When the Roman general Scipio Africanus defeated Hannibal and conquered Carthage during the Punic Wars, it is said that he sowed salt into the fields so nothing would ever grow again. I’ve encountered discouraged Christian workers and leaders who view serving Christ as similar to cultivating a Carthaginian field.
Under these conditions, we may feel tempted to bend our theological emphasis to fit our discouragement. Often, we couch our discouragement with spiritual sounding statements such as, ‘We’re just too “results focused” or “fruit centered.”’ How do comments like this fit with some of Jesus’ statements in the Gospels?
Read MoreAfter nearly twenty years of following God, I still find myself returning to books and studies that gave shape to my walk with God. As a fairly young Christian, my men’s small group spent an entire night unpacking these short statements from William R. Newell’s commentary Romans Verse-by-Verse.[1] We spent nearly two hours evaluating each of these pregnant statements to determine if agreed with them. As a nineteen year old, fresh out jail, most of the discussion flew over my head. However, what little I absorbed made a lasting impact on my walk. Periodically, I stumble upon these statements as I read foundational books with young Christian believers. Each time, I find a growing level of agreement with each of these statements.
Read MoreWe often view waiting on God as a form of suffering. We tell ourselves, “God isn’t answering my prayers.” But if God calls us to cultivate daily dependence upon him, then we would recognize that few things can bring us closer to God than waiting on him. I found the following quotes from Andrew Murray’s book, Waiting on God, particularly helpful in seeing the value of waiting upon God.
At our first entrance into the school of waiting upon God, the heart is mainly set on the blessings which we wait for. God graciously uses our needs and desires for help to educate us for something higher than we were thinking of. We were seeking gifts; He, the Giver, longs to give Himself and to satisfy the soul with His goodness.
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