Around the Horn (March 30)

Struggling with the Struggle

“The reality of the Christian life, though, is that God generally does teach us the most valuable lessons in periods of lament, periods of weakness, periods of fear, periods of doubt. While we tread this narrow road, at times we will crawl. At times we’ll hide in the ditch to try to wait for the worst of it to pass. At times we’ll look at other people’s lives and long for a certain simplicity that just isn’t available to us at the moment. Obeying Jesus is sometimes so, so difficult–a fact that didn’t escape Him, of course. He did tell His followers that it would look like carrying around an instrument of torture and death all the time. Ease isn’t exactly a mark of this narrow road experience.”

Worm theology

“Now, I’m sure “worm theology” can become quite deviant. That is a danger of any biblical truth. One of Job’s friends, called Bildad, was into his worm theology, and he may well be an example of a worm theologian gone wrong. “Man… is a maggot and the son of man… is a worm” he reminded Job (Job 25:6). It would make an interesting Hallmark card slogan, wouldn’t it? But Bildad isn’t the only worm theologian in the Bible. Our Lord Jesus Christ says: “I am a worm and not a man” (Psalm 22:6). God says to his redeemed people: “you worm Jacob” (Isa 41:14), so it’s not language Christians can just ignore.”

Judgment for Pastors

“Fellow pastor, ask yourself: Am I helping my people get ready to stand before Jesus? When I stand before Jesus, are my hands and conscience clean? Was I faithful? Did I contend for the faith? Did I struggle in God’s strength and by his grace for the good of his people? Did I promote godliness and love? Did I help my people live faithfully, stand firm, suffer steadfastly, and die well?”

By |March 30th, 2023|Categories: Around the Horn, Blog|

About the Author: