I came across this quote today in a book called The Meaning of Marriage. It resonated with me because I realized that this is my hope, my hope for myself and my hope for this blog. The quote is as follows:
Some years ago, a man who regularly listened to my preaching made a shrewd observation. He said, "When you are well prepared for your sermon, you cite a great variety of sources, but when you aren't well prepared, you just quote C.S.Lewis." He was right. The reason for that is that I have over the years read virtually everything of Lewis that is in print. When I first became a Christian believer, his writings spoke to my questions and concerns more than any other. so I have continually, repeatedly, read his writings until I can recite dozens of passages by heart. I have also read several biographies and lots of his personal letters.
When you dive that deeply into the life and works of a single figure, something interesting happens. You do't just get to know his writings; you get to know how his mind works. You come to know what he would have said in answer to a particular question or how he would have responded to a particular incident. Thee reason that, when I have to speak off the cuff, C.S. Lewis just comes pouring out is because, as it were, he is in there, he is part of my thought life.
What, then, would be the effect be if were to dive even more deeply into Jesus's teaching and life and work? What if were were so immersed in his promises and summoneses, his counsels and encouragements, that they dominated our inner life, capturing our imagination, and simply bubbled out spontaneously when we faced some challenge? What wold we live if we instinctively, almost unconsciously, knew Jesus's mind and heart regarding things that confronted us? When you received criticism , you would never be crushed, because Jesus's love and acceptance of you is so deeply "in there." When you gave criticism, you would be gentle and patient, because your whole inner would would be saturated by a sense of Jesus's loving patience and gentleness with you. (p. 74)
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My prayer is to be this saturated in who Jesus is!
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
The Narrow Path
Matthew 7:13-14
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it" (Matthew 7:13-14).
There are a 1,000 ways to hell*. There's the most famous route, hard-living--binge drinking and cocaine sniffing. There's the quieter, less glamorous way: letting self be the center of an ordinary life, whether that be by holding grudges in perpetuity or by habitually gossiping and slandering others.
The interesting element is that in all the different ways a person can destroy himself the destruction already begins on earth. People on alcohol binges are not having fun nor really are the habitual gossips. The path is wide and easy to get on but not always fun to travel on.
The narrow path on the other hand is hard to find and not always easy to stay on, but this is the road that leads to LIFE. Jesus said, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).
Let's choose the hard path. This is the path of joy. This is the place of love. This is the place of life.
*By hell I mean eternal destruction (the complete absence of being) not an eternally burning furnace where God tortures those unworthy of heaven.
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it" (Matthew 7:13-14).
There are a 1,000 ways to hell*. There's the most famous route, hard-living--binge drinking and cocaine sniffing. There's the quieter, less glamorous way: letting self be the center of an ordinary life, whether that be by holding grudges in perpetuity or by habitually gossiping and slandering others.
The interesting element is that in all the different ways a person can destroy himself the destruction already begins on earth. People on alcohol binges are not having fun nor really are the habitual gossips. The path is wide and easy to get on but not always fun to travel on.
The narrow path on the other hand is hard to find and not always easy to stay on, but this is the road that leads to LIFE. Jesus said, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).
Let's choose the hard path. This is the path of joy. This is the place of love. This is the place of life.
*By hell I mean eternal destruction (the complete absence of being) not an eternally burning furnace where God tortures those unworthy of heaven.
Monday, February 27, 2012
In Everything
"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the prophets" (Matthew 7:12).
I was struck by the introductory phrase of Matthew 7:12: "in everything". I'm familiar with "rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks(1 Thessalonians 5:16-19). But I hadn't thought about the extent that I must consider others. I must consider them "in everything".
It's not that I don't think about others, but my "thinking of others" is not an all pervasive habit. It's more like a in "many things" or in "some things" do to others like I would want them to do for me way of looking at life.
I like what one of the members of my Sabbath School class, Nikki C. said last Sabbath. She said, "A good day is when I don't think about myself." I'll go with her on that and add, "A good day is when I think constantly of others."
I was struck by the introductory phrase of Matthew 7:12: "in everything". I'm familiar with "rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks(1 Thessalonians 5:16-19). But I hadn't thought about the extent that I must consider others. I must consider them "in everything".
It's not that I don't think about others, but my "thinking of others" is not an all pervasive habit. It's more like a in "many things" or in "some things" do to others like I would want them to do for me way of looking at life.
I like what one of the members of my Sabbath School class, Nikki C. said last Sabbath. She said, "A good day is when I don't think about myself." I'll go with her on that and add, "A good day is when I think constantly of others."
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Ask
Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!(Matthew 7:9-11).
So this is where we start in prayer. We start with knowing who God is--He is the Father who gives good gifts to those who ask. We also learn who we are--we are not beggars asking a miserly king for crumbs, but children and heirs of the most high God.
When we know who God is, we ask Him for what we want--but this is not a disinterested, it-would-be-nice-if, would-you-mind, I-kind-of-would-like request. No, this is a persistent invested in a response asking. Jesus describes it in three ways: he said, "ask", "seek", and "knock."
There are many people who argue that we shouldn't want much. And if we are speaking of greed, yes, this twisted want must be eradicated. But there's a certain leanness in our wanting. Most of our prayers involve our safety and comfort. My prayer is "Lord, keep me safe on I-4 today" not "Lord radically affect my sphere of influence so that all that come in touch with me are drawn to you."
So this is where we start in prayer. We start with knowing who God is--He is the Father who gives good gifts to those who ask. We also learn who we are--we are not beggars asking a miserly king for crumbs, but children and heirs of the most high God.
When we know who God is, we ask Him for what we want--but this is not a disinterested, it-would-be-nice-if, would-you-mind, I-kind-of-would-like request. No, this is a persistent invested in a response asking. Jesus describes it in three ways: he said, "ask", "seek", and "knock."
There are many people who argue that we shouldn't want much. And if we are speaking of greed, yes, this twisted want must be eradicated. But there's a certain leanness in our wanting. Most of our prayers involve our safety and comfort. My prayer is "Lord, keep me safe on I-4 today" not "Lord radically affect my sphere of influence so that all that come in touch with me are drawn to you."
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Pearls
"Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces" (Matthew 7:6).
The text makes me think of a parable told later in the Matthew. "The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it" (Matthew 13:45).
If we sell everything for the kingdom, then we don't take it lightly. We value it so much that we don't even like it to be spoken poorly of or jested about. While on one hand, we are "not ashamed of the gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16) on the other hand we realize that thereJesus said, "be wise as serpents and innocent as doves" (Matthew 10:16).
Not every moment is the right moment for talking about Christ. There are times when to speak of Him would be to throw our pearls to the pigs, but God sometimes prepares the way for the hearers to be receptive. is a time and a place to speak of it.
I once tried to witness to a hostel mate in London. She was immediately defensive so I changed the topic. Later that night, I woke up to some horrible groaning on her end. I asked her what was wrong, and she said she thought she was having an appendicitis. She was alone in the country so I offered to go with her to the hospital. So early on a Saturday morning I found myself catching a cab to a hospital with a complete stranger. I stayed with her for several hours--long enough to learn she had a kidney stone and hear her get reprimanded by a nurse for not drinking enough water.
I wasn't able to speak directly to her about the gospel, but I think that moment prepared her for the next Christian who could.
Not only should we not throw our pearls to the pigs, but we should be in the business of praying for the transformation of those "pigs" into creatures ready for pearls.
The text makes me think of a parable told later in the Matthew. "The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it" (Matthew 13:45).
If we sell everything for the kingdom, then we don't take it lightly. We value it so much that we don't even like it to be spoken poorly of or jested about. While on one hand, we are "not ashamed of the gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16) on the other hand we realize that thereJesus said, "be wise as serpents and innocent as doves" (Matthew 10:16).
Not every moment is the right moment for talking about Christ. There are times when to speak of Him would be to throw our pearls to the pigs, but God sometimes prepares the way for the hearers to be receptive. is a time and a place to speak of it.
I once tried to witness to a hostel mate in London. She was immediately defensive so I changed the topic. Later that night, I woke up to some horrible groaning on her end. I asked her what was wrong, and she said she thought she was having an appendicitis. She was alone in the country so I offered to go with her to the hospital. So early on a Saturday morning I found myself catching a cab to a hospital with a complete stranger. I stayed with her for several hours--long enough to learn she had a kidney stone and hear her get reprimanded by a nurse for not drinking enough water.
I wasn't able to speak directly to her about the gospel, but I think that moment prepared her for the next Christian who could.
Not only should we not throw our pearls to the pigs, but we should be in the business of praying for the transformation of those "pigs" into creatures ready for pearls.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Losing a Plank
"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye" (Matthew 7:3-5).
If I'm late, it's because I many really important things to do. If someone else is late, it is because she's thoughtless about other people's time. If I take a long time to merge into traffic, it's because I'm making good use of road space. If someone else rushes past me to merge into traffic, it's because that person is a thoughtless selfish jerk.
The way I view the world is naturally this way: my faults and wrongs are minimized and other's faults and wrongs are maximized. My errors are accidents; other's mistakes are personality defects.
But if I view the world supernaturally (that is when God's grace comes in and takes over even my perceptions--still getting there!) then Christ in me starts to reverse this order. I maximize my faults (not to discourage myself but to drive myself to Christ), and minimize other's faults. I learn to see that "love covers over a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8). I value others above myself (Phil 2:3): I value person's reputation more than mine, I value a person's point of view more than mine, and I learn to step back and ask, "how can I see this through your eyes"?
This grace process, this learning-to-take-the-plank-out-of-my-eye...No, wait, just learning to recognize that I have a plank in my eye is nothing short of a divine miracle. And it is a miracle borne out of love. Ellen White says, "Love is the agent which [God] uses to expel sin from the heart. By it He changes pride into humility, and enmity and unbelief into love and faith" (Thoughts from the Mount of Blessings, p.77).
Father, thank you for a love that finds me when I can't even see myself.
If I'm late, it's because I many really important things to do. If someone else is late, it is because she's thoughtless about other people's time. If I take a long time to merge into traffic, it's because I'm making good use of road space. If someone else rushes past me to merge into traffic, it's because that person is a thoughtless selfish jerk.
The way I view the world is naturally this way: my faults and wrongs are minimized and other's faults and wrongs are maximized. My errors are accidents; other's mistakes are personality defects.
But if I view the world supernaturally (that is when God's grace comes in and takes over even my perceptions--still getting there!) then Christ in me starts to reverse this order. I maximize my faults (not to discourage myself but to drive myself to Christ), and minimize other's faults. I learn to see that "love covers over a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8). I value others above myself (Phil 2:3): I value person's reputation more than mine, I value a person's point of view more than mine, and I learn to step back and ask, "how can I see this through your eyes"?
This grace process, this learning-to-take-the-plank-out-of-my-eye...No, wait, just learning to recognize that I have a plank in my eye is nothing short of a divine miracle. And it is a miracle borne out of love. Ellen White says, "Love is the agent which [God] uses to expel sin from the heart. By it He changes pride into humility, and enmity and unbelief into love and faith" (Thoughts from the Mount of Blessings, p.77).
Father, thank you for a love that finds me when I can't even see myself.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Judge Not
Matthew 7:1
What if the only hidden motive in my life was kindness and my agenda love? What if I lived with the simple grace of knowing, "God knows" and refused to judge? What if the measure I used for others was large and the measure I used for myself? Small. What if I was generous not only with my money, but with my thoughts? What if I considered others "better than myself" and lived daily there?
What if I lived there? Lord, let me live there!
What if the only hidden motive in my life was kindness and my agenda love? What if I lived with the simple grace of knowing, "God knows" and refused to judge? What if the measure I used for others was large and the measure I used for myself? Small. What if I was generous not only with my money, but with my thoughts? What if I considered others "better than myself" and lived daily there?
What if I lived there? Lord, let me live there!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Don't Worry
Matthew 6:25-34
Is worry a sin? I'm not sure I want to put it there since it comes so naturally to me, nor do I want worried people to have one more thing to worry about. But I do think it is easy to take many biblical teachings very seriously and somehow skip over worry. It's strangely easier to be earnest about avoiding lust and yet not even engaged in avoiding worry.
Yet at the heart of worry is distrust. It's as if saying, "Yes, Jesus loves me", but not enough to care for me. The problem is is that we know that life will give us trouble (John 16:33). People we love will get hurt. We will get hurt and so somehow worrying feels like a nice way to prepare ourselves for the trouble.
I like what Dr. Neal Nedley said in his book, The Lost Art of Thinking. He said that there are two possible outcomes for worry: the event that you worry about happens or the event that you worry about doesn't happen. If it does happen, you are already exhausted by the time it occurs. If it doesn't happen, then you just spent a lot of time worrying about nothing.
"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:34).
I once ran into a girl maybe about five or six years old. I asked her how she was and she said, "Worried." I asked her why and she told me that she was starting first grade and she wasn't sure if she would be able to do all the homework. I was both amused and saddened for her. Six feels like an awfully young age to start worrying.
But maybe God sees it the same way for me. "You know, Julie, 34 is an awfully young age to start worrying." He's been around a lot longer than me, and I think I should trust Him when He says, "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" (Matthew 6:26).
Is worry a sin? I'm not sure I want to put it there since it comes so naturally to me, nor do I want worried people to have one more thing to worry about. But I do think it is easy to take many biblical teachings very seriously and somehow skip over worry. It's strangely easier to be earnest about avoiding lust and yet not even engaged in avoiding worry.
Yet at the heart of worry is distrust. It's as if saying, "Yes, Jesus loves me", but not enough to care for me. The problem is is that we know that life will give us trouble (John 16:33). People we love will get hurt. We will get hurt and so somehow worrying feels like a nice way to prepare ourselves for the trouble.
I like what Dr. Neal Nedley said in his book, The Lost Art of Thinking. He said that there are two possible outcomes for worry: the event that you worry about happens or the event that you worry about doesn't happen. If it does happen, you are already exhausted by the time it occurs. If it doesn't happen, then you just spent a lot of time worrying about nothing.
"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:34).
I once ran into a girl maybe about five or six years old. I asked her how she was and she said, "Worried." I asked her why and she told me that she was starting first grade and she wasn't sure if she would be able to do all the homework. I was both amused and saddened for her. Six feels like an awfully young age to start worrying.
But maybe God sees it the same way for me. "You know, Julie, 34 is an awfully young age to start worrying." He's been around a lot longer than me, and I think I should trust Him when He says, "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" (Matthew 6:26).
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Money & Worry
Matthew 6:24-34
I've probably spent most of my life reading Matthew 6:19-24 (Treasures in Heaven) separately from Matthew 6:25-34 (Do Not Worry) because they were subdivided into separate sections. But the last verses of Treasures in Heaven and the first verses of Do Not Worry actually tie so neatly together that they could be one paragraph.
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?"
Therefore bridges the two sections. You cannot serve God and money THEREFORE don't worrying.
We all worry at some level or another and tie worry to the reality of life, but what if worry is also a spiritual thermometer of whom I am serving? Am I serving God or money? Am I serving God or security? Am I serving God or my good reputation? Am I serving God or the American Dream?
I can choose my master. I can choose God or money. I can choose God and learn to lean into his providences and to relax in his capacity to provide for me.
Of the two masters God is the kindest. Money is a taskmaster. God says, "Come aside and rest awhile" (Mark 6:31). Money says, "You never know if you aren't working now what could become of you. Strive while you can." Money says, "Me first and no other." God says, "Me first and everything will be added unto you."
So choose God and learn to trust Him so you don't have to worry anymore.
I've probably spent most of my life reading Matthew 6:19-24 (Treasures in Heaven) separately from Matthew 6:25-34 (Do Not Worry) because they were subdivided into separate sections. But the last verses of Treasures in Heaven and the first verses of Do Not Worry actually tie so neatly together that they could be one paragraph.
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?"
Therefore bridges the two sections. You cannot serve God and money THEREFORE don't worrying.
We all worry at some level or another and tie worry to the reality of life, but what if worry is also a spiritual thermometer of whom I am serving? Am I serving God or money? Am I serving God or security? Am I serving God or my good reputation? Am I serving God or the American Dream?
I can choose my master. I can choose God or money. I can choose God and learn to lean into his providences and to relax in his capacity to provide for me.
Of the two masters God is the kindest. Money is a taskmaster. God says, "Come aside and rest awhile" (Mark 6:31). Money says, "You never know if you aren't working now what could become of you. Strive while you can." Money says, "Me first and no other." God says, "Me first and everything will be added unto you."
So choose God and learn to trust Him so you don't have to worry anymore.
Monday, February 20, 2012
The Eye is the Lamp
Matthew 6:22
When I was a kid we used to sing:
O be careful little eyes what you see
O be careful little eyes what you see
There's a Father up above
And He's looking down in love
So, be careful little eyes what you see
Reading over the song, I realize that it doesn't explain why what I see is connected to God "looking down in love". Why is God is watching what I see?
It seems a small thing, but I think it is because what I see changes who I am. If God is concerned with what I see, it is because he's concerned with the kind of person I am.
Jesus said, "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light" (Matthew 6:22).
So I need to question what I'm allowing in my line of vision: Is what I'm seeing pure? True? Right? Lovely? Admirable? Excellent? Praiseworthy? (Philipians 4:8).
There is so many good things to see. I must recognize that "I have power over where I focus--that is the choice I make" (from Tuesday Morning Wisdom).
When I was a kid we used to sing:
O be careful little eyes what you see
O be careful little eyes what you see
There's a Father up above
And He's looking down in love
So, be careful little eyes what you see
Reading over the song, I realize that it doesn't explain why what I see is connected to God "looking down in love". Why is God is watching what I see?
It seems a small thing, but I think it is because what I see changes who I am. If God is concerned with what I see, it is because he's concerned with the kind of person I am.
Jesus said, "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light" (Matthew 6:22).
So I need to question what I'm allowing in my line of vision: Is what I'm seeing pure? True? Right? Lovely? Admirable? Excellent? Praiseworthy? (Philipians 4:8).
There is so many good things to see. I must recognize that "I have power over where I focus--that is the choice I make" (from Tuesday Morning Wisdom).
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Treasure
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 21:21)
Where is your treasure? Most Christians like to say--"My priorities are God, family, and work. I like what a recent author I read said. He said, "List your priorities then list where you spend your time." Do those match? (Granted it's pretty hard to get out of 40+ hours of work a week, but I think this author was on to something.)
The best way to measure your treasure is to ask yourself the following questions: Where do I spend my money? Where do I spend my time? What do I exert energy on? What occupies my thoughts? What do I talk about?
All of these reveal where my heart is. Not only do they reveal my heart, but they direct my heart. The heart shapes my actions and my actions shape my heart. Maybe it is so important to guard my heart (Proverbs 4:23) because the world and its pressures are constantly fighting to shape my heart.
"Do not conform any longer 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" (Romans 12:2).
Where is your treasure? Most Christians like to say--"My priorities are God, family, and work. I like what a recent author I read said. He said, "List your priorities then list where you spend your time." Do those match? (Granted it's pretty hard to get out of 40+ hours of work a week, but I think this author was on to something.)
The best way to measure your treasure is to ask yourself the following questions: Where do I spend my money? Where do I spend my time? What do I exert energy on? What occupies my thoughts? What do I talk about?
All of these reveal where my heart is. Not only do they reveal my heart, but they direct my heart. The heart shapes my actions and my actions shape my heart. Maybe it is so important to guard my heart (Proverbs 4:23) because the world and its pressures are constantly fighting to shape my heart.
"Do not conform any longer 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" (Romans 12:2).
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Security
Jesus said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal" (Matthew 6:19).
Typically, I'd think he was talking about Bill Gates or Warren Buffet, you know the really rich people--but Jesus never quantifies how much money you have to make to be "storing up treasure" on earth, nor does he name an income bracket.
He might not even be talking about greed at all. He might be talking about a problem that hits a little closer to home: prioritizing security over the kingdom.
Why do people store up treasure? They want to ensure that they'll never be in want. My step-great grandma is a good example of this. Her take-away from the Great Depression was to always be prepared, and boy was she prepared. She canned vegetables and more vegetables until her canned food was like wine--it had a vintage. "Yup, these pees were from 1952." (My dad said it was pretty horrifying to eat at her place--as the vegetables were all oddly colored and aged.)
I may not be building up my security in canned food, but I've put money into a such things as a service contract for my car (because the cost of car repair is so high), gap insurance (just in case there was a gap between what I owed and what I received from my regular insurance if I crashed my car). I tried to buy my way out of insecurity.
Part of the desire for security is prudence. It is looking to the future and not knowing it and preparing for possible bad outcomes. But this prudence has a nasty habit of becoming a priority in our lives. Jesus also said, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be" (Matthew 6:21). It's possible to put all my energy into creating a sure life that I neglect the kingdom.
The irony of this is that even if I go about "storing up things" to protect against an insecure future, the thieves still might come in an take what I've stored up. I might still destroy my car even after I've put so much thought and money into it.
Jesus said also said, "Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal" (Matthew 6:20). The goal is to start recognizing that the kingdom of God has a greater priority in my life than anything else and to realize that my ultimate security is storing my treasures in heaven because those treasures can never be taken.
Typically, I'd think he was talking about Bill Gates or Warren Buffet, you know the really rich people--but Jesus never quantifies how much money you have to make to be "storing up treasure" on earth, nor does he name an income bracket.
He might not even be talking about greed at all. He might be talking about a problem that hits a little closer to home: prioritizing security over the kingdom.
Why do people store up treasure? They want to ensure that they'll never be in want. My step-great grandma is a good example of this. Her take-away from the Great Depression was to always be prepared, and boy was she prepared. She canned vegetables and more vegetables until her canned food was like wine--it had a vintage. "Yup, these pees were from 1952." (My dad said it was pretty horrifying to eat at her place--as the vegetables were all oddly colored and aged.)
I may not be building up my security in canned food, but I've put money into a such things as a service contract for my car (because the cost of car repair is so high), gap insurance (just in case there was a gap between what I owed and what I received from my regular insurance if I crashed my car). I tried to buy my way out of insecurity.
Part of the desire for security is prudence. It is looking to the future and not knowing it and preparing for possible bad outcomes. But this prudence has a nasty habit of becoming a priority in our lives. Jesus also said, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be" (Matthew 6:21). It's possible to put all my energy into creating a sure life that I neglect the kingdom.
The irony of this is that even if I go about "storing up things" to protect against an insecure future, the thieves still might come in an take what I've stored up. I might still destroy my car even after I've put so much thought and money into it.
Jesus said also said, "Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal" (Matthew 6:20). The goal is to start recognizing that the kingdom of God has a greater priority in my life than anything else and to realize that my ultimate security is storing my treasures in heaven because those treasures can never be taken.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Testimonies
Matthew 6:16-17
Many conversion stories have this arc of "I was bad (I drank, smoked pot, slept around, spent money prodigiously, I you-name-it-and-I-did-it), and now I'm saved. When these stories are told well without glorifying the previous life, they can be a real encouragement. But they can also leave a false impression that conversion is simply a movement from super bad to sweet church goer.
But when a prodigal is sharing about his time in the far country and his relief to be home, we have to remember that this is not the end of the story, but its beginning. The prodigal has just cut down the limbs and the branches of sin by turning away from its most egregious forms of it, but there's still work that needs to be done and if this work isn't done (pulling up the roots of sin), new branches of sin grow.
And this is often what grows: pride. A person might take pride in how he's living the Christian walk. He might glow in the praises of the "church ladies" or relish being known as spiritual person.
Jesus warned us of the dangers of this sin three times. He said, "Be careful not to do you 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them" (Matthew 6:1). "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men" (Matthew 6:5). "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting" (Matthew 6:16-17).
I don't know if I've ever heard a testimony of a person who has said. "I used to love to tell people that I spent three hours in prayer, and that I fasted for four days. Now I really don't care if they know what I do in my quiet time. I just hope they know that they are loved."
This wouldn't be your normal testimony, but it might just be as powerful as the story of a drunk gone sober.
Many conversion stories have this arc of "I was bad (I drank, smoked pot, slept around, spent money prodigiously, I you-name-it-and-I-did-it), and now I'm saved. When these stories are told well without glorifying the previous life, they can be a real encouragement. But they can also leave a false impression that conversion is simply a movement from super bad to sweet church goer.
But when a prodigal is sharing about his time in the far country and his relief to be home, we have to remember that this is not the end of the story, but its beginning. The prodigal has just cut down the limbs and the branches of sin by turning away from its most egregious forms of it, but there's still work that needs to be done and if this work isn't done (pulling up the roots of sin), new branches of sin grow.
And this is often what grows: pride. A person might take pride in how he's living the Christian walk. He might glow in the praises of the "church ladies" or relish being known as spiritual person.
Jesus warned us of the dangers of this sin three times. He said, "Be careful not to do you 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them" (Matthew 6:1). "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men" (Matthew 6:5). "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting" (Matthew 6:16-17).
I don't know if I've ever heard a testimony of a person who has said. "I used to love to tell people that I spent three hours in prayer, and that I fasted for four days. Now I really don't care if they know what I do in my quiet time. I just hope they know that they are loved."
This wouldn't be your normal testimony, but it might just be as powerful as the story of a drunk gone sober.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Just in Case You Missed It the First Time
Matthew 6:14,15
I repeat myself. Yup, sorry, I try not to but it (well) happens. One of my favorite friendships was with a girl who couldn't remember things. We were a perfect pair. Sometimes mid-conversation, we would say, "Wait! Haven't we had this conversation before?"
The interesting thing about repetition is that it reveals something about an individual. I might not learn anything new when I've heard the same story three times, but I have learned something new about what the person values.
So here's the deal: Jesus repeats himself. In Matthew 6:12 he says, "Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors" (Matthew 6:12). Then just a couple verses later he says, "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, you Father will not forgive your sins" (Matthew 6:14,15).
It's the same story. God forgives us because we have forgiven others. This is pretty hard to understand because so much of the gospel seems focused on God initiating a relationship with us. For example, Jesus later said, "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name" (John 15:16). And Paul said, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
So why doesn't it read "Forgive because you have been forgiven" instead of "Forgive so you can be forgiven"? We are (naturally) quite nervous about conditions. How could the God of unconditional love create a condition for forgiveness? Maybe it is because we confuse God's unconditional love with unconditional license.
My sister loves her toddler daughter deeply, but when her daughter decided to try to play right next to the road, my sister grabbed her and wouldn't let her go. Her daughter screamed, cried, and wept--you would have thought the world had just come to a crashing end. By momentarily circumventing her daughter's will, she showed her love for her daughter.
What if God shows us his love by commanding forgiveness? What if forgiveness is so fundamental to the universe that God had to put a big exclamation marks next to it? It's impossible for God to forgive you your sins (!!) if you cannot forgive others their sins (!!). Grace is not just a drink you enjoy by yourself. Grace is something that its very nature spills out into the lives of those around you. It's impossible to experience God's forgiveness alone; it must be shared.
I've mentioned this before several time (see here now I go repeating myself). This forgiveness business is the impossible business of God's kingdom. You have been sinned against. You have been hurt. You have been wronged. You do deserve better--but still you must forgive.
The person you choose to forgive might not ever notice that you have forgiven her. She might go around her life acting like the wound she left you with never happened. In fact, she might not even realize how deeply she cut you. You still must forgive.
So then how do we do it? It begins with the simple, "Lord, I choose to forgive _________." Then the prayer must be repeated and repeated and repeated. We also might claim God's promise, "What is impossible with men is possible with God" (Luke 18:27).
It also means that we choose to plan blessings for the person who has hurt us. Even as we struggle with our bitterness for that person, we start to move toward him with kindness.
People like to joke about what the language of heaven will be like. Will it be Hebrew? English? Spanish? Thai? I think it will be the language of forgiveness. We're learning the first syllables here on earth.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Tigers
"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one" (Matthew 6:13).
My tour guide held my hand as he led me to one of the napping tigers at the Kanchanaburi Tiger Sanctuary. I squatted near it and touched its fur ever so lightly, so I could get the required tourist-petting-the-tiger shot. There were several other tigers there: all matched with different tourists and all chained and napping. The scene was peaceful, calm, and serene. A person could almost get comfortable with the tigers.
There's a spiritual lesson here. The devil is represented in the Bible as a roaring lion, but sometimes he's a sleeping lion too. His relaxed posture draws us near. We feel, "there's nothing dangerous here". We take a few steps in his direction thinking that we are safe. Sometimes the media helps us with this as it normalizes sin, or our friends help the process by minimizing sin. We allow "little sins" like overeating or dwelling on our discontentment to prepare us for sin.
We have to remember that while Jesus is said to sing "softly and tenderly", so does the devil.
My tour guide held my hand as he led me to one of the napping tigers at the Kanchanaburi Tiger Sanctuary. I squatted near it and touched its fur ever so lightly, so I could get the required tourist-petting-the-tiger shot. There were several other tigers there: all matched with different tourists and all chained and napping. The scene was peaceful, calm, and serene. A person could almost get comfortable with the tigers.
There's a spiritual lesson here. The devil is represented in the Bible as a roaring lion, but sometimes he's a sleeping lion too. His relaxed posture draws us near. We feel, "there's nothing dangerous here". We take a few steps in his direction thinking that we are safe. Sometimes the media helps us with this as it normalizes sin, or our friends help the process by minimizing sin. We allow "little sins" like overeating or dwelling on our discontentment to prepare us for sin.
We have to remember that while Jesus is said to sing "softly and tenderly", so does the devil.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Forgiveness
"Forigve us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors" (Matthew 6:12).
If you were asked to write something that millions of people would read over and over again for 2000+ years, what would you write? You would most likely write what was most important to you. I believe that when Jesus taught his prayer to his disciples he was showing them his priorities. Here are seven of the most important things to him for us:
1. That we acknowledge God as our Father
2. That we respect and honor His character
3. That we do His will
4. That we seek our sustenance from Him
5. That we ask for forgiveness and give forgiveness
6. That we don't go willy nilly into temptation
7. That we are delivered from the evil one
I find it interesting that forgiveness makes His top seven. This makes sense since one of our primary needs as creatures who have "fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23) is forgiveness. Think of the story of the paralytic. When he was lowered from the roof, Jesus didn't immediately heal him. Jesus' first act was to acknowledged that the paralyzed man's sins were forgiven (Matthew 9:2-7). Our need for forgiveness is primary if not primal.
But it's not forgiveness alone that we need. We need to extend forgiveness. I think I mentioned this earlier--but giving forgiveness is one of the hardest things we can ever do in life. There are so many "buts" involved: "But she hurt me first", "But he was wrong", "But the cuts from this wound still hurt today", "But they ruined my life", "But it's not fair", "But how will she ever learn her lesson if I forgive her?"
Forgiveness is probably the most Christ-like thing we will ever do. We will give something to someone who does not deserve what we can give. To do this, I don't think we minimize the hurt. Forgiveness is not "well, it really wasn't a big deal." It WAS a big deal. Our hurts are real and our capacity to actually forgive minimal. So we turn to the one who first forgave us and ask for His forgiveness in us to be so powerful that it overflows to the people in our life who we need to forgive.
And when we do this we are living the kingdom of heaven. Heaven stakes out its territory in the heart that forgives.
"Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which becomes a habit” (Peter Ustinov).
If you were asked to write something that millions of people would read over and over again for 2000+ years, what would you write? You would most likely write what was most important to you. I believe that when Jesus taught his prayer to his disciples he was showing them his priorities. Here are seven of the most important things to him for us:
1. That we acknowledge God as our Father
2. That we respect and honor His character
3. That we do His will
4. That we seek our sustenance from Him
5. That we ask for forgiveness and give forgiveness
6. That we don't go willy nilly into temptation
7. That we are delivered from the evil one
I find it interesting that forgiveness makes His top seven. This makes sense since one of our primary needs as creatures who have "fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23) is forgiveness. Think of the story of the paralytic. When he was lowered from the roof, Jesus didn't immediately heal him. Jesus' first act was to acknowledged that the paralyzed man's sins were forgiven (Matthew 9:2-7). Our need for forgiveness is primary if not primal.
But it's not forgiveness alone that we need. We need to extend forgiveness. I think I mentioned this earlier--but giving forgiveness is one of the hardest things we can ever do in life. There are so many "buts" involved: "But she hurt me first", "But he was wrong", "But the cuts from this wound still hurt today", "But they ruined my life", "But it's not fair", "But how will she ever learn her lesson if I forgive her?"
Forgiveness is probably the most Christ-like thing we will ever do. We will give something to someone who does not deserve what we can give. To do this, I don't think we minimize the hurt. Forgiveness is not "well, it really wasn't a big deal." It WAS a big deal. Our hurts are real and our capacity to actually forgive minimal. So we turn to the one who first forgave us and ask for His forgiveness in us to be so powerful that it overflows to the people in our life who we need to forgive.
And when we do this we are living the kingdom of heaven. Heaven stakes out its territory in the heart that forgives.
"Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which becomes a habit” (Peter Ustinov).
Monday, February 13, 2012
Bread
"Give us today our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11).
The first thing I did today when I got home was open the fridge door, pull out some leftover garlic bread and warm it up: my hunger never goes away.
This morning I was eating oranges and thinking about how many mornings I have eaten oranges for breakfast and how no matter what I still love eating them: my hunger never goes away.
Everyday I wake up hungry. I ate yesterday, but I need to eat today. I had friends yesterday, but I need friends today. I read books yesterday, but I need to read today. There's not a day that goes by that I don't need.
So here's a powerful thing: I can ask God today for what I need. I can ask him for food (though that is rarely lacking), for emotional sustenance, for opportunities to grow, for his presence, and for his power. It's the simplest thing I can do.
I imagine it is also the sweetest. I imagine that God is touched by what I ask for and how I ask it. "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" (Matthew 7:11).
The first thing I did today when I got home was open the fridge door, pull out some leftover garlic bread and warm it up: my hunger never goes away.
This morning I was eating oranges and thinking about how many mornings I have eaten oranges for breakfast and how no matter what I still love eating them: my hunger never goes away.
Everyday I wake up hungry. I ate yesterday, but I need to eat today. I had friends yesterday, but I need friends today. I read books yesterday, but I need to read today. There's not a day that goes by that I don't need.
So here's a powerful thing: I can ask God today for what I need. I can ask him for food (though that is rarely lacking), for emotional sustenance, for opportunities to grow, for his presence, and for his power. It's the simplest thing I can do.
I imagine it is also the sweetest. I imagine that God is touched by what I ask for and how I ask it. "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" (Matthew 7:11).
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Your Kingdom Come
"Your kingdom come, your will be done" (Matthew 6:9)
I had blown a tire and was stuck on the side of the highway. Some men pulled up in a SUV and got out to help me change my tire. I was nervous until I noticed the guy with the "Jesus Saves" t-shirt. I figured that a rapist would most likely (though it is possible) not be wearing a "Jesus saves" shirt.
In that moment, when my shoulders relaxed, when I felt safe, I experienced the kingdom of heaven. When people choose to be kingdom creators, they are giving the world an incredible gift. They bring to the world such gifts as "love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Galatians 5:22,23).
Who is answering Jesus' prayer for God's kingdom to be on this earth in your life?
I had blown a tire and was stuck on the side of the highway. Some men pulled up in a SUV and got out to help me change my tire. I was nervous until I noticed the guy with the "Jesus Saves" t-shirt. I figured that a rapist would most likely (though it is possible) not be wearing a "Jesus saves" shirt.
In that moment, when my shoulders relaxed, when I felt safe, I experienced the kingdom of heaven. When people choose to be kingdom creators, they are giving the world an incredible gift. They bring to the world such gifts as "love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Galatians 5:22,23).
Who is answering Jesus' prayer for God's kingdom to be on this earth in your life?
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Our Father
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name" (Matthew 6:9).
My dad used to tell me, "Julie, just be yourself." I would respond, "But what if I don't know who that is?" Identity is crucial not only in our lives but in the gospels. The primary question of Jesus' temptation was who he was. "If you are the Son of God. . . ." (Matthew 4:6). The first line of the Lord's prayer is also about identity. But instead of questioning God's identity, Jesus is outlining it.
It's almost as if he is saying this is how you should pray: first understand who you are praying to. Who are you praying to? You're praying to "our Father". That means he's "my Father" and "your Father". Jesus is identifying himself with us in the prayer. And what is a father? Ideally he's someone who protects, encourages, challenges, enriches, nurtures, and adores his child.
Who else are you praying to? You're praying to the one whose name is hallowed. What does it mean to hallow a name? The online Merriam-Webster defines it as to "honor as holy". A person's name in the Bible was often equated with his character. So by "hallowing God's name" we're recognizing His character as holy. We're saying, "You are beyond us, more powerful than us--you are righteous."
We're only eight words into the Lord's Prayer, and it's already packed with power. We know something about God in those eight words. He is the holy, righteous, tender Father of this universe--a Father whose holiness could overwhelm us and yet a Father who hears us--who even listens to our prattle.
My dad used to tell me, "Julie, just be yourself." I would respond, "But what if I don't know who that is?" Identity is crucial not only in our lives but in the gospels. The primary question of Jesus' temptation was who he was. "If you are the Son of God. . . ." (Matthew 4:6). The first line of the Lord's prayer is also about identity. But instead of questioning God's identity, Jesus is outlining it.
It's almost as if he is saying this is how you should pray: first understand who you are praying to. Who are you praying to? You're praying to "our Father". That means he's "my Father" and "your Father". Jesus is identifying himself with us in the prayer. And what is a father? Ideally he's someone who protects, encourages, challenges, enriches, nurtures, and adores his child.
Who else are you praying to? You're praying to the one whose name is hallowed. What does it mean to hallow a name? The online Merriam-Webster defines it as to "honor as holy". A person's name in the Bible was often equated with his character. So by "hallowing God's name" we're recognizing His character as holy. We're saying, "You are beyond us, more powerful than us--you are righteous."
We're only eight words into the Lord's Prayer, and it's already packed with power. We know something about God in those eight words. He is the holy, righteous, tender Father of this universe--a Father whose holiness could overwhelm us and yet a Father who hears us--who even listens to our prattle.
God's Posture
Matthew 6:7&8
What do you know about your Father? What can you say , "I know this, and I'd stake my life on it." Could you stake your life on his listening ability? If we don't babble like the pagans it is because we know who we are speaking to. It's our Father and He wants to hear us. "For your Father knows what you need before you ask him" (Matthew 6:8). He's prepared to listen; he already knows our needs.
Then what is the point of praying? If he already knows what we need, why pray at all?
Why can't he just scatter the gifts he has for everyone? In some ways he already does--"He makes the sun rise on both good and bad people. And he sends rain for the ones who do right and for the ones who do wrong" (Matthew 5:45). But God wants to be more than just a dispenser of goods.
So we must ask. We must engage with God. But our asking and engaging is not because he's unwilling to listen. "For your Father knows what you need" reveals the Father's posture. He's bent toward us, ready.
We should not feel like the pagans that we're pounding on the door of a deaf God. No our knuckles are just starting to touch the wood and his hand is already on the door knob ready to open it.
**Our electricity was out last night, and I couldn't go online nor did I have a single functioning flashlight in the house. I went back way way old school and wrote most of the post above by candlelight.
What do you know about your Father? What can you say , "I know this, and I'd stake my life on it." Could you stake your life on his listening ability? If we don't babble like the pagans it is because we know who we are speaking to. It's our Father and He wants to hear us. "For your Father knows what you need before you ask him" (Matthew 6:8). He's prepared to listen; he already knows our needs.
Then what is the point of praying? If he already knows what we need, why pray at all?
Why can't he just scatter the gifts he has for everyone? In some ways he already does--"He makes the sun rise on both good and bad people. And he sends rain for the ones who do right and for the ones who do wrong" (Matthew 5:45). But God wants to be more than just a dispenser of goods.
So we must ask. We must engage with God. But our asking and engaging is not because he's unwilling to listen. "For your Father knows what you need" reveals the Father's posture. He's bent toward us, ready.
We should not feel like the pagans that we're pounding on the door of a deaf God. No our knuckles are just starting to touch the wood and his hand is already on the door knob ready to open it.
**Our electricity was out last night, and I couldn't go online nor did I have a single functioning flashlight in the house. I went back way way old school and wrote most of the post above by candlelight.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Babbling
Matthew 6:6,7
Sometimes I am a spiritual tourist when it comes to prayer. I want to explore the territory, see the sights, get a little spiritual high, or maybe a stamp in my righteousness passport (Look, I spent a full hour in prayer! Check that one off), and return to my country no worse for wear.
But the problem is that God has different motives than me. I want to go to prayer and come back feeling good about myself; he wants me to come to prayer and be convicted that I'm a sinner. I want to go to prayer and pray long enough and hard enough and passionately enough so that I can pretend that that little issue he's been trying to talk to me about lately doesn't really matter because (well look) I pray a lot!
I think this is partially what Jesus is referring to when he says, "And when you pray, do not keep babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words" (Matthew 6:7). Prayer is not an exercise to appease God or win spiritual brownie points. Many babbling words are useless. "Your Father knows what you need before you ask him" (Matthew 6:8).
God is present in prayer first. When I genuinely come to pray, I'm not looking for an experience but a Person. I'm looking for the Person who will transform me and empower me to live well under the joyful Lordship of Christ.
Sometimes I am a spiritual tourist when it comes to prayer. I want to explore the territory, see the sights, get a little spiritual high, or maybe a stamp in my righteousness passport (Look, I spent a full hour in prayer! Check that one off), and return to my country no worse for wear.
But the problem is that God has different motives than me. I want to go to prayer and come back feeling good about myself; he wants me to come to prayer and be convicted that I'm a sinner. I want to go to prayer and pray long enough and hard enough and passionately enough so that I can pretend that that little issue he's been trying to talk to me about lately doesn't really matter because (well look) I pray a lot!
I think this is partially what Jesus is referring to when he says, "And when you pray, do not keep babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words" (Matthew 6:7). Prayer is not an exercise to appease God or win spiritual brownie points. Many babbling words are useless. "Your Father knows what you need before you ask him" (Matthew 6:8).
God is present in prayer first. When I genuinely come to pray, I'm not looking for an experience but a Person. I'm looking for the Person who will transform me and empower me to live well under the joyful Lordship of Christ.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
In the Secret
Matthew 6:5-6
Several of Jesus' teachings in Matthew 5 are written in the following formula: "You have heard. . . .But I say . . ." (See Matthew 5:21,27,31,33,38 &48). It's as if he is letting his disciples know, "This is what you think religion is but let me show you something more."
Jesus' teaching on prayer also opens with a formula. This time the formula isn't contrasting teachings but contrasting behavior. It's a formula that he uses for giving to the needy and for presenting one's prayers. The formula looks basically like this: don't go public with your righteousness; publicity stunts thwarts God's capacity to reward you privately. Give quietly. Pray without hype. "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. then your Father, who see what is done in secret will reward you" (Matthew 6:6).
We live in a public age. We're used to reality shows and Facebook. We're used to Oprah and tabloid confessionals. We live in a society that praises openness often to the detriment of privacy and intimacy. Jesus' teaching shows us that there are places best kept secret. In giving and in prayer--we find a place of intimacy. How much I gave this year only matters to God. The knowledge of my places and times of prayer are reserved for Him as well.* I can draw a circle around God and myself. I'm 1 in 7 billion and yet I can meet with Him "in the secret place of the most High" where I "abide under the shadow of the Almighty" (Psalms 91:1).
My righteousness isn't about show or flash or attention or even that most basic and often quite natural and healthy need for human approval. My righteousness is about the Father seeing me and knowing me and rewarding me in private. It's about closing the door from the crowd and meeting alone with him.**
*Not that it is a top secret. If anyone wanted to know, I'd share. But there's a certain sweetness to the hiddenness of personal prayer.
**I'm not overlooking the powerful need for group prayer and fellowship, but that is outside the scope of this post.
Several of Jesus' teachings in Matthew 5 are written in the following formula: "You have heard. . . .But I say . . ." (See Matthew 5:21,27,31,33,38 &48). It's as if he is letting his disciples know, "This is what you think religion is but let me show you something more."
Jesus' teaching on prayer also opens with a formula. This time the formula isn't contrasting teachings but contrasting behavior. It's a formula that he uses for giving to the needy and for presenting one's prayers. The formula looks basically like this: don't go public with your righteousness; publicity stunts thwarts God's capacity to reward you privately. Give quietly. Pray without hype. "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. then your Father, who see what is done in secret will reward you" (Matthew 6:6).
We live in a public age. We're used to reality shows and Facebook. We're used to Oprah and tabloid confessionals. We live in a society that praises openness often to the detriment of privacy and intimacy. Jesus' teaching shows us that there are places best kept secret. In giving and in prayer--we find a place of intimacy. How much I gave this year only matters to God. The knowledge of my places and times of prayer are reserved for Him as well.* I can draw a circle around God and myself. I'm 1 in 7 billion and yet I can meet with Him "in the secret place of the most High" where I "abide under the shadow of the Almighty" (Psalms 91:1).
My righteousness isn't about show or flash or attention or even that most basic and often quite natural and healthy need for human approval. My righteousness is about the Father seeing me and knowing me and rewarding me in private. It's about closing the door from the crowd and meeting alone with him.**
*Not that it is a top secret. If anyone wanted to know, I'd share. But there's a certain sweetness to the hiddenness of personal prayer.
**I'm not overlooking the powerful need for group prayer and fellowship, but that is outside the scope of this post.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Reward
Matthew 6:1-4
“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.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" (Matthew 6:1,2).
It's the last line of this selection that gets me. "They have received their reward in full." It looks like you get what you want: if you want man's approval, you can get it. If you want God's approval, you can also get it. But it seems like it's pretty hard to get both. You can get fanfare trumpets applause or the quiet approval of God. Which do you want?
"But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you" (Matthew 6:3,4).
I've always liked the way Jesus encourages us to give to the needy: "Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing" (Matthew 6:3). In this case, there's so little self-congratulation and focus on your own goodness in giving that you barely even realize what you are doing. Wow. It's really easy to stop communicating with yourself about certain behaviors like eating and spending, but to forget about a kindness or a moment of charity--that's a little tougher.
Self-forgetfulness is in its fullest sense an act of grace. If you can't remember how much money you've given to charity, it's because you no longer need to count it.
“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.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" (Matthew 6:1,2).
It's the last line of this selection that gets me. "They have received their reward in full." It looks like you get what you want: if you want man's approval, you can get it. If you want God's approval, you can also get it. But it seems like it's pretty hard to get both. You can get fanfare trumpets applause or the quiet approval of God. Which do you want?
"But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you" (Matthew 6:3,4).
I've always liked the way Jesus encourages us to give to the needy: "Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing" (Matthew 6:3). In this case, there's so little self-congratulation and focus on your own goodness in giving that you barely even realize what you are doing. Wow. It's really easy to stop communicating with yourself about certain behaviors like eating and spending, but to forget about a kindness or a moment of charity--that's a little tougher.
Self-forgetfulness is in its fullest sense an act of grace. If you can't remember how much money you've given to charity, it's because you no longer need to count it.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Beyond
Matthew 5:38-42
"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' but I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also" (Matthew 5:38).
I like what I read somewhere that the ten commandments are just the starting point for love; they lay a strong foundation for love. The rules of justice in Exodus were a starting point. It was far better to mete out a punishment equal to the crime than run the risk of ever deepening revenge cycles: think Hatfields and McCoys.
Loving one's enemies wasn't completely a new concept in the Bible. (Think David not killing Saul when Saul took a bathroom break in his hideout or remember Elisha feeding the soldiers who came to capture him.) But Jesus crystallized the idea of not seeking revenge. Jesus was able make this command clear and ask from people more than had ever been asked of them because he would embody what it meant to turn the other cheek. "I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting" (Isaiah 50:6).
Ultimately Christ's death fulfilled his own command."Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets: I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them" (Matthew 5:17).
"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' but I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also" (Matthew 5:38).
I like what I read somewhere that the ten commandments are just the starting point for love; they lay a strong foundation for love. The rules of justice in Exodus were a starting point. It was far better to mete out a punishment equal to the crime than run the risk of ever deepening revenge cycles: think Hatfields and McCoys.
Loving one's enemies wasn't completely a new concept in the Bible. (Think David not killing Saul when Saul took a bathroom break in his hideout or remember Elisha feeding the soldiers who came to capture him.) But Jesus crystallized the idea of not seeking revenge. Jesus was able make this command clear and ask from people more than had ever been asked of them because he would embody what it meant to turn the other cheek. "I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting" (Isaiah 50:6).
Ultimately Christ's death fulfilled his own command."Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets: I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them" (Matthew 5:17).
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Temptation
I'm cheating tonight. I'm going a little backward in the story & I'm not writing myself. This is a passage from a chapter on the first temptation of Christ in the book Tempted and Tried.
"Sometimes we actually empower Satan by the way we speak of Christian conversion. We highlight the testimony of the ex-alcoholic who says, "Since I met Jesus I've never wanted another drink." Now that happens sometimes, and we should give thanks for God's power here. But this liberation is no more miraculous, indeed in some ways less so, than the testimony of the repentant drunk who says, "Every time I hear a clink of ice in a glass I tremble with desire, but God is faithful in keeping me sober.
The girl with same-sex desires might conclude she is doomed to be a lesbian because she isn't drawn to boys and still fights her attraction to girls. Family members who have to cut up their credit cards to keep from spending every paycheck on what they see advertised may conclude they're just not 'spiritual' enough to follow Christ because they will war again their wants. Nonsense. You are not what you want. You are who you are. And that's defined by the Word of God. It might be that God frees your appetite from whatever it's drawn toward, but usually he instead enables you to fight it. This might on go on for forty day, for forty years. That's all right. There must be room then in our churches for a genuine bearing of one another's burdens when it comes to appetites. Pretending the appetites are instantly nullified by conversion is a rejection of what God has told us--that we are still in a war zone." p.72,73
********
There are more good quotes to share:
"The ultimate antidote to self-provision, and the ultimate fuel for self-control, is gratitude. Gratitude isn't about God's ego. It is about our discipline, our being shaped into the kind of men and women who can be kings and queens over the universe. We can only inherit that kingdom as little children, (Matthew 18:4), that is, as those who have a receptivity to blessing. We embrace God's discipline, feasting when he feeds our appetites, waiting when he doesn't, because we know he is working to us good in the end
It's true that gratitude and contentment and self-control don't stop your stomach from grumbling. You want what you want. But the discipline of God teaches you, slowly, to put old appetites to death and to whet new ones. Through the Spirit of Christ you learn to crucify 'the flesh with its passions and desires' (Galatians 5:24). That's hard. It usually means hunger or economic want or sexual frustration or familial longing. but through it we learn to see that life is about more than acquisitions--whether acquisitions of possessions or orgasms or pleasant memories. The temporary hunger can cause us, with our Lord Jesus in the wilderness temptations, to turn away from momentary satisfaction--whether of our culinary or sexual or consumer 'needs'--and toward the more permanent things." p. 94,95
"Sometimes we actually empower Satan by the way we speak of Christian conversion. We highlight the testimony of the ex-alcoholic who says, "Since I met Jesus I've never wanted another drink." Now that happens sometimes, and we should give thanks for God's power here. But this liberation is no more miraculous, indeed in some ways less so, than the testimony of the repentant drunk who says, "Every time I hear a clink of ice in a glass I tremble with desire, but God is faithful in keeping me sober.
The girl with same-sex desires might conclude she is doomed to be a lesbian because she isn't drawn to boys and still fights her attraction to girls. Family members who have to cut up their credit cards to keep from spending every paycheck on what they see advertised may conclude they're just not 'spiritual' enough to follow Christ because they will war again their wants. Nonsense. You are not what you want. You are who you are. And that's defined by the Word of God. It might be that God frees your appetite from whatever it's drawn toward, but usually he instead enables you to fight it. This might on go on for forty day, for forty years. That's all right. There must be room then in our churches for a genuine bearing of one another's burdens when it comes to appetites. Pretending the appetites are instantly nullified by conversion is a rejection of what God has told us--that we are still in a war zone." p.72,73
********
There are more good quotes to share:
"The ultimate antidote to self-provision, and the ultimate fuel for self-control, is gratitude. Gratitude isn't about God's ego. It is about our discipline, our being shaped into the kind of men and women who can be kings and queens over the universe. We can only inherit that kingdom as little children, (Matthew 18:4), that is, as those who have a receptivity to blessing. We embrace God's discipline, feasting when he feeds our appetites, waiting when he doesn't, because we know he is working to us good in the end
It's true that gratitude and contentment and self-control don't stop your stomach from grumbling. You want what you want. But the discipline of God teaches you, slowly, to put old appetites to death and to whet new ones. Through the Spirit of Christ you learn to crucify 'the flesh with its passions and desires' (Galatians 5:24). That's hard. It usually means hunger or economic want or sexual frustration or familial longing. but through it we learn to see that life is about more than acquisitions--whether acquisitions of possessions or orgasms or pleasant memories. The temporary hunger can cause us, with our Lord Jesus in the wilderness temptations, to turn away from momentary satisfaction--whether of our culinary or sexual or consumer 'needs'--and toward the more permanent things." p. 94,95
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Yes, Yes, No, No
Matthew 5:36,37
"Simply let our 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one" (Matthew 5:36,37).
I'm phlegmatic by temperament which means I really want to make you happy. It also means that I struggle to say, no. Not only am I optimistic about my time because it is easier to say that I'll be arriving in fifteen minutes when in reality it will be an hour, but I'm optimistic about my capacity for getting things done. "Sure, I can do that, and that...and what? That too? Why not?"
The problem is that my optimism leaves me unreliable. I say "yes" and then either back out and say "no" or by my poor performance and lack of enthusiasm for a task communicates "no". The other problem is that my laid back nature also means that I sometimes say "yes" because (well) I'm not sure if I want to say "no". I'm also a bit sanguine so I'm scared I'll miss out on some fun so I'll say, "Yes, I'll come to the party" and then say "no" when I realize it won't be possible.
I've slowly (oh, ever so slowly) come to see how my lack of a firm "yes" or "no" can drive other people batty. I've come to see that most normal people don't expect me to be omnipresent or omniscient (that's God's job!), but they would appreciate clarity. Can't make it to the party? Not a problem. Can't make it to the party? But promise to come and bring punch and then not show up, that is a problem. If I had just let my yes, really be yes...then the other person could have planned accordingly.
Also, most people are pretty gracious and willing to understand that life happens and on occasion I have to say no after saying yes. But if I keep doing this, if I make it a habit, if it is a pattern--then I teach people not to trust me. I might gain the reputation as the "nice friend" but not necessarily the "reliable friend".
Strangely enough, becoming a reliable friend means I come to terms with my limitations. Becoming a reliable friend means I have to become more realistic about my life. "I would love to help you, but I'm swamped at work right now." "I can't come to your party because I have another commitment."
The reward of learning my limitations and the power of "no" is learning to trust other people's "nos" and "yeses". The problem we phlegmatics face is that because "yes" comes so easy to us, we're not sure we can trust other people's "yeses". Did he really want to say yes? We also struggle to trust that people will say no. I've actually written a long preamble before asking or inviting a friend to do something to just make sure that I've given her enough space to say no. A little "would you mind if" would be appropriate, but I got to ditch the preamble and learn to trust my friend's "yeses" and "nos".
Learning to say 'yes' and 'no' means learning to know myself, my wants, and capabilities. It means finding more freedom in my friendships and giving more freedom to my friends. It's not something I can naturally do well so I'm grateful that God has said through His word that "if If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him" (James 1:5).
"Simply let our 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one" (Matthew 5:36,37).
I'm phlegmatic by temperament which means I really want to make you happy. It also means that I struggle to say, no. Not only am I optimistic about my time because it is easier to say that I'll be arriving in fifteen minutes when in reality it will be an hour, but I'm optimistic about my capacity for getting things done. "Sure, I can do that, and that...and what? That too? Why not?"
The problem is that my optimism leaves me unreliable. I say "yes" and then either back out and say "no" or by my poor performance and lack of enthusiasm for a task communicates "no". The other problem is that my laid back nature also means that I sometimes say "yes" because (well) I'm not sure if I want to say "no". I'm also a bit sanguine so I'm scared I'll miss out on some fun so I'll say, "Yes, I'll come to the party" and then say "no" when I realize it won't be possible.
I've slowly (oh, ever so slowly) come to see how my lack of a firm "yes" or "no" can drive other people batty. I've come to see that most normal people don't expect me to be omnipresent or omniscient (that's God's job!), but they would appreciate clarity. Can't make it to the party? Not a problem. Can't make it to the party? But promise to come and bring punch and then not show up, that is a problem. If I had just let my yes, really be yes...then the other person could have planned accordingly.
Also, most people are pretty gracious and willing to understand that life happens and on occasion I have to say no after saying yes. But if I keep doing this, if I make it a habit, if it is a pattern--then I teach people not to trust me. I might gain the reputation as the "nice friend" but not necessarily the "reliable friend".
Strangely enough, becoming a reliable friend means I come to terms with my limitations. Becoming a reliable friend means I have to become more realistic about my life. "I would love to help you, but I'm swamped at work right now." "I can't come to your party because I have another commitment."
The reward of learning my limitations and the power of "no" is learning to trust other people's "nos" and "yeses". The problem we phlegmatics face is that because "yes" comes so easy to us, we're not sure we can trust other people's "yeses". Did he really want to say yes? We also struggle to trust that people will say no. I've actually written a long preamble before asking or inviting a friend to do something to just make sure that I've given her enough space to say no. A little "would you mind if" would be appropriate, but I got to ditch the preamble and learn to trust my friend's "yeses" and "nos".
Learning to say 'yes' and 'no' means learning to know myself, my wants, and capabilities. It means finding more freedom in my friendships and giving more freedom to my friends. It's not something I can naturally do well so I'm grateful that God has said through His word that "if If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him" (James 1:5).
Friday, February 3, 2012
The Mouth & The Heart
Matthew 5:33-37
"Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes', and your 'No,' 'No.';anything beyond this comes from the evil one" (Matthew 5:36,37).
Jesus has addressed murder, adultery, divorce, and now oaths. The first three deal with matters of the heart, but the last one focuses on the mouth. Isn't it out of place here? Not really, since our speech reveals our heart. "For out of the overflow of [the] heart [the] mouth speaks" (Luke 6:45).
In fact, if I am struggling to know the condition of my heart (it is as Jeremiah says deceitful above all things), I can just observe what I'm saying and I start to see where I am.
Ellen White said:
"It is true that there may be an outward correctness of deportment without the renewing power of Christ. The love of influence and the desire for the esteem of others may produce a well-ordered life. Self-respect may lead us to avoid the appearance of evil. A selfish heart may perform generous actions. By what means, then, shall we determine whose side we are on?
Who has the heart? With whom are our thoughts? Of whom do we love to converse? Who has our warmest affections and our best energies? If we are Christ’s, our thoughts are with Him, and our sweetest thoughts are of Him. All we have and are is consecrated to Him. We long to bear His image, breathe His spirit, do His will, and please Him in all things" (Steps to Christ, p. 58).
"Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes', and your 'No,' 'No.';anything beyond this comes from the evil one" (Matthew 5:36,37).
Jesus has addressed murder, adultery, divorce, and now oaths. The first three deal with matters of the heart, but the last one focuses on the mouth. Isn't it out of place here? Not really, since our speech reveals our heart. "For out of the overflow of [the] heart [the] mouth speaks" (Luke 6:45).
In fact, if I am struggling to know the condition of my heart (it is as Jeremiah says deceitful above all things), I can just observe what I'm saying and I start to see where I am.
Ellen White said:
"It is true that there may be an outward correctness of deportment without the renewing power of Christ. The love of influence and the desire for the esteem of others may produce a well-ordered life. Self-respect may lead us to avoid the appearance of evil. A selfish heart may perform generous actions. By what means, then, shall we determine whose side we are on?
Who has the heart? With whom are our thoughts? Of whom do we love to converse? Who has our warmest affections and our best energies? If we are Christ’s, our thoughts are with Him, and our sweetest thoughts are of Him. All we have and are is consecrated to Him. We long to bear His image, breathe His spirit, do His will, and please Him in all things" (Steps to Christ, p. 58).
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Commitment
Matthew 5:31-32
Recently, one of my coworkers was showcasing Panapto (it's similar to Skype but with some extra cool features for teachers) as a means to bring "guest speakers" to class. He showed a clip of himself interviewing a couple in his office. He interviewed them about what it was like to be in an arranged marriage. The husband said, "Commitment came first and then love."
I don't know how it all works, but I do know that my desire would be commitment as a foundation for love.
A friend of mine posted this link on FB recently. I think it says it better than me.
Recently, one of my coworkers was showcasing Panapto (it's similar to Skype but with some extra cool features for teachers) as a means to bring "guest speakers" to class. He showed a clip of himself interviewing a couple in his office. He interviewed them about what it was like to be in an arranged marriage. The husband said, "Commitment came first and then love."
I don't know how it all works, but I do know that my desire would be commitment as a foundation for love.
A friend of mine posted this link on FB recently. I think it says it better than me.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
If Your Eye
Matthew 5:27-30
"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matthew 5:27,28). It seems like Jesus' teaching on adultery is an expansion of the beatitudes since like in the beatitudes he's most concerned with the heart. Jesus it seems is not particularly overwhelmed with outward good behavior (though this is nice), but he's constantly getting after people's heart.
I've always been a bit traumatized by the text that follows the verse on lust. It says, "If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell" (Matthew 5:29, 30).
The metaphor is extreme, powerful, painful. Gouge out your eye? Cut off your hand? Maybe the metaphor is so strong because the lesson must be forceful. You must get to the root of the problem--you must take the extreme action needed to get over any remaining infatuation with sin and self.
Now, you can go around cutting off the weeds of sin. You can pluck up a sin or two even, but as anyone knows how fast weeds grow--if you don't get the weeds by the root, they will just keep coming back. Gouge your eye? Cut off your hand? You bet. Do the most extreme thing you can to run from sin--the radical action taken--surrender your heart, your life, your will, you prerogative to do your thing.
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). Strangely enough, this radical action ends in rest. What is the end of lust? It is rest, resting in Christ alone.
"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matthew 5:27,28). It seems like Jesus' teaching on adultery is an expansion of the beatitudes since like in the beatitudes he's most concerned with the heart. Jesus it seems is not particularly overwhelmed with outward good behavior (though this is nice), but he's constantly getting after people's heart.
I've always been a bit traumatized by the text that follows the verse on lust. It says, "If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell" (Matthew 5:29, 30).
The metaphor is extreme, powerful, painful. Gouge out your eye? Cut off your hand? Maybe the metaphor is so strong because the lesson must be forceful. You must get to the root of the problem--you must take the extreme action needed to get over any remaining infatuation with sin and self.
Now, you can go around cutting off the weeds of sin. You can pluck up a sin or two even, but as anyone knows how fast weeds grow--if you don't get the weeds by the root, they will just keep coming back. Gouge your eye? Cut off your hand? You bet. Do the most extreme thing you can to run from sin--the radical action taken--surrender your heart, your life, your will, you prerogative to do your thing.
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). Strangely enough, this radical action ends in rest. What is the end of lust? It is rest, resting in Christ alone.
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