I’m rich. I proved in on Thursday night.
It was about 9:00 p.m. and I was on my way home. Karin wanted me to pick up some V-8 juice. So I stopped at Safeway.
I grabbed a little basket, found the juice isle after walking around the store twice. Plopped a couple of six packs of V-8 in my basket. Then, since I was at the store and had not had supper and was in a grumpy mood, I checked out the ice cream isle. Tillamook was on sale. So to balance out the V-8 I put a carton of Vanilla Bean in my basket. Then headed to the check out.
A woman in front of me dressed in some kind of blue collar uniform had one item. Laundry detergent. As I stepped into line behind her, she was swiping her debit card. I watched her enter her pin number and waited. Nothing. It didn’t work. She tried again. The cashier tried to help her. It didn’t work. She began apologizing. She tried her debit card once more. Nothing. Didn’t work. No reason.
She pushed her detergent toward the cashier. “Here. I’ll run out to the car and see if I can find some cash.” She was flustered and embarrassed.
I was watching. I’ve read stories about other people intervening in situations like this. This was my chance. I had ice cream in my basket. I was going home to eat blueberry crumb cake and ice cream. This lady was going home or to the laundromat to do laundry. That is, she was if she could get detergent.
I pulled out a ten dollar bill laid it on the check stand and told the lady to take her detergent and go. She looked back at me like I was from Mars or something. “What?” she said. “Take your detergent and go.” I said. “I’ve got it covered.” I waved my ten dollar bill.
She hesitated, then her face lighted up. She was embarrassed some stranger was paying for her detergent. But somebody’s laundry was not going to get done if she didn’t get out of the store with the soap. She picked up her detergent and hurried toward the door never looking back. The cashier and I smiled at each other.
He finished the transaction and gave me my change. It was the best $8.79 I spent all week.
One measure of wealth is having more money than one needs for necessities.
I could afford ice cream -- obviously not a necessity.
And I could afford to give money away to strangers. I won’t even miss that $8.79. Now that’s rich.
And it was really fun.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Overcomers -- Making Changes
The Book of Revelation is famous for its pictures of evil and disaster. There is another set of pictures in the book that deserve to be equally famous: these are snapshots of God’s people.
John does not write a lot about the people of God, the saints, but when he does, when he brings them out on stage, he always presents them as winners.
In chapter 6, the saints are getting weary of the struggle. They cry out to God, “How long . . .?” God tells them to hang on, then gives them white robes–markers of victory. They are still in the struggle but God already marks them as victors.
In chapter 7, John sees a crowd of people so immense he cannot give even an estimate of their number. When he asks who they are, the angel tells him they are the ones who have passed through the great tribulation. They have triumphed.
(These people are introduced as the 144,000. To us that sounds like a select group, a small number compared to the hundreds of thousands that surround us in almost every city. To John’s audience, 144,000 was code for a huge group. It would have sounded to them like an immense crowd that could scarcely be counted.)
In chapter 14 John again sees the saints. Again they are described as victors. The devil has thrown his worst at them. They have stood triumphant.
In chapter 19, the saints are riding into battle behind Jesus–the triumphant one. They are winners because they are riding with Jesus.
In chapter 20, the saints are those who have been faithful even through martyrdom. (Poor devil. He can’t win for losing. He kills off God’s people and in the process turns them into heroes!)
In chapters 21 and 22, the saints are finally given their reward. They have triumphed and now they enjoy the benefits of the victorious.
If you are a Christian Revelation is good news. Revelation announces a fantastic future, an incomprehensibly rich reward for all the overcomers. And it assumes that as a Christian, you are an overcomer! You are a winner. That is one of the definitions of “Christian.”
Christians are servants, disciples, born again children of God, baptized into the new life of Christ. They are winners. That’s you.
Now someone is sure to ask, but what if I make mistakes? What if I’m not flawless? What then?
You might ask this question because you recall the words of Revelation 2 and 3. In those chapters John records messages from Jesus to seven churches–congregations that represent all of God’s people across the centuries and around the world. Each message ends with a promise to the person who overcomes.
The first message ends this way: “To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is the paradise of God” (Revelation 2:7). The last messages ends with this promise: To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with me on my throne even as I overcame and am seated on the Father’s throne. (Revelation 3:20).
Wow! Access to the tree of life! A place on with Jesus on his throne!
But it looks like there’s a catch. The promise is for persons who overcome. I wish John had written that these promises were for people who believe or people who have been baptized or people who have been born again.
When I was younger these words about overcoming scared me. I was painfully aware of my imperfections. I heard these words as a threat: If you don’t get with the program, if you don’t triumph over every sin right now, you’re going to miss out. And I would try harder, but I was never good enough.
But that’s not the way John meant those words. He meant them as encouragement. He wanted his readers–whom he assumed were overcomers–to understand that God was paying attention to their engagement in the struggle. God was pleased with their efforts and had a grand reward prepared for them.
Again, let me emphasize: John saw his readers as overcomers. He was writing the book to people he had confidence in. Overcoming is not some impossible dream. It is a pattern of life that God makes available to his children. To his servants. To his followers. To his friends. To all of us.
Notice these words from his second epistle:
“It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us” (2 John 1:4). .
“Your children” refers to church members in the town he was writing to.“Hey,” John says, “I hear some of you are actually doing it. You are actually putting your faith into practice. You are keeping Jesus’ command to love. Good for you. Way to go!”
We find a similar affirmation in the third epistle: “It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth (3 John 1:3).
They were doing it. John saw Christians as winners. Their Master Jesus was a winner. And they were winners. They were overcomers.
“I have told you these things that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John16:33).
John was realistic. He understood the reality of struggle, pain, trouble, temptation. The very word “overcome” or “victor” implies we are in a challenging situation. When you wake up in the morning, spy the clock and see you have another half hour before you have to get up . . . We do not call it overcoming when you snuggle back into the covers! Overcoming is getting out of bed when you’re tired and the bed is warm and the floor is cold and the house is dark and the wind is blowing and it’s raining.
John rebuked people who thought of themselves as completed, perfected, in need of no further improvement. (1 John 1:8-10). John did not regard struggle or even failure as proof that a person was not walking with Jesus. A person can fail and still overcome because overcoming is not creating a perfect record. Overcoming means turning our lives to line up with Jesus. Overcoming is choosing a direction. (This is the meaning of repentance–turning in the right direction. Repentance is a perpetual function of the Christian life. Like the constant adjustment of the steering wheel that is essential to driving a car. You don’t ever “get it right” and just hold the steering wheel in one place. Driving means constantly adjusting the wheel. That is what repentance is–adjusting our direction. Overcoming is synonymous with repentance. It means turning again in the right direction.)
We’re not out on the road by ourselves. Jesus has overcome the world. So may we.
Notice this passage in the First Epistle: “You dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
The “them” in this passage includes evil spirits and false prophets. I think it would be legitimate to say it means the forces of evil. “You dear children are from God and have overcome the forces of evil because the one who is in you is greater than the evil one.”
No worries. Be happy.
What does it mean in our experience? How do we live this overcoming?
1. Overcoming means we actually make a choice. We say yes to Jesus. We point our faces in the right direction.
For the thief on the cross overcoming meant literally turning toward his fellow thief and telling him to shut up and turning toward Jesus and making a request: Lord, remember me when you come in your kingdom. (Luke 23:39-43).
For Nicodemus it meant speaking up in Jesus’ defense in the hostile Sanhedrin. John 7:50.
For Naaman, it meant dunking in the Jordan River. 2 Kings 5.
For some nameless young lad, it meant giving Jesus his lunch. John 6.
For Mary, it meant dumping perfume on Jesus’ feet. John 12
For each person the specifics vary. Overcoming means moving, reorienting.
What is Jesus calling you to do? His work was to bring light, hope, healing to people. What can you do to cooperate with Jesus in that work?
Manage your money to avoid debt and stress and make available a few dollars to giving to others?
Change the habits at your house so your children regularly hear a bed time story or regularly get some exercise?
Get rid of juice and soda from your house?
Get help to overcome an addition–alcohol, anger, pornography?
Speaking up when Jesus is misrepresented by Christians who portray him as angry, vengeful and harsh.
What are you overcoming? What is the barrier to moving with Jesus in a good direction? The Devil, someone may say. I think the way we experience it more often is inertia. We don’t move forward with Jesus because it’s so hard to let go of what we are already doing. We tend to keep doing what we have been doing.
Overcoming means making a change. Change is hard. Change is possible. The message of Revelation is that Jesus sees his people as overcomers. Jesus believes you can do it. He will help you.
2. Overcoming means living in a community of people who are friends of Jesus. These friends help one another see the road and make the corrections in direction.
Awhile back I was visiting with a counselor. He made an observation about the way I engage with life (or don’t) that totally shocked me. I questioned him to make sure I understood what he just said. Sure enough, I had understood. He was flatly contradicting something that I was sure of. I was tempted to dismiss what he said, but Karin has told me the same thing. So has my daughter, Bonnie.
How they could all be so wrong?! (Of course, I know better than to say this out loud.) :-)
Part of overcoming means living in the community of Jesus and allowing Jesus to speak to us through the people around us. I would have never even considered making any change in this area of my life had not three different people, all Christians, pointed out the fact that I was headed for the ditch. I couldn’t see it. They could.
What is God saying to you through the people around you?
Just this week I received an email from one of my sisters about a couple of girls brought into the hospital where she works. One of them died. The other is still recovering. From a beating they received at home.
The parents are Christians. They are home schoolers. If you ask the parents, my guess is they would explain they were simply following the Bible counsel to spare the rod and spoil the child. I think others would see they had problems with anger. These girls’ failure to perform up to standards infuriated the parents. So they beat them. And killed them.
Do you have a problem with anger? Of course, not! When you get angry, it’s always for good reason. At least that’s the way it seems to you. But what does your spouse say? What do the people you work with say? What do your children say?
Don’t dismiss the input other people give you. Let God talk to your through them. Then make a correction. Become an overcomer
You do not have to stay trapped in the tangle of anger. There are ways out. And Jesus wants you to experience that victory. Not because Jesus won’t love you if you are constantly getting angry. Not because Jesus won’t love you if you say a few choice words. Jesus wants you to step out of the swamp of anger because he wants you to experience freedom. And he has some loving he needs you to do and the anger is getting in the way.
Do not settle for the excuse that being angry is“just the way you are.” Sure it is rooted deep in your identity. Sure you have good reasons for getting angry. Sure there is probably a genetic component. Still Jesus invites you to experience the joy of victory. He has some rich promises for you, to offer you encouragement.
Go for it. Get the help you need. Discover the joy and satisfaction of living beyond the hair trigger temper that has been disrupting your life for so long. Jesus has good things in mind for you. He sees you as an overcomer.
There is special category of overcoming for parents. As parents we want the best for our kids. We give them advice and rules and discipline. The best gift we can give them beyond affection is overcoming. As we shape our lives to be more in tune with mission of God, our kids will pick that up.
My mother had a deadly fear of water. I never knew it until I was in my late teens. She sent all of us to swimming lessons. She encouraged my dad when he was planning to purchase a boat. All of us kids are avid swimmers. Mom helped step higher.
My dad was the first in his family to graduate from college. Most of his kids have doctorates. He set a new pattern. All of us have weaknesses and habits that come from our family of origin. Jesus invites us to imagine a better future for our kids and to take any steps we can to set them up for a better life. So parents, to you especially, I extend the call of Jesus: Be overcomers. Just be sure you require far more of yourself than you do of your kids.
Now for everyone: The Book of Revelation pictures you as an overcomer, as someone dressed in the white robe of victory. So step into the picture.
Of course, there will be a struggle. That’s okay. Of course, sometimes you may be discouraged. That’s natural. Keeping turning your attention back to the picture Jesus has painted in Revelation. Overcomers. That’s us. Overcomer. That’s you.
A footnote. Sometimes, overcoming means just hanging on. It is not a change. Just remaining faithful is sufficient. (Revelation 2:25) But that is another sermon.
John does not write a lot about the people of God, the saints, but when he does, when he brings them out on stage, he always presents them as winners.
In chapter 6, the saints are getting weary of the struggle. They cry out to God, “How long . . .?” God tells them to hang on, then gives them white robes–markers of victory. They are still in the struggle but God already marks them as victors.
In chapter 7, John sees a crowd of people so immense he cannot give even an estimate of their number. When he asks who they are, the angel tells him they are the ones who have passed through the great tribulation. They have triumphed.
(These people are introduced as the 144,000. To us that sounds like a select group, a small number compared to the hundreds of thousands that surround us in almost every city. To John’s audience, 144,000 was code for a huge group. It would have sounded to them like an immense crowd that could scarcely be counted.)
In chapter 14 John again sees the saints. Again they are described as victors. The devil has thrown his worst at them. They have stood triumphant.
In chapter 19, the saints are riding into battle behind Jesus–the triumphant one. They are winners because they are riding with Jesus.
In chapter 20, the saints are those who have been faithful even through martyrdom. (Poor devil. He can’t win for losing. He kills off God’s people and in the process turns them into heroes!)
In chapters 21 and 22, the saints are finally given their reward. They have triumphed and now they enjoy the benefits of the victorious.
If you are a Christian Revelation is good news. Revelation announces a fantastic future, an incomprehensibly rich reward for all the overcomers. And it assumes that as a Christian, you are an overcomer! You are a winner. That is one of the definitions of “Christian.”
Christians are servants, disciples, born again children of God, baptized into the new life of Christ. They are winners. That’s you.
Now someone is sure to ask, but what if I make mistakes? What if I’m not flawless? What then?
You might ask this question because you recall the words of Revelation 2 and 3. In those chapters John records messages from Jesus to seven churches–congregations that represent all of God’s people across the centuries and around the world. Each message ends with a promise to the person who overcomes.
The first message ends this way: “To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is the paradise of God” (Revelation 2:7). The last messages ends with this promise: To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with me on my throne even as I overcame and am seated on the Father’s throne. (Revelation 3:20).
Wow! Access to the tree of life! A place on with Jesus on his throne!
But it looks like there’s a catch. The promise is for persons who overcome. I wish John had written that these promises were for people who believe or people who have been baptized or people who have been born again.
When I was younger these words about overcoming scared me. I was painfully aware of my imperfections. I heard these words as a threat: If you don’t get with the program, if you don’t triumph over every sin right now, you’re going to miss out. And I would try harder, but I was never good enough.
But that’s not the way John meant those words. He meant them as encouragement. He wanted his readers–whom he assumed were overcomers–to understand that God was paying attention to their engagement in the struggle. God was pleased with their efforts and had a grand reward prepared for them.
Again, let me emphasize: John saw his readers as overcomers. He was writing the book to people he had confidence in. Overcoming is not some impossible dream. It is a pattern of life that God makes available to his children. To his servants. To his followers. To his friends. To all of us.
Notice these words from his second epistle:
“It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us” (2 John 1:4). .
“Your children” refers to church members in the town he was writing to.“Hey,” John says, “I hear some of you are actually doing it. You are actually putting your faith into practice. You are keeping Jesus’ command to love. Good for you. Way to go!”
We find a similar affirmation in the third epistle: “It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth (3 John 1:3).
They were doing it. John saw Christians as winners. Their Master Jesus was a winner. And they were winners. They were overcomers.
“I have told you these things that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John16:33).
John was realistic. He understood the reality of struggle, pain, trouble, temptation. The very word “overcome” or “victor” implies we are in a challenging situation. When you wake up in the morning, spy the clock and see you have another half hour before you have to get up . . . We do not call it overcoming when you snuggle back into the covers! Overcoming is getting out of bed when you’re tired and the bed is warm and the floor is cold and the house is dark and the wind is blowing and it’s raining.
John rebuked people who thought of themselves as completed, perfected, in need of no further improvement. (1 John 1:8-10). John did not regard struggle or even failure as proof that a person was not walking with Jesus. A person can fail and still overcome because overcoming is not creating a perfect record. Overcoming means turning our lives to line up with Jesus. Overcoming is choosing a direction. (This is the meaning of repentance–turning in the right direction. Repentance is a perpetual function of the Christian life. Like the constant adjustment of the steering wheel that is essential to driving a car. You don’t ever “get it right” and just hold the steering wheel in one place. Driving means constantly adjusting the wheel. That is what repentance is–adjusting our direction. Overcoming is synonymous with repentance. It means turning again in the right direction.)
We’re not out on the road by ourselves. Jesus has overcome the world. So may we.
Notice this passage in the First Epistle: “You dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
The “them” in this passage includes evil spirits and false prophets. I think it would be legitimate to say it means the forces of evil. “You dear children are from God and have overcome the forces of evil because the one who is in you is greater than the evil one.”
No worries. Be happy.
What does it mean in our experience? How do we live this overcoming?
1. Overcoming means we actually make a choice. We say yes to Jesus. We point our faces in the right direction.
For the thief on the cross overcoming meant literally turning toward his fellow thief and telling him to shut up and turning toward Jesus and making a request: Lord, remember me when you come in your kingdom. (Luke 23:39-43).
For Nicodemus it meant speaking up in Jesus’ defense in the hostile Sanhedrin. John 7:50.
For Naaman, it meant dunking in the Jordan River. 2 Kings 5.
For some nameless young lad, it meant giving Jesus his lunch. John 6.
For Mary, it meant dumping perfume on Jesus’ feet. John 12
For each person the specifics vary. Overcoming means moving, reorienting.
What is Jesus calling you to do? His work was to bring light, hope, healing to people. What can you do to cooperate with Jesus in that work?
Manage your money to avoid debt and stress and make available a few dollars to giving to others?
Change the habits at your house so your children regularly hear a bed time story or regularly get some exercise?
Get rid of juice and soda from your house?
Get help to overcome an addition–alcohol, anger, pornography?
Speaking up when Jesus is misrepresented by Christians who portray him as angry, vengeful and harsh.
What are you overcoming? What is the barrier to moving with Jesus in a good direction? The Devil, someone may say. I think the way we experience it more often is inertia. We don’t move forward with Jesus because it’s so hard to let go of what we are already doing. We tend to keep doing what we have been doing.
Overcoming means making a change. Change is hard. Change is possible. The message of Revelation is that Jesus sees his people as overcomers. Jesus believes you can do it. He will help you.
2. Overcoming means living in a community of people who are friends of Jesus. These friends help one another see the road and make the corrections in direction.
Awhile back I was visiting with a counselor. He made an observation about the way I engage with life (or don’t) that totally shocked me. I questioned him to make sure I understood what he just said. Sure enough, I had understood. He was flatly contradicting something that I was sure of. I was tempted to dismiss what he said, but Karin has told me the same thing. So has my daughter, Bonnie.
How they could all be so wrong?! (Of course, I know better than to say this out loud.) :-)
Part of overcoming means living in the community of Jesus and allowing Jesus to speak to us through the people around us. I would have never even considered making any change in this area of my life had not three different people, all Christians, pointed out the fact that I was headed for the ditch. I couldn’t see it. They could.
What is God saying to you through the people around you?
Just this week I received an email from one of my sisters about a couple of girls brought into the hospital where she works. One of them died. The other is still recovering. From a beating they received at home.
The parents are Christians. They are home schoolers. If you ask the parents, my guess is they would explain they were simply following the Bible counsel to spare the rod and spoil the child. I think others would see they had problems with anger. These girls’ failure to perform up to standards infuriated the parents. So they beat them. And killed them.
Do you have a problem with anger? Of course, not! When you get angry, it’s always for good reason. At least that’s the way it seems to you. But what does your spouse say? What do the people you work with say? What do your children say?
Don’t dismiss the input other people give you. Let God talk to your through them. Then make a correction. Become an overcomer
You do not have to stay trapped in the tangle of anger. There are ways out. And Jesus wants you to experience that victory. Not because Jesus won’t love you if you are constantly getting angry. Not because Jesus won’t love you if you say a few choice words. Jesus wants you to step out of the swamp of anger because he wants you to experience freedom. And he has some loving he needs you to do and the anger is getting in the way.
Do not settle for the excuse that being angry is“just the way you are.” Sure it is rooted deep in your identity. Sure you have good reasons for getting angry. Sure there is probably a genetic component. Still Jesus invites you to experience the joy of victory. He has some rich promises for you, to offer you encouragement.
Go for it. Get the help you need. Discover the joy and satisfaction of living beyond the hair trigger temper that has been disrupting your life for so long. Jesus has good things in mind for you. He sees you as an overcomer.
There is special category of overcoming for parents. As parents we want the best for our kids. We give them advice and rules and discipline. The best gift we can give them beyond affection is overcoming. As we shape our lives to be more in tune with mission of God, our kids will pick that up.
My mother had a deadly fear of water. I never knew it until I was in my late teens. She sent all of us to swimming lessons. She encouraged my dad when he was planning to purchase a boat. All of us kids are avid swimmers. Mom helped step higher.
My dad was the first in his family to graduate from college. Most of his kids have doctorates. He set a new pattern. All of us have weaknesses and habits that come from our family of origin. Jesus invites us to imagine a better future for our kids and to take any steps we can to set them up for a better life. So parents, to you especially, I extend the call of Jesus: Be overcomers. Just be sure you require far more of yourself than you do of your kids.
Now for everyone: The Book of Revelation pictures you as an overcomer, as someone dressed in the white robe of victory. So step into the picture.
Of course, there will be a struggle. That’s okay. Of course, sometimes you may be discouraged. That’s natural. Keeping turning your attention back to the picture Jesus has painted in Revelation. Overcomers. That’s us. Overcomer. That’s you.
A footnote. Sometimes, overcoming means just hanging on. It is not a change. Just remaining faithful is sufficient. (Revelation 2:25) But that is another sermon.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Friends of God
Jesus was crazy busy taking care of people. He loved his work.
He also enjoyed down time and the hospitality of friends. Lazarus, Martha and Mary are a prime example of this. See Luke 10:38ff, John 11 and 12.
The twelve disciples and most others associated with Jesus were focused on his role as rabbi, Master, Lord. This made them disciples, students, servants, employees, assistants, subordinates.
Lazarus, Martha and Mary were friends. Jesus liked hanging at their house.
In John 13-15, Jesus calls his disciples to move beyond mere "servanthood" as valuable as that is, to friendship.
In Revelation 3:19, this invitation to friendship is universalized. Jesus is pictured seeking intimacy with all.
Friendship with God confers privileges. We can argue with him like Moses and Abraham did. (They are the only two individuals in the OT specifically called friends of God.)
Friendship also confers privileges on God. God is free to count on his friends in wild and dramatic ways. For example Job--a favorite of God--was God's second in a dual with the devil! And Lazarus is deliberately allowed to die and his sisters are deliberately bereaved -- to show God's glory and Jesus' power.
A final responsibility/privilege of friends of God is to push God toward greater mercy. Moses and Abraham argued with God against his wrath and in favor of his mercy. They won their arguments and made God look good.
Jonah and James and John argued for greater severity. They also lost their arguments (God still looked good. He still exercised mercy.) But these "friends" ended up looking like chumps and fools.
This is something Christians should think about if they are inclined to wax vehement in their condemnation of their favorite bogeymen--homosexuals, liberals, evolutionists, unwed mothers, Hollywood producers, Muslims, New Age types, etc. There is, of course, a place for convictions about what is true and wise. Vehement condemnations of "those people" people we think are utterly unlike ourselves is unbecoming for a friend of God.
So Jesus is seeking friendship with us. We can cultivate that friendship through trust and obedience, through arguing, through joyful communion, through prayer, study, meditation, through healing, compassion and generosity.
If we seek him, we are cooperating with him in the pursuit of what he wants most from people.
He also enjoyed down time and the hospitality of friends. Lazarus, Martha and Mary are a prime example of this. See Luke 10:38ff, John 11 and 12.
The twelve disciples and most others associated with Jesus were focused on his role as rabbi, Master, Lord. This made them disciples, students, servants, employees, assistants, subordinates.
Lazarus, Martha and Mary were friends. Jesus liked hanging at their house.
In John 13-15, Jesus calls his disciples to move beyond mere "servanthood" as valuable as that is, to friendship.
In Revelation 3:19, this invitation to friendship is universalized. Jesus is pictured seeking intimacy with all.
Friendship with God confers privileges. We can argue with him like Moses and Abraham did. (They are the only two individuals in the OT specifically called friends of God.)
Friendship also confers privileges on God. God is free to count on his friends in wild and dramatic ways. For example Job--a favorite of God--was God's second in a dual with the devil! And Lazarus is deliberately allowed to die and his sisters are deliberately bereaved -- to show God's glory and Jesus' power.
A final responsibility/privilege of friends of God is to push God toward greater mercy. Moses and Abraham argued with God against his wrath and in favor of his mercy. They won their arguments and made God look good.
Jonah and James and John argued for greater severity. They also lost their arguments (God still looked good. He still exercised mercy.) But these "friends" ended up looking like chumps and fools.
This is something Christians should think about if they are inclined to wax vehement in their condemnation of their favorite bogeymen--homosexuals, liberals, evolutionists, unwed mothers, Hollywood producers, Muslims, New Age types, etc. There is, of course, a place for convictions about what is true and wise. Vehement condemnations of "those people" people we think are utterly unlike ourselves is unbecoming for a friend of God.
So Jesus is seeking friendship with us. We can cultivate that friendship through trust and obedience, through arguing, through joyful communion, through prayer, study, meditation, through healing, compassion and generosity.
If we seek him, we are cooperating with him in the pursuit of what he wants most from people.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Unremarkable Births
Although the world was made through him, the world didn’t recognize him when he came. Even in his own land and among his own people, he was not accepted. But to all who believed him and accepted him he gave the right to become children of God. They are children born not from human desire and plan. They are born of God. John1:10-13
Born of God. That’s a sweet picture isn’t it? What does it mean?
In the Gospel of John, “Born of God,” “born again,” and “born from above” are used interchangeably. They are different ways of saying the same thing. What do they mean?
Consider the story of Nicodemus.
Nicodemus was a Pharisee. That means he believed in angels and miracles. He believed in the resurrection of the dead at the last day. He believed in sexual purity and the careful instruction of children in the way of holiness.
Nicodemus was not just a run-of-the-mill Pharisee. He was the leading conservative Jewish Bible scholar of the time. People referred to him as “the teacher of Israel.”
He visited Jesus one night fairly early in Jesus’ ministry. Because he came at night, we know he was not there to show off his erudition to the crowd. He wasn’t coming to try to trip Jesus up with clever questions. Nicodemus was there on a personal mission.
“Rabbi,” he said to Jesus, “we know you are a teacher from God because no one could do the miracles you’ve been doing except by the power of God.”
Jesus responded very curiously, “Unless you are born again (or “born from above,” the Greek allows for either or both translations) you cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Most Bible scholars understand these words of Jesus to be a challenge. Nicodemus was a Bible expert. He was a sincere religious man. He had probably been devout his entire life. Still he craved something more. He came to see Jesus and before he could even get into a discussion, Jesus pinpointed his deepest hunger, his greatest need. It was something so fundamental the best way to describe it was “new birth” or “birth from above.” “You need to be born again.” Jesus said. “You need to be converted.”
If you were going to make a movie about Nicodemus “rebirth” what would it look like?
When Paul was born again, he quit killing Christians.
When Erwin McMannus, a famous preacher in Los Angeles was born again, he gave up gang banging and became a preacher.
When Zaccheaus was born again, he gave away half his wealth and he quit ripping people off.
You could easily show those kinds of changes in a movie. How would you show Nicodemus’ new birth? What would change?
He already went to church every week.
He studied the Bible every day.
He told the truth.
He was generous with his money.
He was faithful to his wife.
What would change if Nicodemus was “born again?”
Nicodemus responded to Jesus’ words about being born again by asking, “How can this be? How can a man reenter his mother’s womb?”
Nicodemus knew Jesus was not talking literally, but he could not see how to experience what Jesus was talking about.
In reply, Jesus said a few words about the work of the Holy Spirit. Still Nicodemus didn’t get it. “How can this be?” he asked again. And that’s the last we know that Nicodemus said in this interview.
Jesus went on to talk about dying for the sins of the world, about saving the world instead of condemning it. But there is no record of any other comment by Nicodemus. We cannot even tell for sure that Jesus is still talking to Nicodemus or if John is inserting here things he heard Jesus say in another context. Nicodemus just disappears.
As far as we can tell nothing external changed in Nicodemus' life after that evening he visited Jesus. If that evening marked his "rebirth," it was a very unremarkable birth.
The next time Nicodemus shows up in John’s story is in chapter 7. The chief priests have sent police officers to arrest Jesus. The officers head off to the temple where Jesus is teaching. After a long while they come back empty-handed.
The chief priests are surprised and angry. “Why didn’t you bring him in?” they demanded.
The guards answered, “No one every spoke like this man.”
“You mean he has deceived you, too? Look, has any of the rulers or Bible scholars believed in him? No! The only people taken in by him are the gullible crowd. They know nothing of the Bible. They are under a curse!”
All of this back and forth is happening in the chamber of the Sanhedrin, the supreme Jewish council. It was kind of a combination Congress and Supreme Court. The chief priests made it clear they had already made up their minds about this guy, Jesus. They were against him.
Nicodemus was a member of the council. Apparently, an influential member. After all this negative talk about Jesus, he finally spoke up. “Does our law condemn someone before first hearing him? Shouldn’t we reserve judgment until we have had the chance to hear from him directly?”
The chief priests turn on Nicodemus with scorn. “Are you one of those ignorant Galileans, too? Come on, you know the Messiah does not come from Galilee.”
Nicodemus was still a member of the Sanhedrin. He was still a Pharisee. As far as we know, he did not go hear Jesus preach. He did not travel around with Jesus. He was not a Christian.
He just spoke up, when Jesus was being condemned in absentia. And then disappears again from the story.
Is this "rebirth?" If so, it is still rather unremarkable.
The last time Nicodemus is mentioned in Jesus’ story, Jesus is dead. Late in the afternoon he was crucified, Joseph of Arimathea, another member of the Sanhedrin, had secured special permission from the Roman governor to bury Jesus. Then together, these two wealthy, powerful men, Nicodemus and Joseph, buried Jesus with the honors befitting a great man.
Is this proof Nicodemus was born again?
The fact is, there is no particular event in Nicodemus life that would count as a “conversion,” as an a “born again event.”
John wrote his book many years after Jesus had died and risen. The fact that he mentions Nicodemus by name three times in his story shows his high regard for the old Pharisee. John regarded Nicodemus as part of Jesus’ story, part of the church’s story.
Nicodemus story can help us understand what it means to be “born again.” For some people, being born again, is a dramatic, one time event. For others it is a life-long habit of turning toward God.
For Nicodemus, being born again was like a plant that slowly reorients itself toward the sun that streams through a south window. From one day to the next you can hardly tell the difference. But if you notice the plant in November, then look at it again in February, the turning is obvious.
Dramatic conversions do happen. And the church rightly celebrates them.
The church also rightly honors converted people whose conversions are not dramatic events, people whose conversions are as natural and gradual as the plant turning toward the sun.
What does it mean to be born again? It means to orient my life toward Jesus.
Our birth gives us our identity. I am the son of a southern gentleman and a California girl. A few decades ago I had a college roommate named Ebenezer Nwanko. His birth made him a Nigerian.
Another of my roommates was Finnish, another an Indian from Uganda.
When we are born again, born from above, we take on a new identity. We become citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. We become sons and daughters of God.
Even if you experienced a dramatic event in your life with God, living into the fullness of this new birth, this new identity, takes the entirety of our lives.
No matter where you are today, you can experience being born from above by turning toward Jesus. If you are facing some other direction, then your experience will be marked by change, maybe even great change. If you are already oriented toward Jesus, conversion means renewing your attention. It means deliberately, intentionally focusing your mind on the teachings, the example of Jesus. It means inviting Jesus, again, to fill you with his Spirit, to employ you in his service. It means appreciating afresh God’s warmth and glory as revealed in the person of Jesus and available to you through his Spirit.
When Nicodemus went to see Jesus at night, he was experiencing new birth. He was turning toward the light.
When Nicodemus spoke up in the council, he was experiencing new birth. He was acting out of new identity that made him more than merely a guardian of the religious traditions of his people–as good as those were. He was acting as an agent of the Kingdom of Heaven.
When Nicodemus showed up to bury Jesus, he was moving still more fully into the new identity he was receiving from above. He stubbornly asserted his solidarity with Jesus even in the face of the blackness of death.
We, too, no matter what our present position, can point our faces toward the glory of God and experience for today, birth a second time, birth from above.
Born of God. That’s a sweet picture isn’t it? What does it mean?
In the Gospel of John, “Born of God,” “born again,” and “born from above” are used interchangeably. They are different ways of saying the same thing. What do they mean?
Consider the story of Nicodemus.
Nicodemus was a Pharisee. That means he believed in angels and miracles. He believed in the resurrection of the dead at the last day. He believed in sexual purity and the careful instruction of children in the way of holiness.
Nicodemus was not just a run-of-the-mill Pharisee. He was the leading conservative Jewish Bible scholar of the time. People referred to him as “the teacher of Israel.”
He visited Jesus one night fairly early in Jesus’ ministry. Because he came at night, we know he was not there to show off his erudition to the crowd. He wasn’t coming to try to trip Jesus up with clever questions. Nicodemus was there on a personal mission.
“Rabbi,” he said to Jesus, “we know you are a teacher from God because no one could do the miracles you’ve been doing except by the power of God.”
Jesus responded very curiously, “Unless you are born again (or “born from above,” the Greek allows for either or both translations) you cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Most Bible scholars understand these words of Jesus to be a challenge. Nicodemus was a Bible expert. He was a sincere religious man. He had probably been devout his entire life. Still he craved something more. He came to see Jesus and before he could even get into a discussion, Jesus pinpointed his deepest hunger, his greatest need. It was something so fundamental the best way to describe it was “new birth” or “birth from above.” “You need to be born again.” Jesus said. “You need to be converted.”
If you were going to make a movie about Nicodemus “rebirth” what would it look like?
When Paul was born again, he quit killing Christians.
When Erwin McMannus, a famous preacher in Los Angeles was born again, he gave up gang banging and became a preacher.
When Zaccheaus was born again, he gave away half his wealth and he quit ripping people off.
You could easily show those kinds of changes in a movie. How would you show Nicodemus’ new birth? What would change?
He already went to church every week.
He studied the Bible every day.
He told the truth.
He was generous with his money.
He was faithful to his wife.
What would change if Nicodemus was “born again?”
Nicodemus responded to Jesus’ words about being born again by asking, “How can this be? How can a man reenter his mother’s womb?”
Nicodemus knew Jesus was not talking literally, but he could not see how to experience what Jesus was talking about.
In reply, Jesus said a few words about the work of the Holy Spirit. Still Nicodemus didn’t get it. “How can this be?” he asked again. And that’s the last we know that Nicodemus said in this interview.
Jesus went on to talk about dying for the sins of the world, about saving the world instead of condemning it. But there is no record of any other comment by Nicodemus. We cannot even tell for sure that Jesus is still talking to Nicodemus or if John is inserting here things he heard Jesus say in another context. Nicodemus just disappears.
As far as we can tell nothing external changed in Nicodemus' life after that evening he visited Jesus. If that evening marked his "rebirth," it was a very unremarkable birth.
The next time Nicodemus shows up in John’s story is in chapter 7. The chief priests have sent police officers to arrest Jesus. The officers head off to the temple where Jesus is teaching. After a long while they come back empty-handed.
The chief priests are surprised and angry. “Why didn’t you bring him in?” they demanded.
The guards answered, “No one every spoke like this man.”
“You mean he has deceived you, too? Look, has any of the rulers or Bible scholars believed in him? No! The only people taken in by him are the gullible crowd. They know nothing of the Bible. They are under a curse!”
All of this back and forth is happening in the chamber of the Sanhedrin, the supreme Jewish council. It was kind of a combination Congress and Supreme Court. The chief priests made it clear they had already made up their minds about this guy, Jesus. They were against him.
Nicodemus was a member of the council. Apparently, an influential member. After all this negative talk about Jesus, he finally spoke up. “Does our law condemn someone before first hearing him? Shouldn’t we reserve judgment until we have had the chance to hear from him directly?”
The chief priests turn on Nicodemus with scorn. “Are you one of those ignorant Galileans, too? Come on, you know the Messiah does not come from Galilee.”
Nicodemus was still a member of the Sanhedrin. He was still a Pharisee. As far as we know, he did not go hear Jesus preach. He did not travel around with Jesus. He was not a Christian.
He just spoke up, when Jesus was being condemned in absentia. And then disappears again from the story.
Is this "rebirth?" If so, it is still rather unremarkable.
The last time Nicodemus is mentioned in Jesus’ story, Jesus is dead. Late in the afternoon he was crucified, Joseph of Arimathea, another member of the Sanhedrin, had secured special permission from the Roman governor to bury Jesus. Then together, these two wealthy, powerful men, Nicodemus and Joseph, buried Jesus with the honors befitting a great man.
Is this proof Nicodemus was born again?
The fact is, there is no particular event in Nicodemus life that would count as a “conversion,” as an a “born again event.”
John wrote his book many years after Jesus had died and risen. The fact that he mentions Nicodemus by name three times in his story shows his high regard for the old Pharisee. John regarded Nicodemus as part of Jesus’ story, part of the church’s story.
Nicodemus story can help us understand what it means to be “born again.” For some people, being born again, is a dramatic, one time event. For others it is a life-long habit of turning toward God.
For Nicodemus, being born again was like a plant that slowly reorients itself toward the sun that streams through a south window. From one day to the next you can hardly tell the difference. But if you notice the plant in November, then look at it again in February, the turning is obvious.
Dramatic conversions do happen. And the church rightly celebrates them.
The church also rightly honors converted people whose conversions are not dramatic events, people whose conversions are as natural and gradual as the plant turning toward the sun.
What does it mean to be born again? It means to orient my life toward Jesus.
Our birth gives us our identity. I am the son of a southern gentleman and a California girl. A few decades ago I had a college roommate named Ebenezer Nwanko. His birth made him a Nigerian.
Another of my roommates was Finnish, another an Indian from Uganda.
When we are born again, born from above, we take on a new identity. We become citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. We become sons and daughters of God.
Even if you experienced a dramatic event in your life with God, living into the fullness of this new birth, this new identity, takes the entirety of our lives.
No matter where you are today, you can experience being born from above by turning toward Jesus. If you are facing some other direction, then your experience will be marked by change, maybe even great change. If you are already oriented toward Jesus, conversion means renewing your attention. It means deliberately, intentionally focusing your mind on the teachings, the example of Jesus. It means inviting Jesus, again, to fill you with his Spirit, to employ you in his service. It means appreciating afresh God’s warmth and glory as revealed in the person of Jesus and available to you through his Spirit.
When Nicodemus went to see Jesus at night, he was experiencing new birth. He was turning toward the light.
When Nicodemus spoke up in the council, he was experiencing new birth. He was acting out of new identity that made him more than merely a guardian of the religious traditions of his people–as good as those were. He was acting as an agent of the Kingdom of Heaven.
When Nicodemus showed up to bury Jesus, he was moving still more fully into the new identity he was receiving from above. He stubbornly asserted his solidarity with Jesus even in the face of the blackness of death.
We, too, no matter what our present position, can point our faces toward the glory of God and experience for today, birth a second time, birth from above.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Is It Hard to Be Saved?
(The audio version of this sermon has significant content not included in this text version.)
Melissa has known for years her husband has been cheating on her. She has tried everything she can think of to win his loyal affection, but it’s never been enough. Finally, she sat down with a counselor and poured out her story ending with the question, “What can I do to make him love me?”
The answer is: Nothing. You cannot make someone love you. You cannot win the affection of someone who isn’t a lover.
For many of us, this is a picture of our spiritual life. God is like a hard-hearted husband, and we are the desperate woman. We’ve spent years trying to win the approval of a God who is unpleasable. We have desperately longed for a salvation that was always beyond our grasp.
If “salvation” is synonymous with God’s approval, the bad news is, you can never earn it. The good news is, you already have it. The mere fact of being born brings you into God’s favor. God takes pleasure in your existence. Being alive puts you in God’s favor. You cannot earn it which is an unimportant fact since you don’t have to earn it. It’s yours because of who God is.
So is it hard to be saved? Is it hard to earn God’s favor? No.
There are, however, other meanings of the word “saved.”
In Luke 18, Jesus gives sight to a blind man, then says, “Your faith as saved you.” In this story, “saved” equals being healed of blindness.
In Acts 27, “saved” means “not drowning.”
In Matthew 10:22, “saved” means being welcomed into the kingdom of God at the end of the age.
“Saved” means moving from a place of darkness, pain and unease into a place of light, strength and joy. It means moving from miserable chaos to happy order, from guilt to righteousness.
And that is hard. Why? Because to enter the good place God has for us requires us to let go of the place that we now have in our grasp.
Is it hard to lose weight? No. It’s easy. All you have to do is eat fewer calories than you burn.
Try telling that to Bill. He needed to lose a hundred pounds. He spent a fortune on “products” with no noticeable results. He tried four different diet plans. Still one hundred pounds to go. He went to Weight Watchers for a year. Friends prayed over him. Still a hundred pounds too much. He finally had bariatric surgery. He’s hoping this will make the difference.
So is losing weight hard or easy? It depends on whether you are asking a biological or human question. Biologically losing weight is easy. If Bill was a rat, we could put him in a cage, decrease the available calories until the net effect of his eating and metabolism produced the proper weight. However, you ask the human question: Is weight loss easy or hard, the answer is that losing weight is the hardest thing Bill has ever attempted.
If salvation means moving from a dangerous place to a safe place, salvation is hard. Just ask Bill.
Years ago, visited a water park with a group of kids. Following some of my kids, I climbed the steps to the top of a water slide. When I finally reached the top and looked down, I froze. I would have simply climbed back down but the stairs were full of kids. I scrunched over to the side and allowed several kids to go past me as I tried to work up my courage to let go. The slide appeared to drop straight down. I was terrified. My rational mind insisted it could be dangerous. The water park’s insurance policy would not tolerate anything that was truly death-dealing. However, to my eyes it appeared that I was looking down at certain death.
I looked longingly at the beautiful blue pool at the bottom of the slide. That’s where I wanted to be. Now, was it easy to get there? If you are asking a physics question, the answer is an unequivocal yes. All I had to do was let go. Gravity would take of the rest and within a second or two I would be out of torment resting in the pleasant lagoon at the bottom of the slide.
However, if you ask a human question, getting to the bottom of the slide was agonizingly difficult.
It’s this kind of appreciation for the human condition that lies behind the stories and statements in the Bible that describe salvation as “hard.” It is hard, because it involves us letting go of what we possess, letting go of the place where we are and yielding to forces greater than ourselves. This is scary and difficult.
If God said otherwise, we would justifiably disbelieve him.
In Matthew 7, Jesus exhorts his disciples: Strive to make it through the narrow gate. The way to destruction is wide and easy. The way to life is narrow and hard.
Hebrews 12:14 reads, “Make every effort to live in peace and to be holy.” “Effort” by definition is hard, strenuous, difficult, contrary to ease and relaxation.
These passages do not tell us that God is the frowning, never-to-be-pleased authority, scrutinizing our performance for damnable errors. Rather they are the realistic coaching that is called for by the human condition.
This “human condition” is not necessarily “evil.” That is, our resistance to “salvation” to a move from a place that is less ideal to a better place is not necessarily rooted in rebelliousness or greed or hatred or lust. Rather, by “human condition” I refer to the natural condition of all things to remain as they are. Doing something new requires effort whether that something new is adopting an exercise program, quitting smoking, starting a daily time of prayer, getting baptized, practicing gratitude or using a new calendar program. When you add to inertia other elements of the human condition–sinfulness, weakness, ignorance–then it is really obvious why getting “saved,” i.e. moving into the fullness of life God intends for us is hard.
These Bible passages (and others) offer assurance that when we find yielding to God, cooperating with God, obeying God difficult, we have not come across evidence of some bizarre root of evil in us. Rather, these passages assure us that we are right where God expected us to be. Struggle and effort are normal elements in righteous living. They are inescapable elements of holy, healthy, happy living.
One of the reasons we go to church is encourage one another to keep on with the struggle. We are not alone. We are not freakish in our discovery that doing right is difficult. We are part of the family of God. Together we celebrate the wonderful news that we already enjoy God’s favor. We celebrate the growth and positive movement in our lives. We lament together our failings and stumblings, then assure each other that the narrow gate is still reachable. The skinny road is still walkable. Ahead, through the skinny gate, we see the broad smile of God, cheering his children on.
Melissa has known for years her husband has been cheating on her. She has tried everything she can think of to win his loyal affection, but it’s never been enough. Finally, she sat down with a counselor and poured out her story ending with the question, “What can I do to make him love me?”
The answer is: Nothing. You cannot make someone love you. You cannot win the affection of someone who isn’t a lover.
For many of us, this is a picture of our spiritual life. God is like a hard-hearted husband, and we are the desperate woman. We’ve spent years trying to win the approval of a God who is unpleasable. We have desperately longed for a salvation that was always beyond our grasp.
If “salvation” is synonymous with God’s approval, the bad news is, you can never earn it. The good news is, you already have it. The mere fact of being born brings you into God’s favor. God takes pleasure in your existence. Being alive puts you in God’s favor. You cannot earn it which is an unimportant fact since you don’t have to earn it. It’s yours because of who God is.
So is it hard to be saved? Is it hard to earn God’s favor? No.
There are, however, other meanings of the word “saved.”
In Luke 18, Jesus gives sight to a blind man, then says, “Your faith as saved you.” In this story, “saved” equals being healed of blindness.
In Acts 27, “saved” means “not drowning.”
In Matthew 10:22, “saved” means being welcomed into the kingdom of God at the end of the age.
“Saved” means moving from a place of darkness, pain and unease into a place of light, strength and joy. It means moving from miserable chaos to happy order, from guilt to righteousness.
And that is hard. Why? Because to enter the good place God has for us requires us to let go of the place that we now have in our grasp.
Is it hard to lose weight? No. It’s easy. All you have to do is eat fewer calories than you burn.
Try telling that to Bill. He needed to lose a hundred pounds. He spent a fortune on “products” with no noticeable results. He tried four different diet plans. Still one hundred pounds to go. He went to Weight Watchers for a year. Friends prayed over him. Still a hundred pounds too much. He finally had bariatric surgery. He’s hoping this will make the difference.
So is losing weight hard or easy? It depends on whether you are asking a biological or human question. Biologically losing weight is easy. If Bill was a rat, we could put him in a cage, decrease the available calories until the net effect of his eating and metabolism produced the proper weight. However, you ask the human question: Is weight loss easy or hard, the answer is that losing weight is the hardest thing Bill has ever attempted.
If salvation means moving from a dangerous place to a safe place, salvation is hard. Just ask Bill.
Years ago, visited a water park with a group of kids. Following some of my kids, I climbed the steps to the top of a water slide. When I finally reached the top and looked down, I froze. I would have simply climbed back down but the stairs were full of kids. I scrunched over to the side and allowed several kids to go past me as I tried to work up my courage to let go. The slide appeared to drop straight down. I was terrified. My rational mind insisted it could be dangerous. The water park’s insurance policy would not tolerate anything that was truly death-dealing. However, to my eyes it appeared that I was looking down at certain death.
I looked longingly at the beautiful blue pool at the bottom of the slide. That’s where I wanted to be. Now, was it easy to get there? If you are asking a physics question, the answer is an unequivocal yes. All I had to do was let go. Gravity would take of the rest and within a second or two I would be out of torment resting in the pleasant lagoon at the bottom of the slide.
However, if you ask a human question, getting to the bottom of the slide was agonizingly difficult.
It’s this kind of appreciation for the human condition that lies behind the stories and statements in the Bible that describe salvation as “hard.” It is hard, because it involves us letting go of what we possess, letting go of the place where we are and yielding to forces greater than ourselves. This is scary and difficult.
If God said otherwise, we would justifiably disbelieve him.
In Matthew 7, Jesus exhorts his disciples: Strive to make it through the narrow gate. The way to destruction is wide and easy. The way to life is narrow and hard.
Hebrews 12:14 reads, “Make every effort to live in peace and to be holy.” “Effort” by definition is hard, strenuous, difficult, contrary to ease and relaxation.
These passages do not tell us that God is the frowning, never-to-be-pleased authority, scrutinizing our performance for damnable errors. Rather they are the realistic coaching that is called for by the human condition.
This “human condition” is not necessarily “evil.” That is, our resistance to “salvation” to a move from a place that is less ideal to a better place is not necessarily rooted in rebelliousness or greed or hatred or lust. Rather, by “human condition” I refer to the natural condition of all things to remain as they are. Doing something new requires effort whether that something new is adopting an exercise program, quitting smoking, starting a daily time of prayer, getting baptized, practicing gratitude or using a new calendar program. When you add to inertia other elements of the human condition–sinfulness, weakness, ignorance–then it is really obvious why getting “saved,” i.e. moving into the fullness of life God intends for us is hard.
These Bible passages (and others) offer assurance that when we find yielding to God, cooperating with God, obeying God difficult, we have not come across evidence of some bizarre root of evil in us. Rather, these passages assure us that we are right where God expected us to be. Struggle and effort are normal elements in righteous living. They are inescapable elements of holy, healthy, happy living.
One of the reasons we go to church is encourage one another to keep on with the struggle. We are not alone. We are not freakish in our discovery that doing right is difficult. We are part of the family of God. Together we celebrate the wonderful news that we already enjoy God’s favor. We celebrate the growth and positive movement in our lives. We lament together our failings and stumblings, then assure each other that the narrow gate is still reachable. The skinny road is still walkable. Ahead, through the skinny gate, we see the broad smile of God, cheering his children on.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
