Tag: wholeness

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James

That we may be mature and complete

Wholeness

What is God’s intention and desire for us?

In a word, “wholeness.”

That we would be whole in our relationship with him. That we would be whole in our relationships with each other. That we would be whole in every aspect of our lives.

That’s a comforting thought, isn’t it? We all want to be made whole.

The next thought might not be so comforting: It is for the purpose of being made whole that we go through many of the trials and struggles we do.

That’s why it’s hard for us to accept James’ word to us when he says,

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. (James 1:2-3)

Pure joy? When we face suffering?

Yes. Pure joy. Why? Because these trials produce perseverance in our lives. Why is perseverance so important?

Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (4)

In short, the path to wholeness is one of persevering through trial. For through those trials, we learn to cast aside trusting ourselves and our own wisdom.

The reason our lives are so broken is that we have spent our entire lives trusting ourselves and our own wisdom. But through our trials, we learn just how vain life is living that way.

But when we turn to God, learning to trust him and his ways, and we persevere in living that way even through trial, then we find wholeness. In our relationship with him, with each other, and in every aspect of our lives.

That’s why James tells us in the next verse,

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. (5-8)

As I read this, I can’t help but think of Hebrews 11:6, where it says,

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Wholeness comes down to trusting God. If we doubt God’s goodness in our lives, we will never do the things he asks. And if we don’t do the things he asks, our lives will remain the broken shells they are.

How about you? Do you want to be whole, when all the while you’re holding on to your wisdom and your ways? You can never be made that whole that way. That way leads only to brokenness and despair.

But if you will trust in God, he will bring you out of the trials you are going through. And he will bring you out mature, whole, and complete.

What will you do?

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Romans

Going back to misery

Romans

I wonder when Paul wrote this if he thought back to the story of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt.

He certainly makes the parallel in 1 Corinthians 10, when he compares the Israelites going through the Red Sea to baptism in Christ.

But in so many ways, the things that he talks about here reflects what happened to the Israelites at that time. They were dying in Egypt. They were living miserable lives as slaves, and it says in Exodus 2:23,

The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God.

So as we know, God delivered them.

But as they were going through the desert and went through many trials, they started complaining and saying,

If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted. (Exodus 16:3)

Then later, just as they were about to enter the land God promised to give them, their faith faltered and they said, “Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt? We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.” (Numbers 14:3-4)

Here, Paul faces a similar situation. He had just written that where sin abounded, grace abounded even more.

So he posed the question, which undoubtedly had been brought up to him before,

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? (Romans 6:1)

To that he gave a resounding, “No!”

Later after talking about how we are under grace, not law, he again asks,

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? (Romans 6:15)

Again, his answer is crystal clear: No!

Why not? He tells us,

We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?

Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. (Romans 6:2-4)

In other words, we died to that old way of life of living in sin. We died to that kind of life so that we might live a new life, a better life. A life in relationship with God. (Romans 6:10)

So how can we go back to our old way of life?

But so many Christians are like the Israelites.

The Israelites had passed through the Red Sea and “died” to their life of slavery. They came out of the Red Sea new people. Free to live a new life. Free to live a life of victory.

But instead, they started thinking about “the good old days.” They thought about the delicious food they ate there.

And they started to think, “Let’s offer ourselves back to the Egyptians to live as their slaves again,” all the while forgetting just how miserable their lives had been there.

That’s what’s so deceptive about sin. It reminds you of its pleasures while causing you to forget the misery it brings.

And so Paul says,

When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness.

What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! (Romans 6:20-21)

In other words, “Those of you who are saying, ‘Let’s go back to sin and give ourselves as slaves to it once again,’ don’t you remember just how miserable that life was?

Not only did it cause you shame, it was killing you? Do you really want to go back to that?”

So he says,

Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. (Romans 6:13)

Why?

The benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. (Romans 6:22)

When we offer ourselves to God, our lives become holy. Put another way, we become all that God meant us to be. We become whole as people. And the result is life. True life.

And the best part is that it’s all free.

If only we could see the true worth of this gift of life God has given us instead of selling ourselves back to that which leads only to death.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

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John John 5

Desiring wholeness

John

Sometimes I wonder if people really desire wholeness in their lives.

They often complain about their marriage or relationships, they complain about their jobs or their health, but they never seem to do anything about it.

They almost seem to like complaining about their problems. They seem to enjoy receiving sympathy from others.

But Jesus doesn’t want us to be that way. He doesn’t want us to wallow in our brokenness. He wants to bring healing in our lives. We see this in this passage.

A man was an invalid for 38 years, and probably had to make his living begging.

When Jesus found out about his situation, he asked a simple question: “Do you want to get well?” (Or “be made whole” — KJV)

One would think it’s only natural that the person would want to be healed. But perhaps he was happy not working and just begging for a living. Maybe he enjoyed having people wait on him. It was in that sense, an easy life.

But we see from the man’s answer that this was not the case. He wanted to be healed.

Apparently, there was a belief (true or not, it’s not clear from the passage) that the first person that got into the pool of Bethesda when the water was stirred would be healed.

He always tried to get in, but with no help, someone always got in first.

When Jesus heard his reply, he said, “Well then, get up, pick up your mat, and walk.” (John 5:8)

One wonders what this man was thinking. Apparently, he hadn’t heard of Jesus before, or if he had, he didn’t recognize him, as we will see later in the story.

But here is this total stranger telling him to do something he hadn’t been able to do in 38 years.

Whatever he was thinking, he tried it, and immediately, he was healed.

Later at the temple, Jesus came up to him, and said,

See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you. (John 5:14)

What can we get from this?

Lots of us experience hurts in our lives. Many of us are broken, and we see no way that we can ever be made whole. But Jesus asks us the same question he asked the man.

“Do you wish to be made whole?”

If you do, you need to do what the man did and obey what Jesus tells you. Don’t question what he says. Don’t complain that it’s impossible. Make up your mind to obey him.

Now this is not to say that wholeness will come as quickly or easily as it came to this man.

When it comes to issues of broken relationships, broken hearts, bitterness, and many other things, it takes time.

You’ll need the help of the Holy Spirit working in you, and the help of Christ’s body, the church. (That’s one reason why going to church is so important).

But wholeness will never come unless number one, you truly want to be made whole, and number two, you make the decision to trust Jesus and do what he says.

And when you do, as he did with this man, Jesus will give you the power to obey him and bring wholeness into your life.

But if you choose not to trust him and continue going your own way, in short, if you continue to live in sin, you’ll find as Jesus warned this man that your life will only get worse. (John 5:14)

What will you choose?

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Luke Luke 5 Mark Mark1 Matthew Matthew 8

The One who cleanses

The gospels

I love the compassion of Jesus that we see in this passage. A man covered with leprosy came to Jesus, begging him,

Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean. (Matthew 8:2)

Being leprous back in those days was a horrible thing because you were literally cut off from society. You had to leave your home, and basically go into exile. If someone came close to you, you had to shout “Unclean, unclean” to warn them away.

It was a lonely, miserable life. The only people you could hang out with were other lepers.

But this leper had heard about Jesus and suddenly he had hope again. He dared to draw near, asking for healing.

I think Jesus went well beyond what this man expected. Not only did Jesus say he was willing to heal him, he even touched the man.

To touch a leprous man in Jewish society was to make yourself ceremonially unclean, not to mention putting yourself in danger of becoming leprous yourself.

It may have been the first time that this man had been touched in years and Jesus’ touch may have jolted him.

I’ve been in Japan, a place not known for much human touch (such as hugs) among adults. I’ve been here so long, I get kind of jolted when people offer me a hug.

That’s how this man may have felt. For so long, people feared to touch him because they might become unclean.

But when Jesus touched this man, Jesus didn’t become unclean. Rather, he made the leprous man clean.

In the same way, Jesus sees us in an unclean sinful state. We’re trapped in the muck and mire of our sin, unable to save ourselves. All we can do is say, “Jesus, if you’re willing, you can make me clean. Help me. Save me.”

And if we will do that, as he did with the leprous man, Jesus will reach down, touch us, and make us whole.

If Jesus could make a person’s skin whole, how much more can he make our souls whole?

Are you trapped in your sin? Do you feel unclean because of it, unable to help yourself? Come to Jesus. Ask for his help and his forgiveness. And he will make you whole.

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Psalms

A life of holiness

Psalms

I once heard someone describe the word holiness as “wholeness.” That when we live a holy life, that’s when we’re whole, because we’re living the way that God intended us to live.

I mentioned yesterday how when people reject God, their view of good and evil get distorted.

In contrast, here in this passage, we learn some basic things of what being whole is all about.

Why is this important? Because of how David opens Psalm 15. He writes,

LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? (Psalm 15:1)

In other words, not just anyone can enter into God’s presence. The writer of Hebrews made this very clear when he wrote,

Without holiness no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14)

What is holiness?

It’s walking blamelessly.

No one can justly accuse you of doing wrong.

This is not to say that no one will attempt to. Jesus was perfect, yet his enemies still found reasons to accuse him.

The key word here is “justly.” Can anyone justly accuse you of doing anything wrong? Or are you blameless in their eyes?

It’s doing what’s righteous.

Holiness is not just avoiding doing the bad. It’s doing what you know is right. James wrote,

Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins. (James 4:17)

It’s speaking the truth from the heart.

Are you a lover of truth? Or do lies, even “white lies,” easily slip out of your mouth?

I’m not saying that we should callously speak truth with no regard to the other’s feelings. But we are to speak the truth to people… in love. (Ephesians 4:15)

It’s avoiding slandering people.

How often do you talk behind someone’s back, whether it’s a coworker, a customer, or even your spouse? Holiness avoids that kind of talk.

It’s admiring those who do right, not those who do evil.

Who are your role models? Who do you strive to be like?

Are you seeking to be like those who love and serve God? Or are you striving to be like those who have rejected God in their hearts? Whose values are you taking on in your heart?

It’s keeping your word, even when it’s not convenient.

Even when it’s painful, you do what you said you would.

It’s being generous, helping those in need.

It’s not taking advantage of another’s difficult situation, but touching them with God’s love.

Finally, it’s being honest and just.

Treating all as God would, no matter their station, and no matter what possible profit it might be to you to act otherwise.

David says that this kind of person will be whole and as a result will never be shaken.

How about you? Are you holy?

The good news is that if you belong to Christ, he makes you holy and righteous in God’s sight through his blood. That’s in the legal sense.

But in the practical sense, Peter says that,

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (2 Peter 1:3)

In other words, we don’t have to make ourselves holy in our own strength. God empowers us to live a holy life.

So each day let us strive for holiness.

And as Peter went on to say,

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.

For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:5–8)