After that ye have suffered awhile, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.”
— 1 Peter 5:10
You have seen the arch of heaven as it spans the plain: glorious are its colours, and rare its hues. It is beautiful, but, alas, it passes away, and lo, it is not. The fair colours give way to the fleecy clouds, and the sky is no longer brilliant with the tints of heaven. It is not established. How can it be? A glorious show made up of transitory sun-beams and passing rain-drops, how can it abide? The graces of the Christian character must not resemble the rainbow in its transitory beauty, but, on the contrary, must be stablished, settled, abiding. Seek, O believer, that every good thing you have may be an abiding thing. May your character not be a writing upon the sand, but an inscription upon the rock! May your faith be no “baseless fabric of a vision,” but may it be builded of material able to endure that awful fire which shall consume the wood, hay, and stubble of the hypocrite. May you be rooted and grounded in love. May your convictions be deep, your love real, your desires earnest. May your whole life be so settled and established, that all the blasts of hell, and all the storms of earth shall never be able to remove you. But notice how this blessing of being “stablished in the faith” is gained. The apostle’s words point us to suffering as the means employed—“After that ye have suffered awhile.” It is of no use to hope that we shall be well rooted if no rough winds pass over us. Those old gnarlings on the root of the oak tree, and those strange twistings of the branches, all tell of the many storms that have swept over it, and they are also indicators of the depth into which the roots have forced their way. So the Christian is made strong, and firmly rooted by all the trials and storms of life. Shrink not then from the tempestuous winds of trial, but take comfort, believing that by their rough discipline God is fulfilling this benediction to you. – Taken from Morning and Evening Devotional
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future
We would rather think about this promise and not 1 Peter 5:10! How can we reconcile the two? Hmmm. Plans to prosper us vs. “suffering awhile”. Of course human nature will choose the path of prosperity every time! Hey God, can you super size my order of prosperity and give me a raincheck on the “suffering awhile”? And if we are real honest… we hope that the “suffering awhile” raincheck will expire and we will live in prosperity forever. Why is it that we equate blessings and prosperity only with health, wealth and good times? When, in REALITY, the real and lasting/Eternal blessings come through the storms of life. Look! Our biggest and best blessing came through incredible pain and suffering-
Isaiah 53
3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.4 Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
The truth is, the only way Christ’s nature will be rooted and established in us is through trials. Gold is not made pure but through fire and diamonds are not formed but through time and pressure. How much more the child of God is made perfect through suffering!
After that ye have suffered awhile, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.”
— 1 Peter 5:10
- Grace and Peace, Jonathan
I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but, that saying- “NO Pain, No Gain” is really true. I have found this to be especially true when it comes to my walk with God. I love what John The Baptist declared in John 3 vs. 30“He must increase, but I must decrease”. I know John was referring to Jesus’ ministry increasing while John’s decreased. I think it not a stretch to also glean a key truth wrapped in this statement. Paul summed it up in Galatians chapter 2-
20My old self has been crucified with Christ.e It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me
I think it comes down to identity. Let me explain… If we come to Christ seeking salvation/a get out of hell free card, we miss the real message of the gospel. The real message is about death, burial and resurrection. His and OURS! If we look for our identity in anyone or anything other than who we are in Christ, chances are, we will be bogged down in religiosity- trying to be “good Christians”. Living out of the “poser” we project is akin to the pharisee.- wrapped in self righteousness, false humility and pride. Until we realize that we are utterly and completely lost and helpless- unable to reach God, please Him or earn His stamp of approval- we are lost in the “Sea of Striving through Self”. Its all about GRACE. As I said in my last post, even our faith is a gift of grace. Each day I make it a point to thank Him for His gift of faith through grace. It is a very important reminder to the old poser in me to get out of the way! That I choose my new identity and position in Christ. I am loved an accepted completely IN CHRIST. A reminder to self that I can’t to anything to gain or lose His acceptance, love and approval. IT’S A GIFT. Paul said it best,
Philippians 1:21
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Colossians 1:24-28
Paul’s Labor for the Church
24 Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.
John 15:5
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
The following devotional really sums it up. Christ and His life are enlarged in us as we submit to the trials and suffering filtered through His loving hands for our benefit, holiness and His glory. Unless we decrease through dieing to self and our old poser identity, Christ can not be lifted up in our lives… there can never be two masters in charge. I choose Christ. Peace, Jon
Streams in the Desert
March 11
Free Through Suffering
“Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress” (Ps. 4:1).
This is one of the grandest testimonies ever given by man to the moral government of God. It is not a man’s thanksgiving that he has been set free from suffering. It is a thanksgiving that he has been set free through suffering: “Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress.” He declares the sorrows of life to have been themselves the source of life’s enlargement.
And have not you and I a thousand times felt this to be true? It is written of Joseph in the dungeon that “the iron entered into his soul.” We all feel that what Joseph needed for his soul was just the iron. He had seen only the glitter of the gold. He had been rejoicing in youthful dreams; and dreaming hardens the heart. He who sheds tears over a romance will not be most apt to help reality; real sorrow will be too unpoetic for him. We need the iron to enlarge our nature. The gold is but a vision; the iron is an experience. The chain which unites me to humanity must be an iron chain. That touch of nature which makes the world akin is not joy, but sorrow; gold is partial, but iron is universal.
My soul, if thou wouldst be enlarged into human sympathy, thou must be narrowed into limits of human suffering. Joseph’s dungeon is the road to Joseph’s throne. Thou canst not lift the iron load of thy brother if the iron hath not entered into thee. It is thy limit that is thine enlargement. It is the shadows of thy life that are the real fulfillment of thy dreams of glory. Murmur not at the shadows; they are better revelations than thy dreams. Say not that the shades of the prison-house have fettered thee; thy fetters are wings — wings of flight into the bosom of humanity. The door of thy prison-house is a door into the heart of the universe. God has enlarged thee by the binding of sorrow’s chain.
–George Matheson
***
If Joseph had not been Egypt’s prisoner, he had never been Egypt’s governor. The iron chain about his feet ushered in the golden chain about his neck.
–Selected
Ephesians 2: 4 – But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 -even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 – and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 – so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 – For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 – not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10- For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Until recently, I had thought of this passage in light of our salvation as being a gift of God through faith. With the focus squarely on salvation as being a gift. Though this is true, I was missing a key point that the Spirit has since made clear to me. Not only is our salvation a gift but so is our ability to believe. It is all God the Father in Christ Jesus. We have no ability in our fallen state to reach out to God in Faith. He draws us and gives us the faith to believe. Even if we get this part in regards to our salvation, it is still in our nature to think that we can achieve discipleship and thus holiness through our efforts. WRONG! on all accounts! Our role is to die and live through Christ via His Risen life and power. It is my experience that we screw this up so bad, our role, that our loving Father has to allow trials to come to accomplish His work in us. To lovingly lead us into “the Refiners Fire” so that we can reflect His Glory and truly live as He created us to- in Relationship with the TRIUNE GOD.
Remember that we have no more faith at any time than we have in the hour of trial. All that will not bear to be tested is mere carnal confidence. Fair-weather faith is no faith.–C. H. Spurgeon
Ode On A Distant Prospect of Eton College- Thomas Gray
-excerpt-
To each his suff’rings: all are men,
Condemned alike to groan;
The tender for another’s pain,
Th’ unfeeling for his own.
Yet ah! why should they know their fate?
Since sorrow never comes too late,
And happiness too swiftly flies.
Thought would destroy their paradise.
No more; where ignorance is bliss,
‘Tis folly to be wise
Our enemy would want us to hold to the idea that “ignorance is bliss” and “tis folly to be wise”. How wise are you to the devil’s schemes? To what extent are you aware of the battle that surrounds us? I wager that the devil, the father of lies, would prefer that we not think about him at all! Or, that we would attribute much that goes on in and around us to the idea, “that’s just the way life is!” He is winning the war if he lulls us into this thinking. He is the master of propaganda.
prop·a·gan·da 
(pr
p
-g
n
d)
Ephesians 6:10-18
The Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
As I walk with God, waiting on the fulfillment of His word to me, I have been focused on my faith. Two posts ago I wrote about Conquering Faith and my desire to overcome the tendency to waiver and be tossed about. When I read the below devotional, it hit me like a ton of bricks and I had mutiple AH HA’s as I read. In reading the definition of faith, I am struck most by the phrase, Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence. This type of “vision” does not come natural to us but is an acquired discipline. I have learned that to be a man of faith that can “move mountains”, seeing through the eyes of faith when the human picture does not look good, takes real discipline. It is so easy to “freak-out” and over-react or act according to our human senses. It takes a real discipline of faith to say to yourself and those around you, ” I know this looks real bad but lets take it to the Lord and ask for wisdom and His perspective.” In stead of asking ourselves “How can this possibly work out good?”, we need to ask God, “What do you want me to do?” and then trust and obey while leaving the How up to Him! When we bring God and His power, wisdom, and love into the picture- All things are possible!
Just like weight lifting- the more you lift correctly the stronger you become in that discipline, so is it in the realm of faith. The more we carry our shield of faith and USE IT, the more we will soar on the wings of faith and God’s power- to the Glory of God! Blessings, Jon
faith (f
th)
n. 1. Confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing.
2. Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence. See Synonyms at belief, trust.3. Loyalty to a person or thing; allegiance: keeping faith with one’s supporters.4. often Faith Christianity The theological virtue defined as secure belief in God and a trusting acceptance of God’s will.5. The body of dogma of a religion: the Muslim faith.6. A set of principles or beliefs.
dis·ci·pline
(d
s-pln)
n. 1. Training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior, especially training that produces moral or mental improvement.
2. Controlled behavior resulting from disciplinary training; self-control.3. a. Control obtained by enforcing compliance or order.b. A systematic method to obtain obedience: a military discipline.c. A state of order based on submission to rules and authority: a teacher who demanded discipline in the classroom.4. Punishment intended to correct or train.5. A set of rules or methods, as those regulating the practice of a church or monastic order.6. A branch of knowledge or teaching.
shield
(sh
ld)
2. A person or thing that provides protection.3. A protective device or structure, as: a. A steel sheet attached to an artillery piece to protect gunners from small-arms fire and shrapnel.
The Discipline of Faith- (from Streams in the Desert)
“All things are possible to him that believeth” (Mark 9:23).
The “all things” do not always come simply for the asking, for the reason that God is ever seeking to teach us the way of faith, and in our training in the faith life there must be room for the trial of faith, the discipline of faith, the patience of faith, the courage of faith, and often many stages are passed before we really realize what is the end of faith, namely, the victory of faith.
Real moral fibre is developed through discipline of faith. You have made your request of God, but the answer does not come. What are you to do?
Keep on believing God’s Word; never be moved away from it by what you see or feel, and thus as you stand steady, enlarged power and experience is being developed. The fact of looking at the apparent contradiction as to God’s Word and being unmoved from your position of faith make you stronger on every other line.
Often God delays purposely, and the delay is just as much an answer to your prayer as is the fulfillment when it comes.
In the lives of all the great Bible characters, God worked thus. Abraham, Moses and Elijah were not great in the beginning, but were made great through the discipline of their faith, and only thus were they fitted for the positions to which God had called them.
For example, in the case of Joseph whom the Lord was training for the throne of Egypt, we read in the Psalms:
“The word of the Lord tried him.” It was not the prison life with its hard beds or poor food that tried him, but it was the word God had spoken into his heart in the early years concerning elevation and honor which were greater than his brethren were to receive; it was this which was ever before him, when every step in his career made it seem more and more impossible of fulfillment, until he was there imprisoned, and all in innocency, while others who were perhaps justly incarcerated, were released, and he was left to languish alone.
These were hours that tried his soul, but hours of spiritual growth and development, that, “when his word came” (the word of release), found him fitted for the delicate task of dealing with his wayward brethren, with a love and patience only surpassed by God Himself.
No amount of persecution tries like such experiences as these. When God has spoken of His purpose to do, and yet the days go on and He does not do it, that is truly hard; but it is a discipline of faith that will bring us into a knowledge of God which would otherwise be impossible.
I was born in Tallahassee, Florida August 6 1959 to O. Michael and Sandra Lynn Cannon. My full given name is Jon Michael Cannon. My Dad was finishing up his undergrad at Florida State University and my Mom was an aspiring actress. I was blessed to return to my humble beginnings this past weekend. It was Homecoming at Florida State and my Dad and younger brother, Marc, had planned a trip to Tallahassee. My Dad had not considered me for the trip because I am a Gator fan. But, as fate had it, God wanted me there.. a return to my earthly beginning. I say earthly beginning because the Bible says that God knew us before we were born.
Jeremiah 1
4 The word of the LORD came to me, saying,
5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew[a] you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
Psalm 139
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts,[a] God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.
God knew us before we were born and He prepared works for us to walk in before we were even born.
Ephesians 2
10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
If you have been reading this blog, you know that I have been reading books by John Eldredge. John speaks about receiving our “spiritual name”. I was moved by this idea and began asking God what my spiritual name is. I had been asking for about a month before God gave me His answer. On my way to Tallahassee I was struggling to get into the flow of the Spirit. Distance driving is a great opportunity to get quiet and press into the Lord. Charleston to Tallahassee is about a six hour drive and it took just over half of that time to get freed up to really worship the Lord. In my last post I spoke about my desire to have conquering faith. During the first part of my trip I was wrestling about this faith and what it would take to walk in it. When I hit Route 10 on the West side of Jacksonville I had my answer. The Lord told me that it was praise for what God was going to do. That I needed to praise Him in advance of His action. Scripture is full of examples of this.
Philippians 4
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
As I started praising Him I had a breakthrough of faith and a revival of praise. I was driving down the road clapping and singing and raising my hands. Don’t worry, I was being careful to not get in an accident. I was the first to arrive in Tallahassee, so I got settled into our hotel and waited for my Dad and brother.
Friday morning came early. God awoke me at around 4 to tell me my spiritual name.
I awoke to “Your name is Jonathan”! Now, I must explain something about my name. As long as I can remember my name has been an irritation to me to some extent. I have had to tell people over and over again…. it is not John but Jon. And no, it is not Jonathan, it’s just Jon. Just Jon, Just Jon, Just Jon! I can’t begin to tell you how many times I have said that in response to the question, ” Is Jon short for Jonathan?”
Fast forward to 2010 and God is telling me my name really is Jonathan! And he chose to tell me in the city where I was born. As I was praying about this post I did a search on the web for what the name Jonathan means. It is a Hebrew name that means “Gift of God”. I am reminded of Jonathan, King Saul’s son who was David’s closest friend. Jonathan was a fine warrior and a Godly man. He was humble, faithful and fiercely loyal. He had a gift of encouragement which he used time and again to strengthen David. Jonathan was very wise, knowing how to respect and love His father while being a faithful friend to David, whom Saul wanted dead!
As I consider all this in relation to my story, I can’t help but notice some correlations to my story and that of David’s. Now, let me stress that I am not exalting myself to David’s status. I know he was referred to as “a man after God’s own heart”. But, I am reminded that God is calling each of us to a story that is “bigger than we can imagine”! Just like David who was a humble Shepard boy, He wants to take us from our humble beginnings and do great things through us.
In reading David’s story, and the stories God has given us of saints and sinners who have gone before us, I remember that God told David he was going to be king before it happened. It was like God in His love and mercy told David ahead of time what He could look forward to and then allowed him to go through a refining period that would make him a man of God. David was literally running for his life! Many of his psalms were written during his darkest hours. When he was tested to his very core and learned to trust God when things looked their bleakest. He traveled through the refiners fires and came out the other side as a man after God’s own heart.
David’s story encourages me as I wait for the fulfillment of God’s word to me. While I wait, He continues to refine me and make me into a man of God. I know I have so much to learn but He is so patient, loving and faithful. For He promises to finish the work He began in us when we came to Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5
23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
Philippians 1:6
6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Prayer-
Lord, thank-you for my name! Help me to walk this out and live as a gift of yours to those you have called me to. I am your son and your servant. I praise you and thank you in advance for the works you have prepared for me to walk in. Help me to walk in the present, taking one day at a time! Trusting in your love and timing. Help me to be a fierce warrior knowing that I have many enemies to fight and battles to win by your power and for your glory. In Jesus name. Amen
