When God Says “Until” (Part 3)

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Jan C. Johnson

This series is about how, when God says the word “until,” we can infer three things. We’ve talked about two of them…
1. The outcome is sure.
2. BUT, though the outcome is inevitable, it is not immediate. “Until” implies a process taking place over time.

And now for PART 3: “UNTIL” Also Means Letting Go

Parts 1 and 2 focused on the outcome, but now I’d like to think about the process that took place “in the meantime.” Let’s look at a few examples…

1. We drove until we got to the restaurant.
2. Bake until golden brown.
3. I held my son’s hand until he could walk on his own.

1. When we go out for dinner, we always drive because we live miles from the nearest restaurant. So driving is a good thing. BUT, only to a point. Once we reach the restaurant, we don’t keep on driving. We park the car and go inside. Otherwise we wouldn’t get anything to eat, unless there’s an old Clif bar in the glove box. And why would we drive across town to eat that?

2. I love to bake chocolate chip cookies. The blobs of dough will never become cookies unless I put them into a hot oven. Here, a 350-degree oven is a good thing. BUT, only to a point. Once the cookies are golden brown I don’t keep on baking them. I have to take them out of the oven to cool. Otherwise they will burn. And “charcoal briquet cookies” just don’t have the same appeal.

3. Back to last week’s illustration of helping a child learn to walk… The little termites need something to hold on to while they gain strength in their legs and get the feel of balancing. So holding their little hands is a good thing. BUT, only to a point. Once they can walk and run on their own, you don’t keep on holding their hands unless you’re crossing the street or something. And, if I may offer a hint: when they get taller than you are, just forget it!

That’s a long way around, but I wanted to bring home an idea… our circumstances are not permanent. They last only to a point. As I mentioned in Part 1, right now we live in a fallen world, full of unfairness and cruelty, but one day that will change. Our fallen state will last only until God brings justice, and then unfairness will never again trouble anyone.

The same is true on an individual level. Last time I wrote about Paul’s words in Philippians 1:6… For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Right now believers are in the process of becoming more like Christ, “being transformed into the same image from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18). The process includes challenging struggles, but one day this “good work” will be done. When God accomplishes his “untils” he also gets to stop applying the process. When we reach Glory, there will be no more struggle, no more need to change. We will have arrived.

I can’t leave this topic without bringing up one more “until” — something that God has already let go of, to be replaced by something better. I wrote about it last fall, so I’ll direct your attention to the post “Bars and Butterflies.”

Matthew quotes Jesus as saying, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (Matthew 5:17-18). Paul picks this up when he writes to the Galatian church, “…the law… was added because of transgressions… until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made” (Galatians 3:19). Later, Paul writes in Romans 6:14, “…sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”

God gave the Law to show us our sinfulness, and it still serves that purpose. But Jesus’ sacrifice fulfilled the Law’s requirements. It allows those who trust him to be forgiven by his mercy and, from then on, to be guided by his grace rather than a list of rules. I thank God for letting go of his own written Law to make way for grace.

I welcome your observations, and hope this series has been helpful and encouraging to you.

Thanks for reading,
Jan

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When God Says “Until” (Part 2)

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Jan C. Johnson

Last time, I mentioned three things that you imply when you say the word “until,” and talked about the first…
1. The outcome is sure.
2. BUT the outcome is not immediate; we must wait.
3. The situation we wait for will replace the situation that exists now.

And now for PART 2: Not Immediate, But Inevitable

Think back to when you had a child or younger sibling or cousin who had not learned to walk. Babies are not born with the ability to walk, but most have the capacity to walk. They just have to develop enough physically and neurologically. So the question someone asked, the one that started my whole word study, is this:

How long do you continue helping your baby learn to walk?

The answer, of course, is “Until he/she is walking.” No parent will answer with a deadline: “Up to fourteen months old, and that’s it.”

And no one keeps Baby buckled in a car seat all the time, until 11 or 12 months of age, and then takes him out, expecting him to start toddling all at once. There’s a process, one that usually involves crawling and “standing” supported on adults’ laps and pulling up and cruising and falling down a lot.

God also uses a process to bring about his “untils.” If you wake up at 4:00 in the morning, it’ll be dark (at least here in the Southern US). But you don’t have to wonder whether God is about to flip a switch to “turn on the sun” at 4:05, or whether it will stay pitch dark until 10:30. That’s because the earth is constantly rotating toward the next sunrise. You can count on it growing light pretty close to the same time as it did yesterday.

In the same way, God is in the process of growing those who trust him for salvation. As Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, chapter 8 verse 29, God predestined them “to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He [Jesus] would be the firstborn of many brethren.” (The word “become” suggests the process; “predestined” and “would be” suggest the inevitable outcome.)

Oh, and about my brilliantly original sunrise analogy, God already used it — in Proverbs 4:18…

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
That shines brighter and brighter until the full day.

For me, the most exciting reference to this process is in 2 Corinthians 3:18:

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory…

“From glory to glory…” step by step, all of them glorious. And Paul further encourages us that this bright outcome is inevitable. In Philippians 1:6 he writes,

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

However much we mess up, God is always in the process of changing his faith children, making us more like his Son. It’s his power that does this, not our efforts. (See Jude, v. 24-25).

Of course, the more we cooperate with him, the less painful the whole process is. But don’t feel discouraged if you slip up or get tired along the way. He never gives up on you.

It’s all part of the process.

Thanks for reading,
Jan

The final post in this series is now up: PART 3: “Until” also means letting go. I hope my Soli Deo Gloria sisters and Company Girls friends will find it useful!

jj

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When God Says “Until” (Part 1)

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Jan C. Johnson

Last Saturday (February 25) I had the privilege of speaking at the Women’s Prayer Breakfast at our church. Well, speaking and eating, if you must know. My topic? I passed along some encouraging insights that I had learned in the course of a word study. In fact, I think I’ve found the single most encouraging word in the Bible! So naturally, I want to share it with you here.

What’s the word? I’m glad you asked me that. In my opinion, the single most encouraging word in the Bible is

“Until”

Of course, that one word alone would have made for a really, really short and not-very-useful talk. So now I’ll tell you what I find so encouraging about it…

The word “until” means “up to the time of” and it implies three things:
1. The outcome is sure.
2. BUT the outcome is not immediate; we must wait.
3. The situation we wait for will replace the situation that exists now.

PART 1: A Done Deal

When you say “until,” the first thing you imply is that the outcome is sure. Consider these statements:

I worked on my blog until 4:00.
He lived on campus until he graduated.

Because these are in the past tense, the “until” shows an outcome that is already accomplished; a “done deal.”

But we often use “until” in statements about the future:

I’ll stay home and read until the repairman comes.
I’m going to keep trying out until I make the basketball team.

Here, the outcome is what we expect to happen or what we intend to do, but we can’t really be sure of it. Some emergency could interrupt my reading; the repairman might never arrive; I’m a lousy basketball player. I could try out for 50 years and never make a team. Any team.

But God isn’t like me, and I’m not talking about basketball skills. When God says “until,” the outcome is based on his faithfulness, his omniscience and his sovereign will. Whether he is speaking about a past or future event, the outcome is a done deal.

For instance, one night he spoke to the runaway patriarch Jacob (Abraham’s grandson) in a dream: “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (See Genesis 28:15) God told him this in the place named Bethel, where Jacob’s descendants, the nation of Israel, did indeed settle. God never left Jacob / Israel the whole time; he had kept his word.

A sample of other things that God says “until…” about:

Justice. There is much unfairness and cruelty in the world, and God will ultimately judge it all and set it right. (See 1 Corinthians 4:5)

Christ’s return. The apostle Paul encourages his student Timothy to “keep the commandment . . . until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time . . .” (1 Timothy 6:13-15)

We can’t see the future, but God can. He already sees these outcomes as clearly as if they had already happened. Many of the events he promised have already taken place. And the ones that haven’t? Based on God’s past record, I can reach only one conclusion: they will.

Coming up next, PART 2: Not Immediate, But Inevitable

Thanks to the women at the Prayer Breakfast who listened so graciously in spite of my obvious inexperience as a speaker. And welcome to Rachel Anne and the Company Girls! I hope this series will encourage all of you.
Also, I am linking up with Jen at Soli Deo Gloria. Join us?

Thanks for reading,
Jan

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Advice To 20-Somethings: A Guest Post

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Jan C. Johnson

Welcome, friends! And a big “Thank-You” to Rachel Anne for the Company Girls shout-out. I’ll post about the prayer breakfast next week.

Meanwhile, some of you may be in your 20s, or have kids in their 20s. I wanted to share some helpful tips from Michael Perkins. To be honest, I can’t remember how I came across Michael’s excellent blog. But I’m glad I did. Michael describes himself as “a husband, pastor, blogger, creative, and a map maker.” He graciously gave me permission to re-post this essay, which has been stuck in my head since I first read it a month ago.

I encourage you to visit Michael’s “Handwritten” blog here. Most of his posts are, indeed, handwritten (but not this one). You can read them in 15 seconds and spend hours thinking about them. As Michael says, “If you want to be stretched, if you want honest, if you want simple, then this blog is for you.”

And now, here are Michael’s words…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MY ADVICE TO 20 SOMETHINGS

I’m a 20 something.

Well, I am for about 60 days and then I’ll be a 30 something. (That makes me feel old just typing)

The thing about 20 something’s is that many of us desire to be influencers. Many of us desire to be leaders. Many of us desire to change the world.

All of that is great.

But I believe that many of us neglect to do certain things because of pride, insecurity, and a sense of entitlement.

So…

Here are a few things that I believe are crucial to learn if we want to do anything of importance.

Change Your World First

It’s true.

If you want to change anything you need to start with yourself.

Be an example.

It’s really hard to listen to anyone who hasn’t been there before or who isn’t willing to change themselves. In fact, these people sound hypocritical.

On the other hand…

It’s really easy to listen to someone who has made changes. To someone who’s trying.

It makes them credible.

Be Teachable

You don’t know it all.

Learn to appreciate those who came before you and listen to what they have to say. They have accumulated wisdom and life experience that could make all the difference in the world to you.

Listen…

You’re not going to re-invent the wheel, but you can improve the wheel.

And you can improve the wheel by finding someone who’s been there before. Someone who’s willing to pour into you.

And then learn as much as you can from them.

So…

Drop the pride and drop the ego and start being teachable.

Be Willing to Mess Up

Don’t let fear stop you from stepping out in faith. Don’t let fear be your dictator.

Fear will tell you that you suck.

Fear will tell you that are not good enough.

Fear will tell you that you can’t.

If you are going to change the world, you will mess up. And you will fail. Don’t believe what fear has to say.

Instead…

Learn from your mistakes and failures.

And adapt.

There’s Nothing Stopping You But You.

There really isn’t.

So go.

Go and be a difference maker.

Go and change the world.

We need you to.

Are you a 20 something? What lessons have you learned? If you’re not a 20 something what advice would you give?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You can view the original post here.

Thanks for reading,
Jan
Linked up with Jen and our Soli Deo Gloria sisters.

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Clean or Mean: Eating Your Words

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Jan C. Johnson

I don’t mind telling you that I’m in my fifties. Or that I grew up in a Midwestern family which, like Erma Bombeck’s, “viewed gravy as a beverage” (one of my favorite Erma quotes). Even though I’ve been bicycling since the 1970s, I can’t say I was especially fit despite the exercise. I mean, at one time I would eat two Big Macs the day before a 100-mile ride. No wonder I felt a bit sluggish.

In recent years, though, middle-age spread started to… well… spread. So I have really tried to work on my nutritional chops. No, not pork chops. I mean I’ve been trying to gain expertise in planning and preparing healthy food. Not being prone to gnaw on lawn clippings or bran muffins or similar “health foods,” Brent and I keep our eyes open for more appealing options.

Last year we ran across a book about the “Eat Clean Diet,” written by Tosca Reno. Peeking into the recipe section, we saw photo after photo of yummy-looking stuff. Seriously, it was both edible AND made with healthy ingredients. I tried the Mango Salsa recipe served over tilapia, and we both loved it.

As we added more scrumptious-but-healthy foods to our repertoire, an odd thing happened: most of my old, unhealthy favorites just didn’t seem as appetizing any more. For instance, I lost nearly all interest in Chicken-Fried Steak, which I had earlier designated a “once-a-year-treat.” In fact, most deep-fried foods just don’t sound very good. Yay, Jan is forming a positive habit!

But some days fill up with exercise and errands, and when lunchtime hits it will find a weak spot. Below is Exhibit A, evidence that the siren song of comfort food still rings in the air. Listen in while Brent and I chat on Facebook a few hours after a cycling workout last month…

Jan: Hi, Handsome!! I rode 8.42 miles today. It was windy.

Brent: Good! Nice warm day.

Jan: Yep! It was perfect (except for the wind)

Brent: Well you had a tailwind in some direction.

Jan: Yes, my avg speed increased all the way home.
Jan: I ate fried chicken for lunch. Grapefruit dinner for me!

Brent: You are the Yin and Yang of the Eat Clean diet!

So there you have it. Mood swings, food swings, whatever. But you know, I am not inclined to be too hard on myself. After all, fried chicken once in eight months is way less fattening than fried chicken every week. I’m making lots more fresh, healthy choices now than I was a couple of years ago. As long as most of my steps are in the right direction, why stress out about an occasional glitch?

I’d love to hear about how you have made progress toward a health or other goal.

Thanks for reading,
Jan

Linked up with Rachel Anne and the Company Girls Coffee group!

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Those “Three Little Words” I Long to Hear

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Jan C. Johnson


Brent has been my Valentine for over 35 years, my husband for the vast majority of those years. But I still love to hear him say those three little words.

What’s that– “I Love You?” Oh. Those three little words. Well, yes, I do love to hear those. But that well-known phrase is only the beginning. Here for your consideration are my Top Seven other three-word phrases. My Valentine has said each one to me at different times over the years and they have thrilled my heart…

7. In the kitchen, when I find myself in a desperate tangle with the oven door, potholders and hot dishes: “Can I help?”

6. When the phone rings after a long, hard day: “I’ll get it.”

5. When I suggest a solution to some problem: “Good idea; thanks.”

4. Checking my recipe for me: “…ungreased baking sheet.”

3. In the delivery room: “It’s a boy!” (“It’s a girl!” would have sounded just as good. As long as somebody finally made an arrival!)

2. After reading one of my magazine features that I especially liked: “This is good!”

And my #1 Top “Three Little Words…”
1. As we explored the amenities at a National Park campground: “It’s flush toilets…”

Blessing someone with your words costs nothing and can mean so much. What are your favorite words to hear from your significant other? Do tell!

Happy Valentine’s Day!
Thanks for reading,
Jan

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