William Knelsen As I wait in hope for the Lord.

Love and Unselfishness

June 22, 2011

This is another note I wrote on Facebook back in October 2009, with some minor edits. Quotations are from C.S. Lewis’ sermon, “The Weight of Glory.”

“If you ask 20 good men today what they thought were the highest of the virtues, 19 would reply ‘unselfishness’. But if you asked any of the great Christian of old, he would reply ‘love’.”

I’ve heard it more than a few times that the opposite of love is not hate, but selfishness. This can translate into the statement that if the opposite of love is selfishness, that means love and unselfishness are the same. However, there is a problem with this statement.

The virtue of unselfishness “carries with it the suggestion not primarily of securing good things for others, but of going without them ourselves, as if our abstinence, not their happiness was the important point.”

As I have observed our society and the actions of others, including myself, I have seen a huge emphasis on the value of personal sacrifice, as though that is the pinnacle of a godly or virtuous life.

I don’t want to devalue the importance of sacrifice, however, I want to question the motives of those who place higher value on their own personal sacrifice than the well-being of others. This is not to say that an unselfish act won’t benefit another person. The pursuit of unselfishness means that the well-being of another person as a result of our sacrifice is a side effect and not the intended purpose. This is not the Christian virtue of love.

Christ’s sacrifice was indeed an act of unselfishness, however, it was an act of love first. The successful intent was the salvation of humankind, it was not a side effect on the road to another goal.

As a Christian with a desire to become more like Christ, the goal is not to abstain from as much worldly pleasures as possible and hope that a life of sacrifice will get us entry into heaven. The goal is to receive the good gifts of the Holy Spirit, which enable us to see others the way Christ sees them and to live a life of love, joy and peace.

The Gift of Faith

June 21, 2011

The common understanding of faith is that it is a skill or a virtue. We speak of some having great faith, as though they have worked for their ability to trust God and got to where they are over time and discipline. We also speak of some as having little faith, as though they are immature and need more discipline to be better at trusting God.

Faith is not something we can master. It is not measured by your own strength, but in the reliability of the thing you put your faith in. If you put your faith in a lousy chair and it breaks underneath you, it’s not your faith that fails, it’s the fact that you put your faith in something that was unreliable. Replace that chair with a reliable one, and using the same amount of faith, you sit down without falling, the only thing that has changed is the fact that you are now resting on a reliable chair.

If you put your faith in your own ability to save yourself from sin, your salvation rests in the hands of an unreliable source. However, if you put your faith in Jesus Christ, the One who has never failed and will always be reliable, your salvation is guaranteed.

Thanks be to God, who’s justice is perfect and who’s mercy is sufficient. It is only because of God’s gift that we can be saved. Romans 3:21-26.

Rejoice in the Lord Always

June 20, 2011

This post is an excerpt from a sermon I preached in 2007. Going along with the theme of happiness, I decided to post these notes. The text is Philippians 4:4-9.

 

Our lives are full of things that make it tough to focus on God and spend time with Him. We are easily distracted by our duties here on earth. Our many responsibilities can sometimes seem to get in the way of a deep relationship with God. Philippians 4:4-9 is a message of encouragement for God’s people to remember God through all circumstances. As we go through our lives we should keep in mind the exhortations Paul includes in this letter to the Philippians, which will help us to live a devoted life, both in our private and corporate relationship with God.

Paul tells the Philippian Church to rejoice in the Lord in all circumstances. In happiness, in sadness, in life, in death, in health, in sickness, in everything you do, rejoice in the Lord. Paul is not encouraging us to rejoice because we are sad, sick, or experiencing the death of a loved one. He is encouraging us to remember God, and praise His name, no matter what circumstance we are in, for our hope and life is in the Lord, and all these other things will one day pass away.

Paul encourages the believers to put into practice what they have been taught by him. It is important to notice that Paul includes both his words and actions, as though there would be no difference between the two. The lesson here is that we need to be sure that our words and actions are no different from each other. What we say has a much greater influence on others when what we do lines up with our words. This is another way to have peace and comfort in the Lord; by keeping close to His word, in the way we think, talk and act.

These words are meant to give you a sense of peace and comfort. When life gets busy and full of things that appear to be getting in the way of a feeling of closeness with God, rejoice in the Lord, pray, dwell on excellent things, put into practice the good you have been taught and the peace of God will be with you.

 

Being Happy

June 19, 2011

“Happiness can never be found directly… happiness is always and only a by-product of seeking something else more than happiness… if you seek righteousness more than happiness, you’ll get both. If you seek happiness more than righteousness, you’ll get neither… the person who is happy is the one who has stopped trying to be so happy.” – Tim Keller, from a sermon called “The Search for Happiness.”

There is much wisdom in these words. What Keller is saying in this sermon is that true and lasting happiness can only be found in the righteousness of the law of God. He uses Psalm 1 as the text, which says that the one who delights in the law of the Lord is blessed. The question emphasized in Keller’s sermon is, “Are you fundamentally and consistently happy?”

My response is, no I am not. The problem I come up against time and time again is that my happiness depends far too much on the temporary and not enough on the eternal. When we depend on those things which will fail us, the happiness we feel as a result of those things will also fail. If I work hard to have a happy marriage or to enjoy my work, my happiness depends on the conditions of those relationships and situations.

Real happiness, that which the Bible points to and talks about, is not subject to the seasons of our lives. Just like a tree that is planted by a stream of water is fed by its roots, so must our lives be fed not by an external source, but from our roots. The circumstances may change, but if we are rooted in Christ who never fails, the source of our joy and happiness will always be there. Before Christ, we were like a tree not planted by a stream of water. Once we have invited Christ into our lives, we are like a tree that has been transplanted next to a never-ending source of water.

So, in order to find happiness, we must not do all we can to control our circumstances in order to bring happiness, but we must treasure the One who is the source of fundamental joy. When we make happiness our highest priority, we will get nothing. But, when we make Christ our highest priority, happiness will spring forth from that relationship.

Here’s a final thought. If we come to God to find happiness, we don’t come to God, we come to an idol with expectation that it will serve us. We must come to God on the basis that God owes us nothing. The worst part about this is that we are too selfish to do this. The best part is that God is gracious enough to change our hearts, if we are willing to admit that we need to be changed.

Father’s Day

June 19, 2011

This morning I thought I’d reflect a bit on the Biblical responsibilities of a father. Most of the references to fathers in the Bible are in the stories themselves, but relatively little instruction is given directly to fathers. I do not hesitate to say, however, that if a man is wondering how he can be a good father, his main source of instruction should be Scripture. The entire Bible is the foundation for good fatherhood.

When I think about being a good father, and I try to evaluate how I’ve been doing so far, I take verses like Proverbs 4:20-22 (there are many others like it) and ask myself the question, can I say this to my children?

My [children], be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.

The truth is, my words will never be as wise as Solomon’s, but thankfully the wisdom of God is available to all of us through the Bible, through wise mentors and teachers in the church and through the Spirit of God within us. My responsibility is to treasure the wisdom of God; to be a father who’s children can look up to and seek council from.

I see father’s day as a day to not only honour the fathers in our lives, but also as a reminder that God has given me the tremendous responsibility to take care of three of His children. With God’s help, I commit to passing on wisdom to my children and to be an example of one who’s treasure is Christ and who’s purpose is to glorify our eternal Father, who is in heaven. As J.I. Packer has said, “What is a Christian? The richest answer I know is that a Christian is one who has God as Father.”

Happy Father’s Day!

The Greatest Joy

June 19, 2011

This is a note I wrote last August which I published on Facebook. I decided I would share it here, as it is something that has become increasingly important to me lately. I have made some small edits to the note.

“Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!” Ps. 97:11-12

I am a relatively young person, and there are many who lived more life than I have, but in my 27 years of life, there has been no greater times of joy than when I have been in the service of people, and in the worship of Almighty God. I imagine this is the case for many others. My goal as I continue to be immersed in a community in which I have the opportunity to learn, serve and worship with people from all walks of life, is for my life to be a blessing to those around me.

Just about all who read this post are in different situations. Some spend your time working to pay the bills, the daily routine becomes boring, and sometimes there seems to be no point. Some wish for a more boring life, to slow down and be able to take time to reflect. Regardless of your situation, there is nothing stopping you from serving people and worshipping our God.

This is what we were created for.

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