Being in the Who’s Who of the Bible

The Bible is full of stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. The stories weren’t stories like many of the best sellers we read today, they are real people, leading real lives, during desperate times.  To get a mention in the Bible is itself extraordinary, but their acts were not supernatural or over-the-top; they were somewhat mundane. Let me give you a few examples.

Jochebed (Exodus 6:20), the mother of Moses, if she did not decide to put Moses in a reed basket to save his life, he would not have delivered Israel from the Egyptians. I’m sure that Jochebed did not contemplate God’s deliverance of the Jews from the Pharaohs at the time. Ruth (Ruth) pledged to follow Naomi and worship her God. From this act, she eventually married Boaz, giving birth to an ancestor of King David, whose descendant was Jesus Christ. Esther (Ester), having lost her parents, entrusted to an uncle, and banished to a pagan land, saved the Jewish people from destruction. Ananias (Acts 9:10-14) was directed by God to minister to the deadliest enemy of the Christian faith at that time; Saul.

There are more such people mentioned in the Bible. People who God gave a simple task that ultimately changed Christianity. Most of these people had no idea of the impact they would have. Most were doing what they thought was proper but not extraordinary.

I also think of others like Agur, who wrote a beautiful prayer in Psalms (Proverbs 30:7-9), or the famous prayer of Jabez, which is only 33 words long (1 Chronicles 4:10). None of these people were looking for notoriety or fame. None of them set out to make a mark in history. Instead, they all sought the pleasure of God.

How do we become a people of Biblical proportions? How do we live our life so that we will be known when the end of days comes? These people did not live extraordinary lives blessed by God. They were not the movers and shakers of their time. They did not measure the ramifications of their acts; they just obeyed.

FOLLOW HIS EXAMPLE

Ephesians 5:1-2, “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

How do you live your life? Most of us become caught up in the day-to-day grind. We don’t think about its significance; life is a series of stimuli and responses. We are like Pavlov’s dog, reacting rather than living. Being proactive in life requires taking a risk.

Ephesians 3:17, “May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”

We are filled with all the fullness of life and power of God. To be in the Who’s Who of the Bible, we need to follow Christ’s example. We need to take courageous and improvisational risks. We should consciously seek out those in need and courageously take the risk to love them. Our day planners and commitments need to take the second chair to look for and react to God working through us for others. You don’t have to author a worldwide revival; we need to show compassion where compassion is missing.

REDEEMING YOUR TIME

Ephesians 5:15-16, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil.”

I pray that your time is long and your joys are many, but we do not know until the end. We should live our lives as if this day was the last day we have to share the Gospel. This day may be the last chance to tell our family, friends, or neighbors how much God loves them and wants them as part of His family. Today we need to correct a wrong, forgive the past and show compassion to someone in need.

Job 9:25-26, “My days are swifter than a runner; they flee away; they see no good. They go by like skiffs of reed, like an eagle swooping on the prey.”

Many people I know wish they had one more moment with a loved one that has passed. They want to share one more conversation; they want to say I love you one more time. KiKi King, an instrumentalist, once said at a TEDTalk, (paraphrased) time goes on to eternity behind us, time goes on to eternity before us making this moment seem insignificant. But this moment is all I have. So, I will live this moment as if it was the most significant moment of my life at this time.

Matthew 6:34, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

If you want to be in the Who’s Who of the Bible, you have to use each moment as if it was the last and most significant moment of your life.

ALWAYS GIVING THANKS

Ephesians 5:20-21, “Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

Giving thanks is the frosting on the cake. Recognizing God is the difference between a good person and a righteous person. If we show loving, caring compassion toward everyone and do not credit the author of our story, then we have done nothing of value. God is the Alpha and the Omega; everything starts and ends with Him. Everyone we come in contact with must know this. Our life must center on and radiate out from Christ. The light in the darkness we shine is not our light but a reflection of His light. Our humility is genuine because we understand the power of the one who sent us. We accomplish all things through Christ.

Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Our story is never going to be amended to the Bible. But there will come a time when we will have to face Jesus to account for our faith. So, while there is still time, please make the most of it. Take courageous impetuous risks, knowing God has your back.

1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.”

What Is Godly Purpose?

Most Christians want to serve Christ. Once we admit that to ourselves, we immediately say, but. We want to help in our way, to the people we choose, using our disposable resources within our timetable. We do not wish to serve ungrateful people in a faraway land, using up our hard-earned vacation time. Thinking this is not the same as saying it, so we’re good. Right?

How often do we fit the Gospel into our situation; rather than fit our circumstances into the Gospel?

PURPOSE

Mother Teresa, in her book, The Joy in Loving: A Guide to Daily Living, wrote, “I am a little pencil in God’s hands. He does the thinking. He does the writing. He does everything, and sometimes it is really hard because it is a broken pencil, and He has to sharpen it a little more.”

Paul reminds us that if we genuinely pursue the will of God, no matter the outcome, we can count on it serving God’s purpose. It is not for us to determine the time or method God will choose to use us for His Kingdom.

Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

God created us to do good works predestine for us to accomplish. Preparation does not mean just our time and money but also our gifts, passions, education, experiences, and even where we are. God will sometimes send you; mostly, He will use you exactly where you are.

Ephesians 1:11 “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.”

I have a purpose. I was created as a unique creature with specific skills and afforded specific resources to accomplish an individual task. But I have free will in choosing both if and how I will respond. So I can accept that I have this unique purpose without actually working to advance it.

Tom Shuler wrote an excellent book entitled “Metaporphyx.” He tries to clarify the process of both understanding and fulfilling God’s purpose in our lives. It looks at this purpose as not a thing or a single event but a continuous process that repeats itself, each cycle building on the last. A pivot point punctuates each cycle or season. A pivot point is a critical event that causes us to both reassess and redefine our direction. However, the redefinition of our direction does not alter our purpose. The purpose remains the same, but the direction constantly changes based on the seasons of our lives.

 So again, what is our purpose?

HINT

John 15:1-27,“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. “

Our purpose has to do with bearing fruit. So, what does the Bible say about fruit?

James 2:14-26, “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also, faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. …”

First of all, the fruit we are looking for comes from the Spirit. Not every good work qualifies, just those that are created out of an abiding love and obedience to the Spirit. Second, it is active and not passive. We must do something. We can not just say, “God loves you, go in peace.” We must minister to their actual needs. “So also, faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” Dead, as in entirely worthless.

To summarize up to this point, I have a unique and specific purpose for which I was created, and that purpose requires that I do something material. We also know.

Philippians 1:6 “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

I end this thought knowing that whatever my purpose, I will be successful if I abide in Christ and diligently search. As I’m still working on the whole purpose, God has assured me that I will eventually succeed.

Psalm 67, “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us— so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you. May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth. May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you. The land yields its harvest; God, our God, blesses us. May God bless us still so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.”

Malta

Where is your Malta? Odd question, it arises from one of the great stories from Paul’s life. You might recall that God told Paul he would testify in Rome. We all want that level of clarity in our lives. We want God to speak directly to us in words that would be hard to misinterpret. I don’t know about you, but that very seldom happens in my life.

Acts 23:11, “The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, ‘Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”‘

God didn’t tell Paul to take route 6 to the intersection of Route 9, turn left, and there you are. Paul’s destination was clear, but the journey was not. Paul may or may not have known what he would do in Rome, but he knew with certainty that he would get there. Can we say that about our destination?

“There will be no peace in any soul until it is willing to obey the voice of God.” – D.L. Moody

The why of Paul’s journey was obedience. The what, when, and how we’re not as clear. Paul’s journey to Rome mirrors our journey in life. It all starts with why. Rome was the epicenter of all knowledge and culture. It was the place that new ideas went viral. It was where God’s story would get legs. God’s story would travel to all the distant parts of the Roman Empire. The why was to testify to the greatness of God.

Paul took a circuital route to get to Rome. But eventually, they put him on a ship headed that way. It was not a journey to proclaim the Gospel; it was a journey to stand trial, but the why was still the why.

Isaiah 1:19, “If you consent and obey, you will eat the best of the land”

MALTA

Here is where Malta comes into play. A great storm arises, putting Paul’s ship in pearl. Paul’s confidence in God assures him that he will not perish but will somehow survive to continue to Rome. But, unfortunately, the ship runs aground on the small island of Malta. Now at this point, Paul could consider this a time out. He could have guessed that evil had set up a roadblock, and God would have to clear it. He could have chilled out until the journey continued; his destination was Rome, not Malta.

Are you in Malta? Have your plans been waylaid? Do you feel you have a greater destiny but are sitting on the beach waiting for the next boat going your way? When we look around to see what lessons are to be learned during this sabbatical, do we see nothing? The wind has stopped, and the sail is slack; nothing to do but wait for the next breeze.

Publius, the chief official of Malta, had a father sick from fever and dysentery. Paul went to see him, prayed for him, put hands on him, and healed him. Many came to believe because of this. Paul knew that God did not waste time. Paul knew that his mission field was where he woke up that morning. There were great things in store for him in Rome, but he wasn’t in Rome; he was where God wanted him that day.

1 Peter 3:15, “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.”

From there, Paul spent time in Syracuse, Rhegium, and Puteoli before reaching Rome. At each of these ports, he had to stay several days as the ship unloaded and loaded cargo. Acts tell us that at each port, Paul preached the Gospel.

THE SHORTEST PATH BETWEEN TWO POINTS IS A STRAIGHT LINE

If you are studying geometry, that is true; if you are studying the Gospel, it is not. We all have to spend time in Malta. We all have to take a deep breath, look around and see what God has for us to do where we are. If we get too fixated on the destination that we lose the journey, we have lost a valuable piece of God’s story for our lives. If we spend too much time trying to understand what God ultimately wants us to be, we lose the joy and passion of the journey God has us on.

The Atlanta Braves just won the World Series; one of the feel-good stories concerned Freddie Freeman. Freddie has been a long-time Braves player. He hit a home run in the final innings of the clinching game. As Freddie rounded third, heading to home plate, he looked at his wife and son in the audience and broke out into a wide grin. When asked about this, he said (paraphrase) I saw my son and remember when I was his age, lying awake at night dreaming of hitting a home run and winning the World Series. Finally, my son got to see his dad do that.

1 John 4:18, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

Folks, as God rounds third, He sees us and grins. He knows we lay awake at night with visions of greatness. He sees our future with great pride and love. So do not miss the journey thinking about the destination. Instead, live the moments that God gives you as worship to Him. Remember that God hits the home runs, and we get to cheer with pride and say, “That’s my dad.”

Ephesians 3:18-19, “And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. “

The Illusion of Prosperity

I have been thinking about this for some time. I’m trying to figure out what to say and how to say it. I have seen firsthand the plight of the 40% of the world’s population that lives on less than two dollars a day. I have looked into their eyes, I have seen how they live. My focus has been on these people called The Majority World (Africa, Asia, and Latin America). God has given me a skill set, knowledge, and experience that He wants me to use to help these people in any little way I can. Today I look in the opposite direction. I’m looking at one of the most prosperous nation in the world.

Lamentations 3:19-25, “Remember my suffering and my aimless wandering, the wormwood and poison. My soul continues to remember these things and is so discouraged. “The reason I can still find hope is that I keep this one thing in mind: the Lord’s mercy. We were not completely wiped out. His compassion is never limited. It is new every morning. His faithfulness is great. My soul can say, ‘The Lord is my lot in life. That is why I find hope in him.’ The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to anyone who seeks help from him.”

The story I want to tell today is not about The Majority World, in a small way it is. I was raised in the Midwest in a small farm community. Even though I have spent most of my life away from my childhood home, I still identify it as my home. I have returned twice a year, almost every year for a half-century. I have a vision infused deep within my brain of idyllic small-town America. It fosters a feeling of fondness, wholesomeness, and community that comforts me. This year as I sat in the park, listening to a local rock band sponsored by the City for “Fun Days,” I suddenly realized I was wrong.

THE GROWTH OF A COMMUNITY

First, let me tell you a little history of my home town. My hometown was established in 1836. A gristmill was built because the nearby river had a 15-foot waterfall that provided hydropower. The Illinois and Michigan Canal was to be constructed nearby to provide transportation. Unfortunately, the depression of 1837 bankrupt the state government, and construction on the canal stopped until 1848. The railroad arrived about 1850, becoming the preferred mode of transportation. The great news for my hometown is that industry grew with the hydropower and advent of the railroad. By the 1880s, raceways were built to provide mechanical power to the growing industry sector. By 1911 the raceway helped provide electrical power to the City. My hometown was one of the first to have electric trollies. Growing up, I still remember the rail tracks embedded in the streets from the trolley. Unfortunately, the trolley system went out of service during the Great Depression.

By the early 1900s, an eight-story Carton Factory was built provided ample employment for the City. Today that brooding brick building still towers over Main Street. It became the lifeblood of the community. It operated until 1960. The Federal Government finished Interstate Highway 80 just ten miles north of town in 1967, forever changing the traffic pattern away from my hometown. The power plant that used to power the Carton Factory, and my hometown stopped producing in 1989.

I was fortunate that I grew up in the ’50s and ’60’s when my hometown was called the City of Churches. It was a small town but economically healthy. To this day franchise systems bypass my hometown. All the drug stores, grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants, banks, hotels, news paper and even telephone company are local family-owned businesses. We were a community.

THE FALL OF MID AMERICA

I should have noticed it. I should have picked up on the clue when the city motto was changed to the City by the River. I should have seen it when the Carton Factory closed, then the power plant, then the High School, and finally two of the three grade schools. But I didn’t. It was still the small town I grew up in and loved.

I didn’t notice that 100% of the students were now on the free lunch program. I didn’t notice that the shops along Main Street were now bars and Slot Machine Outlets. I didn’t notice that the once vibrant three story hotel on Main Street was now a flophouse for the down and out. I didn’t live there, so I didn’t notice that unemployment was a way of life; Welfare, Unemployment, Food Stamps were lifelines. People didn’t have careers or professions; they had a series of disassociated jobs, mostly at minimum wage. They worked off the books because it wouldn’t reduce their benefits. Working at $5.00 an hour tax-free was better than minimum wage at a burger joint.

That night in the park, what I did notice was a lack of hope. A dark future permeated everyone in the park. Even those with steady jobs felt the pain of their friends and relatives. The City was surviving but on life support. Without government programs, the City would dry up and blow away. Instead, the residence now made life livable with alcohol and more potent stimulants.  I couldn’t help but think of the kids. What was their future? Would they slowly die from inside like the rest of the City?

The decay of small towns is happening all across America. Of the 19,000 incorporated cities in the United States, over 16,000 have a population under 10,000 people.

MY LAMENT

I guess what makes this story hard is that I have no answers. There are four levels of poverty; spiritual, being, relational, and material. Politicians and governments concentrate on material poverty because it is easy to see and measure. They throw money and programs at the result of poverty, not the source. The foundation to recovering from material poverty is to overcome spiritual poverty. In Christ, there is both a hope for the future and a prescription for achieving that hope. With faith in God’s promise through Christ we start to better understand our true worth. We also start to understand the importance of not only lifting ourselves, but those around us. Finally, we create a material environment that sustains our purpose. With Christ-centered hope, anything can be accomplished; people fall back on old habits without it. Generational, systematic, cultural poverty was not created in a generation and will not be overcome in a generation.  Without schools, there will be no jobs, and without jobs, there is no need for schooling. Without hope, no-one cares.

It is a lament. I have no answers; I can only pray and serve. The results belong to God.

Isaiah 40:28-31, “Don’t you know? Haven’t you heard? The eternal God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, doesn’t grow tired or become weary. His understanding is beyond reach. He gives strength to those who grow tired and increases the strength of those who are weak. Even young people grow tired and become weary, and young men will stumble and fall. Yet, the strength of those who wait with hope in the Lord will be renewed. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and won’t become weary. They will walk and won’t grow tired.”

There is a great book discussing the complexity of poverty entitled “When Helping Hurts.” By Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert.