Foxes Have Holes

One year for my birthday, I asked a dear friend to paint me something with a fox in it. I didn’t have anything particular in mind of what it should look like; I knew I would love whatever she created. At my birthday, she presented me with a carefully wrapped package. I unopened it to find, not one, but three framed paintings. One painting was of a fox peaking out of a hole. The second was of a bird standing guard at its nest of eggs. The third was of a crown of thorns with a trio of crosses in the background. Included in the gift was a letter that explained how Jesus’ encounter with a scribe in Matthew 8 inspired my friend’s work.

“And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Matt. 8:19-20).

Not only were the paintings beautiful, but they reflected the fact that my friend and I were reading and studying the Scriptures together, seeking to understand what it means to follow Christ. We often discussed those things we needed to die to in order to obey him. That was over a dozen years ago. Today, the paintings hang on a wall outside my office where I walk by them every day. The irony is not lost on me that they hang in my home, in a place I own, a place of comfort and safety, while my Savior never had a home of his own. These paintings remind me that following Christ is not easy.

John Calvin commented that the scribe in this passage lived an easy life. He was honored by the community. He had every need met. Calvin wrote: “He wishes indeed to follow Christ, but dreams of an easy and agreeable life, and of dwellings filled with every convenience; whereas the disciples of Christ must walk among thorns, and march to the cross amidst uninterrupted afflictions.” What a contrast! Jesus tells the scribe that even the animals have what he doesn’t have—is he really willing to follow in his footsteps? Does he know the cost? Is he willing to pay it?

Far too often in our western Christian culture, the call to follow Christ has been watered down so much that people don’t hear, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Instead, they hear: “Follow Jesus and he’ll give you the house of your dreams. He’ll make your life smooth and carefree.” In doing so, they believe a false gospel. A gospel that doesn’t save. Yet, Jesus makes it clear that there is a price to following him:

• “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matt. 16:24).

• “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account” (Matt. 5:11).

• “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?…So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26-28, 33).

Ultimately, it is the price of homelessness, of being aliens and strangers in a world that is not our own (1 Pet. 2:11, Heb. 11:13). But for those who do follow him, the reward far outweighs the cost: being restored in right relationship with our Maker and eternity spent in his presence.

While I’m thankful for the home in which I live (which I affectionately call “The Fox Den”), I never forget that my Savior had no place to lay his head. That’s because he wasn’t rooted to this world. His sojourn here models for me my own. I am to store up treasure in heaven, not on earth. To follow him, I must hold all things loosely, find him alone to be my place of safety, and to live like a pilgrim in this world until he returns to take me home.

Photo by Katerina Bartosova on Unsplash

We Are All Sowers

As a child, I spent many a Sunday afternoon at my grandparent’s house. Summertime was my favorite for that was when my grandfather’s watermelons were ripe and ready for picking. He’d take us out back and select one from the garden, take it inside, and slice it up for us to eat. They were so sweet and juicy, no grocery store could ever compare.

It seems the propensity for gardening skipped me. I remember my father planting sunflower seeds and they grew the tallest sunflowers in our side yard. My sister has harvested vegetables of all kinds. But I can barely keep a succulent alive. While I’m not much of a gardener, the Bible tells us that we are all sowers. To sow is to scatter seed with the expectation that it will grow into something. If we are all sowers, what is the seed that we scatter?

To answer that question, it’s helpful to look at the book of Hosea, specifically chapter 8. There we see the prophet speak against Israel’s sin and warn them of judgment to come. Those familiar with the book know that Israel is compared to an unfaithful wife. That’s because God’s people rejected his covenant and broke his law (Hosea 8:1). They put on an outward show of piety and worship but their hearts were far from God. They didn’t seek after God, but sought after idols and worshipped them instead: “With their silver and gold they made idols for their own destruction” (Hosea 8:4) They turned to other kings and other nations for help and rescue and not in the God who made them his own.

God warns them that they will reap what they sow: “For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind” (Hosea 8:8). Or as Calvin wrote, “they shall receive a harvest suitable to the sowing.” Indeed, Israel reaped the whirlwind when they were later conquered and taken into captivity.

C.H. Spurgeon comments on Hosea 8: “We are all sowing; we cannot help it. No one goes forth in the morning without a seed-basket. As we are all sowing, the great question we have to consider is, “What will the harvest be?” It’s helpful to ask ourselves: Are we sowing seeds of faith or of unbelief? Are we sowing seeds of righteousness or unrighteousness? Are we sowing seeds for this world or the world to come? Are we sowing for our glory or for God’s glory? What we sow, that we will reap. The harvest depends on what is sown. Just as we can’t expect green beans to grow if we’ve sown melon seeds, we can’t expect life to grow from seeds of death.

The Apostle Paul put it this way: “Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life” (Gal. 6:8 NIV). There is wisdom in thinking through what we are sowing and looking ahead to consider what the potential harvest of that sowing might be. To be aware that we do reap what we sow. That with choices come consequences. But there’s also encouraging news, because when we sow to please the Spirit, we are promised a bountiful harvest. Paul encourages us not to grow weary or give up in our labors: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Gal. 6:9). Spurgeon encourages us as well: “If we have believed in Christ and received eternal life by faith in him, and if we are trying to labor for him, we are sowing blessed seed; and if it comes not up today, or tomorrow, yet divine grace ensures a crop that we will gather in one of these days. Therefore, we may be encouraged to labor on. The farmer waits for the precious fruits of the earth through the long and dreary winter, through the checkered days of spring, through March winds and April showers he waits until at last the golden harvest rewards him for all his toil. What we sow, we will also reap. Our Lord has told us so.”

As we begin a new year, it’s helpful to ask ourselves: What am I sowing today? And second: What will the harvest be? May we sow that which brings honor to the One who redeemed us for the harvest he promises will last far into eternity.

Photo by Joshua Lanzarini on Unsplash

Had the Reformation Not Happened

It’s the time of year where we decorate our front porches with pumpkins and hay bales. The air is brisk and we bundle up in our sweaters and boots. It’s a season that fills the senses with favorite tastes and smells. Even as I write this, an apple scented candle fills the room with a sweet fragrance. This month, children ready themselves to gorge on candy. Before long, we’ll be stuffing ourselves with turkey and pie, followed by stockings and presents.

It’s a busy time of year and sometimes we miss an important event tucked in amid all the celebration and feasting. Reformation Day. It’s not a holiday but it is an important day to remember for so much of what we experience as believers today, began October 31, 1517 when Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door at Whittenburg. For many of us, the day comes and goes without thinking about it. What happened five hundred year ago is all too often taken for granted.

But what if the Reformation had not happened? What if Martin Luther had not brought his questions and challenges to the church, confronting it with all that the Bible taught about salvation and the church?

Here are just a few things that might be different:

• We would not have the Bible in our own language.

• We would still be paying indulgences to get loved ones out of purgatory.

• We would believe that we are saved by our works instead of by grace alone.

• We would elevate church tradition over what the Bible teaches.

• We wouldn’t know the extravagant grace of God for us in Christ.

• We wouldn’t worship God with our whole hearts and glorify him with our lives.

• We would not hear the word preached each Lord’s Day.

Can you imagine any of these things? Each one of them is significant and had the Reformation not happened, the church today would be very different. Every morning when I sit down to read my Bible, I’m doing something that Christians did not do before 1517. Not only do I have the Bible in my own language, but I have multiple versions of it in every size and shape, even digital versions. Through my encounter with God’s word and what it has taught me about the gospel, I trust in Christ alone for my salvation knowing that I am saved by faith and not works. Another reformer, John Calvin, explained the depths of God’s grace in our salvation. From beginning to end, salvation is rooted in God’s grace. There is nothing we did to earn it. There is nothing we can do to lose it. Think of it, had the Reformation not happened, we would not sing the hymn Amazing Grace. It would have no meaning for us.

There are many other things that grew out of the Reformation as well, including how we view vocation. Had the Reformation not happened, we would still separate work into jobs that are holy and important and those that are not. Martin Luther also influenced worship through all the hymns he wrote, inspiring musicians down through the ages.

Luther’s simple act on October 31, 1517 sparked a reformation that continues to ripple down through the ages. May we not take what happened at the Reformation for granted. May we continue the motto from the Reformation: Ecclesia Reformata, Semper Reformanda, the church reformed and always reforming. And may we look to the word of God alone to be our authority, as it teaches that we are justified through Christ alone, by faith alone, in grace alone, to the glory of God alone.

How about you? Anything else you would add to the list?

Photo by Wim van 't Einde on Unsplash

Vanity Under the Sun

“Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity” (Ecc. 1:2).

I’ve been reading Ecclesiastes in my quiet time. Every time I read through the book, it feels like someone turned on the light in the dark recesses of my life, pointing out things I hadn’t noticed before. It would be like if a gemologist were to look up close at my wedding ring and point out that it doesn’t really have diamonds in it after all. I’d then look at it with new eyes and notice its flaws. What once was shiny would quickly lose its luster. I’d realize that what I once thought was valuable, had no value at all. This is what the teacher does in Ecclesiastes; he shows us the vanity of life under the sun.

Throughout the book of Ecclesiastes, the teacher shares insight into his own life experiences. He has pursued everything there is to pursue in life. He’s tried it all. He’s accumulated it all. He’s witnessed it all. And he’s found little to write home about. He sums it up as meaningless or vanity. The Hebrew word used for “vanity” in Ecclesiastes 1:2 is hebel. It means vapor or breath. It’s a word that describes the transitory nature of things. It’s like a breath that is breathed out and immediately dissipates in the air. Hebel describes things that have no form or structure, they are empty; they cannot contain anything.

The teacher uses this word throughout the book to describe life “under the sun.” That is, life from our earthly, finite perspective. The teacher observes that people work hard, they pursue and enjoy the pleasures of this life, and then they die. All that they have worked for is then passed on to someone else who won’t appreciate it or will likely lose or waste it. All the pursuits and pleasures of life, once experienced, are gone. The things we put our time and energy into all too soon fade away. They lose their luster. They show themselves worthless.

Vapor. Breath. Meaningless.

I can’t help but think of the early church father, Augustine. He pursued the pleasures and vanities of this life. He looked for meaning and purpose in things, relationships, knowledge, and experience, but found them fleeting. He wrote in his work, Confessions, about his life, “For it was my sin, that not in Him, but in His creatures—myself and others—I sought for pleasures, sublimities, truths, and so fell headlong into sorrows, confusions, errors.” He even tried various religions and philosophies, thinking they would help him find what he was looking for, but he still felt restless and lost. It wasn’t until he read the Bible and was converted to Christ that his restlessness finally stilled. He wrote, “Thou madest us for Thyself, and our heart is restless, until it repose {rest} in Thee.” When Augustine found Christ, he found what his heart longed for all along.

It isn’t until we see things from a different perspective, from “above the sun” rather than “under the sun,” that things change. It’s when we see the world in light of eternity that we see what truly matters—what truly satisfies. Then we see that the pleasures we’ve labored so hard to achieve are really like playing in the mud when we could enjoy a trip to the sea. As C.S. Lewis describes, “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” The truth is, the little joys of life exist to point us to the greatest Joy. We’ve wasted precious time dancing with shadows when we could have experienced Life itself.

Ecclesiastes reminds my heart how easily I confuse the shadows for the substance. It reminds me that when I focus my life and heart on things “under the sun” and forget about the One who rules “above the sun” I am only grasping at vapor, with what is fleeting and temporary. The teacher reminds me that life is meant for something greater, for Someone greater. That real life—real fulfilling, lasting, meaningful, glorious life—is found only in the One who created it.

The teacher ends his book with this conclusion: “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecc. 12:13). We don’t know much about what is above the sun other than that God rules over the universe. We don’t know much about eternity past, other than that God has always been there. We don’t know what will occur in eternity future, just that it is in God’s hands. In the span of time, we are but vapor; our lives are merely a breath. The conclusion then is this, to live our lives in the fear of the One who knows all things. To live for his glory and praise. To live for and pursue that which is lasting, that which is eternal, that which is of substance.

And that’s where real Joy resides, not in the shadow, but in the substance.

What God Says, He Does

Have you ever heard the phrase, “do as I say, not as I do?” It’s a subtle jab at our hypocrisy as humans, at our inability to be consistent. We fail to practice what we preach. We teach our children to be kind to their siblings, and then berate the cashier for being so slow at the check out lane. We tell our friends we will pray for them and then never do. We talk about serving the poor yet fail to serve our own family.

It’s a common problem for us all: we say one thing and yet do another.

How wondrous the contrast between fallen humanity and our holy and faithful God! Psalm 33:9 tells us, “For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.” For God, to say something is to do something. They are one and the same. When he speaks, it happens. The Hebrew word for “and it came to be” (hayah) literally means “to be.” In the Hebrew, this verse reads “he spoke and it was.” It is the same word used in Genesis 1 where God spoke and the world appeared. “Let there be light.” God spoke and stars hurled across the sky. He spoke and waters teemed with fish. He spoke and life appeared.

This is true of everything God says. Whatever God says in his word is certain. Whatever he wills, always comes to pass, “…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” (Is. 55:11). Whatever God promises is guaranteed. In fact, we can consider it already done.

How many times have you made a promise to someone and failed to keep it? I make commitments all the time and then have to cancel them because I got sick, my car broke down, or something prevented me from keeping the commitment. Sometimes, I tell my children I will do something for them and then simply forget my promise. Other times, I make a promise and then simply decide I just don’t want to do it. I’m too tired. I don’t have the resources I need to follow through. I changed my mind. (I can’t be the only one…)

But God! Every promise God makes comes to pass. He would cease to be God if he failed to keep his word. God keeping his word is inherent to his very nature, to who he is as God. Because he is God, he cannot fail to do all that he says. Because he is God, speaking and doing are one and the same. As the Puritan David Clarkson wrote:

“He would cease to be God if he failed to perform any promise. For he ceases to be God when he ceases to be most perfect. If he does not perform his promises, this divests him of all perfection. If he does not perform his promises it is either that he will not, or cannot. He would lack either in power, or in wisdom. If he never intended to perform, then how is he upright? If he intended, but now has changed his mind, how is he unchangeable? If he is not unchangeable, he is not eternal. As sure as he is God he will perform his promises…He engages himself when he engages his word. Men can be men, though unfaithful, but God cannot be God; he cannot deny himself.”[1]

This means we not only cling to the promises in Scripture, but we can know without a doubt they are certain. We don’t read them as wishes or hopes. We don’t read them as merely inspiring words that lift us up in the moment. God’s word is the same as his actions. Just as he spoke and the world came into being, so too will all his promises come to be.

Consider the significance of promises such as:

• “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28).

• “…he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6).

• “He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 1:8 NIV).

• “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:9).

• “And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true” (Rev. 21:5).

What encouragement for we who fail to keep our word! What remarkable truth for we who live by the motto, “do as I say, not as I do!” Dear friend, as you read God’s word, as you read the statements God makes about you, as you read his promises for you in Christ, as you read his declarations about who he is and what he has done, know that whatever God wills always comes to pass. What he says is the same as what he does. Rejoice and give thanks to your promise making and promise keeping God!

[1] Voices from the Past: Puritan Devotional Readings, p. 194.

Seminary, Five Classes In

A few years ago, a board member at my alma mater said to me, “Every Christian should go to seminary.”

I had long tossed the idea around of taking seminary classes, but life always seemed too full and too complicated. The older I got, the more reasons I found not to do it.

But after our conversation, I picked up the idea again. I tried it on and considered it. I talked to other women I knew who had gone to seminary to get their perspective. I went for a tour and asked lots of questions.

And then I made the leap.

I imagine there are others out there who have also considered taking seminary classes. Perhaps you’d like to understand your Bible better. Perhaps you love theology and know you will enjoy talking with other likeminded students. Perhaps you are like me and want to take classes to help you in your writing or teaching. Perhaps you desire a degree to equip you in your current work in ministry or to prepare you for future Kingdom work. For all these reasons and more, I wholeheartedly recommend it.

One thing I know to be true: There will never be a perfect time in life to pursue theological training. There are always going to be barriers and interruptions that make it difficult to add classes to an already full life. I’ve been taking classes in between writing projects (because to be honest, my middle age brain can only do so many things at once!) But that doesn’t mean that everything goes smoothly when I do take a class. This semester found me faced with multiple distractions, most of which were unexpected. Every time I planned to devote a day to studying, inevitably someone needed my help. A child got sick. An important errand needed attending to. An unexpected task needed my attention. Life simply got complicated.

So, yes, it is hard to add something like a class to the busyness of everyday life. But it’s also worth it. The classes I’ve taken have answered so many questions I’ve long had about the Bible and the Christian faith. They’ve given me words and categories to better express what I believe and why. They’ve helped enrich my faith, adding a beautiful depth and awestruck wonder to what I already knew. I’ve loved every class. Each one has taught me things I didn’t even realize I needed to know. Each one has drawn me closer to my Savior. And I think that’s why my friend believes every Christian should go to seminary, for it strengthens a believer’s walk with the Lord.

Everyone asks me if I am just auditing classes or pursuing a degree. I always respond that eventually— hopefully—I will earn a degree. I’m just on the ten to twelve year plan, taking one class at a time.

I am currently finishing up my fifth class with RTS (Hermeneutics). It’s the class my pastor told me would be the most important class I’d ever take in seminary. While I took Hermeneutics in undergrad, at the seminary level, it went much deeper than what I previously learned. I’ve finished the class with the realization that I have so much more to learn! This class has pushed me, challenged me, and fed me. It will be foundational to all the other classes I’ve yet to take.

If you’d like to try seminary on for size, many offer free online lectures to give you taste of what to expect. There are also many class options to fit your life and schedule, whether in-person classes or virtual. Some offer certificates in addition to degrees.

As Christians, we should seek to grow in our knowledge of God and his word. We should seek to be equipped to live as his ambassadors and emissaries in this world. And seminary is one way to do that.

What about you? Have you attended seminary or considered it?