Tag: Peace

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Faith with Absolute Assurance

Faith is the assurance of things we hope for but have not received. Our faith in Christ is grounded in His promise to us through Abraham. We believe because we can see the impact on our lives today that encourages us about our future. It does not mean today is puppy dogs and unicorns, but it does mean that today is leading to a better tomorrow.

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

Whenever I face a critical issue, I return to a simple truth; “Do I believe what I say I believe?”. Everything is condensed down to this one critical question. When I distill an issue down to the root cause, it always boils down to this; do I trust that Christ is who I say He is, and do I believe He cares the way He says He does?

RELIGIOSITY

Let me give you a real-life example from several years ago. I knew someone who owed me money. They asked me to do some work for them, I did it, they acknowledged that I did it, and their client was satisfied with the work. I asked several times over the next year about getting paid without a resolution. He is a professing Christian. He has plenty of money, so he shouldn’t be concerned. Now I am a huge commitment type of guy. I believe you say what you will do, then you do it. It’s not the money; it is the principle of the matter.

My first thought goes right to righteous indignation:
Proverbs 3:27, “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due when it is in your power to act.”

I am owed; you, as a Christian, have an obligation to pay me. So, I start to build my argument. I start remembering bible verses that condemn him and justify me. I pray for the right (passive-aggressive) approach to make him feel guilty if he does not pay. It stopped being about money some time ago. It is now religiosity. I own the high ground. God is on my side.

There are a few things I should think about first:
Proverbs 16:2, “All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord.”
Proverbs 20:22, “Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!” Wait for the Lord, and he will avenge you.”
Proverbs 27:19, “As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.”

What started as a quest to right a wrong has turned into a vendetta. My motivation turned selfish. It is not about getting my wages but proving my religious superiority. It has turned to punish him for not being as good as me. I stopped trying to let God work through this and started dictating the terms.

FAITHFULNESS

Living by faith requires a different approach. When we decide to follow Christ, we commit to allowing Him to lead. This commitment requires a certain level of trust. I believe Christ does not want us to suffer needlessly or without kingdom impact. Therefore, if we must suffer, there is a purpose in the suffering, and that purpose will positively impact His kingdom here on earth.

The next question that comes to mind is, at what cost? Who wins and who loses, and by how much? Does evil prosper? The ultimate answer to those questions is in Revelations.

Revelation 20:10, “And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

And who does this apply to?

1 John 3:8, “Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.”

There is an actual price to be paid by those who reject Christ. We must be assured that God will do what He said He would do.

APPLICATION

When we have been wronged, what should we do? The first thing we should all do when faced with a dilemma is to pray for guidance. It is through prayer that we gain assurance that our faith is rewarded. There are too many permutations of grievances to suggest a one-size-fits-all solution. But, the starting point is always the same. Prayer

It is also essential to determine where our ego is during this time. Is the grievance material or emotional? Is the wrong subjective or objective? Do I believe God has my best interest in mind, even if I don’t get what I want? Am I advancing my kingdom or His? What do I believe about Christ’s dominion over the world? These are the critical questions, not our perception of right and wrong. God will handle right and wrong.

LAST POINT

The last point is that there are times when we must take advantage of the authority God has established over man to help with worldly issues that broken man can not adequately address. We have laws and governing authorities for that purpose. These are tools for Him to use to help us. They are not tools he has created so that we can punish those we dislike or disagree with.

Romans 13:1-2, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.”

Trials will come. That is part of being human in a fallen world. How we face those trials will determine our impact on His kingdom for Him. Our assurance of victory comes through our faith in the victor. We can win the battle but lose the war.

James 5:11, “As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.”
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Fighting Discouragement

We are all fighting discouragement from time to time. The less fortunate among us face discouragement daily. The verb to discourage means “to deprive of confidence, hope or spirit; dishearten.” The word discourages is synonymous with afflict, beat down, demoralize, depress, dismay, distress, frighten, intimidate, irk, and trouble.

Discouragement comes from the root word courage. The prefix dis- means “the opposite of.” So discouragement is the opposite of courage. When we are discouraged, we lose the motivation to press forward. The battle is too fierce, the river too wide, the hill too tall, or the destination too far, and we lose the courage to continue.

Romans 7 21-23, “It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s obvious that not all of me join in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge. I’ve tried everything, and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me?” (MSG)

The Discouragement Lie

A lie from Satan is the source of every discouragement. Satan uses our desire to do and be good against us. He knows he cannot overcome our strength in Christ, so he uses our desire against us. He makes sure that we feel we don’t measure up.

John 8:44, “….for he is a liar and the father of lies and half-truths.”

We have talked about this often; we live in a post-modern world designed to make us discontent. We are overwhelmed with influencers who only show us the highlights of their lives. The media paints pictures designed to make us want more, do more, and be more. None of this is from God. Instead, God points us to the exact opposite.

Psalm 27:14, “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage”

The person God made you to be, is perfect for what He made you to do. No one else has control over that.

Three primary forms of discouragement

Fleeting:

Fleeting discouragement is when we experience minor problems or pressures that affect our emotions; we quickly become discouraged when we seek rewards or affirmation from those around us. This is something we fight every day. If it is not how we look or how we talk or whom we know, it’s what we don’t know. We are being evaluated against a worldly performance standard that is not tied to whom God made us. These minor issues evaporate like morning dew, but the accumulating effect lasts a long time below the surface.

2 Timothy 1:7, “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

Mild discouragement can grow into significant discouragement. We relive our shortcomings over and over until it becomes part of us. We lose our sense of reality because it has been replaced with repetitive negative thoughts. Like the erosion of sandstone by dripping water, we become something different than what we were created to be.

Significant:

Discouragement becomes problematic when we face significant problems or pressures that affect our spirits. Some of these pressures are self-inflicted, but many are not. When we let mild discouragement mushroom or set our standards too high, we can create an environment that fosters strong discouragement. This type of discouragement only goes away slowly. You can’t blow it off and move on. You have to face the source of that discouragement and defeat it before it becomes disabling.

Ephesians 4:24, “and put on the new self, created in God’s image, in the righteousness and holiness of the truth.”

The second source of strong discouragement produces the same result. This discouragement is the creation of those around you. Sometimes it is meant to be motivating, but mostly it is a passive-aggressive approach to making someone else feel better about themselves. Sometimes a well-meaning friend or parent wants you to become who they think you should be. Other times, someone uses you as a punching bag for their shortcomings.

Deuteronomy 20:4, “for Jehovah your God is He that goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.”

None of this is from God. All of it is Evil trying to distract you from your real purpose in life. Go back to scripture and reaffirm who you are. Distance yourself from the desires of others and concentrate on the desire of God. Don’t allow others to define who you are.

Disabling:

This happens when our hearts “melt” within us, and we have no desire, energy, or ability to fight on. I’ve been there. You know you have arrived when getting up in the morning doesn’t seem worthwhile. If God has a plan for your life, you are so far off course that there is no way to correct it. You blew it; there is no “do-over” in life. This is the biggest lie of all.

Deuteronomy 31:6, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

You can never get so far off course that God cannot bring you back where He wants you. You can give up on God, but he will never give up on you. It may take time and effort, but it is achievable. Seek professional help if required. Make sure that help is scripture based. You don’t need another person to point you in the wrong direction.

God is there. He is always there. He knows what you are going through. His timing is not always our timing, but believe me, he loves you unconditionally and will not let you go.

Isaiah 40:31, “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

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Impact

Does your life have the impact that you want it to have? Of course, everyone has an impact, but is yours what you expect?

According to the ancient Greeks, there are three components to a lasting impact. They are 1) logos; what you say; 2) Pathos; how you make the other person feel; and 3) ethos; the way you live. If we are going to have a positive impact on the world, we need to do it with a sense of completeness. We can not approach change with duplicity. We can not want others to be what we are not prepared to be. To impact the world for Christ, we must present a total package. The latest social issue, media sensations, or worldly crises cannot influence us.

That is a big ask. We live in a post-modern world where sensation and bias rule. The next shiny object influences us. Trendsetters and newsmakers surround us. Truth is subjective. Honesty is overrated. Much of the ground we stand on is quicksand, ever-moving, ever-changing, and ever-morphing into a new reality. Values etched in stone a few years ago seem outdated and anti-social today.

Ephesians 4:14, “So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”

How can we be light in a dark world? Follow the Greeks.

Logos

Ephesians 4:25 “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.”

Remember that each of us is a part of something bigger than all of us. Like wavelets expanding out across the pond, what each of us does influences others. This is true not only of our actions but the actions of those around us. We are all on the same blue orb spinning through space. The more people are driven to please Christ, the better we all are.

That is the short-term incentive to speak the truth. If nothing else, we make this place more livable. The eternal impact is far greater, but for non-believers, hard to imagine. We can not shy away from the truth because it dramatically impacts us, individually and corporately.

The credibility in our words is demonstrated through consistency. We can not speak the Gospel in some aspects of our lives while retreating from the Gospel in other aspects. We can not only demonstrate the truth of our words by applying them to others, especially in situations in which we will not find ourselves. At the same time, we ignore the application of the Gospel to our shortcomings. Hypocrisy is contagious.  

2 Timothy 2:15, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”

Courage is an act of overcoming, not overpowering.

Pathos

Ephesians 4:15 “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.”

Compassion, what a powerful word and act. The ability to show compassion starts with confidence in who we are. We are children of God. And being such, we have overcome the world. We know it is not us who overcame the world, but Christ in us. We can afford compassion. Compassion is not from us but through us. The same God that showed compassion in us would use us to show compassion to others if we let Him.

One of my favorite quotes:

“At the end of the day, people won’t remember what you said or did; they will remember how you made them feel.” ― Maya Angelou

I remind myself of this often. I can have the best intentions in the world but deliver them with arrogance or disparagement, and I have lost. My message will be buried in ill feelings and resentment. I have to reflect the love of Christ to present the love of Christ.

Ethos

1 John 3:18 “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”

Living out the Word in your daily life is the most challenging and effective evangelism you will engage in. Living your life according to Scripture adds credibility to your words and impacts people you will never talk with. If you proclaim to be a Christian, people will watch how you live your life to see if it is different. They will want to know if that difference produces positive results.

The pinnacle of sarcasm when parenting is telling your child, “Do as I say, not as I do.” Your friend, co-workers, and family are not children and shouldn’t be treated as children. Don’t hide behind the Christian badge of forgiveness unless you are prepared to extend it to others. Follow the adage – be the change you want to see.

1 Peter 3:10, “For Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.”

Impact

You must add ingredients, stir them thoroughly, and bake them when making a cake. It doesn’t matter what type of cake; the steps are the same. The same is true for sharing the Gospel. It doesn’t make any difference whom you will engage with or their condition; the steps are the same. So, study the Bible, pray for direction, and persevere. In all of this, walk the talk with compassion.

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Winning in a Meritocracy

What does winning in a meritocracy mean? First, winning in a meritocracy is almost impossible. Meritocracies are like vermicular designs or mazes; they spawn out in every direction with dead ends and false trails. Every country has a version of meritocracy created over time to reflect cultural norms. In some Asian countries testing in school can set the path for the rest of your life. In western cultures, whom you know and what you know determines where you stand in the social rankings.

Romans 12:2, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

MERITOCRACY

Meritocracy: (noun) A system in which advancement is based on individual ability or achievement.

Winning in a meritocracy is about playing the game when some rules are hidden. Some rules are open and easy to understand. A high grade in school moves you up the ranking, and a low grade moves you down. Social structures can be subjective. Being a doctor can move you up the ranking, but being a doctor of what? Does a Surgeon, a General Practitioner, a Chiropractor, and a History Professor have the same status? It’s according to who else is in the room.

As children, we start with a subconscious understanding of merit. We are rewarded for specific behavior and punished for others. We get awards to commemorate each good occasion. Sometimes the merit system needs to be clarified, as in a participation award. Did that move me up or down? Is the fact that I participated a remarkable thing worth rewarding, or is it wrong because I didn’t distinguish myself?

2 Corinthians 4:4, “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

We face competition in every aspect of life, but one. We compete at work, in extracurricular activities, in relationships, in school, in how we dress, how we talk, whom we know, and what we know. And we compete for our place in this world. We face a pie of limited size, and we compete for our slice.

THEN THERE IS GOD

Genesis 1:27, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

God wiped out the merit system when He sent His son to die for our sins. That should be embraced as incredibly good news. The constant striving to have meaning is replaced with open arms and purpose. We are not created equal in the sense that the world sees equal. We were created equal because God created us uniquely and ideally for the purpose He had in mind. As a result, not a single person is better qualified to do what God has planned for them.

Winning in a meritocracy has no meaning to God. We are saved through grace, not works. Therefore, we do not compete with each other for God’s love and acceptance. Our place in eternity is assured through His grace.

TAKE A BREAK FROM THE RAT RACE

Colossians 3:2, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

In Luke 12, Jesus tells a parable about a rich man whose crop yielded a great harvest. The rich man decided to tear down his barns and build bigger ones so he could be secure for the rest of his life. In verse 20, God says, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” We are all gifted uniquely, but it is God who makes the plants grow. It is God who determines how long we have to enjoy His gifts.

We still need to do our best in all that we do, but it is not to please others. We don’t have to look over our shoulders to see who’s gaining on us. Instead, we can rest in the knowledge that God has our back. It is hard to shift gears when you have spent your life competing at every level. Uncertainty comes with breaking away from the worldview to embrace an eternal view. But the peace of mind from trusting God will give you the confidence to excel in all He put before you.

Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

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The New Beginning

Every January first, we think, “This is the new beginning.” It is the start of a new year. It is a chance to change, erase last year’s mistakes and start afresh. We have just celebrated the birth of Christ, the new beginning.

Isaiah 9:2, “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.”

Howard Hunter

My sister had this taped to the back of her Christmas card to me:

“This Christmas, mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage Youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love and then speak it again.” – Howard H. Hunter.

That is quite a bucket list for 2023. ( download it here) There are so many items on the list that I must attend to. So many, not so many wrongs that need righting, as neglects that need attention. Great people in my life that make my life worthwhile that I treat as common. I celebrate their special occasions, but every day I treat them as a constant. I forget that life is fleeting. Bad things happen to good people. I can not count on having a tomorrow to tell them how much they mean to me.

James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

Gifts

There are so many good gifts that God has bestowed on me that have just become part of me. I have lived with them so long that I treat them as inseparable from my existence. They are not seen as gifts but as attributes. I somehow own them. That must change.

In 2023 I need to stop treating God’s gifts to me, whether it be people or things, as some privilege or status I have earned. Everything I have or ever will have is a gift from God. It is mine only to expand His kingdom here on earth. I should show gratitude for all of it every day. Tomorrow may never come.

James 4:13-24, “Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”  Why you do not even know what will happen tomorrow? What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”  As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.  If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is a sin for them.”

New Beginning

The new beginning I seek is to live my life as if it was a gift from God. This includes the bad things that happen to me. Not that God would ever visit evil on me, but it happens, and God is there if I call upon Him. Christ has made me a new person. I need to start living my life like I believe that is true. Can I do all the things on Howard Hunter’s list? To be honest, I doubt it. But I can try.

The key to doing good is not the act itself but to whom you give the glory. What person do they see when I do what God has asked of me? Is it me, or is it the image of God? Are they drawn to me, or are they drawn to the person who made me new?

Matthew 6:2, ‘So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.”

If I believe that everything I am, is a gift from God to serve His kingdom, I will be content with the outcome.

Colossians 3:23-24, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

Benediction

Every day is a new beginning. I wish you the very best this coming year. I pray that come December 31, 2023, you will look back on this year and see your progress. Perfection isn’t ours to obtain. It is only for us to use what we have been given to do what we can.

Hebrews 13:20-21, “Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

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Sharing the Gospel at Christmas

Sharing the Gospel at Christmas

Sharing the Gospel at Christmas is at the top of the Christmas to-do list for most Christians. It is the ideal time both because of the season and the company. We celebrate Christmas with those we love. Many of those people need to hear the Gospel.

Presentation

Sharing the Gospel at Christmas can be daunting when celebrating with non-believing relatives and friends. Conventional Christian wisdom says we start with God as the creator of all things; we then talk about the garden, man’s fall, and Christ’s salvation. This is a complicated conversation to glide into between courses at the table. But Christmas seems to be the perfect time for this.

Romans 10:14-15, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them, and how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

Alternatively, we could grab everyone’s attention by telling the story of Christmas. We can start with Christ’s birth, death, and resurrection, then end with our reconciliation. Again, this might be a bit awkward to an audience that didn’t come for a performance. So how do we use this opportunity to spread the good word?

Philippians 2:7, “rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”

There might be a more straightforward approach. But first, we need to recognize the players. The author of the story is God. He chooses the people for salvation (Thessalonians 1:4). The author of our salvation is Christ. He is the only one who can save (Thessalonians 1:10). There is our role; we communicate the Gospel through our words and actions (Thessalonians 1:5). There is the Holy Spirit that empowers us; it gives us the gift of effective communication (Thessalonians 1:5). And finally, there is the person you are talking to; they must be open to the message and respond to it (Thessalonians 1:6).

Matthew 20:16, “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

This model is repeated throughout the Bible, not just with Paul and Thessalonians; Philip evangelized with the Ethiopian is another example. We must remember our role in evangelism; communicate the Gospel through words and actions. We cannot and should not try to orchestrate the roles of God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, or others. This is the first rule to having a great Christmas with family and friends. We must accept our role versus God’s and be willing to do our part when called upon.

Adaptation

Not everyone is the same. We all have our go-to personality. Some are cognitive thinkers who want facts, evidence, and discussion. Others are Intuitive thinkers who need emotions and feelings. Then there is the concrete-relational thinker who needs practical application. Based on what personality testing you have been trained on, there are even more subdivisions of personality traits. The point is that one size does not fit all. The path to salvation has many turns and twists. This is where we have to rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us. This is where I involve everyday evangelism, adapting our story to fit the needs of the person I am talking with to demonstrate Christ’s story of salvation.

I know the experiences of my life better than I know the Gospel. No one can defend the facts of my life better than I. I am an undisputed authority on how God changed me.

Realization

Because I was raised in a farming community, I like the visual that the agricultural parable provides. First, there is preparing the ground; then there is planting, followed by nurturing, and finally, the harvest. Evangelism involves in all four phases. God attracts people to Himself by preparing their hearts. We may be part of this process through the way we both model salvation and communicate it. But the ground is still barren. Next, the seed of the Gospel is planted. It may take some time before it starts to germinate. The Lodgepole Pine uses fire to germinate. That is the reasons forests come back after a great fire. Some people are this way. It takes a great fire in their life to germinate the seed of the Gospel.

Matthew 17:3-8, “Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places where they did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no roots. Other seeds fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still, other seeds fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown.”

Then comes nurturing the word. The word has taken hold, but what type of soil? Part of our evangelistic ministry is to nurture the seeds planted by others. Do we model the Gospel? Christmas can be chaotic, noisy, disappointing, exciting, and crazy good all at the same time. This confluence can and will create opportunity. What we say and do under stress is one of the most significant tests of our faith. It is also one of the best evangelistic tools.   This is a time to nurture the non-believer, showing them the way.

Titus 1:9, “Their belief in the truth that they have been taught must be strong and steadfast so that they will be able to teach it to others and show those who disagree with them where they are wrong.”

Harvest

The harvest. Who does not love the harvest? It is a time of celebration and renewal. Very few of us truly get to see a harvest. We spend far more time working the field than harvesting. If you are privileged to be involved in the harvest, remember that someone else did a lot of the hard work.

If I could give one piece of advice regarding sharing the Gospel at Christmas, enjoy yourself. Let God do His magic through you. Understand that you are not the savior of their soul. God owns the process you are part of. He has been gracious enough to include you in His plan for another. You can’t screw it up because it isn’t your plan.

Do your part but let God do the heavy lifting.

Luke 1:37, “For every promise from God shall surely come true.”

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Great Stories

Great Stories

It was once said that all great stories begin in tragedy. I understand that. Great stories need to triumph over adversity. Without adversity, the story losses its punch. We must feel the visceral response to injustice before the exhilarating happiness of victory. The more visceral the injustice, the more satisfying the victory.  

A Great Story

Mohamed El Bachiri, husband of Loubna, 34, a gym teacher at a school in Schaerbeek, father to three small boys under 10. He described his wife as beautiful, always smiling, and an extraordinary mother and wife. In His Book “Een jihad Van Liefde” he made this statement after his wife was murdered during a terrorist attack in Brussels in 2016;

“I need to express a kind of anger – which is legitimate. My anger expresses itself in the struggle of love. Sharing love. That’s my way of violently responding to the terrorist.”

There are so many words in this statement that grab me. He states a “kind of anger that is legitimate” and ties it to love. He goes on to talk about violent love. It builds a vision in my head of a man so driven by love that he holds his enemy in a bear hug and won’t let go until the other relents. That he will fight for the right to love the unlovable. He will sacrifice for those who do not deserve it because it is the only way to win.

This is a story worth remembering.

The Greatest Story

Christmas is upon us. It is not one of the greatest stories, but it is the greatest story ever. A man, God in human form, was born that responded in violent love for us. He came into this world not just to die for us but to suffer for us. He took on the adversity of all our sins over the millenniums. His life of love and sacrifice ended on a cross. He holds us in a bear hug to this day.

I don’t know how many of us have a visceral reaction to the actions of our lives. How much do we hate the injustice of who we were (or still are)? How tall is that tsunami of sin that hangs over our existence? Mine brings me to tears. The harm I have done to others is almost inexhaustible.

I was reading and rereading Romans chapter 7, particularly verses 14 through 23. Paul describes me to a T.

Romans 7:15, I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.”

In his commentary on this chapter, J.D. Greear talks about turning from a battle we cannot win, overcoming sin, to a battle we cannot lose, Christ’s salvation. This is a struggle for me. How do I turn from my past and embrace my future? This is especially difficult when my present sometimes looks like my past. Paul answers that very question later on in Romans.

Our Story Continues

Romans 8:5-6, “Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So, letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.”

This Christmas, think about things that please the spirit. Cast away thoughts of our sinful nature and celebrate the most violent love man has ever known. Reread many of the great stories in the Bible. Celebrate the God who is.

“Many of us have merely added Christ to our lives as another interest in an already busy and otherwise overcrowded schedule. This sort of thinking has watered down the meaning of a personal relationship with Christ. The problem is that we often seek the God we want, but do not know the God who is.” – Patrick Morley, Walking with Christ in the Details of Life: 75 Devotional Readings.

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Transform Thanksgiving into Everyday

Now that the turkey has been stuffed and the family stories regaled, it is time to transform Thanksgiving into everyday life. How do we infuse our everyday living to become a daily Thanksgiving feast?

Romans 12:13, “Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”

This is the time of the year when we become introspective. Thanksgiving allows us to think of all the things we are thankful for. Christmas is the backdrop for showing love and appreciation for all who have touched our lives and those we do not know but feel compassion for their plight. New Year’s follows Christmas, a time of renewal. We commit to being a better version of ourselves. We are thankful, appreciative, and fortunate — not all of us.

This story is about the importance of dwelling on the richness of our lives. It should remind us of how important it is to share that richness with others.

Matthew 5:16, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

An Incredible Day

Atlanta has a spring art festival in Piedmont Park. It is a spectacular event both for its content and its setting. The Dogwood Art Festival is in the spring when the city is in full bloom. There are Dogwoods, Azaleas, and Bradford Pears in full bloom. Although the Dogwood Festival runs the entire weekend, I go down early Friday. I like that time; I can talk with the artist as they set up their booths before the crowds arrive. These folks are incredibly skilled. They have an absolute passion for what they do. You can see and hear their joy as they take the time to discuss their art. This passion is also reflected in the quality of their work and the prices they charge. The Dogwood Art Festival is not a mom-and-pop affair.

This particular year the weather was incredible—Azure blue skies and cumulus clouds that remind you of cotton candy. The gorgeous white and pink dogwoods are in full bloom. The temperature was almost non-existent, feeling neither cold nor warm, absolutely picturesque. The vendors were excited to show their creations. It was a joy to be alive.

A Chance Encounter

After walking around, I settled comfortably on a picnic bench not far from the vendor row to watch people. I like watching people. It fills me with curiosity. I was also growing hungry and deciding what cardiac-inducing meal to eat. Apparently, healthy food was taboo in the by-laws of art festival management.

A woman sat down on the bench across that table from me. She was in late middle age, conservatively dressed, and unremarkable in many ways, the kind of person you might see in a crowd without ever really seeing her, that perfect blend of human camouflage. She said, “I could live a year on the price of one of these things.” Without looking, I agreed.

Proverbs 19:17, “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.”

God has this incredible way of introducing me to the exact person He wants me to engage with. One thing led to another, and we started talking. I bought her lunch. She was living in a halfway house after being released from prison. Life had been long and hard and disappointing. That once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that could have taken her life in a different direction was always just outside her reach. The hurdle in her life was guys. They came into her life at the wrong time with mischievous intent.

There was determination and grit in her outlook. She had a vision but no plan to get there. It wasn’t a grand vision. It was a vision to become normal. You know, 40-hour workweek, home, friends, and maybe family. Everyone has a unicorn; this was hers. If anything, I am a guy with a plan. Our meeting wasn’t serendipity or coincidence; it was part of God’s plan for her.

Stepping out in Faith

We started talking about God’s plan for her life. God’s plan was for her to prosper. But she had to be willing to surrender her plan for His. He would be faithful in His promise if she would. The first step was to find a church that had good scripture-based teaching. Then she needed to join an accountability group within that church that she could trust. We talked for about 90 minutes. She was cheerful, engaged, and asked questions.

Hebrews 13:16, “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

The transformation I saw was that she sat more upright. Her face softened. Her eyes were brighter, more focused. She stated that she knew her plan didn’t work. She had heard the message of Christ in prison and she felt she needed to look into it further. But she always put it off. She knew of a church that had members she knew. They came by the halfway house. She liked them; they weren’t pushy.

Others plowed the field and planted the seeds in her life; I was fertilizer (be nice; it’s a metaphor). The harvest will come.

1 Corinthians 9:10 “Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us because whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest.”

Did she find her unicorn? I don’t know. I do know that God wants me to be obedient for the sake of others and share the bounty of His love for me with them.

Hebrews 6:10, “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.”

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Feeling Thankful

thankful

Does Thanksgiving leave you feeling thankful for all that has transpired in your life or just blessed for the good that has happened? Do you thank God for what didn’t happen as much as what has happened?  Much of our blessings come from the things that God has spared us from.

I think back to when I was considering changing jobs because I got a great offer from a company offering more money and benefits, along with a great job title. My ego wanted to take the offer. But a voice inside my head told me to stay where I was for the time being. It was an irrational decision to turn the offer down, but I trusted the voice in my head. Six months later, the company that made me the offer went bankrupt.

Agur

Proverbs 30:7-9,  “Two things I ask of you, Lord; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal and so dishonor the name of my God.”

Agur reminds us that sometimes we are better off with little. Not getting too much can be the help we need to avoid temptation. Prosperity has its pitfalls. But do we think about that when it comes time to give thanks? Do we take the time to thank our creator for the things He did not give us?

Thessalonians 5:18, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

This Thanksgiving, thank God for the great blessings you have experienced in your life. Let Him know how much you appreciate all the good times. But also take the time to consider the times when you didn’t get what you wanted. Think through those disappointing moments. Where did it take you? What good ultimately came out of not getting what you expected? Maybe it was a lost love that turned out to be toxic. Maybe a job you didn’t get led you to a different company and a chance to meet your new best friend.  God can use even something as traumatic as a divorce to create a new chapter in your life.

Rick Warren

“In happy moments, praise God, in difficult moments, seek God, in quiet moments, worship God. In painful moments, trust God. Every moment, thank God.” – Rick Warren

In every moment, thank God. Rick Warren does a great job of summarizing Thanksgiving, feeling thankful for everything that comes our way because all things work for the good of those who love God.

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.”

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Normalization

Response to Normalization

Normalization: Any process that makes something more regular typically means conforming to some regularity or rule. To cause something previously regarded as anomalous (aberrant, incongruous, abnormal) to be accepted, as usual, thereby altering the accepted norm.

I just returned from an IMED trip to India. Every trip to a new environment brings unexpected revelations. It is interesting how people normalize their environment. A person is born into or raised in an environment that becomes their ecosystem. It is all they know. They don’t see activities as abnormal. As an outsider, the same activity seems strange and out of place.

What is Normal?

When I visit Africa, they live in houses with dirt floors and no electricity or running water. They don’t go home to watch TV or surf the internet. But they dress impeccably. They are happy for the most part. They have the same concerns as most people regarding politics and the staples of living, but the scale is different.

When I travel to South America, they live by a little higher monetary standard. They have electricity and running water but must deal with the Cartel. A certain amount of money has to be paid for security. To them, it is the way it has always been and will always be.

My trip to India was noisy and chaotic. One of my friends described it as someone kicking over an ant hill. Honking horns seemed to be the primary way of steering through traffic. Crossing the street is an adventure; there is never a break.

Behavior has been normalized to all the people who live in these environments. They don’t see it. It is the way it is and will be. There are so many experiences in our lives that have become normalized. Over the years, modern society has accepted more deviant behavior as normal. Children born in this century have been raised to believe that behavior that a few decades ago was unacceptable is now standard. It is so normal that one cannot speak against it.

As outsiders, we should see it differently. It should seem strange and out of place, but does it? Have we normalized behavior that is unacceptable to God?

The Greatest Commandment

What should our response to this new normalized behavior be? The answer lies in the Book of Mark.

Mark 12:29-31, “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none another commandment greater than these.”

The first part is to love God. Jesus is quoting right out of Deuteronomy.

Deuteronomy 6:4-5, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”

Our love for our Savior dictates our behavior. One of the most significant indicators of this love is to keep his commandments.

Joshua 22:5, “Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

In a broken world, that means not letting the new normalization creep into our lives. It is holding to a standard of behavior that pleases God. It is not compromising when the world screams for compromise. Do not go along just to get along. Loving God is holding to a single truth.

The Second Greatest Commandment.

But loving God is the first part of what Jesus had to say. He also said that we should love our neighbor as ourselves.

Leviticus 19:18, “Don’t seek vengeance. Don’t bear a grudge, but love your neighbor as yourself, for I am Jehovah.”

Compassion and grace should be the leading indicators that we are children of God. As we deal with people who do not share our Biblical perspective, we must remember who we are. Biblical doctrine and theological preference are not more important than love. We must stay steadfast to the truth but not in a way that condones loveless behavior.

You can safely assume that you’ve created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.  – Anne Lamott, on page 22 of Bird by Bird

I am uncomfortable with some of the life decisions I see being made by others. I have to remind myself that I am only responsible for the decision I make, not the decisions others make. Non-believers do not operate on the same set of standards. Before salvation their lives are given over to sin. The only way to have a meaningful dialogue is to be a person with whom they want to engage. The life of a believer must be seen as a better life than the life of a non-believer.  Presenting truth must be accompanied by understanding. They don’t prescribe to what we believe. Until they see the benefit of God’s love, they will not seek change.

Love

I wrote recently about “Love’s Reaction to Anger.” In that post, I tried to present that anger over sinful behavior is Biblical, but we should guard against our reaction to that anger. Sin causes us grief; the sinner is caught under sin’s influence. Our goal is to influence the person controlled by sin to seek deliverance. That cannot be accomplished outside the umbrella of love.

You can be absolutely right in your point of view and ineffective in your communications of that view. The object is not to be right but to be effective.

1 John 4:7-10, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God because God is love. In this, the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

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