Motherhood

Motherhood has fallen on hard times in our culture. Once considered a high and exalted calling, it is now considered an encumbrance, something that hinders a woman from developing her full potential. Underlying this is a fundamental issue on how we approach life. Is the fundamental issue in life our personal fulfillment or our willingness to love and serve others? On this issue Christianity has historically come down clearly on one side. In fact, I would go so far as to say that Christianity claims the only path to real personal fulfillment is to love and serve others. We serve a God who, though He needed nothing, was willing to leave His throne and a life of perfect joy to become a human being to deliver us from the deadly predicament we were in (John 1:1-18; Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 2:9-18). He did this even though we had brought this on ourselves, due to our rebellion against Him (Romans 5:6-8; 3:23-26; Isaiah 64:6). Now He calls on us to be like Him (Ephesians 5:1,2; Romans 8:29; Colossians 3:10).   

It is easy, if our focus is personal fulfillment, to see the issues as money, things, worldly success, and fame. But Scripture sees the most important goal as being a servant to others (Mark 10:42-45; John 13:4-17; Philippians 2:3,4). This changes our perspective not only toward motherhood, but also toward many other things in life. Our goal is not to ensure our own fulfillment, but to live a life of love for God and other people (Matthew 22:37-40; Romans 13:8-10; Galatians 5:13,14). This is motivated by our love for God (1 John 4:19; Roman 12:1,2; 2 Corinthians 5:14,15) for offering salvation to us through faith (Ephesians 2:8,9; Romans 4:4,5; Philippians 3:9). Also, God works in our live to give us the ability to become who God wants us to be (2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 2:10; 2 Peter 1:3). But how easily we forget that this means living our lives in service to others. This is because we have all we genuinely need in Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:9,10; Ephesians 1:3; Romans 8:37). Therefore, we are called to bring up children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4; Deuteronomy 6:7; Proverbs 22:6). Now not having any children myself, I do not feel I can tell people in detail how this should be done. I can only say it is an important task and should not be looked down on or neglected based on the world’s opinion. Because it is God’s opinion that really matters.

A Touch of Humor - Lack of Conclusion

How do we deal with the fact we want our questions answered now and do not get this? Where do we go from there?

Old Erich Proverb - Odds

Whatever the odds, whatever the difficulties, God will bring us through in the end.

A Voice from the Past - Chrysostom

Seest thou by how many ways He hath bound us together? Nevertheless, not even this sufficed Him, but He likewise made us to stand in need of one another, that thus also He might bring us together, because necessities above all create friendships. For no other reason neither suffered He all things to be produced in every place, that hence also He might compel us to mix with one another.

John Chrysostom, 347-407 AD, Homilies on 1 Corinthians, XXXIV, 7 (translated by Rev, Talbot W. Chambers, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Philip Schaff, Hendrickson Publishers, 2012, First Series, Vol. 12, p.205)

Does God want us to depend on one another? How should we respond to that?

Finding Ourselves

What matters is not what others think of us, or even what we think of ourselves, but what God thinks of us. It is easy to get caught up in the treadmill of trying to please others. We act, look, and dress in such a way as to please other people. And we always fail, because it is just not possible to please everyone. Also, let’s face it; most of us do not fit the image our society has of the perfect individual. In fact, I suspect that the image is rigged so almost no one can live up to it. But we can spend our whole life trying to get that carrot on a stick. What, then, do we do when we recognize this and become disillusioned?   

So we reach that point where we reconsider whether we ought to live our lives to please others and decide we are going to just be ourselves. But then we must face the question of who we are if we eliminate what other people think of us. And we decide to find ourselves, but we are not quite clear where to look. The idea that a person can define themselves is like thinking we can pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps when we are not quite sure if we have hands or bootstraps. We need some grid, some focus point to define ourselves by. Also, it is hard to avoid the sneaking suspicion that we ourselves may not be quite as good as we ought to be. That deep down in our souls there may be things that really should not be actualized. But if we cannot be sure we can trust ourselves, who can we trust?

It is at this place that God comes in. First, He does not just flatter us. He sees that imperfect character deep within us, sees it more clearly then we see it ourselves (Romans 3:23; Jeremiah 17:9; Isaiah 64:6) and loves us anyway (Romans 5:6-8; John 3:16; 1 John 4:10). As a result, He sent His Son to pay the penalty for all the wrong things we have ever done (1 Peter 2:24,25; Colossians 2:13,14; 2 Corinthians 5:21). He can therefore offer salvation freely to those who put their faith in Him (Romans 4:4,5; Ephesians 2:8,9; Philippians 3:9). This results in our being declared righteous in the sight of God (Romans 3:28; 8:33,34; Galatians 2:21). We are made His children (John 1:12,13; Romans 8:14-17; Ephesians 1:5). And because of that, it is His judgment that really matters, not what other people think of us or even what we think of ourselves (1 Corinthians 4:3-5; Romans 14:4; James 4:11,12). Now if we put our faith in Christ, God will begin to work in our life to transform it (2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 2:10; Titus 2:11-14). But our identity is not based on what we can do, but on what Christ has done for us. And it is only in this that our identity is secure.

Helmet of Salvation

We are told to put on  the helmet of salvation (Ephesians 6:17). What does this mean? The helmet protects the head, and the helmet being salvation suggests that one of Satan's strategies is to make us doubt we are saved or can be saved. Now Scripture does speak of a genuine assurance of salvation (1 John 5:11-13; Romans 8:29-30; John 10:27-30). This is based on the fact that salvation is not something we produce, but is given to us through the work of Christ (Romans 3:21-28; Ephesians 2:8,9; Colossians 2:13,14). Now it is true that salvation should have a result in our lives, and we we should be careful of too easily reaching the assurance that we are saved (2 Corinthians 13:5,6: Titus 2:11-14; James 2:14-26). But we need to be careful of putting the bar too high. Scripture says we can know and can pass the test. One thing that helps me put this in perspective is 2 Peter 2:7,8. Lot in the Old Testament made some bad and sinful choices. But we are told by Peter he was a righteous man; he was saved. But we are also told his soul was tormented continually because of the deeds committed in Sodom. The true believer cannot be at home in sin. But if it is not possible to reach the point of having a real assurance of salvation, we can end up being paralyzed by doubts and unable to do the the things God has for us to do. To have assurance we must not take it too lightly or make it too hard. Also, one thing that can help in such doubts is to remember that we told that he who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved (John 3:16; 1:12,13; Acts 16:31). Then we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and turn to Satan's minions and say, "If I was not saved before, I am now."  

Lowering the Standard

Isn’t it enough to be good moral people? Unbelievers can ask that, but believers can come back after they are saved and ask it too. We recognize that we are sinners (Romans 3:23; Isaiah 64:6; Jeremiah 17:9) and that Christ has paid for our sin (1 Peter 2:24,25; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Colossians 2:13,14) and we are saved by having faith in Him (Ephesians 2:8,9; Romans 4:4,5; 1 John 5:11-13). But having been saved, it is sometimes easy to fall back on the idea that if I just live up to the world’s standard of morality, if I am a respectable person and avoid gross sins, then that is all God really expects of me. But the Bible says that the ultimate goal is conformity to Christ (Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Colossians 3:9), which involves living up to God’s perfect holiness (Matthew 5:48; 1 Peter 1:15; Ephesians 4:24). Now this is not something we can achieve by ourselves, nor will we attain it in this life, but it is still the goal. Because of that we need to recognize that, while we might be able by our own human effort to put on an outward show of morality, we cannot, apart from God working in our life, do anything to truly please God (John 15:5; Romans 8:8; 7:18). Therefore, we must trust in God’s working in us to change us (Philippians 2:13; Colossians 1:29; Ephesians 2:10).  

Now growth in Christ is not an immediate thing, but a process that takes place throughout our Christian life (Philippians 3:12-16; Hebrews 12:1-3; 1 Timothy 4:7,8). But it is only as we trust in the Holy Spirit’s work in us that we avoid the errors of pride in our accomplishments or of discouragement due to our failings. And when we do fail (and we will; see Romans 7:14-25; Galatians 5:17), we fall back on God’s forgiveness (Romans 8:1; Ephesians 1:7; 1 John 2:1,2). But we can continue, knowing that God will ultimately fulfill in us the requirement of the Law (Romans 8:4) so that we will be presented to God as a pure church without spot or wrinkle (Ephesians 5:27). But if we see ourselves as being responsible to accomplish this on our own, we can end up lowering the standard to fit our abilities. And instead of continually pressing on toward God’s standard of holiness, we can accept the standard of the world’s morality. Then being satisfied with achieving that goal, we can stop pressing on to where God wants us to be. But we must remember that while the goal is high, God has promised to work in us to accomplish it and we can trust in His power. Further, while we will not achieve it in this life, we should settle for nothing less than God’s standard of perfection.