ENVY'S LAMENT

Deuteronomy 18:1-20:20; Luke 9:28-50; Psalm 73:1-28; Proverbs 12:10

“But as for me, I almost lost my footing. My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone. For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness. They seem to live such painless lives; their bodies are so healthy and strong. They don’t have troubles like other people; they’re not plagued with problems like everyone else. They wear pride like a jeweled necklace…. And so the people are dismayed and confused, drinking in all their words. ‘What does God know?’ they ask. ‘Does the Most High even know what’s happening?’ Look at these wicked people—enjoying a life of ease while their riches multiply. Did I keep my heart pure for nothing? Did I keep myself innocent for no reason?

…Then I realized that my heart was bitter,
and I was all torn up inside.
 I was so foolish and ignorant—I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.
 Yet I still belong to you;  you hold my right hand.
 You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. ...My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.”

Psalm 73 may be one of the most honestly human songs in Scripture. The picture it paints hits pretty close to home, but it also reminds me there is not just forgiveness, but a better way to live life. Envy is a dead end on a twisted road, but it’s a road with which I have more than speaking familiarity.

My first two years out of law school, I worked with a man who was, shall we say, one of the most unique personalities I have ever met. His energy level was incomparable, his schmoozing shameless. As a mentor, he left much to be desired, just expecting those he worked with to figure out his clients’ needs and work to anticipate them, frequently at 2 AM. I got almost no instruction but plenty of education from criticism. Those who weren’t quick witted were soon gone. Most could not stand the pace. I chose to stay, because the level of experience I got was far beyond my peers’. And, more than a little pride was involved. I was not going to be run off by this man. I was determined to learn his secrets of success.

Getting more involved and paying more attention to the collateral details, I began to see some ugly truths. I had hitched my star to a man for whom ethics was merely a tool to achieve results, easily discarded when they became a burden or got in the way of some new client relationship. At the same time, though, the man was a master rainmaker and one of the city’s true movers and shakers. His successes were excessive and legendary and almost always at the serious expense of the system and the team who worked for him. The clients didn’t care about the details. The Firm expected and accepted attrition of over 75% as but one cost of keeping the guy happy, because he literally was the goose who laid golden eggs. Everybody looked the other way until the results were known. And Lordy, how the money and apparent prestige rolled in for him! I got more and more jealous of his success, especially in light of what it cost me personally. I gave it my all and was never even acknowledged in front of clients. I was a cipher, an asterisk on the verdict pointing to a footnote no one ever read. My bitterness took the form of even greater intensity and dedication to the job. If cold, callous and driven was the path to success, I could do that. If our billable hour requirements were eclipsed by his even more unreasonable demands, I would go beyond even those. If morality got in the way, I, too, could learn to look the other way. I set myself to doing it all better than he did. All for spite. I knew my motives were confused. I did not adopt his ways because I really wanted his lifestyle, his kind of “friends,” or even his financial success, which was considerable. Simply, I wanted what he had because he had it and I didn’t. I was well on the way to complete corruption.

Then, my first son was born… and nearly died from an intestinal blockage which was not even diagnosed until the poisons in his blood had built to what were ordinarily terminal levels. Through surgery and a month in neonatal I.C.U., we struggled with everything from the financial ramifications to serious spiritual disillusionment. Only one thing was clear: the lifestyle I was on the verge of adopting was not for me. Not only was it morally wrong, but it was alienating me from my family, friends and God, all the things that truly mattered during our time of crisis. So, just like that, it was over. I turned back to my roots, back to Christ. I started doing business a new way, and for the first time, was actually happy. I no longer felt envy, just pity, for the man who’d led me so close to the abyss. (It didn’t last, for our story was far from over, but that’s a different blog for later, I think.)

Envy is a harsh mistress, yet also a seductive one. I still shudder to think how close I came to the edge. Thankfully, we worship a God who truly does make all things work to good for those who love Him. The course correction was anything but gentle. Nevertheless, it did bring me home yet again, to testify that there can be life after envy the way God intended.

THE OTHER FACE OF JUSTICE

Deuteronomy 16:1-17:20; Luke 9:7-27; Psalm 72:1-20; Proverbs 12:8-9

“Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous. Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the LORD your God is giving you.”

“Then he asked them, ‘But who do you say I am?’ Peter replied, ‘You are the Messiah sent from God!’ Jesus warned his disciples not to tell anyone who he was. ‘The Son of Man must suffer many terrible things,’ he said. ‘He will be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He will be killed, but on the third day he will be raised from the dead.’”

 “Give your love of justice to the king, O God, and righteousness to the king’s son. Help him judge your people in the right way; let the poor always be treated fairly. May the mountains yield prosperity for all, and may the hills be fruitful.”

Many cry out for justice. Most folks want a world where people are treated fairly; where the innocent don’t suffer for the mistakes or criminality of others; where a person is paid a fair wage for an honest day’s work; and where evil is punished according to its severity. However, I personally also would prefer to reserve the rights to make personal, subjective judgments about others; to have my mistakes overlooked, even when I hurt others; to be paid the same (or more!) even for off days and work that is not my best; and to be forgiven, even when I am not repentant. How many would willingly apply the same yardstick of justice to their own lives that they apply so glibly to others? Justice may be hard to get but it’s harder still to accept. Applied to ourselves, many would not consider it a blessing at all! That explains the perversion of justice into a synonym for “protecting our rights.” It’s safer reduced to a “gimme.” But that doesn’t make the definition any less a lie. Justice begins as a major part of God’s character. For those serious about being imitators of Christ and “perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect,” better definitions are “fairness;” and “to perform at your highest and best level, as in ‘doing yourself justice.’” (Yes, I did look it up.)

Fairness is something we all wrestle with because, when it comes down to it, we covet “most favored nation” status more than fairness. We fuss when our rights are trampled but are equally quick to elevate ours if there is any chance they could conflict with others’. Humans have never done fairness well, so it should be no surprise related justice seems sparse. That’s probably why God told us to leave judgment to Him in the first place. All the judgment in the world will never save it, even if it is “fair.” The Spirit wants us more concerned about the other face of justice, fully developing and living our potential in Christ.

Many Christians forget this important truth. They cannot imagine a world or a heaven where is no condemnation, so they still fear judgment. Consequently, if they seek justice at all, it continues to be an external justice applied mainly to others in a negative way. But the Spirit’s point is it makes no sense to continue being hypercritical of our brothers and sisters in the faith. Christian justice, by definition, cannot condemn; it therefore has to be more about true discernment and development of potential than about punishment. As important, it has to start with honest evaluation of ourselves, not judgment of others.

The Holy Spirit is a lot more interested in building us up and bringing us back into fellowship than in condemning us to Hell. Our own interest in justice likewise should be primarily focused on getting the most out of ourselves and others in spite of our weaknesses and failures. This is the most positive aspect of justice: each person becoming more what they were created to be in Christ. When we long for that kind of justice, we can be certain our hearts truly are aligned with God’s. Only then are we being fair to Christ and doing ourselves, and Him, justice. After all, Jesus died to get us home, not to give us Hell. It takes some time to absorb, but God gave us justice by offering us redemption. There is no reason or right for us to condemn others.

TOUCHING JESUS

Deuteronomy 13:1-15:23; Luke 8:40-9:6; Psalm 71:1-24; Proverbs 12:5-7

“Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.”

 “She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. ‘Who touched me?’ Jesus asked.”

“I will tell everyone about your righteousness. All day long I will proclaim your saving power, though I am not skilled with words. I will praise your mighty deeds, O Sovereign Lord. I will tell everyone that you alone are just.”

I give thanks for the opportunity to touch Jesus. I know what it means to feel His power. He gives freely of Himself. But if I really want to touch Christ’s heart, the way to do it is to touch someone else. There is a time to praise God for His own sake. But the greatest praise is when we praise Him to others, and when our lives demonstrate a generosity that speaks of Him and proves our relationship is genuine.

Every second Sunday of the month, a group from our Sunday School class comes to class in jeans and t-shirts and leaves from there to go downtown to serve the homeless a hot meal and share the Gospel with those who will listen. They set up “Under the Bridge” and distribute donated clothing and Bibles. In candor, some are more comfortable than others with the process. But the spiritual development and maturity they all show reveals a greater truth. They may be giving to others, but they are serving Christ, and touching the very heart of the Holy Spirit. In turn, the Holy Spirit is touching back, filling them, healing them and making them whole and more wholly His. My teaching is nothing compared to the lessons they are learning from their service, and I couldn’t be happier to be superfluous.

This is the essence of living faith: it is dynamic, creative, flexible and, above all, based on unconditional love. It is the same kind of self-sacrificing, extravagant love Jesus showed us from the Cross. It allows the Spirit’s healing power to flow through them and into those they serve, so no one is left unchanged.

There is an unfortunate bias, especially in these turbulent times, that the only way to be secure is to withdraw. The Under the Bridge team is living life a better way. They are deliberately choosing to engage, to get outside their comfort zone and to become involved with others. As they unite with each other, they find a collective power and courage few would have on their own. As they engage the homeless, they radiate a positive hope and joy that, it is safe to say, has already seen them lead more souls to Christ that most thought they would see converted in their lifetimes. In the process, everybody on the team becomes more secure, not just in their faith, but in the power of the Spirit.

Is it better to touch Jesus by reaching out to Him, or reaching out to others? I would not presume to answer that question, particularly since my personal feeling is it takes a bit of both. But I do know that any real relationship with Jesus has got to have an external component. In simplest terms, those who have no heart for others have no part of the heart of Christ. Jesus told Peter, “If you love me, feed my sheep.” As Advent begins and we begin our annual search for the spirit of Christmas, literally and spiritually feeding others might be a good place to begin. 

FEASTING WITH THE KING

Deuteronomy 11:1-12:32; Luke 8:22-39; Psalm 70:1-5; Proverbs 12:4

“There you and your families will feast in the presence of the Lord your God, and you will rejoice in all you have accomplished because the Lord your God has blessed you.”

 “Jesus sent him home, saying, “No, go back to your family, and tell them everything God has done for you.” So he went all through the town proclaiming the great things Jesus had done for him.

“But may all who search for you be filled with joy and gladness in you.
May those who love your salvation repeatedly shout, ‘God is great!’”

We are so blessed this Thanksgiving to have so much family gathered around us. Our children, our daughter-in-law, her mother and her grandmother have all come to celebrate with us what has been, by all accounts, a tumultuous year of change, but also of great blessing. Mom and Dad, fully recovered from their accident, will be surrounded by their own friends many miles away, while at the same time, my brother’s tribe will be filling his house with love and the requisite wisecracks that are an unspoken ritual of our family. But none of these three idyllic, Norman Rockwell images of Thanksgiving will be complete without the guest of honor, Jesus Christ.

Blessings are wonderful, and any thankfulness is a good and honorable thing. But if our gratitude is not intentionally directed to the Giver of all blessings, whatever appreciation may be felt is misdirected and only half-celebrated. Thanksgiving, without acknowledgement of God’s hand in it, is little more than a happy thought (or worse, an empty ritual). It should, and can, be so much more. Like the King’s banquet in Scripture, Thanksgiving has the capacity to bring us into the very heart of the Spirit. It only requires an intentional naming of our blessings, and a willingness to give credit for them where credit is really due. Undoubtedly, there will be those this year who do not feel they have much to give thanks for. For them, more than most, Thanksgiving provides the chance to reconnect with Christ. If absolutely nothing else gives hope, He does. An inability to give thanks frequently indicates a focus on the wrong things.

Christians are going to live forever in heaven with their Creator, bound in fellowship to every soul who has ever called Christ Savior! If we cannot find it in our hearts to be grateful for that, our hearts are hard indeed. We are guaranteed that our eternity will be a constant celebration of praise and ultimate love and security! If our list of blessings doesn’t include this, we are letting Satan and the cares of this world limit our perspective too much. This Thanksgiving, let’s be sure to invite the Holy Spirit to our feasts, whether they consist of turkey and all the trimmings or simply Saltines. When we lose the ability to give thanks to God, by definition, the defeat which we concede is far more devastating than we might think. It has eternal dimensions, and eternal consequences. The King invites all to His Table who will come. The invitation is given. Come, let us feast together, and be together with our Lord!

FOR GOODNESS' SAKE?

Deuteronomy 9:1-10:22; Luke 8:4-21; Psalm 69:19-36; Proverbs 12:2-3

“You must recognize that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land because you are good, for you are not—you are a stubborn people.”

“They see what I do, but they don’t really see; they hear what I say, but they don’t understand.”

 “The humble will see their God at work and be glad.”

God has done a lot of wonderful things. He’s made a truly beautiful world and populated it with some pretty amazing creatures, including humans. He’s blessed us with families, and their families. He’s given us the opportunity to make friends, and provided us a fellowship – the Church – to help guide us back to Him when we stray. We have a Spirit who leads us, and a Savior who died so we would never have to be apart from our Creator. And we did not deserve a single bit of it. Our very being is due exclusively to grace.

Yet, I still have the gall to think that, when I am blessed, it has something to do with my own effort. I, too, see Christ’s work, but don’t understand. I keep working to try to earn (or, at least, be worthy of) the blessings. Bad mistake. As soon as I insert myself into the equation of grace, I make it a calculation and rob the blessing of its beauty. So, of course, I start to miss the blessing altogether. It isn’t so tough to figure out. The harder I work for blessing, the more I work myself out of a state of grace and into a mentality of entitlement. Entitlement gives rise to selfishness, and pretty soon, God gets left out of the mix altogether.

Scripture is clear we cannot earn anything on a spiritual level. It’s not that the Holy Spirit has anything against work. He doesn’t. Rather, from a spiritual perspective, work should be the means by which we realize and utilize our blessings, not the way we earn them. What a difference that kind of perspective makes! My youngest son, for example, is seriously considering dedicating a major part of his life to serving the underprivileged. He realizes fully how blessed he has been, how generous Christ has been to our entire family. But he wants to use those blessings, share them with others, instead of trying to hoard his gifts for himself or those already in his comfort zone. I’ll admit that’s a little unsettling for Dad to think about, because I worry about how he will adapt to the lifestyle change his choice will require. But my son is focused on a greater good and a greater reward: the privilege of actually seeing the Spirit of God work through him to touch the lives of those less fortunate. He’s banking eternal investments, and setting an example his old man could learn from. However unsettling, I could not be prouder of the road he is choosing.

When will we learn that true goodness only works from the inside out? As long as goodness is something we are trying to earn or achieve, we will never fully realize it. If we allow the Holy Spirit to enter into the process, though, goodness is the blessed results of Christ working through us.  My role is to stay positioned so the Spirit has the chance to work, and then to follow its leading and be obedient to its call in carrying out His will in tangible ways.

Faith without works is dead, but only because it is a blind faith, one that never experiences the raw power of God to sustain and triumph. A person cannot let the Spirit work through them and ever be anything but more alive. That’s a very good thing. The Spirit does not come for goodness’ sake, though. He comes for love, so we might live in love. 

THE LORD OF DISCIPLINE

Deuteronomy 7:1-8:20; Luke 7:36-8:3; Psalm 69:1-18; Proverbs 12:1

“Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the Lord your God disciplines you for your own good.”

“O God, you know how foolish I am;
my sins cannot be hidden from you.
Don’t let those who trust in you be ashamed because of me,
O Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
Don’t let me cause them to be humiliated,
O God of Israel.”

 “To learn, you must love discipline;
it is stupid to hate correction.”

Discipline, when done in love, almost always looks different to the one giving the discipline than the one receiving it. My Dad set very high standards. Weekends were either spent on the ball field or working in the yard. Weeknights were all about studying: grades were non-negotiable; there was never any excuse for less than a four point (though I still fell short on several memorable occasions). Extracurricular activities, sports and awards weren’t optional, either - they were expected, as was participation in various church and social events. Idle time was a true luxury. Dad had his list, and was willing to do whatever it took to make a man out of me. I wasn’t sure I ever wanted to be his kind of man. Please don’t misunderstand; I was always treated well. Dad was just a little relentless in instilling in me a discipline, a mental toughness, I never would have developed on my own.

The real problem was it did not feel like love at the time.  It confused me. Was this how a father was supposed to love? It felt cold, hard, and I made it worse by fighting the process instead of learning from it. Dad was not afraid to shave a few rough edges off to mold me into who he thought I needed to be, and I did not always handle the pruning well. I wondered if he knew how to love. But then, years later, I lost my job. He gave me one piece of advice; just one. “At least ten resumes a day, Tom. Get ‘em out. That’s your job now. This is not the time for a vacation.” I’m not sure I could quote another thing Dad ever said to me in my fifty-one years of life, but I remember that. And I remember what discipline it took to follow that advice. Discipline I would never have had, especially while battling feelings of betrayal and depression, but for the discipline Dad instilled in me as I was growing up. Suddenly, love developed a whole different dimension. I realized how very blessed I was to have a man who pushed me as a father so I could withstand the storms of life as an adult. I may not have appreciated him, but I nevertheless needed a man big enough to handle my disobedience, and unafraid to share his unique brand of tough love with his son.

The writer of Proverbs got it right: it is stupid to hate correction. Discipline – at least, when not accompanied by judgment – is a gift, a blessing.  Not a day goes by now that I don’t give thanks for my father’s gift, even that which felt like bad medicine at the time. And I’m learning to appreciate my heavenly Father’s discipline more, too. God disciplines because He loves. No father that does not discipline his kids can truly claim to love them. All of us need protection from ourselves, and training on how to avoid bad decisions and their consequences. God, like Dad, sometimes needs to step in and encourage a change in course. Going with Him is the smart thing to do. I’m beginning to understand both Dad and Abba know more than I do about a lot of things. If I try to listen more and resist less, I may just learn a thing or two. Like how much I am loved. 

BACK TO BASICS

Deuteronomy 5:1-6:25; Luke 7:11-35; Psalm 68:19-35; Proverbs 11:29-31

“And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

 “Then he told John’s disciples, “Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard—the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.”

Oklahoma just crushed Texas Tech’s hopes of a national championship in NCAA college football. Bob Stoops, the Sooners’ coach, downplayed any special preparation: “It’s just fundamental.  We didn’t do anything fancy, just our normal stuff.” Yeah, just the basics… to the tune of 65-21. (Sorry, Red Raider fans!) The same approach ought to apply to our spiritual walk. Nothing fancy is required; only the nuts and bolts. When Moses was leaving Israel in Joshua’s hands, he called them back to the bedrock of their relationship with God and the Ten Commandments. When John the Baptist had doubts, Jesus didn’t throw a bunch of guilt or theology at him. He just reminded John of what He’d done. Those essentials spoke loud and clear, and still do today.

This is so contrary to the way I usually think about faith. I look for high points, mountaintop experiences, and if it’s been awhile between summits, I immediately feel there’s something wrong and begin to doubt. I also doubt when I face adversity. Come to think of it, I’m really not even all that good at abiding in Christ when life is just average. Maybe that’s all because I think of contact with the Spirit as too much of a special event and not as much a lifestyle.

Mature Christians know better: they understand how to “practice the presence of Christ.” In the nitty-gritty, get-your-fingernails-dirty ordinariness of everyday life, they look for, find and rely on Christ. They don’t presume to understand it all. They don’t have to. For them, the simple seeking out and experiencing of Jesus’ love, compassion and power – however manifested in the mundane – are sufficient and sustaining. They don’t bother complicating things with a lot of theology, checklists or expectations. They just take Jesus as He comes. And come to them He does, for they have eyes to see and ears to hear.

In contrast, my life gets filled up with rules, responsibilities and opportunities quickly turned to obligations. But when I look at Christ, it’s obvious He didn’t live that way. As for rules, he had only two: love God; and love your neighbor. Responsibilities took care of themselves precisely because Jesus did love God and His neighbor. His only obligation was to the Father, and His opportunity was simply to serve. Those fundamentals played out in different ways, obviously, but Jesus never obsessed over the details, and He never lost sight of the forest for the trees. As He lived, life was all about doing a few things very well.

It’s strange, actually, that the more we try to make out of religion and theology, the more we hinder a living faith with obstacles of guilt and inadequacy. We can love God. We can love each other – or, better yet, let the Spirit love others through us. Is it possible that, if we are simply more intentional about actually practicing those basics, we might just experience more joy, peace and power? It’s probably worth a try; complicated is definitely not better!

IN PRAISE OF MENTORS

Deuteronomy 4:1-49; Luke 6:39-7:10; Psalm 68:1-18; Proverbs 11:28

“But from there you will search again for the Lord your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him. In the distant future, when you are suffering all these things, you will finally return to the Lord your God and listen to what he tells you.”

 “Then Jesus gave the following illustration: ‘Can one blind person lead another? Won’t they both fall into a ditch? Students are not greater than their teacher…. So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?’”

“Trust in your money and down you go! But the godly flourish like leaves in spring.”

Back when dinosaurs ruled the Earth, one of my cross country running teammates wore a special t-shirt to time trials. On his back, it read in bold letters, “Follow me to heaven!” After he ran by us like a jackrabbit, the entire team took malicious joy in passing him when he cramped up. He could not understand why no one stopped to help. The rest of us, though, finished as a pack. We got each other through the race.

God needs leaders, but that doesn’t mean they have to be at the front of the line.  When I try to get ahead and expect others to follow, I usually find myself all alone. Leading like that does little more than isolate. DOH! The “flock” becomes less and less tolerant of “me first” self-aggrandizement. Worse, anytime we push to the fore, we draw attention away from the Lord and onto ourselves. It’s usually not a pretty sight, either!

To lead well is to follow Jesus’ example. He was far more a mentor than an instructor.  Sure, He gave directions and even commands from time to time. But then, He consistently followed His own advice. Even more powerful and inspiring, He did so as He walked side by side among His disciples, not at the head of the line with His back to them. Jesus knew the secrets of life. He was able to share them best by allowing others to see how they worked in Him. His accessibility made His lifestyle real, and imitable.

It is axiomatic that we will not believe what we cannot live, and we will not live what we do not know works as a practical matter. God Himself had a tough time convincing the Israelites to follow His Commandments from Mount Sinai. Even being led by pillars of flame and clouds, the Hebrews strayed. So, God became a man and mentored us back to grace. The Lord knew people need people to walk with them and share life. That’s how we learn best.  Otherwise, we tend to follow the “stuff,” defining success by what we have, not who we are or who we could be.

Mentoring - demonstrating joy, freedom and competence in the middle of life - is the only kind of leadership that truly inspires long term loyalty and commitment. Holding ourselves out and away as an example breeds only resentment. Lord, give me the vision to see you beside me, and not to look for You too high up or too far away. And if You’d have me be your hands and feet for one of my brothers or sisters, help me to share life, not cheap advice.

BOTTOMS UP!

Deuteronomy 2:1-3:29; Luke 6:12-38; Psalm 67:1-7; Proverbs 11:27

“But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.”

 “If you search for good, you will find favor; but if you search for evil, it will find you!”

Humans have an unfortunate fascination with the negative. Consider how easily and flippantly negative gossip gets repeated, often without any regard for the truth. Entire newspapers are dedicated to that kind of garbage! Yet, by comparison, how seldom we express our appreciation for the accomplishments and consideration of others! We are, unfortunately, a race consumed with finding fault. Many of us prefer to tear life down to its lowest common denominator, never stopping to think it is a measure of our own emptiness. We wonder why the future looks so bleak.

Thank goodness God does not judge us by our own yardstick! He is in the re-construction business, not the demolition business. It was never His idea for skepticism to flourish. He has a better way. Call it a “bottom-up” mentality. God started an entire race from one nomad. His best ruler – a man after God’s own heart – was a nondescript shepherd boy, the least impressive of Jesse’s kids. God came into the world incarnate through the son of a carpenter, in a manger using a trough for a bed. God persistently builds from the bottom up.  His gold standard for greatness is servanthood.

Here is some plain truth. It takes no character and little effort to find life’s negatives. If we so choose, we can even find the bad in manna. We can elect to ignore every bit of beauty and love the Spirit sends us. And we can do it all just by neglecting to affirmatively tune ourselves to the positive. This isn’t so much about good and evil as it is about inertia and momentum. Like a CD caught on a scratch, if we’re not careful, we tend to replay and brood most over life’s rough spots.

My parents got caught on this. They have a dear friend - a wonderful person, actually - who just got stuck on the negatives. She was in a bad job with inconsiderate family members, had a cold boss, was unappreciated, and so on and so on. For months, my folks were exposed to this. At first, they just listened and sympathized. Then, they began to see life the same way. Without even being aware of it, they both started to enable and adopt their friend’s negativity as a first response. It was not easy getting them to see that what started out as compassionate listening had become a contagion of cynicism, and it was even harder for them to break the habit.

We can do better. We can choose construction over destruction. We can dedicate ourselves to working with whatever we are given to make life better. But there probably is one catch: we cannot do it without God. Only in His power do we have any hope of elevating life from a servanthood to all the wrong things to the greatness that can only be found in true repentance and conversion. The good news is that the Lord stands at the door knocking, ready and able to make all things new, and good.

NEW WAYS OF THINKING

Numbers 36:1-Deuteronomy 1:46; Luke 5:29-6:11; Psalm 66:1-20; Proverbs 11:24-26

 ““When we were at Mount Sinai, the Lord our God said to us, ‘You have stayed at this mountain long enough. It is time to break camp and move on.”

 ““No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and uses it to patch an old garment. For then the new garment would be ruined, and the new patch wouldn’t even match the old garment. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the new wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine must be stored in new wineskins.

“Come and see what our God has done, what awesome miracles he performs for people!
He made a dry path through the Red Sea, and his people went across on foot. There we rejoiced in him.”

“Give freely and become more wealthy;
be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.”

One of the hardest things is to learn new ways of thinking. Specifically, it is so tough to really know what another person believes or feels sometimes. We see through our own eyes and assume more commonality than is real. On the other hand, we hide from each other, too. We fear transparency, both because we know our own minds, and because we fear ridicule, or inadequacy. It’s a miracle we can communicate at all, let alone appreciate others’ ideas! I confess to praising God we aren’t clairvoyant. Still, allowing another to truly know what I know, to walk in my shoes, is often the only way I can get my own head around a problem. I need others’ input, and objectivity, like it or not! And when I’m willing to let them in, relationship can go from bad to good in a heartbeat. So much of who we aren’t to others is based on misunderstanding. We don’t have enough solid information to make good choices about relationship, so we hold back instead of moving forward to confront the unknown. Why didn’t God make empathy instinctive? Why we don’t make it easier on each other by sharing ourselves?

Probably because empathy begins with relationship, and every relationship has to begin with a choice to risk connection, and some measure of vulnerability. That this is risky is beyond argument. It’s risk worth taking, though, since without relationship, we have no true friends. Empathy develops only through mutual trust. It blossoms only in unity. Maybe that’s the real message behind today’s Proverb: “Give freely and become more wealthy;
be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.” Maybe Solomon wasn’t talking about money at all. Maybe he was talking about us!

It is quite possible to be overly protective of ourselves, just as with money. In fact, any stinginess or withdrawal may be just a symptom of insecurity at best and selfishness at worst. That’s not to say it cannot be intellectually justified. Sometimes, it’s the only thing that makes any logical sense, particularly when we have no one else to protect us. Here’s the thing: Christians need to remember we are NEVER in the position of the abandoned or the isolated. We will be battered as the world is. But we ultimately are protected by the very God who parted the Red Sea! If He can be that creative, He can certainly save us!

Scripture is almost uncomfortably clear. It is time to move on, away from the doom and gloom and towards the Promised Land. We need to look for the opportunities in adversity. That includes expanding relationships. It includes choosing to stop isolating ourselves and choosing to bear one another’s burdens. We need to stop shutting people out, and start letting people in. Yes, people can betray our trust. But the Holy Spirit also spends a lot of time working through people. It’s a new way of thinking, but maybe the Lord ministers to us and blesses us best when He does so through others. Regardless, He will be our shield, if we allow it. Yes, building the Body of Christ is worth the risk.

DEFENDING THE FAITH?

Numbers 33:40-35:34; Luke 5:12-28; Psalm 65:1-13; Proverbs 11:23

 “But if you fail to drive out the people who live in the land, those who remain will be like splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will harass you in the land where you live. And I will do to you what I had planned to do to them.”

 “Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, ‘Young man, your sins are forgiven.’ But the Pharisees and teachers of religious law said to themselves, ‘Who does he think he is? That’s blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!’  Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, ‘Why do you question this in your hearts? Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.’ Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!’ And immediately, as everyone watched, the man jumped up, picked up his mat, and went home praising God.”

“Though we are overwhelmed by our sins, you forgive them all. 
What joy for those you choose to bring near, those who live in your holy courts. What festivities await us
inside your holy Temple.”

There is no persecution quite like “religious” folks’ persecution of other Christians. I lead an adult Sunday school class that just started a study based on a somewhat controversial book. The point is not to teach the book as gospel but to use it as the fiction it is simply to encourage closer examination of our beliefs regarding some pretty tough issues. The Church itself supports the study, but one zealot – who has never even read the manuscript or any of my class outlines – felt it necessary not just to vilify the book, but to loudly condemn its author, our class and even the pastors who support the series (of course, also all without hearing a word of what actually was taught). This is not an isolated instance in our Church, or others. Forgive the editorial comment, but Christians like that give Christianity a bad name.

There is a big difference between defending the faith against outside pagan influences and unjustly condemning our brothers and sisters in the faith for their differing perspectives. Not once does Scripture encourage anyone to leave their intellect at the church narthex. The Bible itself negates the claim that Scripture is the ultimate, complete and final revelation of God; otherwise, we would not need the Holy Spirit to reveal to us the deep mysteries of God or to show us the mind of Christ (see, e.g., 1 Cor. 2:9-16).  Perhaps it is answer enough to recognize, as Paul does, that, “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” On the other hand, though, perhaps we need to examine more closely why we so willingly attack those within the Church and yet so timidly confront the fleshly influences in our own lives and so weakly defend the faith to those outside it!

The Israelites had their Canaanites. Jesus had His Pharisees. Peter and Paul had each other. (Even they disagreed - pretty violently, actually - about how the Gospel should be presented!) There is a pattern here. With each conflict, the proverbial bullets hit closer and closer to home. All of us must battle the things and ideas that would draw us personally away from God. But we must be careful not to throw the baby out with the bath. Discouraging any seeker who is genuinely trying to find his or her way to Christ is dangerous business. Rather, might I suggest we actually start to believe and trust in Romans 8:28 and Mark 9:40? The Holy Spirit is a much better guide and censor than any of us. We don’t need to be consumed with judgment, either; God can handle that just fine. We should be working to build the Body of Christ, not tear it down. 

TRUE AUTHORITY

Numbers 32:1-33:39; Luke 4:31-5:11; Psalm 64:1-10; Proverbs 11:22

 “But if you fail to keep your word, then you will have sinned against the Lord, and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.”

 “Amazed, the people exclaimed, ‘What authority and power this man’s words possess! Even evil spirits obey him, and they flee at his command!’ The news about Jesus spread through every village in the entire region.”

“Then everyone will be afraid; they will proclaim the mighty acts of God and realize all the amazing things he does.”

Never before have we had so much information with which we are so totally unprepared and unqualified to deal.  We long for leaders with real authority to guide us through the morass. Jesus understood the import of proven authority and recognized words alone don’t mean much. Without the demonstrated power of God, Christ would have been just another figurehead, a radical flame, quickly snuffed and soon forgotten. Without a life sustained by the Spirit that confirmed His Message, His gospel would have been just another exercise in the hypocrisy and inadequacy of “religious” thinking. The difference, of course, was that Jesus lived in radical reliance on true Kingdom influence. He acknowledged the words He spoke were not His own, but what the Father directed. He was bold enough to speak in the directly delegated power of Yahweh. But most important, His authority derived from His consistency in pointing to God, rather than Himself. This may be the truest indicator of His authority: He did not require it for Himself.  He never wavered or backed away from His Mission to bring others back into relationship with God. Whenever the spotlight shone too brightly on Him, He quickly turned it back to the Father.

There is a major difference between attempting to use the Spirit to bolster others’ perceptions of our authority and relying solely on the Spirit to reveal our authority. One works; one does not. The difference lies in the direction to which our authority points others. Every time I try to claim my “fifteen minutes of fame” from ministry, my spiritual authority promptly withers and my frustration increases. When I rely on the Spirit to point others to the Lord, even if the results are less than stellar, it’s not about me, and perseverance is far easier.

True authority is found only in those who don’t want the spotlight for themselves, and who use it as a tool to benefit others. True authority is manifested only in those who are willing to put themselves at the end of the line, and who are willing to empty themselves so the Holy Spirit might fill them. If Christians expect to have any authority, we must begin with a fundamental commitment to the principles of Scripture and the example of Christ’s life.

THE PRICE OF ACCOUNTABILITY

Numbers 30:1-31:54; Luke 4:1-30; Psalm 63:1-11; Proverbs 11:20-21

 “A man who makes a vow to the Lord or makes a pledge under oath must never break it. He must do exactly what he said he would do.”

“Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry. Then the devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.’ But Jesus told him, ‘No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone.’”

 “But the king will rejoice in God. All who trust in him will praise him, while liars will be silenced.”

“The Lord detests people with crooked hearts, but he delights in those with integrity.”

There is a clear message from Scripture today: we need to stick to our commitments.  Don’t make promises lightly, because their price is always answerability. But a person who chooses integrity regardless of the cost of accountability is a delight to the Lord. This is an especially relevant word in our present world of regrets and bailouts. Much, if not most, of our current situation has grown out of the fact that trust has been breached and faith has been lost. Certainly, we are reaping the results of putting our faith in the wrong things. More fundamentally, though, we have overreacted and now seem to be training ourselves to trust no one. With few willing to accept liability for their words and actions, there is little worthy of confidence.  However, a life without trust and faith is a cold, hard world indeed.

As a child and young teen, I had a speaking familiarity with integrity. My parents modeled it unflinchingly. But while I admired it in others, it didn’t fit my lifestyle particularly well. It was just easier to do what was comfortable, what I wanted, rather than what I’d previously promised. That was a frustrating time for my folks, as they punished, instructed and cajoled me into some semblance of responsibility. I just didn’t understand all the fuss. After all, I was not pathologic; I simply had a decided preference for the convenient and expedient. Then, I met my future wife. (I broke a date to go out with her – that should have been a warning sign, right?) We began getting to know each other. She trusted me. I went home for the summer and spent more time than I should have with an old female friend from high school. And when I returned to college, I had to face the look of hurt in my wife-to-be’s eyes as the truth eventually came out. She forgave me, but that was not the point. She needed me to change. She needed me to be the Christian and man I pretended to be.

That’s a lifelong project, not one I claim to have achieved. Nevertheless, I did finally face one truth: my saving grace is that I am a lousy liar. Even as a child, after uttering a lie, I would hyperventilate, a few times to the point of actually fainting. (True story!) So, the choice of trustworthiness eventually came pretty much by necessity. But the catalyst was actually seeing how much pain betrayal can cause…. And realizing that one of the toughest things to do in this life is to restore lost confidence. I am not sure trust ever can be fully re-earned once it has been lost.  It may be a gift only the injured can bestow through forgiveness.

When we injure or betray another by failing to do as we promised, we train that person to know trust is dangerous and sometimes painful. Many of the brokenhearted feel the risk of trust no longer worth the vulnerability.  That’s a lousy way to live, and Christians should have no part in causing it.

FAMILY TIES

Numbers 28:16-29-40; Luke 3:23-38; Psalm 62:1-12; Proverbs 11:18-19

 “Jesus was known as the son of Joseph. Joseph was the son of Heli.”

 “I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken.”

My father in-law was a terrific grandfather who gave us many fond memories of weekends at his lake house.  The place was a madhouse with four families and nine grandkids running around. When Granddaddy wasn’t fishing or napping, though, he invariably couId be found on the porch, just enjoying the chaos. Never was any man prouder of his grandkids. They would play before him with utterly no sense of shame. In fact, more than one Mud Monster (translation: goop-covered kid) threatened the clean inside of Grandmother’s house, but as far as defenses were concerned, she was pretty much on her own. (Actually, while he was smart enough not to ever admit it, I think Granddaddy frequently rooted for the kids.) He lavished each with unconditional love as if he or she was the only one. Yet, the purity of his love also assured the children were never spoiled rotten. He did not resort to cheap gifts or simple words.  To this day, I am not sure I recall him ever actually saying “I love you” to one of the kids. Instead, he spoke through action, and gave the most precious gift – attention – to each child. Nothing was more important that teaching our youngest the proper fishing knot so “Ol’ Fighter” would be sure to stay hooked if the mythical beast ever really did strike. Later, if a car needed fixin,’ it was always Granddaddy to the rescue. He was a man of clear priority, and if things needed doing around the lake place when the grandkids were around, well heck, that was what sons in-law were for!

I wish I had been more appreciative of Granddaddy when we had him.  I wish I had paid better attention, and had learned more from him about how to relate to my kids. But I didn’t understand the priority then. I was too driven. I never stopped to consider what Granddaddy always knew: that each moment is precious; our time is limited; and even our recall of human love is too soon lost, if not intentionally imbedded in the memory.  That is what Granddaddy did best – he specialized in making memories, his own and others’.

So, somewhat unexpectedly, today is a tribute to a great man. He’s gone ahead home now, and I’m sure he’ll greet me with his usual strong handshake and belly laugh when I get to heaven. But really, he’ll keep a-waitin’ (just possibly, in that same old chair he kept on the porch), patient as ever, because he’ll still have his priorities… to love on his grandkids. Maybe this is a first step for me to be sure my kids understand how precious it is to have a grandfather like that, to have someone who is always willing to wait up for them.  Maybe it’s also a reminder that Christ is waiting for all of us just that way. I certainly understand Granddaddy was not Jesus. But he knew how to love unconditionally until it hurt, and from where I stand now, that made him a pretty close relative.

PASSING THE TORCH

Numbers 26:52-28:15; Luke 3:1-22; Psalm 61:1-8; Proverbs 11:16-17

 “Then Moses said to the Lord, ‘O Lord, you are the God who gives breath to all creatures. Please appoint a new man as leader for the community. Give them someone who will guide them wherever they go and will lead them into battle, so the community of the Lord will not be like sheep without a shepherd.’ The Lord replied, ‘Take Joshua son of Nun, who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him. Present him to Eleazar the priest before the whole community, and publicly commission him to lead the people. Transfer some of your authority to him so the whole community of Israel will obey him.’”

 “John answered their questions by saying, ‘I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.’”

“Your kindness will reward you, but your cruelty will destroy you.”

There comes a time when every leader must pass the torch of leadership to another.  Those who do so gracefully are a blessing to their successors.  Those who hang onto a ministry contrary to God’s Will find themselves substituting perspiration for inspiration as their spiritual authority erodes beneath them. The end result is usually bitterness and hurt feelings, at best.  At worst, a schism can result which prevents any effective ministry at all.  Moses and John the Baptist got it right, and we would do well to follow their example.

I have started more than one ministry that changed and diverged from its original course.  After several years of leading a Singles Ministry, for example, it became very clear I had nothing left to say. It was disconcerting to feel the Spirit pull the inspirational rug out from under me. I wondered if I had misinterpreted the call from the start. Turned out, I had gotten too comfortable. The Lord wanted me to move on to a different opportunity. God reminded me even Paul played a limited role as planter; others were to water, nourish, prune, etc. the ministries he began.  So, the lesson was, first, that Christian leaders need to reconcile themselves to the idea that ministries, just like people, grow, develop and change according to the Spirit’s Will and not necessarily according to our expectations or hopes. Indeed, the change may even separate leader and ministry. That’s OK; if the ministry is truly viable, Christ will sustain it without them.

Second, if the ministry depends on the person more than the Spirit, it’s on very thin ice to begin.  By definition, every Christian “ministry” belongs to Jesus; “leaders” are but servants and messengers. When we forget and begin thinking ourselves indispensible, we put too much focus and pressure on ourselves and are bound to fail eventually.

Finally, accepting that the ministry does belong to the Father, we have to trust Him to sustain it, change it or end it according to His purpose and Will.  It’s tough to see a ministry die. It can be difficult even to see someone else take over, especially if it involves a change in direction. But the Spirit still rewards those who hold ministries with open palms and graciously defer to their successors. 

KEEPING TABS

Numbers 26:1-51; Luke 2:36-52; Psalm 60:1-12; Proverbs 11:15

 “After the plague had ended, the Lord said to Moses and to Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, ‘From the whole community of Israel, record the names of all the warriors by their families. List all the men twenty years old or older who are able to go to war.’”

 “His parents didn’t know what to think. ‘Son,’ his mother said to him, ‘why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere.’  ‘But why did you need to search?’ he asked. ‘Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?’ But they didn’t understand what he meant. Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And his mother stored all these things in her heart.”

“You have rejected us, O God, and broken our defenses. You have been angry with us; now restore us to your favor. You have shaken our land and split it open. Seal the cracks, for the land trembles.”

Last night, I ran into a friend who moved away this Spring.  He was in town on business, and we just happened to see each other at a local restaurant. Although we are good friends, neither of us had made any effort at all to maintain contact after the move.  The Lord used the situation to remind me that friends are irreplaceable treasures I too often take for granted. I need to make friendship a higher priority.

God commanded the Israelites to keep tabs on each other. He wanted them to know their strengths, wanted them to understand they could rely on other warriors in their fight for Yahweh’s cause.  The Lord ordered a specific count because He knew that we, ironically, often lose track of our friends in times of stress or crisis.  Facing vulnerability or weakness, we sometimes back away from the Church, ashamed or afraid of revealing our own insufficiencies. Cutting ourselves off from the very resources Christ would use to heal or protect us is a fool’s reaction. That’s the very time it is most imperative for us to know how many friends we have, and who can be counted on when the chips are down. The parallels are obvious; if it was the right thing for Israel to do, keeping tabs on friends is a great thing for us to do today!

It’s not to be limited to friends, either.  I can’t judge Mary and Joseph for losing touch with Jesus.  My wife and I left our three year old in the middle of Fiesta Texas once – for the longest 360 seconds of our lives! More currently, with one son married and two away in college, it takes intentional effort to keep in touch.  Kids get busy and wander, and we can get out of the habit of communicating (unless they are broke!) if we allow it. But on the other hand, my Dad set a standard I have never matched: once a week for every week of her 97 years of life, he wrote a letter to his mother. Consequently, there was never a day, even in the nursing home, when she felt unloved or ignored.

We need each other; it’s as simple as that. If the Spirit is going to truly “seal the cracks” in our land during our time, He’s going to start with the Body of Christ, His Church. If we want the healing, it makes sense to stick close to the Healer, and also to keep tabs on the saints who are His hands and feet. 

ACKNOWLEDGING THE OBVIOUS

Numbers 24:1-25:18; Luke 2:1-35; Psalm 59:1-17; Proverbs 11:14

 “By now Balaam realized that the Lord was determined to bless Israel, so he did not resort to divination as before.”

 “Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. ‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. ‘I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.’ Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.’”

 “You are my strength; I wait for you to rescue me, for you, O God, are my fortress.
In his unfailing love, my God will stand with me. He will let me look down in triumph on all my enemies.”

Few of us give enough credence to the Bible. Were it otherwise, there would be many less folks succumbing to the current economic panic, and the incessant negativity of our media. Not to say these aren’t difficult times; they are. But they are also some of the “troubled” times Jesus promised in John 10:10. Since Jesus foresaw them, and also promised He had already overcome them, our fear now, on a spiritual level, is simply reengaging an enemy which has already been defeated. It’s counterproductive, and probably dangerous, as it distracts us from the blessings we still do have that could help the situation. We are still in God’s hands. We are, in fact, where He knew we’d be.  Things are not out of control; we people are just once again recognizing how little control we have in ourselves.  What a great time to make a conscious effort to return to God! Most of us are wasting too much energy trying to predict and prepare for a dismal future instead of working to change our view of the present and, so, the future’s direction.

It bears repeating: “Fear not!” is one of the most oft-quoted commands of God in the Bible. It is not optional. It is not conditional. It is how He wants us to live. If He has commanded it, then we also have the power to do it. When anxiety comes knocking with its special package of uncertainties, we have the power to refuse delivery. This is not wishful thinking; it’s acknowledging the obvious… at least, according to the Bible.

There is power in acknowledging the “obvious,” particularly when those around us don’t see it. “Glory to God!” for a cast-off child in a manger?  You bet.  Blessing an enemy in front of an opposing commander? If it’s God’s Will. Relying on God to rescue us? Absolutely! That’s not the whole story, of course. The Spirit is gonna need the minds and muscle of many believers to get us through these days. But first, we have to get past the fear. He has already overcome, so get through this, we will. The sun will rise on a brighter day!

BEATING OUR OWN [DONKEY]

Numbers 22:21-23:30; Luke 1:57-80; Psalm 58:1-11; Proverbs 11:12-13

 “Then the angel of the Lord moved farther down the road and stood in a place too narrow for the donkey to get by at all. This time when the donkey saw the angel, it lay down under Balaam. In a fit of rage Balaam beat the animal again with his staff. Then the Lord gave the donkey the ability to speak. ‘What have I done to you that deserves your beating me three times?’ it asked Balaam. ‘You have made me look like a fool!’ Balaam shouted. ‘If I had a sword with me, I would kill you!’”

 “You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins.
 Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.”

My heart goes out to Balaam’s donkey; that animal stood where my spiritual life has been many times. My piety is routinely tormented, beaten and berated by my worldly self, which never seems able to perceive the dangers ahead but is ever ready to challenge and denounce any act or vision of faith.  I, like Balaam, think too much about others’ perceptions. More to the point, I tend to decide what I think God wants and proceed in that direction regardless (often, in spite) of the guidance He would give me.  I end up looking far more the fool than I ever could have had I followed my spiritual side from the start. So, then guilt sets in, and I beat myself up some more.  And feel foolish and guilty about that….  And so on….

Here’s what I know, without doubt: Christ wants us all to quit beating ourselves up! That’s no way for a victorious Christian to live. I could probably stop there for today, but I won’t, because just saying “don’t do that” has never been a cure for anything.  I know what’s wrong, and what I should not do. Knowledge is not the fix. I need to focus a LOT more on what’s right and good, and what the Spirit calls me to do.  If I get good enough at that, my bet is the “Thou shalt nots,” self-imposed limitations and goals and the guilt all will take care of themselves.

We know the Morning Light! Jesus will take us from the futile darkness of sin, self-reliance, intellectualism and will power into the dawn of grace, if we claim it. We know how to find salvation through forgiveness of our sins.  We just don’t do it, at least, not near often enough. I have been a professing Christian for over 35 years, yet it was only last month I finally recognized a major, spiritual problem: I was praying only half a prayer.  I’m actually pretty good about recognizing my sin, and even confessing it.  What I was missing was the forgiveness part.

It does no one any good to say, “Lord, I’m a sinner,” without adding the tax collector’s, “Have mercy on me” to the prayer. Acknowledging sin is no more than stating the obvious, and only the truly pathologic don’t get that. But it is also no more than spiritual self-flagellation, and most all of us engage in that to one degree or another. It’s time to give that ol’ donkey a break, and learn to see as he saw.  The Holy Spirit is right there, just waiting for us to recognize and call on Him.

DISTURBING BLESSINGS

Numbers 21:1-22:20; Luke 1:26-56; Psalm 57:1-11; Proverbs 11:9-11

 “But God told Balaam, ‘Do not go with them. You are not to curse these people, for they have been blessed!’”

 “Gabriel appeared to her and said, ‘Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!^’ Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. ‘Don’t be afraid, Mary,’ the angel told her, ‘for you have found favor with God!  You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!’”

“For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.”

Not all blessings are created equal.  Many cause outright discomfiture! Raises are met with greater tax burdens.  Friends require attention.  Knowledge takes time and, often, unfortunate decisions from which we learn.  Empathy and compassion demand vulnerability.  To summarize, it’s pretty clear God does not necessarily see “blessings” the way we do.  To illustrate, Jesus’ idea of a great time appears to be servanthood.  We need to begin training ourselves to see blessings in terms of the Spirit’s perspective.

Who would think of a job loss, for example, as a blessing?  Sometimes, it isn’t.  Other times, though, it can be a release and an opportunity.  I have had detestable jobs where leaving seemed impossible or, at least, downright stupid under the circumstances.  One time, I actually prayed, “Lord, help me know what to do.”  Within a week or so, I was left with no choice; I was told I had become an “economic casualty.” I felt cursed and abandoned. Yet, I would never have gotten to this point without that adversity. So, blessing or curse?

I suspect that’s what Luke was getting at when he described Mary as confused and disturbed by Gabriel’s news.  A single, pregnant female in that day and age was not highly regarded, especially if her betrothed had nothing to do with it!  Had Joseph abandoned her, she had few options outside stoning or prostitution, hardly the kind of “blessing” one attributes to a loving God. But she was carrying the very Son of God! Still, it was not really until Mary heard Elizabeth’s affirmation that, suddenly, all the trials – past and future – looked different somehow.  Mary could not keep herself from bursting out in one of the most beautiful songs of praise ever recorded anywhere. Finally, she began to grasp the enormity of Jehovah’s ability to make everything work to good for those who love Him.  And the faith born of that experience sustained Mary all the way through the Cross.

What does it mean to be truly blessed?  Based on what the Lord told Balaam, it might even mean wandering forty years in the desert.  I propose a simpler explanation that fits all the circumstance of today’s readings: we are blessed any time we come more fully to depend and rely on the power of the Holy Spirit, however comfortable or uncomfortable that makes us.  

INVASIONS OF SELF

Numbers 19:1-20:29; Luke 1:1-25; Psalm 56:1-13; Proverbs 11:8

 “…And the Lord said to Moses, ‘You and Aaron must take the staff and assemble the entire community. As the people watch, speak to the rock over there, and it will pour out its water. You will provide enough water from the rock to satisfy the whole community and their livestock.’ …Then he and Aaron summoned the people to come and gather at the rock. “Listen, you rebels!” he shouted. “Must we bring you water from this rock?” Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with the staff, and water gushed out. So the entire community and their livestock drank their fill. But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!’”

 “Zechariah said to the angel, ‘How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.’ Then the angel said, ‘I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.’”

“But when I am afraid,
I will put my trust in you. 
I praise God for what he has promised. 
I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?  What can mere mortals do to me?”

Moses got a raw deal. So did Zechariah. But I understand why. They doubted God, and fell back on their own power and understanding. Moses shouted. “Must we bring you water from this rock?” Zechariah said, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now….’ In each case, suddenly, God’s blessing and grace became all about the person. Consequently, while God still provided the blessing He’d planned from the beginning, Moses’ and Zechariah’s share was less than either hoped.

It’s actually something of a relief to find I am not the only one who suffers from unwanted “invasions of self” during otherwise perfectly good ministry opportunities.  Years ago, I was asked to take over a project where others had failed.  Rather arrogantly, I declared that, this time, we would do it the right way (meaning, of course, my way) and promptly drove everyone into the ground with legalistic standards and unreasonable demands. Fortunately, a friend (thank Jesus I still had one!) came along about that time and suggested we just do it God’s way. The Lord won, and I have never forgotten the lesson.  Given the chance, I will insinuate my self into any of God’s work where there is any recognition to be had, and I will promptly screw it up, unless saved from my self by the grace of God.  

Grace is a wonderful thing, and mature Christians should know better than to take advantage of it.  But ambition, power and even doubt are seductive things, and they are more than happy to take advantage of anyone they can, especially mature Christians who have forgotten the blessings of humility.  So, it is better to fall back on grace than on our own strength and understanding.  Hopefully, the next time I start to think God can’t do it without me, I pray Christ will continue to have mercy on me and that the Spirit will send another of its “angels” to set me back on the straight and narrow.  The power of the Lord is too much for any individual to handle.  We should not presume to do so.  It’s perfectly OK to let God be God and accept the blessing the way it is given, without question or trying to “improve” on it ourselves.  In fact, that’s actually a better way of ministering: just let God be God, and try to stay out of His way….