather than viewing our ministry to others as an explanation of our pain and suffering, we are further awed by the infinite goodness of God.
Even in the midst of still unexplained personal tragedy, God has chosen to make good out of evil. He has created good in spite of the unexplained tragedy. Is this not the gospel in a nutshell? In spite of the unexplained tragedy of the Fall, God has provided us infinite justice and redemption through His infinite goodness displayed in Jesus Christ&#8217;s death and resurrection.
Conclusion
Are you in the midst of an unexplained personal tragedy or does your relationship with God continue to suffer due to an unexplained tragedy in your past? Take courage and example from the story of Job. It is God&#8217;s Word given to you by His infinite goodness. It is a lesson of perseverance. Do not allow unexplained pain and suffering to negatively shape or hinder your relationship with God. Rather, preach the truths of Scripture to yourself and practice what you preach. Do not forget the infinite redemption of the Father.
Other Posts in this Series
God, You, Pain and Suffering (part one)
God, You, Pain and Suffering (part two)
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		<title>Christians and &#8220;The Golden Compass&#8221;</title>
		<link>http://deeperdevotion.com/weblog/1739</link>
		<comments>http://deeperdevotion.com/weblog/1739#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 09 Nov 2007 18:23:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Glenn Ansley</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Weblog]]></category>
<category>atheism</category><category>God</category><category>holywood</category><category>movies</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://deeperdevotion.com/weblog/1739</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
I was recently pointed to a post discussing the Christian&#8217;s response to the upcoming move The Golden Compass (thanks lew). In short, this movie is an adaption of the children&#8217;s book entitled, Northern Lights by author Philip Pullman. Although the movie is still in production and not due to be released until December, it&#8217;s already [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[
I was recently pointed to a post discussing the Christian&#8217;s response to the upcoming move The Golden Compass (thanks lew). In short, this movie is an adaption of the children&#8217;s book entitled, Northern Lights by author Philip Pullman. Although the movie is still in production and not due to be released until December, it&#8217;s already serving up some controversy amongst Christians. Apparently, the author is a devout atheist and some are labeling the movie an attempt to  introduce children to atheism. Therefore, groups like the The Catholic League is calling for a boycott of the film.
Is this a wise decision for Christians? I can think of at least two reason why it is not a wise decision for Christians to boycott the film:

Atheism is not going away- Atheism is a worldview that&#8217;s been around longer than Christianity itself. As long as this world continues to exist, there will exist people like Philip Pullman, Richard Dawkins, and your next door neighbor that don&#8217;t believe in God. Furthermore, they will continue to impress their worldview on culture in the same manner that Christians do. Boycotting a film is not an appropriate to response to atheism. It&#8217;s an ineffective response to a single movie.
Christians must understand and interact with atheism- This is the same approach that we supported concerning The Da Vinci Code. This is an excellent opportunity for you to either interact with the culture around you or explain the culture around you to your children and friends. Christians should not be afraid of opinions and worldviews that differ from theirs. Rather, they should seek to be diligent students of their culture. How can you dialog with your atheist friend about a movie you&#8217;ve never seen. To boycott anything that is anti-Christian is to take yourself out of the dialog. Furthermore, you can&#8217;t protect your children or your friends forever. Would it not be wiser to introduce your children to critical thinking rather than to shelter them from the inevitable?

I understand that Christians must separate themselves from things that don&#8217;t please God. At the same time, however, we must be a part of the world in which God has placed us. Embrace this opportunity to discuss the fallacies of atheism with your friends and your children. Furthermore, take the opportunity to enter dialog with your atheist neighbors. One last thing: If you do decide to avoid the movie, be wise about the accusations you make against it. An ignorant Christian is much more hurtful to Christ than one that interacts with the world around them.
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		<title>God, You, Pain and Suffering (part two)</title>
		<link>http://deeperdevotion.com/weblog/1738</link>
		<comments>http://deeperdevotion.com/weblog/1738#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 07 Nov 2007 14:42:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Glenn Ansley</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Weblog]]></category>
<category>God</category><category>hope</category><category>life</category><category>pain</category><category>suffering</category><category>tragedy</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://deeperdevotion.com/weblog/1738</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In my previous post I introduced the story of Job to you. We saw how he serves as an example to all believers who face unexplained personal tragedy. Today, I want to cover the first of two principles that we can glean from Jobs response to the Lord: Preach the biblical truths to yourself.
When tragedy [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[In my previous post I introduced the story of Job to you. We saw how he serves as an example to all believers who face unexplained personal tragedy. Today, I want to cover the first of two principles that we can glean from Jobs response to the Lord: Preach the biblical truths to yourself.
When tragedy strikes, it usually comes with a multitude of heavy questions. I remember the moment that Kristie and I found out we had lost our baby. We were in route back to our house after a visit to the doctors office when we received the call that our baby was gone. We were on a small road and I was able to pull the car aside where we mourned for the better part of an hour. Most of the questions below were verbally stated or quietly contemplated by both of us before we put the car in gear again:

Where      is God?
What      good can possibly come from this?
Does      God still love me? Why does God hate me?
Why      God, did this happen to us?

These are only a few of the many questions that we would wrestle with for the days, months, and years ahead. As time progressed, we found that God graciously answered many of them for us others remained unanswered.
Key to our understanding of the above questions and key to our understanding of who God was after such an unexplained personal tragedy was His truths found in Scripture.
When your relationship with God is shaken after an unexplained personal tragedy, it is imperative that you saturate yourself in the Word of God. Search it for His wonderful truths and promises. Make them an integral part of your life. Write them down, place them in your pockets, email them to yourself or make it a point to memorize them. Preach the word of God to yourself. This is the first thing that Job did.
Preach Gods Infinite Character to Yourself.
Job confesses in 42:2, I know that you can do all things and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. In the midst of confusion and unexplained tragedy, Job praises God for His infinite power and sovereignty. We must make it a point to remember what Gods infinite character means.
He is infinitely good. Goodness is not something that God conforms to, but rather, it is something that flows out of who He is. We can see this in Genesis one. Everything that God creates is good. Furthermore, it is not simply good, but it is good for humanity, the apex of His creation.
God is also infinitely just. We know that He who is without sin cannot allow sin to go unpunished. This is not to say that your unexplained pain and suffering is a result of sin. It does affirm, however, that because God is just, any sin that was present in the event of that tragedy is not justified by God. Rather, it will be paid for by the individual who committed it (if they are an unbeliever) or by Jesus Christ himself (if they are a believer). We must continually preach Gods infinite justice to ourselves when in the midst of unexplained pain and suffering.
God is infinite in His redemption. It would not be possible for Job to praise God in the midst of unexplained personal tragedy if he did not already have a solid hope in the infinite redemption of his Savior. His words record this truth in Job 19:25: As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives. You and I must continually remind ourselves of Gods infinite and gracious redemption in the midst of pain and suffering if we truly seek to understand God in light of our tragedy.
Preach Humanitys Finite Nature to Yourself
Second, we find that Job confesses his limited knowledge to God: Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge? Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. (42:3)
Job first quotes an accusation that God had made against him in 42:1 and then responds correctly. He confesses that he spoke in ignorance when he demanded that God explain why he was suffering. We too must continually preach our own finiteness to ourselves when in the midst of unexplained pain and suffering. This is a truth found within Scripture and we will do well to remember it.
Isaiah 29:16 compares our demand of Gods explanation to a piece of pottery instructing its maker. It is absurd to think that something created has any right to ask its creator why he created it as he did. Man is not above God and man does not place God on trial. Often, like Job, we find that our pain and suffering is beyond understanding. This truth will either shake or solidify your relationship with God. If you are struggling to understand God in the shadow of unexplained tragedy, preach this truth to yourself. Humanity is the creation. God is the creator. It is for this reason that we are instructed to trust in the Lord and to not lean on our own understanding of things (Proverbs 3:5). We must remind ourselves that the foolishness of God is wiser even than the wisdom of man (1 Corinthians 1:25).
The Truth Will Set You Free
Kristie and I struggled greatly to reclaim our faith in Gods goodness. The key to accomplishing this was continually preaching the truths of Scripture to ourselves and praying them back to God as Job did. As a child of God, you know that faith is not based on that which you do not know, rather it is based on that which you know but do not see. (Hebrews 11:1).
The first step in seeking to understand God again in the midst of unexplained personal tragedy is to continually preach the truths of His word to yourself and to pray them back to Him.
Other Posts in this Series
God, You, Pain and Suffering (part one)
God, You, Pain and Suffering (part three)
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