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Reflections from Theophilus - Contemporary and Ancient thoughts and provocative currents in theological and philosophical thinking to agree with or refute.
Just Inspiration and Interest with Some Humor - Pathlight.
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Here was a very productive day when some common words rang so true as to resound in our hearts through time and into eternity.
One says, "We have found him" and is met with honest doubt and objection. "Nothing good comes from THAT town!"
Jesus compliments him for "being real," and calls him anyway.
In the transaction we enshrine these words of calling,"Follow me," and "Come and see," and "I saw you," and "You shall see amazing things."
"The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”"
What does it take to bring sworn, bitter, ideological enemies together?
A common threat. Jesus was the common threat to the Pharisees and the Herodians.
What did the Hasidim, the holy, separate, pious ones have to do with those who collaborated with Rome?
They both valued the equilibrium and stability of their measured, static, and adversarial rivalry. They knew each others' self-interests and limits and were unwilling for anyone to upset things with a radical and compassionate lifestyle message that could catch hold of the hearts of people and upset their carefully weighted system.
Jesus rocks some pretty big boats and those who take the calling and implications of Jesus' calling seriously today, do the same, and can expect to be attacked from all sides of the status quo.
"Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him."
Not all scripture leaves us with warm feeling, unambiguous guidance, easy lessons, or peace of mind. Some of it really rocks our concept of everything else we read in the bible.
So, we sometimes avoid those passages (assuming that they only occur in the religious literature of "other peoples" religions).
Hermeneutics is the art and science of text interpretation. It is an important tool for people who wish to wrestle with difficult scriptures and be able to interpret them in their historical contexts and apply them to life today. You need in reading, as I am, the book of Judges.
Take the book of Judges.
It is set in in a rather chaotic time in the history of Israel where there is little unity, no one clear leader, syncretistic religious practices, and lifestyles not unlike other communities in the ancient near east.
The difference is that the bible teaches a continuation of God's covenant with a people who are trying to work out what it means to be His people over a long, long period of history,. There are some high points and many low points and lots of flawed people who become extraordinary leaders. They are presented "as is."
So, here is one of those problem passages where the bible does not exhort, but report, where raw truth is simply delivered as it is and people who are struggling to understand who God is and God's ways make some good decisions and some bad decisions.
Jephtha, in Judges 11:29, has been empowered by the Spirit in a mighty way and leads his army against the Ammonites.. He makes a vow to kill and sacrifice the first thing that comes through his door. When he looks at his door it is his precious daughter. She hears and encourages him to follow through with his vow, but give her a little reprieve to mourn in the mountains and come back to be offered - which she does.
I am thinking, "Is this supposed to inspire me?"
But here is a take-away, warning, and admonition - whether or not it was intended. Just because someone is caught up in the Spirit and accomplishes some great spiritual and/or physical feats does not mean several things:
1. It does not mean that they hear or understand or know God at any greater way than anyone else.
2. It does not mean that there is a direct connection between their rash statements/promises and the grace that was granted them by God.
3. It does not necessarily make them immediately mature or wise.
We have the rest of the bible for guidance and balance, so we might assume that Jephtha made a "stupid" vow and he could have called things off at any point. If he had any familiarity with his own Torah, he would have known that human sacrifices are forbidden.
At that point, he might have gone back into consultation with the LORD.
His daughter, while motivated by her own distorted sense of who God is and what God requires and by her devotion to her father, comes back from the mountains - a kind of misguided integrity, to be honored during her eulogy, but certainly to be questioned in application to our own lives.
But who are we to stand in judgment from afar? We have advantages and opportunities they did not have. Remember that these folks were influenced more by the idolatry around them than any sound Torah teaching. They had fallen away and were just now returning and even in that returning were subject to making bad decisions --- which they did.
Even good, sincere, religiously enthusiastic people can make bad decisions ... and do.
Lessons for 21st century Christians and other people of faith?
1. Stay grounded in scripture and sound teaching, ethical thinking, and mature deliberation. Check in with what concepts about God are influencing you. In your approach to scripture, develop good hermeneutics.
2. Get to know God and communicate with God. The life of developing spiritual maturity is intensely prayerful, deliberative, seeking, and humble.
3. Be slow to make rash declarations and do not make deals with God. Give what God demands and do not try to bribe Him.
4. Remember that good people can make bad decisions and not everything they say should be followed uncritically. In the same way, bad people can sometimes make good decisions and we need to weigh their ideas in the light of logic and truth, prayerfully.
There is much violence, greed, immaturity, bigotry, and idolatry in the bible - and that is just among the good guys!
That is because God is patient and gracious and chooses to work among, through, and with human beings.
The bible reports this process of history as God reveals Himself over time until, as Christian scripture reports, "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we [finally - my word] beheld His glory.
His teachings might seem contrary to thousands of years of salvation history, but Jesus reports them as fulfillment of all that God was trying to teach all along.
Time is a funny construct. We don't really understand it. Thousands of years form only a blip in linear time. Imagine them/it in light of modern physics as a thin strand of a whole.
Then see them/it encapsulated into something infinite and eternal.
The bottom line is that we need the whole story and, with the whole story, we meet a God who, Himself provides the sacrifice and gives Himself for our redemption, a God of grace, love, mercy, truth, holiness, and unending wonder who has reveled Himself in Jesus Christ.
The book of Judges sure creates a thirst in my heart for knowing THAT God in a deeper way.
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” - Jeremiah 17:7-8
The person, whose hope is in the Lord, yields fruit and does not stop yielding fruit.
In earnest prayer, it is the spirit of submission to God that produces a heart that is a fruitful field in which He can work.
This is also a deep experience: yielding to God that our lives may yield fruit.
It is about surrender and victory, submission and freedom, bowing low and being lifted up.
As you pray, express your willingness to be a fruitful life through whom God can work.
Allow Him to so fill you with His spirit that your life will overflow with His graces.
The greatest arena of these fall into the realm of the grand gasp of ...
O Magnum Mysterium
However, I thought I might start with some random specifics.
I don't understand the how bumblebees can fly. Perhaps someone has explained it to me at some time, but I have forgotten.
I don't understand string theory - and I don't think anyone really does. I have some hints, but nothing to lean on.
I don't understand why traffic on the freeway can come to a near standstill while gawkers slow down to observe an accident across the median strip - but I should since I am sure I must have been lured into that web at least once.
I don't understand the transforming and transcending power of love, but I gladly participate.
That was random and incomplete. There are three areas where my understanding is also incomplete and here they are.
I. I do not always understand the big picture of everything.
II. I do not always understand the basic principles of existence.
III. I do not always understand the best sequence of events.
Allow me to elaborate.
I. THE BIG PICTURE OF EVERYTHING. I don't see it fully. I believe it exists and that it must exist, but I am inside of it and can not view it from the outside. I think there are two visions that I lack and long for:
The big picture embraces a bigger future than I can actualize. We are going somewhere. I accept that as a statement of faith, but it is also a sense we have about the universe. There is a path on which I believe I am being directed along with all of creation. I am not certain of all that destination entails and I cannot orchestrate it. So, I trust.
The big picture embraces a bigger family than I can visualize. Somehow, all of humanity is woven into the tapestry of this purpose. I don't know how everything and everyone fits, but I believe it does.
II. THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF EXISTENCE. I understand some of the principles. I am guided by the wisdom of the ages as it has accumulated and by the scriptures which have never failed me, but I know in part. I can see some enduring truths being played out in human experience and scientific inquiry, but I know there is more to be discovered and uncovered.
Basic principles govern the unseen realities of our circumstances. The principles are in place. Some we know. Some we don't, but circumstances are not chance; they are logical inasmuch as we can perceive the logic. Logic is built upon logos - Word. In the beginning was the Logos. If we could truly perceive the Logos behind the principles, we might be able to predict circumstances. I cannot.
Basic principles govern the unanticipated results of our choices. Nothing happens by chance. Choices activate principles, known and unknown. We know enough to apply to get by and by learning more, we strive to thrive. But we do not know all and some of our choices will have unintended consequences. Sometimes, as children, we were told by people older and wiser to do or not to do some behavior. We did not and could not understand the ramifications of our obedience or disobedience. We have to trust with our hearts and acknowledge in our ways the wisdom of the wiser. If I had only leaned on my own understanding in these matters, I would have been dead years ago.
III. THE BEST SEQUENCE OF EVENTS. Things happen in order. Chaos and order are intertwined. People of faith believe that chaos is enveloped by order outside of itself. In our sphere of existence, most things have to happen in sequence. I don't always understand that sequence and cannot lean on my own understanding of it.
Sequence often defines objectives. One of the great habits of highly effective people as taught by Steven Covey is to begin with the end in mind. We can often glimpse where something might be going by the sequence of events and behaviors we observe. And yet ... we might miss a detail or two and that is the essence of comedy.
Sequence often determines outcomes. Without the proper sequencing, objectives may be lost and outcomes altered. This is obvious in matters within the purview of our own influence and control, but is unseen in the larger spectrum where multiplied details are unmanageable. There will always be factors beyond our ability to comprehend or quantify. They are part of the sequence of cosmic progression and people of faith affirm that they are guided by an Unseen Hand and related to an ultimate purpose.
That is why, when push comes to shove, while I value and pursue a deeper understanding of whatever I can understand, I do not ultimately lean on my own understanding and choose to:
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. - Proverbs 3:5-6
Jesus could not shrink from His hour because His purpose in living was wrapped up in His hour of dying.
We die to all that is not our purpose and His purpose in us when we follow.
We empty ourselves of all we perceive to be self-honoring to receive the greater honor of the Father.
Jesus explains it so much better than I do:
"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him."
"“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”"
Here is the prayer of a maturing heart to be prayed in our youth.
It is the prayer that we would be aware of the fragility of time, the shortening of days, and the seriousness of our sinful wastefulness.
It is the plea that we might embrace our suffering and discipline as part of God's love and our maturing process.
It is the petition that we would learn to be glad, that we would see with a broader deeper, and more eternal perspective, and that we would be satisfied with God's love.
The result, by grace will be the favor of God as shown in His blessing upon our work, His power in and through us.
Amen.
" So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Return, O LORD! How long? Have pity on your servants! Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil. Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!"
Two arguments for prayer directed to God for people in power are given by Paul. It is not an exhaustive list, but it is a good summary of two categories, the good prayer does us and the kingdom value for aligning with God's purposes:
1. "... that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity..." - Our Benefit
2. God's Benefit - " ... who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth..."
So, it benefits us to pray so that our lives can be more stable ad it benefits God's purposes so that He can save as many people as possible and manifest His truth.
1 Timothy 1:18-2:8 NRSV "I am giving you these instructions, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies made earlier about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, having faith and a good conscience. By rejecting conscience, certain persons have suffered shipwreck in the faith; among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have turned over to Satan, so that they may learn not to blaspheme. First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself a ransom for all-- this was attested at the right time. For this I was appointed a herald and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. I desire, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument;"
I respect them even more if they know they are flawed.
That goes for leaders and people in public life.I generally like them and appreciate them across the board as long as they operate on the integrity of their convictions with consistency, intelligence, and the willingness to question their own views by listening and negotiating.
There are very few villains out there - maybe some, but I cannot judge motives.
I am critical and respectful of leaders and suspicious of them. It is a healthy tension.
I am also hard on and suspicious of myself. I just wish we were not all so quick to posture, agree with ourselves, and run to our own corners of the room, but,I guess that is just one of the flaws I have to accept as part of our humanity if I am going to embrace and love humanity.
You can try to figure out what I mean and what point I am making if you like, but it will be a guess, because I do not even know for sure.
When push comes to shove, I know that I declared my ultimate loyalty 56 years ago when I joined the Kingdom of Love through faith in Jesus.
It was then that I adopted the value system that calls me to love my neighbor -- especially the one that is most unlikely for me to love, most different than myself, and least likely to believe as I do.
And I do not think I can love him without respecting him, listening to him, seeking to understand him, and trying to be his friend.
I bring nothing in my hands. I offer no credentials, no reputation, no resume worth reading.
My track record is checkered. My focus is scattered. My mind is here and there and everywhere. I am easily distracted and frequently tested to the core.
Yet, God, you are my God.
Yet, God, you love me, value me, invest in me, and show grace and mercy to me daily.
I am unworthy. You are worthy.
All my value is that you regard me.
Why, oh why?
It does not matter why because You are the Why of all things and of my existence and You have engraved Your love into the fabric of the universe.
Your love, Oh LORD, is the only true reality, standard, and truth that bleeds through all of our opinions about ourselves and others.
Your wrath is against all that is not love. Why then, if I am not judged, can I ever stand in judgment against my neighbor?
I shall not.
He and she are Yours. You see in them that which is precious even as You see something precious in me.
Give me glimpses today of the wonder in my neighbors eyes and the love in his or her heart that I may view my neighbor through the lenses of Your redemptive and reconciling grace and lay all of my prejudices and agendas aside.
And may my neighbor join me in this cause and his neighbor and her neighbor.
I pray this, as the only solution to our divisions in the Name of Jesus who divided us in order to unite us, who showed us hard truth in order to reconcile us to Himself and to one another, who bore all pain, sin, and alienation upon Himself in order to introduce us to You as Your long lost children who have come home.
Give us the heart of the prodigal's father.
Give us Your heart and the heart of Jesus, Your Son. Amen.
Chinese depiction of Jesus and the rich man (Mark 10) - 1879, Beijing, China, public domain
This life we live as disciples of Jesus is of a different sort.
We can be rich and flat broke at the same time.
What makes this life different is that the calling to follow Jesus is not something that ought to be part of our lives.
It is the totality of our lives.
We do not need God in our lives. We need our lives in God.
We are not called to passivity or conformity. We are called to radical following.
We are not called to accumulate, but to disseminate.
We cannot hold back, make excuses, look over our shoulders, or be bogged down by what we have or think we have.
If we think we already have much and we love it too much, it is too hard to let go.
You can only take one carry-on and one personal item on the plane these days and you cannot take a truckload of spiritual luggage on your journey with Jesus.
It is hard for the rich man, Jesus says ... or the man who perceives himself as rich and unable to travel light.
But who can be saved if it is so hard for us to let go?
Anyone.
How?
Because we are already in the realm of the impossible where with God everything is possible.
We are not as rich as we think we are.
The call is still there.
He can help us lighten our load.
When that happens, we will find that our lives are full and our wealth complete with treasures we never counted before.
Hear the story of "The Rich Young Man."
"And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions."
"And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”"
Great leaders come from unlikely places and walks of life. "Taken from the sheepfolds," the lowliest of servants, dirtiest, least regarded, often maligned, stereotypical crude and rude, one is placed in a position of influence. David brings the skill sets he used in leading sheep to lead people.
God chose David to lead, but becoming a leader involved some choices and actions on his part.
First, in his case, he had to win the people over.
No kingdom or authority was handed to him by any government by decree. He was not appointed by any predecessor, nor was he offered any elegance or incentives to lead.
At every step along the way, he led by leading. He gathered the people by igniting hope in their hearts and winning their confidence.
He was skillful with the skills he had learned along the paths of righteousness where he had led his sheep and been led by his unseen Shepherd.
Real leadership in humble and serving. It is sacrificial and influential. It is credible and upright and it is always very hard.
" He chose David his servant. and took him from the sheepfolds; from following the nursing ewes he brought him to shepherd Jacob his people, Israel his inheritance. With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand."
Our spiritual droughts and sense of distance from the Holy One may not be derived from a lack of religious activity or belief. They may emerge from our collective insensitivity to injustice and participation in what brutalizes people.
We need to hear the news, process world events, and pray for our world through the missional lens God's intention to build His Kingdom of love and righteousness with justice and shalom.
Instead, our first lenses are usually our own rather immediate temporal interests, our own security and, if peace, then peace within our own borders.
This is not a hopeless admonition. Nothing had shortened the hand of God -- only our perception of how far His hand can reach.
But we are separated, collectively and for some, individually because of collective and individual iniquity. We have blood on our hands and most of us are not intentionally drawing it' we are oblivious to it.
Yet we wonder, where God is.
I'd suggest reading the comments below for a word of hope!
"Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies; your tongue mutters wickedness. No one enters suit justly; no one goes to law honestly; they rely on empty pleas, they speak lies, they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity. They hatch adders' eggs; they weave the spider's web; he who eats their eggs dies, and from one that is crushed a viper is hatched. Their webs will not serve as clothing; men will not cover themselves with what they make. Their works are works of iniquity, and deeds of violence are in their hands. Their feet run to evil, and they are swift to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their highways. The way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their paths; they have made their roads crooked; no one who treads on them knows peace."
If I am going to enjoy righteousness and the pursuit of holiness, I must also understand the pernicious power of the sin that does so easily beset me. I am not immune and you are not immune from The Great Distraction or its destructive persistence. There is a duality to our lives - an authentic self and a false self. I cannot speak of the wicked man without recognizing the phony me who walks around in and desires to rule my body and mind. I can own the reality and reject the rule, but it is a daily deed. As bad as any can be, so can I be! Yet, there is more.
"Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated. The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit; he has ceased to act wisely and do good. He plots trouble while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject evil."
In his musings, the psalmist wandered around the dusty trails of his own existence, traversing over his own struggles and victories, glancing upon the outgrowths of wickedness that tormented him and the grace that attended him. He paused to pray a reflective prayer over his fleeting existence for perspective and resolve, assessing his own need of assessment.
" “O LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!"
If you were Pilate, and to some extent, we all are at some point, you just don't get it. We can't get it when we try to impose our own or society's definitions of power, might, prestige, and influence on a kingdom that is not of this world. We ask the same question he asked. With truth standing before us, staring us in the face, trying one angle after another to explain truth to us and to shake us out of our tired definitions, "What is truth?"
The truth is that truth is ....
And it is not what we think it is.
It never was and never can be.
Truth that transcends and transforms enters the world as a blinding contrast to our values and false passions. it challenges our insecurities and control mania. It challenges our notions that we must resort to violence to achieve non-violent ends or that we must coerce in order to convert.
It shouts in our ears and lives out before us the radical notion that sometimes it is enough, and more than enough, to stand and bear witness.
it leaves us dumbfounded with the uncomfortable feeling that we can find no fault in him, but that we cannot figure him out either.
And we, who would follow, hear his simple, "follow me," and his playful, Come and see."
"So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, 'Are you the King of the Jews'” Jesus answered, 'Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?' Pilate answered, 'Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?' Jesus answered, 'My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.' Then Pilate said to him, 'So you are a king?' Jesus answered, 'You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.' Pilate said to him, 'What is truth?'
After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, 'I find no guilt in him.'"
Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. - Mark 9:23
To this challenge, a man in need replied that he believed, but he needed help with his unbelief, those edges where belief was still developing.
In ministry, we are in the business of helping people believe—first in God, then in the possibilities of God working in and through them to accomplish His purposes.
Belief is the most powerful attitude in the universe.
It is absolutely essential for realizing God’s promises and our own potential under God.
It is the great missing component of people’s lives who are defeated, discouraged, and frustrated by the details of life.
Belief precedes reality because it is rooted in faith: “the SUBSTANCE of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 1:1).
Faith is substantive.
Therefore, we can build it on a shoestring. We don’t need any resources other than substantive belief to build belief.
As we share our faith, we lend our confidence and hope to people who are operating on a deficit. The wonderful story of Stone Soup illustrates the power of positive belief when it is shared and multiplied in the lives of people and in communities.
To recognize more fully the power of belief, observe the consequences of unbelief.
Take note of the despair, hopelessness, and cynicism prevalent among those who have chosen the path of the skeptic.
Observe the parade of dejected masses who travel along the highways of routine existence fearful of change and suspicious of any radical call to absolute discipleship.
Do you believe in God enough to believe in His potential for the people among whom He has called you to serve? If so, start communicating that faith and instilling it in others.
Then, step back and see what He can and will accomplish through you.
You are sitting there, quite possibly stumbling upon this blog by accident because you are surfing the internet via a stream of consciousnesses in dedicated avoidance of whatever it is that you need to be doing right now.
I say this not as a prophet as much as a practitioner.
I can avoid tasks as much as the best of them... as much as you.
I find that avoidance falls into some neat yet overlapping categories for me. Together, they spell, "AVOID." Here they are:
A - Anxiety. There is something irrationally or even legitimately frightening about the task to which we are committed. We are afraid to start.
V - Value. We don't personally value the task. Rather, it is a burden and a duty that has been imposed on us.
O - Obstacles. We have listed as many as we can think of, but we are sure there must be more obstacles to starting - dull pencils, not enough information on hand, bad mood, weariness, no fresh ideas. The list goes on and on.
I - Intimidation. The task is just so big that we cannot wrap our brains around it.
D - Defeatism. - We do not believe in our capacity to do what must be done well enough and so our perfectionism is crippling us from doing anything.
What must we do then?
Get up and get going.
Since we are already spelling, let's continue:
GET G - Growl at yourself. Get your attention somehow. You have lulled yourself to sleep and you can wake yourself up.
E - Energize. Tell your body to move and then, move. After moving around, get a snack and make a decision to start.
T - Terminate this connection (only after bookmarking this page and after finishing this article).
UP U - Unshackle - Free your thinking from fear, intimidation, perfectionism, and obstacles. Get into a different mindset and focus on what you can do with what you do have right now.
P - Proceed. There is no substitute for starting. So start. Do something. The job will organize itself as you go along. Resources will appear or you will realize what you do or do not really need.
AND GET
GOING G - Grab - Take hold of your fear. It is your biggest enemy. The worst that can happen is a temporary failure from which you will learn lessons you could not otherwise be taught in any book.
O - Observe - Take another look at the task and observe it in the larger context of why it is important. Find the value in it and do it.
I - Invert and Innovate- Turn your obstacle thinking into opportunity thinking by of ways you can be innovative with this task and place your own unique mark on it.
N - Nudge - Whatever intimidates you about this job is a bluff. Nudge it. Push back. Don't let it be too big for you. Break it into bite size pieces.
G - Growl AGAIN! - This time with a shout of victory over defeatism.
In order to comment on some issues, one must define what the real issues are. if one is inclined to believe that no "position" can define the "issue," then it is difficult to find any basis for conversation.
First, there must be definition and, when definition is established, it is often found that there is no issue.
But that requires quite a bit of un-boxed thinking and a "radicalism" that goes to the radix/root - a process that is much too difficult for most of us whose roots go too deeply into the mud of traditionalism and the sands of connotation.
For others of us, the strange, the rabble-rousing few, no position is comfortable because all seem essentially off-center.
Pray as you will ... standing, sitting, eyes closed, eyes open, head bowed or heads raised to Heaven, hands folded or hands open.
Pray in church, in nature, in your room, in the shower, on the bus, but pray.
Pray out loud or silently. Pray in song or from a prayer book. Pray scripture or pray spontaneously.
Pray with Spirit-led improvisation or pray with deep and coherent thought. Pray the "right words" or pray no words or any words that come to mind, but pray.
When asked how to pray, Jesus gave us the simplest conceivable prayer of all.
Keep it simple. Keep it real. Let it go deep. Pray. Do not judge your prayers. Do not try to impress God or yourself.
Certainly, do not pray to impress others.
Prayer gathers our scattered thoughts and hidden anxieties. Prayer gives voice to the voiceless within us. Prayer centers us in God. Prayer opens the door for the possibilities we may not readily see.
Prayer is God's invitation to participate in what He is doing. None of us are really ""good at it," but the good news is that we do not have to be. We just need to enter in and meet God.
Let us pray.
Father, I gather with my friends who choose to gather with me this morning to meet you. I come in the name of my Master, Jesus who invites all to meet you.
I am grateful for the invitation.
I bring the souls and lives of many whom I love, who suffer, who are confused, depressed, broken, destitute, and overwhelmed with opportunity. They are with me, Our Father, in my heart.
I do not know what to say or how to intercede for them, so I bring them to You. You already know and love them so much and are already working in and around them.
Thank you for your welcome, You who are Mighty and Holy and Other than myself. Your grace, You have showered upon me.
By Your mercy and sacrifice, You have saved and forgiven this poor sinner. Thank You. Thank you.
Keep me free of the strong inclination than draws me into self indulgence and narrow thinking of myself.
I view the day before me with more questions than answers. I do not need to have each question answered, but I need to be set upon the right course for the day.
Help me dive into the stream of Your perfect purpose and live purposefully as a redemptive, gracious, loving, forgiving, and encouraging soul this day among the people I meet.
Cause me to measure my words, center my thinking, temper my actions, and be energized in my being to do Your will.
I rest in Thee and I rise in Thee.
Help me to meet the right people today who will be encouraged by having walked a mile by my side and then, I will leave them in Your care.
Measure my movements that I might close this day and mark it fruitful.
My heart, my soul, my life, my family, my dreams, my goals, my day, I bring to You and trust to Your care.
Adonai, above all powers, above all rulers, above all my thoughts and hopes and dreams, LORD of my frailties and Dreamer of my dreams, Giver of life, Author of hope, First Cause, Final Conclusion, Ultimate Concern, Lover of humanity, Creator of all that is, Mighty God, Everlasting Father ... my Abba ...
To Thee, I come and with Thee, I stand. In Thee, I rest. Through Thee, I live.
You are, יהוה , the Great I AM. I hesitate to speak Thy Name lest I speak it for naught and yet ...
You invite me, to call Thee, Abba, Father, Pappa ....
Our Pappa in Heaven, ours, and not just mine, They name is hallowed for Thou art holy with a sanctified Name.
Grant unto to be enveloped in a cloud of reverent awe at the sight and sound of Thy Name.
Hallowed be Thy Name.
In every segmented concern of my life, my family, my concentric circles of sanctified souls and saintly sinners of which I am chief of sinners, Thy Kingdom come! In every gathering where my brothers and sisters find shelter, Thy Kingdom. In every city through which I pass and nation that enters my conscious awareness and those that escape my notice, among all people and powers, Thy Kingdom, Lord. Thy Kingdom of joy and grace, and righteousness.
I turn, repent, and renounce my kingdom and every other kingdom which has enslaved me and to Thy Kingdom, Christ's Kingdom of peace and justice and love I run.
"The kingdoms of this world have become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ and He shall reign forever and ever. Hallelujah!"
Thy Kingdom come where there is injustice and hatred, and bigotry, and violence, lust and debauchery, dehumanization and demoralization, contention and bitterness, exploitation and humiliation, poverty and homelessness, hunger and famine, disease and addiction, loneliness and lostness, oppression and desperate, despairing sin. Thy Kingdom come.
Reign, King Jesus, reign!
Thy will be done ... for Thou knowest best.
We know not how to pray. It is not that we shrink from desiring to know. We do desire to join Thee in knowing prayer, knowing that we shall not know all. We know that we do no know and in that ignorance is the bliss of trusting.
Abba, what we know, we hold loosely in our hands and minds, awaiting instruction and correction. We approach Thee, Thy world, Thy creation, with very large question marks and interrogative wonder. Tomorrow is in Thy hands with every yesterday and today and so, override our own desires with Thy perfect will ...
Because what we know is Who we know and we have come to love and trust Thee and pray that Thy Spirit will pray Thy will through us and that Thy will will be done here and now, apart from us and beyond us, and all around us ....
.... on Earth as it is in Heaven!
Give us today, this day, our daily bread.
Thou knowest our needs, OUR needs, not just mine. Free me from my slavery to selfishness and introverted focus on myself, Dear God. Provide what Thou knowest we need and see us through this day with ...
strength,
wisdom,
food and clothing,
shelter,
hope,
healing and health,
love and affection,
friendship,
mission and service,
and more ...
and sometimes less,
our daily bread!
Forgive us our trespasses, our debts, our sins. Forgive us to the extent that we are able to loosen our grip on those debt for ourselves and for others.
Make us debt free in the realm of sin and free of holding others to the obligation of their trespasses against us. Teach us to loosen our grip for in that grip of bitterness, we hold ourselves as well for the same hand that gives forgiveness, receives it.
Liberate us from the power of darkness and guilt and retributive desire, Abba, by Thy love and mercy and grace.
Free us.
Forgive us.
We forgive our debtors.
Lead us.
We need to be led. We shall follow. We desire to go where Thou leadest, Oh Lord.
Remember, Dear Father, that we are dust and we are susceptible to the vilest thoughts and deeds, and are so easily tempted. Please lead us away from those things that tempt us most ... and least and ...
Lead us not into temptation, yet, should we encounter evil, and we shall, for such is our fallen, broken, hurting world, then ....
Deliver us from evil.
You have in the past; You do daily; You shall in the future.
"Yeah, though I walk through the valley of dark shadows," the shadow of death, "I will fear no evil for Thou art with me."
Remind us that neither darkness nor death can overcome us with evil when Thou art present with us.
Hear us, Oh Adonai, for all that we have and are and ever shall be, is Thine.
Indeed, Thine is the Kingdom.
It is all Thine!
Thine is the power.
Thou canst (You CAN because YOU ARE, oh great I AM!) bring all of this to pass. Thine is the power!
Thine is the glory!
Glory, honor, and praise to Thee, Thou great Jehovah!
Thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever and ever and ever.
Amen and Amen and in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, I pray, we pray, amen and amen!
Lord, have mercy! Have mercy on me. And grant that mercy and grace Like soothing oil and Refreshing water Sweetened by Thy love Shall flow through me into The lives of all who come to drink, Of all who come to be renewed. May I be another light, Another window, mirror, conduit, Any metaphor that, materialized, Brings this mercy to those Who feel abandoned, lonely, discouraged, and alienated From Thee, themselves, and others.
Thou who hast given me mercy So freely and abundantly, Show forth that same mercy in me To all who are longing to receive.
I know not how to pray this other than To offer myself as a receptor and reflector. I who am needy, come. I, who am filled and forgiven, go.
Gloria! Gloria! Kyrie eleison!
"Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever." 1 Chronicles 16:34 (New King James Version)
The horns of the wicked and the horns of the righteous are made of the same sort of stuff, but represent different approaches to what they represent, honor and power.
The righteous seldom strut their stuff.
The wicked seldom cease.
One shall come to naught and the other shall be exalted. The powers of this age and the ruthlessness of power-grabbing, power-wielding personages and entities shall ultimately fail.
Those who seek truth and justice at each junction of choice and each crossroads of intent, regardless of the assessment of rewards, losses, and posturing, shall find that their accounts are being taken care of.
They can relax in the sweet rest of righteousness.
"We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for your name is near. We recount your wondrous deeds."
“'At the set time that I appoint I will judge with equity. When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars. Selah I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’ and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn; do not lift up your horn on high, or speak with haughty neck.'’”
''For not from the east or from the west and not from the wilderness comes lifting up, but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another. For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed, and he pours out from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs.''
''But I will declare it forever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob. All the horns of the wicked I will cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.'' - Psalm 75 (ESV)
My family randomly picked the losing team to cheer for and they were doing well, but the game was getting boring.
I don't watch much football. In the second half, it got really, really exciting.
New England won that year too.
We stuck with our first pick for the whole game, but we definitely got a return on our time investment. If all football were that good, I would watch more.
The make it fully worthwhile, I decided to reflect on it philosophically and jot down some life lessons from the game.
1. You can't rest on the laurels of your first half of life.
2. You can't get discouraged by a slow start.
3. Keep playing till the end, even into overtime because: YOU ARE ALWAYS IN OVERTIME.
4. Your second half may be better than the first.
5. You may run out of time-outs. Adjust.
6. Expect turn-overs and play them.
7. It's not over until Lady Gaga sings - and then it's only half over.
8. Spectators, commentators, and wagerers have no effect on the outcome of the game. It is up to the players to play it.
9. Your opponents will offer as much resistance as they can. Expect it and resist it.
Life is not fair. Thus goes the lament. Evil people prosper. There is no justice. That is the lament of those who tag it all with this question:
"Why bother?"
The psalmist cried this often-cried cry and then,
"But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end." - Psalm 73:16-17 (ESV)
"Until."
Until he went before God to gain perspective - the perspective of the whole of their lives, the whole of his life, and the vastness of God's purposes.
Some insights are simply unattainable outside the presence of God.
Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters,and the flood sweeps over me. - Psalm 69:1-2
Psalm 69 is the cry of a person who is up to his neck in negative potential.
Things could go either way, but all indications are for the worst.
Have you been there? Did you come through? So did he.
He did so through all the fears, feelings of rejection, taunts, and pain that he describes in the subsequent verses, but he did come through.
In verse 29, he makes an audaciously bold prayer,
"But I am afflicted and in pain; let your salvation, O God, set me on high!"
He asks that, through his pain, that he might experience salvation and exaltation.
He is in the public light and subject to public exposure and criticism, which he receives. But he also knows that when he is delivered, people will see. He does not wish for his fall to bring down those who look up to him, but he wants his salvation to encourage those who are watching.
Such is the authentic transparent life of a struggler who trusts in God.
"When the humble see it they will be glad; you who seek God, let your hearts revive. For the Lord hears the needy and does not despise his own people who are prisoners." (32-33)
“And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.” – Isaiah 54:12
Robert Frost, in “The Mending Wall,” declared that “good fences make good neighbors.”
He calls us to ask what we are fencing in and fencing out and to build such fences that promote neighborliness and cooperation.
Isaiah conveys a word from the Lord that seems to agree. He speaks of a day when there will be peace, righteousness, and freedom from fear. Security will be assured, and life will be pleasant for the people of God.
One characteristic of the walls of these ancient cities and Frost’s fences is that they were welcoming walls with open gates by day.
A day is coming, Isaiah says, when the walls and fences that really count, will need no surveillance, monitoring, or enforcement.
Until that day, we seek forgiveness of our trespasses and we forgive those who trespass against us.
We have all violated boundaries.
One of the features of such a day will be clearly defined borders or boundaries. There will be no ambiguity, no argument, and no confusion over what is whose and where one stands.
I crossed over into a neighbor’s yard out of necessity this very day. Yet, as I did so, I knew that without permission and agreement, I was trespassing. I would have been crossing a line I had no business crossing.
We really won’t have to worry about that level of arbitrary division between people in that day.
Isaiah’s prophecy anticipates the day when no one crosses the line of violation of another person’s rights and dignity. As one popular Christian song of the sixties put it, “We’ll guard each man’s dignity and save each man’s pride and they’ll know we are Christians by our love.”
What God will bring about as naturally as the rain in the righting of all things, we work very hard at today.
What will flow freely in the day of the Lord’s righteousness, we struggle for in this realm of time, space, and sin.
Lines of what is appropriate are being crossed all the time by some while others frantically seek to preserve them and protect what they perceive is their own.
In God’s new day, no one will have to protect his property, dignity, rights, or territory. God will take care of it all and it will be lovely.
Until that day, we shall have some fences. Let us commit to understanding what we are fencing in and fencing out. Then, let us commit ourselves to good fences of love and respect that make good neighbors.
Fine-tuned living is paradoxical, only making sense when God tunes the instruments. The least likely to be blessed are blessed.
“Blessed are the poor…” Jesus became poor in spirit and in material things that he and we might become wealthy heirs of the kingdom.
“Blessed are they that mourn…” The comfort we receive in mourning is the very presence of God that heals and renews. It is not a pleasant path to blessing, but blessings await. Good finely tunes us through suffering to make beautiful music.
“Blessed are the meek …” Those who are strong do not have to prove it. The gentle do not fight for earth or power. Yet, they inherit all they refuse to grab. This is mystery and reality in the Spirit. We are fine-tuned to embrace it.
“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness …” Tuning requires listening intently one note which defines all others and out of which all overtones flow. Musicians long for the accuracy of the tuning and, to that extent, are satisfied.
“Blessed are the merciful …” Mercy is a two-way channel. Merciful people tune their lives and open a channel through which they show mercy and they shall obtain mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart …” The pure in heart have unclouded intentions and clarity of vision. Their spiritual sight is as fine-tuned as a master’s violin and, through that clarity, they shall see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers …” Peacemakers are so tuned to the heart of God that they are easily identified as His children. They shall be called the children of God. Like father, like son or daughter.
“Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake … Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.”
The kingdom belongs to those who so closely identify with Jesus that they share his sufferings. Fine-tuned people rejoice with gladness in a kingdom characterized by righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. As the tuning of a musical instrument is never once and for all, so we have embarked on a lifetime of tuning. We keep at it constantly and God makes beautiful music through us.
We are still creating and worshiping our useless idols..
The false god, Molech delivered temporary pleasure to people in exchange for their souls. He sucked the life, the integrity, and the decency from all his subjects.
They would indulge in his pleasures and then, be left languishing in misery, only to wake up and go for more.
No matter how much the experience of Molech worship sapped the strength and vitality from its worshipers, they would must just enough energy to participate again and then, again.
As their worlds fell apart around them, the God of truth and reality, Yahweh watched on. He is gracious and patient, but He is no enabler of destructive and addictive behavior.
He waits for us to say, “It is useless.”
He is not impressed with our religious overtures as long as our hearts are still serving the false gods of our own making, the gods of pleasure, materialism, lust, power, or whatever triggers the hormonal rushes in our brains.
We are addicted to our own lies and bound for destruction, but God’s voice continues to whisper, “But whoever takes refuge in me shall possess the land and inherit my holy mountain.”
Isaiah 57:3-13 (NRSV) “But as for you, come here, you children of a sorceress, you offspring of an adulterer and a whore. Whom are you mocking? Against whom do you open your mouth wide and stick out your tongue? Are you not children of transgression, the offspring of deceit-- you that burn with lust among the oaks, under every green tree; you that slaughter your children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks? Among the smooth stones of the valley is your portion; they, they, are your lot; to them you have poured out a drink offering, you have brought a grain offering. Shall I be appeased for these things? Upon a high and lofty mountain you have set your bed, and there you went up to offer sacrifice. Behind the door and the doorpost you have set up your symbol; for, in deserting me, you have uncovered your bed, you have gone up to it, you have made it wide; and you have made a bargain for yourself with them, you have loved their bed, you have gazed on their nakedness. You journeyed to Molech with oil, and multiplied your perfumes; you sent your envoys far away, and sent down even to Sheol. You grew weary from your many wanderings, but you did not say, "It is useless." You found your desire rekindled, and so you did not weaken. Whom did you dread and fear so that you lied, and did not remember me or give me a thought? Have I not kept silent and closed my eyes, and so you do not fear me? I will concede your righteousness and your works, but they will not help you. When you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you! The wind will carry them off, a breath will take them away. But whoever takes refuge in me shall possess the land and inherit my holy mountain.”
We need people to live fully in the Spirit and we need the Spirit to live fully among people.
Competition, envy, pride, harshness, laziness, and weary acquiescence in resignation to the current of negative thinking and living are sown seeds of destruction and loss.
The life of the Spirit is that joyfully generous sowing of seeds for eternal benefit as we sow them into the lives of others.
We need the world and all of its people and we need community of faith in order to have the soil for seed-sowing.
We need people to challenge us, stretch us, and bestow us with opportunities to live a life of service in the Spirit. As we live this life in the Spirit, guided by the Spirit, we are refined and others are built up. It is the genius of God and the genesis of eternal bliss.
Galatians 5:25-6:10 (NRSV) If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another. My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves. All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbor's work, will become a cause for pride. For all must carry their own loads. Those who are taught the word must share in all good things with their teacher. Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.
Here is the key to the lesson Jesus is teaching His disciples when they asked why they could not help the man and his boy. After all, they believed and Jesus had said that all things were possible to those who believed.
But the man did more than just believe. He believed and prayed.
Jesus said that deliverance from the oppressing demon that tormented the boy required prayer. Some manuscripts include, “and fasting.”
Prayer requires belief, but in this case, belief is verified and amplified through prayer. After all, the man declares, in His prayer to Jesus, that he does indeed believe, but he doubts the power of his own, weak, feeble, capacity to believe. He is honest, but he is also desperate.
His trust is like the one who believes enough to jump into the darkness even though he is still trembling with shades of uncertainty.
What took his belief beyond its own ability to believe was the declaration, “I believe,” followed by the prayer, “Help my unbelief.”
Mark 9:14-29 (NRSV) When they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. When the whole crowd saw him, they were immediately overcome with awe, and they ran forward to greet him. He asked them, "What are you arguing about with them?" Someone from the crowd answered him, "Teacher, I brought you my son; he has a spirit that makes him unable to speak; and whenever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they could not do so." He answered them, "You faithless generation, how much longer must I be among you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him to me." And they brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood. It has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us." Jesus said to him, "If you are able!-- All things can be done for the one who believes." Immediately the father of the child cried out, "I believe; help my unbelief!" When Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You spirit that keeps this boy from speaking and hearing, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again!" After crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, "He is dead." But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he was able to stand. When he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?" He said to them, "This kind can come out only through prayer."
"For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died." - II Corinthians 5:14
It is a rather broad statement that Paul makes. Love controls us because of what Jesus did for all people. As a result, we see people differently. All forms of prejudice, bigotry, and bias are obsolete. No criteria by which we ever judged our neighbor is relevant. There are no categories of nationality, ethnicity, or even sin that can label or collectivize another person.
All have died.
That is the stance of love. It may not be fully realized in each person, but it is intended that, in God's eyes, all distinctions shall be vaporized and all faults shall be forgotten as dead.
Verse 15 goes on ...
"And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again."
We live on, compelled by love, viewing each man and woman as objects of God's love and Christ's redemption, we start seeing our calling differently as well. Our mission is not self-service or exclusive self-interest. It is not loyalty to our cause or anything with which we identify. Our loyalty is to love God and love our neighbors.
We see people differently (Not like the creepy kid in the creepy movie that said, "I see dead people.") We see them as dead to the junk of the world and alive to the Creator and Redeemer of the world. Verse 16 continues the thought.
"So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer."
No one can be categorized, marginalized, or minimized. There are no illegal people. There are no marginal or expendable people. There are no "those people." We can't even find a human, worldly, earth-bound definition for Jesus. There are only people who are the objects of God's love ... and ours if we love God.
Loving God and neighbor tempers our words and judgments. It mutes some of our criticism, tempering our desire to lash out or condemn.
Everyone was made to be a new creation and that is the vision God has in His heart for every person - to become who and what they were created to be:
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" (v 17)
it is about newness, begotten in love, actualized in Christ. Old is gone, gone, gone. Newness has come.
Verse 17 says that God initiated this.
"All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:"
Initiated and activated.
God does not sneer at us, frown at us, or make jokes about us at our expense. He pays and keeps paying and His heart is breaking over our brokenness and He is angry about every creepy thing that keeps us down and He shouts at us, "I love you!" And He shouts louder and louder and sometimes wants to shake us to our senses and that is His wrath against "againstness."
We have the ministry of reconciliation. That is our service. That is our calling. That is our mission. It is not the mission of judgment or indignation or offense. It is not the mission of asserting our rights and privileges or drawing a circle of protection around the people we perceive to be ours and excluding everyone else. It is about reconciling all people to God.
In the Greek the word "all" means ALL!
Verse 18 continues this climb to crescendo!
"that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation."
That is what the Christ event was all about: God doing the reconciling to Himself in Christ. But here is the challenge. He is not speaking through a megaphone in the clouds now. He is speaking through you and me and all that we do or say.
His message is "committed," entrusted to us. We represent Him and discredit Him if we, in His Name (and we can never shake that mantle) spend more time being negative or harsh or judgmental than we do loving and wooing and witnessing>
Sometimes we speak hard truth in love, but only in love.
Sometimes we stand, with the poor and oppressed, against powers and unjust systems, but we cannot do it without love, which controls us. For in every system, there are oppressed people who are not identified in God's heart as "them," but as among the dead for whom Jesus died who He desires to live in newness.
They are also downtrodden; they just don't realize it. Their power has enslaved them and we must love them too.
And verse 20 sums it all up.
"We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God."
Live as ambassadors of Christ, controlled by love. Live that way in your actions, your words, your attitudes, and even in your Facebook postings. You are an ambassador, under constant scrutiny by the world and under orders from the King ... who loves you very, very much ... and trusts you more than you can imagine.
Common wisdom suggests that the flesh drives our wants and desires.
Paul counters that the flesh prevents us from doing what we most deeply desire. Only the Spirit releases us to pursue the fulfillment that comes through the practice of love, joy, peace, and so forth.
Carnal convenience is a short cut that distorts the realization of who we truly are and are meant to be, Spirit-controlled, spiritual beings who do not march in legalistic lock-step to the drumbeat of false personas or cheap imitations of humanity, but in the rhythmic flow and gracious harmony of a life liberated by Christ.
Galatians 5:16-24 "Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."
The vision of transfiguration comes in the days of preparation for intensifying opposition, humiliating disgrace, and unmerited suffering.
How could it be that one, illuminated in glory and endorsed by God, the Father, could be delivered to the hands of conniving men, beaten, scorned, falsely accused, and murdered?
How could it be?
Jesus counters that one's character, calling, and nature do not prevent suffering and unjust treatment in the world, Rather, they reveal the truth about ultimate reality, character, and vindication.
Three men needed this vision of what was real to carry them through the fog that was to come.
Cling to the moments when God discloses Himself in your life because there will be long days of dark haze in which those moments may be your only guiding light.
Mark 9:2-13 "Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!" Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead could mean. Then they asked him, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" He said to them, "Elijah is indeed coming first to restore all things. How then is it written about the Son of Man, that he is to go through many sufferings and be treated with contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written about him." "
I am awake. What a delightful surprise, A twist of events that I embrace. I would say shocking, but that would mean a stopping. It is a stirring. I greet this morning with wonder and anticipation. For those who wondered, I am well. For those who assumed it was so, it is. For those who gave it no thought ... Why should you have? To you, I smile and say, "Good morning." It is, you know. It is a very good morning. We do expect to wake up, after all and We expect all around us to do so with few exceptions. But sometimes, rare moments, we see it for the gift it is and, More than a gift, A calling.
Lord, God, I pray for our leaders and potential leaders, for our President and anyone who may come into that office. May they be blessed and guided, refreshed and equipped. You know no party and affiliate with none of our artificial labels.
May those who make critical decisions consult wise advisers and weigh the consequences of their decisions.
May they act with compassion toward the poor and powerless and with fairness, justice, and pragmatism tempered with truth.
May they be seekers, whether they be elected or candidates for election.
Temper their speech.
Grant them the grace to agree with their opponents when their opponents ring true.
Grant them the courage to speak truth when no one else agrees.
Grant them the confidence of their convictions and the humility of those who are willing to test those convictions.
May we, who occupy the highest offices of the land, citizens with the power to vote and speak, listen deeply, ignore rhetoric, and inform our consciences.
Then, when all the votes are counted, may we continue to speak truth in love and pray for those whom we have called to office, loving them and respecting them as our leaders, but also challenging them to greatness and righteousness.
Help us to appreciate those who differ with us, who challenge our own presumptions and assumptions.
Teach us to listen to one another and respect our differences.
Help us to embrace those who do not share our faith and appreciate the insights they bring to bear upon our minds knowing that You can speak to us through them.
Center us in truth. Thy Word is truth and you love truth wherever it leads us.
We are demonstration laboratories for the truth that we embrace, internalize, and profess.
What we add is conviction, attitude, and action.
They gather under the broad yet specific category of faith.
These, in turn, by the grace and power of God, contribute the twin evidences of credibility and authenticity through the thin filter of transparency.
Our struggles are the testing grounds where the quality of our truth is either refined or shown to be faulty.
My life goal, at this stage, and in this set of circumstances, is to authenticate and verify, as credible, the core Truth of my life that I have chosen to follow. I am weak, but He is able.
Yes, I do, but I also know that eventually, I will be forgotten.
That is OK.
What I really want is to contribute something that blends with other somethings and makes a difference in the world for good.
Then, I want that new something that is blended with other somethings to take on a life and identity of its own and grow and be remembered for what it is, something positive, affirming, and compassionate.
That is what I really want to be remembered.
Then, if someone thinks of Old Tom, I hope they will think of that.
My stone will read the day of my birth and the day of my death, but all the living will have been done in the tiny dash between.
God guides and God multiplies. God corrects and God redirects.
Our times are in God's hand. Our purpose is both hidden and revealed in God's purpose.
From the point in time that I occupy, something oozes or explodes. However it is released, it cannot be contained, good or bad.
I like the idea of being remembered, but I like, even better, the idea of leaving some seed worth remembering that brings for a root, shoot, and fruit worth remembering whether or not I am forgotten.
“Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. “ - Mark 6:3
Mary was flesh and blood and Jesus was her son, flesh, blood, and connected with her people.
We think very highly of Mary through the window of sacred history, but others saw the designation of Jesus as her son to be a justification for derision. It was not her reputation for having conceived Him out of wedlock at this point that framed their curses. That would come up at some point, but this was subtler.
They accused Him of being common and familiar. They knew Him and His brothers and their familiarity bred contempt.
He was common and He was uncommon.
As the son of Mary, He had history and culture, family and traditions. He was given the gifts of language, nuance, familial customs, memories, and relationships, but He was always, also the Son of God and that reality was easily obscured to those who knew Him best as a carpenter.
We must be careful not to allow familiarity to obscure holiness to our view. The ordinary may not be so ordinary at all. Our familiarity with the things of God can be a liability if we forget to seek the sacred amidst the profane.
Psalm 19:1 - The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Nature is God’s troubadour announcing His glory to humanity. The activity of God in creation is true to His character and there is much to be known of Him through observation, meditation, and contemplation prompted by an appreciation of all that He has made. The old adage that we must stop and smell the roses is an appropriate reminder to look for examples of the glory of God in the work of His hands. Open your eyes and heart today to His voice in all that is around you.
Psalm 19:2 - Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.
One of the characteristics of God’s disclosure of Himself in nature is the consistency of the message. One of the characteristics of human beings as receptors of His message is our inattention and inconsistency in seeking Him through all He has offered us. Make up your mind to seek God today in the smallest things and He will show Himself clearly. There is much to be gained by reading the handiwork of God.
Psalm 19:3 – There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.
God’s truth, as disclosed in the cosmos, is universal. It is not given in isolation or exclusion. It provides a common language for humanity to talk about God and explore His ways. It provides a meeting place and point of contact for seeking His deeper and more specific revelation through His Word and through His Son. Prayerfully be on the lookout today for opportunities to seek God more deeply with others to whom He has spoken through His handiwork in creation.
Psalm 19:4 - Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,
Even in creation, God is busy about the work of evangelism. His purposes are inclusive and magnanimous. He makes provision for every necessity and extends His reach to every man, woman, boy, and girl. He pavilions the sun to shine on all humanity. He sends forth His Word of life to every corner of the earth. If we are to join Him in His own work, we will adopt His priorities and mission.
Psalm 19:5 - …which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
The sun, sheltered against the backdrop of the cosmos, does not remain cloistered in its pavilion of safety. It emanates; it extends, it goes forth with purpose and clarity to fulfill its mission and run its appointed course. God made it to do so and to be so and He has made us to be a people of extended purpose and profound significance. As part of His creation, our voices are available for His voice to reveal Himself through us and in us.
Psalm 19:6 - It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.
Consider the orderliness of God’s creative work in the cosmos. The rotations of the planets, moons, and stars proceed with a sense of direction that is consequential and graceful. Out of seeming chaos emerges an order that is indisputable. The changing relationship of the earth and the sun for example, forms a pattern by which we set our calendars and our clocks and order our lives. The heat of our private star brings light and life and through it, God speaks. How is your life radiating God’s warmth today in its appointed rounds?
Psalm 19:7 - The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
Having noted the general manner in which God shows Himself to every person, we bring His very specific and personal self-disclosure into focus. Though present in creation in all of its truth, the written and spoken Word of God speaks with a clarity and grace that cannot be ignored. It marshals the forces of language to revive the soul and make wise the simple. In His Word, God describes and defines what He has made and why and shows us how to come into proper relationship with Himself and His creation.
Psalm 19:8 - The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
When things are right, they do not constrain but liberate us. Truthful precepts do not introduce legalistic bondage to our lives, but exuberant joy because they inform us who we are and how we relate to God and His truth. When God commands us, the lights go on, we no longer stumble in ambiguous darkness. Seek God’s truth in His Word today and expect radiant joy and you apply those truths to your life guided by the Holy Spirit.
Psalm 19:9 - The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.
There is fear and there is fear. Fear can be irrationally muddled and deathly or pure and life giving. Fear of God is not a cowering dread or a fleeing terror as much as an awesome recognition that He is Other and in His holy brilliance, we are consumed but for His merciful grace. And that kind of fear never wears off. At the same time, what God orders can be counted as sure and certain and absolutely right. Bank on God today and turn from anything that views with Him for attention with extreme prejudice.
Psalm 19:10 - They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.
Again, the psalmist is describing God’s ordinances, His disclosure of Himself through His revelation of covenant expectations. When God makes demands upon our lives, they are indications of His own holiness and they are precious, sweet, and nurturing. They are signets of His love and call to us. He sets standards for us that are high because His esteem for us is high. We cannot attain to them in our strength, but He intends to come live them out Himself, in us and through us. This psalm is, after all, about God showing Himself.
Psalm 19:11 - By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
There are two functions of God’s ordinances toward us that are equally valuable and precious. One is to warn us. God’s warnings are not the results of His desire to “get us” or trap us in untenable situations. He deeply desires that we will avoid the pitfalls that He sees ahead of us in our sinful pursuits. The second is similar. The rewards of keeping God’s commands are intertwined with the deeds themselves. Obedience is self-rewarding because it draws us into a closer and more intimate love relationship with God.
Psalm 19:12 - Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults.
Search as you will and you will find no place of error with God. There is no basis for correction in anything He has done or said. He is simply always, infallibly, right and all that He does is in plain view even though His purposes may at times be hidden. To the contrary, we of human seed work our sinful deeds under the cover of darkness. Like Adam, We hide our faults and ourselves. Our healing comes when we come into the light and acknowledge our need of mercy, hiding nothing from God. Begin today to be set free.
Psalm 19:13 – Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression.
The problem with willful sin is that it takes on a life of its own and come to think of itself as the ruler of our lives. They begin to dominate us addictively. Willfulness then, obliterates our free will and we need divine deliverance. I am not certain what the great transgression might be but I suspect it is that place of no return where we stop praying the prayer of this verse and seeking the help of the only One who can keep us from sin, blameless, and innocent.
Psalm 19:14 - May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Without a doubt, this is one of the great prayers of the scriptures. In its words, if we mean them and allow our spirits to pray them, is all the power and grace needed to face any day. Words and meditations lead our deeds. The centering point for our lives is the pleasure of God. When we get to the place where this is the deepest, most delightfully resounding prayer of our hearts, we will find that God is our Rock and Redeemer. As fearfully holy and demanding as He may be, His presence is mercy, grace, and love to us.
Credits: X-ray (NASA/CXC/ESO/F.Vogt et al); Optical (ESO/VLT/MUSE & NASA/STScI)
“Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.” -Ephesians 5:21:
Great theological debates have waged over the issue of submissiveness.
Generally, they seek to soften the edges of the call to voluntarily take the back seat to another brother or sister.
All they ever resolve is that everyone has missed the point. We are to submit to God. That is the starting place. After that, submission to others in the fear of God is an easy step. Our attitude towards others as we serve them is not about one person being superior to another; it is about God being our undisputed Master, the One we love to serve.
First, examine your own relationship to God. Do you reverence Him as the Lord of life and King of the universe? Does that reverence color the way you view other people made in His image? How does the reverence of God inform how you relate to brothers and sisters who are indwelt by His Holy Spirit?
When Jesus Christ is Lord of our lives, I Corinthians 5:16 says that we will see everyone differently. We will never relate again to another human being in terms of the flesh. To the extent that He rules our lives, we will have no difficulty in differing to others in His Name. We will be ever ready to submit and never concerned about demanding submission from others. Position and status will become irrelevant to us – even laughable.
“God is no respecter of persons … (Acts 10:34) means to us that God does not respect our arbitrary ranking systems but loves and values all of His people equally. And it is His desire that in His church, His people will mutually submit their preferences, comfort, and desires to one another as they mutually submit to His rulership in their loves and churches.
Once we have a proper view and reverence of God, we will have no problem submitting to one another.
Is your work feeding you or depleting you? If you are operating within your calling, gifts, passion, assignment, and commitment to a higher purpose, you will find nurture, nourishment, and energy from the work you do.
God will see to that. It is His plan that our work feed others and ourselves.
" Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”"
Arms that kill and maim, Arms that threaten and intimidate, Arms that posture and gesture of Power that is finite and fleeting, Flailing in flatulent insistence That might makes right And volume is light ... Fault physics. Arms, be broken at the joint ...
"... shall be broken."
Broken to render powerless That which has nor had no power to heal, No heart to feel, No presence in the present to be real Beyond an atomic organization of Bombast-icy.
Be broken, arms of mighty armies, Terrorist cells, Street gangs, Multinational imitators of respectability, Powers of darkness, Pretenders to the throne, Be broken.
And may those who wield them, Find grace and mercy ... ... and peace.
" The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble."
German Late Medieval (c. 1370s) depiction of the construction of the tower.
There was a power grab on a planet swirling through space Long ago. Chiefs, generals, engineers, and masons Deluded Thought If only If only we could add enough of What has been made Piece by piece and build upon it What has been made With our ingenuity and effort We can reach and be The creator. We can take over. All we need is the will and The energy and The creativity and The commitment To rise higher than The Originator and we can be Original. And they unified around that Big Idea and ended up In utter confusion. In spite of all their unity and Progress ... They forgot a few key Home Truths or Cradles of Civilization.
Either way ....
" Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. And the LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech.” So the LORD dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth. And from there the LORD dispersed them over the face of all the earth."
I hate racial slurs. They make my skin crawl. I do not use them or allow them in my presence. Yet, even living in a non-homogeneous home, I have heard them.
Frankly, I do not respond very well.
Has this happened to you?
After a lifetime a modeling acceptance, respect, and racial justice, you hear a kid you've raised using terms on the phone or video game to refer to people that you would have never allowed to be used - terms that would gotten you in serious trouble as a youngster.
Immediately, you intervene and the conversation gets very serious.You are horrified."Where did you learn this? Why did you say it? Don't you know that ... ?"
Let me say, it is not just race, but characterizations of people with disabilities or other identities.
The truth is that the child or teen could have learned it anywhere -- but it came out of the culture, free-floating, peer-driven, sin-infested.
I know know some kids get it from their parents. I am not talking about them.
Nor am I talking about those fully infected with bigotry.
I am talking about culture and communal sin.
Everyone wants to fit in, especially kids. The warped nature inside of us demands that, in order for us to fit in, someone must be excluded. We pick pick those folks that are most vulnerable or under-represented and exclude them.
That is the root of systemic racism, class-ism, and every other form of exclusive-ism.
One group benefits; the other pays.
When it emerges with all of its ugliness, we want to sort it out individually by determining who is or is not a racist or some other form of "exceptionalist."
For instance, a recent event in the news shows young people taunting an older man. Other footage is introduced to suggest he provoked it. Still other footage indicates that he did that after a prior provocation. Still other reports claim it was all a media set-up.
Now people are defending by attacking the older man and the younger man, trying to determine their motives or culpability.
I suggest that it is not the point and somewhat regret seizing upon that incident to make the point as if it depended on one anecdotal incident.
The issue is not who is and who is not.
The issue is that it is.
Racism is systemic. The language, assumptions, attitudes, systems, patterns, biases, and emotions are out there and even land in good homes where tolerance has always lived.
I am far more concerned with the environment where it can happen and when it does, with the sides we choose to defend, ignore, or condemn.
That does not exclude our need for self-examination and personal repentance.
In the same way, I don't want to see some kids become the symbol of the sin and get locked into it as their identity. Kids all have a lot of growing to do and can change quickly with perspective.
Nor do I want to see a respected elder defined by a moment.
I really do not want to talk about the people. I want to talk about the environment where this can happen.
One draw-back, theologically, is the rugged individualism thread that runs through our interpretation of sin, redemption, and forgiveness and focused on the individual heart. I do believe in that theology, but not only in that theology.
Many, who are not personally, or individually, consciously, racist, still drink from the common wells of racism and participate in its systemic evil.
Corporate sin infects corporate thinking and acting.
That is the opportunity for conversation that memes sometimes introduce.
It is unfortunate that we have to get stuck on the circumstance and I take my share of responsibility for that.
But the question remains: What kind of culture do we want to shape?
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