How clean is the inside of the cup?

            In Israel the people would paint the outside of the tombs every year.  This was done so that no one would accidentally defile himself by touching something that was dead or was in the presence of a dead person and become unclean for seven days.  The stark white of the tomb was an extreme contrast to the brown and tan of the desert landscape that surrounded them.  There was no mistaking the unclean for the clean.

The scribes and Pharisees were so righteous in their actions that they were also an extreme contrast to the normal working people around them.  Jesus points out, however, that the comparison didn’t stop with the appearance.  Like the tombs that were beautiful on the outside, they were also full of uncleanness and death.  They looked good when you looked at their actions, but their motives and attitudes were lawless and hypocritical. 

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.  Even so you too outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”  Matt. 23:27-28

Our society is marked by our desire to look good on the outside.  We go to the right school and get a degree or two or three in the right field.  It hardly matters what we actually learned or if we have any aptitude in our given field.  We work hard to drive the right car and buy a house in a good neighborhood, but is it worth the amount of debt we have to carry to pull it off?  As we age, we buy anti-wrinkle creams and invest in face-lifts and private trainers to continue to look young.  A former President said that character doesn’t matter.  As long as we look good and can get the job done, we’re OK. 

As Christians, our standards are to be different.  We are to understand that there are many different ways to obtain an education, and that location isn’t everything.  A pretty face is just that, a pretty face, and no more.  Our standards are supposed to be God’s standards, and so we look for humility, a heart that is tuned to the voice of God, and the fruit of the Spirit evidenced in one’s life.  We count as success the wisdom and knowledge of God that one applies to their life.  We love simply because God loves.  We offer forgiveness and mercy, remembering how much God offered to us. 

Our faith must be lived on God’s terms, lest we also become hypocrites, lumped in with the scribes and Pharisees.  We must learn to see through God’s eyes, to love with His heart, to think with the very mind of Christ.  This is real faith.  This is belief in action.

“…God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  I Sam. 16:7b 

Who's voice are you listening to?

“My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation.”  Psalm 62:1

            Elijah had experienced a stunning victory on Mount Carmel.  God had shown Himself in all His power when He accepted Elijah’s sacrifice and the gods of the other prophets had not accepted theirs.  He had ordered the people to seize the false prophets of Baal and had put them all to death.  Jezebel, the Queen, was not pleased and had vowed to do the same to Elijah.  Rather than riding high on his success, Elijah was first afraid, then depressed to the point of wanting to die.  Instead of rebuking him, God ministered to Elijah, first feeding and then empowering him.  Elijah used his supernatural strength to find a cave and sought direction.

            God came to Elijah.  First came a wind so strong that it broke pieces off the mountain.  Then came an earthquake, and then fire.  Elijah recognized that God was not in any of these huge manifestations of power.  When Elijah heard a gentle breeze, he covered his face. He knew that God was there.  Elijah had learned to listen for and recognize the voice of God.  It was not in the noisy show of power, it was in the quiet.  I wonder how many hours Elijah had spent in silence, learning to recognize the voice of God. 

            Mahatma Gandhi set every Monday aside as a day of silence.  He said that he needed the stillness to rest his vocal cords and to promote an inner harmony in his soul amid the turmoil around him.  What was he listening to, I wonder.      The Psalmist says that our soul should wait in silence for God alone.  Only in Him is salvation found.  Jesus Himself often took time alone to talk with and listen to God.  He said that His sheep would recognize His voice.

            I do not often hear the audible voice of God.  Would we recognize it if we heard it?  Our days are filled with cell phones ringing and stereos playing and televisions blaring.  We need to find some silence to learn to hear and recognize the voice of God.  He can only lead us if we are following His voice.  He can only use us as we are willing to follow His direction. 

            The voice of God can lead us if we are willing to follow.  It can save us if we are willing to respond.  The voice of God can change us.  We must be willing to listen.

Worship God in truth

“What profit is the idol when it’s maker has carved it, or an image, a teacher of falsehood?  For it’s maker trusts in his own handiwork when he fashions speechless idols.  Woe to him who says to a piece of wood ‘Awake,’ to a dumb stone ‘Arise!’.  And that is your teacher?  Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver and there is no breath at all inside it.  But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before Him.”  Habakkuk 2:18-20

            Even though the Israelites were commanded to worship God and God alone and were in theory monotheistic, they often, in practice, worshipped other gods.  If Yahweh wouldn’t do things the way you wanted Him to, if He wouldn’t “bless” you, perhaps the gods of the Philistines or the Amorites or the Babylonians would.  As they lived among other cultures they often collected a few idols, incurring the judgment of God and leading to exile.  They not only “casually” worshipped, they at one time went so far as to build a large metal idol, light a furnace in his belly and lay their infant children into his red hot hands to insure good fortune.  That’s serious idol worship!

            I know a man who built a boat.  He literally spent years crafting this boat, dedicating weekends and evenings to its completion.  He took sick days from work to build it.  He missed soccer games and piano recitals, and even convinced himself that he was building it so that his family could spend time together out on “their” boat.  Finally the boat was finished.  Every detail was perfect.  It was a thing of beauty.  Now his time is consumed by its upkeep.  When there is a storm he worries about it slipping its moorings.  Weekends are spent keeping it water tight and free of barnacles. 

This sounds like serious idol worship to me.  He fashioned a boat with his own hands, sacrificed his family, time, and money to it, and is consumed by it.

Like the prophet Habakkuk, we wonder at the logic of such a thing.  Yet many of us worship a god of our own making.  We call it by God’s name, but we have fashioned it from a philosophy that makes sense to us.  “How could a God who is love send people to hell?” we ask, and so we abandon the parts of God’s nature we don’t like or understand.  We create a benign, comfortable god, a pal with whom we go through life sharing warm fuzzy experiences or ignoring.  This is a god of our making, one like us, who demands nothing, with whom there is no cost.  He is made in our image.  This is not the God of the Bible.

God must be worshipped in truth.  We must study to show ourselves approved unto God, and worship Him in the fullness of His nature; love and holiness, wrath and forgiveness.  We must remember that we are the creation, not the Creator.  We must cast aside our idols, both physical and philosophical.  Our God is a jealous God, and won’t share our worship with any other.

“The Lord is in His holy temple; Let all the earth keep silent before Him.”

           

No More Excuses

“For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach.  It is not in heaven, that you should say ‘Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’  Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say ‘Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’  But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.”  Deut. 30:  11-14

            God has left us without excuses.  He has given us His Word, clearly and easily understood.  He didn’t hide it or put it out of reach so that we had to search for it or have someone else interpret it for us.  He has written it down for us, and then He lived it for us. 

            We have many excuses for not living our lives the way we know God would have us live.  We’re tired.  We’re shy.  We’re broke.  We don’t know what His will for our lives is.  It’s hard.  The whining becomes an overwhelming litany that we have used for so long it springs automatically to our lips.  But it’s not the truth.

            The truth is that God has made His word immanently accessible to each of us.  He has made His word clear, and has not hidden how He wants us to live.  He wanted to make sure it was clear, so He came to earth as one of us, and gave us an example of how it could be done.  He placed His word in our hearts and on our tongues so that we could obey. 

            We have the choice.  We can live by faith, reflecting the image of the Son, or we can continue to wallow in excuses, being defeated not by Satan or the powers of hell, but by our own weakness.  We win this battle “not by might, not by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord”.  As we conform to the image of the Son, making each decision by modeling it after His character, depending on His strength to succeed, we live by faith.  It is simple, and yet the hardest choice to make.  We must be vigilant, making each choice consciously and deliberately. 

            We cannot live by the Word unless we know the word.  Without study and meditation on the Word of God we leave ourselves defenseless, floundering in a sea of uncertainty.  We cannot make choices based on the character of God unless we know the character of God.  God has made His word abundantly available to us.  Every Goodwill Store has several copies for sale, most hotel rooms come furnished with one, many Christians would give one to any one who asked. You have questions? We all have questions. Ask. Ask your pastor or your Bible study leader. Ask me. But ask.

            Give up your excuses.  Reach out to God and ask Him to help You live His way.  You’ll be glad you did.

“If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.  For the scripture says, ‘Whoever believes in Him

will not be disappointed.’”  

Romans 10: 9-11

Wisdom and Understanding

Today is my mom’s 81^st birthday. If you asked her, she would tell you that she doesn’t feel 81 years old. She would tell you that she still feels like the 16 year old girl she was on the inside. Her theory is that because the soul is eternal, it doesn’t age, and so we don’t feel older. She is what I want to be when I am 81 years old. She is active and adventurous, and learning new things all the time. She is also wise.

Is not wisdom found among the aged?

Does not long life bring understanding? Job 12:12

Our culture worships youth. Watch TV for any length of time and you will see advertisements for liposuction, hair dye, or tummy tucks. We strive to extend the experiences of youth as long as possible, working to stay healthy and extend our stamina. A wrinkle at the corner of our mouth or a stray laugh line is reason for panic.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to look attractive or striving to stay healthy. There is something deeply wrong with discounting the value of the wisdom that only comes with living a long life. There is a lot to be said for the understanding that comes from experience.

We don’t have to make every mistake ourselves. We can learn from the experiences of those who made their own, and lived to share them. We can learn from the wisdom of people God has put in our lives.

When was the last time you listened to the stories the older people in your life tell? There is wisdom hiding there. Have you asked the opinion of that elderly aunt, the one who knits doilies and smells like lavender? There may be understanding that you never knew existed. We waste their wisdom when we don’t bother to ask, or when we discount them simply because they are old or seem out of touch. Just because they struggle with their smart phone doesn’t mean they don’t have understanding to offer. They understand complexities and relationships that we may have never learned about.

Happy birthday, Mom.  Thank you. You’ve given me good genes, a good mind, and have lived a life of faith that is an example for me to follow. You live wisdom and understanding, and God has blessed me by putting you in my life. 81 years isn’t enough. I am so thankful that you are healthy, and that we have more time together. You are a gift.

Shine as lights!

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing; that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world…”  Philippians 2:14-15

The computer is refusing to work.  It has decided only to print every other document that is sent to it.  The boss is rumbling around like a champagne bottle that has been shaken a bit, and the lady waiting to be helped at the desk is beginning to turn an interesting shade of red. Her voice is getting louder and higher pitched by the moment. 

Right now, I have a choice.  What I want to do is grumble under my breath (loud enough for everybody to hear, of course) something about being the only one to do any work around here.  What I would love to do is to pick my computer up and heave it out the window.   I would also love to tell my champagne bottle boss to put a cork in it.  I could do any of those things, and most people would tell me that I was justified.  I was just reacting under stress as any normal person would.  But that wouldn’t change the fact that I have a personal witness as a Christian in the workplace, one that could easily be damaged by any of the above actions. 

Paul is suggesting that if we simply conduct ourselves without grumbling or disputing, we will show ourselves to be blameless, above reproach, and we will shine as stars or lights in the midst of our generation.  That’s all.  Just don’t complain.  Don’t grumble or argue.  Seems simple enough, yet we know that controlling our tongue is no easy matter.  For many of us in fact, it’s one of the hardest parts of living the Christian life.  Prayer is a part of everyday life.  Worship is a joy.  I hunger for God’s word.  But my tongue seems to get the best of me far too often.

As I go through my day, Lord, help me shine.  Point out every time I grumble and whine about where You have put me or what You are asking me to do.  Let me be a light in the midst of a perverse generation.

The Saddness of Sin

You and I have been friends forever, my whole adult life. We’ve had times when we didn’t get in touch for years, and then all of a sudden we were back in contact, and while we rarely agree our conversations were sweet, and frequently challenging!

Today my heart is grieved. Not just sad; broken.  You hurt someone I love. But more than that, you hurt yourself, over and over, by refusing to see your sin and by justifying in your own head all of your actions. This time, you admit that you had an error in judgment (how could you not?) but you still keep deflecting.

The thing is, your sin isn’t just about you.

It’s about the other person. Your sin hurts the person you involved in it. Yes, their participation is their fault, but it is also your fault.

It’s about the Body of Christ. We are all interconnected. When you sin, we all hurt.

It’s about the heart of God. He grieves as well. You are hurting one of the people he loves most (YOU!). He wants the best for you. You’re not cooperating. He wants healing for you, complete healing. It won’t be without scars, and it will take obedience and submission. Sacrifice. We hate those words. I hate those words. Healing doesn’t happen without them.

We all sin. It doesn’t surprise God when we sin; he is mindful that we are dust. He knows us way better than we know ourselves. So why is it such a big deal? Because when we refuse to deal with the sin in our lives we are participating in death, and we weren’t created for death. Until we deal with the sin in our lives, the big and little sin, we aren’t free to be all that God created us to be. We aren’t free to fully participate in relationship with God and with each other. God is recreating us in the image of his Son. There is no room for sin there. There is only room for right relationships.

We are all in process. None of us has arrived, and we all have blind spots. Yep, me too. You, too. I am praying for you, my friend. I hope you are praying for me. We need each other in the Body to encourage and support each other, to help with those blind spots, to confront our sin and to push us closer to God. I love you enough to extend grace, and to confront when I have to. Nobody likes confrontation. I hate it. But I love you more. And there is no joy greater than true repentance.

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:1-2

God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Luke 18:13

Lone Ranger Christians

Man was created for community.  From the time God looked at Adam in the garden of Eden and remarked “It is not good for man to be alone” through the end of Revelation where all believers are together as the Bride of Christ, God has made it clear that we need each other.  We were not meant to function alone.

There seems to be an alarming trend among Christians today to assert their independence.  “I don’t need to go to church to be a Christian” they say.  And to an extent they are right.  God’s grace is extended to individuals who come to Him in faith.  But on anther level they are missing out on blessing and strength for victorious living.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor…If one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him; a cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.”  Ecclesiastes 4:9,12

Two people working together on anything have an advantage over one person working alone.  The two inspire each other, bounce ideas off each other, point out each others weaknesses.  By combining their strengths, both are better individuals than they would be operating singly.  One person alone can be easily overcome, easily discouraged, but two together can retain perspective.  Imagine what three people together can do, especially three who are untied by one Head and one Spirit.

God uses us for each other.  He has chosen to work through people, for people.  He has chosen to encourage us, strengthen us, and help us fight off the attacks of the Evil One by giving us to each other and working through us for each others benefit.  If you are one of the Lone Ranger Christians who choose to go through your daily walk alone, you’re short changing yourself.  People are messy.  People are emotional and irrational and often let you down.  If you get involved with other Christians, you will be frustrated, and you will be blessed. 

God will make you stronger because of it.

Look around you. Who has God put in your life to strengthen you? To strengthen them? Who can you reach out to, not only for their benefit, but for you?

Be Resolved!

Did you make a New Year’s resolution? Perhaps you resolved to exercise more, to diet and drop those extra pounds you might have put on over the holidays. One man I know resolved to read all the books on the list of 100 books everyone should read in their lifetime. Maybe you’ve resolved to read your Bible through this year.

As you look at the year ahead, what do you anticipate? Do you see another year of stability, doing the same things you’ve normally done, living a comfortable year that looks remarkably like the last one? Or do you see a year of change ahead?

2014 promises to be a year of change for me. I have one semester of school left, and will graduate in May. I may take some summer classes, but the one thing I know for sure is that I will have to get a job. I have no idea what God has in mind for me. The one thing I do know is that He doesn’t expect me to go it alone, and has prepared me for whatever he has for me next.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

Did you catch the good part? He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. I have a pretty active imagination. I can’t wait to see what He has in store!  And he already knows what He has for you:

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

 Ephesians 2:10

So, whatever your resolutions for the next year, whatever you think your future holds, remember that whatever it is, you don’t do it alone. God has prepared you, he’s prepared the things he wants you to do, and he’s prepared the people who will see and be drawn to him through you. The only thing for you to do is to be prepared with a right and willing attitude.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.  

It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24

What will occupy your time this year? What good works will you do out of your love and gratitude to the Lord?

I resolve to face each day with grace to share, to try to remember to see each individual as precious, no matter my preconceptions, and to try to be kind. There, you heard it. It's in writing. Help me!