Making a Difference

11/14/2015

1 Corinthians 15.2,58 2 …and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. – St. Paul

In this world there is a thing called belief. Everyone believes something and I would add, they believe in something. Having belief is one thing, doing something with your belief is another.

On September 11, 2012 the American Embassy in Benghazi, Libya was attacked by terrorists and four American citizens, including the Ambassador to Lybia, J. Christopher Stevens, were killed. At one point in the investigation that followed, then Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, threw up hers hands in exasperation and exclaimed: What difference does it make!? What difference does belief make?

It appears that belief chooses sides. Sometimes belief of one kind gets in the way of belief of another kind; belief in a cause sometimes conflicts with belief in an agenda. The agenda conflicting the Corinthian Church was: there is no resurrection from the dead. Not surprising, many, many people still have an incredibly difficult time believing that Jesus is alive – a fable, a myth, they surmise. What difference does it make?

When Paul wrote his famous letters to this church he said it makes a great deal of difference. He wrote: Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. It’s all there, it’s all truth, but it’s truth only if you fully believe – unless you’ve believed in vain and thrown up your hands in: What difference does it make!?

Paul went on to write, some 56 verses later, after making his defense of what he wrote 56 verses earlier: Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. Belief makes all the difference. Belief in vain, is useless, hopeless, and makes no difference in this world at all.

So, the Gospel which Paul preached made a difference, and the abounding in the work of the Lord makes a difference because agendas of the dogmatic kind, don’t make a difference. Dogmatic agendas tend to end up in people getting killed in vain belief, and what is the use in that?

If one is to die, let one die abounding in the work of the Lord because, that death is never in vain. Vain belief is unproductive at the highest level; abounding in the work of the Lord is meaningful, purposeful, and pleasing to the One who did, indeed, rise from the dead: the Righteous for the unrighteous that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit. Belief, in the right place, makes a difference on earth and for eternity. Jesus rose from the dead.

Lord, as he asked You one day long, long ago: Lord, “I believe; help my unbelief!” In the face of all of the conflicting agendas, the death, and the disappointment today, I ask the same. Amen

Placing Our Faith

11/13/15

Job 39.9-12 9 “Is the wild ox willing to serve you? Will he spend the night at your manger?

10 Can you bind him in the furrow with ropes, or will he harrow the valleys after you?

11 Will you depend on him because his strength is great, and will you leave to him your labor?

12 Do you have faith in him that he will return your grain and gather it to your threshing floor?” – God

Last year (2014) I got to go on a mission trip to Kenya. Fascinating. Mysterious. Human. There were many facets to the trip that I will remember as long as I live – the city, the crowds, the markets, the school, the children; the little black fingers touching my hands, my wedding ring, and my pale, honky arms, and feeling the white hair thereupon. The kids were intensely curious about this old white guy. It’s funny, they said, to them, we all looked the same – hah!

At the end of the trip we went to the southern part of Kenya to the famed Maasai Mara. Maasai are the people, and Mara is the trees that dot the vast landscape. Our great God seems to love abundance because the zebra, gazelle, deer, wildebeest, and giraffe were without number – everywhere! The lions, cheetah, and other predators were fat and sassy; no shortage of food there.

Interestingly the most dangerous animal on the Mara is the Cape Buffalo. Not unlike their distant American cousins, the Bison, they are seemingly docile until threatened or provoked: then it hits the fan and the recipient of their ferocity is usually dead within a matter of moments having been flung afar, gored, and trampled. It is this creature that is mentioned above in Job 39. Is the Cape Buffalo willing to serve you? Nope. Is he willing to kill you? Only if you make the mistake of trying to tame him.

The Mara is littered with the skeletal remains of the Cape because even though they are quite able to defend themselves, even they are no match for the big cats. Speaking of which, the cats aren’t into being tamed either. Animals are terrified of mankind and prone to defend themselves to the death (yours included) when around men who are too stupid to understand that looks can indeed, be deceiving.

The problem with the Cape is he promises so much potential yet delivers such deadliness. The problem with men is they are too concerned about production to notice that brawn with no brain is a horrific threat to the one who thinks he can woo the Cape tamely into his corral to be employed in his fields. God says, Fat chance.

Life is much like the Cape Buffalo, seeming to offer one thing, and yet serving up something else. Again, the problem with us is we believe life is one thing, only to find out that like the Cape, it is something else entirely; and the results are often catastrophic. Kinda depends on where we put our trust.

Knowing what I know now, I give the Cape Buffalo a wide birth. To answer the questions above I’d simply have to say, “No.” The one question is: “Do you have faith in him that he will return your grain and gather it to your threshing floor?” My questions is: Where are we putting our faith – in ourselves and our cleverness? Or in the One Who made the Cape Buffalo but then calls us to Himself to be His children and servants forever? The answer is obvious and the results are universes apart.

Lord, the Buffalo is there to teach is a wise or dreadful lesson: where do we put our faith? Help us to choose wisely – amen.

The Way Out

11/11/15

1 Corinthians 10.13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. – St. Paul

What this verse does not say is this: that I have any ability at all. What it does say is that I am going to be faced with temptation in this world – that’s just the way it goes: everyone lives with temptation. The question is: what do we do with temptation? Do I give in, or resist?

I struggle with how the concept of temptation is presented in the Scripture. It almost seems that it is presented in such a way as the damage has already been done. (Not true.) It is not a sin to be tempted; it is a sin to give into temptation. And all of us face temptation in one form or another in most of life – that is a result of the pervasiveness of sin.

But what do we do with temptation? Temptation is like a petty criminal who’s not very good at pulling of crime. Temptation is often very obvious; it’s like we can see it coming, even when it is desperately trying to conceal itself. I think, more than anything, the apostle was saying: Lookit! You’re gonna face temptation – deal with it! Just because temptation is there doesn’t mean we have to give into it.

The promise of temptation is that we’re going to find some kind of value in doing what we’re tempted to do. That’s the promise, but it is a hollow promise – which makes it a lie. Funny, how much hollow promises ring true if we let them. Paul, Jesus, God the Father and the Holy Spirit all agree: DON’T!!

What we’re to do with temptation (whether we use it for gratification or as some kind of weapon) is resist it. To me, that is an invitation to not let it get the best of me in its clever, but slimy appeal. The worst part about the sliminess of temptation is that it seems to know the exact place of that sliminess in me – and it works hard to connect there. In Jesus however, I can look away; in Jesus I can think different thoughts; in Jesus I can look for a way out because sure enough, as obvious as temptation is – so is the way out of temptation. I can always change my mind and think about something else – or – I can think it through to its logical conclusion and make up my mind that I don’t want to do what temptation urges me to do…sometimes it is pretty insidious…

Paul isn’t saying I won’t be tempted. What he is saying is that I am not alone in my temptation: the Lord is always very near and He has offered to always lead me away from temptation to salvation.

Lord, today is a new day. Today will be filled with all kinds of stimuli to tempt me to live independently from You – may it not be, but because it is, may I stand strong in Your strength, Your presence, Your peace, and Your power to simply walk away, think away, or pray away those things that would tempt me to try to fight them in my own strength and power – in Your Name, amen.

The Main Thing

11/08/15

1 Corinthians 2. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. – St. Paul

It appears that Paul wrote to the church in Corinth in response to some issues (both major and minor) they were having. Paul had already come to Corinth in person and when he did, he decided to know nothing among them except Jesus Christ and Him crucified – the gospel. Because he said, ‘I decided’ I guess he must have had some thoughts about what to say to the Corinthians and how he would say it. He’d made up his mind that the only thing he would present to them was the only thing they needed to hear: Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

Sometimes in conversation about God, people will present all kinds of the thoughts they have about God. Some are fairly insightful, and some is just downright ridiculous. That’s not to put people down, it’s just to say that when you enter into a conversation about God with people be prepared to hear some pretty wild stuff. People have strange thoughts about God.

Paul knew that – by this time in his ministry he’d probably heard all kinds of weird and wild stuff.

But Paul made up his mind before he even got there that he was going to keep the main thing the main thing. He wasn’t going to allow himself or his hearers to get side-tracked by tradition, religion, or superstition. The gospel is what sets men free, not discussions about what somebody else says about God. And men’s opinions about God are almost endless.

There is something to learn from Paul’s example here in this letter. There is something to be learned in the conversations we have with others about the goodness and nature of God. It is the lesson of keeping the main thing the main thing. It is the lesson of keeping the conversation focused and it is the lesson of letting the Holy Spirit do His work as we present the evidence of His Being. That certainly doesn’t mean being rude, or terse, but it does mean lovingly presenting the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth – so help us God.

Lord, help me to keep it simple and keep it focused on You and what You’ve done and to avoid the trap of wrangling over words. The Gospel is what sets men free and may my discussions about You cling to the truth about You. Help me God – Amen.

The Metrics of Wisdom

11/05/15

Job 28.12, 23,28 12 “But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?

23 “God understands the way to it, and he knows its place.

28 Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.

In my world there is a thing called metrics; it’s a way of measuring or evaluating something. We look at all kinds of data and try to determine what, if anything, can be learned from such information. I say, in my world, but there are metrics in your world as well – you may not specifically call metrics, but they are there nonetheless.

In Job (jōbe) 28, there are metrics: But where shall wisdom be found? Good question. Wisdom, while sharable or learnable is not available for purchase; although it may be available for hire... The first metric is the source of wisdom.

Job, starting at about chapter 3 of the book, is having a conversation with his three friends, Bildad, Zophar, and Eliphaz. His friends were convinced Job had done something wrong because of the catastrophic turn of events in Job’s life – Job, you musta done somthin’ way wrong… And so, from Job 3 to about Job 31 a discussion ensues with Job’s friends accusing and Job defending.

In my reading of the discussion today, Job asks: But where shall wisdom be found? In other words, If you’re so smart, how’d you get your smartness – what metrics are you using to measure or evaluate your smart-idity? ‘Cause it sounds a lot like stupidity! And the question to us is where do we find wisdom? What metrics do we use?

Well, the first clue is: Go to God. If we want smarts (i.e. wisdom) we need to find a source and Job says that source is God. Now, Job’s three friends claimed to have wisdom and insight but their conclusions were faulty and just spouting the world’s party line: if you screw up there’s payback – that’s how Deity operates! Multiplied millions of people today believe the same thing: I get paid back what I deserve. What kind of a universe is that!? What metrics lead you to that conclusion!?

Job would respond: “God understands the way to it, and he knows its place. Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding. Pretty simple equation: go to God, respect Him, turn from evil (everybody knows what that is…) and you’ll find all the wisdom you’ll ever need. God desires friendship, not enmity. But most people’s metrics get in the way; to them, payback seems to be the only answer – who wants to serve a god like that?

Wisdom does not grow on trees. Nor can one find it on the produce aisle in the supermarket. Wisdom is found in relationship, in experience, and first and foremost: in God. St. James once said: If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. I believe that to be pretty sound advice: ask God for wisdom, believing He will supply…

Father, I ask – amen.

A Higher Plane

11/4/2015

Mark 16.19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. – St. Peter

I’m not sure why Peter is made out to be the Gatekeeper of Heaven; there must be some tradition that says so… When Peter’s Gospel was written, apparently the last 11 verses seem to be in question as to whether or not they were part of the original text. I don’t know. I’m not sure. But this I do know, gatekeeper or not, Peter saw things in heaven that the rest of us just have to take by faith: Jesus, after He had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God… St. Pete must have known something.

I can imagine the eyes of those who witnessed the Great Servant King enter His eternal courts, ascend the throne, and take His seat. I can imagine the awe, the honor, and the cheering as the Overcoming God overcame, and took His place to rule and reign forever. Jesus ascended from His place of servant (Philippians 2) to that of Majesty. Wow.

The very next verse in Mark 16 says: And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs. (v. 20) The plan was unfolding and the Church had begun. The Church is not a building, It’s a people doing what the Master has commanded, and working with Him to see it done. That’s living at a higher plane.

In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he wrote: So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10.31) That is living at a higher plane: it is living according to the bidding of the King. That would be Jesus, and He commands at this moment from His glorious throne. Peter knew all that and saw all that. Peter, the lowly fisherman, saw the goodness and glory of God.

Again, I’m not sure why Peter has been relegated to the Doorman of Heaven because the Scripture indicates he is one of the 24 elders in the throne room of John’s Revelation. I think Peter has better things to do than guard the gate of Heaven.

God took Peter to a higher plane of living. God took Peter, with all of his faults and failings and turned him into a herald of the Good News. I’m not sure I believe that his reward for all that was standing at the gate. Peter was transformed into a child of the Living God and he now rules in Heaven alongside the Great Servant King. That is the promise for all who believe. That is a higher plane of life for God’s children.

Jesus did what He set out to do and He did it in complete submission to the Father’s leading. As believers, you and I are called to nothing less – we are to do as Jesus did and follow the path to glory listening to, and carrying out, the Father’s wishes. Like Father, like Son, like child. Peter, the fisherman who became the Fisher of Men, saw all this and lives in God’s glorious throne room at this moment.

Our goal is to join him in that higher plane.

Lord, take me higher. Take me to that place of listening intently, and then doing completely. Take me this day to the next step toward that Higher Plane – Amen.

Divine Design

11/1/2015

Mark 10.5-9 5 And Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. 6 But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ 7 ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

I wonder today, having read the above, how much ancient culture influenced Moses as he wrote the Mosaic Law. I wonder why Jesus said what He said about Moses’ writing the part about divorce because of their hardness of heart. Does God make allowances for us because of our shortcomings?

Divorce is a hard thing. I know many, many people who’ve divorced. It seems there is no such thing as happy divorce. There is allowable divorce, but I don’t know of any happy ones; somebody always seems to end up holding the bag. But one thing is for sure: divorce happens.

Men and women have always had differing points of view, and those views are brought into marriage. Part of the marriage is learning how to work out those differences and live harmoniously. Sometimes, it just doesn’t work. Sexual infidelity is cause for divorce, but even that – with enough work – can be resolved. There is such a thing as forgiveness. However, divorce happens.

Jesus was simply saying to those attempting to trap Him in His words: Look, Moses wrote what he wrote because he understood human weakness; but that isn’t God’s desire and design for marriage. Jesus knew this is a fallen world and fallen people divorce. God will sort all of that out in the end.

I think about what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount about divorce as well: the adultery part and all that. I’m not sure I know what to think about that. Do divorcees who remarry remain adulterers forever? I do know those who’ve divorced and remarried whose subsequent marriages seem to be okay. Maybe the second time around has more effort put into it; the couple tries harder. I’m not sure whether trying harder is always the solution; but the grass is always the greenest where we pour the most water.

So, my initial concern about Moses’ writing is still there for me: Jesus said Moses wrote because of their hardness of heart. I think Jesus may have been pointing out there was a better way than what Moses wrote. I think Jesus was hinting that there was a better way than Judaism: Him. He is the Better Way.

Personally, I don’t have a solution for divorce, but I know Someone who does, the One who said: “Because of your hardness of heart [Moses] wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” God’s divine design is no divorce.

Father, You know and You understand; You desire that we marrieds work it out. Permanently. Divorce happens but it isn’t necessarily the end. Not being saved is the end. To stand before You without salvation is catastrophic. And permanent. Help us to focus on Your divine design and learn to live in harmony with the spouse of our youth. The grass is always greenest where we pour the most water; may our marriages honor You with that effort, amen.