Limited perspective, unlimited hope for the new year

Consider the ant, you sluggard; learn from its ways and be wise!  It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. --Proverbs 6:6-8

I wonder what the horizon looks like to an ant?  I can just imagine a weather-ant in front of a green screen, standing on two legs, holding a clicker in one, and pointing with three others to imaginary numbers.  "And it's going to be a gorgeous day, with visibility up to fifteen feet from high atop the ant hill.  Watch for automatic sprinklers set for 7:00 a.m., and remember the giant children coming home from school at 3:00 p.m.--don't want to see any of you squished on the sidewalk."

The point is that from their perspective, their world is relatively small.  And no matter how hard they do their jobs, most of them are subject to things outside their control--a small boy discovers the properties of light with a magnifying glass, wrecking the lives of some unsuspecting ants; a little girl drops her candy on the ground, and when she tries to pick it up and brush the ants off of the sticky sweet, some of the stinging insects could end up in her clothes, and cause her to dance uncontrollably.  They may have ant-dreams of finding a picnic, but can they really plan for that?

We are like the ants in that respect.  We go about our lives, doing the best we can.  We struggle to carry life's burdens, which appear to be up to six times our body weight.  And just about the time we carry a few crumbs home to store them up for the winter, some calamity strikes, and our homes are destroyed by a shovel larger than we can imagine, or there is wide-spread sickness and death caused by a poison introduced from outside the colony.

I, for one, could not have begun to predict the events of the past year when I was ringing in the new year in 2013.  I had no idea I would lose one job and get another.  I could not have imagined what effect joining a new church and being more faithful in tithing would have in our lives.  Neither could I have predicted that my children would both move home, that one would get a job and the other would get a dog.  These were not my plans.  I did not resolve to do any of those things.

None of the things we take for granted are in any way guaranteed.  Our homes, our health, our handiwork--all could be gone in the blink of an eye.  It is by the grace of God that we have them; it is by his mercy that we keep hold of them.  That, I think, is why the Bible teaches against prideful boasting.

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money."  Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.  What is your life?  You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."  As it is, you boast and brag.  All such boasting is evil.  Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins. --James 4:13-17

If it is God's will, we will act on our plans.  But all the while, we must remember the words of Jesus in the Model Prayer: "Our Father....Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  We must stay attuned to the Will of the Father.  This doesn't mean that we are to quit our jobs and just wait for the Lord to come.  Remember what James said in the passage we just quoted--whoever knows to do good and doesn't do it, commits a sin just as grievous as doing something we know to be wrong.

In 2014, pray that God will make His ways clear to you.  I can guarantee that if you attuned to the will of God, then the changes He brings will be less traumatic to you.  If you put on too much pride, God's humbling will be painful, and maybe even humiliating.

We are called to be sheep.  Our job is to follow the Good Shepherd.  Sheep are not called to be load-bearing animals.  Sheep are not called to be astronauts, seeing the world from God's perspective; instead, we are called to share.  When a sheep is shorn of its wool, it is not embarrassed.  That wool accumulates dirt and stains when it stays on the sheep.  In the hands of the shepherd, that wool becomes fibers for a man to weave, giving him work to do with his hands; it becomes warm clothes and blankets for a mother to gather and provide for her children; it becomes an artistic tapestry that a child can appreciate, for it reminds her of her mother's love, her father's work, the shepherd's faithfulness, and the sheep's act of selfless giving.

Many spend their lives gazing at stars, when they should keep their heads down and their eyes closed.  For it is in the spirit of prayer that we can see the heavens more clearly.

Jump for Joy

 But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings.  And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. --Malachi 4:2

Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. --Luke 6:21






(props to my friend John Brewer for posting this pic)

We have just concluded the Christmas season.  Soon the decorations will be stored away, the tree will be taken down, and the presents will all be taken out of their boxes and put to use.  We will all go back to our jobs and the joys of Christmas will be a memory.

Wait a minute.  Why can't we keep the joy?

Do you remember seeing a child jump up and down after seeing their gifts? Do you remember being that child who jumped up and down, squealing when you saw your presents?  Don't tell me you grew out of it.  Maturity does not steal your joy, not always.  Many times we describe a situation, and our reaction to it, as being "like a kid in a candy store." The more literary among us would describe it as having a certain joie de vivre.

Don't let life steal your joy.  Here are three reasons why:

The Joy Of The Lord Is Your Strength
Someone once said, "Laughter in the face of danger is a mark of courage."  Some may think him a fool who laughs, but there is no fear in him.  Are we not called to be fearless?  When Moses commissioned Joshua to lead the nation of Israel into the Promised Land, he said, "Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified because of them for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." (Deuteronomy 31:6).  Those words give comfort--they are the very "tidings of comfort and joy" that we sang about all during the Christmas season.

The words "The Joy of the Lord is your strength" come straight from Scripture.  After an extended exile in Babylon, the prophet Nehemiah led the people in restoring the Temple in Jerusalem.  He found the ancient scrolls, the Law of Moses, and had them read to the people.  The people responded by weeping at the words they heard.  But Nehemiah encouraged them not to weep our mourn. "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared.  This day is sacred to our Lord.  Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10).  There will come a day when we are ushered into the presence of the Lord, in all His heavenly splendor.  Some of us may weep on that day, but the Father will comfort us.  "He will dry every tear from your eyes."  We will be stronger there than at any time during our lives, all because of His power and grace.  This power and grace is available to us today, we just don't realize it.

Joy Is A Fruit Of The Spirit
As born-again believers in Christ, we have the Spirit of God living in us.  We should be so controlled by the Spirit, so filled full of God's grace and glory, that others will see Jesus in all that we do and say.  The Apostle Paul said, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:13)

A favorite scripture of many is Jeremiah 28:11: "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."  If that does not bring you joy, then perhaps you should reconsider your relationship with God.

Joy Is An Outpouring Of The Realization Of His Grace
"Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:8-9).  In his book Grace is not a blue-eyed blonde; Grace is the Joyous Unmerited Blessing of God, Eugene C. Rollins writes:

In Lieberman's classic, Peace of Mind, he tells us that we learn in the book of Joshua that there is no peace without a deep sense of justification.  There is no peace without a sense of I'm standing in and under God's grace, God's unmerited, undeserved, unearned kindness toward me.  Without that, there is no peace.  There is no social peace without soul peace.  There is no soul peace without a harmonious relationship to our Creator.  Soul peace.  Soul peace is found in that stand of grace. Standing under the justification of God, as I am aware that God looks at me and sees me just as if I'd never sinned.  Not that I am forgiven: I am. Not that I am pardoned: I am. Not that I am reconciled; I am. But just as if it never happened. That is what is abundant. Standing in that grace brings the justification.  The justification brings an abiding inner peace, and that abiding inner peace brings joy.  Not happiness. I'm not much on happiness.  You can find happiness anywhere, absolutely anywhere. You can find it in a bottle.   You can find it in a pill. You can find happiness anywhere and almost everywhere, but joy--that is something that is deep within that is contented.  That's something deep within that is OK. That comes out of peace. Peace comes out of justification.  Justification comes out of our stance and grace.

Wow.  What a concept.  Grace given to me, so that I am justified before God.  Being justified before God gives peace to my soul.  Soul peace leads to joy.  It makes me want to shout!

Joy to the world! The Lord has come
Let earth receive her King!
Let every heart prepare Him room
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven, and heaven and nature sing
Joy to the world! the Savior reigns
Let men their songs employ
While fields and floods
Rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat, repeat the sound joy
No more let sin and sorrow grow
Nor thorns infest the ground
He comes to make
His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found
Far as the curse is found
Far as, far as the curse is found
He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of His love
And wonders of is love
And wonders and wonders of His love

  

Public rebuke versus private redemption

I recently came across an interview from Katie Couric that I thought was timely, in light of the popular discussion these days.  I do not know when this piece aired, and I do not know who the guest, Carl Lentz, is except that he is pastor of a Pentecostal church in New York City that meets in a dance club and has thousands in attendance each week.

Katie Couric: How do you feel about the sort of tolerance issue that I was talking to Joel (Osteen) about?  I mean, do you guys have positions on, say, gay marriage and things like that?

Carl Lentz: We have a stance on love, and everything else we have conversations.

Katie:  So what does that mean?

Carl:  Exactly that.  Often people want you to make these big statements...

Katie:  Pronouncements

Carl:  Yeah, about things, and I don't think it's fair.  I don't think a public forum is always the best place to talk about something that's so sensitive and important to so many, because a public forum--there's no discussion there.  And everybody's situation is unique.  So, I've been with some people who are like, "Make a statement about this."  And I'll say, like, "Why?"  I'd rather have a conversation, you know, with that person; because if I make a statement publicly, there's no discussion, there's no explanation--there's just this comment.

Katie:  Just to play devil's advocate, do you feel like you have a moral imperative to speak publicly about some of these more controversial issues?

Carl: No, because we try to be like Jesus.  Very rarely did Jesus ever talk about morality or social issues.  He was about the deeper things of the heart.  Often people want to talk about behavior modification.  Our church isn't about that.  You can get behavior modification doing yoga, or going to a karaoke thing--you can change a little bit there.  We're about soul transformation. So you start talking about some of the symptomatic stuff--that's not what we're about.  We're about talking to people about their heart, and the condition of their soul.  And some of that stuff out-works itself. But we're not out to change people, because we can't.

Think about that for a minute.  What were the major themes of the most public statements of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount? Blessings in your present circumstances.  Love for your enemies.  Not judging others.  It was in the very private moments that he called out sin--the story of the woman at the well comes to mind.  There is probably a very good reason that there was only an audience of three at the Transfiguration--only Peter, James and John had the privilege of seeing Jesus in his heavenly state.  We have no eyewitness accounts, unless you believe that the Gospel of Mark was dictated by the Apostle Peter; we only have written descriptions from Matthew, Mark and Luke, none of whom were actually there.  It was a very emotional, very intimate experience.  Much like salvation.

Think of these two very different experiences:  In one, a member of the Jewish religious hierarchy approaches Jesus under cover of darkness.  Jesus could see, in this one-on-one, face-to-face encounter, that Nicodemus had some soul-searching, serious questions about how to approach God.  Jesus cut to the chase immediately: "I tell you the truth," he said. "No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."  Nicodemus was clearly a literal thinker.  His question seems ludicrous to anyone except those who think in very literal terms.  "How can a man be born when he is old? Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"  This give and take between the two men led to possibly the most famous verse in all of Scripture: "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."  Jesus led Nicodemus from religion to relationship, from condemnation to unconditional love.  He even spoke to Nicodemus' background in the law when in the same conversation Jesus said, "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil."

Now think about almost every Super Bowl broadcast you have seen.  Some guy in an end-zone seat, usually wearing a rainbow wig so he will stand out from the crowd, holds up a sign that reads "John 3:16".

Both Jesus and rainbow-wig guy have the same message.  But which one is more effective?  When Jesus gave the Great Commission, he didn't say, "Go ye therefore to every sports venue and hold a banner with my name."  He didn't say, "Teach them all things by way of putting religious bumper stickers on your cars."  And he sure didn't say, "At every opportunity, give an interview to a magazine where you describe one particular sin in very graphic detail in order to illustrate why you think it is a disgusting practice."

What he did say was that we should teach and disciple all people.  What he didn't say was that we should teach or disciple them all at the same time.  The best way to teach is individually, or at least in a small-group setting.  Why do you think many colleges boast about a low student-teacher ratio? Why do students who fall behind need one-on-one time with a tutor? Because that is the best way to teach.  And what is discipleship?  It is showing people how to live as Jesus lived.  The very best way to do that is to have the student follow the teacher around--not follow you on social media, or follow your radio and television broadcasts or even your sermon series on books and DVD. 

But back to the issue that everyone seems to be talking about this past week.  My philosophy professor in college, who has since retired, recently shared this post on Facebook:

If it were possible to come to the Bible with no pre-conceived ideas of right and wrong, the Bible rather clearly says that homosexuality is wrong--whatever the implications and applications that entails. It is a rather complex issue. (Note also that it clearly teaches that lying and gossiping, along with a good number of other things are wrong; lying seemingly, perhaps, gets the most attention).

If we could come to the Bible with no idea of how we ought to live, it clearly... says that we are to love each other, and that has many implications and applications. Christian love is more complex than appears first glance.

So we look for ways to live between these two concepts. We tend to gravitate, because of our prejudices, one way or the other. Truth lies somewhere in the middle along a shifting line depending on the relative situation. We don't want to be wishy-washy, so we polarize rather than having no clearly absolute answer.

I don't have the answers, however I am certain of one thing (one of the few things I am certain about) and that is that Christian love is trumps.

I guess the point of what I am saying is this: if we have a broad audience, we should speak of broad things, like love and mercy and justice.  If we want to identify specific sins of specific people, we should have those conversations in private, in person, and only after a lot of prayer.  If people make a blanket statement publicly, it is very easy to tune out their message.  Then the conversation is controlled by the media.  It is much better, showing more humility, to have discussions with people one at a time, so that their specific needs can be met with the message of Christ.  Remember Jesus' rebuke to the Pharisees: don't point to the splinter in your brother's eye until after you have removed the log from your own.

Crazy Love, Outrageous Gifts, Given By Our Father

My daughter and I watched a movie last night called "We Bought A Zoo."  Really cute, and heartwarming.  And, as usual, I saw some spiritual truths.  In the movie, Matt Damon plays a grieving widower with two children, Dylan, who is 14 and very bitter, and Rosie, who is 7 and very, very cute.  Everyone yearns for the missing mother, who died of an undisclosed illness, and whose image is seen throughout the film.  It made me think of our spiritual lives, where we yearn for Christ, and see Him in all things, but only if we look for Him and stop wallowing in our current situation. "Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

In one particular scene, the dad (played by Matt Damon) is preparing dinner.  They start to cook what appears to be some corn on the cob, and he tells the children that he forgot to buy butter.  He says it will be up to them, they have a vote, but he just wants them to know that it is 9 miles to the nearest grocery store, and 9 miles back.  So he asks them to ask themselves, it is worth driving 18 miles for butter?  Needless to say, the next time we see the dad, he is coming back from the grocery store with butter in his shopping bag.

To me, this was a powerful illustration.  What dad among us has not done some outrageous things for our children?  I know I have.  And in our human limitations, we all wish we could have done more.  Yet look at the lengths our Father in Heaven goes to for us. "Which of you," the Bible says, "if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?  If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" (Matthew 7:9-11).

Stop right now and count your blessings.  Think of all the good things you have in your life, things that you have very little control of--your health, your family, your possessions.  We tend to take these things for granted, but the Lord has blessed us with them.  Like Job in the Bible, if all these things were taken from us in one fell swoop, we would know that God had allowed it to happen.  Unlike Job, however (for most of us), we would not praise Him in our losses. "Naked came I from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart.  The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised." (Job 1:21)

In another scene of the movie, the young Dylan, the son, was asked to turn off the light in the garage.  A simple task, to be sure, but one that needed to be done.  But Dylan does not focus on the task at hand.  He notices a crate in the garage that is labeled "Live Snakes".  He can't help himself--he must open the crate and look in.  When he sees the serpents raise their heads and hears their hissing, he slams the lid shut and runs out of the building.  Unfortunately, he does not secure the latch, and the snakes escape.  In the morning, they find an infestation of snakes in their home and their yard.  To his credit, young Dylan takes responsibility for it, but he is consumed by guilt.  "What an idiot!" he calls himself.

Now, isn't that so much like us, in so many ways?  Our Father gives us a task to do, and we get distracted by sin.  No matter how well marked the path to sin is, no matter how large the letters on the sign, we still are tempted to open the box and peek in.  Like the ancient Greek myth of Pandora's Box, once it is open it is impossible to shut up again.  Sin slithers in, like a serpent.  It multiplies in our lives, and becomes an infestation.  And instead of going to the Father, we spend precious time and effort blaming ourselves.  Wracked with guilt, we become a hindrance in the effort to contain the critters, rather than humbly offering to help.

Finally, in one crucial scene of the movie, Matt Damon pulls on a sweatshirt that had been a favorite of his wife's.  When she was alive, she kind of took it over from him.  Now that he misses her so much, he puts on the garment that he has not worn in years.  I don't want to ruin the movie for those who have not seen it, but in doing this he finds a huge blessing.  Huge.  A life-changing blessing, that had been provided for by his wife for him before she died, and without his putting on the garment, he would not have found.  In fact, earlier in the movie he had considered throwing the sweatshirt away.

We are all called to put on the righteousness of God, like a cloak.  "I delight greatly in the Lord: my soul rejoices in my God.  For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness." (Isaiah 61:10).  We can choose to throw it away.  We can choose to keep salvation locked in a closet.  But the blessing comes when we wrap his grace around us, when we clothe ourselves in God's provision.  Then we find "a good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will be poured into your lap." (Luke 6:38).

You hear me when I call

You are my morning song
Though darkness fills the night
It cannot hide the light

Whom shall I fear?

You crush the enemy
Underneath my feet
You are my Sword and Shield
Though troubles linger still

Whom shall I fear?

I know Who goes before me
I know Who stands behind
The God of angel armies
Is always by my side
The One who reigns forever
He is a Friend of mine
The God of angel armies
Is always by my side

My strength is in Your name
For You alone can save
You will deliver me
Yours is the victory

Whom shall I fear?
Whom shall I fear?

And nothing formed against me shall stand
You hold the whole world in your hands
I'm holding onto Your promises
You are faithful
You are faithful

And nothing formed against me shall stand
You hold the whole world in your hands
I'm holding onto Your promises
You are faithful
You are faithful
You are faithful

I know Who goes before me
I know Who stands behind
The God of angel armies
Is always by my side
The One who reigns forever
He is a Friend of mine
The God of angel armies
Is always by my side

Read more: Chris Tomlin - Whom Shall I Fear (God Of Angel Armies) Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

God Keeps His Promises

Nevertheless, because of the covenant the Lord had made with David, the Lord was not willing to destroy the house of David.  He had promised to maintain a lamp for him and his descendants forever. --2 Chronicles 21:7

 We all remember the story of Noah's Ark, and the promise of the rainbow.  That may be one of the earliest Bible stories we heard as children growing up.  Some may call it a myth, but the world has not been destroyed in a flood, has it?

God is faithful.  "What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness? Not at all!  Let God be true, and every man a liar." (Romans 3:3-4)  In other words, your lack of faith in my God does not mean that my God does not exist, or that he cannot or will not do all that He has promised.

In the books of Chronicles in the Old Testament, there are successions of kings, some good, some evil.  In the verse cited above, the king was Jehoram, the son of Jehoshaphat.  Dad was a good king, following the laws of God.  Son was a bad king, leading the people of Israel into idolatry, following in the steps of Ahab (whose wife, you may remember, was Jezebel).

God's patience must have been running thin, because he considered wiping out the entire family of Jehoram.  Yet the youngest son, Ahaziah, was spared.  Even though God knew beforehand that Ahaziah would also be wicked and not follow in His ways, his very life was spared because of a promise that God had made to King David.  I wonder if Ahaziah ever thought about that?  Probably not.  Even today, the promises of God are kept, and some of us enjoy the fruit of God's hand even if we don't recognize it.  "God works in mysterious ways."

The promise to "maintain a lamp for him (David) and his descendants forever" was prophetic.  In the first chapter of John, Jesus is described as the Word made flesh, and the Light of the World. "In Him (Jesus) was life, and that life was the light of mankind.  That light still shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out." (John 1:4-5, Phillips Paraphrase).

Think about that.  God promised to have a descendant of David as ruler over Jerusalem and the Nation of Israel forever.  Whenever Israel sinned against God, and the people were taken into exile, there was always a princely descendant of David ready to assume the throne once the people were restored to their homeland.  But who is the king of Israel today?  It is Jesus, the Son of God, whose human family was of the house and line of King David.  And Jesus is our Light.  "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." (Psalm 119:105).  Who did John say was the Word made flesh? Who did the writer of Chronicles say was the Lamp maintained by God?  They are one and the same.

Light of the world, You stepped down into darkness.
Opened my eyes, let me see.
Beauty that made this heart adore you, hope of a life spent with you.

[Chorus]
And here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that you're my God,
You're altogether lovely,
Altogether worthy,
Altogether wonderful to me.

King of all days,
Oh so highly exalted, Glorious in heaven above.
Humbly you came to the earth you created.
All for love's sake became poor.

[Chorus]
Here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that you're my God,
You're altogether lovely,
Altogether worthy,
Altogether wonderful to me.

I'll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross.
I'll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross.
And I'll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross.
No I'll never know how much it cost to se my sin upon that cross.

[Chorus]
Here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that you're my God,
You're altogether lovely,
Altogether worthy,
Altogether wonderful to me.
So Here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that you're my God,

A love borne out in service

Service which is rendered without joy helps neither the servant nor the served. But all other pleasures and possessions pale into nothingness before service which is rendered in a spirit of joy.  --Mahandas K. Gandhi

I will confess that pride is one of the sins with which I struggle the most.  At any point of comparison with another that I feel superior, I will boast in it.  In any position in which I am placed, I instantly find others in lower positions to whom I may compare myself favorably. Had I gone into medicine, I would have been the doctor with the god complex, the one the nurses all hate to work with.  Had I gone into the military, I would have been the captain with the complex, the second lieutenant with "small man syndrome" at whose orders the sergeants would all roll their eyes.

When I got my first job in my current career, I would boast that I had a master's degree.  Most people didn't care.  The ones who were willing to engage me in conversation about it would ask where I received it from, or what my field of study was.  When I would tell them that my degree was from a Baptist seminary, in Religious Education, the conversation would suddenly stop.  No one could think of any way a seminary degree in religious education could help me in the business world, much less in the field of insurance.  So those kind people would either walk away, or would change the subject.  God bless those who would forebear my obnoxiousness.  They had more of a servant mentality than I.

That servant mentality is what I'd like to spend a few minutes discussing.  When Paul said, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves," (Philippians 2:3), he probably had Jesus in mind.  Jesus personified servant leadership.  But the way that Jesus served was not just to show us how to serve one another; it was done out of complete and utter love.  Follow me in John chapter 13.

It was just before the Passover Feast.  Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. --John 13:1a

Jesus had every right to lord it over his disciples, because he was, in fact, Lord of all.  We who are limited in human nature can barely grasp the concept of what Jesus was feeling at that moment.  He knew that he would suffer death withing 24 hours of that time.  If you or I had that knowledge, that we were condemned to die in a day, what would we be thinking?  Get away from me.  I need to be alone.  None of this matters now.  There is no tomorrow.  We would be bitter, selfish, and rude, wouldn't we.  Yet Jesus knew that he would awaken in the presence of his Father, the almighty God of Heaven.

If I was a prince, and I found myself in chains in a prison, I would be petulant.  If I were told that tomorrow I would be reunited with my father the king, and would be restored to the castle where I grew up, with all of the rights and privileges of royalty bestowed up me, I would probably be plotting revenge against my captors.  In a way, this was where Jesus found himself.  But he was not feeling any of those emotions that we would feel.

Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. --John 13:1b

How did he show them he loved them? Did he embrace each one and tell them all personally how much they meant to him? No. Did he promise them prominent positions in his kingdom? No.  Did he lavish them with gifts? Not really.

Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.  After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. --John 13:3-5

With the knowledge that he was all-powerful, and with a sense of his history and his destiny, he showed them the full extent of his love by stripping off his clothes and kneeling before each one of them.  He didn't even demand that they bring him a basin or that they fill it with water.  He likely picked up his own basin and drew the water out himself.  And as he washed the filth off their feet, it was transferred to him--he used his own hands to wash, and the towel that was wrapped around himself to dry them off.  Not only was this a foreshadowing of his sacrificial death, in which he took all the sins of the world upon himself; it was a picture of what true love is.

If we are truly committed to living the way Jesus wants us to live, and to glorify him in our actions, we will do more of this kind of work ourselves.  We will hold the hand of the sick, even those with contagious diseases; even, I daresay, those with diseases that were contracted out of sinful conduct (venereal disease, pregnancy out of wedlock, AIDS, etc.)  We will feed the hungry around us without judging--without the attitude of "get a job, and make better decisions in life and you won't be in this situation."

A famous German theologian once wrote, “By judging others we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the grace which others are just as entitled to as we are.” ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship. This same man wrote what is now called the Serenity Prayer, which is repeated at the end of every AA meeting. Most Christians in the pews on Sunday would not think of spending Saturdays at AA meetings, or soup kitchens, or hospice.  And why not? Because we do not all have the servant-spirit of Jesus.  We would rather compare ourselves favorably to those in need than to help them.  We have succumbed to the sin of pride, and take no joy in service.

The second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as you love yourself.  This is true even if your neighbor is poor and in need.

Trials, Tribulations, and Truth

 

Do not pray for easier lives.  Pray to be stronger men. --John F. Kennedy

Tough week.  Sunday I had recommitted to God that I would be more faithful to him, that I would strive with my whole being to glorify him in all that I do.  Remembering the Sunday before, when I had worked for 10 hours running back and forth, serving with all my strength; then having to walk 1.2 miles to the employee parking lot where I had left my car.  I thought about how far it was, and how long it would take me to walk there (it would have taken even longer to wait for the employee shuttle, the line was so long.)  Then I realized that all I could do was take one step at a time.  One foot in front of the other, and soon, I was at the next stoplight; then I was at the Youth Ballpark; then I was at the parking lot, in view of my car.  That was the lesson that I have been learning--don't bellyache that the destination is too far, just start the journey and keep going.

So I had this going on early this week.  Claiming God's promise in Isaiah 26:3: "You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee."

Then came the test.

I get a phone call on Thursday.  Emergency.  Don't leave work, but there's this thing.  Big thing.  Been coming on for a couple of days.  Needs to be dealt with.  Difficult.  Hard.  Don't want to face it, but can't avoid it.  I'm coming home.  No, don't.  But I can help.  DON'T LEAVE WORK!!! Okay, but call me.

Try to do my job, but can't concentrate on the task at hand.  Then I get another call, this time from a client. The payment I sent didn't get there.  I check it.  Yes it went out, to this address.  What do you mean that's not the right address?  And the payment that was due to you, you were going to use it to pay your rent? And to buy diapers for your baby?  And now you have nothing until the corrected payment gets to you next week? And your landlord is threatening eviction?  Hang on, my boss is saying something--yes, I know that late payments could result in fines against my company.  Yes, I know that interest payments are due if the late payment is my fault.  Yes, sir, this late payment is my fault.

Tell me again why I got out of bed this morning?

Praying hard all the way home.  A scripture is brought to mind.  Romans 8:28: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."  Yes, but Lord, I should have left work to deal with this emergency.  Yet, I know that if I had left, I wouldn't have heard from the client, and I wouldn't have been able to correct the address and re-send the check.  But I feel so bad for the young mother who is in such dire straits, and it is my fault she didn't have the money she was expecting.  In a perfect world, I wouldn't have messed up the payment.  In a perfect world, I could've been available during this emergency.  In a perfect world, there wouldn't have been any emergency, and there would have been no need to leave work, and no double-bind, and no feelings of failing twice in one day.

So much is out of my control.  And when life gets complicated, the things I do have control over don't always go according to plan, so it adds to the trouble.  Yet in John 16, Jesus said these soothing words:

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world. --John 16:33

Peace
He did not say there would be peace in the circumstances.  He did not say that in my own strength I could achieve peace.  He said, "In me you may have peace."  No matter what we are going through, he is our peace.  All he asks from us is faithfulness.  When Peter had the faith to walk on water, he took his eyes off of Jesus, and when he saw the wind and the waves--when he saw the circumstances of where he was--he started to sink.  We must remember the words of Jesus ("I have told you these things"), and meditate on them rather than worrying and being consumed with our circumstances.  It is hard to understand, but we know what Paul said in Phillippians 4:7, "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

Trouble
We live in a fallen world.  We don't have to look very far to see things that would not happen in a perfect world--hunger, homelessness, hopelessness and despair.  We only have to turn on the news networks to see that these problems are world-wide, not just in our own neighborhoods.  God may give us opportunity to fight injustice, or to feed the hungry, or to bring hope to the hopeless.  But if we visualize the scope of the problem, the breadth and depth and height of it, we could very easily get discouraged.  We must look only at what we can do in this moment.  One step, one day at a time.  God promises that one day, he will wipe every tear from our eyes.  Isaiah 16:5 promises, "In love, a throne will be established; in faithfulness, a man will sit on it--one from the house of David--one who in judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of the righteous."  That is what I think of when I read the first part of the Lord's Prayer: "Thy kingdom come." Even now, Lord Jesus, come quickly!

Overcome
He is faithful.  He is powerful.  He who turned water into wine can turn chaos into calmness.  We, who are called by his Name, can overcome the world, as well.  1 John 5:4-5 says, "For everyone born of God overcomes the world.  This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.  Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God."  Are you an overcomer? God is faithful, and he can work through those who are faithful to him.  No one can do everything; but everyone can do something.  A tremendous journey begins with one step, and is followed by another step, then another, and another until you are in a different place than when you started.

I am pleased to tell you that the emergency was dealt with.  The crisis is not over, but by God's grace it will resolve well.  And on Friday I got a call from that client, who had informed me that I had made that error on her payment, the error the could have so many different consequences.  She thanked me for being so thoughtful and caring.  She won't get the money until next week, but her landlord has promised to work with her, and she has family that can help her buy diapers and baby food for her daughter.  Even though I felt hopeless in those situations, by God's grace I was faithful in always trying to do the right thing, one step at a time. To God be the glory, who can bring peace under any circumstance, and bring victory through my failings.