Golf, Gratitude, and Humility
Yesterday I played my first round of golf in fifteen years. I played once about a year and a half ago but I don't count that 18 holes. It resulted in a hernia repair surgery and, as such, I'd just as soon forget it. The whole story may also have something to do with me busting up an outdoor concrete staircase and sidewalk with a 15 pound sledgehammer the day before... But I digress... Yard work is yard work and the whole experience was unpleasant and costly. As Gilda Radner of Saturday Night Live fame remarked, "nevermind, then..."
So, I repeat: yesterday, I played my first round of golf in fifteen years. My early morning team was completed by my son, Keeton, my law associate, Drew, and his father, Jim. It was good company. And we played the area's easiest course: the Bicknell country club. It's not really a country club. In actuality, it has more in common with a cow pasture than a premier course. Flat, wide open and forgiving: it was the perfect place to begin again. A new birth of sorts.
Like riding a bike or remembering how to swim when thrown into deep waters, I didn't play as bad as expected. Somewhere between bogey golf and whatnot, I found my sea legs again. I need some time at the driving range and I need a whole lot of weekly golf... But I remembered the fun of companionship and the feel of familiar clubs. I remembered the joy of the scenery. And I remembered the peace of simply being in the moment. A cold, wet morning with slow greens that gives way to a later warmth and a slight breeze; a slow start and a good finish; time with friends and, as Mark Twain opined, "a good walk spoiled."
But most of all, I remembered a friend.
I miss him.
You see, the Bicknell county club is where we decided we would learn to play golf together. Years ago. I would drive to his house and we would take his red truck through the country. Winding round the bends, past the old dilapidated mine, and over 15 miles of corn, beans and dirt, we would journey to this beginner's course together. No one would know us. We learned to play in anonymity and without embarrassment. We learned together; he was my friend.
I've thought about him a number of times throughout the years and I've talked to him once and again... But our paths separated and we travelled different roads. I know now, in my mid-forties, what I did not know in my early thirties. Had I known then what I know now, I would have used a different iron and I might have laid up instead of clubbing through. While I don't regret certain decisions I earlier made, I do mourn the loss of a relationship or two. And his is one of them.
He made a significant contribution to my life. Today, I am trying to pay it forward to another friend of mine and, as such, I hope his legacy lives on. He was my law partner, my friend, and a good man. I want to be for my legal associate everything and more that my friend was to me. My former golf partner took a flyer on me when few else would. He invested his time and learning in me when friends were hard to find. And he was long suffering when I routinely tried his patience. I want to be that man for others. I learned more than a few lessons from him. In a word, I am grateful for his contribution, friendship, experience and legacy. I still look up to him.
It occurs to me that I am now the age he was when we first began our adventure together. That seems significant. In fact, it is downright humbling. I am reminded of both my friend and what the Lord my God has spoken:
"[I]n humility count others more significant than yourselves." Phil. 2:3(b)
"When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways." I Cor. 13:11
And
"He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" Micah 6:8
Lessons in humility are valuable; they are life changing. And they hurt. What is most valuable comes with a cost. Treasures are not free.
If our paths ever cross, I will buy a round of golf and once again enjoy his witty company. We are now states apart, but even chance meetings are not so chance. I'll keep my fingers crossed.
Like I earlier said, I have remembered the joy and peace of the slow start that finishes well. Perhaps there is humility to be found there as well...
My hope and prayer is that he, you and I finish well.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Draw Like a Boy
Draw Like a Boy (or We are Moved by the Spirit)
Dr. Leonard Sax and his important, influential work, "Why Gender Matters," first came to my attention as a result of listening to lectures given by Andrew Pudewa. The former is an American psychologist and practicing family physician and the later founded the Institute for Excellence in writing. Both have had an impact on the education of my children.
In his opus magnus, Sax details the myriad of gender differences between boys and girls and how the same affects education and behavior. For instance, attention is given to the difference between male/female vision: boys have more rods than cones and girls have more cones than rods. This genetic structure causes a difference in visual perception. He also dedicates a large number of pages to diversity in hearing and mathematics instructions. However, for purposes of this short article, the most profound dissimilarity he discusses is the manner in which vision affects perception.
Sax explains, "The reality I was trying to understand...is the fact that when you give young children a blank sheet of paper and a box of crayons, most girls draw people, pets, flowers and/or trees. Most boys try to draw a scene of action at a moment of dynamic change. That's a robust empirical finding, valid across race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. That doesn't mean that ALL boys try to draw a scene of action; some boys draw exactly what the girls draw. But boys are more likely to draw a scene of action, such as a monster attacking an alien; girls are more likely to draw people, pets, flowers, or trees, with lots of colors. The people in the girls' pictures usually have faces, eyes, hair, and clothes; the people in the boys' pictures (if there are any people) often are lacking hair, clothes, often the boys draw mere stick figures in one color. How come? The usual answer "Because that's what we teach them to do" is unpersuasive, as I explain in Why Gender Matters. On the contrary, many of these boys insist on drawing these pictures not because teachers tell them to draw such pictures, but in spite of the teacher's repeated pleas, 'Why do you have to draw such violent pictures? Why can't you draw something nice - like what Emily drew?'"
Andrew Pudewa, at a recent event, summarized this particular portion of Sax's research as follows: "Boys like to draw verbs while girls like to draw nouns." This statement was perfectly illustrated by the young family sitting directly in front of my wife and me. Two well behaved and quiet little girls were drawing pictures of sunshine, houses, horses and family. They used multiple crayons and barely stirred as they drew. Their brother, however, used one dark blue crayon to color the entirety of his car-crashing, fire-exploding, chaotic attack of a picture. And he was much more animated as he drew with arms waving and flailing!
I'm certain that we could all find an exception to this rule. There is always an exception. But that's not the point. The point here is to find the rule, not the variation to it. Why?
Because God is asking us to draw like boys. To be fair, He is also asking us to appreciate beauty and detail as illustrated by a young girl's picture of her family and horse. But He is asking us to draw, with our lives, like a boy. He is asking for the use of verbs, not just an appreciation of nouns. He makes this request via the Holy Spirit and it is indeed the Spirit that empowers us to live a life of verbs.
Scripture repeatedly pronounces that we are filled with or full of His Spirit in order to act. We are provided His Spirit to draw like a boy; to engage in verbs! Let's look at just a few of the biblical mentions where individuals were filled with God's Spirit:
Exodus 28:3 "You shall speak to all the skillful, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill, that they make Aaron's garments to consecrate him for my priesthood."
Micah 3:8 "But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the LORD, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin."
Luke 1:67 "And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying..."
And
Acts 4:8 "Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders..."
There is a pattern. A purposeful pattern. In each verse we see that we are first filled or full of the Holy Spirit and then action (verbs!) result: filling then making, filling then declaring, filling then prophesying, and filling then speaking. Even a halfhearted attempt to further review the scripture will yield dozens of additional examples in this vein.
This pattern, principle, and truth was hammered home as I recently studied Exodus. Verse after verse, chapter after chapter details tabernacle instruction revealed from God to Moses. Specifics are provided for curtains and clasps, coverings and corners, bars and bowls. And there is artistry: gold carvings, cherubim woven into the tapestry, the mercy seat to cover the ark, and more. This is not hodge podge. This is excellence. And, after an intimate level of detail is provided, what does the Lord do? He fills His people with His Spirit to accomplish all that He has intructed. Look again at the first verse listed above, Exodus 28:3. There are more verses just like that -- the Lord filling so that we are empowered to act in obedience to all that He has proclaimed. (See Exodus 31:3 and 35:31).
Unfortunately, like a non-action, stayed scene resembling only a portrait, "The church has sought to guide the spiritual lives of its members in very practical, reasonable ways. That sounds like a compliment. It’s not. Contrary to Western thought, spirituality is anything but reasonable and practical". -- Jeff Woods
We need to start drawing like boys.
Let's pick a crayon.
Let's start using verbs to advance His kingdom.
The Spirit is provided, we simply need to act.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Dr. Leonard Sax and his important, influential work, "Why Gender Matters," first came to my attention as a result of listening to lectures given by Andrew Pudewa. The former is an American psychologist and practicing family physician and the later founded the Institute for Excellence in writing. Both have had an impact on the education of my children.
In his opus magnus, Sax details the myriad of gender differences between boys and girls and how the same affects education and behavior. For instance, attention is given to the difference between male/female vision: boys have more rods than cones and girls have more cones than rods. This genetic structure causes a difference in visual perception. He also dedicates a large number of pages to diversity in hearing and mathematics instructions. However, for purposes of this short article, the most profound dissimilarity he discusses is the manner in which vision affects perception.
Sax explains, "The reality I was trying to understand...is the fact that when you give young children a blank sheet of paper and a box of crayons, most girls draw people, pets, flowers and/or trees. Most boys try to draw a scene of action at a moment of dynamic change. That's a robust empirical finding, valid across race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. That doesn't mean that ALL boys try to draw a scene of action; some boys draw exactly what the girls draw. But boys are more likely to draw a scene of action, such as a monster attacking an alien; girls are more likely to draw people, pets, flowers, or trees, with lots of colors. The people in the girls' pictures usually have faces, eyes, hair, and clothes; the people in the boys' pictures (if there are any people) often are lacking hair, clothes, often the boys draw mere stick figures in one color. How come? The usual answer "Because that's what we teach them to do" is unpersuasive, as I explain in Why Gender Matters. On the contrary, many of these boys insist on drawing these pictures not because teachers tell them to draw such pictures, but in spite of the teacher's repeated pleas, 'Why do you have to draw such violent pictures? Why can't you draw something nice - like what Emily drew?'"
Andrew Pudewa, at a recent event, summarized this particular portion of Sax's research as follows: "Boys like to draw verbs while girls like to draw nouns." This statement was perfectly illustrated by the young family sitting directly in front of my wife and me. Two well behaved and quiet little girls were drawing pictures of sunshine, houses, horses and family. They used multiple crayons and barely stirred as they drew. Their brother, however, used one dark blue crayon to color the entirety of his car-crashing, fire-exploding, chaotic attack of a picture. And he was much more animated as he drew with arms waving and flailing!
I'm certain that we could all find an exception to this rule. There is always an exception. But that's not the point. The point here is to find the rule, not the variation to it. Why?
Because God is asking us to draw like boys. To be fair, He is also asking us to appreciate beauty and detail as illustrated by a young girl's picture of her family and horse. But He is asking us to draw, with our lives, like a boy. He is asking for the use of verbs, not just an appreciation of nouns. He makes this request via the Holy Spirit and it is indeed the Spirit that empowers us to live a life of verbs.
Scripture repeatedly pronounces that we are filled with or full of His Spirit in order to act. We are provided His Spirit to draw like a boy; to engage in verbs! Let's look at just a few of the biblical mentions where individuals were filled with God's Spirit:
Exodus 28:3 "You shall speak to all the skillful, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill, that they make Aaron's garments to consecrate him for my priesthood."
Micah 3:8 "But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the LORD, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin."
Luke 1:67 "And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying..."
And
Acts 4:8 "Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders..."
There is a pattern. A purposeful pattern. In each verse we see that we are first filled or full of the Holy Spirit and then action (verbs!) result: filling then making, filling then declaring, filling then prophesying, and filling then speaking. Even a halfhearted attempt to further review the scripture will yield dozens of additional examples in this vein.
This pattern, principle, and truth was hammered home as I recently studied Exodus. Verse after verse, chapter after chapter details tabernacle instruction revealed from God to Moses. Specifics are provided for curtains and clasps, coverings and corners, bars and bowls. And there is artistry: gold carvings, cherubim woven into the tapestry, the mercy seat to cover the ark, and more. This is not hodge podge. This is excellence. And, after an intimate level of detail is provided, what does the Lord do? He fills His people with His Spirit to accomplish all that He has intructed. Look again at the first verse listed above, Exodus 28:3. There are more verses just like that -- the Lord filling so that we are empowered to act in obedience to all that He has proclaimed. (See Exodus 31:3 and 35:31).
Unfortunately, like a non-action, stayed scene resembling only a portrait, "The church has sought to guide the spiritual lives of its members in very practical, reasonable ways. That sounds like a compliment. It’s not. Contrary to Western thought, spirituality is anything but reasonable and practical". -- Jeff Woods
We need to start drawing like boys.
Let's pick a crayon.
Let's start using verbs to advance His kingdom.
The Spirit is provided, we simply need to act.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Walking it Out
Walking it Out
“We don’t need to add “spiritual” activities to our life as much as we need to make our actual, everyday life spiritual. . . .” Alan Hirsch "Right Here, Right Now.”
Some thoughts show up on the front porch of your mind with bags packed to stay. At times, you may think they have gone, but they're only hiding. When you least expect it, there they are again at the kitchen table. Always wanting to talk about the same thing. They are similar to a reoccurring dream in the broad daylight.
I've recently had such a visitor.
It's been in the basement of my mind for quite some time. It's now found the steps. I've been wrestling with ideas of missionality and ministry; the "modern" church and all that is entailed in what we think of as Christianity. A conclusion has gradually arrested my attention: if an individual is not already engaged in mission with God, there is no programing or posturing, meeting or leadership group that will work to organize what is not already organically happening.
In other words, it is the responsibility of the individual believer to join God on His mission. Once folks are engaged, they can be "organized." However, the organization cannot and will not ever create a mission for or in the individual. The mission is God's, the obedience is ours and the organization belongs to...well...the organizations. Think about it this way, the Father has declared the mission through His word and His Son. As a result, we can choose to be sub-missive. We can operate under (sub-) His active mission (missio/mission/missive). When we are already engaged, we can be organized. But organization does not create direction, it channels it.
Mission is defined and determined by God and organically occurs in the life of the redeemed. It is obedience and it happens where the Logos, the Word, takes root in good soil. It does not happen as the result of organization, leadership or clever meetings. We join God on His mission when we become obedient to and through the Holy Spirit. He is the Missio Dei, the sending God. He is already engaged in His mission of redemption and are to join him in the family business.
And, really, this drives us back to the need for spiritual reproduction: disciples begetting disciples as opposed to disciples attempting to create a discipleship strategy! This is the Word in action in the life of the Believer. As illustrated by Jesus Christ, there is mission and action prior to organization or "strategy".
This is the principle illustrated in a simple cup of water.
Matt. 10:42 And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.
Mark 9:41 For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.
Matt. 25:37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
The disciple acts missionally simply because he or she is is a disciple. The cup of water is extended to the least of these not because a focus group on local outreach determined the best action plan but because disciples are already busy about their Father's work. The folks in Matthew 25 didn't even know there was an organization option, they simply acted in obedience and were pleased by the results! This, of course, is always the major hat trick; a life engaged in the Father's family business. Personally, I continue to struggle with the push and pull of professional conflict and aggression within what is to be a missional life of peace in Christ. It's not easy. There are days I would like someone else to be sub-missive for me. And there are days where I would like to put off my mission onto the organization.
But there is no shortcut to the resolution of this tension. It is only answered by a life of obedience to the Holy Spirit; walking in the Spirit as opposed to the flesh.
Without a doubt, it is much harder to walk than it is to write.
Nonetheless, we are call to obedience. We are called to work with our Father. And we are called to mission. We would do well to remember that our mission is a calling and our organization is a preference. One comes before the other. Mission first then organization.
God speed us on His way and to do His work.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
“We don’t need to add “spiritual” activities to our life as much as we need to make our actual, everyday life spiritual. . . .” Alan Hirsch "Right Here, Right Now.”
Some thoughts show up on the front porch of your mind with bags packed to stay. At times, you may think they have gone, but they're only hiding. When you least expect it, there they are again at the kitchen table. Always wanting to talk about the same thing. They are similar to a reoccurring dream in the broad daylight.
I've recently had such a visitor.
It's been in the basement of my mind for quite some time. It's now found the steps. I've been wrestling with ideas of missionality and ministry; the "modern" church and all that is entailed in what we think of as Christianity. A conclusion has gradually arrested my attention: if an individual is not already engaged in mission with God, there is no programing or posturing, meeting or leadership group that will work to organize what is not already organically happening.
In other words, it is the responsibility of the individual believer to join God on His mission. Once folks are engaged, they can be "organized." However, the organization cannot and will not ever create a mission for or in the individual. The mission is God's, the obedience is ours and the organization belongs to...well...the organizations. Think about it this way, the Father has declared the mission through His word and His Son. As a result, we can choose to be sub-missive. We can operate under (sub-) His active mission (missio/mission/missive). When we are already engaged, we can be organized. But organization does not create direction, it channels it.
Mission is defined and determined by God and organically occurs in the life of the redeemed. It is obedience and it happens where the Logos, the Word, takes root in good soil. It does not happen as the result of organization, leadership or clever meetings. We join God on His mission when we become obedient to and through the Holy Spirit. He is the Missio Dei, the sending God. He is already engaged in His mission of redemption and are to join him in the family business.
And, really, this drives us back to the need for spiritual reproduction: disciples begetting disciples as opposed to disciples attempting to create a discipleship strategy! This is the Word in action in the life of the Believer. As illustrated by Jesus Christ, there is mission and action prior to organization or "strategy".
This is the principle illustrated in a simple cup of water.
Matt. 10:42 And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.
Mark 9:41 For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.
Matt. 25:37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
The disciple acts missionally simply because he or she is is a disciple. The cup of water is extended to the least of these not because a focus group on local outreach determined the best action plan but because disciples are already busy about their Father's work. The folks in Matthew 25 didn't even know there was an organization option, they simply acted in obedience and were pleased by the results! This, of course, is always the major hat trick; a life engaged in the Father's family business. Personally, I continue to struggle with the push and pull of professional conflict and aggression within what is to be a missional life of peace in Christ. It's not easy. There are days I would like someone else to be sub-missive for me. And there are days where I would like to put off my mission onto the organization.
But there is no shortcut to the resolution of this tension. It is only answered by a life of obedience to the Holy Spirit; walking in the Spirit as opposed to the flesh.
Without a doubt, it is much harder to walk than it is to write.
Nonetheless, we are call to obedience. We are called to work with our Father. And we are called to mission. We would do well to remember that our mission is a calling and our organization is a preference. One comes before the other. Mission first then organization.
God speed us on His way and to do His work.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Rock, Paper, Scissors...
Rock, Paper, Scissors..
Or whatever happened to absolutes and what is relativism anyway?
“Whenever you find a man who says he doesn’t believe in a real right and wrong, you will find the same man going back on this a moment later. He will break his promise to you, but if you try breaking one to him he’ll be complaining ‘it’s not fair’ before you can say Jack Robinson.” C.S. Lewis.
In our newly minted post-modern society, every nuclear family has one. Every extended family has at least a few. And in our public policies, morals and ethics we find that, in reality, we are greatly outnumbered. They are more than relatives; they are relativists. While our relatives may be relativists, there is a big difference in defining the two terms. The former, of couse, needs no introduction and is used here only for the purposes of word play and jest. The later may now be the predominant philosophy of our culture and, as such, merits its time under the microscope.
Relativism is also known as relative morality. Relative, in this context, is defined as "dependent on relation to something else, not absolute"; morality here means "the practice of right conduct or duties; virtue; ethics; discriminating between right and wrong; verified by reason." Relativism is the idea that there is no absolute standard of right and wrong - all morality is relative to one's circumstances, culture, education, personal opinions, etc. Moral relativists believe that there is no law or commandment that is universally applied to all men. They teach that we create our own truth and that what is right for us might not be right for the next guy. So, we each end up with our own personalized but equal version of the truth.
It is, however, a non-sustainable philosophy which is eventually crushed under the weight of its own inconsistencies. As someone wiser than me once quipped, every man is a relativist until someone steals his watch. Or, perhaps, his wife or child, freedom or dignity. At that point, we all become absolutists. Values indeed may be relative to the individual; but that does not mean, in truth, that all relative values are equally correct, valuable, honest, or truthful. There has to be a standard by which true value is determined. If there is not, we have the collapse of all, including morality, law and truth itself. Some things must be fixed, uniform, immovable and concrete. Even as our self-appointed, new age prophets state that values are relative and that we must not "judge" or "impose," they have broken from relativism and stated what they believe, but will not conceed, to be an absolute. The relativism game cannot be played consistently without constantly changing the rules.
Because I believe the Genesis account of creation, sin and consequence, I do not believe that man, as man, is basically "good." I question, in a relative philosophy, how that term can even be defined. If you and I allow for various subjective interpretations, we cannot both be right and still maintain any consistent standard or definition by which others can declare goodness or badness. Jesus Christ himself says, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone." (Mark 10:18 and Luke 18:19). In some sense, even those who do not subscribe to a Judeo-Christian philosophy, and who worship another god, would concur. "Goodness" increases the more one looks like the god whom they have declared good. This is true even if the god being worshiped is self. (See my last post regarding man on the throne of his own heart). The problem of relativism again rears its head, however, when we begin to talk about multiple gods who are ascribed equal authority.
One of the additional fallacies within the larger philosophy of relativism is the inherent problem of mutually exclusive truths. This is often and consistently the case with the philosophy. If there is not a larger, objective, absolute standard of truth, if every individual is his or her own "god" and can subjectively determine what is true, how do we reconcile the inevitable and multiple inconsistent truths which we will necessarily reach. How can the mutually exclusive honestly co-exist as truth? They can't. If two "truths" on the same subject do not agree, then one or both are false. Nature teaches us there are absolutes: mathematical truths, scientific truths, biological truths, medical truths, chemical truths - all absolutes. Why, then, would there not be an ethical, moral, spiritual truth? Why would our ethics be the exception to the rule we see active in every other area of our world?
A philosophy of relativism verses a philosophy of absolutism will lead to different conclusions. As a point of clarification, while I am convinced "true truth" (a term coined by Francis Schaeffer) is absolute, I am well aware that we have wills that are free to disregard the absolute. While we may not be free to ignore the consequences of our disregard of truth, we are all certainly at liberty to reject the absolute. Based on this conviction, then, while it is my responsibility to shine a spot light on the truth, it is not my duty to ensure that another receives that truth. This, I think, is one of the differences between those who would proclaim the gospel (and honestly and decently attempt to live it) and those who would attempt to co-opt it for a lesser agenda. Spiritual truths transcend man's agenda. Those who would attempt to use the absolute as a club to beat others into submission have a fundamental misunderstanding of the truth itself as well as the application to his or her life. Jesus Christ refused most of the "political" debate of His time. Many in His society would have crowned Him a political revolutionary (in the nature of Barabbas) or a national king (to overthrow Rome). He was neither; the purpose was much larger than the politics and thought of the day. The purpose was eternal, not temporary; restoration not revolution. Additionally, the gospels show very clearly that Jesus expected some to reject His teachings; that they would walk away. At times, He seemed to even encourage it. Never did He attempt to compel another to believe. There is invitation and challenge but not compulsion. Today, we see many who would attempt to bastardize eternal truths for personal and temporal gains. I do, however, take some solace in knowing that no matter how poorly an ambassador may represent his emmisary, the ambassador is not the emmisary. We must look to the king and not necessarily his representative if we are to understand his true nature. I would suggest that I have no absolute understanding of truth, but Christ does. As such, my understanding should continually comport with His as the standard.
Absolutism, however, for the sake of absolutism is pointless. Even this philosophy is not above corruption or decay. The value and truth of absolutism depends solely upon to what the absolute is anchored. Who or what is the fixed standard; the concrete and immovable? For this reason it is necessary that there be an ultimate authority. If there is not, and we are left with the inconsistent and various individual truths at which we arrive, then there is really no reason to feed the poor, help the helpless or search for truth. If, ultimately, there is no authority and we ourselves determine the right and wrong subjectively, then the greedy wall street bastard is as right as Mother Theresa and the rapist is as righteous as the saint. What would then be the point of attempting to convince any other of the merits of an argument if we first approached the argument from the “conviction” of tolerance, no ultimate authority and only relative truth? Under such a system, no idea, thought or value is any better or worse than another so why even enter the fray of the debate? By what authority, under a relativist ideology, does one appeal to the other? Such an attempt would be intolerant in and of itself unless there existed a higher and more ultimate authority to which we have recourse. There is simply no way to reconcile relativism to itself as a consistent worldview and action plan. By its definition it negates the value of action and is incapable of long term reconciliation of viewpoints. Unfortunately, as a whole, our world does not understand the limitations of a relativist philosophy any more than it understands the philosophy itself.
That said, I am an absolutist only because I believe (a) there is an ultimate authority and (b) the ultimate authority is the trinitarian God who, through the second person of the Godhead, Jesus Christ, reconciled man to Himself. In John 14:6, Jesus famously stated, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father but through me.” That is an absolute statement. He is the way: He is the way to the truth and He is Himself the truth. For such a statement and others, I am left with an absolutist conclusion. Here's the problem that Christ presents for every one of us: He does not leave the door open for acceptance only as a good man, fine teacher or intellectual prophet. He claimed to be God. (John 10:30-39; John 17:5, Mark 14:61-62 and many others). He acted as though He were God, said He was, did not rebuke others for accepting that He was, and was apparently convincing enough that most of His first century disciples were violently killed for advancing the proposition that He was, in fact, God. This, then, leaves us with only one of two choices: we take Him at His word, believe that He is God and the only way to the Father; or we dismiss Him as the most insane and delusional of the mentally ill lunatics who have also claimed to be God. But acceptance as a good man is not possible if He was a liar. Acceptance as a good teacher is not possible if He was basing all of His “truth” upon a lie He was perpetrating. And acceptance as an intellectual prophet won't work if He was a delusional madman.
Based upon what I see in this world around me, based on what I know of my own heart, and based on what my own experience shows me, it is inescapable that the conclusion is the first: He was exactly who He said He was. If that is then true, I must take what He said as revelatory truth and act upon it. The result is that if I am to truly follow Christ, I become the absolutist that He was. When He says “Follow me,” I do not have the option of dictating the terms; I follow based on His. It is certainly not a popular theology or philosophy these days. Truth, however, has never been beholden to the masses. When we believed the earth was flat, it was not. And truth then, just as it is today, will not be held hostage to popular sentiment. Truth is transcendant, not mundane; eternal, not culturally evolutionary. If it were anything less than promulgated by an ultimate authority, then we would be back at relativism and would have no basis for even looking for the truth. In that scenario, we simply determine our own and thus end the story and the search.
But our hearts, our nature and our eyes tell us that there is something more.
And so we keep looking.
It helps to look in the right places.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Or whatever happened to absolutes and what is relativism anyway?
“Whenever you find a man who says he doesn’t believe in a real right and wrong, you will find the same man going back on this a moment later. He will break his promise to you, but if you try breaking one to him he’ll be complaining ‘it’s not fair’ before you can say Jack Robinson.” C.S. Lewis.
In our newly minted post-modern society, every nuclear family has one. Every extended family has at least a few. And in our public policies, morals and ethics we find that, in reality, we are greatly outnumbered. They are more than relatives; they are relativists. While our relatives may be relativists, there is a big difference in defining the two terms. The former, of couse, needs no introduction and is used here only for the purposes of word play and jest. The later may now be the predominant philosophy of our culture and, as such, merits its time under the microscope.
Relativism is also known as relative morality. Relative, in this context, is defined as "dependent on relation to something else, not absolute"; morality here means "the practice of right conduct or duties; virtue; ethics; discriminating between right and wrong; verified by reason." Relativism is the idea that there is no absolute standard of right and wrong - all morality is relative to one's circumstances, culture, education, personal opinions, etc. Moral relativists believe that there is no law or commandment that is universally applied to all men. They teach that we create our own truth and that what is right for us might not be right for the next guy. So, we each end up with our own personalized but equal version of the truth.
It is, however, a non-sustainable philosophy which is eventually crushed under the weight of its own inconsistencies. As someone wiser than me once quipped, every man is a relativist until someone steals his watch. Or, perhaps, his wife or child, freedom or dignity. At that point, we all become absolutists. Values indeed may be relative to the individual; but that does not mean, in truth, that all relative values are equally correct, valuable, honest, or truthful. There has to be a standard by which true value is determined. If there is not, we have the collapse of all, including morality, law and truth itself. Some things must be fixed, uniform, immovable and concrete. Even as our self-appointed, new age prophets state that values are relative and that we must not "judge" or "impose," they have broken from relativism and stated what they believe, but will not conceed, to be an absolute. The relativism game cannot be played consistently without constantly changing the rules.
Because I believe the Genesis account of creation, sin and consequence, I do not believe that man, as man, is basically "good." I question, in a relative philosophy, how that term can even be defined. If you and I allow for various subjective interpretations, we cannot both be right and still maintain any consistent standard or definition by which others can declare goodness or badness. Jesus Christ himself says, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone." (Mark 10:18 and Luke 18:19). In some sense, even those who do not subscribe to a Judeo-Christian philosophy, and who worship another god, would concur. "Goodness" increases the more one looks like the god whom they have declared good. This is true even if the god being worshiped is self. (See my last post regarding man on the throne of his own heart). The problem of relativism again rears its head, however, when we begin to talk about multiple gods who are ascribed equal authority.
One of the additional fallacies within the larger philosophy of relativism is the inherent problem of mutually exclusive truths. This is often and consistently the case with the philosophy. If there is not a larger, objective, absolute standard of truth, if every individual is his or her own "god" and can subjectively determine what is true, how do we reconcile the inevitable and multiple inconsistent truths which we will necessarily reach. How can the mutually exclusive honestly co-exist as truth? They can't. If two "truths" on the same subject do not agree, then one or both are false. Nature teaches us there are absolutes: mathematical truths, scientific truths, biological truths, medical truths, chemical truths - all absolutes. Why, then, would there not be an ethical, moral, spiritual truth? Why would our ethics be the exception to the rule we see active in every other area of our world?
A philosophy of relativism verses a philosophy of absolutism will lead to different conclusions. As a point of clarification, while I am convinced "true truth" (a term coined by Francis Schaeffer) is absolute, I am well aware that we have wills that are free to disregard the absolute. While we may not be free to ignore the consequences of our disregard of truth, we are all certainly at liberty to reject the absolute. Based on this conviction, then, while it is my responsibility to shine a spot light on the truth, it is not my duty to ensure that another receives that truth. This, I think, is one of the differences between those who would proclaim the gospel (and honestly and decently attempt to live it) and those who would attempt to co-opt it for a lesser agenda. Spiritual truths transcend man's agenda. Those who would attempt to use the absolute as a club to beat others into submission have a fundamental misunderstanding of the truth itself as well as the application to his or her life. Jesus Christ refused most of the "political" debate of His time. Many in His society would have crowned Him a political revolutionary (in the nature of Barabbas) or a national king (to overthrow Rome). He was neither; the purpose was much larger than the politics and thought of the day. The purpose was eternal, not temporary; restoration not revolution. Additionally, the gospels show very clearly that Jesus expected some to reject His teachings; that they would walk away. At times, He seemed to even encourage it. Never did He attempt to compel another to believe. There is invitation and challenge but not compulsion. Today, we see many who would attempt to bastardize eternal truths for personal and temporal gains. I do, however, take some solace in knowing that no matter how poorly an ambassador may represent his emmisary, the ambassador is not the emmisary. We must look to the king and not necessarily his representative if we are to understand his true nature. I would suggest that I have no absolute understanding of truth, but Christ does. As such, my understanding should continually comport with His as the standard.
Absolutism, however, for the sake of absolutism is pointless. Even this philosophy is not above corruption or decay. The value and truth of absolutism depends solely upon to what the absolute is anchored. Who or what is the fixed standard; the concrete and immovable? For this reason it is necessary that there be an ultimate authority. If there is not, and we are left with the inconsistent and various individual truths at which we arrive, then there is really no reason to feed the poor, help the helpless or search for truth. If, ultimately, there is no authority and we ourselves determine the right and wrong subjectively, then the greedy wall street bastard is as right as Mother Theresa and the rapist is as righteous as the saint. What would then be the point of attempting to convince any other of the merits of an argument if we first approached the argument from the “conviction” of tolerance, no ultimate authority and only relative truth? Under such a system, no idea, thought or value is any better or worse than another so why even enter the fray of the debate? By what authority, under a relativist ideology, does one appeal to the other? Such an attempt would be intolerant in and of itself unless there existed a higher and more ultimate authority to which we have recourse. There is simply no way to reconcile relativism to itself as a consistent worldview and action plan. By its definition it negates the value of action and is incapable of long term reconciliation of viewpoints. Unfortunately, as a whole, our world does not understand the limitations of a relativist philosophy any more than it understands the philosophy itself.
That said, I am an absolutist only because I believe (a) there is an ultimate authority and (b) the ultimate authority is the trinitarian God who, through the second person of the Godhead, Jesus Christ, reconciled man to Himself. In John 14:6, Jesus famously stated, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father but through me.” That is an absolute statement. He is the way: He is the way to the truth and He is Himself the truth. For such a statement and others, I am left with an absolutist conclusion. Here's the problem that Christ presents for every one of us: He does not leave the door open for acceptance only as a good man, fine teacher or intellectual prophet. He claimed to be God. (John 10:30-39; John 17:5, Mark 14:61-62 and many others). He acted as though He were God, said He was, did not rebuke others for accepting that He was, and was apparently convincing enough that most of His first century disciples were violently killed for advancing the proposition that He was, in fact, God. This, then, leaves us with only one of two choices: we take Him at His word, believe that He is God and the only way to the Father; or we dismiss Him as the most insane and delusional of the mentally ill lunatics who have also claimed to be God. But acceptance as a good man is not possible if He was a liar. Acceptance as a good teacher is not possible if He was basing all of His “truth” upon a lie He was perpetrating. And acceptance as an intellectual prophet won't work if He was a delusional madman.
Based upon what I see in this world around me, based on what I know of my own heart, and based on what my own experience shows me, it is inescapable that the conclusion is the first: He was exactly who He said He was. If that is then true, I must take what He said as revelatory truth and act upon it. The result is that if I am to truly follow Christ, I become the absolutist that He was. When He says “Follow me,” I do not have the option of dictating the terms; I follow based on His. It is certainly not a popular theology or philosophy these days. Truth, however, has never been beholden to the masses. When we believed the earth was flat, it was not. And truth then, just as it is today, will not be held hostage to popular sentiment. Truth is transcendant, not mundane; eternal, not culturally evolutionary. If it were anything less than promulgated by an ultimate authority, then we would be back at relativism and would have no basis for even looking for the truth. In that scenario, we simply determine our own and thus end the story and the search.
But our hearts, our nature and our eyes tell us that there is something more.
And so we keep looking.
It helps to look in the right places.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Burnett Ln,Vincennes,United States
Saturday, March 22, 2014
You're Not as Valuable as You Think
You're Not as Valuable as You Think
And neither am I.
"You go girl!" "You've got this one, man!" "This is the way God made me..." "Don't let anyone tell you different." "Just look inside yourself and you'll find the strength you need." "I'm affirming my own self worth."
Or as Stuart Smalley from Saturday Night Live said years ago, "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me." (http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-DIETlxquzY)
Ugh!
Our world is overflowing with bumper sticker slogans and feel good platitudes designed to make us feel fantastic about ourselves. Spend ten minutes on your Facebook newsfeed and try to tell me differently. If we don't count the cat pictures and game advertisements, a sizable portion of the pictures, posters and status updates focus on issues of esteem, identity and self. Truth be told, we already feel pretty darn good about ourselves; the incessant reminders to feel great are really only our clever marketing plan to sell an even better feeling about who we are. And we are a voluntarily captive market! Even the self-loathing among us are narcisists. At the end of the day, those who think too highly of themselves and those who think too little of themselves have both thought too much and too often of themselves. We live in a society that worships self. A society that has decided to worship the creature instead of the creator. Rom. 1:25. Sociologists who understand truth call this worldview "anthropocentric," man at the center. Man on the throne of his own heart. Man as king.
This is a problem.
"For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned." Rom. 12:3
Instead, scripture says that we should be "theopocentric," God at the center. Man is to be overthrown by the real King. The throne belongs to Him.
"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." 1 Cor. 10:31
"For you are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." 1 Cor. 6:20
and
"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Col. 3:17
Quite simply, worship is a foregone conclusion. We were made to worship. We WILL worship. There will be a king on the throne of our lives. The question is what or whom will we worship. The creature or the creator. Us or Him. God or man. A quick reality check is provided by reviewing your resources. On what do you spend your time, money, emotions, thoughts, and energy? An honest assessment will result in a clear picture of your God; whom you worship. Have we each remade God in our own image? What does your polaroid tell you?
There's a choice. There is always a choice. Intuitively, we know this. We may choose to ignore the truth, but it is still the truth. In many of his writings, John Piper articulates the decision to be made as follows:
“The question is, Do you feel more loved by God when he makes much of you, or do you feel more loved by God when He frees you and enables you, at great cost to His Son’s life, to enjoy making much of Him forever?
Let me shorten it down so you can hear the essence of it. Do you feel more loved by God because he makes much of you or because he enables you to make much of him?” Excerpt From John Piper's contribution to Giglio, Louie, "PASSION."
Do we want to spend our lives making much of ourselves, feeling loved only when others, including God, make much of us? Or will we spend our lives making much of God Himself? Who will we declare as the sovereign of our heart, mind, body and soul? Will we insist that God, like self and others, worship us? Or will we choose to worship Him.
He is the creator; we are the creation. "But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, 'Why have you made me like this?'" Rom. 9:20. He is intrinsically valuable; He is value Himself. Ours comes only from Him and His good declaration. "Woe to him who strives with him who formed him, a pot among earthen pots! Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ or ‘Your work has no handles’?" Isaiah 45:9. Nonetheless, we are chosen (John 15:16, Eph 1:4) and we are loved (John 3:16) by the Potter.
We, then, are not valuable but rather valued.
“But does God’s love make me valuable? Answer: No. That message is not in the Bible. There is nothing in us that makes us valuable. The fact that God values us says something about God. It says nothing about us. God did not set His love upon you because you have something going on that your next-door neighbor doesn’t. We are not valuable in ourselves..." James Macdonald, "Gripped by the Greatness of God."
Can you image Family Christian Stores selling a t-shirt that reads, "I think too much of myself and so do you?" How about a viral post that says, "I must decrease so that Jesus can increase?" (John 3:30). Perhaps the new Chris Tomlin single will include the lines, "I'm not enough/It's not about me/I'm not valuable/Like momma said I'd be."
And yet, that is the truth of the matter. Our worth is determined by WHOSE we are; it is not created by WHO we are. This value is given to us, not generated within us, by the one who is supremely valuable and makes the only real declaration of goodness. Gen. 1:31. He values us. We are valuable only because we are valued. Apart from Him we are nothing.
So, let's spend our time making much of Him, not making much of ourselves. Let's not think of ourselves more highly than we ought but rather always retain our God, the truly valuable, in our thoughts. Let's rejoice in the knowledge that we do not need to strive to create our own worth. Instead, let us praise the one who has given us value because we are valued by Him. Amen.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
And neither am I.
"You go girl!" "You've got this one, man!" "This is the way God made me..." "Don't let anyone tell you different." "Just look inside yourself and you'll find the strength you need." "I'm affirming my own self worth."
Or as Stuart Smalley from Saturday Night Live said years ago, "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me." (http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-DIETlxquzY)
Ugh!
Our world is overflowing with bumper sticker slogans and feel good platitudes designed to make us feel fantastic about ourselves. Spend ten minutes on your Facebook newsfeed and try to tell me differently. If we don't count the cat pictures and game advertisements, a sizable portion of the pictures, posters and status updates focus on issues of esteem, identity and self. Truth be told, we already feel pretty darn good about ourselves; the incessant reminders to feel great are really only our clever marketing plan to sell an even better feeling about who we are. And we are a voluntarily captive market! Even the self-loathing among us are narcisists. At the end of the day, those who think too highly of themselves and those who think too little of themselves have both thought too much and too often of themselves. We live in a society that worships self. A society that has decided to worship the creature instead of the creator. Rom. 1:25. Sociologists who understand truth call this worldview "anthropocentric," man at the center. Man on the throne of his own heart. Man as king.
This is a problem.
"For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned." Rom. 12:3
Instead, scripture says that we should be "theopocentric," God at the center. Man is to be overthrown by the real King. The throne belongs to Him.
"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." 1 Cor. 10:31
"For you are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." 1 Cor. 6:20
and
"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Col. 3:17
Quite simply, worship is a foregone conclusion. We were made to worship. We WILL worship. There will be a king on the throne of our lives. The question is what or whom will we worship. The creature or the creator. Us or Him. God or man. A quick reality check is provided by reviewing your resources. On what do you spend your time, money, emotions, thoughts, and energy? An honest assessment will result in a clear picture of your God; whom you worship. Have we each remade God in our own image? What does your polaroid tell you?
There's a choice. There is always a choice. Intuitively, we know this. We may choose to ignore the truth, but it is still the truth. In many of his writings, John Piper articulates the decision to be made as follows:
“The question is, Do you feel more loved by God when he makes much of you, or do you feel more loved by God when He frees you and enables you, at great cost to His Son’s life, to enjoy making much of Him forever?
Let me shorten it down so you can hear the essence of it. Do you feel more loved by God because he makes much of you or because he enables you to make much of him?” Excerpt From John Piper's contribution to Giglio, Louie, "PASSION."
Do we want to spend our lives making much of ourselves, feeling loved only when others, including God, make much of us? Or will we spend our lives making much of God Himself? Who will we declare as the sovereign of our heart, mind, body and soul? Will we insist that God, like self and others, worship us? Or will we choose to worship Him.
He is the creator; we are the creation. "But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, 'Why have you made me like this?'" Rom. 9:20. He is intrinsically valuable; He is value Himself. Ours comes only from Him and His good declaration. "Woe to him who strives with him who formed him, a pot among earthen pots! Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ or ‘Your work has no handles’?" Isaiah 45:9. Nonetheless, we are chosen (John 15:16, Eph 1:4) and we are loved (John 3:16) by the Potter.
We, then, are not valuable but rather valued.
“But does God’s love make me valuable? Answer: No. That message is not in the Bible. There is nothing in us that makes us valuable. The fact that God values us says something about God. It says nothing about us. God did not set His love upon you because you have something going on that your next-door neighbor doesn’t. We are not valuable in ourselves..." James Macdonald, "Gripped by the Greatness of God."
Can you image Family Christian Stores selling a t-shirt that reads, "I think too much of myself and so do you?" How about a viral post that says, "I must decrease so that Jesus can increase?" (John 3:30). Perhaps the new Chris Tomlin single will include the lines, "I'm not enough/It's not about me/I'm not valuable/Like momma said I'd be."
And yet, that is the truth of the matter. Our worth is determined by WHOSE we are; it is not created by WHO we are. This value is given to us, not generated within us, by the one who is supremely valuable and makes the only real declaration of goodness. Gen. 1:31. He values us. We are valuable only because we are valued. Apart from Him we are nothing.
So, let's spend our time making much of Him, not making much of ourselves. Let's not think of ourselves more highly than we ought but rather always retain our God, the truly valuable, in our thoughts. Let's rejoice in the knowledge that we do not need to strive to create our own worth. Instead, let us praise the one who has given us value because we are valued by Him. Amen.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Burnett Ln,Vincennes,United States
Saturday, March 15, 2014
In the World But Not of It
In the World But Not of It
My recent thoughts and prayers continue to return to this idea: we are in the world but do not belong to it. Nowhere in scripture is the "in-not-of" principle articulated quite so directly or simply. It's not a bumper sticker slogan that you can find in a single verse. If it were, we'd probably find a way to take it out of context as we silk-screened it on our t-shirts. Nevertheless, the idea is contained within God's word and is most closely matched in or deduced from the following verses:
"If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." John 15:19
"I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world." John 17:14-16
And
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 1 John 2:15
Certainly, we should also consider a companion verse, "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German pastor during the rise and power of the Nazi party. In his influential besteller, Eric Metaxas describes Bonhoeffer as a pastor, prophet, spy and martyr. During his brief life, he stood against both Nazi atrocities and the malaise of the German church. After Bonhoeffer's imprisonment for his work with the fledgling and brash "confessing church," Adolph Hitler personally provided the order for his execution. The Fuhrer's hatred for Bonhoeffer no doubt also resulted from his nemesis' involvement in a failed assassination plot on his life.
While in prison, Dietrich wrote often to his young fiancé, Maria. In his correspondence, Bonhoeffer indirectly provides something of a commentary on the precious verses and our discussion:
“And I do not mean the faith which flees the world, but the one that endures the world and which loves and remains true to the world in spite of all the suffering which it contains for us. Our marriage shall be a yes to God's earth... I fear that Christians who stand with only one leg upon earth also stand with only one leg in heaven (12 August 1943).” Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. “Letters Papers from Prison."
Within this scriptural reduction to common axiom an important truth is concealed. We are to live in this world standing on both legs while looking forward to the day we will stand together in His presence. While the world was initially pronounced "good," sin has entered and with it the curse. Like man made in God's image, all of creation groans for redemption. Romans 8:19 & 22. What then does it mean to stand in this soil on two legs? There is, after all, a continuing curse and the ever cumulative consequences with which to deal. Even our natural laws acknowledge increasing disorder. In plain language, the second law of thermodynamics states that we cannot break even. That is, we cannot return to a previous energy state because there is always an increase in disorder. Entropy always increases.
Nonetheless, by way of the Father's common grace, the curse does not hold complete sway over the entirety of creation. All has not fully succumbed to the shadow. We see through a glass darkly, but we still see. 1 Cor. 13:12. Though we will not fully see Him while we remain trapped in fallen flesh yet to be glorified, we see enough of Him now to stand in awe and to be amazed! The common grace of God keeps us from becoming too blind to see. Theologians describe common grace like this: it is the grace God gives to creation as a whole. In this universal non-saving form of grace, God allows the sun to shine upon both the righteous and the unrighteous. God shows his goodness to all people when He feeds them, allows them to work, experience beauty, learn and have joy. It is also common grace that restrains the wrath of God until a later time. Louie Giglio recently wrote that, "We may dwell in the lowlands, but we have been high enough, often enough to carry something special in our lives as we walk the streets of earth."
It is in this residual goodness that we can fully stand today while awaiting our hope of tomorrow. Make no mistake, Biblical hope is not wishful thinking. True hope is a present knowledge of a future certainty. It is not pie in the sky, rope-a-dope thinking. Hope provides a life fully lived now and a life fully lived later. It is not an either/or conundrum; it is a both/and proposition. "Follow Me." It is coming to terms with the truth that eternal life begins the moment Christ arrives on your individual scene. As Jon Foreman belts out, "I'm ready now, I'm not waiting for the afterlife." Perhaps C.S. Lewis was a bit more articulate when he said, "Earth, I think, will not be found by anyone to be in the end a very distinct place. I think earth, if chosen instead of Heaven, will turn out to have been, all along, only a region in Hell: and earth, if put second to Heaven, to have been from the beginning a part of Heaven itself.”
Within this realization we find answers to many of the questions, causes, concerns, policies and politics of the day. This knowledge provides us with real perspective on what it means to be fully human today and fully spirit always.
Saturday, March 8, 2014
A Renewed Mind
A Renewed Mind
Actions follow belief.
Absolutely. I can tell what you believe by how you behave. You can do the same of me. Remember when your grandparents told you that "actions speak louder than words?" They were right. Actions tell us whether we believe our own words.
Perhaps 1 John 2:4 states this principle most sucinctly, "Whoever says 'I know him' but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him..."
James also addresses the issue. "So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." James 2:17
We act on what we believe.
Over the past few weeks, our discussion among these pages has covered the penultimate, the ultimate, and dependency. That is, we know that our obedience is to tend to the things before the last while our good God has the final matters within His strong hands. "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth." 1 Cor. 3:6. Additionally, we know that in all matters penultimate, we are completely dependent upon the Lord to equip, strengthen and keep our obedience. In short, He fully performs the duties of covenant from both sides.
This discussion, then, in light of the admonitions of James, John and scripture begs the question: what do we do with this truth? How do we act upon it? Where is there evidence of this knowledge in my actions so that I might have proof of my belief?
Important questions to be sure. And questions that are necessary to ask if we are to conclude our recent discussions with conviction.
The answer is a renewed mind. A renewed mind is the engine that drives the vehicle of action. It is the product and result of belief and it produces evidence of conviction through obedient works.
Romans 12:2 says, “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.
And let's look at a few verses that have been reoccurring in our discussion over the last month, the now familiar Philippians 4:6-9:
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
Did you catch that? Meditate on these things...think on these things, mull them over, let them simmer in your brain pan. THINK on these things. MEDITATE on these things. On what things? On what is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous and praiseworthy. These are the thoughts of a renewed mind. Whatever happens in our heads will bear fruit through our hands. If we think on these things we will begin to act on these things.
We simply must begin to think about what we are thinking about. The process of renewing our minds does not happen accidentally or coincidentally. The renewal we are seeking is a result of God very purposefully providing us the mind of Christ as we obediently begin to think in the right way. Phil. 2:5. Knowing what you are thinking about and why is a sign of the renewed mind. It is almost impossible for us to engage this renewal if we will not or cannot think about what we are thinking.
But there is more. We are created in the image of God and empowered by His Spirit to understand what we see and hear around us. 1 Cor. 2:14-16. Our ultimate understanding is not left to us to define. It has been defined for us. As such, when we begin to renew our minds, it will not be enough to think about our own thoughts. Through the Spirit of the living God we are enabled to think about God's thoughts. And that, in the end, is the real hallmark of the renewed mind. It is indeed the mind of Christ and, as such, it is the mind that meditates on God's thoughts, on those matters which are true and noble, just and pure, lovely, virtuous, of good report and praiseworthy.
The renewed mind does not come about randomly. It is deliberate, it is a purposeful undertaking and, often, it is a battle. Look at the language Paul uses: "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Cor. 10:3-5.
Taking every thought into submission brings us back to the second half of Romans 12:2, "Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." This Spirit led change of thinking will result in action. Testing and approving are action verbs; they imply engagement. Our right thoughts lead to our right actions. Belief and action. We act on what we believe. We see here the answers to the question initially posed: how do we begin to act on truth? We have our minds renewed and our righteous actions are the sure result.
Beth Moore recently wrote: "I have heard people say these words over and over again: 'I cannot change the way I feel.' Oh, that may be true, but you can indeed change the way you think, and that will change the way you feel. We can know the thoughts we think. We can change our minds, and that will change our hearts.” Excerpt From: Giglio, Louie. “PASSION.” Thomas Nelson.
Changed thoughts change hearts. Changed hearts change actions. And the actions of a changed mind and heart can change the world.
I'm ready for the renewal...
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Actions follow belief.
Absolutely. I can tell what you believe by how you behave. You can do the same of me. Remember when your grandparents told you that "actions speak louder than words?" They were right. Actions tell us whether we believe our own words.
Perhaps 1 John 2:4 states this principle most sucinctly, "Whoever says 'I know him' but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him..."
James also addresses the issue. "So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." James 2:17
We act on what we believe.
Over the past few weeks, our discussion among these pages has covered the penultimate, the ultimate, and dependency. That is, we know that our obedience is to tend to the things before the last while our good God has the final matters within His strong hands. "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth." 1 Cor. 3:6. Additionally, we know that in all matters penultimate, we are completely dependent upon the Lord to equip, strengthen and keep our obedience. In short, He fully performs the duties of covenant from both sides.
This discussion, then, in light of the admonitions of James, John and scripture begs the question: what do we do with this truth? How do we act upon it? Where is there evidence of this knowledge in my actions so that I might have proof of my belief?
Important questions to be sure. And questions that are necessary to ask if we are to conclude our recent discussions with conviction.
The answer is a renewed mind. A renewed mind is the engine that drives the vehicle of action. It is the product and result of belief and it produces evidence of conviction through obedient works.
Romans 12:2 says, “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.
And let's look at a few verses that have been reoccurring in our discussion over the last month, the now familiar Philippians 4:6-9:
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
Did you catch that? Meditate on these things...think on these things, mull them over, let them simmer in your brain pan. THINK on these things. MEDITATE on these things. On what things? On what is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous and praiseworthy. These are the thoughts of a renewed mind. Whatever happens in our heads will bear fruit through our hands. If we think on these things we will begin to act on these things.
We simply must begin to think about what we are thinking about. The process of renewing our minds does not happen accidentally or coincidentally. The renewal we are seeking is a result of God very purposefully providing us the mind of Christ as we obediently begin to think in the right way. Phil. 2:5. Knowing what you are thinking about and why is a sign of the renewed mind. It is almost impossible for us to engage this renewal if we will not or cannot think about what we are thinking.
But there is more. We are created in the image of God and empowered by His Spirit to understand what we see and hear around us. 1 Cor. 2:14-16. Our ultimate understanding is not left to us to define. It has been defined for us. As such, when we begin to renew our minds, it will not be enough to think about our own thoughts. Through the Spirit of the living God we are enabled to think about God's thoughts. And that, in the end, is the real hallmark of the renewed mind. It is indeed the mind of Christ and, as such, it is the mind that meditates on God's thoughts, on those matters which are true and noble, just and pure, lovely, virtuous, of good report and praiseworthy.
The renewed mind does not come about randomly. It is deliberate, it is a purposeful undertaking and, often, it is a battle. Look at the language Paul uses: "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Cor. 10:3-5.
Taking every thought into submission brings us back to the second half of Romans 12:2, "Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." This Spirit led change of thinking will result in action. Testing and approving are action verbs; they imply engagement. Our right thoughts lead to our right actions. Belief and action. We act on what we believe. We see here the answers to the question initially posed: how do we begin to act on truth? We have our minds renewed and our righteous actions are the sure result.
Beth Moore recently wrote: "I have heard people say these words over and over again: 'I cannot change the way I feel.' Oh, that may be true, but you can indeed change the way you think, and that will change the way you feel. We can know the thoughts we think. We can change our minds, and that will change our hearts.” Excerpt From: Giglio, Louie. “PASSION.” Thomas Nelson.
Changed thoughts change hearts. Changed hearts change actions. And the actions of a changed mind and heart can change the world.
I'm ready for the renewal...
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Burnett Ln,Vincennes,United States
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Dependence
Dependence.
(For context, please first read the earlier posts, "Ultimately, It Is Not Up To Me," and "Penultimately, It Is A Matter of Prayer.")
This is really part three of the same dialogue...
If part one of the earlier discussion was that God cares for the ultimate and part two was that we care for the penultimate, the necessary next conversation must be our dependence, in the things before the last, on the God who holds the ultimate within His hands.
In 1953 a youthful Queen Elizabeth II was crowned the sovereign of England. At the time of her coronation, she was but twenty five years of age. She was a youth, a mere child given the enormity of her responsibility. Speaking of the important event, C.S. Lewis wrote, "The pressing of that huge, heavy crown on that small, young head becomes a sort of symbol of the situation of *humanity* itself: humanity called by God to be His vice-gerent and high priest on earth, yet feeling so inadequate. As if He said, 'In all my inexorable love I shall lay upon the dust that you are glories and dangers and responsibilities beyond your understanding.' Do you see what I mean? One has missed the whole point unless one feels that we have all been crowned and that coronation is somehow, if splendid, a tragic splendour..." (Letters to an American Lady, July 10, 1953)
He continues his theme in a November 6, 1953 letter to the same correspondent, "But then when the need comes, *He* carries out in us His otherwise impossible instructions. In fact, He always has to do all the things -- all the prayers, all the virtues. No new doctrine, but newly come home to me."
Indeed. We have neither the skills nor the natural self-generated resources to undertake the job appointed to us, let alone the ability to complete the task. Parenting, friendship, fidelity, love, faithfulness, courage, patience, and peace -- they are all consistently outside our grasp unless we grasp the truth that they are given to us and not generated within us. Contrary to popular opinion and modern psychology, we do not look "within" ourselves to find the strength and resources to steward what has been given to us. Rather, we look "outside" ourselves to Jesus Christ, the glory of God the Father, to complete what is lacking and to provide what we are incapable of manufacturing.
The truth of the matter is this: it is not about us.
"I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5
And the corollary:
"But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26
It is pretty clear, we cannot, in and of ouselves, accomplish anything of worth or significance. We are truly unable to meet the challenge that has been issued. Unless we meet it in Christ. And then it is He who meets the challenge through us. It is not of our own works and there is nothing of which we should boast. Rather, the ability to steward the responsibilities provided to us is found alone in Jesus Christ. See Ephesians 2:9.
The reality of the situation, on any given day, is for us much like it was for Joshua. The opportunity and challenge, the responsibility and cause was to take the city of Jericho. By all appearances and strategies, Joshua and the Israelites were ill-equipped to the task. Jericho was entreched, fortified, mighty and stalwart. Joshua and his nation were refugees from Egypt, nomads and tent dwelling wanderers. Nonetheless, there was a divine command, a kairos moment, and an opportunity for the glory of the Lord to shine (much like in the later story of Gideon). Scripture recounts that it was the Lord, not Joshua or his army, that was to prevail.
"And the LORD said to Joshua, 'See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor.'" Joshua 6:2. After obediently following the specific commands of Yahweh, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the LORD has given you the city." Joshua 16:16. And it was so. Joshua 6:20 recounts, "So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city."
He was dependent. The victory was not his. The strategy was not his. The resources were not his. All belonged to the Lord of hosts. Joshua recognized this and in his dependence he prevailed.
May we also prevail in His stength. Ours alone is insufficient at best. It is only though Jesus Christ, and in Him alone, that we are made strong.
"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10.
Amen.
(For context, please first read the earlier posts, "Ultimately, It Is Not Up To Me," and "Penultimately, It Is A Matter of Prayer.")
This is really part three of the same dialogue...
If part one of the earlier discussion was that God cares for the ultimate and part two was that we care for the penultimate, the necessary next conversation must be our dependence, in the things before the last, on the God who holds the ultimate within His hands.
In 1953 a youthful Queen Elizabeth II was crowned the sovereign of England. At the time of her coronation, she was but twenty five years of age. She was a youth, a mere child given the enormity of her responsibility. Speaking of the important event, C.S. Lewis wrote, "The pressing of that huge, heavy crown on that small, young head becomes a sort of symbol of the situation of *humanity* itself: humanity called by God to be His vice-gerent and high priest on earth, yet feeling so inadequate. As if He said, 'In all my inexorable love I shall lay upon the dust that you are glories and dangers and responsibilities beyond your understanding.' Do you see what I mean? One has missed the whole point unless one feels that we have all been crowned and that coronation is somehow, if splendid, a tragic splendour..." (Letters to an American Lady, July 10, 1953)
He continues his theme in a November 6, 1953 letter to the same correspondent, "But then when the need comes, *He* carries out in us His otherwise impossible instructions. In fact, He always has to do all the things -- all the prayers, all the virtues. No new doctrine, but newly come home to me."
Indeed. We have neither the skills nor the natural self-generated resources to undertake the job appointed to us, let alone the ability to complete the task. Parenting, friendship, fidelity, love, faithfulness, courage, patience, and peace -- they are all consistently outside our grasp unless we grasp the truth that they are given to us and not generated within us. Contrary to popular opinion and modern psychology, we do not look "within" ourselves to find the strength and resources to steward what has been given to us. Rather, we look "outside" ourselves to Jesus Christ, the glory of God the Father, to complete what is lacking and to provide what we are incapable of manufacturing.
The truth of the matter is this: it is not about us.
"I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5
And the corollary:
"But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26
It is pretty clear, we cannot, in and of ouselves, accomplish anything of worth or significance. We are truly unable to meet the challenge that has been issued. Unless we meet it in Christ. And then it is He who meets the challenge through us. It is not of our own works and there is nothing of which we should boast. Rather, the ability to steward the responsibilities provided to us is found alone in Jesus Christ. See Ephesians 2:9.
The reality of the situation, on any given day, is for us much like it was for Joshua. The opportunity and challenge, the responsibility and cause was to take the city of Jericho. By all appearances and strategies, Joshua and the Israelites were ill-equipped to the task. Jericho was entreched, fortified, mighty and stalwart. Joshua and his nation were refugees from Egypt, nomads and tent dwelling wanderers. Nonetheless, there was a divine command, a kairos moment, and an opportunity for the glory of the Lord to shine (much like in the later story of Gideon). Scripture recounts that it was the Lord, not Joshua or his army, that was to prevail.
"And the LORD said to Joshua, 'See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor.'" Joshua 6:2. After obediently following the specific commands of Yahweh, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the LORD has given you the city." Joshua 16:16. And it was so. Joshua 6:20 recounts, "So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city."
He was dependent. The victory was not his. The strategy was not his. The resources were not his. All belonged to the Lord of hosts. Joshua recognized this and in his dependence he prevailed.
May we also prevail in His stength. Ours alone is insufficient at best. It is only though Jesus Christ, and in Him alone, that we are made strong.
"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10.
Amen.
Location:Burnett Ln,Vincennes,United States
Sunday, February 23, 2014
The Weight of Glory
The Weight of Glory
(With sincere apologies to C.S. Lewis...)
As a Christian, I've spent most of my adult life attempting to understand what is meant by the word "glory." Now, there's a loaded sentence: "Christian" and "glory" mentioned in the same breath; two terms with which the most thoughtful struggle. Two words with a lot of cultural baggage. Today I won't try to tackle a definition of "Christian." Someday I might. A reading of my earlier thoughts will, I think, shed at least some light on the meaning I attach to the word. It is certainly more than something moral, legalistic, cultural, historical or pseudo-spiritual. Action follows belief... But I digress... Glory. I'll concentrate here on that singular and evasive word. And I'll start with scripture which should always be our primary source.
Just a few of the over 530 variations of the word "glory," used in most translations, are mentioned here:
Psalm 66:1-2 Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise!
Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
And
Habakkuk 2:14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
So, then...
Is it something we can create, as in, "We give glory to your name"?
Is it something that God has and we do not, as in, "You are glorious"?
Is it something that isn't really characteristic of God but follows Him, as in, "Your glory fills the room"?
I've gone round this mulberry bush a number of times trying to wrap my head around this word. It's important. Our theology informs our philosophy. Our philosophy informs our beliefs. And our beliefs inform our actions. We don't get our actions right when our understanding is wrong.
Glory.
We read about it in the Bible.
We sing about it in our gatherings.
We pray that we would show it in our lives.
And we ask that it would appear in our fellowship.
But, really, what is it and why should we want or look for it anyway?
"Glory," according to the whole of scripture, I believe, is the evidence of the weightiness of God. There is our definition. Look at the verses yourself and see if you come to another conclusion. As a whole, however, scripture points to this idea: the glory of God is the evidence of His weightiness, of His importance.
It is the manifestation of the gravitas of God. Gravitas is a derivation of the Latin word meaning heaviness, solemnity, and weight. It is the same word from which we get our English word "gravity." We use it here in this sense: "the gravity of the situation" or "the gravity of what the judge has just ordered."
It is, in fact, the fingerprint left by our Father to let us know that He has been at work and is now working. It is the evidence of His importance.
If we insert this definition in place of the actual word, glory, we read as follows:
Hebrews 1:3 He is the radiance of the [evidence of the weightiness] of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high...
Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the [evidence of the weightiness] of God the Father.
And
Exodus 40:34-35 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the [evidence of the weightiness] of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the [evidence of the weightiness] of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
God chose to make His glory known among us: first through Israel, then through His Son, and now through the church. Theologians, when speaking of the incarnation of Jesus Christ, often use the term "manifest glory". He makes his glory known in us so that He may make His glory known through us. Failure to know God's glory leads to a failure to show His glory. This is Ichabod.
Ichabod: the glory has departed. The evidence and fingerprint of God's weightiness and worth is no longer present when Ichabod is written over the doors to our hearts and minds, families, churches or societies. As James MacDonald writes in Vertical Church, "When the people of God are not told the works of God, they lose the wonder of God, and everyone does that which is right in his or her own eyes.”
"When people are taught that their ultimate purpose is reaching the lost or building a church or extending their hands to the poor, they derail during difficult times. Horizontal purposes, even ones that express God’s heart for the lost, are not adequate to sustain a lifetime of devotion to the gospel through the valleys people inevitably face. The true Church teaches its people to judge every circumstance and opportunity in terms of its potential to reveal 'the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.'"
The Westminster shorter Catechism states it this way in the first question it poses: "What is the chief end of man? The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever."
Let us know and show the weight of His glory. Let the word Ichabod never be written above the door to our heart or to His church.
Years ago on Saturday Night Live, Mike Meyers created a hilarious character named Linda Richman. You may remember her as the stereotypical Jewish middle-aged woman. She spoke with an exaggerated New York accent; sported long, painted fake nails and big hair; and wore gold jewelry, gaudy sweaters, and large dark glasses. In the skit, she hosted the local cable show, "Coffee Talk." When the topic of conversation became emotionally overwelming, Linda would become "verklempt" and would need a private moment to recover her composure. Before attempting to calm herself, she would instruct her guest and the audience to "discuss among yourselves" and would often suggest a topic ("the holy Roman Empire was neither holy nor Roman, discuss..."). If you've not seen this sketch, do yourself a favor and look it up. Right now, however, given our earlier discussion of glory, I'm going to play the part of Linda Richman. If our definition of glory impacts our beliefs and our beliefs impact our actions, how does sin disturb the glory of God?
So, let's talk about sin. Not corporate sin or Wall Street sin. Not even the sins of the church as a whole. Let's talk about our very own, individual, you-and-I-commit-them sins and how the glory of God is disrupted in our own lives.
Discuss.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
(With sincere apologies to C.S. Lewis...)
As a Christian, I've spent most of my adult life attempting to understand what is meant by the word "glory." Now, there's a loaded sentence: "Christian" and "glory" mentioned in the same breath; two terms with which the most thoughtful struggle. Two words with a lot of cultural baggage. Today I won't try to tackle a definition of "Christian." Someday I might. A reading of my earlier thoughts will, I think, shed at least some light on the meaning I attach to the word. It is certainly more than something moral, legalistic, cultural, historical or pseudo-spiritual. Action follows belief... But I digress... Glory. I'll concentrate here on that singular and evasive word. And I'll start with scripture which should always be our primary source.
Just a few of the over 530 variations of the word "glory," used in most translations, are mentioned here:
Psalm 66:1-2 Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise!
Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
And
Habakkuk 2:14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
So, then...
Is it something we can create, as in, "We give glory to your name"?
Is it something that God has and we do not, as in, "You are glorious"?
Is it something that isn't really characteristic of God but follows Him, as in, "Your glory fills the room"?
I've gone round this mulberry bush a number of times trying to wrap my head around this word. It's important. Our theology informs our philosophy. Our philosophy informs our beliefs. And our beliefs inform our actions. We don't get our actions right when our understanding is wrong.
Glory.
We read about it in the Bible.
We sing about it in our gatherings.
We pray that we would show it in our lives.
And we ask that it would appear in our fellowship.
But, really, what is it and why should we want or look for it anyway?
"Glory," according to the whole of scripture, I believe, is the evidence of the weightiness of God. There is our definition. Look at the verses yourself and see if you come to another conclusion. As a whole, however, scripture points to this idea: the glory of God is the evidence of His weightiness, of His importance.
It is the manifestation of the gravitas of God. Gravitas is a derivation of the Latin word meaning heaviness, solemnity, and weight. It is the same word from which we get our English word "gravity." We use it here in this sense: "the gravity of the situation" or "the gravity of what the judge has just ordered."
It is, in fact, the fingerprint left by our Father to let us know that He has been at work and is now working. It is the evidence of His importance.
If we insert this definition in place of the actual word, glory, we read as follows:
Hebrews 1:3 He is the radiance of the [evidence of the weightiness] of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high...
Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the [evidence of the weightiness] of God the Father.
And
Exodus 40:34-35 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the [evidence of the weightiness] of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the [evidence of the weightiness] of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
God chose to make His glory known among us: first through Israel, then through His Son, and now through the church. Theologians, when speaking of the incarnation of Jesus Christ, often use the term "manifest glory". He makes his glory known in us so that He may make His glory known through us. Failure to know God's glory leads to a failure to show His glory. This is Ichabod.
Ichabod: the glory has departed. The evidence and fingerprint of God's weightiness and worth is no longer present when Ichabod is written over the doors to our hearts and minds, families, churches or societies. As James MacDonald writes in Vertical Church, "When the people of God are not told the works of God, they lose the wonder of God, and everyone does that which is right in his or her own eyes.”
"When people are taught that their ultimate purpose is reaching the lost or building a church or extending their hands to the poor, they derail during difficult times. Horizontal purposes, even ones that express God’s heart for the lost, are not adequate to sustain a lifetime of devotion to the gospel through the valleys people inevitably face. The true Church teaches its people to judge every circumstance and opportunity in terms of its potential to reveal 'the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.'"
The Westminster shorter Catechism states it this way in the first question it poses: "What is the chief end of man? The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever."
Let us know and show the weight of His glory. Let the word Ichabod never be written above the door to our heart or to His church.
Years ago on Saturday Night Live, Mike Meyers created a hilarious character named Linda Richman. You may remember her as the stereotypical Jewish middle-aged woman. She spoke with an exaggerated New York accent; sported long, painted fake nails and big hair; and wore gold jewelry, gaudy sweaters, and large dark glasses. In the skit, she hosted the local cable show, "Coffee Talk." When the topic of conversation became emotionally overwelming, Linda would become "verklempt" and would need a private moment to recover her composure. Before attempting to calm herself, she would instruct her guest and the audience to "discuss among yourselves" and would often suggest a topic ("the holy Roman Empire was neither holy nor Roman, discuss..."). If you've not seen this sketch, do yourself a favor and look it up. Right now, however, given our earlier discussion of glory, I'm going to play the part of Linda Richman. If our definition of glory impacts our beliefs and our beliefs impact our actions, how does sin disturb the glory of God?
So, let's talk about sin. Not corporate sin or Wall Street sin. Not even the sins of the church as a whole. Let's talk about our very own, individual, you-and-I-commit-them sins and how the glory of God is disrupted in our own lives.
Discuss.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Burnett Ln,Vincennes,United States
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Penultimately, It Is A Matter Of Prayer
Penultimately, it is a matter of prayer.
“Fear is legitimate for the vulnerable, and pain is a natural consequence of being mortal. But worry is a choice made in distrust.” Matt Chandler & Jared C. Wilson. “To Live Is Christ and To Die is Gain.“
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Phil. 4:4-9
An anxious Christian is bad advertisement for the God of peace.
The question I last posed was this: if I know that the ultimate belongs to the Father, how do I, in thought and action, keep my place, put down my God badge, and care for the penultimate only?
The answer is found in the introductory verses. As with most every question, the answer is found within the written revelation of the Word. While the Father often speaks to my heart, nothing I hear is contradictory to what was earlier revealed in the Bible. Each of the following points could be developed at length. However, in summary Paul's admonishment to the Philippians states and concludes:
Because God is near to us, it is reasonable to rejoice always (4-5);
Worry and anxiety are combatted by the discipline of supplication prayers ("God, help me” prayers) (6);
Supplication prayers born from an awareness of God's nearness result in a peace that keeps our emotions and our intellect (7);
A peaceful keeping of our hearts and minds is evidenced by a shift from self-centered to God-centered thinking (8); and
When we have taken the information and moved through imitation to innovation, we abide in Him, the God of peace.
Prayer, specific “help me” prayers, made by a heart thankful for a Father who hears and is not silent, combat the practiced unbelief of a worried mind. It is here, in consistent prayer, that I am able to care for only penultimate matters as I realize in belief that ultimate actions belong to the Lord. When I am able to say “help me” there is a finality to my discovery that I cannot be responsible for the real outcome. If I am unable to perfectly exercise my responsibilities, obedience or preparations without assistance, how would I rationalize that I could somehow be the man in charge of the determination?
“When we live with a lack of anxiety about the future, even in those tightrope kind of times, we communicate the truth that our God is indeed worthy of our trust. We don’t fret over the future because He holds it in His hands. We don’t wring our hands in worry because we know He’s charting the course. That sort of confidence invites others into it, those longing for something different from life without a net.“ Michael Kelley, Wednesdays Were Pretty Normal.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
“Fear is legitimate for the vulnerable, and pain is a natural consequence of being mortal. But worry is a choice made in distrust.” Matt Chandler & Jared C. Wilson. “To Live Is Christ and To Die is Gain.“
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Phil. 4:4-9
An anxious Christian is bad advertisement for the God of peace.
The question I last posed was this: if I know that the ultimate belongs to the Father, how do I, in thought and action, keep my place, put down my God badge, and care for the penultimate only?
The answer is found in the introductory verses. As with most every question, the answer is found within the written revelation of the Word. While the Father often speaks to my heart, nothing I hear is contradictory to what was earlier revealed in the Bible. Each of the following points could be developed at length. However, in summary Paul's admonishment to the Philippians states and concludes:
Because God is near to us, it is reasonable to rejoice always (4-5);
Worry and anxiety are combatted by the discipline of supplication prayers ("God, help me” prayers) (6);
Supplication prayers born from an awareness of God's nearness result in a peace that keeps our emotions and our intellect (7);
A peaceful keeping of our hearts and minds is evidenced by a shift from self-centered to God-centered thinking (8); and
When we have taken the information and moved through imitation to innovation, we abide in Him, the God of peace.
Prayer, specific “help me” prayers, made by a heart thankful for a Father who hears and is not silent, combat the practiced unbelief of a worried mind. It is here, in consistent prayer, that I am able to care for only penultimate matters as I realize in belief that ultimate actions belong to the Lord. When I am able to say “help me” there is a finality to my discovery that I cannot be responsible for the real outcome. If I am unable to perfectly exercise my responsibilities, obedience or preparations without assistance, how would I rationalize that I could somehow be the man in charge of the determination?
“When we live with a lack of anxiety about the future, even in those tightrope kind of times, we communicate the truth that our God is indeed worthy of our trust. We don’t fret over the future because He holds it in His hands. We don’t wring our hands in worry because we know He’s charting the course. That sort of confidence invites others into it, those longing for something different from life without a net.“ Michael Kelley, Wednesdays Were Pretty Normal.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Ultimately, It Is Not Up To Me...
Ultimately, it is not up to me.
“You want to kill me
And I want to die
We're a perfect match
You and I.” Mercy - U2
If anyone were ever to leaf through the pages of my journal, he would not soon misunderstand my love for and equal hatred of my profession. It is a roller coaster ride; a ship on alternately stormy and calm waters; life and death together under the same roof. Nonetheless, I am thankful and humbled that while I counsel others, the Lord continues to instruct me. I continue to learn that I do not in or of myself possess the skills, resources or prowess necessary to guard the light and keep the darkness at bay. I don't have it in me; it was only self delusion to think that I ever did. In order to attain any measure of real success as defined by scripture and not the world, I must, as John declares, decrease so that He may increase. More than a few verses immediately flood the basement of my brain:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus…” Phil 2:5
“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Phil 4:13
“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” Col 3:2
“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. "For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.” 1 Cor. 2:14-16
I know, as the Lord has spoken, that the end of me is the true beginning of Jesus Christ in me. Not only do I not have the skill or ability to sustain my responsibilities, I do not have the authority to own what results from them. It is simply not up to me and it is foolhardy to act as though it does.
“The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, [so] shall it stand…” Isaiah 14:24
And
“For I am the LORD; I will speak the word that I will speak, and it will be performed…” Ezekiel 12:25a
The preparation, not the result, belongs to me. Obedience is mine; the outcome belongs to the Father.
As Bonhoeffer wrote, “[W]hen we speak of the things before the last, we must not speak of them as having any value of their own, but we must bring to light their relationship to the ultimate”. The things before the last, he declares, are the “penultimate,” those matters immediately prior to the happening itself. The penultimate belongs to us, to me, and we tend the soil of the garden in which the ultimate grows. The ultimate, however, belongs exclusively to the Father and He has not shared this jurisdiction with any other.
And, so, it is ultimately not up to me. "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” I Cor. 3:6. To think otherwise is to burden myself with crippling actions and thoughts and perfections that are not only beyond my abilities to fulfill but also a usurpation of that which belongs only to the Lord.
It is not up to me and, as a result of this revelation, it is incumbent that I act on what I believe. And so, the question then becomes: if I know that the ultimate belongs to the Father, how do I, in thought and action, keep my place, put down my God badge, and care for the penultimate only?
Film at eleven…
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
“You want to kill me
And I want to die
We're a perfect match
You and I.” Mercy - U2
If anyone were ever to leaf through the pages of my journal, he would not soon misunderstand my love for and equal hatred of my profession. It is a roller coaster ride; a ship on alternately stormy and calm waters; life and death together under the same roof. Nonetheless, I am thankful and humbled that while I counsel others, the Lord continues to instruct me. I continue to learn that I do not in or of myself possess the skills, resources or prowess necessary to guard the light and keep the darkness at bay. I don't have it in me; it was only self delusion to think that I ever did. In order to attain any measure of real success as defined by scripture and not the world, I must, as John declares, decrease so that He may increase. More than a few verses immediately flood the basement of my brain:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus…” Phil 2:5
“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Phil 4:13
“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” Col 3:2
“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. "For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.” 1 Cor. 2:14-16
I know, as the Lord has spoken, that the end of me is the true beginning of Jesus Christ in me. Not only do I not have the skill or ability to sustain my responsibilities, I do not have the authority to own what results from them. It is simply not up to me and it is foolhardy to act as though it does.
“The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, [so] shall it stand…” Isaiah 14:24
And
“For I am the LORD; I will speak the word that I will speak, and it will be performed…” Ezekiel 12:25a
The preparation, not the result, belongs to me. Obedience is mine; the outcome belongs to the Father.
As Bonhoeffer wrote, “[W]hen we speak of the things before the last, we must not speak of them as having any value of their own, but we must bring to light their relationship to the ultimate”. The things before the last, he declares, are the “penultimate,” those matters immediately prior to the happening itself. The penultimate belongs to us, to me, and we tend the soil of the garden in which the ultimate grows. The ultimate, however, belongs exclusively to the Father and He has not shared this jurisdiction with any other.
And, so, it is ultimately not up to me. "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” I Cor. 3:6. To think otherwise is to burden myself with crippling actions and thoughts and perfections that are not only beyond my abilities to fulfill but also a usurpation of that which belongs only to the Lord.
It is not up to me and, as a result of this revelation, it is incumbent that I act on what I believe. And so, the question then becomes: if I know that the ultimate belongs to the Father, how do I, in thought and action, keep my place, put down my God badge, and care for the penultimate only?
Film at eleven…
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Save Me. I Love Your Law.
Save me. I love your law.
Psa. 119:94 I am yours; save me,
for I have sought your precepts.
for I have sought your precepts.
The 119th psalm, the longest chapter in scripture, is an acrostic poem, the stanzas of which begin with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Moreover, the eight verses of each stanza begin with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It's construction is elaborate and its authorship is annonymous.
The book of Psalms contains 49 such anonymously written songs. Tradition often ascribes authorship of many of these unnamed works to Ezra. While many commentators presume the present psalm is a Davidic Psalm, it is also possible that Ezra was its author. It is easy to see why David's authorship is presumed in that God used him to write one half of the collected songs. Additionally, the content of this psalm finds parallel with David’s life.
Nonetheless, an argument can be made for its possible writing by Ezra.
After the Persians overthrew the Babylonians, Ezra was a priest and a scribe during the time of the Israelites' exile from and return to Jerusalem. He wrote the book of Ezra and possibly contributed to parts of Nehemiah.
In Nehemiah 8 we see Ezra reading from the Law, or Torah, challenging Israel to follow the Lord’s teachings. During the return from exile, it was his responsibility as a priest to reestablish God’s Word as the basis for living.
After the Persians overthrew the Babylonians, Ezra was a priest and a scribe during the time of the Israelites' exile from and return to Jerusalem. He wrote the book of Ezra and possibly contributed to parts of Nehemiah.
In Nehemiah 8 we see Ezra reading from the Law, or Torah, challenging Israel to follow the Lord’s teachings. During the return from exile, it was his responsibility as a priest to reestablish God’s Word as the basis for living.
“Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law” (Nehemiah 8:3, NKJV).
In verse 9 we read:
“And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn nor weep.” For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law” (Nehemiah 8:9, NKJV).
We see in these verses that the word of the Lord has an immediate and visceral impact on the attitudes of those who hear it read. It caused them to openly weep. The tears, most likely, were those of conviction. The result of this repentance is detailed in Nehemiah 9:1-3:
“Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting in sackcloth, and with dust on their heads. 2Then those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. 3And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for one-fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshipped the LORD their God” (Nehemiah 9:1-3, NKJV).
So why do I think Ezra wrote Psalm 119?
So why do I think Ezra wrote Psalm 119?
Psalm 119 is filled with praise to God for the work and the impact His Word occasions in our lives. This spiritual collision is detailed well in Nehemiah. The environment in which Ezra is rooted also parallels that of the Psalmist. Additionally, in the foregoing, we see that it requires a high degree of literacy to write in the style of this particular Psalm. As Ezra was a scribe, he would have been well suited for God to use in this manner. It is certainly possible that he is the anonymous author of the 119th psalm.
Nonetheless, the psalm's authorship is not nearly as important as its content. The question of ascription serves only as an introduction to the heart of the matter: a love for the law of the Lord.
Psa. 119:18 Open my eyes, that I may behold
wondrous things out of your law.
wondrous things out of your law.
The beauty of this song (or perhaps more appropriately, one of the beauties of this magnificent psalm) is in the author's outpouring of affection for the instruction of the Lord. He employs a number of synonyms in his praise: law, instruction, precepts, rules, testimony, word, statutes, commandments and more! Yet his objective is singular; the word of God is life. In this affirmation of life in the law of the Lord, the psalm explodes with worship.
An internal and an external significance is declared of the Word. Praise is provided for not only its ability to guard our hearts but also to establish our way. The precepts of the Lord, it is shouted, keep us from enemies within and without.
The precepts and the instruction of the Father protect against the way that would seem right to us but rather leads to death. The psalmist sings:
Psa. 119:10 With my whole heart I seek you;
let me not wander from your commandments!
Psa. 119:11 I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.
let me not wander from your commandments!
Psa. 119:11 I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.
and
Psa. 119:35 Lead me in the path of your commandments,
for I delight in it.
Psa. 119:36 Incline my heart to your testimonies,
and not to selfish gain!
Psa. 119:37 Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;
and give me life in your ways.
for I delight in it.
Psa. 119:36 Incline my heart to your testimonies,
and not to selfish gain!
Psa. 119:37 Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;
and give me life in your ways.
The law and the testimonies of the Father protect against those that would come against us. Regarding our cultural and spiritual assailants, the Spirit instructs:
Psa. 119:98 Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies,
for it is ever with me.
Psa. 119:99 I have more understanding than all my teachers,
for your testimonies are my meditation.
Psa. 119:100 I understand more than the aged,
for I keep your precepts.
for it is ever with me.
Psa. 119:99 I have more understanding than all my teachers,
for your testimonies are my meditation.
Psa. 119:100 I understand more than the aged,
for I keep your precepts.
And
Psa. 119:110 The wicked have laid a snare for me,
but I do not stray from your precepts.
Psa. 119:114 You are my hiding place and my shield;
I hope in your word.
but I do not stray from your precepts.
Psa. 119:114 You are my hiding place and my shield;
I hope in your word.
What, then, does our anonymous author conclude? He rejoices that though he himself is insignificant, he loves the Word of the Lord. This heartfelt appreciation keeps him steady in times of oppression. In all matters, the instruction of the Father is a light to our path providing the illumination necessary to see the way clearly through obstacles constructed by our own hands and by those of our adversary.
In one verse, the whole testimony is contained and summarized:
Psa. 119:94 I am yours; save me,
for I have sought your precepts.
for I have sought your precepts.
We recognize and rejoice (I am yours).
Psa. 119:141 I am small and despised,
yet I do not forget your precepts.
yet I do not forget your precepts.
Because the Word is hid in our hearts (Save me).
Psa. 119:121 I have done what is just and right;
do not leave me to my oppressors.
do not leave me to my oppressors.
We will never be left in darkness (I have sought your precepts).
Psa. 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
and a light to my path.
Selah and Amen.
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