Forgiveness is always an interesting topic. For Christians this concept is critical. We are told to forgive others, or our Heavenly Father will not forgive us. (Matt 5:7) This really bothers me because I love to hold on to the right of the offense. This may be one of the most difficult commands that we are given. It was so difficult for our Father to forgive us that this could not be done without the sacrifice of his Son. Forgiveness for God involves the ultimate in self sacrifices.
I few months ago, I saw the movie Invictus. This is a powerful movie and one worth watching. At the center of this movie is the idea of forgiveness. Invictus is about the change of power in South Africa from apartheid to democracy. This was not a gentle shift initially. The new President of South Africa was Nelson Mandela a former prisoner of the apartheid power brokers. Would this be his chance to exact revenge on his former captures? Most everyone thought that this would be the moment of vengeance. Mandela, however, turned out to be the right man for the time. His policy was one of forgiveness.
His ultimate goal for South Africa was one of unity that included his former capturers. He knew that this could only happen through forgiveness. He was never offered a formal apology for the travesty of his imprisonment. He simply had to forgive because he desired more than justice, he desired peace and unity. Because of his sacrifice of grace, South Africa is a free and peaceful country. Other nations around the world should take note of the power of forgiveness. There was nothing overtly Christian about this movie, in fact it seemed to promote secular humanism. This is proof that the message of forgiveness transcends the Christian context. Even secular humanists get it right sometimes.
It seems unfair that the offended party has to forgive, even though the offending party may be unrepentant. The offended have the rights to demand justice and punishment, but for there to be peace and reconciliation, forgiveness must be complete. When some are confronted with overwhelming power of undeserved forgiveness, they must respond.
The command for Christians to forgive is serious business. Forgiveness is for those that do the offending, but it is also for the ones that are offended. Only when true forgiveness is extended does the offense lose its power over us. In fact out of our anger and pain, we must forgive. This is the only way to let loose of anger, pain, and humiliation. I am only humiliated when an unworthy power has dominion over me. Forgiveness looses the indignation. Forgiveness frees the emotionally captive. Forgiveness brings peace. Forgiveness brings joy. You are most free, when you are forgiven and forgiving.
It is always stunning to me when people get angered by forgiveness. Many today find ways to legitimize their sin in an effort to assuage their guilt, when true forgiveness and peace are only a step away. Why do we take the hard road, when God gently calls to come near? Romans 5:6-10 reminds us that God’s sacrificial act was not predicated on our humble posture. It was accomplished while we were sinners and enemies of God.
He cared so much for us that he accomplished forgiveness in the midst of our offenses. What if we would truly grab a hold of the true forgiveness that is found in Christ? We would walk in confidence of our God. Forgiving others would be natural. I maintain that we sometimes hold grudges because we do not understand or feel the full weight of the forgiveness of God. Only when we fully embrace and walk with God, can we fully forgive and walk with others. I am amazed at Nelson Mandela. He laid down his rights for the good of South Africa - and he was successful. This sacrifice was only a weak shell compared to what Jesus did for each and every one of us.
We should grab hold of freedom. We should grab hold of peace. We should grab hold of unity. We should grab hold of love. All this, by grabbing hold of forgiveness.
Lord please forgive us and help us to forgive others.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
True Courage
Most of the time when I am running a little low on courage, I turn on Gladiator or Braveheart and I am inspired. Today, I have a different source of encouragement. I watched a documentary on lions the other day. A male lion came into a pride and ousted the older male lion and took over the pride. Now the lionesses “belong” to this new lion. The problem is that the new lion will kill all the lion cubs because they belong to the previous ruler and he cannot have children of another lion’s seed in his pride. In this documentary one of the lionesses had 2 cubs and sought to protect them by leaving the pride. The male lion then went after the cubs and tried to reattach the lioness to his pride.
It was riveting to watch this huge lion stalk these young cubs. It is not often that you see a male on the hunt. Most of the time, the hunt is reserved for the lionesses. As the lion attempted to strike and kill the cubs, the mother comes from nowhere to defend the cubs. Now the male lion out weights the female by 50%, but the female lion sent the male lion packing. This kind of courage is inspiring. This mother let nothing get in the way of protecting her cubs.
Recently, Anna and I both had the stomach bug, at the same time. This was an incredibly miserable experience. Let me remind you that we have three children who need to be taken care of: 6, 4, and 6 months. My wife reminded me of the lioness above. She found courage to fight through the illness and take care of her children and her husband. I have to tell you, I have never been more proud and impressed with my wife. You must understand that she has a fear of vomiting. The stomach bug is her personal version of a nightmare. And she battled through. She has never thought of herself as being brave, but in that moment she proved that she was. William Wallace and Maximus have nothing on my wife.
My wife’s sister one time said that bravery is enduring with style. I like this definition. We all go through things in our lives. Do we endure with style or whine our way through every bad moment? John 15:13 reminds us that the greatest type of love is the willingness to sacrifice your life for a friend. I have thought often about giving up my life for those I love. If the moment came, would I step in front of the bullet, would I lay down my life for another? I realized that this was a futile exercise. The reason is because; I so rarely sacrifice in the little ways every day. I do not participate in the progressive laying down of my life. This is what made my wife’s sacrifice amazing. She was not in danger of death, yet she laid down her right to be sick for her family. The thing is there are lots of people that do this sort of thing every day. Most of them go completely unnoticed or unappreciated. Hebrews 10:38 speaks of people, “of whom the world is not worthy.” These are the unnamed people who sacrifice in small ways every day. These are the people whose names will never be lauded in books or sermons, but who will be celebrated in Heaven with shouts of joy. These are the ones who endure with style.
My wife would tell you that she did this only by the strength of Christ. I think this is the point of laying down our lives. Only when we do this can we really experience the strength of Christ coming through. Every moment and every breath on that day was soaked in the active reliance of the power of Christ. Is she stronger now? You betchya. She now knows what it means to rely on Christ for every moment. Many of us, say we do this while really relying on our own abilities or strengths. We actively seek to avoid the situations in our lives that force us to rely on God and on Him alone. Therefore, we become crippled by our own abilities. We become crippled by our own lack of trust. We become crippled by our adequacies.
I read through Hosea recently and came across a verse I like. Hosea prophesied against Israel for prostituting themselves with foreign gods. I wonder in what ways we prostitute ourselves today. One of the ways modern and postmodern culture does this is by the worship of self and self sufficiency. Hosea 10:12-13 states, “Sow with a view to righteousness, Reap in accordance with kindness; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD Until He comes to rain righteousness on you. You have plowed wickedness, you have reaped injustice, You have eaten the fruit of lies. Because you have trusted in your way, in your numerous warriors…” (NAS - emphasis added) Consider what this verse suggests. The root of their sin was trusting in their own strength, not God’s. We need to understand that our control is an illusion and true life is lived when we lean completely into the arms of Christ. This is what my wife did; this is what I hope to do.
It was riveting to watch this huge lion stalk these young cubs. It is not often that you see a male on the hunt. Most of the time, the hunt is reserved for the lionesses. As the lion attempted to strike and kill the cubs, the mother comes from nowhere to defend the cubs. Now the male lion out weights the female by 50%, but the female lion sent the male lion packing. This kind of courage is inspiring. This mother let nothing get in the way of protecting her cubs.
Recently, Anna and I both had the stomach bug, at the same time. This was an incredibly miserable experience. Let me remind you that we have three children who need to be taken care of: 6, 4, and 6 months. My wife reminded me of the lioness above. She found courage to fight through the illness and take care of her children and her husband. I have to tell you, I have never been more proud and impressed with my wife. You must understand that she has a fear of vomiting. The stomach bug is her personal version of a nightmare. And she battled through. She has never thought of herself as being brave, but in that moment she proved that she was. William Wallace and Maximus have nothing on my wife.
My wife’s sister one time said that bravery is enduring with style. I like this definition. We all go through things in our lives. Do we endure with style or whine our way through every bad moment? John 15:13 reminds us that the greatest type of love is the willingness to sacrifice your life for a friend. I have thought often about giving up my life for those I love. If the moment came, would I step in front of the bullet, would I lay down my life for another? I realized that this was a futile exercise. The reason is because; I so rarely sacrifice in the little ways every day. I do not participate in the progressive laying down of my life. This is what made my wife’s sacrifice amazing. She was not in danger of death, yet she laid down her right to be sick for her family. The thing is there are lots of people that do this sort of thing every day. Most of them go completely unnoticed or unappreciated. Hebrews 10:38 speaks of people, “of whom the world is not worthy.” These are the unnamed people who sacrifice in small ways every day. These are the people whose names will never be lauded in books or sermons, but who will be celebrated in Heaven with shouts of joy. These are the ones who endure with style.
My wife would tell you that she did this only by the strength of Christ. I think this is the point of laying down our lives. Only when we do this can we really experience the strength of Christ coming through. Every moment and every breath on that day was soaked in the active reliance of the power of Christ. Is she stronger now? You betchya. She now knows what it means to rely on Christ for every moment. Many of us, say we do this while really relying on our own abilities or strengths. We actively seek to avoid the situations in our lives that force us to rely on God and on Him alone. Therefore, we become crippled by our own abilities. We become crippled by our own lack of trust. We become crippled by our adequacies.
I read through Hosea recently and came across a verse I like. Hosea prophesied against Israel for prostituting themselves with foreign gods. I wonder in what ways we prostitute ourselves today. One of the ways modern and postmodern culture does this is by the worship of self and self sufficiency. Hosea 10:12-13 states, “Sow with a view to righteousness, Reap in accordance with kindness; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD Until He comes to rain righteousness on you. You have plowed wickedness, you have reaped injustice, You have eaten the fruit of lies. Because you have trusted in your way, in your numerous warriors…” (NAS - emphasis added) Consider what this verse suggests. The root of their sin was trusting in their own strength, not God’s. We need to understand that our control is an illusion and true life is lived when we lean completely into the arms of Christ. This is what my wife did; this is what I hope to do.
Monday, March 29, 2010
The Reason for the Season
This is an assignment I needed to do on the meaning of Christmas.
I want discuss the “Reason for the Season” of Christmas. I know this is a clichéd statement, but it is important that we take some time to think about Jesus. Most of us turn our attention to the wonderful nativity story recounted in Luke. This is a nice story and typically recalls wonderful romantic notions of our childhood. However, what this story expresses is a truth that we do not think about often enough. We read the nativity story and marvel at the circumstances surrounding Jesus’ birth, but we so easily forget to consider that at that moment God became human. Think about the juxtaposition of that thought. God became human. It is almost unbelievable to think that the divine came as a human. God was not just in the form of a man, He did not just fill a man, and He did not just take on the nature of man, for a brief moment in the history of time: God became man. Heaven must have been holding its breath at the thought. The Gospel of John has no telling of the nativity, however he does tell us in 1:14 that, “the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (NAS) I want us to consider this thought as Christmas approaches.
For many of us our words mean almost nothing. We toss the word “love” easily in reference to our favorite sports team, television show, or cell phone. If I have loving thoughts for my wife, yet never speak these loving words, my thoughts to her are useless. Words mean something. The words we use towards our children and friends shape their lives. Just a quick complement can change someone’s day. Words to God also mean something. God could have thought the world in being. He instead spoke the world into being. When he thought creation was good, he said so. He did not leave us to wonder if creation was everything he thought it should be. When Jesus was baptized, he spoke words of affirmation over him. John’s Gospel relates Jesus to the Word. This places Jesus squarely in the center of creation. He was at creation and involved in creation. The creator became creation. The Word became flesh.
Even speaking the idea of flesh brings temporal notions to mind. Flesh is temporary and can be easily bruised. To think that the transcendent creative God became flesh is almost too much to bear. Jesus did not just enter into flesh; he became flesh. The popular song “What if God was One of Us?” by Joan Osborne deals briefly with this issue. What the singer does not realize is that God was one of us. He was tempted, he breathed, he hurt, and he felt joy. He did not endure this like one of us, he was one of us. This moment when the unimaginable happened is crucial for the salvation of humankind. God humbled himself to be one of us. Therefore, God showed himself to be infinitely concerned for humankind. He became relatable. And he showed us the way.
So what is the big deal with Christmas? It is one of the 4 most important moments in the history of humanity. God became more than words on a page, He became the Word in the flesh. Christmas provides us with an opportunity to contemplate this. It is more than the image of the nativity. It is the moment of the unimaginable. It is the moment when God became one of us.
I want discuss the “Reason for the Season” of Christmas. I know this is a clichéd statement, but it is important that we take some time to think about Jesus. Most of us turn our attention to the wonderful nativity story recounted in Luke. This is a nice story and typically recalls wonderful romantic notions of our childhood. However, what this story expresses is a truth that we do not think about often enough. We read the nativity story and marvel at the circumstances surrounding Jesus’ birth, but we so easily forget to consider that at that moment God became human. Think about the juxtaposition of that thought. God became human. It is almost unbelievable to think that the divine came as a human. God was not just in the form of a man, He did not just fill a man, and He did not just take on the nature of man, for a brief moment in the history of time: God became man. Heaven must have been holding its breath at the thought. The Gospel of John has no telling of the nativity, however he does tell us in 1:14 that, “the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (NAS) I want us to consider this thought as Christmas approaches.
For many of us our words mean almost nothing. We toss the word “love” easily in reference to our favorite sports team, television show, or cell phone. If I have loving thoughts for my wife, yet never speak these loving words, my thoughts to her are useless. Words mean something. The words we use towards our children and friends shape their lives. Just a quick complement can change someone’s day. Words to God also mean something. God could have thought the world in being. He instead spoke the world into being. When he thought creation was good, he said so. He did not leave us to wonder if creation was everything he thought it should be. When Jesus was baptized, he spoke words of affirmation over him. John’s Gospel relates Jesus to the Word. This places Jesus squarely in the center of creation. He was at creation and involved in creation. The creator became creation. The Word became flesh.
Even speaking the idea of flesh brings temporal notions to mind. Flesh is temporary and can be easily bruised. To think that the transcendent creative God became flesh is almost too much to bear. Jesus did not just enter into flesh; he became flesh. The popular song “What if God was One of Us?” by Joan Osborne deals briefly with this issue. What the singer does not realize is that God was one of us. He was tempted, he breathed, he hurt, and he felt joy. He did not endure this like one of us, he was one of us. This moment when the unimaginable happened is crucial for the salvation of humankind. God humbled himself to be one of us. Therefore, God showed himself to be infinitely concerned for humankind. He became relatable. And he showed us the way.
So what is the big deal with Christmas? It is one of the 4 most important moments in the history of humanity. God became more than words on a page, He became the Word in the flesh. Christmas provides us with an opportunity to contemplate this. It is more than the image of the nativity. It is the moment of the unimaginable. It is the moment when God became one of us.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
What is the Meaning
I am going to take a quick stab at the problem of pain. If you are struggling with some immediate pain right now, please forgive this post. This is not intended to deal with that scenario. There are no trite clichés to deal with this. I am writing this to help me make sense of life.
I do not fully understand everything. However, it is really easy to look around and see the pain and suffering of others and think “That is not fair.” It is normal to wonder why bad things happen from time to time. We may even wonder why some of the pain that we experience is worse than others. Why was one person born with a full house and another born with a pair of twos? The answer is, “I don’t know?”
I am going to take a step back from this issue briefly and discuss God’s character. We must first answer the question, “What is at the center of God’s character?” This question is answered for us in 1 John 4:8, “…God is love.” Keep in mind here that this is not saying that God loves (which is also true), but that God is love. God’s beingness (if that is a word) is love. God has other qualities for sure, but this one seems to drive the bus.
His love compels Him to seek our loyalty instead of forcing it. No one would say that someone loves me, if I force them to do so. Love must be a choice in order for it to be legitimate. Think if you got married to your spouse because, well she had to. It was written in her contract. For sure marriages were arranged like this at one time, but not now. No one in our modern western world wants a spouse who had to marry them. That would not be real love. (As a side note, what draws most of us together in marriage is not love either - it is typically self seeking lust.)
The only way that He can give us freedom to seek Him is by giving us freedom to not seek Him. Thus, the opportunity for sin arises. God did not invent sin. Sin is humanity’s desire to seek other things besides God. It is our abuse of freedom that has caused sin. This abuse had and continues to have terrible consequences. God will not subvert his character. We know from 2 Pet 3:9 that God wishes that all would come to repentance. However, this desire does not overcome His core character trait of love. Thus, sin enters into the world and grows. Creation bears the strain of sin. We see this in all the natural calamities and sicknesses. Human character bears the stain of sin. We see this in all the perversions of God’s original designs for humanity.
Because of this bad things happen. God does seem to intervene sometimes and other times He does not. I do not know why this happens; I only know that it does. One person’s prayer is answered and another’s is not. For a number of reasons, I firmly reject over simplistic notions of praying with faith.
This even seems strange to write, but it is God’s great love for us that allows our actions to have consequences. To some people this is almost paradoxical. Consider the notion of “tough love.” Sometimes people have to feel the full weight of their bad decisions to understand its effects. It is God’s love for us that drives this. He could come in at any time and save everything and everyone. He cares too much for us to force Himself on us.
Romans 8:28 states that, “All things work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes.” Did you notice that, all things work for good for those that love Him? At the end of the process is where God always subverts human intention. God will not subvert our will, but he can and will subvert the effects of our will when we love him. Joseph’s brothers meant to harm and kill him. God meant for him to save his family from starvation. Joseph even says this as he realizes God’s design for his life. It had a greater meaning than just random suffering.
This is absolutely essential. We see things in such a temporal way. God sees the bigger design. The worst thing that can happen is for there to be suffering for no purpose. Without God, suffering has no redemptive power. With God, even the worst situation will be made glorious. How is that possible and is it worth it? Consider all the testimonies you have heard. I love it when God takes the broken manure piles of our lives and plants a beautiful garden. The point is not that bad things happen to us. The point is that those bad things have meaning beyond what we could ever hope for.
God subverts the desire for destruction that others have for us. Some people do seek to destroy. Consider that way God used Pharaoh’s desires to accomplish His will. Consider how the religious leaders’ desire was subverted to accomplish God’s design for Jesus life. Consider how the death of Stephen and the scattering of the church did not destroy the church, it GREW it. All things work for good.
The pain is not the worst thing. Pointless pain is. If we love God, there is no pointless pain. One of my concerns has always been that I would lead an insignificant life. I want my life to mean something. I do not mean that I have to be famous; I just want to have lived for something greater than self preservation. I want the pain to have a point. Loving God brings what nothing else can: significance. God’s love subverts the consequences of human sinfulness. In Christ, there is no nihilism. In fact, all things are un-nihilistic. In him all things have meaning. Our lives are consequential.
It starts and ends with God being love. Love drove Jesus to the cross. His love drives me to follow him. Love brings beauty when there was nothing beautiful. Love is the reason why there is hurt and pain. Love calls us into relationship with trust and loyalty. Love endures when the way seems cloudy and strange. Love makes every step firm and purposeful. Love drives fear and despair away. Thank you for God who is the perfect embodiment of love. Thank you for God is love.
DC
I do not fully understand everything. However, it is really easy to look around and see the pain and suffering of others and think “That is not fair.” It is normal to wonder why bad things happen from time to time. We may even wonder why some of the pain that we experience is worse than others. Why was one person born with a full house and another born with a pair of twos? The answer is, “I don’t know?”
I am going to take a step back from this issue briefly and discuss God’s character. We must first answer the question, “What is at the center of God’s character?” This question is answered for us in 1 John 4:8, “…God is love.” Keep in mind here that this is not saying that God loves (which is also true), but that God is love. God’s beingness (if that is a word) is love. God has other qualities for sure, but this one seems to drive the bus.
His love compels Him to seek our loyalty instead of forcing it. No one would say that someone loves me, if I force them to do so. Love must be a choice in order for it to be legitimate. Think if you got married to your spouse because, well she had to. It was written in her contract. For sure marriages were arranged like this at one time, but not now. No one in our modern western world wants a spouse who had to marry them. That would not be real love. (As a side note, what draws most of us together in marriage is not love either - it is typically self seeking lust.)
The only way that He can give us freedom to seek Him is by giving us freedom to not seek Him. Thus, the opportunity for sin arises. God did not invent sin. Sin is humanity’s desire to seek other things besides God. It is our abuse of freedom that has caused sin. This abuse had and continues to have terrible consequences. God will not subvert his character. We know from 2 Pet 3:9 that God wishes that all would come to repentance. However, this desire does not overcome His core character trait of love. Thus, sin enters into the world and grows. Creation bears the strain of sin. We see this in all the natural calamities and sicknesses. Human character bears the stain of sin. We see this in all the perversions of God’s original designs for humanity.
Because of this bad things happen. God does seem to intervene sometimes and other times He does not. I do not know why this happens; I only know that it does. One person’s prayer is answered and another’s is not. For a number of reasons, I firmly reject over simplistic notions of praying with faith.
This even seems strange to write, but it is God’s great love for us that allows our actions to have consequences. To some people this is almost paradoxical. Consider the notion of “tough love.” Sometimes people have to feel the full weight of their bad decisions to understand its effects. It is God’s love for us that drives this. He could come in at any time and save everything and everyone. He cares too much for us to force Himself on us.
Romans 8:28 states that, “All things work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes.” Did you notice that, all things work for good for those that love Him? At the end of the process is where God always subverts human intention. God will not subvert our will, but he can and will subvert the effects of our will when we love him. Joseph’s brothers meant to harm and kill him. God meant for him to save his family from starvation. Joseph even says this as he realizes God’s design for his life. It had a greater meaning than just random suffering.
This is absolutely essential. We see things in such a temporal way. God sees the bigger design. The worst thing that can happen is for there to be suffering for no purpose. Without God, suffering has no redemptive power. With God, even the worst situation will be made glorious. How is that possible and is it worth it? Consider all the testimonies you have heard. I love it when God takes the broken manure piles of our lives and plants a beautiful garden. The point is not that bad things happen to us. The point is that those bad things have meaning beyond what we could ever hope for.
God subverts the desire for destruction that others have for us. Some people do seek to destroy. Consider that way God used Pharaoh’s desires to accomplish His will. Consider how the religious leaders’ desire was subverted to accomplish God’s design for Jesus life. Consider how the death of Stephen and the scattering of the church did not destroy the church, it GREW it. All things work for good.
The pain is not the worst thing. Pointless pain is. If we love God, there is no pointless pain. One of my concerns has always been that I would lead an insignificant life. I want my life to mean something. I do not mean that I have to be famous; I just want to have lived for something greater than self preservation. I want the pain to have a point. Loving God brings what nothing else can: significance. God’s love subverts the consequences of human sinfulness. In Christ, there is no nihilism. In fact, all things are un-nihilistic. In him all things have meaning. Our lives are consequential.
It starts and ends with God being love. Love drove Jesus to the cross. His love drives me to follow him. Love brings beauty when there was nothing beautiful. Love is the reason why there is hurt and pain. Love calls us into relationship with trust and loyalty. Love endures when the way seems cloudy and strange. Love makes every step firm and purposeful. Love drives fear and despair away. Thank you for God who is the perfect embodiment of love. Thank you for God is love.
DC
Sunday, February 28, 2010
His Voice
One of my favorite passages from the Gospels is Jesus’ teaching on the sheep in John 10. This passage instructs Jesus’ followers that they are to listen to his voice. His voice is the legitimate one. He says in fact the sheep will be immediately able to spot a strangers voice and they will not follow it. He tells us that he is the good shepherd and that he has come that we may have life and have it fully (John 10:10)
There is a Greek construction called the ou meh (this is a transliteration) construction. This construction conveys emphatic negation. When this is present, the sense is that there is no way, no how, no chance that the thing will ever happen. This passage contains an such a construction in verse 5. Jesus is telling the crowd that his sheep will not follow a stranger. What this verse says is, “A strange person, they will never, no chance follow - this will not happen, they will flee from him…” (John 10:5a)
This gets me thinking about how well we know the Shepherds voice. It seems as if many voices call to us, His sheep. Unfortunately, we are like untrained sheep and follow just any voice. We listen to the promises of safety and comfort, and we believe and follow. We buy the next thing because we believe that this time this thing will provide substance, although we know that there is nothing more than an image to it. We visit websites that we should because we think that this time will finally be filled, unfortunately we are left filling emptier than ever. We listen to commercials that promise us that by swinging back and forth on a chair because we will have rock hard abs; while all we are left with is an empty wallet.
The problem is that we do not like what the Shepherd says sometimes. You see the stranger promises a green valley full of rich food to eat. In the end, we end up like Edmund from The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Our Turkish delight turns into a chain wrapped around our foot and we regret the very day that we ever listened that evil voice. Oh, what a mistake he made. He traded his Lord and his family for something that turned sour in his stomach. If only we could see life for what it really is.
What is the solution? We have to know the Shepherd’s voice better than we do. I have heard people tell me over and over again, “My God would not do that.” I cringe as I hear that because God does not belong to me, I belong to Him. He is not defined by me, I am defined by Him. If I love God for anything other than what He is, I am guilty of idolatry. Many of us imagine God as a better version of ourselves, when God is so much more than that. Don’t get me wrong, I do not claim to have the one authoritative definition of God. However, I strive to not water Him down, and tame Him. He is uniquely other, and He has given us a glimpse of Him through His word and in Jesus.
We must know Him better. We must. Matthew 24:5 instructs us that we must be wary of voices claiming to be the Messiah. We must know His voice.
His voice often calls to the edge of the cliff. Is it to scare us? No, it is to lead us to pastures, where the grass fills us. It is lead us to the living water where we will never thirst again. Consider Psalm 23. This was on my wall as kid. I looked at it every night. We will walk through the valley of the Shadow of Death, but guess who is there. His rod and staff will comfort us. If we are following Him the rod and the staff are not for our punishment. THEY ARE FOR OUR PROTECTION. The shepherd is there for our protection. Where he leads I will follow, but I, we must know His voice, we must hear it above all the others. I must ignore the trash. In fact, if I am his sheep, then I will not follow but flee from the stranger. I know this because the Bible told me so.
There is a Greek construction called the ou meh (this is a transliteration) construction. This construction conveys emphatic negation. When this is present, the sense is that there is no way, no how, no chance that the thing will ever happen. This passage contains an such a construction in verse 5. Jesus is telling the crowd that his sheep will not follow a stranger. What this verse says is, “A strange person, they will never, no chance follow - this will not happen, they will flee from him…” (John 10:5a)
This gets me thinking about how well we know the Shepherds voice. It seems as if many voices call to us, His sheep. Unfortunately, we are like untrained sheep and follow just any voice. We listen to the promises of safety and comfort, and we believe and follow. We buy the next thing because we believe that this time this thing will provide substance, although we know that there is nothing more than an image to it. We visit websites that we should because we think that this time will finally be filled, unfortunately we are left filling emptier than ever. We listen to commercials that promise us that by swinging back and forth on a chair because we will have rock hard abs; while all we are left with is an empty wallet.
The problem is that we do not like what the Shepherd says sometimes. You see the stranger promises a green valley full of rich food to eat. In the end, we end up like Edmund from The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Our Turkish delight turns into a chain wrapped around our foot and we regret the very day that we ever listened that evil voice. Oh, what a mistake he made. He traded his Lord and his family for something that turned sour in his stomach. If only we could see life for what it really is.
What is the solution? We have to know the Shepherd’s voice better than we do. I have heard people tell me over and over again, “My God would not do that.” I cringe as I hear that because God does not belong to me, I belong to Him. He is not defined by me, I am defined by Him. If I love God for anything other than what He is, I am guilty of idolatry. Many of us imagine God as a better version of ourselves, when God is so much more than that. Don’t get me wrong, I do not claim to have the one authoritative definition of God. However, I strive to not water Him down, and tame Him. He is uniquely other, and He has given us a glimpse of Him through His word and in Jesus.
We must know Him better. We must. Matthew 24:5 instructs us that we must be wary of voices claiming to be the Messiah. We must know His voice.
His voice often calls to the edge of the cliff. Is it to scare us? No, it is to lead us to pastures, where the grass fills us. It is lead us to the living water where we will never thirst again. Consider Psalm 23. This was on my wall as kid. I looked at it every night. We will walk through the valley of the Shadow of Death, but guess who is there. His rod and staff will comfort us. If we are following Him the rod and the staff are not for our punishment. THEY ARE FOR OUR PROTECTION. The shepherd is there for our protection. Where he leads I will follow, but I, we must know His voice, we must hear it above all the others. I must ignore the trash. In fact, if I am his sheep, then I will not follow but flee from the stranger. I know this because the Bible told me so.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
My Humble Pride
The troubling thing is that I rarely feel truly unworthy of God. I feel like God should be pretty happy to have me on his team. I feel like a 3 star recruit out of high school football. Most college football programs are built on 3 stars and all programs need these players. God should be happy to have me; after all I could have gone elsewhere. When I read Peter’s words in John 6 I am convicted to my bones. Jesus lost many of his followers after a hard and confusing teaching then he turns to his disciples and asks the question that we all must answer at some point in our lives, “What are you going to do?” (my paraphrase). This question haunts me, especially when I struggle through the bad moments of life. When my faith is weak and heart longs to wander, I want to answer, “I am going to run into the safety of my selfish desires and ambitions.” I want to scream from for the bottom of soul, “THIS IS TOO HARD!” “PLEASE MAKE THIS EASIER!” “After all you should be glad to have me.” The questions comes again, “What are you going to do?” I confess that there are times when I want to run as fast as I can from God’s will. However, Peter’s difficult and inspiring words ring in my ears, “Where would we go? Who else has the words of eternal life?”
In the end I understand that ultimately I am void of anything and that I can only be defined accurately by the one who made me. I feel like an employee bluffing his boss for a raise. Saying, “You know I have some other great offers out there.” Ultimately, I do not. I have no one but God, and this is difficult for a prideful human being to admit. In the darker moments this egotism causes me to doubt my faith or rationalize away what I know to be the most rational being. I do not always like the implications that there is a higher being. This means that ultimately I am not god. Nor would I want to be, as I also know my limitations. But if I am not god, then I must follow the one transcendent being that is.
So here I am, caught between the prodigal son and the older brother. I am arrogantly humble. I have a pastor friend who would often look at me with smile and say, “Have you seen how humble I have been? Man I am doing great.” I would always laugh in an understanding way.
I think often times I struggle with these things because I have a poor understanding of who God actually is. I know about Him, but how well do I actually know Him. Have I lived my life in a way that forces me to lean into God? Am I doing the things that actively nurture a relationship between me and the Creator? Is my sin becoming a barrier? The knowledge I have of Him must penetrate into my heart. One of my professors asked us to write a prayer of adoration to God. I am attaching mine, and I highly encourage anyone else out there to try this. This exercise ended up being a great self assessment tool and helped to teach me my proper place in the world.
Heavenly Father, Your transcendence is evident in your creation. Your power set the stars in the sky, formed the mountains in their place, set the sun above us, and caused the earth to bring forth life. Your power and love formed us with hands and by your breath you brought us to life. Your great power causes the sun to be in a state of constant explosion, the comets to hurtle through space, and remote stars to be birthed. Your great power brings the flowers to bloom, a baby to laugh, and the gentle breeze to blow on a warm summer day. Great or small your power is in all things and brings all things together. Your strength ignores nothing and your attention to detail draws me humbly to me knees.
Your omniscience is incomprehensible. You knew me in my mother’s womb, you know my heart, and you know my actions yet you love me anyway. You know what I need before I ask, yet you listen to my requests with patience. Your mind can fathom the deepest of truths yet you make these in small ways accessible to my finite mind. You endure my questions because your knowledge leads to love for me rather than impatience. Like a loving father of a wayward son your gentle hand guides me through my life.
You are everywhere. Instead of inviting you into my presence, I humbly ask if I may enter yours. Your concern for the needs of all humankind is hard to comprehend. I look with trust as I know you have the plans for each individual life that is submitted to you. You draw these plans together like a musical masterpiece to accomplish your will on this earth, and to bring forth your kingdom of love and redemption. You are the great conductor of creation’s harmonious symphony. - Amen
In the end I understand that ultimately I am void of anything and that I can only be defined accurately by the one who made me. I feel like an employee bluffing his boss for a raise. Saying, “You know I have some other great offers out there.” Ultimately, I do not. I have no one but God, and this is difficult for a prideful human being to admit. In the darker moments this egotism causes me to doubt my faith or rationalize away what I know to be the most rational being. I do not always like the implications that there is a higher being. This means that ultimately I am not god. Nor would I want to be, as I also know my limitations. But if I am not god, then I must follow the one transcendent being that is.
So here I am, caught between the prodigal son and the older brother. I am arrogantly humble. I have a pastor friend who would often look at me with smile and say, “Have you seen how humble I have been? Man I am doing great.” I would always laugh in an understanding way.
I think often times I struggle with these things because I have a poor understanding of who God actually is. I know about Him, but how well do I actually know Him. Have I lived my life in a way that forces me to lean into God? Am I doing the things that actively nurture a relationship between me and the Creator? Is my sin becoming a barrier? The knowledge I have of Him must penetrate into my heart. One of my professors asked us to write a prayer of adoration to God. I am attaching mine, and I highly encourage anyone else out there to try this. This exercise ended up being a great self assessment tool and helped to teach me my proper place in the world.
Heavenly Father, Your transcendence is evident in your creation. Your power set the stars in the sky, formed the mountains in their place, set the sun above us, and caused the earth to bring forth life. Your power and love formed us with hands and by your breath you brought us to life. Your great power causes the sun to be in a state of constant explosion, the comets to hurtle through space, and remote stars to be birthed. Your great power brings the flowers to bloom, a baby to laugh, and the gentle breeze to blow on a warm summer day. Great or small your power is in all things and brings all things together. Your strength ignores nothing and your attention to detail draws me humbly to me knees.
Your omniscience is incomprehensible. You knew me in my mother’s womb, you know my heart, and you know my actions yet you love me anyway. You know what I need before I ask, yet you listen to my requests with patience. Your mind can fathom the deepest of truths yet you make these in small ways accessible to my finite mind. You endure my questions because your knowledge leads to love for me rather than impatience. Like a loving father of a wayward son your gentle hand guides me through my life.
You are everywhere. Instead of inviting you into my presence, I humbly ask if I may enter yours. Your concern for the needs of all humankind is hard to comprehend. I look with trust as I know you have the plans for each individual life that is submitted to you. You draw these plans together like a musical masterpiece to accomplish your will on this earth, and to bring forth your kingdom of love and redemption. You are the great conductor of creation’s harmonious symphony. - Amen
Friday, February 19, 2010
What David Had
I am amazed at the forthrightness that David shows before the Lord. In countless Psalms, David bemoans the fact the he is persecuted unjustly. He recounts to God his own righteousness as if he has never strayed and exhibits bold confidence in his pleas for help and deliverance. He ruthlessly calls down God’s judgment on his enemies. This sort of faith and belief has eluded me for most of my life. We know that David had the Spirit. If it was the same measure or variety that we have now, I am not certain. We also know that we now have the Spirit of God. So what made David so righteous and bold?
Jesus pronounces a blessing on those that are persecuted on his behalf (Matt 5:10). This has always been quite convicting to me because I have never been persecuted on his behalf. I may have been sneered at or laughed at, but these fall pitifully short of persecution. In our rationalizing society we elevate these to persecution because we have nothing else. We believe that the government is persecuting us because they do not allow nativities or the 10 Commandments, when most of Christians can’t recall the 10 Commandments or live them out. The faith that I have exhibited in my life is weak compared to the faith wall of legends mentioned in Hebrews 10.
Don’t get me wrong, I have been persecuted plenty of times in my life. Most of this is due to my own actions. I have often been made fun of and ridiculed, but this has rarely been for any righteous thing that I have done. In fact, when I am persecuted most frequently, I feel that I am getting what I deserve. I am far from David who declared his righteousness before the Lord. If I tried to do this, I would fear that I would be struck down for lying to God. I know that He knows, and He knows that I know, ya know? I feel as though I stand before God naked and trembling. My prayers of deliverance are timid, because I believe deep down that I deserve what I am going through.
Even as a long time believer, I still struggle for the purity that David had. David bothers me for a number of reasons. First, were his bold proclamations of righteousness, but second was his actual life. He had tremendous faith that was exhibited in many stories, but he also had a heroic weakness. When he bedded Bathsheba, he broke many of the commands. He coveted, murdered, adultered, lied, stole and did not love his neighbor (or loved his neighbor too much - depending on how you look at it). That is at least 6 of the big 10 right there. After he was caught, his plea was that God would not take His Spirit away (if this Psalm is labeled properly). I think the big question was how then did he now proceed? He seemed to straighten his life again; he mourned properly, and then moved on. However, strife never left his family after that. Not 2 generations later his kingdom was divided and many generations later the last King was crucified. The curse from his and others’ disobedience was paid for by the last and enduring King of Israel, Jesus.
David had a heart for God, in spite of his tragic weakness. When Samuel went to choose the next King of Israel at Jesse’s house, David was not there. If there was one meeting that I would have wanted to be at, it was this one. David either did not know about or was not invited to this meeting. Where was he? We do not know for sure, but we do know that David did the will of Jesse his father. David protected the flock at the expense of his life. The sheep were precious to him because they were precious to his father. This had to be at least part of what God saw in him. David would do His will. Even when it was extremely difficult, he did God’s will.
You see David received his calling to royalty when he was young, but it was many years and many hardships away. Many of us have heard God’s calling, and we look down the rocky road ahead and do not think it can happen. We lack the faith and conviction. How could the shepherd boy even conceive that he would one day be King? He was a man after God’s heart. How can we ever hope to fulfill God’s calling in our lives. We must ignore the obstacles, focus on God, and completely and totally go for it. We must be people after God’s heart.
DC
Jesus pronounces a blessing on those that are persecuted on his behalf (Matt 5:10). This has always been quite convicting to me because I have never been persecuted on his behalf. I may have been sneered at or laughed at, but these fall pitifully short of persecution. In our rationalizing society we elevate these to persecution because we have nothing else. We believe that the government is persecuting us because they do not allow nativities or the 10 Commandments, when most of Christians can’t recall the 10 Commandments or live them out. The faith that I have exhibited in my life is weak compared to the faith wall of legends mentioned in Hebrews 10.
Don’t get me wrong, I have been persecuted plenty of times in my life. Most of this is due to my own actions. I have often been made fun of and ridiculed, but this has rarely been for any righteous thing that I have done. In fact, when I am persecuted most frequently, I feel that I am getting what I deserve. I am far from David who declared his righteousness before the Lord. If I tried to do this, I would fear that I would be struck down for lying to God. I know that He knows, and He knows that I know, ya know? I feel as though I stand before God naked and trembling. My prayers of deliverance are timid, because I believe deep down that I deserve what I am going through.
Even as a long time believer, I still struggle for the purity that David had. David bothers me for a number of reasons. First, were his bold proclamations of righteousness, but second was his actual life. He had tremendous faith that was exhibited in many stories, but he also had a heroic weakness. When he bedded Bathsheba, he broke many of the commands. He coveted, murdered, adultered, lied, stole and did not love his neighbor (or loved his neighbor too much - depending on how you look at it). That is at least 6 of the big 10 right there. After he was caught, his plea was that God would not take His Spirit away (if this Psalm is labeled properly). I think the big question was how then did he now proceed? He seemed to straighten his life again; he mourned properly, and then moved on. However, strife never left his family after that. Not 2 generations later his kingdom was divided and many generations later the last King was crucified. The curse from his and others’ disobedience was paid for by the last and enduring King of Israel, Jesus.
David had a heart for God, in spite of his tragic weakness. When Samuel went to choose the next King of Israel at Jesse’s house, David was not there. If there was one meeting that I would have wanted to be at, it was this one. David either did not know about or was not invited to this meeting. Where was he? We do not know for sure, but we do know that David did the will of Jesse his father. David protected the flock at the expense of his life. The sheep were precious to him because they were precious to his father. This had to be at least part of what God saw in him. David would do His will. Even when it was extremely difficult, he did God’s will.
You see David received his calling to royalty when he was young, but it was many years and many hardships away. Many of us have heard God’s calling, and we look down the rocky road ahead and do not think it can happen. We lack the faith and conviction. How could the shepherd boy even conceive that he would one day be King? He was a man after God’s heart. How can we ever hope to fulfill God’s calling in our lives. We must ignore the obstacles, focus on God, and completely and totally go for it. We must be people after God’s heart.
DC
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