I firmly believe that most of the problems individuals, churches, and nations experience is ultimately due to or conditioned by a lack of or incorrect knowledge of God.  As I mentioned in a sermon last week (located here) , knowledge must be obtained first before understanding and wisdom can be exercised.

I further mentioned that knowledge comes by a love for and meditation in God’s Word. 

Psalm 119:97  O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day. 

Knowledge, properly conditioned by biblical understanding and wisdom, helps to develop a comprehensive and accurate view of God, and when believers have this kind of view of God, it is reflected in what they practice.

Here is a quote from George Grant that furthers this idea.

Self-Worship and Modernity’s Mess - by George Grant

We are prone to think of God–when we think of Him at all–as wonderful. We are less likely to see Him as willful. Certainly He is both, but the overwhelming emphasis of Scripture is upon the will rather than the wonder. It is upon the exercise of God’s prerogative rather than the expiation of our pleasure. The difference is probably a matter of slights rather than slanders. Nevertheless, it is a difference that makes for rather dramatic consequences.

Thus, to some of us God is little more than a cosmic vending machine in the sky, designed to dispense our every want and whim. To others of us He is a grandfatherly sage who lives to patiently offer us certain therapeutic benefits and baubles from His largess. To still others He is a kind of Santa figure–jolly, unflappable, and determined to bestow goodies upon incognizant masses. Invariably though, we moderns tend to see God in terms of ourselves–in terms of our wants, our needs, our preferences, and our desires. We have apparently, as Voltaire accused, “made God in our own image.”

But, according to psychologist Paul Vitz, such a conception is not knowledge of God at all, but a form of “self-worship.” According to J.C. Ryle, it is “the cruelest of all delusions” because “by it men think they have come to a knowledge God when in fact they have done nothing of the sort.” Thus, Joseph Aulen has argued that “the vast proportion of modern Christians have a vastly mistaken knowledge of the person and work of the Almighty.”

Thus, according to D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, “because men do not know God or the nature of God–particularly those who claim to be Christians–all of the problems of life and culture are amplified even more.” Andrew Murray asserts that it is due to the fact that Christians do not “properly entertain a knowledge of God” that “societies fall into such disarray as we have in the modern world.” And A.W. Tozer has said that “a lack of a true knowledge of God’s attributes and character” is the “root of the indecisiveness, imbalance, and ineffectiveness” of the contemporary church.”

Recently at church we have been looking at the role and ministry of men and women.  Many books and sermons have been written about this.  Some of these have been very helpful to us, as we look at this subject in the light of what the Bible teaches.

Here are two documents that detail some of the biblical passages that show us the functional roles of both men and women.

Each Lord’s Day I gather with other believers to worship the Lord.  Our services are in the morning and generally last for a couple of hours.

Normally after the service, we share a meal together with food that each family brings.

Many times after that, we gather again for various activities, sometimes we sing, some times we watch or listen to some addition teaching, sometimes there is Q & A on various topics.

Last Sunday we did something a little different; I had the opportunity to open up a piano the church had recently purchased and demonstrate how it works and how it is tuned.

What a delight it was for me to have many gathered around, especially children, and to be able to share some things about this instrument I love.

Here I am pointing out the various parts inside the piano.

A better picture of the inside.

Demonstrating the use of a tuning fork.

Explaining a strobe and how to use it.

Showing how to block strings from sounding to make it easier to tune.

I do hope many in the next generation, including my own children, learn the art and skill of making music with the piano.  

It was good to spend a few days away from home with my son, Matthew, interacting with other like-minded men, and sitting under some great teaching from Marcus Serven and Scott Brown.

One of the themes of the Men’s Advance was God’s Sovereignty.  Understanding the providential working of God is essential for us.

Many times I hear the question, “If God is so loving, why do people suffer?”  Scott Brown answered that question with these points from Romans 8.

Reasons for suffering:

1. To demonstrate hope.
2. To demonstrate eagerness for adoption.
3. To demonstrate eager, persevering hope.
4. To demonstrate the help of the Holy Spirit in weaknesses.
5. To demonstrate that all things work together for good.
6. To conform us to the image of His Son.
7. To demonstrate His faithfulness in our glorification.

Matthew (age 12) asked some good questions based on the meetings on our drive back home.  Hopefully, seeds have been planted that will sprout and grow in both of us.

Matthew is getting some exercise during one of the breaks.

Panoramic view from the back porch of the meeting center.  Click the picture for a high resolution picture.

Another panoramic view of one of the meetings led by Pastor Serven (click the picture for high resolution).

On the Lord’s Day I was privileged to worship at Covenant Family Church, where my hosts attend.   Pastor Marcus Serven led us in a worshipful and reverent service as we brought our worship and praise to God.

I’m not sure who all these young men are, but Matthew enjoyed getting to meet them.

It’s a joy to see young ladies preparing for motherhood.

Back at my host’s home (Bringe family) I was privileged to hear some budding young musicians practice their craft.

Click here for a short video of some fife playing.

The Serven family will be and have been posting some details (see Men’s Advance 2008 entries) on the backroom activities that made the conference a great success.

I’m looking forward to a return visit to all these folks who made my time a blessed one.

I attended an NCFIC pastor’s conference a few days ago.  As I have been given the responsibilities of co-shepherding a church, I found this to be most helpful and encouraging.  Two church shepherds, Scott Brown and Marcus Serven, led the meetings and discussion.

I am grateful that God has raised up men like this who give of their time to give biblical counsel and instruction to me and to many others.

Scott Brown (blog here) exhorts us from Acts 20 on biblical principles of shepherding.

Marcus Serven (family blog here) gives us some historical background on John Calvin, and why that is important for us today.

There must have been almost a hundred men attending, just about all of them church leaders in the midwest states (many young men/sons also attended).  It was an encouragement to me to see that God is working in our midst in these days.

A new year has begun. 

This past New Year’s Day our church met together for a time of praise, singing, Bible reading, encouragement, fellowship, and a casting of vision for the new year on both the church level and family level (click here to view our church vision and goals for 2008).

Here are some pictures from that time.

Arriving early to set up.

Our friends have arrived.

Time for breakfast.

Creative minds at work.

This is great!

Smiling for the camera.

Pastor Phil leading us in the Bible reading for January 1.

I’m ready for the next activity!

A few rounds of Duck, Duck, Goose.

New friends.

Satisfied and exhausted.

Read here.

Some years ago I walked into our living room and saw my wife, Hope, seated on the sofa holding a newly arrived baby, surrounded by the rest of the children.  I remarked to her that she looked like a “picture of contentment.”   And she was content.  I wish I had snapped a picture of this, but you’ll just have to imagine it.

One of the ways we learn contentment is by fulfilling the purpose and design God has given to us, nothing more, nothing less.  This is what Hope was doing, fulfilling God’s design and purpose for her.  She was being a wife and mother.  She was having children and being a keeper at home.  She was putting into practice those things we see in 1 Timothy 5, Titus 2, and Proverbs 31.  This gave to her true contentment, and it continues to this day.

Here are some other ways we can learn to be content. 

Here is a quote from Jeremiah Burroughs on contentment:

Contentment is the inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, freely submitting to and taking pleasure in God’s disposal in every condition: That is the description, and in it nine distinct things have been opened up which we summarize as follows: First, that contentment is a heart-work within the soul; Secondly, it is the quieting of the heart; Thirdly, it is the frame of the spirit; Fourthly, it is a gracious frame; Fifthly, it is the free working of this gracious frame; Sixthly, there is in it a submission to God, sending the soul under God; Seventhly, there is a taking pleasure in the hand of God; Eighthly, all is traced to God’s disposal; Ninthly, in every condition, however hard it be and however long it continue.

More…

There is no condition that a godly man or woman can be in, but there is some promise or other in the Scripture to help him in that condition. And that is the way of his contentment, to go to the promises, and get from the promise, that which may supply. This is but a dry business to a carnal heart; but it is the most real thing in the world to a gracious heart: when he finds lack of contentment he repairs to the promise, and the Covenant, and falls to pleading the promises that God has made.

2 Samuel 23:5  Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow.
 
[This] is a wonderful statement by David, who did not have the Covenant of Grace revealed as fully as we have. Mark what he says: ‘Although I find not my house so’, that is, so comfortable in every way as I would wish, although it is not so, what has he got to content his spirit? He says, ‘He has made with me an everlasting covenant,’ this is what helps in everything.  

We ought to consider this when we reflect on other covenants that are derived from the covenants God has given to us; covenants such as those for marriage, for the church, and civil governments.  Besides the issues of authority and submission that these covenants give us and to which we should hold, we also can see that the framework of these covenants are designed to help us attain contentment.  We have freedoms within limits; we have roles and responsibilities; we have blessings and consequences.  

Living under biblically based, covenantal constraints can be a true means of developing a contented spirit.

Read more thoughts on contentment here and here.

Kathy holding little Zadok Wenneker, born in July, 2007.