Learning from Job

Read Job 1 and 2 (in other words, the first two chapters of Job).

The Book of Job gives us a fascinating glimpse “behind the scenes,” into the very courts of God in heavenly places. The Bible treats this, by the way, as an event that really happened, not as allegory or fiction, so we should, too. We are told that God and Satan were having a conversation; the subject of their discussion was a man named Job, who was “blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.” Job was also very wealthy, and had a wonderful large family. Satan challenges God by claiming that if God allows Satan to destroy Job’s wealth, health, and family, Job will “curse You [God] to Your face.” God gives Satan permission, and Job’s great suffering begins.

In the midst of his tremendous sorrow and pain, Job nevertheless worships God, affirming that “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away – Blessed be the name of the Lord.” We are further told, “Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.” Even when Job was mocked by his wife (“Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!”), he stood firm: “Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?”

Here is the thing that has always struck me about Job: He never finds out why all that bad stuff happened to him. Oh, he would like to have known – he cries out to God for some sort of answer, although his main concern was about whether there was anything sinful he did that caused it all to happen (he didn’t think there was, and he was apparently right). But, rather than give Job an explanation (“You see, Job, there was a sort of a bet between the devil and Me”), God famously responded to Job, “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” (38:4).

God ultimately restored wealth and health and family (“replacement children”?) to Job, but (so far as we are told) Job never found out why all this had happened to him. It is natural to want to know why things (good and bad) happen to us. I think it is even appropriate to ask God for insight along those lines. I think sometimes God may tell us why he has let us go through certain things; sometimes we can look back and see how the things we have gone through have helped shape us in positive ways, by God’s grace. But I think we need to be careful not to demand explanations from God, or to think that he owes us an explanation. He is sovereign, and we may not ever know, this side of heaven at least, why God did what He did, or why He let any certain thing happen to us. Just like Job.

~ Dean Doug Cook, Regent University School of Law

Keep Your Eye on the Prize

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 3:12-14)

If any of you have felt discouraged, unfocused, or weary in your journey, this verse is for you. We are encouraged and inspired to stay in the race and keep our eyes on Jesus as we strive forward, not letting our past drag us down, while at the same time, realizing soberly that we have not yet arrived . . .

We have not yet arrived. The first thing Paul points out is something most of us are painfully aware of every day: that we have not yet arrived. Does anyone feel like they have arrived? Most likely, none of you feel that way. And you are in good company. Because remember in this verse, who is talking? This is the apostle Paul talking about becoming like Christ. And as devoted as Paul was to spreading the gospel- sometimes at almost any cost, here he is admitting that even he hasn't arrived. And if Paul in all of his devotion and dedication to spreading the gospel hasn't arrived, what does that say about the rest of us? It is important that we not get discouraged about not having arrived. Especially when the going gets tough.

Our Goal. And regarding our goal, what does it say in verse 12: "but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." This is important to remember. Why are we doing all that we are doing in our lives? To fulfill the purpose for which Christ has taken hold of us. We aren't here by accident, and we aren't here to accomplish random acts. God isn't surprised that we are right where we are in life, because His plan is perfect. We are encouraged in this passage to take hold of that for which Christ took hold of us. Even when things don't seem to be going our way, we have the promise that everything will work out for our good (Romans 8:28).

Forgetting what is behind. Verses 13-14 tell us to forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead, "pressing on toward our goal to win the prize." This doesn't mean forget the past, and it doesn't mean don't learn from the past, it just means don't live in the past. Don't let the past be an anchor that weighs you down. The enemy would like to remind you of every bad thing you ever did. Don't fall for that! Your sins are forgiven and forgotten now that you have accepted Christ. Conversely don't rest on past accomplishments, but strive to look forward to continue to grow, and as this verse says, strain towards what is ahead.

Be patient and don't get discouraged. None of us have arrived but what we all have in common, is that Christ has taken a hold of us and inspired us to have faith and look forward to what is ahead. Let us all work toward this common goal, together.

Lord, help me to focus on you, and not get bogged down by my past or by the challenges of my current circumstances. Instill in me the faith to trust that you have great plans for me. When I put my trust in you I allow myself to persevere in the great race of life, motivated by your promise of eternal life in you at the finish line.

~ With thanks to Brent McBurney, Director of Attorney Ministries, Christian Legal Society

As 2010 Begins . . .

Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. (Jeremiah 17:7)


Only a few who read these words will recognize the name Hunter Lawrence. In certain parts of the country his name is now well known, but before the 2009-10 Big Twelve championship game, he was just the field goal kicker for the University of Texas football team. On that December night, he was called upon to kick a field goal on which his team's entire season, and hopes of a national championship, hung. There was exactly one second left on the game clock - a second added back by referees who at first had thought that time had run out on the Texas team. Lawrence's team was behind by 2 points. A 46 yard field goal loomed.


Predictably, as Lawrence and his holder readied themselves for the snap, the opposing coach called for a time out. Calling for a time out under such circumstances is a time-honored practice sometimes referred to as "icing" the kicker - give the kicker too much time to think about what is riding on the kick - time, perhaps, to choke under the psychological pressure of the moment.


Less predictably, Lawrence's holder, Jordan Shipley, settled Lawrence down by reminding him of the Bible verse that had been the team's motto for the week, Jeremiah 17:7, Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. Timeout over, Shipley received the snap and placed the ball for Lawrence, who proceeded to drive it through the uprights half a football field away. Longhorns by 1 point, right to play in the national championship game secured. Lawrence was carried off the field on the shoulders of his teammates. Later, he credited his friend Jordan Shipley with providing the word in season that made all the difference.


Lawyers can identify with the pressure Lawrence was under. Thorough preparation and years of experience do not make one immune to the heavy, sometimes lonely, responsibilities of representing a client when the stakes are high. Like kickers, some lawyers live for such moments; others would prefer to avoid them. Regardless, a lawyer knows that his or her mettle will be tested, and only one side will win. And one cannot expect a do-over.


As 2010 begins, almost all of us face challenges that, if we are honest, we find daunting. Perhaps the challenge for you is professional. Or it may be relational or health related. Perhaps the very thought of this challenge makes you a bit jittery. If so, receive this verse as your word in season: Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.


Grace and peace in the coming year from your brothers and sisters at the Christian Legal Society.


Lord, from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. My heart is at rest because You, not the things of this life, are my Hope. Use the events of the coming year to teach me to trust You more fully than ever I have in the past. Thank You for bringing me to this very place.

~ With thanks to Brent McBurney, Director of Attorney Ministries, Christian Legal Society

Transitivity

The thirteenth chapter of I Corinthians is, of course, famous: The Love Chapter. It is often used at weddings, and it stands as a beautiful description of what love is. “Love is patient, love is kind, etc.” But think of it in a slightly different light. Here are verses four through seven, in the New International Version:

4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Scripture tells us (I John 4) that God is Love. So we can (my wife, a mathematician, would call this transitivity) substitute “God” in these verses for “love.” Now this passage stands for the proposition that “God is patient, God is kind, etc.” And that gives us an incredible picture of who God is. Note especially verse 5: “God keeps no record of wrongs.” That is good news!

Now, one more wrinkle. We are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). We look like Him. Or we should. At least, we can. We are told to conform ourselves to the image of Christ. So I believe we have the capacity to be people who reflect the characteristics of God embodied in this passage (otherwise such a command would be cruel).

So now we can read, “I am patient, I am kind. I do not envy, etc.” Or perhaps, “As God fills me and enables me by His Spirit, on an ongoing basis, I am working toward being patient, kind, not arrogant, not easily angered, etc.” I think we can aspire to be I Corinthians 13 people. And by the way, lawyers and others who work in the legal profession need a good dose of this. Make it your prayer, and your aspiration, to be able to substitute your name into the verses in I Corinthians 13:4-7.

~ Dean Doug Cook, Regent University School of Law

Gold from God (Haggai 2:1-9)

Do you know Christians who always seem to be gloomy and depressed? Worse yet, are you such a Christian?

Life can be pretty discouraging sometimes – especially for lawyers. We find ourselves under constant pressure and enormous demands. Our clients are never satisfied; our partners always want more; our subordinates seem to always let us down. You may feel that you could take care of your own responsibilities okay, but the people around you are not handling theirs. Practicing lawyers joke about how great life would be without clients messing everything up; law professors use the same line about life without students.

Things can be tough at home, too. Your spouse and kids have needs that you can never seem to meet. You love them a lot, but they don’t really appreciate all that you do for them. You struggle to raise a family that loves God and is called to His service, but you don’t really know. Sometimes you worry that all the kids are turning into burglars, drug dealers, and prostitutes. It’s not usually that bad, but sometimes they really do end up living in ways that sadden your heart.

Perhaps worst of all, your service for the Kingdom of Christ can seem like a real waste of time, too. You can understand it when you fail because you have been disobedient – because you neglect your relationship with God, get your priorities messed up, and don’t take advantage of the ministry opportunities that He presents.

But sometimes, by God’s grace, we get it right. Sometimes we hear our Lord’s call, and even though it is not convenient and the timing is awful, we turn from our path to His. We join the Bible study group. We teach a Sunday School class. We witness to someone on an airplane. Instead of turning away from the drunken panhandle (or throwing him more booze money!), we take the time to buy him a meal and both show him and tell him about God’s love. Even when we get it right, however, sometimes the results seem pitiful.

On some occasions, it just seems that even our most sincere, best-intentioned efforts to serve and please God accomplish nothing. Our attempt to share the Gospel brings a response of ridicule. No one shows up for the well-organized Bible study. We try to minister to people with needs, but they reject the help.

The people of Jerusalem in Haggai’s day could relate to our frustration. After Haggai preached God’s word to them, they repented. They turned from their misplaced priorities and devoted their top energy to rebuilding the temple. They were obedient, and God was pleased. “I am with you,” declared the Lord.

Yet, as the people worked on the temple, they became depressed. They remembered the splendor of Solomon’s temple – the silver and gold, the tapestries, and acacia wood – and when they looked at the simple wooden structure that was the product of their faithful obedience it seemed worthless. It seemed so futile that some of them cried. God’s words of encouragement can minister to us as well:

“Be strong . . . and work, for I am with you . . . . The silver is mine and the gold is mine . . . . The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house.”

God was true to His word. The “present house” was later visited by God’s own Son, who brought glory far exceeding anything that ever appeared in Solomon’s temple. Similarly, God will work through sincere efforts in His service, bringing glorious results in His own time and His own way.

Never be discouraged if you can’t see the fruit of your ministry. Just obey with a faithful heart, and trust God to provide the “silver and the gold.”


~ Prof. Brad Jacob, Regent University School of Law

Abundant Life . . . In the Meantime

Several years ago, I attended a Sunday school class that was studying Waking the Dead by John Eldredge. In this book, Eldredge discusses the fullness of life God promises believers in Scripture. For instance, Eldredge references John 10:10 in which Jesus says “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (NIV), or have “it more abundantly” (KJV). Eldredge writes how this promise of life is much more than eternal life. He observes that focusing solely on how our life in Christ relates to eternal life overlooks an important part of what life in Christ means: “It’s like saying getting married means, ‘Because I’ve given you this ring, you will be taken care of in your retirement.’ And in the meantime? Isn’t there a whole lot more to the relationship in the meantime?” (page 11 (emphasis in original)). Indeed.

As many of us have heard, Christianity is not a religion; it is a relationship. And in that relationship, our life is much more than about getting the prize of eternal life. We are to cultivate, deepen, enjoy our relationship with God and others each day in order to experience the abundant life God promises us. I think that Christian law students are lawyers may struggle in focusing on the “now” in our walk with God more than other believers. Many of us are “task-oriented” who often worry about the things on our to-do list. We therefore find it difficult to stop and smell the roses because we are too busy to get to the next thing on our list. In some ways, we reflect the tendency of Martha to be preoccupied with the tasks before us, and we do not enjoy basking in the presence of the Lord (see Luke 10:38-42).

I know I have that tendency. This point was brought home to me the year after I graduated from law school. That year, I was working as a judicial clerk in my home state of South Carolina. I knew that I would only be in the town of my clerkship for a year as I had taken a position with a law firm in D.C. for the following year. When I met people at church or at other events, I would often let it be known that I was only in town for a year. One of my friends called me on that and reminded me that I was overlooking the relationships God was giving me at that time and instead was only focusing on what was to come. I needed to remember that God had plans for me each day; and in the end, during that year, the Lord blessed me with relationships with some amazing brothers and sisters in Christ.

We need to remember that in the meantime our lives should be “abundant,” and not simply focused on accomplishment or achievement. The Greek word translated as “to the full” or “abundantly” in John 10:10 is perissos, which can also be translated “superior, extraordinary, surpassing” (from A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament by Joseph Henry Thayer). I do not think Christians are known in the world as having “superior” lives, but that is what God promises us! We need to take time to enjoy the blessings of the Lord and not worry about tomorrow (see Matthew 6:25-34). Of course, God calls us to plan and be good stewards of the gifts he has given us. But we also should relish in the peace and joy of being a child of God. What an amazing thing it would be if we Christian law students and lawyers could model that peace and joy for the rest of the legal community.

~ Associate Dean Natt Gantt, Regent University School of Law

How The Just Live

We are here concerned with one of the ultimate issues of our life. How do we live? According to Scripture, there is a certain way that "the just" live. They live "by faith." What is meant by "the just"? Does every Christian live by faith? The Williams translation uses "upright" for "just". The upright man must live by faith.

The implied comparison in the Habakkuk passage, borrowed by Paul in writing to Roman Christians, is between two ways of life. The natural or carnal man lives with his spiritual eyes turned inward toward himself (latin: curvatus in se). In this particular posture, the spiritual walk is exceedingly difficult, with constant stumbles because the eyes are turned in the wrong direction. Pride follows on the heels of victory and defeat leads many a one to despair.

Not so with the upright who have turned away from "me" to walk by faith, by dependence upon God. They see life through the lens of providence and consult the heavenly Father on each matter that life presents them. They walk through life unafraid and undistracted by the siren songs of pride and despair. In Kipling's immortal words, they can look on triumph and disaster and "treat those two impostors just the same."

Positionally, each of us who seeks to honor God in our practice or our studies is just, or upright. But daily we are presented with the choice: Will I live unto the Lord, trusting in Him, or will I live unto myself? Are my eyes prepared to see the hand of God today in the ups and downs of my professional life?

Lord, grant that I might see your providential hand today in my practice or study of the law. Each time the telephone rings or a colleague stops by my office, when I prepare for class or some other academic obligation, may I discern an opportunity to live by faith, depending upon you. As I meet triumph and disaster, make my life a testimony to your grace.

~ With thanks to Brent McBurney, Director of Attorney Ministries, Christian Legal Society