One of the things you’ll notice if you read things written by INFJs (including the comments under web articles and blogs) is how much those four little letters mean to us. There are other Myers-Briggs types who couldn’t care less what label someone else “slaps on them” and certainly make no effort to search out a description of their personality type. They simply don’t see the need (which is, somewhat ironically, usually typical of their personality type).
INFJs are not like that. We’re on a search for what David Keirsey calls “self-actualization” even before we realize it. We know we’re different than most other people (about 99% of other people, in fact), but we don’t know why. Many INFJs grow up thinking there’s something wrong with them, either because they are flat-out told that or because they notice they are so different.
I discovered my personality type through an Internet quiz when I was in high school. These quizzes are not always accurate, but the one I happened to stumble across was close enough to recognize me as an INFJ. Everything I read in those results, and in the INFJ profiles that I hunted down next, sounded so familiar. Suddenly I wasn’t the only person with vivid dreams that seemed to blur lines between real and imaginary, or the only person who felt everything deeply and yet couldn’t seem to connect with someone in a conversation. My helplessness with numbers and difficulty working with facts might be inconvenient, but wasn’t abnormal any more. I didn’t have to try and ignore my intuition or try to come up with a logical reason for everything – I could simply accept the fact that intuition is how my mind works.
Other INFJs have similar stories, stories which I’d love to hear. In fact, I’m interested in any stories you INFJs out there would like to share. I’m writing an e-book, and think it would be so much more meaningful if I could include personal stories from other INFJs as well. If you think you might like to contribute, check out this post for details.
Before getting to today’s topic, I just wanted to mention how much I’ve enjoyed doing an actual count-down this year instead of just putting Pentecost on the calendar. It’s helped me focus my Bible study and kept me in mind of the timing for God’s calender rather than feeling like Pentecost sneaked up on me. Today is the 7th Sabbath in our count, which means Pentecost is tomorrow!
And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord. (Lev. 23:15-16)
Though this is one of the easiest Holy Days to see evidence of in the New Testament (largely due to the giving of the Holy Spirit in Acts), I think we’ll spend most of our time today in the Old Testament, particularly in the book of Ruth.
Lawns of Gleaning
Pentecost, also called the Feast of the Firstfruits/Harvest/Ingathering, is a harvest-time festival. The count to this day begins with a wave-sheaf “of the firstfruits of your harvest,” and the offerings on the day of Pentecost include “two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah” of “fine flour” “baked with leaven” that are described as “the firstfruits to the Lord” (Lev. 23:10, 17). After a lengthy passage of instructions for Pentecost, there is a verse that does not quite seem to fit.
When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field when you reap, nor shall you gather any gleaning from your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am the Lord your God. (Lev. 23:22)
This is a repetition of a command also recorded in Leviticus 19:9-10, a command so important to God that He not only gave it twice, but He put one of those commands in the passage describing His most Holy Days. We can get some idea of how this practice works, and perhaps why it is so important, by looking at the book of Ruth.
‘Ruth Gleaning’ watercolor by James Tissot (1896)
There’s a note in my study Bible that says, “by New Testament times” the book of Ruth was being “read at the Feast of Harvest (Pentecost) because much of the story is set in the harvest fields.” It was one of five books “read publicly at the Feasts of Israel.”
I dare say we all know the story. Naomi and her family moved to Moab during a famine in Israel. There, her two sons married. About 10 years later, Naomi’s husband and sons were dead and she returned home to Israel accompanied by her daughter in law, Ruth. We jump into the story as Ruth and Naomi arrive in “Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest” (Ruth 1:22).
So Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field, and glean heads of grain after him in whose sight I may find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” Then she left, and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers. And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech. (Ruth 2:2-3)
As we read further, we see Boaz went above and beyond what God’s law strictly required a landowner to leave for the poor. He offers Ruth protection and water, and asks her not to glean in any other field where he could not guarantee her safety (Ruth 2:8-9). Behind-the-scenes, he told his reapers to let grain fall for her on purpose and not to stop her if she wanted to glean even among the sheaves of grain (Ruth 2:15-16).
Unmerited Favor
There is much of Christ’s character visible in how Boaz treats Ruth when she first arrives in his field. Like Boaz did for Ruth, Jesus offers us His personal protection. He asks us not to stray from His laws because they are designed to keep us safe from the consequences of sin. He says, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink” (John 7:37). Our response to this unearned favor ought to be much the same as Ruth’s.
So she fell on her face, bowed down to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” (Ruth 2:10)
This is much the same question David asked God in Psalms 8:4 and 144:3 — “What is man that You are mindful of him?” Every human is small and insignificant compared to God, and those of us who God has chosen for His particular attention are unimportant even by human standards.
But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption — that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” (1 Cor. 1:27-31)
God is gleaning His firstfruits from the world’s rejects. He is taking people who are nothing and turning us into something glorious. He is taking strangers — like the Moabite Ruth — and adopting them into His family through Christ’s sacrifice.
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. …Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God (Eph. 2:13, 19)
Our Redeemer
The adoption process by which we become God’s children is, as we discussed last week, linked inseprably to Christ’s redeeming work (Eph. 1:5-7; Rom. 8:23; Gal. 4:3-7). There is a parallel for this as well in the story of Ruth, in the role Boaz plays as a kinsman redeemer.
And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where have you gleaned today? And where did you work? Blessed be the one who took notice of you.” So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said, “The man’s name with whom I worked today is Boaz.” Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he of the Lord, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!” And Naomi said to her, “This man is a relation of ours, one of our close relatives.” (Ruth 2:19-20)
My study Bible says this last phrase could be translated “one that hath right to redeem.” We find the basis for the practice of a kinsman redeeming land in Leviticus 25: 25, 48-49. To prevent an inheritance from leaving the family, someone who was closely related, financially able, and willing to fill this role could redeem land that was sold. In some cases, as here in Ruth, when the man who the land originally belonged to had left a childless widow, the redeemer was expected to marry her per the command in Deuteronomy 25:5-10.
We see all this played out in Ruth 4:4-10 where Boaz must offer a more closely related kinsman the opportunity to redeem Naomi’s family’s land and marry Ruth. This man refuses (which, being the hopeless romantic I am, I suspect was Boaz’s plan all along).
Stepping back a chapter and looking at Ruth’s request that Boaz play the part of a redeemer, we read about a practice that seems rather unusual. Since Naomi counsels this action and Boaz knew how to respond, I assume Ruth asking him to be her family’s redeemer (perhaps even this method of asking) was not considered unusual in their culture. Per Naomi’s instructions, Ruth lies down at Boaz’s feet when he is asleep and waits for him to notice her.
And he said, “Who are you?” So she answered, “I am Ruth, your maidservant. Take your maidservant under your wing, for you are a close relative.” (Ruth 3:9)
Looking at the Hebrew for “wing”, The Complete WordStudy Dictionary for the Old Testament says “the idiom to spread (one’s) wings over means to take to wife.” This same word is used in Ruth 2:12 when Boaz tells Ruth, “The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.” Ruth is asking Boaz for a type of protection that mirrors the relationship between God and Israel. The comparison is drawn even more strongly reading God’s words to Israel in Ezekiel 16.
“When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love; so I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine,” says the Lord God. (Ezk. 16:8)
In the same way, we who are part of the church have been “betrothed you to one husband” — Jesus Christ — and will be married “to Him who was raised from the dead” after He died in order to redeem us (2 Cor. 11:2; Rom. 7:4).
Taken together, the book of Ruth and the Feast of Pentecost teach us about the glorious unmerited favor that God pours out on us. We were strangers like Ruth and were not only invited to partake in what God provides, but cared for deeply and betrothed to His own Son, who gave His life to redeem His firstfruit Bride.
This is an Italian version of the Tuna and Pasta Cheddar Melt that I posted several weeks ago. These are quick and easy meals that take me about 20 minutes from start to finish, so they are a popular choice for lunch around here.
tastes great with chicken, too
I had a bit more time a couple days ago and tried this with chicken, which had an excellent flavor. It’s not as fast of a meal option, but if you want to try that variation all you have to to is cook about 1 pound of cubed chicken in olive oil and then remove it from the skillet before cooking the pasta. Add the cooked chicken at the same time as you would the tuna.
Oh, one more thing. The recipe says to crush croutons over the pasta, but I was out so I just seasoned some breadcrumbs like I did for the Cottage Cheese Chicken Bake.
Heat the broth and water in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat to a boil. Stir in the pasta. Reduce the heat to medium. Cook until the pasta is tender, stirring often. Do not drain. Stir the thickened soup, 1 cup milk and tuna into the skillet with the pasta.
Stir in spices and Parmesan cheese, then sprinkle the mozzarella over the top. Crush croutons. Sprinkle over the tuna mixture and cook until the cheese has melted and mixture is hot and bubbling.
Update: The book is finished, and you can download the final version here. Thank you so much for your interest!
I’ve started work on an INFJ e-book, and would like to ask you – my fellow INFJs – to share some of your personal experiences. I don’t want this to just be another description of the INFJ personality type. I want real stories that INFJ readers can relate to, and which will give non-INFJ readers insight into how we think. Specifically, I’m looking for short first-hand accounts of what life is like as an INFJ. You can share anything you like, but here are a few prompts:
How did you first discover your type, and what was your reaction?
In what ways do you feel different from non-INFJs?
What role does intuition play in your life?
How would you describe the way you feel emotions as an INFJ?
Are there any areas of your life or specific situation where you rely on thinking more than feeling?
How does an INFJ’s inferior function (Extroverted Sensing) show up for you when you’re stressed?
What do you wish other people knew about INFJs?
You would be credited by first-name only to protect your privacy, or I can give you a pseudonym if you prefer to remain completely anonymous. Alternately, if you want your full name used or me to direct readers to your blog I could do that as well. Everyone whose stories are used in the book will receive a free copy once it is finished. If you want to contribute, you can post responses as comments here, or get in touch through my contact form.
Several things came together to determine the topic for this week’s post. While I was writing last week’s post, I decided that being made children of God by the Spirit of adoption was too big a topic to tack on to the end of that post. Then another phrase that drew my attention was “walk in newness of life” and I wondered if perhaps both subjects went together. Around the same time, the quote in the image over there on your right showed up via the daily C.S. Lewis quote e-mail I subscribe to. And so we come in a round-about-way to three interconnected topics for today’s post.
Redemption
There’s more than one passage where the redemptive work of Jesus Christ is connected with adopting us into God’s family. Our redemption is both a pre-requisite for being adopted by God and a consequence of the plan to make us children.
having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace (Eph. 1:5-7)
Before we could have a relationship with the Father, before we could be “accepted in the Beloved,” before we could be Christ’s brethren, He had to give His life to ransom us from captivity to sin (Matt. 20:28; Is. 53:10-11).
looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. (Tit. 2:13-14)
This plan to redeem us from iniquity involves a very definite purpose and a plan for our future. I’m tempted to go off on a tangent about how our purification and redemption is tied to the church’s future as the Bride of Christ (which, as you may know, is one of my favorite Bible subjects), but instead I’ll point you to chapter 4 of my “God’s Love Story” e-book. Getting back to the topic at hand, Galatians 4 tells us we were redeemed so that we can be adopted.
Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. (Gal. 4:3-5)
Adoption
This word “adoption” that we keep reading is translated from the Greek huiothesis (G5206). It means to place as a son, or receive “another into the relationship of a child of someone.” It makes “a stranger, such as a sinner, into a real son” (Zodhiates, WordStudy Dictionary: New Testament). It is the process by which someone outside of a family is given the rights and privileges of being part of that family.
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. (Rom. 8:14-17)
We can see in these verses how important the presence of the Holy spirit in us is to the process of bringing us into God’s family. Going back to Galatians 4, the next verses tell us we’re talking specifically of Christ’s Spirit making us His brethren and fellow heirs of God. It’s really incredible to think of — that Jesus loves us so much that he died for the opportunity to share His inheritance with us!
And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. (Gal. 4:6-7)
As with many things in our spiritual walk, there is a process to becoming children of God. Reading past the verses we quoted in Romans 8, Paul talks about “the sufferings of this present time” while we wait “for the adoption, the redemption of our body” (Rom. 8:18, 23). Galatians describes us as little children undergoing a birthing process “until Christ is formed in you” (Gal. 4:19). As mentioned in the meaning of the word “adoption,” we were something not part of God’s family and we need to go through a process that makes us part of His family.
Remaking
Right after contrasting the “the works of the flesh” (Gal. 5:19-21) with the “fruits of the Spirit” (Gal. 5:22-23), Paul writes about how those who have the Spirit of Christ ought to conduct themselves. (See also Gal. 5:16-18)
And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. (Gal. 5:24-25)
We’ve spent quite some time over the past few weeks’ Bible study posts in the first verses of Romans 8, which talk about walking in the Spirit and a spiritual change in the focus of our minds. This time, I want to back-up a couple chapters to Romans 6.
Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Rom. 6:3-4)
Though the Spirit isn’t mentioned here, this is the same thing we’ve been studying in these weeks leading up to Pentecost — the change wrought inside us by the personal, active involvement in our lives by Jesus Christ and God the Father.
For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin….
Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. (Rom. 6:5-6, 11-12)
Once Jesus begins working in us, it is impossible for us to remain unchanged. And if we go along with this process, the change is dramatic indeed. We are to be completely remade. As C.S. Lewis said in the quote I used for the image at the beginning of this post, “You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”
This change might not always be pleasant for us, but They are not doing it for selfish reasons. “The wages of sin is death” — that’s what we earn for practicing sin and there’s no getting around it. But God offers us a way to change, to have our sins wiped away and our character altered so we can be given “eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).
“If you could do something with 2 cups of cottage cheese, that would be great.”
Lunch making challenge accepted. And it actually was a challenge — searches for recipes online either didn’t take enough cottage cheese or didn’t sound like they’d taste very good. So I made something up. It actually worked and tasted good on the first try, too, which was a pleasant surprise. We’ll probably make it again.
Slice or pound chicken breast to 1/3-inch thickness. Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to skillet, and cook 5 to 6 minutes on each side or until browned. Slice chicken into bite-sized pieces.
Bring large pot of lightly salted water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente, according to package directions. Put cooked pasta into lightly oiled 13x9x2-inch baking dish.
Meanwhile, place cottage cheese, soup, milk, and dried seasonings in a food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer the blended mixture to a saucepan. Add chicken and cook over medium heat until heated through.
While chicken mixture is cooking, crumble the toasted bread into the melted butter, then stir in Italian seasoning. Once chicken mixture is done, pour it over the pasta. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs. Cover the pan with aluminum foil. Bake in at 350°F for 15 minutes. Remove foil. Bake 5 minutes more or until heated through and bubbling.
Like An Anchor 