Articles by Warren Baldwin at Heartlight

Entrusted

Sun, 11 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0600

The economy has a lot of people upset, and for good reason. Major corporations threatened with collapse, jobs continuing to be outsourced (being sent overseas), the massive bailout of the mega-banks, the stock market going down, and now the hint that the U.S. economy is possibly being merged with the European Union.

What in the world is going on? People are worried about their jobs and money. Some retired people I know are returning to work. The nest egg they set aside not only isn't growing, it is losing ground fast. At least some of the institutions we have entrusted with our money, our retirement, are letting us down.

Being entrusted with someone else's hope and prosperity is a major responsibility. It is also scary. I'm not just speaking here of the financial institutions. No, that was just an illustration. I'm speaking now about the great hope that God has entrusted within us.

Many years ago, the apostle Paul reminded Timothy of the sincere faith that lives in him (2 Timothy 1:5). He then told Timothy:

[F]an into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands." (2 Timothy 1:6).

He then encourages Timothy to testify about our Lord, and to suffer for the gospel. He also says:

[God] has saved us and called us to a holy life -- not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus ... (2 Timothy 1:9).

Paul even further told Timothy:

Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you -- guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us (2 Timothy 1:14 TNIV).

We deposit money in a financial institution and we expect it to produce more money. We trust the institution itself, the federal government, the federal insurance programs, the Securities Exchange Commission, and the Federal Reserve. We entrust them not only with our money, but with our hope and faith.

Paul says the same thing about God's relationship with us. God entrusts something to us that is far more valuable than the money we sock away for retirement. God entrusts us with faith, with the gospel, and with holiness. And he wants to see some interest earned on the deposit he makes in our lives.

I think that means God wants to see our faith seriously impact our lives. Faith is not a seasonal activity, like football, nor a timed activity, like a test. When the last horn sounds in football it is over for a season; when the buzzer sounds in school we know the test is over. But when the closing prayer is said at church, that doesn't mean faith is over until the next service. It means it is time for faith to start earning interest. Will that faith make a difference in how we treat one another? In how we treat our families? In how we speak? In how we earn our money? In the entertainment we choose? When the football season is over, we put the pads in the closet for 8 months. There is never a time for us to closet our faith.

In addition, I believe that guarding the deposit God has entrusted to us means that we share the gospel. We are fortunate recipients of God's grace and mercy through Jesus Christ. We bear interest with that gospel by sharing it with others and even suffering for it. Our salvation is not something to be selfishly hoarded, but is to be boldly proclaimed. As Paul told Timothy, "For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline" (2 Timothy 1:7 NASB).

Finally, God has entrusted us with holiness. Holiness means we exhibit the qualities of God himself. It means we walked as Jesus walked. To be holy is to be like God. Are we earning interest on this deposit? Do our lives exhibit moral purity, honesty, financial responsibility, kindness and a sharing spirit? Are we moved by the needs of others to reach out and help?

Ultimately, God does not want us to fritter away or mismanage what he has entrusted to us, unlike some of the institutions that have frittered away or mismanaged the money we entrusted to them. He wants us to earn interest on it. Today, as you go about your work and life, give some conscious thought of how you can be true to the faith, gospel and holiness God has entrusted with you, with God's power for today.

A Parable of Jesus:

"Again, it [the Kingdom of Heaven] will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.

"After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.'

"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

"The man with two bags of gold also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.'

"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

"Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'

"His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

"'Take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For those who have will be given more, and they will have an abundance. As for those who do not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'" (Matthew 25:14-30 TNIV).

Irreconcilable Differences

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (Ephesians 5:21 NIV).

Couples seeking a divorce often list "irreconcilable differences" as their reason for dissolving their marriage. They have issues between them that they feel cannot be resolved; therefore, they seek a permanent separation.

What are some of these "irreconcilable differences"?

Sometimes the issues are trivial. It is not uncommon for some people to fight and split over issues of not getting to buy all the personal items they want, such as clothing or cars. I actually read about a couple divorcing because they cheered for different football teams.

Usually the issues are more serious. One of the partners might have an addiction that is disrupting the marriage and family. One might be a big spender and drives the family into debt. One partner might be very aggressive, intimidating the more subdued partner. Sometimes one of the spouses is very critical of the other spouse, making him or her feel devalued and unappreciated. These problems that seem irreconcilable are pretty serious, and frequently hurt the feelings or self esteem of the other partner.

What does it mean that the problems are irreconcilable? It means that the couple has, presumably, worked on the problems, but has not been able to achieve any kind of resolution. Talking to each other, visiting with church leaders, prayer, and even counseling have not stopped the offending behavior. One party in the marriage continues to practice their addiction, spend carelessly, be overly aggressive, criticize too much or whatever the "differences" are. What is a couple to do?

At this point, some couples divorce. In fairness to people who profess irreconcilable differences, some of these people have suffered greatly. They have genuinely tried to work on their problems. They have taken inventory of their own lives and contributions to their marital problems, talked to their spouses, read books and sought help from professionals. Still the problems persist. What else can they do? Divorce seems to be a reasonable option.

But consider two things. One, every marriage has irreconcilable differences. Every couple I have ever spoken to admits to having some issues that they just can't resolve to the satisfaction of both parties. They learn to accept the other person, they live with the inconvenience of their differences, they even learn to change their expectations so the intensity of the differences lessens. Think about it: don't you have differences with nearly every significant person in your life? Why should marriage be any different?

Secondly, no matter how stressful the differences are, God wants us to hold our marriages together. About marriage Jesus said, "... The two will become one flesh. So, they are no longer two, but one. Therefore, what God has joined together, let man not separate" (Matthew 19:6). In many marriages, a man and woman find a way to overcome, overlook, or even rise above their irreconcilable differences. They create a union that becomes bigger than their personal choices and desires. They live for their partner. They stay together.*

I've seen too many husbands and wives walk away from each other because of differences they did not believe they could survive. Yet, millions of other couples survive those same difficulties and end up building strong homes. When couples divorce, then remarry, they often find that the same problems they fled in their previous marriage existing in their next one. Differences are impossible to avoid because they are the stuff of life! The best suggestion for a couple struggling with irreconcilable differences, the biblical call, is to stay in your marriage and continue to work on it. I'm simply asking that we encourage folks to seek God and stay together if at all possible. It won't be easy, but if you BOTH seek to place God first and respect each other, the Lord will somehow see you through and will bless your commitment and covenant.

* Let me point out that physical or emotional abuse is in another category than differences. There are laws to protect people from abuse, even husbands and wives from each other. Even in cases of abuse, though, I've known of couples getting counseling and working their marriages out.
[Editor's Note: We encourage couples that are impacted by one of the three A's -- Abuse, Addiction, and Adultery -- to seek help of an experienced Christian counselor to help them deal safely and redemptively with the serious situations they face.]

East from West

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:11-12).

This verse is a cool drink of grace for someone sweating under the intense heat of sin. It is freeing for someone struggling under the oppressive weight of guilt. It is refreshing, like a gust of cool air, for someone suffocating from shame and embarrassment.

How far is the east from the west? Well, that can't be calculated. The distance is impossible to measure. Not only is the east far from the west, it runs in a different direction, meaning the two can never meet. "East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet" (Kipling, "The Ballad of East and West").

That means that when God removes our sin, it is so far away from us it can never entangle and ensnare us again. It is gone and traveling in an opposite direction from us. Never shall we meet that sin again.

Of course, we will likely sin again. That is why we keep a penitent heart. That is why we keep crying out, "Lord, forgive me (us)." In his kindness God keeps forgiving! "He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities" (Psalm 103:10). In his grace he removes our sin as far away from us as the east is from the west.

There is another angle to this verse. In the original language of the Old Testament the word for "from us" also means "from himself" -- i.e., God has removed the sin from us personally and from our relationship with him, as well (Holladay, "Psalms Through 3,000 Years," p.325). So, not only does God remove our sin "from us," he also removes it from himself. Our forgiven sin is as far from God as the east is distanced from the west. Our forgiven sin is completely and irrevocably removed from God's presence. Do you realize how powerful that reality is?

Now there is a good reason for guilt. Guilt is the realization that we are sinners. It can be the motivating factor that drives us to our knees before a trusted friend to pour out our hearts. It is the driving force behind our cry for mercy before the throne of God. Guilt moves us back to God and opens the door for our sin to be forgiven and hearts cleansed. But once we have poured out our hearts to a Christian brother or sister and to God, guilt has served its purpose. The sin behind the guilt has been sent east as we travel west. We need to send our shame packing with it. If we don't trust God to remove our guilt from us, it can become toxic and become personal shame.

Personal shame is a constant companion to many. Shame is the feeling that deep down inside ourselves we are much more sinful, evil, and despicable than the image we cast to the world outside ourselves. When we aren't honest with God and others about our guilt, shame begins to destroy us. Shame is what causes us to turn our head and avoid eye contact. It is what makes us cry in private rather than share our sin and pain with someone else lest they reject us. Shame is that feeling that we are dirty and will never be good enough for ourselves, others, or God. Shame is not trusting God to forgive us and cleanse us of our guilt. Shame is one of the most potent self-destructive secret attitudes.

Because of shame, a husband could not look his wife in the eye and beg, "I am sorry for my sin, please forgive me." He left her instead. Shame caused an abused 14 year old girl to abort her baby and begin a run of dangerous relationships for ten years. Shame drove a young drug addict, whose baby ate some of her drugs, to the brink of insanity because of her irresponsibility.

I wish I could go back to all three of these people and say, "Hey, guess what! God can remove your sin. And with that, he can remove your guilt. When he removes it from you, he also removes it from his presence. That means God welcomes you into his presence. There is not one sin, not one bad decision, not one instance of abuse that you have suffered, that has to keep you from the loving compassion of God."

"As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from himself."

That means we can lift our heads, look God in the eye, and say, "Thank you!" It means we can live again, without the shame!