Living in His Pleasure

 Living in His Pleasure

Sunday, August 29, 2021

I’ve been reading and thinking in Galatians, and was wondering about Paul’s questions: “For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men?” (Galatians 1:10 NAS95). It’s as if this is an either/or. Either I can seek the favor of men, or I can seek the favor of God. But what if the answer to these questions is all “No”? I am not striving to please men, or God. I’m simply living in God’s pleasure. A later verse in this chapter says, “God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me”.. (15-16). It may be that Paul is more focused on living in God’s pleasure than worrying about whether he is pleasing God or not.

Now certainly the Bible says quite a bit about pleasing God: “One who is pleasing to God will escape from her, but the sinner will be captured by her.” (Ecclesiastes 7:26 NAS95); and “those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”(Romans 8:8 NAS95); and “so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects,”(Colossians 1:10 NAS95). But I wonder if we haven’t emphasized our role in pleasing God above the privilege of living in His pleasure. It may be that living in His pleasure is the best path to living and doing things that are pleasing to Him.

Certainly the Gospel emphasis of the New Testament emphasizes the grace of God over against the works of men. Now people who are saved by grace through faith see their lives producing fruit that is pleasing to God, but the foundation, the root of the fruit is not our efforts and designs, but rather God’s design and mission in Christ. 

If you are a child of God through faith in Christ, then when you woke up this morning, you were already living in His pleasure, waking up in His pleasure, swinging your feet out of bed in His pleasure. He is pleased with you in Christ. And that is no blind pleasure. He is not just pleased with Christ and then you in the aggregate. No, He is pleased with you particularly and personally, and His pleasure in You will shape all that happens to you today and forever. 

Now, in light of that, should we live for His pleasure? Sure. But “in His pleasure” precedes “for His pleasure.” There is no weight on your shoulders. Rather, there is a joyful energy in your heart, there by the Holy Spirit who pours out the love of God on us and in us. 

Rest - Just Ahead

 Rest - Just Ahead

Sunday, August 22, 2021

On the freeway, there are lots of signs. Green signs. Yellow signs. Orange signs (lots of orange signs). But the ones I like best are the blue ones. They may direct to a number of services, but my favorite is “Rest Area.” 

Sadly, I don’t stop much in rest areas these days. They have become known as places where panhandlers accost travelers with sad stories, to which the solution is always your money. Or, police have to make extra stops because of reported, perverse activities. Sinful humanity can take the park-iest of places and turn it into a wilderness. 

But for the road-weary traveller, just a place to pull in and take a break can be most helpful. Many people need a chance to walk the dog, or themselves. Truckers pull in and lean back or dive in the bunk for a nap or a night’s rest. Yes, rest. That’s what this place promises.

Jesus says, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28) Let’s review how this rest works for the Christian.

First, there is rest from the futile effort to earn our salvation. It can’t be done, like climbing an infinite ladder. No, God reversed that action, so that He reached down to us to offer us the free gift of salvation in Christ. We can rest from pretending to be our own saviors.

Second, there is future rest, when we will be fully and finally delivered from the presence and power of sins in our lives, and from the sin of the world. We will be delivered from the affects of sin, such as pain, and discord. We will rest in righteousness, not only a personal righteousness through faith in Christ, but in a righteousness that is the rule and order of the knew cosmos.

But third, there is rest from our current situation; from the tensions that continually mark our lives. We battle moment by moment with the tension between flesh and Spirit. We are beset with temptations. We struggle to pray, and to know how to pray. We make judgements to do what is right, only to find that there was a better way. We are prone to discouragement. 

But, we can find rest and renewal. It comes from devotion and fellowship. It comes from the “deep breath” of the Spirit working to revive once again the weary soul. Rest - Just Ahead

Rights and Wrongs

 Rights and Wrongs

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2 NAS95)

Life is full of judgment calls. We make decisions all the time, often not knowing if what we choose is good, better or best; or, bad, worse, or worst-est. Many of these judgments fall between broad principles, leaving freedom to choose one way or the other. It’s not necessarily a difference of being righteous or sinful. But, with regard to some of these decisions, we will look back with thankfulness; with regard to others, with regret.

It is interesting to track the life stories of people who have chosen/judged well. Some have been frugal with their money and good at saving, giving the ability late in life to enjoy the freedom of traveling and ministering to others, at no cost to others. Some have taken care of their health so that they continue to be able to move about freely. Everyone knows that there are some, in this unpredictable world, who have saved well, and lost it all; or eaten well, and still been stricken with disease or injury. We make our decisions within small orbs of influence, knowing that we do not control the larger atmosphere around us. And those decisions often make a difference.

We know that for those who exercise good judgment, good results often follow, though not always. We also know that those who have a habit of making lousy decisions, – rarely, very rarely, do they escape the consequences. So we try and do well, even though others would no doubt have chosen otherwise.

Our decisions affect not only ourselves and our loved ones, but others as well. A pastor makes judgment calls concerning the care of the congregation, as well as initiatives and priorities. Some decisions are good. A few are right on. Others, we could wish it had been done differently. But certainly those decisions affect many people or groups of people in many different ways.

We must all be careful of our motives. Those who are more conservative (risk-averse) may be that way primarily to protect their comfort. That sets up for poor judgment calls. Others are much more anxious to be aggressive, but it may not be due to insight as much as a willingness to try something new at the expense of that which is old (or, those who are old). Our judgments are often compromised by our motives, and betray what we think is excellent reasoning.  And when will we know for sure which judgments are best? Perhaps not until Jesus comes again.

It’s Complicated

I’m reading a book about climate change, by a scientist. And his over-arching theme is: it’s complicated. We have societal ills, one of which is a growing number of persons with mental illness living on the streets. How do you fix it? Give them housing they can’t take care of; give them medications they don’t want to take; give them money to buy what? It’s complicated.

A few years back a mega-church chose to get involved in Africa, to solve some of the humanitarian problems and in so doing, to share the Gospel. But their fixes created more problems, because they didn’t understand the problems well to begin with. Why? Because it’s complicated. 

But the Gospel isn’t complicated. Oh, it’s involved. It involves a long story. But the story isn’t that complicated, and the gist of the Gospel, the Good News, is simple enough for a child to understand.

God does not ask us to build a ladder by which we can climb to His level (through doing good works, or learning the right verses). It would take a ladder tall enough to reach all the way to a holy heaven where God lives. There is no such ladder. If we try to get to God by climbing a “righteous” ladder, we will find in the end that the ladder is leaning against the wrong structure.

Instead, God lowered a ladder from heaven, on which Jesus came down to our level. He became like us, so that He could bear our sins, so that He could give us, freely (called “grace”) His righteousness. By faith, not in my own ladder-climbing skills, but in what Jesus has done for me, based on His faithfulness, not mine - I can receive salvation as a gift. It’s the reverse of what we would expect. But it’s not complicated.

Now, trying to live a good life in they world, and at the same time living for Jesus - well, that’s complicated. It’s like standing in two rowboats in the water, the left leg in one boat, the right let in the other. Someone’s going to get wet. Or, as Jesus said, “No man can serve two masters.” It’s complicated.

Or, trying to belong to a church where everybody wants to serve, but also always be happy. That’s complicated. Service takes sacrifice, and sacrifice is hard, like dying to self, and we find it difficult to die to self (like Jesus did for us), so, it’s complicated.

Sheryl Jo

When I made an entrance into this world (through no help on my part) my sister had already been pioneering a path for me for a year and a half. She was the first-born of my young parents, and so with Sheryl, there was a lot of “what do we do now?” questions. By the time I came along, it was more, “we’ve done this before.” 

Of the four children born to my parents (2 sisters after me), I don’t know if Sheryl was the prettiest (I don’t want to offend the others), but she certainly had the best smile. She was good with people, and easy to make friends with. She cared too much (in my opinion) with being popular, betraying, I think, an insecurity that didn’t really need to be there. 

Mom and Dad had all of us involved in music (a great gift to us, by the way). Sheryl and I sang duets occasionally in church. Our Sunday night services always made lots of time for special music, especially from the younger ones. I remember singing with her “A soldier in the army of the King of kings am I; He called me to His colors and for Him I’d live or die.” I don’t feel much like a soldier these days, nor do we tend to sing those kinds of songs. But Sheryl’s soldiering days are over. I don’t believe her mind remembers where she’s been, or where she’s going. 

Sheryl will turn 65 this week, on July 27. She won’t know it. At this “young” age, she has no idea how old she is. She’s got Alzheimer’s. She no longer walks, or talks. She does not feed herself. As I fed her lunch this past week, she did not respond to questions like, “do you want more?” or “would you like some pie?” She might open her mouth if you held the fork close, or just turn her face away. She can’t seem to focus on a picture on one’s mobile phone, but just looks off in the distance at nothing in particular. It’s as if she’s not there, though her body is. 

“To be absent from the body” is “to be present with the Lord,” Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:8. I wonder if it’s possible that Sheryl, in a sense, is already with Jesus. I don’t know. I do know that, though Sheryl’s diseased brain may not be able to hold thoughts of God, God holds on to her, this child of His and sister of mine. 

My visit with Sheryl was shorter than the drive. There was no conversation. Just me saying dumb things that came to mind, trying to jog a memory not there. But as I left, I hugged her, and received the best smile. A really nice gift. 

It Only Takes a Spark

It Only Takes a Spark

Sunday, July 11, 2021

We were sitting down to dinner in the quietness of our home when someone came pounding on the front door. “Your garbage is on fire,” she shouted, pointing to my leaf bags out at the street. “Drat,” I said to myself. “Not again."

It happened to me once before, in the back yard. I had cleaned some ashes out of our little, raised fire pit and put them, along with some weeds, in a leaf bag. The fire had gone out the night before. Some time later, I saw my leaf bag smoking and had to tear it apart in order to douse the ashes. The second time, I had waited longer. There had been a little rain. No signs of life. And this time, the leaf bag of weeds and a dash of ash made it out to the front curb.

There’s an old ’70’s song from church youth groups that went, “It only takes a spark to get a fire going; And soon those all around can warm up in its glowing.” That’s the song that came to mind when the people came to the front door.

The song goes on to say, “That’s how it is with God’s love.” It only takes a spark, and then it spreads. The story of the Ethiopian eunuch traveling home to Africa from Jerusalem is a great, Biblical example of this. We don’t know why he was in Jerusalem at the time of Pentecost. He could have been a God-fearer, as Gentile worshippers were called, visiting during one of the great feasts. Perhaps he was there on king’s business. But he was going home with a portion of Scripture open in his lap - the book of Isaiah.

Philip, one of the Jerusalem church’s early deacons, was transported by the Spirit to visit the eunuch. He explained the Scriptures, showing that Jesus would be the One who would fulfill the sin-bearing described in Isaiah 53. And the eunuch placed faith in Jesus.

A eunuch is one who has been castrated, oftentimes in relation to service in a royal household. He had no hope of having children, a family, or a heritage. Except that God said: “Don’t let the eunuchs say, ‘I’m a dried-up tree with no children and no future.’ For this is what the LORD says: .. I will give them—within the walls of my house—a memorial and a name far greater than sons and daughters could give. For the name I give them is an everlasting one. It will never disappear!” (Isa. 56:3–5 NLT).

And so the Gospel came to Africa. It only takes a spark. 

Serenity and Tenacity

David Augsburger has written a book called “Dissident Discipleship,” an Anabaptist view of what it means to walk with Jesus in this world, following the way of Jesus. In his chapter called “The Practice of - Tenacious Serenity,” he begins with the story of Annie Funk on the Titanic, who, having been given a seat on a lifeboat, saw a mom and children left behind on deck. She immediately stood up and traded places.

Serenity is a settled commitment to do the right thing. It avoids crises and consternations, because the decision has already been made. In Annie’s case, she knew the right thing to do, and so the decision was rather simple. A determination to do the right thing, no matter what.

And it’s the “no matter what” that brings in the tenacity. Because sometimes doing the right thing is hard, or costly. It involves sacrifice. But in the “way of Jesus” described in “Dissident Discipleship,” sacrifice is not an exceptional experience for the Christian. It is the normal experience. It takes seriously the very serious phrase in the famous verse, Romans 12:1 - “I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice..” Serenity is not easy, but it’s simple. Tenacity is the willingness to do the hard things, if they are the right things.

One of the gentlemen in my philosopher’s group observed that I was experiencing “misplaced anxiety.” In a sense, what he was detecting was a lack of serenity. He wasn’t seeing a settled commitment. He saw rattled thoughts and emotions. Yes, life is spinning around us. But we can’t control those things. We can be calmly determined to do the right thing, no matter what.

Here are a couple of quotes from Augsburger as he tries to help us understand this counter-cultural concept; this “Jesus” concept:

• It is the willing yieldedness of the stubbornly faithful yet incorrigibly nonconformist radical disciple.

• Serene tenacity is the quality of yielded fortitude, of surrendered steadfastness that stays the course, commits the soul, and relinquishes the self to what is truly good, what is ultimately priced, what is the will of God.

It is not passive, but engaged with God as we seek to walk the way of Jesus, like Jesus, refusing to follow the cues of the world.

You Can’t Cure ‘Stupid’

You Can’t Cure ‘Stupid’

Sunday, June 27, 2021

I have a friend who says this often: “You can’t cure stupid.” He worked in a field where he was in regular contact with people who did dumb (and illegal) things, and this maxim was supported time and again. I think he’s right. I think the Bible agrees.

I’ve been studying in Jeremiah, and one of the key themes is “repentance.” “Repentance” means “turning,” and so it can refer to turning to God, but it can also refer to turning away from God. The turnings multiply, and it proves the line from “Come, Thou Fount,” where it says, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it; Prone to leave the God I love.” We have a pronation problem, a turning problem, and, we can’t cure this ourselves.

In fact, there are no natural solutions to our stupidity problems, or our wandering problems, or stubbornness (could we say, “you can’t cure stubborn”?). The health store doesn’t sell a product that cures arrogance; the hospital can’t surgically remove a nasty attitude; mental health providers won’t make you thoughtful and aware. They might help. They cannot heal our deepest problems.

Gilead, across the Jordan river to the east, was a source of balm, a medicine (probably from the word balsam, as in balsamic). God says to the world, “Go up to Gilead and seek balm.. You search out remedies in vain, for (but) your disease is incurable” (Jer 46:11 CEB). You can’t cure stupid, nor will you find in a destination like Gilead anything that comes close to healing the sickness of the soul.

But, there is a God who heals. We cannot fix ourselves, but He has promised healing. He does it in surprising ways, with surprising people (think Naaman, the Syrian general, the enemy of Israel). He cures the incurable. He raises the dead. Listen to these verses:

Jer. 30:17  ‘For I will restore you to health And I will heal you of your wounds,’ declares the LORD, 

Jer. 33:6 ‘Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them; and I will reveal to them an abundance of peace and truth.

Perhaps you have found yourself to be incurable. You’ve tried every remedy that you could find in the self-help sources, and they have all failed. You keep doing the same stupid thing, or experiencing the same chronic condition, over and over. And still, there remains that weeping wound of whatever sort, and you are ready to give up. My friend is right, you can’t cure stupid, but God can, and will.

Open-Minded?

 Open-Minded?

Sunday, June 20, 2021

Are you open-minded? Or closed-minded? It’s a trick question, since our culture tells us to be open-minded, unless, of course, “they” disagree with me, then they don’t seem so open-minded themselves. But it’s a cultural virtue. Is it a Biblical virtue? I got to thinking about this during last week’s Sunday School class (attending Sunday School can get you thinking about things - you should try it!) - Bob has been working his way through 2 Corinthians, and the elite in that church were comparing Paul, unfavorably, to false prophets. The Corinthians were open-minded toward these popular, successful, fast-talking preachers (and they probably had really good hair). Paul, on the other hand, was closed-minded. That is, he had been grabbed hold of by God, convinced of the truth of the Gospel, and committed to making Christ known instead of himself. He was close-minded in that he had settled on this Truth, and built his life and ministry on that foundation.

Is it better to be agreeable, or disagreeable? That also is a trick question, and of a little different flavor. To agree means that we concur with a particular point of view. To be agreeable seems to have more to do with how we concur (or object). The Corinthians found Paul to be disagreeable, and the world finds Christians to be disagreeable, because we - you know what’s coming - because we disagree. Can we disagree without being disagreeable? You know by now, it’s a trick question.

In our world these days, you are disagreeable if someone finds you disagreeable, and many people find anyone that disagrees with them disagreeable. Paul could have been as gracious as apostles can be, and yet be charged with being disagreeable, just because many people cannot handle objections. 

And further, the subjects being debated were not insignificant (like whether a person should part their hair on the right or left) (for those that have an option). No, these statements have to do with the truth of God and His Son Jesus, and the truth of the Gospel. These truths have eternal significance, and these false apostles were trying to lead people away from heaven and straight to hell. Just exactly how “agreeable” or even “gracious” should Paul be in those cases (not a trick question)? A firm, impossible-to-be-misinterpreted statement of objection was definitely in order. 

Open-mindedness can lead to apostasy. Apostasy is bad, very bad.

Everybody Worships Something

When God created us, He created us as worshippers. We were designed to worship Him. Because of sin, much of humanity does not worship the one, true God. But they still worship something.

“They” say we now live in a secular society. That is, faith and religion in traditional forms are not so central as they once were. But even though church attendance may be in decline, still, everybody worships something.

It seems that people, when not devoted to worshipping God, will worship something in the realm of pleasure, or position, or power. An example of pleasure might be worshipping a sports team. And it would be hard to deny that a good segment of our society worships sports. A worship of position is illustrated by how job or salary makes one feel good about oneself. Many people worship their job title or portfolio. A worship of power is illustrated by a devotion to politics, living and dying with polls, pontificators, and elections.

Passionate worshippers of politics have grown more numerous of late. Their “preachers” are well-paid opinion-sharers on cable TV. Congregations of people sit in rapt attention, and are anxious to share their best quotes. Rallies are substitute church services. There is an understanding of how good worshippers in this “religion” should show their loyalty, how they should talk about certain issues, and how to determine who is “in” and “out”. It is no less worship than Israel at Passover, or Christians at Lord’s Table. Oh, the content is completely different. One is true; others are false. But the frameworks of the diverse manifestations of worship are similar.

A point that Christians must face is that, just as it was possible in the OT to sacrifice to God at the Temple and at the same time to sacrifice to Baal at the high places, so we can be guilty of professing to worship God in Christ with a whole heart, and yet be caught up with other activities of worship/ idolatry. And it’s wrong. God hates it. As John says at the end of  1 John, “little children, keep yourself from idols.”

Those who live and die with Jesus (as depicted in one’s baptism), are not to live and die with a sports team, with the stock market, or with a politician, a party, or an election. God designed us to worship Him, and to worship Him alone. In this area, God is not willing to share. He wants and expects all of our worship.

Perspective Takes Time

Gaining a proper perspective takes time. This struck me when I read about 1968, on its 50th anniversary, in 2018. We can now see seeds sown then that are bearing fruit (some pretty bad fruit) now.

We’ve just experienced a year or so of pandemic. There have been previous pandemics, and a Wall Street Journal article helps to put them in perspective. The “Spanish Flu” (which, by the way, started in Kansas) is dated as 1918, while COVID is dated as 2019. The increased death rates associated with those two events are compared, and we have a lot to be thankful for. Yes, the death rate in the US jumped 16% in 2020 after 90 years of improvement. The most recent time the death rate jumped more than that was 1918, and it was worse (1929, by the way, was much less).

That’s part of the perspective. It could have been much worse. Deaths in that time took place largely in younger people, and the way that they died was often marked by bloody eruptions. This is not to discount the sadness of death in older people, or to discount dying because of lung failure, as happened so many times this past year. Death is of the enemy, no matter how happens, or at what age. But as a part of the national psychology, 1918 was more horrific.

One thing that works against this perspective is that we now live in the information age. We receive more blasts of (or, “blasted”) information that our brains can process. We spout facts without context, or, that aren’t facts at all. The media is less a dispenser of truth than a generator of hysteria. And, we lose perspective.

We’ve been through a tough time, and the 100 year lesson teaches us that we have much to be thankful for. But there are even more important perspectives: Biblical, and eternal.

First, Biblically, our God as been faithful to His purposes and to His people for generation after generation. He has provided deliverance from countless, seemingly impossible predicaments, none greater than providing salvation so that we could be reconciled with Him. 

Second, eternally, we look forward to a future in which there will be pandemics, and no death. This present time will be regarded as a moment in time, and the sorrows of these days will be remembered no more. In that day, the “old” will be regarded as young - forever young, always in fellowship, eternally blessed. Perspective. We need more it, but it takes time.

A Little Less Gravity would be Nice

I’ve never dunked a basketball. I’m not sure I ever jumped and touched the rim of the basket. Maybe once. At this point, I’ve as good a chance to dunk as I do of landing on Mars. I suspect many of us are gravitationally challenged.

I also thought that there should be a restaurant downtown across from Gravity called Levity - you know, a cheap place, where you can go in and not take yourself too seriously. A little more balance would be nice.

I’m not sure about the etymology, but “gravity” seems related to “grave”, which reminds me of a tomb. A little less gravity would be nice. A little less earth-bound-ness. A little less discouragement and depression. A lot less filthiness. But you don’t take these things away and replace them with nothing. They need to be replaced with their opposites.

So an opposite of earthiness would be heavenliness. “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:1–2 NAS95) I couldn’t have said it better myself.

An opposite of discouragement and depression is hope. It involves a vision of a better and brighter future, unbound from the constraints of this world. “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.” (1 John 3:2 NAS95). Do you get the idea? Looking up. Looking forward. A little less gravity would be nice.

And an opposite of filthiness is purity. As we will see tomorrow with the 6th Beatitude, this is not just a call to Biblical morality (though it involves that, and we desperately need that). The call to purity is not a “try-harder” endeavor. It involves a different vision which we cannot have when captivated and consumed with things foolish, things corrupt and corrupting, things that rust and decay. Purity and joy (a better word than levity) are found when we live with Christ in view, at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us, preparing for us, protecting and providing for us.

I’m not sure which side of the street you prefer, but the promise of heaven vs. this worn-out world seems to be no-contest.

How Long?

The question occurs many times in the Bible, especially in the OT. Up until the psalms, it asks how long? men and nations will be stubborn and disobedient. But in Psalms, it is often referring to God and His timing, with regard to our enemies and adversities. Perhaps the classic example is from Habakkuk 1:2 - How long, O LORD, will I call for help, And You will not hear? 

We know, don’t we, that God is never in a hurry, and, He is never late. Think about that for a moment. Never in a hurry. Never late. He is not like us. Much of our upset is over our conflict with the clock, and our lack of success in getting it to speed up or slow down, since we find it almost impossible to match its pace.

Israel’s slavery in Egypt lasted 430 years - exactly the right time to accomplish God’s purposes, and yet it lasted generations. Israel’s wandering in the wilderness lasted 40 years, and Israel’s captivity in Babylon lasted 70 years. How long, O Lord? And yet it fit God’s timing, even if it did not fit the people’s prayers. After Malachi, there were 400 silent years before the birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem - “In the fullness of time” says Galatians 4:4 - at just the right time, though to God’s people, it seemed as though they had been forgotten and their prayer unanswered.

We need to remember that we live in a so-called “instant” age, whether it applies to projects or problems or pudding. We want “instant” answers and results. Just Google it. Need cash? Go to the ATM, day or night. And when life isn’t instant, we are frustrated. Need to make a quick trip through town? Be prepared to stop at every stoplight, even though there are no other cars at the intersection. What a waste of precious time?

It might be easy to understand how we can think that God is slow. How long, O Lord? But, as Peter says, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness” (2 Pet 3:9). The Lord is not slow. He is never late, and He will not be hurried. There is a mystery to the madness, a purpose in the need for patience. He is accomplishing what we know little about, whether in our own lives, or in the lives of others. And we can trust Him.

So yes, I am preaching to myself. And yes, I am preaching to you.  As servants of God, we follow the dictates of the Master. We do not dictate to the Master the days or the years or even one’s lifetime. How long, O Lord? In His time. In His perfect time.

Don’t Get Upset

 “Don’t get fighting mad at evil people; don’t be envious of the wicked. Indeed, there is no future for the evil; the lamp of the wicked will be put out.” (Proverbs 24:19–20 CEB)

Older translations say “Don’t fret.” You probably don’t use the word “fret” often. “Don’t get upset” makes more sense. The trouble is, we find ourselves all too upset too much of the time. The Bible says we should settle down and focus on other things.

The phrase occurs 9 times in the Hebrew OT, and 3 of those are in Psalm 37. Further, Proverbs 24:19 replicates Psalm 37:1 (almost) word for word (see above). So here in these texts we have a good base to understand and apply a direction from the Lord that we tend not to consider: “Don’t get upset.”

Why? Why should we not get all agitated about the plans and prosperings of the wicked? Well, the Bible gives us some answers. Isn’t that a wonderful thing? The Bible actually gives good reasons for what God asks/commands us to do.

The first reason is stated often in Psalm 37, and is a regular theme throughout the Bible. We should not get upset about the wicked, because they will not last. They will “fade fast, like grass,” and “wither” (v.2); “Evildoers will be eliminated” (v.9). A longer section  describes it like this: “I myself have seen wicked powerful people, exalting themselves like a stately cedar. But when I came back, they were gone! I looked all over for them, but they couldn’t be found!” (vv. 35-36). Don’t get upset over vanishing threats.

Further, we should not get upset because it reveals that our focus has moved off from God and we have become fixated on something else - the evildoers. We cannot be “spiritually-minded” (thank you, John Owen) and at the same time be preoccupied with evildoers. What we need, for the nourishment and satisfaction of our souls, is to feed upon God. “Don’t get upset” is the 2nd phrase in verse 7. The first phrase reads like this: “Be still before the Lord, and wait for him.” It is tough, no impossible, to commune with God when we are all astir about other things.

The 3rd reason that we should obey the admonition from the Lord, “Don’t get upset,” is because it does bad stuff to us and in us. Verse 8 reads: “Let go of anger and leave rage behind! Don’t get upset - it will only lead to evil.” Now isn’t that something - that in our outrage, we are actually contributing to something that we object to. But that’s what happens when we adopt the world’s methods and attitudes. Let the world rage and outrage. But let the followers of Jesus rest in Him and in His promise.

Freedom and Autonomy are Not the Same Thing

Freedom is a difficult subject. We can be free from certain things, but we can never be free from everything (e.g., gravity; the need to breathe). We can be free to do certain things, but we cannot be free to do things contrary to our nature (e.g., fly like a bird). It is relative freedom, not absolute freedom. And we can have freedom from certain things that will allow us then freedom for certain things (e.g., giving up being single so one can be married).

Autonomy is something else. In different fields of study, these words, freedom and autonomy, can be defined differently. But thinking Biblically, what I’ve said about freedom fits. And while the word “autonomy” doesn’t occur in the Bible, it is communicated by the phrase, “every man did what was right in his own eyes” (Deut 12:8; Jdg 17:6; 21:25).

In our current society, freedom is being re-defined as autonomy. People think they should be able to to choose whatever they want, and, they expect the government to back up their rights to choose whatever. They believe they should answer to no one but their own feelings. And, the Christian community has not been immune. Many people now believe that the Body of Christ should bend to their beliefs, whether they are right or wrong; whether they are Biblical or not. And, in our current setting, we have not sufficiently developed the skill of clearly and kindly saying, “You are wrong, and this will not be tolerated.”

Now, coming back to freedom, the Bible gives some context about what it means to be free. One important point is that our freedom is found within the framework of a covenant. That is, by grace, God bestows favors (e.g., forgiveness) and privileges (e.g., service) upon those who find freedom in Christ. But that covenant does not give autonomy. It binds Christians in a web of wonderful relationships which carry special privileges.

Because it is a gracious covenant, Christians have the freedom to be gracious. But they are also bound to be gracious. An un-gracious, un-kind Christian is oxymoronic. Also, Christians find themselves loved with an infinite and everlasting love, initiated by God, which they did not earn or deserve; and that freedom carries with it not only the security of being loved but also the obligation to love even people who are most difficult to love. This is not autonomy. It is Christian freedom, according to the Bible.

Negligence and Diligence are not Alike

 They sound alike, but their meanings are polar opposites. Generally speaking, negligence will come back and bite you. On the other hand, diligence will contribute over time to good ends.

In Daniel’s most famous story, Daniel’s adversaries were zealous to find any dirt on him that they could. But here is their result: “they could find no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, inasmuch as he was faithful, and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him” (Dan 6:4). And so, as the text continues, they have to alter their method: 5 “Then these men said, “We will not find any ground of accusation against this Daniel unless we find it against him with regard to the law of his God.””

Now why did they think the could count on finding an accusation against Daniel with regard to the practice of his faith? It was because he was diligent in these things. “Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously” (Dan 6:10). Daniel’s opponents had convinced the king to adopt a deviously conceived law protected by a dumb custom (the law of the Meds and Persians cannot be altered). But Daniel’s diligence, practiced before, continued on.

The more common word “neglect” is used three times in Hebrews, with warnings against it:

Heb. 2:3 how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard,
Heb. 13:2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.
Heb. 13:16 And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

I’ll close with the passage we have been studying in these 50 days leading up to Easter: “Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.” (2 Peter 1:5–7 NAS95)

Bearing Fruit on Barren Ground

In Kenya, a drought used to occur every five years or so. Recently, it has quickened to roughly every two years. How can you bear fruit on barren ground? Clean Leap is an NGO that helps struggling farmers in Africa and Asia find solutions. They have introduced the Melia volkensii tree. It’s “fruit” is really it’s wood, akin to mahogany, and it allows grasses to grow in it’s shade, which is an added benefit. The point? Yes, one can bear fruit on barren ground.

We have endured a year of pandemic and a spate of unsettling medical diagnoses as a local church. We have had to restrict our schedules and our ministries. We have lost skilled and helpful leaders. And it would make sense to think that this is not a season for fruit-bearing - not in a botanical sense, but in a spiritual and ministry sense.

The truth is that most valuable and necessary spiritual fruit actually grows not out of prosperity, but out of adversity. And God knows the fruit that He desires, and what is called for at any particular point in time. God designs/allows the situations in which that fruit can be forged by the testing and improvement of our faith (the Bible often mixes metaphors, such as farming and foundry work).

The most valuable and necessary fruit is often the most basic. In prosperity, Christians have less urgency to pray. In good health, we tend to take things for granted. When the church is full, we can often value each individual less. These things are not right, but they are common. God changes the lay of the land in order to address these things. This is not be wasted time for fruit-bearing.

Our Adult Sunday school class used a book a summer or so ago, called Evangelism as Exiles, by Elliot Clark. Here is a quote that I saved from that book:

“If we continue the pattern of waiting for perfect opportunities, they may never come. And our fate will be that of the wary farmer who observes the wind and doesn’t sow, who considers the clouds and never reaps (Eccles. 11:4). Such farmers have empty barns in winter. We too, if we’re too busy trying to discern the times, raising a moistened finger to the wind to see if someone is ready to respond to the gospel, will likely never see a harvest of souls. We’ll never open our mouths to speak, because we’ll be waiting for a better day. But better days don’t seem to be on the horizon.” 

Honoring the Lord’s Table

We come this week to the first Sunday of the month. We plan to again observe Lord’s Table as a part of our Morning Worship. And, as we gather for worship in this way, we want honor, not profane, the Lord’s Table.

In the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi, the people were charged by the Lord with the offense of profaning the Lord’s table, or altar. Jesus, of course, had not yet instituted the ordinance of the Lord’s table, and yet the Old Testament community had been taught the standards by which they could approach the table/altar - only with acceptable sacrifices. They had been bringing blemished sacrifices, and the Lord was not pleased (Malachi 1:6-14).

Is this same offense possible for us today? Yes, in a sense. We come to the Lord’s table, and it is “the Lord’s” for two reasons: 1) because He is the Lord of the table; at the head of the table, so to speak; and 2) because He is the One who gave of Himself, so that the emblems of the table point directly to Him.

I would suggest that we can be guilty of profaning the Lord’s table if we make it more about us than about Him. How would we do that? By celebrating our goodness rather than our sinfulness. By coming proudly and arrogantly, as though we were saved in some other way than the abundant mercies of our Savior. By elevating ourselves in our minds over others who may not be present.

One of the amazing things about Malachi’s audience is that they were not even aware of their sin. Whenever God would bring a charge against them, they would say, “How have we profaned the Lord’s table?” They could not even see their sin when they were confronted with it! We must not think that we are naturally more perceptive than they. We need to take this warning to heart, and embrace the Lord of the table; the Savior who mercifully saves sinners, like us.

One further note: these “worshippers” in Malachi were also guilty of regarding their sacrificial offering as “tiresome.” Over and over again, they would come to offer sacrifices, and some were doing it on the cheap. And, over and over we come to the Lord’s table, “in remembrance of Me (Jesus).” If it becomes tiresome to us, then we are not grasping the wonder of Christ’s sacrifice for us. Let us come prepared, to set self aside, and to present our hearts open to Him.

The State of our Temples

Temples are places where people meet with their god(s). There are temples of all sorts, through the ages and all over the world. I am suggesting that in America, we should look where people have congregated, and notice what is happening.

One of the most remarkable of our secular temples is the shopping mall. People come from all over to see what is offered; to get what they want. The god? Materialism. We leave with our shopping bags, and we are fulfilled.

Now, caveats. Not everyone who goes to a mall is involved in idolatrous worship. But many are, though they don’t know it. Hear what they say: “It’s been so long since I’ve been to a mall;” or, “I just feel refreshed when I shop at the mall.”

But as we know, the mall is in decline. And if I am right, that this is one facet of our society’s secular worship, we should have expected its decline, since only God can truly satisfy.

Our stadiums also serve as places of secular worship. Fans are extremely passionate about their “god,” their local team in this form of entertainment. They spend a lot of time thinking about what they worship (e.g., all day sports radio). And the amount of money spent for tickets and paid to players and coaches shows that there is something more than “market forces” going on here. People sacrifice a great deal to be a part of the “team.” And while malls may be in decline, sports are getting on just fine. Their religion is growing.

It is interesting that churches have looked to shopping mall and sports stadiums to find “what works” for church growth. If they can get that many people, perhaps we can do the same. Fly a drone overhead, and you might have a hard time telling the difference between Twelve Oaks and Kensington Church. Or how about renting out a sports stadium, as Lakewood Church in Texas has done? And, one could wonder if there isn’t elements of materialism and entertainment that draws people, who should be gathering to worship, not out of hunger for those things, but rather, hunger for God.

But we know our Temple, right? Jesus is the cornerstone; believers as the “living stones.” It is not church buildings, and it is not what churches have to offer. It’s not the Place (or Program); it’s the Person, along with those related to Him by faith in who He is and what He has done.

This is the Way; Walk In It

Our men’s breakfast speaker has emphasized “simple” approaches in the face of complicated lives. He has applied this to prayer and Bible reading. Scripture applies it to all of life. Here it is: “This is the way; walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21).

This simple instruction appears in a complicated chapter. But it is not God who does the complicating. It is us. It is us when we rebel; it is us when we listen and follow the world. It is us when we clog up our lives with too many other things. It is us when we re-shape our religion to suit and serve ourselves rather than to do things God’s way. 

So what does God do? He sends us a Teacher. Some of our English translations capitalize this word: Teacher. We know what that means. Our Teacher is Jesus, whom the Father has sent to us, to Save us and to Teach us - who says to us: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by Me” (John 14:6). 

So what is He saying? Simply, He says this: “Follow Me.” “This is the Way; Walk in it.”

We may object and say that it’s not that simple. But be careful. “Simple” and “easy” are not the same things (I told you it was a complicated chapter). Along with the simple statement, “This is the way; walk in it,” is also this statement: “Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction..” (Is 30:20). That’s not easy. But the instruction is still simple: “This is the way; walk in it.”

You notice that I didn’t finish the sentence above. Following the “though” phrase, there is a “yet” phrase: “Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity or the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore.” That is, the more tested we are; the more our concerns mount; the more our fears increase - the more there will be sense of the presence of our Savior as we seek to follow the instruction: “this is the way; walk in it.” That is, as we seek to walk in Jesus’ shadow, aware of His gentle love, praying to display His gracious character, begging Him for His shepherding care and supernatural healing of our minds and our bodies; our churches and our families; our hearts and our souls.

When life is hard, don’t make it complicated. It’s a call to that which is simple. Talk to Jesus. He knows. He cares. “This is the way; walk in it.”