Perseverance: The Insanity of Hope

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. --James 1:12

Conventional wisdom gives us the statement: "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."  This sounds like a truism.  In fact, it is specious. Hogwash, really. A complete and utter lie. Here's why.

We teach our children the nursery rhyme/lullaby "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider" (also known as "The Eensy-Weensy Spider.") Why do we teach children that song? To counter any future waves of arachnophobia? Because it sounds simple and sing-songy? Because we like the hand motions? NO!!  We teach children the song because at its core, it has a life meaning.

The itsy-bitsy spider climbed up the water spout.

This is what spiders do.  They climb.  You never see spider webs on the ground.  They are always up high.  Why? Because spiders eat flying insects.  To catch flying insects, you have to be where they are.  Up.  Climbing, then, is vital to a spider's survival.

Down came the rain and washed the spider out.

Adverse conditions are inevitable.  The Bible says, "the rain falls on the just and the unjust alike."  In this case, the rain was a major setback to our eight-legged friend.

Out came the sun and dried up all the rain.

Another universal truth: when bad times come, they don't last forever.  Neither do sunny days.  Life is full of ups and downs.  The rains may last for a season, but they do not last forever.

And the itsy-bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.

Once the conditions were normalized, the spider tried again.  He didn't give up.  He didn't say to himself, "It's no use climbing up over and over.  It's just going to rain again."  Nor did he try to adapt, hoping to evolve into an acrophobic vegetarian.  No.  Instead, he picked himself up, dried himself off, and tried again.

Over the past few weeks my posts have kind of followed a theme, with a few instances of chasing down rabbit trails.  If you have read The Curious Christian Conservative lately, you have seen admonitions against sin.  One of the arguments against faithfulness might be, "You don't know what I've been going through, or subjected to.  I've been doing the best I can, but this life has just beaten me down."

If anyone knew of life's hardships, it was the Apostle Paul.  He wrote,

[I have] been in prison more frequently (than other Christians), been flogged more severely, and have been exposed to death again and again.  Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.  Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked.  I spent a night and a day in the open sea.  I have been constantly on the move.  I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from the Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers.  I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.   --2 Corinthians 11:23-27

And yet he wrote to the church in Rome these words: "And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.  Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." (Romans 5:3-4)  Where does hope come from? From the character developed through perseverance in the face of suffering.  We must develop a habit of hope in hardship.  And this flies in the face of conventional wisdom.

Those who continue doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results have a hopes springing up within them that the conditions may change for the better.  Like our hero the spider, we continue climbing up the water spout of life, hoping that it won't rain, and that someone will not turn on the spigot. No matter how often we get washed out, we always try again.  Foolishness to the world, but faithfulness to God (See 1 Corinthians 1:20-25).

We may not realize the difference we are making.  We try to make an impression on the world, but the world has a heart of stone.  No matter.  Think about this: "Dripping water hollows out stone, not through force but through persistence." (Ovid).

Don't lose hope.  Hopelessness leads to despair, and despair to death.  Jesus said, "I have come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly."  The more I read Hebrews 3:13, the more encouragement I get from it: "But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness."

Thank God that my hope is not based on my history.  The devil likes to remind me of past failures, of secret sins that clung to me like a bad odor for so long that I became numb to it.  The logic is that I am not worthy of God's grace, because I am not good enough.  The truth is that "God demonstrated His love for us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8).

We can defy conventional wisdom by keeping hope alive, for hope is what keeps us going. It is what gets us up out of bed every day.  Hope is why the spider kept climbing up the water spout.

Expect a Miracle

"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus,"but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." --John 9:2

Ten years ago, when my wife and I separated, my sister gave me a refrigerator magnet that said, "Expect a Miracle."  Little did I know that nine months later, my wife and I would reconcile and re-marry each other. Those familiar with the situation at the time thought that it would have taken a miracle for us to get back together.  But by God's grace, it happened.  At many points in time since then, I'm sure my wife has thought it a curse rather than a blessing, but I have not regretted it one minute.

There are many times in life where the circumstances we find ourselves in seem insurmountable.  But we know that with God, all things are possible.  And that's what I want to visit with you about today.  My last blog post was based on the 8th chapter of John's gospel.  As we move into chapter 9, Jesus and his disciples encounter a blind man along the road.  He was probably begging, as his disability prevented him from any type of gainful employment.  Jesus looked at him with compassion.  The disciples, however, looked in judgment.  They assumed that the disability was the result of sin, either in the man's life, or perhaps his ancestors.  Having been brought up in the Jewish tradition, they had long been taught that God's wrath would be visited upon the third and fourth generations.

There is a certain truth in that.  Actions do have consequences.  Bad decisions can come back to haunt you.  "Be sure your sins will find you out." (Numbers 22:23)  If you have been caught in a sin, I encourage you to confess it and repent--commit in your heart to never do it again.  If it is too much to commit to never doing it again, ever, then commit to stand against that sin today.  Two key points in the Lord's prayer come to mind: Jesus said, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."  He also said, "Give us this day our daily bread." In other words, let me not worry about tomorrow's needs; give me today what I need today.  If that is deliverance from temptation, God is able.  Hebrews 3:12-13 says,

See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.  But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

The more you train your heart toward God and your head toward His thoughts, the more He will bless you.  I'm not talking about a works salvation.  I am a believer in grace, and have benefited from God's grace as much as anybody.  What I am saying is that the less God has to carve out of our lives, the more He can use us; the less we have to empty ourselves, the more He can fill us.

On the other hand....
Not all of our circumstances are the result of our sinful nature.  Sometimes we find ourselves in a predicament through no fault of our own.  We are walking with God, living our best life, and something tragic happens.  Or, like the case of the blind beggar in John 9, we are at the mercy of life from the very beginning. This man had been born blind.  He did not run with scissors; he did not play carelessly with a pellet gun; he didn't even look at too many nudie pictures.  (Each of these activities comes with a warning in our culture--"Don't do that, or you'll put your eye out" or "You'll go blind".)

What possible good could come out of this situation?  Well, if you were able to have the work of God put on display in your life, that's pretty darn good.  I'm sure this man didn't get up that morning wishing he had his sight.  He and his parents had probably given that up years ago.  They may have been resigned to their fate.  "It is what it is," they may have thought.  Or maybe not.  Maybe this man had heard of the miracles that Jesus had done, and maybe he found a place to be where he knew Jesus would find him.  We may never know.  What we do know is that when Jesus healed him, he became a witness to those he knew, and also to the religious leaders of the day.  Three times the Pharisees asked him how it was that he had gained his sight. The man did not need to study theology or religion to give his testimony--"I was blind, and now I see."  This testimony made his unbelieving parents throw him under the bus (instead of taking his side, they said, "He is of age, ask him").  It even got him kicked out of the synagogue.  But I believe this man probably thought it was worth it to be able to see clearly.

The application is simple.  Whatever situation we find ourselves in, give glory to God.  We can be a witness in poverty as well as in riches; in pain as well as in perfect health; in slavery as well as in freedom.  With God's help, we can overcome.  And in some cases, if God so chooses, we can be delivered from our predicament in grand fashion, so that our message, our testimony, can get a wider audience.  That's why it is so important to be faithful.

Don't be discouraged.  Do you think that Paul and Barnabas knew that they would be thrown in prison for preaching the word of God?  Maybe, maybe not.  But I'll bet they didn't expect to be awakened by an angel, and find their shackles undone, the chains lying on the ground and the prison doors opened for them. Look at Hebrews chapter 11.  The writer lists several Old Testament figures who could not see the future, but remained faithful so that God could use them.  Each of them was commended as one who pleased God. "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Hebrews 11:6).

Spend your life earnestly seeking God, and at the end, you will see that God has blessed you richly.  Maybe in ways that you didn't recognize at the time.  Maybe not in ways that the world measures success.  But you are blessed by Him if you believe in Him, and confess Him as Lord.

To hear with my heart
To see with my soul
To be guided by a hand I cannot hold
To trust in a way that I cannot see
That's what faith must be 

When the universe fell from His fingertips
He decided He wanted some fellowship
But the man and the woman would not submit
So He made a better way
When the moment was right He sent His own Son
And He opened the way so that everyone
Could have hope and believe that when time was done
He'd be able to make us one 

Chorus 

Now I understand that there is a key
It's Jesus in me, a reality
That God is in Christ and that Christ's in me
That with faith I see what is unseen 

Chorus 

That's what faith must be

Committed to sinning

I attended a conference this week, and I picked up some freebies from the vendors' booths. I put three of them on my desk to remind me of my spiritual condition. The first toy is the smallest. It is a figure made up of a little yellow ball, just a bit bigger than a golf ball. He has a face, with round eyes and a round open mouth, giving him an expression of surprise or confusion. He stands on two stubby little feet that stick out below to keep him from rolling all over the place. And on top there are two stubby little hands, both stuck in a "thumbs up" position. It is as if he likes everything--he gives a thumbs up to what is on the right AND what is on the left. Either that, or, he is standing in the middle of the road hitchhiking, not caring which direction he goes. Whoever stops and picks him up first will determine his destination. Do you ever feel like that?

The second toy I picked up and put on my desk is a plastic figure of a wolf.  He has beady eyes and sharp teeth.  His gray wolf head is perched atop an anthropomorphized wolf body, standing on human hind feet, and his forelegs are very muscular, like a human bodybuilder.  He stands about four inches tall, and balances on the two hind feet and his fluffy wolf tail.  He symbolizes Evil to me.  When I look at him I think of the scripture found in John 10:10, where Jesus describes himself as the Good Shepherd, guarding against the evil one: "The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy; I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full."  Who is "they"? The sheep, of course.  But that is not all that a wolf, or his canine cousins, will steal.  Remember the 1988 movie A Cry In The Dark where Meryl Streep plays an Australian woman Lindy Chamberlain who went on trial for the disappearance of her daughter.  This story was made all the more memorable in a 1991 episode of Seinfeld, where Elaine mocks an insufferable party guest with the line, "Maybe a dingo ate your baby."  But I digress.  This wolf looks mean and tough.  He would snatch a sheep from its fold if there were no Shepherd to protect it.  The wolf would steal your joy if you let him.  The wolf stands to the left of my little yellow friend.  The wolf stands ready to snatch up the little yellow ball, much as a dog would do while playing fetch.  With this monster wolf figurine standing over him, it is no wonder the ball has a dazed and confused look on his face.

The third toy I found at the conference is a six inch plush lion doll.  He has soft, golden fur and a fuzzy mane that makes his head look twice as big.  He represents Jesus, the Lion of Judah, or Aslan, if you prefer a reference to C.S. Lewis.  I imagine this figure lying in front of the sheep pen, daring any wolf to come up and try to steal a tiny lamb from the fold.  He stands to the right of the little yellow fellow, ready to defend if needed.  But unlike the wolf figurine, the expression on his face is warm and friendly.  He looks like he would be genuinely hurt if the little guy chose to go play with the wolf instead of staying near.

With all that in mind, let me tell you about the sermon I heard in church last Sunday.  The preacher talked about being a slave to sin.  His text was from John 8.

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free."  They answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and we have never been slaves of anyone.  How can you say that we shall be set free?"  Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.  Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.  So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." --John 8: 31-37

See, most of us do not just commit sins.  Instead, we are committed to sinning.  Let me tell you what I mean. Most of us know beforehand what we are going to do, and how we are going to cover it up.  "Don't tell your mother," is a line many Dads use when they put their kids in compromising situations.  (Moms use the line, "Don't tell your dad", too, but not quite as often, I suspect.)  As soon as we do what we want, we start thinking about how to lie, confuse, mislead, obfuscate the truth, or just change the subject if asked about it.  I heard a guy in a Celebrate Recovery meeting say that he used to visit inappropriate websites.  But to hide the fact from his wife, who could check the browser history on his computer, he would go to Rent-A-Center, rent a laptop, call up the adult sites, then turn the laptop back in before his wife came home.  He went to all that trouble just to make sure she didn't know what he was doing at home alone.  This is what Jesus meant when he said we were slaves to sin.

Jesus goes on to explain the basic difference between a slave and a son.  The distinction is important, because we who have joined God's family have become sons, heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ Jesus. Does this mean that as Christians we do not sin?  By no means!  Let's look at the Scripture reference again. Who is Jesus talking to? "To the Jews who had believed him."  These were believers in Jesus.  Were they sinners? Of course they were.  But Jesus was teaching them that they were no longer slaves to sin.  What happens to slaves who disobey?  They get punished.  They get separated from their Master and their family and friends, either by being imprisoned or by being sold to another.  That is what he means when he says "A slave has no permanent place in the family."  But to those who belong to God, they have a privileged position.  They do hold a permanent place in the family.  Instead of punishment, they receive forgiveness.  Instead of banishment or imprisonment, they are promised a place at the King's table, and a room in the King's palace.

It is pretty hilarious what the Jewish believers were telling Jesus during this lesson.  "We are children of Abraham, and we have never been slave to anyone."  Has anyone read the Old Testament?  At one time or another, the sons of Abraham had been slaves to just about everyone.  Assyrians, Babylonians, Chaldeans, Egyptians, Persians--the list is endless.  How could they say that they had never been slaves to anyone, when at the very time they were speaking with Jesus, they were subjugated by the Romans?  And yet we today are in the same state of denial.  We look at headlines in the news, and hear of murderers and adulterers and think, "I am not that bad." But what did Jesus say? If you look at a woman with lust in your heart, you have committed adultery in your mind.  If you hate your brother, you are as guilty as the murderer in prison.

So what are we to do with our sin?  Hebrews 12:1 says, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."  Avoid it, shun it, and throw it off.  Don't leave the door open to sin, because your enemy, the devil, "comes to steal, kill and destroy."  Would you leave your home unlocked, with the door cracked open, so that a thief could walk in and take away your possessions? No!  So why would you plot in your mind how you will do this or that, but later you will act like nothing ever happened?  "Be sure your sins will find you out." (Numbers 32:23)  Do not let sin steal your joy.  Ask for and claim the forgiveness of God, but also shut the door to sin so that it doesn't happen again.

I was in an insurance seminar once, and the instructor told of a Christian Pastor who took to heart the scripture that says to take in strangers.  He would open his home to homeless people, to those recently released from prison, and to just about anybody.  Most of the time, when the house-guests left, they would take something of value with them.  He lost so many of his possessions, and made so many claims against his home-owners policy, that the insurance company dropped him.  He could not get anyone to sell him home-owners coverage because of his insistence on opening his home to felons and drug users.  And yet how often do we put our spiritual life into the same peril by opening the door to old habits and attitudes, and then wondering why God would allow us to lose our sense of safety and security?

Going back to my little yellow ball-shaped buddy on my desk, the one with the confused look on his face and both thumbs up.  It reminds me of the Native American proverb about an elder who tells his grandson that there are two wolves that are fighting inside of him.  One wolf is angry and mean, while the other is gentle and loving.  The grandson looks up and asks, "Grandfather, which one is winning?"  The wise elder answers, "Whichever I feed the most."  This story tells a lot about human nature, how we have a dual nature of sin and sonship.  I think it is derived from the oriental idea of Yin and Yang, the equal amount of black and white, of good and evil inside us.  Jesus, I think, did not teach that.  I believe he taught us to banish evil from our lives, to place it outside the camp, and to live in the light of God and in His presence.  There should always be more light in our lives than darkness.

Earlier I quoted from John chapter 8, where Jesus admonishes us not to be slaves to sin, but rather to act like sons.  Earlier in the chapter, John tells the story of the woman caught in adultery.  The pharisees threw this woman, probably naked, into the public square and dared Jesus to take a stand.  The Law said she should be stoned to death.  Jesus said, "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone."  One by one the accusers left.  Finally, the woman alone stood before Him.  He did not accuse her, but rather told her to "go, and sin no more."  Do you ever wonder what happened to that woman after her encounter with Jesus? Was she the paragon of sinless perfection? Probably not.  She probably didn't ever become a leader in the church.  She probably stopped prostituting herself, stopped the affair she was having with the Pharisee. However,  she likely committed some sins as she went on with her life.  But rather than allowing the sin to define her, she could now ask forgiveness.  She could enjoy restoration into the full fellowship of God the Father through Jesus Christ the Son.

And so can we.

Get off the struggle-bus

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. --1 John 2:1

Former First Lady Nancy Reagan took a lot of flak for her slogan, "Just Say No".  The cause she had taken up was the use of illegal drugs, especially among young people.  Obviously, her heart was in the right place.  But those who saw addiction first hand criticized her unmercifully, because clearly the problem of drug addiction was bigger than a simple slogan.  Even in the area of prevention, which the slogan was meant to address, the slogan was inadequate, because the pressures among inner-city youth were greater than a white woman in the White House could possibly know.

And yet, in all its simplicity, there was a kernel of truth in those three words.  When confronted with illegal drugs, whether from a friend or from a local drug-pusher, the individual had a choice to make:  either I will use, or I won't.  This choice would define millions, and would divide a whole generation into two camps--users, and non-users.  Some of the users would become addicts, and some would kick the habit when they got older.  But none of the non-users would become addicted.  Not one.  This didn't make them cool, or popular, or better than their peers.  It didn't necessarily make them more successful, because it was merely one in a hundred-thousand choices they would make over a lifetime.

In the Christian world, many of us get caught up in the verse at the top of this post.  It is simple, and direct: do not sin.  John encouraged his followers, and by extension all of us, to make good choices; to decide to do right; to be like Christ.  And when we fail in that endeavor, when we do sin, many times we beat ourselves up.  We get caught in a destructive cycle (common in addiction--face it, we are all "sin addicts") including powerlessness, shame and guilt, distrust, and reenacting sinful patterns in new situations.

Here is a very personal example.  Last month I faced the consequences of a bad financial decision, one that ultimately cost my entire savings to make right.  When I was right in the middle of it, my son asked me a direct question.  "Dad, how do you see yourself?"  Since I was mired in guilt, and despondent about my situation at the time, I answered him with some pretty depressing descriptors: I am a sinner.  I am a dead-beat.  I'll never have any wealth to pass on to my children because I continuously make poor financial decisions.  And my sinful choices affect other areas of my life, not just my house-hold finances--my morals, my character, my identity.  Like the story of the Prodigal Son, I was mired in the pig-pen, ready to feed on the husks that the pigs eat.

For those of you who follow my posts regularly, you have probably noticed that I have not written anything in the last three weeks or so.  I was so caught up in powerlessness, shame, guilt and distrust that I felt useless.  I had a doctor's appointment, and because of my family history, I needed a biopsy.  I can't tell you what a literal pain in the butt that was, but afterward I couldn't help wonder what would happen if I had cancer.  Would I be able to work? Would I be a burden to my family? Would they be better off without me? And after I received the results, when the doctor said it was benign and I was all good, my first response was selfishness.  "Why the heck did I have to go through that procedure if there was nothing to be worried about?"  The next thought I had was more humble, but still I was stuck in despair and despondency.  "Why were my tests all benign, when my brother-in-law (and others I know) is battling cancer?  Why was I spared and he was not?"

God had to hit me with a Clue-By-Four

This morning I got out of bed with a purpose.  I had noticed some things around the house that needed attention, but for the last three weeks I had put off.  Dust bunnies on the ceiling fans.  A leak in the dishwasher.  Today, I told myself, I would not complain about those things.  I would do something about it.  So I rolled up my sleeves and went to work.  After I was done, there was nothing left (that I could see) to complain about.  The house was clean, the dishes were washed, and there was no water in the floor to be tracked through.

I realized there was a corollary with my spiritual life.  I had not read my Bible in three weeks.  I had not spent any time in prayer.  I was beating myself up for an what I saw as a foundational flaw in my spiritual make-up, but it was not my Savior who was accusing me.  It was myself who had taken up the chant of the Accuser, the Father of Lies, the Prince of Darkness.  Satan had successfully driven a wedge between me and the Everlasting Source of Light and Life.  It was clearly time to draw back the curtains and air out some things.  Time to do something about it, rather than curl up in darkness and fear and complain that I am such a bad person.  Time to ask for forgiveness rather than assume God hates me.

You see, we forget that there is more to the verse that began this message.  John didn't say, "My children, do not sin."  He went on to say this:

But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ the Righteous One.  He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. --John 2:1b-2

I would go so far as to amend verse two, to paraphrase it this way: He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for the sins we have already committed in the past, but for the sins we will commit today and tomorrow and forever.

The story of the First Adam and the Fall is telling.  Genesis 2:8-9 says, "Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.  And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground--trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food.  In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."  You know the story.  Eve was persuaded by the Serpent to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and she gave it to Adam to eat, as well.  The first couple had a choice to make: either to live forever (by eating from the Tree of Life), or to get a conscience (by eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.)  They made their choice, and the consequences were that fellowship with God was disrupted.  In order to know Evil, we had to experience it, along with the guilt, shame and despair it brings.

All of us know good, and all of us know evil.  Sometimes we choose good over evil, and sometimes we don't.  When we don't, our conscience accuses us, because we know good from evil.  And when the Second Adam came, in the form of Jesus Christ, he again offers us Abundant Life.  If we partake in His body and blood, we can restore the fellowship that was lost.  But we still have the conscience that was born in Eden.  Our conscience accuses us when evil encroaches.  Our only hope is to plead the Blood of Jesus, which covers our sin.  That is why we maintain a fellowship with Him.  When the fellowship is broken, we fall into Stinkin' Thinkin'.

"C" who Jesus is.

For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.--Isaiah 9:6

Who is this Jesus whom we serve? Who is the focus of our worship?  He is God in the flesh, the very power of God who dwelt among us.  The scripture says that no man has ever seen God.  Yet those who beheld His Christ looked into the very eyes of God; those who heard Jesus speak drew near to the very heart of God. Those who were drawn to Him in spirit were in fact wooed by the Holy Spirit of God.

We speak of the triune nature of God as a Trinity, "God in Three Persons".  Yet when we look at one, we see them all; when we see them all, we see the one.  So how do you describe a God you cannot see, now that Christ has ascended into the heavens?

Isaiah did it in four ways.  The prophet spoke of Mighty God, made up of the Everlasting Father, the Peaceful Prince, and the Wonderful Counselor.  Note how each facet of God has a distinct descriptor, a word that underscores the nature of God in all His glory.  You could say that Isaiah made a perfect description of the Trinity: Mighty God, who can be seen as the Everlasting Father, the Peaceful Prince (Son), and the Wonderful Counselor (a term used in the New Testament to describe the Holy Spirit; see John 14:26: "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I (Jesus) have said to you.")

But wait, you say.  That is not the order in which Isaiah introduced them.  The Counselor, who is wonderful, is introduced first.  Perhaps this is because the Holy Spirit is the one who makes the way clear for people to know God.  "But God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.  The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God...The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him." (1 Corinthians 2:10, 14).  Again, "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children." (Romans 8:16).  So we see the purpose of the Holy Spirit is to reveal God to us.

The God, who is mighty, is the next revelation to us.  After the Spirit opens our eyes, we see the Big Picture. We see God, who created us in His image, who made all things to be useful to us.  We see God, the First Cause, powerful enough to make all things work together for our good (Romans 8:28).  We see God, who knows the name of every person on this earth--all seven billion of us--and all of our ancestors.  We see God, who is holy and pure and perfect, who cannot abide sin, make a way for us, an avenue to escape our sin and live forever in His holy presence.

The Father, who is everlasting, shows us that he wants relationship with us above all else.  We are not his playthings, or his minions, or his enemies--we are his children.  He loves us and wants to adopt us into his kingdom, if only we can believe in him.  To this end, he sent his Son.

The Prince, who is peaceful, walked as we walk.  He lived in sunshine and in rain, just like we do.  He knew the love of his friends and hatred from his enemies, and even betrayal of one of his closest circle of friends--just like we do.  Who better to show us the way to the Father?  And to complete the circle, if we accept Jesus as Savior through his sacrifice, we are indwelled by the Holy Spirit, who is our Counselor.  How wonderful!

Counselor, Creator, Co-Parent, Co-Regent.
Comforter, Commander, Caregiver, Companion.
Conscience, Correcter, Covenant-giver, Carpenter.
Compassionate, Complete, Concerned, Christ.

Who is He...Who's the mightiest of all
Who is He...Creation trembles at His call
Who is He...The lowly sacrifice, who paid a victims price
His name is Jesus

Who is He...With the power none can tame

Who is He...That every foe would fear His name

Who is He...Who was humbly led away, to suffer that dark day

His name is Jesus 

Who is He...With the eyes that burn like fire
Who is He...Oh the wonder He inspires
Who is He...Who bore the guilt and shame
For those who've gone astray
His name is Jesus

Jesus...Son of God and son of man
Jesus...Who died and rose again
Jesus...He's the Lion and the Lamb

Fear and Loathing in America

I have discovered something about myself.  When I think about myself more often than I think about God, I get depressed.  The more I try to please myself, the more depressed I become.  I have just emerged from a period of self-loathing.  And looking back, guess what?  The whole time it was all about me, me, me.  You'd think I would have learned.  I know that when I am happiest, that is the time that I am serving God the most. That is the time that I am more concerned with His will than my own.

When I am consumed with love for Him, I am more likely to love others; I am more likely to be at peace with myself.  This is in contrast to the times when I am obsessed with self-love, which turns into self-pity when I lose all joy, which turns into self-abuse when I lose all perspective.  It is a downward spiral that makes me a defeated Christian.

Don't get me wrong.  We are all wounded warriors in Christ's army.  "There is none perfect, no not one." We are all subject to peaks and valleys in our Christian walk.  How we respond to the valleys makes all the difference.  In the fourth chapter of Genesis, Adam's sons brought offerings to God.  Cain brought the fruits and vegetables that he had grown from the ground, and laid them at the altar.  Abel brought the firstborn of the flock, a lamb without blemish.  God approved of Abel's offering, but not Cain's.  This made Cain very angry.  Instead of going to God and learning what true sacrifice means (he could have traded or sold his fruit for a lamb, and had a more acceptable sacrifice.  "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins."), Cain became more and more depressed.  He ultimately wanted revenge against his brother rather than the favor of God.

God's advice to Cain is good advice to all of us when we start to get depressed, thinking we will never measure up to God's standards, or the world's, or even our own:

Then the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?  If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."  --Genesis 4:6-7

Fantasy writer Terry Brooks has said, "Hurt leads to bitterness; bitterness to anger.  Travel too far down that road and the way is lost."  Before we get consumed by our anger, we need to stop and take inventory. Before we do something we regret, and fall into the pit of despair and depression, we need to pause and review.  Is there a failure to communicate? Is that the root cause of my bitterness and anger?  Again, if Cain had only allowed God to show him what was required, he could have made amends with his brother.  Like Cain, we have direct access to God through prayer.  Unlike Cain, we have a record of God's words which we call the Bible.  "He has shown you, O Man, what is good and what the Lord requires of you: but to act justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly before your God."

If you can go to this link http://skitguys.com/videos/item/psalm-139 I encourage you to do so.  If not, perhaps you can use a search engine to find the Skit Guys, and look up the video for Psalm 139.  Here is what Psalm 139:23-24 says: "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."  Allow God to wash away the bitterness; let Him ease your anxiety.  If there is something standing between you and God, let it go; let God lead you back into His grace and peace.

I know from experience that it is impossible to love others when you hate yourself.  The Bible encourages us to "love your neighbor as yourself."  No wonder there is so much hatred in our land.  We are failures in our own eyes, and have succumbed to self-loathing.  How, then, can we love our neighbors?  We have condemned ourselves to a hell of our own making.  How, then, can we share in the love of Jesus, who said, "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." (John 3:17-18)

There comes a time in all of our lives when we are driven to our knees; when we approach Jesus as did the woman caught in adultery, shamed and exposed and ready to be stoned to death for our sins.  But Jesus, in His mercy, says, "Where are those who condemned you? Neither do I condemn you.  Go now and leave your life of sin." (John 8:10-11)

A little sin goes a long way in destroying our testimony.  That is why sin is compared to leaven or yeast in the Bible.  A little bit kneaded into the dough causes it to rise.  A little bit of sin causes us to be puffed up with pride.  I heard someone say once that the comparison that Jesus made about the splinter in your brother's eye and the log in your own eye really was only a matter of perspective.  When you focus solely on the little bit of sin in your own life, when it is viewed so closely, it appears much bigger than it is.  What others might see as a splinter, you have magnified into a log or a branch.  Jesus invites us to remove the log from our own eye, so that we can see clearly to help others get the splinter out of their eyes.  How sad that we become content to gaze at our own log so long and so hard that we lose our way.

                                                    "Doubting Thomas"

What will be left when I've drawn my last breath
Besides the folks I've met and the folks who've known me
Will I discover a soul-saving love
Or just the dirt above and below me

I'm a doubting Thomas
I took a promise
But I do not feel safe
Oh me of little faith

Sometimes I pray for a slap in the face
Then I beg to be spared cause I'm a coward
If there's a master of death
I bet he's holding his breath
As I show the blind and tell the deaf about his power

I'm a doubting Thomas
I can't keep my promises
Cause I don't know what's safe
Oh me of little faith

Can I be used to help others find truth
When I'm scared I'll find proof that it's a lie
Can I be led down a trail dropping bread crumbs
That prove I'm not ready to die

Please give me time to decipher the signs
Please forgive me for time that I've wasted

I'm a doubting Thomas
I'll take your promise
Though I know nothin's safe
Oh me of little faith

"The Devil Made Me Do It"

He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning.  The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. --1John 3:8

One of the earliest and most popular African American comics was Flip Wilson.  In the 1970s he would do skits on variety shows (programs that featured a variety of entertainment, unlike today's reality shows and singing contests).  One of the characters he played was a woman named Geraldine Jones; in one of her earlier skits, she said, "The Devil made me buy this dress."  That line became so popular that she used it in several other situations--whatever dumb thing she did or said was followed by, "The Devil made me do it." This phrase was ingrained into the American pop culture for almost a decade.

The phrase became popular because there was a germ of truth in it.  The Devil does try to make us do dumb things.  But as pop culture evolved, the phrase ended up trivializing spiritual matters.  On Sundays the nation heard, "Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but...against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12).  On Saturday nights, the world turned this concept into a parody.  Why did I tell that little white lie? The Devil made me do it!  Why did you have that affair with your best friend's wife? The Devil made me do it!

So what makes Satan such a provocateur?  What makes him so effective in his mission?  Let's take him at his word, literally.

The Deceiver
"He said to the woman, 'Did God really say, "You must not eat from any tree in the garden?"...You will not surely die, for God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil'." (Genesis 3:1, 4-5)

Satan's first words in Scripture give us a clue to his character as a deceiver.  His approach was very clever, designed to make her question her memory, her belief, and God's motives.  See, he wanted Man to be separated from God, like he was.  But his approach was not, "Come on, break the rule.  It'll be fun!"  That would have made the humans dig in their heels, and take a stand.  So he started with a half-truth.  See, Satan already knew what God had said.  "And the Lord God commanded the man, 'You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die'." (Genesis 2:16-17)

Satan blurred the lines that God had made specific.  He didn't ask why they couldn't eat anything they wanted; he asked whether God would allow them to eat any fruit growing from any tree.  Eve answered with the words of God, plus a little bit of her own: "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' "  With that bit of legalism tucked in there, Satan had a handle.  He could say, "You can touch it--it won't kill you."  And it would be true.  They could touch it; they could throw it like a baseball, juggle it, paint pictures of it--they just couldn't eat it.  From there he could say, "God wouldn't kill you--he loves you."  How many times do we fall for this line even today?  "I don't think a loving God would _______ (you fill in the blank: cause so much suffering, send people to hell, or demand that I live up to His standard)."

I heard a very good description of parenting on the radio program "Focus On The Family" today.  The guest said, "Every child is born with two burning questions on their hearts and minds: Do you love me? and Can I get my way?"  As a parent, our job is to answer the first question Yes, Always; and the answer to the second question is Not Always.  Similarly, in our relationship with our Heavenly Father, the same questions arise.  "God, do you really love me?"  His answer is unequivocally YES!  But then we try to reason with God: "If you love me, why can't I have my own way?"  If we become secure in our love of God, Satan will come and put that second question in your mind, in order to lead you astray.

The Accuser
"Does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything that he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land.  But stretch out  your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face." (Job 1:9-11)

Satan knows human nature very well.  He had doubtless seen many people turn their backs on God after tragedies.  So he approached God and tried to drive a wedge between Him and His own.  God allowed Satan to test Job's faith.  Job's response wasn't perfect--if you have read the book of Job, you know that in the end, God gives Job a stern lecture.  But Job did not lose faith in God.  Neither should we, when all manner of tragedy befalls us.

Jesus is our example.  If He could endure leaving heaven and becoming a man; if He could endure the hatred and spite of men who lived with him, who saw his miracles and yet accused him of being a devil; if He could endure the shame and pain of death on a cross--if He could endure all that, then we can not lose heart. Hebrews 12:3 says, "Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

Jesus is our advocate.  When Satan comes to accuse us before the Father, Jesus covers us with His shed blood, so that our sin is hidden and we are seen as righteous before God.  "Even now, my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high.  My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God." (Job 16:19-20). With this in mind, Paul wrote in Romans 8:34, "Who is he that condemns?  Christ Jesus who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us."

The Tempter
"The tempter came to him and said, 'If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread...If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down (from the highest point of the temple).  For it is written, "He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone."....All this I will give you if you will bow down and worship me.' " (Matthew 4: 3, 6, 9)

Satan appealed to Jesus at the human level: He was hungry, so Satan urged Him to feed himself with whatever was handy.  Jesus could have turned the stones to bread--he later turned water into wine.  But Jesus didn't answer to Satan, and his fast was for a spiritual purpose.  So next, Satan appealed to Jesus on a spiritual level: Let's go to the Temple, where God lives; let's show all these humans your authority over the spiritual realm, and let's see if God your Father will save you from an untimely death.  But Jesus didn't ask that of God, and His response was not to put the Father to the test.  We know God had answered the judges and prophets of old--Gideon had asked for a sign, as had King David, and the prophet Elijah.  Malachi 3:10 urges us to test God in our giving: "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.  Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."  God asks us to test him, to strengthen our faith; but Jesus was not asked to test God for that purpose, so He declined.  Finally, Satan put all pretense aside, and showed his whole hand.  Satan controlled all the earth, and he said he would let Jesus rule over it all if He would acknowledge the devil as a god.

The closer we get to God, the more tempted we will be.  Jesus endured much more temptation than what is recorded in Scripture.  He fasted for forty days, and not a day went by when Satan did not sorely tempt him. We have but a few examples of Satan's words, but they are representative of his mission in our lives--to keep us from knowing God, or if we know Him, to make us ineffective as Believers.

Do not be deceived.  Do not be bowed down by accusations.  When you are tempted, do not succumb. We are over-comers, through the blood of Jesus Christ.