Discernment

by Mike Avery, posted in All Articles, Christian Living

–May of 2008

Discernment

  “Give your servant an understanding heart … that I may discern between good and evil.” I Kings 3:9

When Solomon ascended the throne, he was keenly aware that he was not another David.  He was a scholar, not a soldier. He knew nothing of cold lonely nights in the Judean wilderness protecting sheep from preying lions and bears.  He had never faced a Goliath, fled from a Saul or put down an insurrection led by his own son. As the new Commander in Chief, he had never worn armor, wielded a sword or killed a Philistine.  In a word, he seriously lacked the life experience that qualified him to be King.  It’s no wonder that when asked by God in a dream, “What shall I give you?” the answer was already on his lips, “Give your servant and understanding heart…that I may discern between good and evil.”   Solomon wanted and needed the kind of discernment necessary to lead a great nation of people.

Solomon’s prayer needs to be pulled out of the archives and prayed again.  Discernment seems glaringly absent from Washington to Wall Street in both saint and sinner alike.  The Church desperately needs saints that possess a healthy dose of discernment.  Yet, from all appearances, discernment has not become one of the more coveted gifts.

Discernment is crucially important because the purpose and goal of spiritual discernment is to know and do God’s will.  To desire a discerning heart is to tell God that His will is valued above all else. To gain discernment is to gain the ability to bring God’s point of view to any issue or decision that confronts us.  Not all of the issues we face have a simple “book-chapter-verse” answer.  Many if not most require the application of a biblical principle that sometime lacks specificity.  We need a discerning heart in such cases so that we may please God by making a consistent and proper application of His Word in our lives.

Discernment can come as a special gift from the Holy Spirit, but most discernment comes from exercising and developing our spiritual senses (Hebrews 5:14).  This happens in a number of ways but actually begins in parental training.  Parents play a crucial role in developing discernment.  They build a foundation of honesty, respect for authority, self-control, sensitivity to God, moral judgment, wisdom, etc…from the toddler days to the teen years.  The spiritual and moral training given in these formative years is indispensable to discernment. If neglected, it is almost impossible to construct them at a later time.  During the teen years, godly counsel and life experience help further the development of discernment.

For the Adult, the most important means of developing discernment is through a thorough knowledge of God’s Word.  Paul said, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness…”  The Word serves as both a guide and a gauge for all our actions, activity and attitudes.  As we saturate our minds with Scripture we develop Biblically oriented discernment and propriety.  This enables us to both live and walk in the Spirit as mature Christians should.

The Church and individual Christians are facing an onslaught of issues in today’s world that seem to demand Solomonic wisdom.  We needn’t waste our time longing for Solomon’s wisdom, but we can pray the prayer of Israel’s young King and find that the same God who was pleased with such a request will again be pleased to grant us insight into His will.  After all, desiring discernment is just another way of telling God we highly value His will and are willing to do what pleases Him most.  And that, my dear friends, not only opens the door to His storehouse of wisdom, but to a host of other blessings as well!

Deuteronomy – “Remember”

by Mike Avery, posted in All Articles, Christian Living

–April of 2008

Deuteronomy – “Remember”

The first five books of the Bible are often referred to as the “Books of Moses.”  Deuteronomy stands at the end of this Pentateuch as the “grand summation”—the final words of Moses to the children of Israel. His words carry a remarkable recounting of yesterday’s journeys, tomorrow’s conquests and the promises of God to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that tie it all together. As in any good speech, there will be a key word or thought that encapsulates the whole.  This oration can be summarized in one word: Remember!

Moses took them down the path of historical memory so that by remembering they might not repeat.  How could they ever forget God’s love as long as they could remember the plagues of Egypt, the miracle of the Red Sea, the supernatural provision of manna, quail, water and raiment?  How could they ever forget God’s justice as long as they could remember the ground opening up and swallowing Korah and his rebels?  How could they ever doubt God’s promise to give them the land and His power to fulfill that promise if they would only remember Jericho!  But as soon as the Israelites crossed Jordan, conquered Canaan, built cities, grew strong and prosperous, they promptly did just that – they forgot God!

Nothing, apparently, bothers God more than the simple act of being forgotten.  And nothing, apparently, aids the forgetting process more than personal success and material prosperity. As soon as the Israelites became comfortable in houses of their own and grew plump from crops they had grown, they ceased to care for the alien and the poor.  As soon as they had won enough battles for the surrounding nations to fear them, they placed their trust in their own armies and chariots instead of the God who drowned Pharaoh’s army in the sea.  And by the time that Solomon had made Israel a global standard bearer of wisdom and excellence; had made silver as common as stones in the streets of Jerusalem,  Israelites from Dan to Beersheba were bowing before images of wood and gold saying, “these be thy gods oh Israel.”

How does one keep from forgetting God?  Moses speaks to that in the most famous words of the whole book. “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might”.  It is God’s love for Israel that delivered them from Egypt, but it is only a heart of love for God that will keep Egypt out of their hearts.  It is only a heart of love for God that can understand that His commands have been given to us for our good!  It is only a heart of love for God that will refuse to allow any thing, legitimate or otherwise, to compete for our devotion to God and God alone.

In the final analyses, it is only a heart of love for God that keeps us from forgetting Him and what He has done for us.  It is impossible to forget the one that you love with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.  Obviously, we all know that loving and forgetting are mutually exclusive!  Unless, of course, we have already forgotten!

Connected

by Mike Avery, posted in All Articles, Christian Living, Church

–March of 2008

 Connected

Radical independence is a highly admired characteristic in American culture.  From the earliest pioneer to the twenty-first century entrepreneur, Americans take pride in the man who can “go it alone” and “make it happen.”  These rugged individualists possess a homespun philosophy of life that says, “if you need a helping hand, look at the end of your arm.”  We applaud their independence, quote them in leadership seminars and teach our children to emulate their self-reliance.

This independent spirit is to some degree helpful and healthy, but when taken too far it can have devastating consequences.  A part of what it means to be created in the image of God is that we are created to relate to and interact with other people.    Just as the Divine Persons live in intimate Trinitarian relationship, humans cannot fulfill their created role without intimate relationships.  The very nature of true relationships requires inter-dependence.  We were not created to be “stand alone” people, but members of a family and a community that is interconnected and dependent.  We draw emotional and spiritual strength from one another that we need to be a whole and healthy person.

This is never truer than in our own spiritual lives.  “There are two things we cannot do alone,” said Paul Tournier, “one is to be married and the other is be a Christian.”  We are part of a living body that depends upon “connectedness” to God and to one another to function properly and develop normally.  It is true that we draw our spiritual life from the source and fountainhead of all spiritual life – God himself.  But it is also true that we draw precious and necessary resources from one another that enable us to function as a healthy part of the body of Christ.

This line of truth is so important that Jesus included it in His final discourse he had with His disciples the night before His crucifixion.  It’s found in John chapter fifteen and is explained with the analogy of the vine and the branches.  It teaches us a least three important lessons about being connected to Him and to one another.

First, we are not self-originating.  “I am the Vine you are the branches.”  In counseling sessions I have often reminded people that we are only stewards of the life God has given us and we are not free to do with it as we please.  But occasionally I hear these words in response, “No! It’s my life! I’ll do . . .” It is a fundamental error to think that our life is our own.  Only God is self-originating. The source of all life both physical and spiritual is always in another – someone outside ourselves. The branch does not exist without the vine.  Our life is not our own!  It is a gift from God!

Second, we are not self-sustaining.  None of us have life within ourselves. Only as we “abide in the vine” do we have life.  Just as physical life is maintained by the air we breathe, the food we eat and the relationships in which we engage, even so is spiritual life maintained by connection with Christ and with the members of His body. It is, “in Him we live, and move, and have our being.”  And living in Him also means living within His body the Church.  Saint John of the Cross wrote, “The virtuous soul that is alone . . . is like the burning coal that is alone.  It will grow colder rather than hotter.”   The Christian faith is not merely an intellectual, internal faith.  It can only be lived in community.  Abandon the Body and your faith will fade.

Third, we are not self-fulfilling.  Joy, happiness, meaning and value come only in and through a relationship to God and service to one another.  Real life comes to us through the Vine.  We have no ability within ourselves to bear the fruit of a meaningful and satisfying life.   It can only be found as we relate to and draw from the Vine and the other branches.

Too many branches of the visible church believe and practice isolation. They isolate themselves from the Church at large, but worse yet, they isolated themselves from those within their own religious tradition and in some cases from those within the same four walls of their own local church.  They have developed an approach to discipleship where people are exhorted to do what is right and then placed under rigid structures of accountability or fear of rejection to see that they do it.  This has yielded poor results because it ignores the deepest need of the human soul – true connectedness to another Christian.  I have seen my share of people in spiritual trouble and in so many of their cases there was more than a stubborn will that needed firm admonishment involved.  There was a desperate hurting soul that needed the nourishment that only a loving community and a meaningful relationship could provide. (I believe isolation and the resulting loneliness may be the devils most successful tool in luring people in to sin.) One poor soul expressed it like this, “they preached to me and prayed with me, but no one ever asked me over for lunch.”   It is often true that those churches that stress accountability and the “you need to stand on your own two feet” approach often do so because they simply don’t know how to relate to other people.  They either don’t know how or are too afraid to lock arms with those who are struggling.  Building meaningful relationships with needy people is time consuming, uncomfortable and costly.  But the successful results are indisputable.   If you are still unconvinced, take special note of the words spoken at the next communion service you participate in.  The Minister will hand you a piece of bread or a wafer and say, “The Body of Christ, broken for you. . .”  The Church was founded by One whose body was broken to give us life.  Shouldn’t we then go forth and pour out our lives for one another?

There really are no “self-made” men in our world, but men and women who have been fortunate enough to have other people invest so much in them that they in turn were able to make a huge difference on the visible stage of life.  If you are reading this article and truly want to make a difference, then find someone to connect with and pour your resources into them.  When we truly “connect” we can change a thousand lives – one at a time!

“It’s a Wonderful Life”

by Mike Avery, posted in All Articles, Christian Living, Holiday

–December of 2007

“It’s a Wonderful Life”

The Greatest Gift, written by Philip Van Doren Stern, is a story about a man who wants to accomplish something in his own life but is so busy helping others that life seems to pass him by. Despondent over what appears to be a very ordinary if not even a wasted life, he wishes he had never been born. He gets his wish, and through the help of a guardian angel he sees the world as it would have been had he never lived. After viewing life from such a unique perspective, he concludes that life is indeed a wonderful gift.  Though Stern never found anyone willing to publish the story, it finally found its way into the hands of filmmaker Frank Capra, who turned it into the all-time Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life.

I have not had any life-changing visits from a guardian angel, but I have had my perspective on this life altered in recent months.  I am one of those Christians who truly believe the best is yet to come!  It has not been tempting to me to spend any time or money collecting the trinkets and toys of this present world. I have not craved houses and lands.   I have had a good life, a happy marriage, and wonderful children who are grown and established – so any time God is ready for me to go, I am ready to depart: no sad stories, no regrets about leaving and no struggle to grasp a few more fleeting moments of time here on earth . It’s been a great journey! (For those who are shocked by this, no, I am not depressed, and yes, I would like to know my grandchildren). After all, earnest Christians live with a very loose grip on this present world. Right? Right! We are only pilgrims passing through the temporal headed for the eternal. Right? Right!  This life is inferior at best and the sooner we slip the bonds of mortal existence and are clothed with the eternal, the better.  Right? Not quite!

Some months ago God began to speak to me about the wonderful gift He has given us in our earthly physical life. It should not be minimized or demeaned because it is not as blissful a state as the life to come, nor should one just endure it until liberated by heaven. Rather, it should be lived with deep gratitude and respect as a wonderful gift from God.  It is good, not because I make it so, but because He has made it so.  God created life and declared it good. God gave Adam and Eve each other and the created world around them to enjoy richly.  He considers this physical life sacred and reserves the severest penalties for those who destroy it.  The first promise attached to a commandment was the promise of a long life. God often promised length of days as a way of honoring His faithful servants in the Old Testament. All of this is still true despite the Fall of man and the curse of sin.  Obviously, God sees the life He gives us as very good!

Don’t confuse God’s gift of life that is good with what the world calls the “good life.”  The two are polar opposites. The citizens of this present world chase after the “good life,” grabbing all they can get and holding it as tightly fisted as possible.  They generally succeed in keeping it long enough to make themselves thoroughly miserable before losing it all.  Christians, however, have given up the “good life” so that they may enjoy a life that is truly good. They do not grab for what they can get, but rather hold everything they possess in an open palm.  They clutch nothing to themselves but God.  Thereby they can enjoy all things without those things affecting their joy.

If God views our earthly life as good, then His perspective ought to become our perspective. We should see every moment of our life here as a blessed gift to be richly enjoyed, life as a glorious journey marked by His grace.  I don’t need health or wealth or popularity or beauty or anything else to make my life good. All I need is to walk with Him and remain in Him moment by moment.   Such a view of life is neither a shallow optimism nor a refusal to acknowledge the deep darkness that life can bring.  It isn’t ignoring the curse of sin and its awful physical consequences. But it is refusing to let those things blind us to the ultimate goodness of this life. It is acknowledging that every day is a gift from God – a gift that when received gratefully can transform the most common and ordinary moment into joyful living.  It is a statement of faith that says pain, sorrow and trouble do not define my existence, determine my happiness, or have the last word!

If God sees life as good then His perspective should be reflected in the way we live it.  God has given me some real-life object lessons to illustrate this point. Oscar Johnson, a dear friend, died recently after battling cancer for several years.  Oscar’s life taught me so much about how one should truly enjoy each and every day. Oscar knew for over two years that he was dying.  The joy and optimism with which he lived those years was a powerful witness to hundreds of people.  During his last hospitalization, I was alone with him and took the opportunity to tell him how much he meant to my family and me and to say goodbye.  That opened the door to talk about dying.  He said to me, “Brother Avery, I have never walked this way before.  I don’t know what you’re supposed to do when you’re dying.” And then with a big smile he said, “So I’m just going to enjoy my family, witness to my doctor and take a nap.” Oscar was holding life in an open palm.  He was rejoicing in every moment he had, and others were incredibly impacted by that joy.

A few weeks ago I attended the funeral of alumnus John Case, Jr.  John died suddenly from a rare form of cancer at the age of forty-two. Hundreds came to the viewing and the funeral.  His life had impacted so many people for what appears to be one primary reason – he loved life and it showed!  From the twinkle in his eye, to the lilt in his voice, to the humor in his words, John left those around him with the feeling that life is good and he was enjoying it!  A simple phone call from John could be the bright spot in a person’s day.  What a great way to live!  It is doubtful that anyone was ever influenced toward the life to come by someone who despised the one he or she was living now.  Life is good, and as Christians we should demonstrate that goodness to those we interact with.

As we celebrate God’s unspeakable gift in Christ this Christmas season, it would be good to also celebrate another of His wonderful gifts – the gift of life.  Important celebrations require planning and thought.  Last year on Christmas morning, before my family and I opened our gifts, we read the Christmas story, prayed together and then I read some prepared remarks about how good God had been to our family and how grateful I was for each of them.  I then mentioned some specific things about each one that I deeply appreciated.  After I finished, each family member did the same.  At times we were so overcome with emotion we couldn’t speak.   When it was over, we embraced each other and realized anew how wonderful life really is! If you’re alone, read a prepared letter to God and thank Him for the life He has given you.  You will not be alone for long!   What ever your circumstance, don’t miss an opportunity this year  to celebrate all of life.  Because it really is wonderful!

What’s in a Song?

by Mike Avery, posted in All Articles, Music

–November of 2007

What’s in a Song?

Methodism, it has been said, was born in song; and this was facilitated by the poetic genius and deep piety of Charles Wesley.  Few would argue that Charles Wesley‘s work in the composition of hymns has no equal in the English language, and is perhaps superior to any other man that ever lived.  Wesley’s story is even more remarkable when one remembers that he had never written a hymn before his “heart warming” experience on Whitsunday, 1738.  Following his conversion he wrote his first hymn, “Where shall my wondering soul begin?”   He went on to publish more than 4,500 hymns and left some 3000 in manuscript form.

Wesley’s hymns have become the gold standard for all other hymns.  They are worshipful, scriptural, instructional and pregnant with every conceivable phase of Christian experience and Methodist theology. They not only lift ones heart in adoration and praise to God, but they fill ones head with good Wesleyan theology.

The question naturally arises, “How did he do it?” along with the question, “Why isn’t someone today writing hymns like Wesley’s?”  I have neither the musical expertise nor insight to answer those questions to anyone’s satisfaction, including my own.  But music scholars Harry Eskew and Hugh McElrath give the traits of a Wesley hymn according to form and content in their book, Sing with Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Hymnody.

In summarizing what these music scholars have said a hymn by Charles Wesley will consistently have the following five traits in its form:  1. It is rich in the variety of poetic meters.  2. Sound and sense coincide, that is, individual lines express complete thoughts while being alliterative.  3. Wesley is bold and free in scriptural paraphrase without sacrificing the true meaning of the passage.  4. He uses a skillful mixture of the English and Latin vocabularies.  5. He uses a wide range of literary devices masterfully.

The content of a Wesley hymn also possesses certain remarkable characteristics such as: 1.Wesley’s hymns are replete with Christian dogma. Hymns taken as a body constitute skillfully condensed doctrine.  2. They are full of scriptural allusion. 3. They express a passionate Christian experience. Every mood of the Christian soul is expressed. 4. They are simple and smooth. Important matters concerning God and the souls of humans are dealt with simply and directly. 5. They are appropriately mystical.  The Wesley hymnic language reflects an appropriate intimacy in which God is talked to as a friend but never treated like a chum. This quality makes these hymns timeless and universal.

If it is true that Methodism was born in song, then it is equally true that her faithful sons and daughters still value that song.  For this very Sunday, Wesleyans all around the world will sing the words “O for a thousand tongues to sing my great redeemers praise; the glories of my God and King the triumph of His grace” and will be able to do so because Charles Wesley knew what was in a good song!