It's almost spring around here. The crocus and daffodils have sprouted, and the family tulip farms are about to open to the public. I look around this beautiful America and know that our Creator has endowed us with life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I wonder why many people in the United States are walking away from their faith, while many in countries like Africa, Iran, and China are finding Jesus. A sermon by Peter Hubbard, pastor of
North Hills Community church in Greenville, South Carolina, gave me some answers. Here is what he said:
"Let me illustrate this with a little Jonathan Edwards. Edwards talked about the difference between common virtue and true virtue. Common virtue is not all bad. It helps make society livable. It’s why most people aren’t axe murderers, because there’s a certain fear and pride that drive us. We don’t want to be viewed as horrible. We don’t want to face any social consequences. So, we generally keep the big rules. And again, that’s not all bad. That’s part of the way a society can survive. But if that’s the only motivation, fear and pride is the primary motivation, that is why some people who have been in church for 30 years suddenly go off the wagon. They start sleeping around or commit some horrible crime or some upstanding member of society starts doing things where everybody’s like, “Whoa, he was the nicest guy. How could he do that?” It’s because of this. The same (Keller points this out.), the same fear and pride that drove him to be an upstanding citizen is the same fear and pride, in a different context when pressure is on, that drove him to do something horrible. Because the self-glory that drove all of that was never severed, never transformed.
The difference between that kind of common virtue and what Edwards calls true virtue is explained here. Edwards asked the question, “What is then true virtue?” And this is Tim Keller’s paraphrase of Edwards explanation.
“It is when you are honest, not because it profits you or makes you feel better, but because you are smitten with the beauty of the God who is all truth and sincerity and faithfulness. It is when you come to love truth-telling [and I would say truth-living] not for your sake, but for God’s sake, and its own sake. That kind of motivation can only grow in someone deeply touched by God’s grace.”
“Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love [did you see that] and your faithfulness!” There is a love that God germinates in our hearts for something bigger than our own comfort or our own reputation or our own cell phone. It goes deeper than the circumstances and getting what we want and changes us from the inside out.
So, a couple of quick questions for us to wrestle with. What is the pressure you feel right now? How are you being tempted to relieve that pressure? Perhaps sleeping with Hagar, like Abraham trying to relieve the pressure by finding his own solution to the problem. And what would the opposite of that look like? What does it look like to seek the glory and goodness of God right in the midst of the pressure?"
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What this says to me, in other words, those who have been changed by God from the inside out, live for God's glory, and not for their own glory. They dwell on the magnificent glory of God and meditate on His laws. They focus on His commands and precepts through prayer, Bible study, and fellowship with the Church. The Church is the remnant who live for God's glory and not for their own glory. In tough times they trust God and in good times they trust God. Their life is hidden in Christ. As my friend Nan used to say, "It's Trusting not Trying."
Sometimes life seems like words and music
That can't quite become a song.
So we cry inside, and we try it again
And wonder what could be wrong.
But, when we turn to the Lord at the end of ourselves
Like we've done a time or two before
We find His truth is the same
As it has always been
We'll never need more
Chorus:
It's not in trying But in trusting
It's not in running But in resting
Not in wondering But in praying
That we find the strength of the Lord
(2 times)
He's all we need
For our every need
We never need be alone
Still He'll let us go if we choose to
To live life on our own
Then the only good
That will ever be said
Of the pains we find ourselves in
There are places to gain
The wisdom to say
I'll never leave Him again
Chorus (2 times)
Not in wondering
But in praying
That we find the strength of the Lord
