Are you "on guard"?

"we have spoken freely to you...our heart is wide open."  St. Paul in 2 Corinthians 6:11

When we meet someone new, we usually don't open up and pour out everything that we think.  We tend to watch how we act around that new person, waiting to see if they are "safe" for us to truly be ourselves around.  As we get to know them better, and as we discover their level of trustworthiness, we tend to open up a little bit more.  We inevitably come to a point where we discover that we can trust them with certain things, and feel free to express those things to them.

And yet, at the same time, we all tend to guard our hearts.  Right now, there are probably things inside you (ways you think, certain actions that you have done in the past) that you have not shared with anyone in your life.  There is probably a part of you that would really like to find someone to share those with, but you just aren't sure who is out there that you can be that open and honest with, who won't turn on you and be judgmental and condemning toward you because of those things.

We all have our hearts "on guard" to one degree or another.  We have varying levels of openness with different people in our life.  Some, we feel more open toward, and others, we have a hard time opening up at all.  We live "on guard".  And we start to see how people tend to live up to or down to the level of trust that we have placed in them.

I simply cannot imagine a world where we have no fear of being open with each other, where we don't have to be "on guard" at all.  And yet, that is the promise of the new life that Jesus promises that we will receive when we leave this life, which is tainted by the sinful nature, and come into our inheritance that He has promised through our faith in Him.  An existence where we have no need of being "on guard" with each other.  An existence where we find hope and encouragement, even for those things that are our deepest and darkest secrets.

That is what Jesus promises for all who believe that He lived, died, and rose for them.  It's hard to imagine or think of, but it sure is something to hope for.

"Enough problems of my own"

"Am I my brother's keeper?"  Cain, in Genesis 4:9

It's happened to all of us.  A friend or acquaintance approaches us, and they need some help or assistance.  Maybe it's a financial problem they are trying to work through, or a relationship situation and they don't know how to handle it.  They ask us if we have time to help, or the means to help, and the thought runs through our mind.  "I have enough problems of my own."  We have our own relationships we have to work on, our own financial situations to take care of, and it seems that we have no room to add any more to the burden.

It also happens in this way.  We hear of a person we know who went through a difficult, challenging time, and the situation did not turn out well.  We wish that we had heard about it sooner, since we might have had something that could have helped them through the situation.  So we feel guilty that we didn't stay in better touch with them, and kick ourselves for not knowing their needs.

Cain asked the question, 'am I my brother's keeper,' because he was looking to evade his responsibility toward other people.  He failed to recognize that God created us to live in community with each other.  And over the past couple of years, I have been giving a lot of thought as to this sense of community that God created us to live within.  And today, I just want to toss out a couple of thoughts on how this may apply to being there to help others.

Caring for others is not optional in the way God created us, nor in the way that God commands us to live.  We are our brother's (and sister's) keeper, in the sense that we are never to stop caring for them and providing for their needs, as God gives us the means.  Though we may not feel inclined to do so, we recognize that we do indeed have responsibility toward one another.

At the same time, God does indeed provide a limited amount of help and assistance that each of us individually can provide.  That is part of His design, so that the community comes together to provide all together in times of need.  While it may boost our egos to think that we are able to completely help all by ourselves, we also need to recognize that God has made it so that the full responsibility does not fall completely on one person.

We may also find ourselves thinking that we have enough on our plate, and no time to give help or aid to others.  My question to this situation is this: are we failing to let others help us in our need?  Once again, the community God designed is there to share burdens.  While there may be certain parts that we find we simply have to bear on our own, we often simply don't want to ask for help or aid.  We want to think that we can do it on our own.  In fact, we want to prove that we don't need the help of others, and so we deny them the opportunity to play the role of helper and keeper in our time of need.

I cannot help but think that God's design for community is intended to be for our good.  The sad thing is, we so often try to do it alone, and then hold ourselves guilty when we fail to either help others, or let others help us.

"Why?"

"Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?  Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God."  Psalm 42:11

There are times in our lives where the question "why" seems very appropriate.  We hear of things that we cannot explain, such as the death of someone we know or care about, or a sudden loss, or an unexplained illness, and the natural question that comes to mind is, "why"?  After all, it doesn't make sense to us.  And perhaps even more relevant, it doesn't seem fair.

This morning I learned that a classmate of mine from my master's program has died.  In the past year, that makes the third classmate that has left this life and has received their eternal inheritance.  None of these men were much older than I am.  To the outward appearance, none of these deaths make much sense. 

I know that there are many well-intentioned people who would answer the "why" question with something along the lines of "This was God's plan, and it doesn't make sense to us, but it does to God."  I must admit that I don't find any comfort in that.  From my reading of the Bible, death has never been part of God's plan, except for the case of Jesus.  God did not create this world to die, but to live.  God did not create the man and the woman to die, but to live with Him in perfect relationship forever.  It was their choice to go against what God said that led to death.  Death simply is not part of God's plan.

The more, all-compassing answer to the "why" question is the presence of sin in the world.  Why do things like this happen?  Sin is the answer.  And the reality is, when things like this happen, we may find it hard to look favorably at God.  It seems that even the person who wrote the Psalm that I quoted above found it hard to do.  He says, "I will again praise Him," which seems to indicate that right now, at this moment, he isn't praising God.  And yet, he realizes that the question cannot be adequately answered if God is not part of it.  That's why he says to "hope in God," and calls God his salvation. 

The question "why" will probably never be adequately explained to us while we live here on earth.  It's very likely that, when we come into our eternal inheritance, everything will make greater sense.  But in those times when "why" is being asked, when hope seems so far away, we need the reminder of this verse.  "I shall again praise Him, my God and my salvation.  That's why it relies upon God to bring this about, and not upon ourselves.  Thanks be to God for that.

Pearls Before Swine

Okay, confession time.  I love the "Pearls Before Swine" comic strip.  When I get the chance, I try to read it.  I find it very funny, and yet, even within those little 3-4 frames, you can find a nugget of wisdom to mine out every once in a while.

When Jesus says that we should not cast our pearls before pigs (Matthew 7:6), we may sit back and wonder what exactly that means.  From a literal sense, who would ever throw a valuable pearl into the mud with the pigs?  None of us.  That pearl has no value to the pigs.  Though it may have great value to a person, to a pig, it's nothing more than a rock to ignore.

Thinking along those lines gives us a little insight into what this phrase may mean.  Attempting to give something of value to someone who does not see it as having any value is throwing your pearls before the pigs.  And this could apply to many things in our lives.  The matter of importance in this seems to be how your "pearl" will be received.

Have you ever shared something with another person, and you could just tell that it had little or no value to them?  That seems to be the kind of thing Jesus is referring to here.  And sadly, the primary thing that Jesus may be talking about here is the value of our souls.  There are many who may deny the existence of the soul, or who do not see the value of a soul that has been washed by the blood and sacrifice of Jesus.  To them, to share the good news of Jesus with them, is nothing more or less than throwing your pearls into the pig pen.

This isn't confined merely to salvation issues, though.  It can go for wisdom and knowledge in this world, as there will always be those who simply do not want to accept or receive such wisdom.  It could be things of value which others don't see as such.  Regardless of what the "pearl" is, there will always be those who find no value in that "pearl".

This seems to demonstrate the importance of getting to know the person before you place your valuable pearl into their hands.  Rather than carelessly casting that valuable pearl away, getting to know the other person, and discovering what is of value to them, helps us know if they will find our pearl valuable or not.  Even in a saying such as this one, Jesus points us to the need to be in relationship with another person, which is a significant part of our life in this world.

Showing Consideration

"Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others."  Philippians 2:4

Earlier today, I was waiting in line at the post office.  I was the second person in line, behind a lady who was trying to mail a package.  Now, normally I don't mind waiting in line very much.  It's just a fact of life.  But what was bothering me today was that the clerk was trying to help this lady, but she was on her cell phone, chatting away with someone else, and not being very responsive to the clerk.  I could tell that the clerk was trying to get her to pay attention to the package, but this lady simply wasn't catching the hint.

I've seen this happening more and more.  You go to the grocery store, and the same thing happens.  You see an open spot at the gas pump, and someone zips in to take that spot.  I've even seen people parking in handicapped spots without any indication that they are handicapped. 

It seems that, more and more, people simply do not know how to show consideration toward others.  I understand that we all are like this, since we are all part of God's broken, fallen, sinful creation.  We're always going to battle the desire to do what is best for us, even if it comes at the expense of someone else.  And yet, it truly seems that very few people really understand what it means to show consideration toward others.

I really like this verse from Philippians I quoted above.  It means that there are important things in your life, but that each of us also needs to understand that others have important needs, as well.  In the context of the chapter before this one, and in the verses that follow, Paul paints a picture of people who truly work at looking for the good of others in their life.  In doing this, God's people reflect Jesus, doing it, not for our own good, but because it is good for others.

We don't do this as though it builds up some account for ourselves in God's eyes.  The fact is, that is what Jesus did for us in His perfect life, death, and resurrection.  We don't show consideration toward others because it makes us better in God's eyes, but because God's Spirit works in us to cause us to look toward the interests and needs of others.  We will resist and battle against this, but that is also part of the life of one who is claimed by God through Jesus and the cross.

Where can you show consideration toward others in your life?  I challenge you to find three or four of those opportunities today, and make the most of them!

Where do you find strength?

"The LORD is my strength and my shield..."  Psalm 28:7

There are many kinds of strength in the world.  There is physical strength, measured by muscles and how much physical exertion a person can expend.  There is mental strength, where a person can focus their thoughts and overcome obstacles that get in the way.  There is military strength, measured by the amount of people, weapons, and capacity for destruction.  There is influential strength, measured by how far a person's influence goes in the world.

But where do all of these kind of strengths come from?  And when you find yourself weary in one way or another, where do you turn to draw more strength?

The Psalm writer of Psalm 28 made it clear what he saw as his source of strength.  It is the LORD his God.  This is also a theme throughout the whole Bible.  God is our source of strength.  And yet, since God rarely steps in directly in ways that we can visibly see, that may cause us to wonder how He is indeed our strength.

How is God our physical strength?  Well, He is the one who created the body in which we live.  He is the one who has given us food for nutrition, and the means of physical exertion, which builds up our strength.  Though we may be the ones who lift the weights or run the miles, we're doing it all by relying on God to provide what we need in order to do all of that.

How is God our mental strength?  He has given us minds that are unique and creative.  He gives us the ability to focus on tasks, and even the ability to refine our focus.  He has made our minds in such a way that we can think about things in a different way, and we can try new ways to figure out how to solve problems and challenges, and He even gives us the minds of other people to help us grow mentally.

How is God our influential strength?  He is the one who gives us the ability to process thoughts and put together words that have an impact on other people.  He gives us the ability to learn and grow in how to do this, so that we are able to make better sense to others.  He gives us the ability to listen and learn what other people need, so that we are able to respond to their needs as they share them, and not what we determine are their needs.  And then, when He works through His people, God gives His Spirit to change hearts and draw people to Himself.

So much of how we acquire strength traces back directly to God.  That is why we today can still echo those words of the Psalmist.  The LORD is my strength and my shield!

Dealing with the Rain

In my last post on Friday, I mentioned that I was about to run my first ever full marathon.  I had intended to write something here for you all on Saturday, but I found that my need to let my body and mind recharge took priority over quite a few other things.  So, today, I give you a few nuggets from it.

One of the first things I should tell you is that it rained.  Not that nice, gentle rain, but a downpour.  About 5 minutes before we started, we all got drenched, and it was like that for the first 2-3 miles.  It stopped for a bit, and then, around mile 8, it started up again, lasting through around mile 17 (oh, and throw in a little pea-sized hail along with it).  Once again, it was that drenching, downpour kind of rain.

I actually found that the rain itself didn't bother me too much.  It helped keep my body from having to work so hard to keep cool.  In a way, the rain served as sweat.  This helped keep me fresh for the rest of the race, which, believe me, I needed.

Once I had finished, and as I was thinking about a nap on the couch in the early afternoon, I thought about life as a marathon, and the role of the 'rain' in life.  We have sayings, such as, when it rains, it pours.  In other words, when bad things come, they just seem to dump down on us.

And yet, I really do think that those rains serve a great purpose in life.  They give us the strength we need when life wears on.  If we didn't have those rains, we would expend unnecessary energy on things that don't really matter.  But the rain forces us to focus on what is important, and that, in turn, gives us a means of dealing with things down the road.

I needed that extra energy once I hit mile 22 or so.  There were times when it was a struggle to keep one foot moving in front of the other.  And yet, I cannot help but think that the rain saved my body quite a bit of energy that it would have spent on trying to cool me off.  That energy was needed later on in the race, and so I am thankful for that rain.

When we think about life, we recognize that 'rain' will come.  God never promised us a nice, easy, care-free life.  Instead, He prepared us for the inevitable rain that will fall.  His intention in that is that we learn that He has truly created us with a wonderful body, soul, and mind which can learn, adapt, and grow, especially when we encounter the rain.  And then, what we learn from those rainy experiences gives us wisdom to know how to better handle situations later in life.  The rain focuses us on what is important, and gives us the means of dealing with life when similar situations arise later.

What 'rain' in your life has given you strength now, as you look back on what you endured?  Where all do you see God's hand, not only in taking care of you, but in growing you to be everything He created you to be?  And just in case you recognize those times you have also failed to grow from the rain, remember that Jesus did what He did on the cross and in His resurrection just for you.

For those who are interested, I did meet both of my goals, of merely finishing the race, and of finishing in under 4 hours.  My time was 3:58:01. 

Making Plans, Being Flexible

Tomorrow morning, I am running my first ever full marathon.  That's right.  26.2 miles of running (mostly downhill, as the local race starts up in the mountains and ends in the valley).  I've run a handful of half-marathons, but this will be my first time at a full.

In preparation for this, I have thought out how I plan to approach the race.  I've thought about things like what my pace will be, what I will eat ahead of time, what I will eat and drink during the race, and what to do if I feel the need to walk a little bit.  This is part of preparing for something big like this.

Now, will everything work out like I'm planning?  Probably not.  Weather conditions, my body, and all sorts of other factors may enter in, and cause me to need to be flexible.  That's the thing with a plan.  You make it, and you have something to go by, but you also have to ready in case things don't go like you had planned.  That's just life.  Be ready, but also be ready for things to go differently than you planned.

That same approach to our faith and life seems appropriate, too.  We can plan out how we want to grow in our Christian faith and life, and we can plan out ways to be active in that faith.  But the thing is, life will continue to bring unexpected things up around us.  To stick with what we are planning despite the changes of the world around us is not acting in wisdom.  Rather, recognizing what is changing, and then being flexible in how we deal with the situation, seems much more like the course of wisdom.

I'll let you know tomorrow afternoon how my race went, and whether or not it went according to plan.  Mostly, though, I hope that this entry helps you think about how you plan and prepare for life, both having a plan, and being ready when the unexpected throws your plan off balance.

How valuable are you?

If someone were to ask you how valuable you were, what kind of things would you turn to in order to demonstrate your value?  Some people might look to their net worth as an indication of how valuable they are.  Others might look to the relationships they have with people.  Still others might look to positions that they hold in life as proof of how valuable they are.

What criteria would you use?  To a degree, this tells us a little bit about ourselves.  Typically, we would use the criteria which means the most to us.  For example, if I am a social person, I might attempt to prove my value by the relationships I have with people, by looking at the number of people I have influenced and what they have done with their lives, or how many people would miss me if I were taken from their life.  I might look to the roles that I play in life, such as husband and friend, and point out just how valuable I am to those people.

While these ways of determining our value tells us something about ourselves, it also shows how inwardly focused we can be.  After all, who is determining the criteria why which I discover my value?  I am.  And what criteria am I most likely to use?  The one that makes me the most valuable.  I'm using what I value most to determine how valuable I am. 

There is  a greater reality to our lives than this kind of value.  There is the value that God has seen in each of us.  We are each so dear to Him that He sent His Son to take away our sin and guilt, so that He could claim us as His own.  That value is not determined by us, but by the One who created us, and the one who valued us so much that He chose to buy us back to Himself through Jesus and the cross.

In the end, I seem to discover that I would much rather have God determine my value than to determine it myself.  It just seems that God's value of me (and of you!) will be inestimably higher than anything I could come up with for myself. 

There is a Hebrew word, segolah, which is translated as "treasured possession."  That's the word that God uses to describe the people He loves and claims as His own.  As it stands, it seems that God truly does place a much greater value on you and I than we ever could on ourselves.  Thanks be to God!

Reaction to the News: The Helping Hands

Some of you who read this blog may have seen a news report over the past few days of construction workers, students, and bystanders helping to lift a burning car off of a young man, and very likely saving his life in the process.  This incident occurred two days ago in the town I live in (in fact, about four blocks from where I sit, typing this blog entry out). 

I was somewhat captivated as I exercised yesterday, since the news story was on one of the TVs in the gym.  I had to unplug from my ipod and listen in.  The news person was interviewing the man who filmed the whole scene, which showed a group of about a dozen people lift the car up and drag the unconscious motorcyclist out from underneath it.  And the thing that fascinated me was how this man kept saying that anyone would have jumped in to help if they had seen something similar.

I've seen that on a number of occasions in my life.  While I haven't lived a life in which danger seems to lurk around every corner, I have seen times where people will put aside their own personal safety in order to help out another person in danger. 

What makes us think that we would do that if we were in a similar situation?  Why do such stories move us the way they do?  I believe that part of the answer lies in how God created us.  The Bible tells us quite early on that it is not good for us to be alone.  We are supposed to live in community and in relationship with one another, and that means that we have something in common with all other people.  They are, to use a biblical word, our neighbor.

Quite early on in the Bible, we also encounter an incident in which a man asks the question "Am I my brother's keeper?"  A good portion of the rest of the Bible paints the answer to that question as YES.  Yes, we are to care for one another.  We are to help our neighbor in time of need.  We are to care for each other, show compassion to each other, help each other, build up each other, and work on behalf of each other.

Because that is the way that God originally created us, we still see that care at work.  Even though we live in a fallen, sinful world, that care for one another continues to be a part of who we are.  That doesn't make us right with God, since only Jesus does that.  But it does show how God created us to care for one another.

Why are you a good person?

This is a question that has some pretty serious meaning for us in life.  Many of us may be good people.  That is, we tend not to do too many bad things, and we actually try to do some good every once in a while.  We may think that the good stuff we do, and the bad stuff we avoid, more than balances out the bad stuff that we do, and so we think of ourselves as good people.

I'm not here to argue against our thought that we are good.  What I am more interested in today is WHY you are a good person.  What is the reason for you to do good things, or to avoid doing bad things?

For many of us, an honest answer may be something like this: I'm good because it makes me feel good about myself.  I like how I feel when I help someone.  It gives me a sense of accomplishment and a sense of fulfillment. 

Now take a moment to look over those reasons.  Look at how focused they are on the self.  I do good because it makes ME feel better about MYSELF.  We may give a thought or two to how it helped out the other person, but a big part of it comes in what it does for me.

This is the big difference between the good that God desires for us to do in life.  As I've read through the Bible time and time again, it seems that God wants us to focus the good that we do outward, away from ourselves.  He wants it to be more about what our good does for others rather than for what it does for us.  He wants our good to focus on how it helps others, how it makes their life better, and how it touches their lives.

That's quite a difference.  It's the difference between a focus on the self and a focus on others.  And we see God as a God who looks at us with a focus on us, not on Himself.  We see that in a major way in Jesus, who sought out our good in taking our sins, dying in our place, rising to life, and giving us His grace-filled gifts of life and forgiveness.  Jesus' life was totally focused on others, not Himself.

As Christians, Jesus will always be reflected imperfectly in our lives.  We may do good, and at other times, we won't.  Sometimes we'll do good with a focus on others, and we'll still find ourselves doing good with a focus on ourselves quite often.  But in all of this, we find that what Jesus accomplished in His life, death, and resurrection continues to keep us as His own.  Thanks be to God for that!

Remember and Honor

Yesterday, people throughout our nation remembered the events of September 11, 2001.  Football games had tributes before the players took the field.  News coverage included clips from ten years ago, as well as moving stories about how the events of that day impacted the lives of so many in this nation.

I can still remember watching events unfold that day, and over the following weeks as more and more information came out about everything.  To this day, there are still moments when I will be talking about what happened back then and find that I am on the verge of crying, or my throat tightens up with emotion.  And yet, I have to admit that I don't often think about 9/11 very often.  Usually, the only time it comes on my radar is when I see a news story on it, or someone brings it up in a conversation.  But, for the most part, it's not something that comes across my mind very regularly.

In a way, that's how it is with the past.  When we think about those significant and meaningful moments, it's good for us to reflect on them, and to even be touched by them.  They made an impact on our lives, and we are a different person than if such an event had never occurred.  We remember them, and we honor them for the change that they brought about in our life.

The thing is, we don't let those moments define who we are, or dictate what we do in life.  To do so makes us an ongoing victim rather than a survivor.  Yes, we are a changed person because of the past, but to dwell in the past is to stop living the life that God has given.  God Himself is one who tells us to remember the past, but to keep living the life He gave, and to see how He continues to work.  God is not stopped by the events of this world, and neither does He desire for us to stop living because of the significant events in our lives.

Remember, and honor.  Remember what happened, and honor the changes it brought about in your life.  But don't stop living the life that God has given you.  God continues to work in the world, even after watching His own Son carry our sin on the cross and give up His life.  God brought good for the world out of such a tragic event, and continues to do so.  That good is there for you, as God forgives your sin and makes you His own.

Remember, and honor.  Give thanks for the many lives that continue to work for our protection.  Give thanks for the many people who have brought you through sorrowful events such as 9/11/2001.  Give thanks, also, that you have a God who has worked your eternal healing by giving His only Son for you.  Remember Jesus, and honor Him, as well.

Mad at the World

Have you ever had one of those days where you were mad, but you had a hard time figuring out everything you were mad at?  Something one of your friends did or said ticked you off, you got cut off on the road, your neighbor let his leaves blow in your yard, the kids in the neighborhood were being loud, the President interrupted your favorite TV show, the dog knocked over your glass, and a thousand other small things all seem to contribute to a general sense of madness, but you can't really point to one thing as THE thing that you are mad at.

I've noticed this on the part of a lot of people.  They are mad, but they can't really tell you what they are mad at.  It's like a lot of little things have gotten under their skin, and they can't really point to one thing.  And, since they can't find that one thing and deal with it, they just stay mad, not knowing what to do about it.

I find this distressing for a number of reasons.  One of the reasons is that this isn't good for our health, either physically or spiritually.  From a physical standpoint, being mad or angry for extended periods of time lead to things like higher blood pressure, more stress, and causes a great deal of fatigue.  It's hard to stay mad.  It takes a lot of energy and work, and so someone who finds that they are regularly angry often find that they are both mentally and physically tired, but don't know why.

Another thing I find distressing about this is the fact that so many of us have a hard time letting little things go, or moving on past them.  The guy cuts us off in traffic, and for some reason, that sets the tone for the rest of the day.  We just can't seem to get over it.  It comes up in our heads again and again. 

I shudder to think what this does to us spiritually.  It's almost like we have a backpack that we carry around, full of all those little hurts and little things that make us angry, and we never empty it out.  It just keeps getting heavier and heavier.  Every once in a while, it gets so heavy that we just throw it at someone.  You know how that goes.  Someone says something or does something, and suddenly, the dam breaks.  Every bit of stored up anger and hurt comes spilling out, and even afterward, you are surprised at everything that came out.  After all, what they didn't or said wasn't so bad that it deserved all of that, and now, you suddenly find yourself carrying even more guilt and shame.

That's where God has given us a great answer for all of this.  It's called forgiveness.  And let me be very clear on this.  Forgiveness is not just saying that it's okay, and moving on, but still carrying the hurt or the grudge.  Forgiveness is truly letting the guilt go, and not holding it against that person any more.  Forgiveness is saying, "I'm going to treat you as though this incident never happened between us."  It's not forgive and forget, it's more like forgive, remember, but don't hold it against that person.

The reality is, forgiveness is really as much for ourselves as it is for the other person.  Yes, forgiving another person can bring healing to the relationship.  But perhaps just as meaningful, it allows us to let go of the anger, to keep the backpack from getting heavier, and allowing ourselves to see that other person without the hurt and guilt that happened in the past.  In that sense, forgiveness, at least from our human perspective, is a choice to not carry the hurt and anger anymore. 

As my last thought, I believe that this is the reason why our society has such a difficult time with this.  Forgiveness isn't just a one time action, but a manner of life.  When we learn to forgive, we don't just do it for those close to us, but for the guy who cut us off on the road, for the cranky bank teller, for the store clerk who dumped her bad day on us, for the kids who were too loud too late, and for all people who may do something that angers us.  Forgiveness is not so much a one time action as a way of life.

Every Christian a Missionary!?!?!

One of the great joys we have as Christians is that God has taken care of everything to make us right with Him.  Jesus and the cross has paid the full price for our sins, and we now live every moment of every day with the assurance of our inheritance.

And yet, we find quite a few exhortations throughout the Bible telling us about our manner of life, or how we are to live, or instructions on how we are to relate to one another.  Now, it seems that many people focus on these different things to figure out how well they are doing in their walk with God, or in how faithful they are being.  But I want to suggest that we read sections such as this in another light.

Quite often, when we read God's instructions on how we are to act and behave, we will often find Him referring to our interactions with others.  And that really does seem to be instructive as to the reason why we live according to God's instructions.  It's not to prove that we are faithful, or to be obedient, so much as it is to be aware of how other people are seeing us as God's people.  In other words, we follow the things that God says about how we live our lives because we are missionaries at all times.

That's a lot to think about.  When you are at work, you are a missionary.  When you go shopping, you are a missionary.  When you are driving, you are a missionary.  When you go for a walk, or interact with others in any community setting, you are a missionary.  And while you may not speak words to them, the manner of how you live also has a great deal of impact.

Another way to think about it is this: if we fail to take these instructions of God seriously, it is very likely that people will be turned away from God, not because they find His message offensive, but because they find us offensive.  We can do nothing about the stumbling block of God's message (which Jesus Himself said would be offensive to many).  But we can remove the stumbling blocks that we put in the way.  That's behind the exhortations to consider how we live.

Being Christian, Being Different

Then all the elders of Israel...said to [Samuel], "Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways.  Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations"...And the LORD said to Samuel, "Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them."  From 1 Samuel chapter 8

"I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world."  Jesus, in John 17.

To be Christian is to be different.  And yet, we have a difficult time understanding exactly what that difference may be.  For some, being different means that we don't use "popular" type music or words when we worship, but sticking to that which has been around for centuries.  For some, being different means that we recognize that our faith is different from what others believe, but not a lot else.  For some, being different means that we attempt to do things as God says, regardless of how it may come across to others.  And even for some, being different means you move away from "the world" and live in seclusion, creating your own little community to live differently from the rest of the world.

Are there valid points in each of these (and the many other thoughts that I didn't have space to reflect upon)?  Yes, there certainly are.  Are there problems if we try to limit our "differentness" to just one specific area of life?  Yes, I certainly believe that there are.

Outside of Jesus, we don't really have much of a picture of what "being different" looks like.  And even when we think of the life of Jesus, we have to admit that we are told relatively little about it.  Just think about it.  Even the four Gospels tell primarily about three years of His life, and only capture the highlights.  Granted, these highlights tell us all that we need to know for how God took action in forgiving us and restoring us to Himself in Jesus and the cross, but we don't see the complete picture of just how different Jesus was from the rest of the people.

That's part of the reason for such confusion on this question: How are Christians different from the rest of the world?  And while we can find numerous commands and instructions throughout the Bible, it's hard to imagine a day when everyone will agree exactly on how all those things should be implemented in the lives of Christians who remain in the world.

I'll admit, I don't have all the answers.  I have a few thoughts, and I hope that these give you something to think about as you consider what it means to be different from the rest of the world.

1.  Christians seek their primary guidance in how to live life from what God says in the Bible. 
2.  Christians seek to show love and compassion to all people, even when that love and compassion means confronting them on behaviors that are damaging to themselves and others.
3.  Christians seek to be humble toward others, but in such a way that also demonstrates the strength of conviction.
4.  Christians seek to bring their life in line with what God says, not to impress others or God, but because they see the value of doing things the way that God says.
5.  Christians commit themselves to the things of God and don't turn back just because it may not be popular.
6.  Christians seek to forgive, and to share God's forgiveness, even when it may not seem to make sense.

Again, I'm not making a definitive list, but rather, want to give you something to think about as we think about what it means to be different and Christian.

The necessity of Temptation

I was intrigued by one of the Bible readings that we had this past Sunday during worship.  We were reading from Matthew chapter 18, and one of Jesus' points in there stuck with me as I read it, and has continued to present itself in my mind. The sentence in particular is from verse 7.  In that verse, Jesus says "For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom temptation comes!" 

That little phrase, "it is necessary", has just stuck in my mind.  I have to admit that I have wondered about the necessity for temptation.  It seems to me that this goes all the way back to the creation of the world and the temptation of Adam and Eve in the garden.  One thing that I have been asked a number of times is something along the lines of, "Why did God allow the serpent to tempt them?"  And Jesus' statement above seems to provide the answer.

"It is necessary that temptations come."  I've thought quite a bit about the need for temptations, and what purpose they could possibly serve.  So far, here is what I have come up with.

Temptations are necessary in that they reveal who/what our true love is, and to what we are truly dedicated.  Think of it like this, using Adam and Eve as an example.  If they did not have the temptation of the tree which God had said not to eat from, they would not have had a means of demonstrating their love and dedication to God.  There would not have been any alternative.  Or think of it when it comes to a loved one in your life.  If they were the only person in the world, would you have any choice but to love them and be with them?  But, having the temptation of others in the world gives an opportunity to demonstrate true love to that one.

This is why Jesus' next statement there is so powerful.  "But woe to the one by whom the temptation comes."  Temptation seems to be necessary to reveal true love and dedication, but the one who tempts another away from that love and dedication is working contrary to God's will and command.  In other words, that person is bringing God's judgment upon him/herself. 

When we remember that temptation also serves to reveal our true love and dedication, either toward God or toward those we love in life, it gives us a powerful reason to battle against the temptation.  Doing so reveals our love and dedication, and serves to strengthen that love and dedication.  So the next time you find yourself facing a temptation of some kind, remember that you also have the opportunity to reveal your love for God and/or another in the face of the battle.

Face to Face

"If you brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone.  If he listens to you, you have gained your brother."  Jesus, in Matthew 18.

I have come to believe that one of the most difficult and challenging things for people anymore is how to handle disagreement.  As a personal note, I grew up and don't recall ever having been taught how to deal constructively with conflict or disagreement, and so I found myself quite often trying desperately to avoid disagreements or conflicts.  It's only over the last few years that I have significantly grown to where I can appreciate talking through conflicts and disagreements, and where I really have a desire to teach others how to do so.

Many of us are probably familiar with the thought of the verse I quoted above.  I think it's also a very fitting thought anytime when two people don't see eye to eye on an issue or topic.  Of course, our natural instinct is to rally support for our side, go talk to others so that they agree with us and prove that the other person is wrong, rather than approaching that person and talking through the issue.  This is natural.  We'd rather have people agree with us than disagree with us.  And yet, as Jesus outlines it, this just isn't the right and proper approach.

Let me ask it in this way.  How can it possibly do any good to talk about the problem you have with one person with others?  It definitely doesn't resolve the problem.  If anything, it causes a greater rift between that person and the other people with whom you have discussed "your side" of the story.  Now, rather than it being a conflict or disagreement between two people, it has instead expanded to include others.

That's why I believe that these words of Jesus aren't merely for the occasion where one person has sinned against another.  It's wisdom for practically every circumstance in life.  Talking ABOUT people rarely does anything beneficial.  Talking TO people, on the other hand, opens the door to greater understanding and, ultimately, to a greater love toward your neighbor.

Thoughts?  Comments?  Agree or disagree?  I welcome them all!

Being Weary

"Are you tired?  Worn out?  Burned out on religion?  Come to me.  Get away with me and you'll recover your life.  I'll show you how to take a real rest.  Walk with me and work with me--watch how I do it.  Learn the unforced rhythms of grace."  Jesus, as paraphrased in The Message

Every once in a while it happens to all of us.  We put a lot of effort into something, only to see a minimal return.  We get frustrated.  We put our all into it, and the results seem too meager.  We try again, only a little harder, and nothing changes (or if something changes, it seems that the results are even less).  We wonder if it's all worth it, and feel our hopes fall, our energy drained, and our life spent.

When that happens, where do you go for refilling?  The answer for many people is to get away from the burdens of life.  Plan a trip.  Take a sabbatical.  Just drop out.  For others, the answer comes in trying to get fulfillment by doing something else.  Take up a new challenge.  Find a new hobby.  Do something extreme.

I firmly believe that there is a place for some of these things in life.  For example, in just a couple of weeks, I am taking up a new challenge in running a full marathon for the first time in my life.  Sometimes that break from routine, or succeeding at that new challenge and riding the wave of accomplishment, can snap us out of the doldrums.  But even then, it's only temporary.

I really like how Eugene Peterson puts Jesus' words at the end of Matthew 11 in The Message.  "I'll show you how to take a real rest...learn the unforced rhythms of grace."  Most often in life, we find our source of renewal and strength in the relationships we have.  How much greater is it when we find that renewal and strength in the relationship with the God who has made us and redeemed us?

This isn't to say that you are going to completely recover from being burnt out by going on a prayer retreat, or some other kind of spiritual renewal.  There is a time and place for those, but if those are the only times you spend with Jesus, you'll find that your renewal is, again, only temporary.

Renewal and new strength comes when we find ourselves in a regular relationship with Jesus, who shows us those unforced rhythms of grace.  Instead of waiting til our tank is empty, a regular relationship with Jesus is more like filling up the tank even when it is still mostly full.  Jesus doesn't intend His grace to fill us only when our tanks hit empty, but instead, it is to be as though we are hooked up to a refueling tanker throughout life.  That constant relationship with Jesus keeps the tank full.

That's the relationship Jesus has with you.  His death and resurrection has already secured God's grace for you.  As a question worth pondering, I encourage you to think about this.  When you find that you are empty and spent, do you have places in your life where you are pinching off God's grace to you in Jesus?