Ashamed to Ask for Help

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The Story:
This past week, as you may well know, Indiana and the neighboring states endured -- Snowpocalypse. Coming into the perfect storm, I asserted that God was sovereign over the snow by quoting Job 37:5-6.

God…does great things that we cannot comprehend. For to the snow he says, ‘Fall on the earth' Job 37:5-6. God is bigger than #Snowpocalypse

— David Christensen (@Christensen_Dv) January 4, 2014

What I didn't know then was that God was indeed as I had said and intended to teach me at least one lesson through the storm. The snow came in torrents from heaven as God told it to fall, and after our single church service in which our Pastor told of God's Creative Hand in the weather, my wife I hunkered down for what seemed to be a record snowfall. With the exception of an going out to attempt to minister to kids & parents who didn't have school on Monday, we did not leave our apartment or use our vehicle (which sits outside) for the better part of two days.

Tuesday morning arrives, and it is time to go to my Systematic Theology course taught by guest teacher Andy Naselli. I help with setting up the technology for our class and needed to arrive early for that reason. I awoke early and geared up for the cold journey ahead. After girding my loins to face the cold, I went outside into what was approaching -20°F (with windchill). I scraped what seemed like a giant plaster cast of snow off of our vehicle, my fingers freezing, and I jumped inside the vehicle. Slamming the key into the ignition, I wrenched then key forward.... Lights, sounds of car beginning to start....nothing.

Paycheck by Paycheck

Proverbs has a lot to say about wisdom (being wisdom literature after all), and it also has a number of things to say about finances. Lately, two passages have stuck out to me which I feel many forget about and/or don't apply when it comes to their functional way of "stewarding" the monetary resources God has given them. The first passage is from Proverbs 3:21-28:

[21] My son, do not lose sight of these—
keep sound wisdom and discretion,
[22] and they will be life for your soul
and adornment for your neck.
[23] Then you will walk on your way securely,
and your foot will not stumble.
[24] If you lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
[25] Do not be afraid of sudden terror
or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes,
[26] for the LORD will be your confidence
and will keep your foot from being caught.
[27] Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
when it is in your power to do it.
[28] Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,
tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.
(Proverbs 3:21-28 ESV)

God made a choice

6 The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. 7 And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “ Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. 10 Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” (Acts 15:6-11, ESV - italics added)

God made a choice ... That by, specifically, Peter's mouth... Gentiles would hear and believe, (not just some people in a general group but,) specifically Cornelius^[1] in Acts 10:30-45 as many as 10 years before the council; furthermore, God bore witness through Peter's mouth and poured out His Spirit on them. What we see here is one of the many places in scripture which God ordained to show both His sovereignty in salvific power as well as the means which He uses to do His saving work, namely the mouths/words of men. This awesome interplay leapt out of my bible at me last night. Calvin in his commentary on this passage says:

"You know. He calleth them to bear witness, ... lest any man should think that he is about to speak of some dark and doubtful thing. The history was well known to them all.....God did choose in us. The word choose doth signify to appoint or decree. Though Peter doth comprehend as well the free election of God as the choice whereby God did adopt the Gentiles to be His people; therefore, He chose, that is, as it were, making choice, that He might show a token of His free election in the Gentiles... For his meaning is, that he declareth nothing but that which they knew full well; which was done before their eyes.^[2]"

There are 5 things which I take away from this: