Canaan's Rest

Canaan’s Rest represents a quiet place “set apart” for the purpose of hearing God's voice, growing in intimacy with the Lord, and being renewed in soul and spirit.

The Masculinity Pyramid

Seth Troutt wrote an article for Mere Orthodoxy entitled “The Masculinity pyramid.”  It is brief, to the point, and well expressed.  I hope I can do justice to the article in this short blog.  I will be quoting extensively from his remarkable insight. You will need to visualize a pyramid of the four part masculine pyramid with humility at the foundation, followed by discipline, responsibility, and strength.  

Troutt begins by acknowledging that we are in a masculine crisis.  Instead of starting with sociology or biology, he suggests that we start with ontology.  “A vision for men rooted in a hierarchy of being would have the power to both transcend and critique cultures.”  “It’s not just asking quality questions, but asking them in the right order” Troutt notes.  “This is important if we want to reclaim a healthy vision of masculinity.”  

Here is the order of questions to ask, making up the pyramid:  1) How is a man different from God? 2) How is a man different from an animal?  3) How is a man different from a boy?  4) How is a man different from a woman?  “Like a pyramid, these four core questions build upon one another…..As we develop clarity around what a man is not to be, we’ll develop a compelling vision both of what a man is and what he is becoming.”

First, man is a creature, not Creator.  “Man is under the mighty hand of God. Humility is the virtue provoked by this difference……The very form of man is humble ……. a man will never be who God is asking him to be if he lacks the considerate, curious, teachability that follow from humility.”

Secondly, man is a unique creature.  “Animals are governed by instincts and appetites…..Man has the capacity to be governed by vision, to say no to certain lesser desires in light of the greater purpose…The virtue described here could be called self-control, self-conquest, or discipline.

Thirdly, a man is not a boy. “Boys need guardians because they cannot take care of themselves and cannot be trusted to make wise choices……Responsibility is the virtue provoked by this difference…..A man who has yet to become responsible flounders like Peter Pan.”  

Fourthly, a man is different from a woman.  “The heightened presence of testosterone is the reason men are stronger than women…testosterone makes men more aggressive…..strength and aggression present in the male sex was meant to serve a purpose.”

Troutt then suggests toxic masculinity comes in two forms.  “First, male aggression that lacks responsibility, discipline, or humility before God and secondly, male abdication that lacks all rightly ordered aggression.”  He further suggests, “Toxic masculinity Type 1 is domination,  [and] chauvinism ………Toxic masculinity Type 2 is impotent, passive, and reveals itself in characters like many men who sit in the pews of our churches.”

Troutt closes with these words, “Abuse is rampant, evil, and not to be taken lightly.  Churches must discipline abusers.  Yet, male abdication is also everywhere…..Like an ox without a yoke, testosterone without humility, discipline, and responsibility is a liability.  But, when we ‘take up His yoke’ testosterone can be an asset, not a toxin.” 

I close with Matthew 11:28-9 (Phillips), where Jesus instructs us to put on “His” yoke.  It will be unique for every man.  We are to follow Jesus not the culture.  “Come to me, all of you who are weary and over-burdened, and I will give you rest.  Put on my yoke and learn from me.  For I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

 

 

 

March 18, 2024

Dear Ones,
Hope you had a wonderful weekend. We had a party last night for St. Patrick’s Day and was a fun time. We also got a sprinkling of snow during church, but it is mostly gone now. Today I have Exercise class and the gal who exercises next to me responded to my invitation and came to our church for the first time yesterday.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
How do we read the Bible in our devotional times? Do we consider it just like any other book that helps us gain information and knowledge to live a better life, much like other self-help books? Or do we read it as God’s word speaking to us, giving us a fresh input for today and then responding with obedience.

I marvel at how the same verse of scripture may speak differently at various times in our lives. God may use a verse that prompts us to make a decision and later in life that same verse may direct us in another way. That’s because His Word is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword. The Message translation says in Heb. 4:12-13, “God means what He says.  What He says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey Nothings and no one is impervious to God’s Word. We can’t get away from it—no matter what.”

That being said, when we read the Bible, we need to have our ears open to what God is saying to us and respond in obedience. It is good not to try to read and digest large portions of scripture at a time but read it slowly, asking the Holy Spirit to make real what He is saying to us. I remember the time before Al and I were married, he was working one summer at his dad’s store and I was in nurses training. Both of us wrote to each other daily and Al’s mom would put my letter by Al’s place at the table when he came in from the store for lunch. That was his dessert each day!  I would read Al’s letter’s over and over again and then slowly as I wanted to absorb all the love contained in them. It wasn’t a duty to read them but it was a delight and warmth to my soul.

We are not simply to read the Word but to meditate on it and savor it and let it penetrate our souls. It is powerful and it brings us into His presence and thereby produces changes in our lives.

Challenge for today: Take a small portion of scripture and meditate on it, letting it touch your soul and bring change where needed.
Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

March 16, 2024

Dear Ones,
Happy weekend! We enjoyed a beautiful trip to the lake yesterday, and we saw Ann’s family, friends who are recovering from sickness and surgery and our friend in Assisted Living. Today is more baking and cleaning.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
We are all like clay pots that are useful and originals. I am reading the book of Jeremiah and God told him to get up on his feet and go to the Potter’s house and He would give him a message. He said, “Arise, and go down to the potter’s house and there I will let you hear my words.” (Jer.18:2) He obeyed and probably wondered what God would teach him. He noticed  the mass of clay put on the wheel and the skilled hands that began shaping a vessel. Eugene Peterson writes how no pottery is just a clay pot but an art form as well—a thing of beauty with a particular shape and painted, glazed and fired. It was useful but something to also behold!

Jeremiah now saw things in a new way from this experience, how God (the potter) is making people in His image and for His glory. Every one of us has a unique part to play in what God is doing and it is like no one else. Now we have all blown it badly at times, and the potter has to use the same clay and start over. He doesn’t give up (PTL!) or throw us away but begins to make another pot with the same clay.

In Jeremiah’s instance God was saying that as the potter works the clay, He tries to get the children of Israel to change from their wickedness. He doesn’t give up if they will repent and willingly let Him shape them. God used Jeremiah to confront the people and he preached to them. It was not an easy assignment for Jeremiah was living what he preached and they didn’t want to hear. Just as God shaped Jeremiah before being born, God wanted to work on the people and shape them for His purpose.

God forms us for His purpose and uses our lives as a message to others also. He is shaping us by His own hands to create an original and a message. Yes, it is painful when He has to shape us again but the result is we become a useful vessel and thing of beauty.

Challenge for today: Let God shape you into a beautiful pot to bring glory to Him!
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

March 15, 2024

Dear Ones,
Happy Weekend! Hope you have a good weekend and time to get refueled! I plan to go to Aldi’s and to do some cooking and baking.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
I have only personally met and talked with one atheist, and that was years ago as I was in a group standing up for life for the unborn. He was positioned right next to me and expressed he was an atheist. I responded to him that he must have more faith than I did to believe he was just placed on earth by happenchance! That got him thinking as we discussed more. There are many people around us that are atheists and some because they don’t believe that a God of love would allow the evil things to happen that are going on in our world today. But a heart-atheist as opposed to moral-atheist is more self-righteous and in his rejection of God has nothing to relate to but the self. Those stuck on self then need other things to grab their attention. Like Eugene Peterson says, if self makes its own rules and satisfies its own compulsions, then we use people around us to fulfill our needs and make us happy. Sounds very self-centered!

We may think what we believe is nobody’s business except our own, but what we believe shapes how we act and treat others in our world. The atheist will make decisions based on what is best for him and his desires but not what is good for others. Our beliefs really shape our behavior. When we think we know so much more than God, we end up using others as objects to meet our needs. If we all did that our society would become depersonalized.

That poor become a problem for the atheist, like Peterson says, “The poor are a standing indictment against the grandiose foolishness of self-righteousness.” They are no use to him and God confronts and requires something of us in the poor. God has so much compassion for them and reminds us, “Blessed are he poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Luke 6:20. The poor are not in control and are able to respond more easily to the gifts of God’s sovereign grace.
Perhaps all of us need to be weaned from ourselves and recognize we are poor and everything we have comes from Him. Self must get off the thrown and let God be Lord over all things in our lives. Let us be not foolish and think we know it all but be wise and put God at the center of our lives. It sems to always go back to the verse, “He must increase and I must decrease!”

Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to show you any area where you have taken over and ask for the Him to be the center.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

March 14, 2024

Dear Ones,
Hope you have a day of experiencing freedom! Al will be going to men’s group, and I am going to be busy in the kitchen, later Bible Study and then going to a pizza party for the friend who use to walk with us each day but is now in Edgewood.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
How free are we? Are we free to take risks or are we too afraid that we will fail? Eugene Peterson writes that “those who are free to fail are the most free. Fear of failure inhibits freedom; the freedom to fail encourages it.”  By nature, I am not a big risk taker and like to take the safe way. But my eyes were opened when reading about how failure is the true test of greatness.

We have for example Peter who was impetuous and failed in some big ways when he was tested. He denied even knowing Jesus when Jesus was being tried, and not just once but 3 times. We know that like him, we all fail.  Failure in our own lives help us to see our own humanity and become aware more of God’s grace to us. We are not to just play it safe to avoid failure but to face it and learn from it, just as Peter did. Abraham lived a free life of faith but he also had failures that are normal for us, as we walk out the Christian life. Abraham left his home and security in obedience to follow God’s call, and it meant a new way of life, a walk of faith. He listened to God and not those around him.

We may be asked to step out of our familiar, to follow the Lord in a new call on our life, maybe relocate, a new ministry etc. If success in the world is more important to us than obeying God, then we will find we become imprisoned and lose our freedom. We are all much like the teen who is leaving home for the first time. As he makes decisions and tries to find his way with so many options, he has some failures. But the important thing is what he learns from it and that he sees how much he needs God’s grace. Even though he will have failures, he is growing and learning and becoming. Maybe the question to him and to ourselves is, what did we learn through failure? Perhaps it breaks our strength in ourselves and teaches us to rely on God; or it makes us more compassionate for hurts and failures of others. If our failures bring us to surrender everything to the Lord, it has accomplished much. It says in Psalm 34:18, “The Lord is close to all whose hearts are crushed by pain, and He is always ready to restore the repentant one.”

Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to teach you through your failures and dare to step out in faith as you are led by the Spirit.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

March 13, 2024

Dear Ones,
Hope your day is full of sunshine and praise. I have to wait another month for my implants, but I did get my crown yesterday. Emoji Our grandson, Joe, stopped in for supper last night and good to have time to catch up. Today Al gives a service at Assisted Living, and I have Exercise, crafts, soup supper and Lenten service.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
If we look around our culture today, we are a complaining people full of self-pity. We don’t have to look far to see people feeling sorry for themselves that they don’t have as much as someone else, that they feel overlooked at work, that they don’t have the best health or mate or house. Self-pity is vastly different than pity that sees the needs of others and wants to help. Instead, self-pity distorts reality by whining and feeling sorry for oneself. It seems like our society today is always making comparisons as who has more and wallowing in the fact that some don’t have as much. I can imagine we all have times of feeling sorry for ourselves but we find that self-pity only drags us down and wastes our time and potential.

I was reading Eugene Peterson’s take on Psalm 77 written by Asaph that has to do with self-pity. The first 10 verses are full of self-pity as he cries aloud to the Lord and verbally shares his misery and hurt. He can’t sleep as he mulls over his troubles and remembers the good old days when things were better. He is upset and questions if the Lord will reject him forever and forget to show mercy and acceptance to him. He sees God as angry and wonders if He will be compassionate again. He sounds like he is in a swamp of self-pity.

But the next 10 verses are a radicle switch, and we aren’t privy as to what caused the change. But he began remembering what God has done in the past, His wonders and works and deeds. He switches his focus to the Lord and meditates on Him, rather than his troubles. He particularly remembers the Exodus from Egypt and how the Lord supernaturally saved His people. He ends up singing of Gods might and power. What a change! He offered his self-pity to God and said, “I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work and meditate on your mighty deeds. Your way, O God is holy. What god is great like our God?”

Challenge for today: Let us not wallow in self-pity but allow the Lord to free us out of our Egypt of misery into the Promise Land of grace.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

March 12, 2024

Dear Ones,
May you wake this morning thankful for God’s blessings on your life. I wrote the devotion for today about a week ago and this morning is the time I go to get my crown and not sure about my implants too. Prayers appreciated!
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Have you ever overreacted with strong emotion to something that was way out of line with the severity of the instance?  If so, it could be an indication that there is something that needs healing as it touched upon a deep wound.  None of us escapes wounding in our lives, sometimes from strangers but also those closest to us. The Lord is the Great Healer and He desires to heal our wounds and restore us and even make us stronger.

At the present time, I am getting ready for implants of two teeth and the prepared area has stitches and is sensitive to anything sharp like a nut or chip that causes me to wince. I forget about my tender gums until a sharp edge of something I eat reminds me to chew on the other side. When we have old wounds that have not been delt with and healed, we may assume they are forgotten until something someone shares or does, triggers a like memory. That is a sign we need help

I memorized Psalm 103 and verses 2-5 give us hope for healing, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget now all His benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” It is a prayer of David and he had plenty of instances of being betrayed, cursed, maybe bullied by his brothers being the youngest, and fleeing for his very life by his son etc.

We can receive inner healing in many ways and not always the same way. I have been ministered to by some caring friends who had me confess my part of reacting to situations, and then praying healing prayers. God may use a Christian counselor, even a book to open our eyes and enable us to deal with things; or we may be fortunate to be in a small group who listens and prays. It could be a scripture that just hits its mark and we receive healing from Jesus words. The Lord has so many ways to heal our wounds and He wants to take our hurts and forgive and heal and restore us.

Challenge for today: When you overreact from old hurts go to the Healer and let Him cleanse your wound and bring healing.
Blessings on  your day and prayers and love, Judy

Bring the Fire

What does it mean to be a committed Christian man in a post-Christian world?  Are there times when you have felt all alone?  Are you worried about the coming days?  Do you sometimes want to hide your light under a bushel basket, consciously “slacking off” in a hostile environment where the name of Jesus is offensive?  Does it sometimes tempt you to give up living for the Lord?    

Remember the story of the prophet Elijah in I Kings 18-20.  He challenged 450 prophets of Baal to ask their god to bring down fire on their altar sacrifice.  Elijah did similarly.  But he believed that “the God who answers by fire – he is God”(I Kings 18:24).  He prayed,   “Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again” (I Kings 18:37).  God sent fire upon Elijah’s sacrifice, but not on that of the 450 prophets.  The people fell prostate and cried, “The Lord – he is God” (I Kings 18:39).  

After this victory, however, Elijah was condemned by Queen Jezebel and ran for his life. “He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. ‘I have had enough, Lord. Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors'” (I Kings 19:4). “And the word of the Lord came to him: ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’  He replied, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty.  The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword.  I am the only one left; now they are trying to kill me, too'” (I Kings 19:10).

Later, God declared to him in an gentle whisper, “I reserve seven thousand in Israel – all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him” (I Kings 19:18).  Much later, the apostle Paul used this incident to show that God had not rejected the Israelites from the New Covenant.  He used the word “remnant.”  “So too, there is a remnant at the present time chosen by grace.  And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace” (Romans 11:5-6).  

The Message puts it this way: “It’s the same today. There’s a fiercely loyal minority still – not many, perhaps, but probably more than you think. They’re holding on, not because of what they think they’re going to get out of it, but because they’re convinced of God’s grace and purpose in choosing them.  If they were only thinking of their own immediate self-interest, they would have left long ago” (Romans 11:5-6 – MSG). 

What can we learn from this incident in the prophet Elijah’s life?

First, God can still bring the fire and turn hearts back to the Lord. Pray, believing as Elijah did, “Let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command” (I Kings 18:36).   

Second, don’t let the strong cultural narrative regarding toxic masculinity or following Jesus intimate you.  Don’t go and brood under a broom tree.

Third, admit your discouragement, but don’t say like Elijah, “”I have had enough, Lord” ( I Kings 19:4).  Admit you are not a “super” hero; you desperately need God’s grace. 

Fourth, be open to the “gentle whisper” of the Lord.  God was not in the wind, nor the earthquake, nor the fire. 

Fifthly, praise God for being part of his remnant.  It’s all of God’s work (grace) in your life.  There are others.  You are not alone.  

 

 

 

 

March 11, 2024

Dear Ones,
Hope you had a delightful weekend. We were so blessed by our time with our friend from D.M. who came on Saturday.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Would each of us say we are filled with joy of the Lord every day or would we admit there are times we find ourselves depressed and feeling down? The Bible is full of examples of those who felt depressed at times, although the word depression may not have been used. I was reading an article by author Barbara Latta who writes about 12 different Biblical characters who suffered from depression and what they did about it, which can be helpful for us.

King David came to my mind first as he describes so well all his feelings, happy and sad, and in Psalm 16:9 he said, “I’m happy from the inside out, and from the outside in, I’m firmly formed.” Another translation says, “But you will find joy in the Lord and praise the Holy One of Israel.” Along with great joy, David also had times that he felt depressed. One time when David and his army returned home, they discovered the Amalekites had raid their town and taken their families and possessions away.  David, along with his men wept with sorrow until they could weep no more. But we are told he responded by finding strength in the Lord and encouraging himself and was able go with his army to get everything back. Sometimes we need to give ourself a peptalk and encourage ourselves in the promises of the Lord, letting go of our negative talk.

Another example was Job who lost everything, including his family and his livestock and possessions, and must have felt devastated. And yet he refused to curse God and he remained faithful. In our times of devastation, we need to remember God’s faithfulness for even the things we don’t understand at the time. Job was rewarded twice as much after his time of testing.

Joseph must have felt pretty down when he was sold as a slave and put in a pit and later in prison. And yet he made the most of it and God rewarded Him. I wonder when we are going through dark times if we are willing to pray that God would work good out of our circumstances, and then make the best of it, believing that we would see the light again.

Abraham and Sarah must have had many sad times as she couldn’t get pregnant, and every month was a disappointment. She had to wait until she was 90 years old to birth a son of promise. And there was Esther who must have been filled with sadness and fear with the prospect of all her Jewish friends and family being annihilated. The list goes on and on.
Let us learn from the many examples in scripture and respond with hope and even joy.

Challenge for today: When you feel down and depressed, let go of negative talk, remember His faithfulness to you, make the best of it and let hope arise.

Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

March 9, 2024

Dear Ones,
Happy weekend! May we live each day freely in trust of Him who gives true freedom. I am looking forward to time today with a dear sister in the Lord from D.M! We always seem to just resume where we last left off.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
We probably all dream of living a free life, without worries and anxieties but wonder how that becomes a reality. Although we live in a free country, we are enslaved by so many things and the free life seems like it is a distant country. Jesus was the freest person that ever lived and only by trusting in Him will we be able to live life freely. When God is the center life seems spacious and free, but when we put ourselves as the center, life gets constricted and unfree as anxieties pile on us. We have a choice of how we can live!

The apostle Paul writes often in his letters about freedom. He mentions it ten times just in his letter to the Galatians.  He says in Gal.5:!3, “For you were called to freedom, brother. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” A free life is a gift and not something we earn but something that is free for all who receive it. We’ve probably all met people who we have met that just sail through life freely and lightly, even when going through hard times. It is beautiful and speaks volumes even though they may not say a lot. We also, can live free only because of God’s actions and our part is to respond. On our own we can’t live a life of freedom.

The apostle Paul sure is an example of freedom. I still marvel every time I read how he sang praises even while in stocks in prison. Wow! Faith and trust make all the difference! He wasn’t free because of his Jewish upbringing or that he was a Roman citizen and neither are we free because we live in America. Our freedom is in the Lord and when we come to know Him, He sets us free from our self-life and all of its dead ends. Whenever we choose to live apart from the Lord, we lose our freedom. Jesus came to rescue us from enslavement to ourselves and our culture and to set us free to be His children.
Let us live courageously in the freedom He came to give with the price of His life.
Challenge for today: Hear the call to freedom and let the Lord change you and set you free!
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy
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