Christmas For the Lonely

Christmas is a joyous time for some and a grievous time for others.  I'm not sure if I'll even say it's a joyous time for "most" and a grievous time for "some", because it seems that there are enough who hurt during this season that the split seems more and more even.

Several reasons are to blame for the latter's pain.  First, Christmas is a family celebration, and while many have family with which to celebrate, some of them are still haunted by the memories of lost loved ones during this time, be it a parent, a sibling, or a child.  Then there are those who have no family with which to celebrate the holiday.  While all of the pageantry surrounding the holiday is constantly advertising family time, those without are only ever reminded of their void.  Secondly, related to the first, some have family but past vocalized paranoias, hateful words, and (seemingly) unavoidable drama have ran a wedge between those connected by blood.  Those who were at one time loved ones have now become avoided ones, although the tears drummed up when the subject is broached proves that the love isn't gone -- just pain has been added.  Thirdly, the holiday season is so entrenched in the cultural celebrations that the real reason is at worst unknown to some and at best an agenda to others.  In other words some are completely unaware of "the reason for the season", and others claim to know it but their legalistic recitation of "Keep Christ in Christmas" is more an agenda than a celebration.  So the idea of Immanuel ("God with us"), itself the hope of Christmas, is never allowed time to sink in for the lost.  The holiday becomes all about the cultural and social celebration, and never about Jesus.

Many feel the pain of having to endure the holidays from the sidelines.  The movies show Christmas sideliners have "happy endings", but in real life the happy ending is only when the season is over.  But there is hope.  Let me offer five (hopefully) encouraging truths:

1.  God sees you.  

Though everyone else's celebrations, meals, giving and receiving of gifts, and posted online pictures may make you feel invisible, know one thing: You're not invisible.  God sees you.  The God of the Bible has His eyes in every place so that even if one tries to hide, they can not (Jeremiah 23:23-24). "Where shall I go from your Spirit?  Where shall I flee from your presence?  If ascend to heaven, you are there!  If I make my bed in Sheol you are there!" (Ps. 139:7-8).  You may feel alone, but you are not.  Though every other face be turned away from you, there is one face that won't be.  He sees you and He know you.

2. God promises to be near to you.

If #1 above was left alone it would convey the idea that God is a security guard who watches us from his heavenly office via security camera.  That isn't the case.  He sees because He's here.  Matthew's Gospel account begins with the promise that the child to be born will be called Immanuel (which means "God with us", Matt. 1:23); Matthew then ends with the risen Jesus telling His disciples He'll be with them until the end of the age (28:20).  For you who are sitting lonely and broken, hear the hope from the Psalmist: "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit" (34:15).  Let these words sink in.  Brokenness doesn't make one unattractive to God, but more attractive.  He's looking for the broken, and He'll even allow brokenness as a means to draw one to Himself (because in our dullness, that's what is often required to draw us!)  Allow your brokenness to draw you near Him.

3. The Kingdom belongs to such as you. 

In one of my favorite quotes from the Lord Jesus, He says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:3).  The Kingdom of God is His reign through His Son, experienced presently by those with faith and one day in fullness by all who are His.  It is Jesus' Kingdom, and yet, if you are the broken calling on Him for help and grace, it is yours.  What an incredible promise.  Don't pull yourself up by your bootstraps.  Recognize your bootstraps are broken and ask Jesus to make you a new creation.  He will.  As gifts are given this season, know that by faith in Him all spiritual blessings are presently yours (Eph. 1:3), as an eternal inheritance of riches is waiting for you to take hold of one day when He returns (1 Pet. 1:4-5).

4. God came for you.

In the film the Day After Tomorrow (SPOILER ALERT -- although if you have cable surely you've seen it by now) Jake Gyllenhaal is stuck in a New York library study by a fireplace during a sudden ice age, waiting with his friends for his climatologist dad (Dennis Quaid) to come pick him up and save him.  After many days and many deaths, dad shows up, they embrace (ow, I just got something in my eye) and son says, "You came", to which dad responds, "Of course I did!"  

In our brokenness, sinfulness, and hopelessness, God didn't just let us die.  In Christ, He came.  And not only did He come, but He stayed until His work was finished (John 19:30).  And He left His Spirit to those who look to Him for life.  Let your loneliness drive you to faith.  He's promised He'll send His Spirit to us if we ask Him (Luke 11:13), and His Spirit is the Spirit of comfort (Acts 9:31).  He came for you once, and He'll come for you again.

Don't be embittered this holiday season by everyone else's joyful experience though you might be overpowered by your loneliness.  Let the joy of others be your joy.  "Rejoice with those who rejoice" (Rom. 12:15).  I'm excited to see immediate family in about a week, some whom I haven't seen in a year and a half and others for two years.  I'm blessed and I know it.  Will you rejoice with me?  I'm mourning with you today.  

Infinitely more importantly, the Lord mourns with you.  And the most important part of that last sentence is the last two words: With you.  He isn't far off, and you don't have to be alone.  Perhaps this could be the holiday season where you experience for the first time the true meaning of Christmas: In Christ God came, and that to seek and save the lost, to comfort the brokenhearted, and to give new life to the dead.   It's Satan's will for you to play dead this season; but it's God's will for you to have life in Him ... and life abundantly.  Receive the gift!  You're not alone -- God is with us.

Everybody Talk and Nobody Listen

(the title is taken from the lyrics of a Lifehouse song)

21^st century Western culture elevates progress, "advancements" of every kind, and individualism.  That being the case, when a person sees his or her self as part of a humanity that is by definition better than it has ever been, their opinions will be the best ones, with any opposing position being a stupid one worthy of condemnation.  In other words, the age of reason, for all of its good, has made us more proud than we’ve ever been.  Being proud, we love to arrive at conclusions quickly (based on immediately what seems right), put them out there to the world arrogantly, and then respond hatefully when challenged.  We also love to sit behind computer screens and wait for others to put their opinions out there so we can either passionately agree or passionately disagree (and both in haste).

Why does no one ever question his or her self?  I do.  I never trust myself.  I’m questioning myself right now as I’m typing.  You might say I’m over-thinking and being too critical of self.  But maybe you’re under-thinking and not being critical enough of yourself.  I'll unapologetically say that I think I know the Truth about where humanity has come from, where it is going, how humanity will get there, what is wrong us, and what needs to change.  But I only think I know it because it was given me by a God of grace and truth.  I’ve only received truth – I never figured it out (1 Cor. 4:7, 1 Jn. 5:20).  In receiving said truth, there are many facets to it about which I could be wrong.  Thus incredible busy-ness is a convenient (and true) excuse for not blogging more often, when in reality it is nice to not have to worry about throwing my point of view into the Lion’s Den (another word for social media).

Some say all we need is more love and acceptance.  But where does it stop?  Does it stop with murderers and terrorism?  Should we accept and embrace that?  Others say we need more hard truth and repentance.  But does that mean we shouldn’t graciously listen to others who struggle to find truth?  And why do people use any and every high-tension news story, when it’s convenient, as a lightning rod for their political or social agenda?

The problem isn’t Republicans.  Nor is it Democrats.  It isn’t conservatives or progressives.  It isn’t white people and it isn’t black people.  Nor is it religious people or secular people.  The problem is pride, and since there are none immune to it, the problem is everyone.  Pride hardens people and makes them ruthless. Pride blinds people to their need for grace and thus makes them unable to give it to others.  Pride turns people into scoffers who can’t listen to an opposing argument because the person with said argument “must have an agenda.”  Pride makes hypocrites: People who say they’re all about love end up being more hateful than their opponents, and those who say they’re all about moral rightness somehow miss the glaring inconsistencies in their own lives.  Pride elevates the mind of man to the point where he can’t see that his Creator’s rules of logic are the only reason he can think at all.  “Be not wise in your own eyes” (Prov. 3:6).  And then those who know their Creator act like their knowledge of Him was their own doing.  "No one can receive a thing unless it is given him by heaven" (Jn. 3:27).

Enter the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Jesus says that the problem isn’t with a certain kind of people – the problem is with humanity in general.  Humanity is fallen and in need of grace.  Read the New Testament Gospels -- the ones whom Jesus chastises regularly are the ones who refuse to see that all people – not just the outcasts of a then God-conscious society – are sinners in need of grace.  Man is passionate, but his passion needs renewed.  Man is morally responsible but his morality needs renewed.  Man is in God’s image, but man has warped God’s image, and needs to be made new again through God's recreating him back into His own image (John 3:3-5, Eph. 4:24).  The Gospel deals both within and without the individual – in it Jesus says, “I have to make you new, sinner, from the inside out, and I will,” while at the same time He says, “I’ve come to end the hate-race called humanity by giving myself in love for my enemies.”  If you then come to where Jesus died for sin and there die to sin you'll be welcomed in and invited into an eternity of God's love and kindness.  This Gospel is in one sense for everyone, but in another sense it is only for those who are broken (Matt. 5:3), weary (Matt. 11:28), hungry for God’s truth (Matt. 5:6), and longing for grace (Lk. 18:13).  By definition those who know Jesus in truth can’t help but maintain an attitude of humility, even if they have a natural disposition of pride like the rest of mankind.  “Whoever hopes in him purifies himself as He (Jesus) is pure” (1Jn. 3:3).  Over time, by Jesus' grace and power, they'll change to look more like Him.

We wonder why people are offended so easily.  It is because man is so turned in on himself today that his own worldview and opinions are not to be challenged or questioned.  "I'm enlightened, I've suffered, I've been through things others haven't, so therefore I'm more mature and can't be wrong."  And so he is a ticking time bomb, ready to blow when an opposing view is brought into the light.  Man is so offended because he sits on a seat of pride and sleeps on a bed of pride.  I would say Christians are the worst (because Christians should expect non-Christians to demean Christian things, so why don't we?); but the secular person is just as bad.  Socially, pride is winning.  I keep praying that Jesus continues bringing down the pride of man.  Perhaps a culture which is punching itself out in pride is His means of eventually bringing it down.  

The Pope is not so beloved because everyone considers him to be sitting on Peter's seat.  The majority of the world is not Roman Catholic, and the majority of Christians aren’t.  But the Pope is so beloved because he is an authority figure with a humble disposition.  He doesn’t seem to want to make enemies, but friends, for the sake of redeeming relationships.  “With the humble is wisdom” (Prov. 11:2).  People look to him in appreciation because he appears to have a humble wisdom. (And I don’t believe the Pope is Peter’s successor, nor do I affirm the papacy.  But my point is that people listen to those with authoritative humility, himself being a good example).

Perhaps the key to being listened to is to start listening and stop pointing.  We'd do well to stop immediately grouping everyone else into social sub-cultures without considering they are a person, too.  And as individuals we should stop assuming that all of the problems are everyone else’s fault.  Own your part in it – before you unknowingly contribute to it more.

How Can a Good God Allow Suffering?

Over the last year two factors have rendered me unable to blog very much:  First, between the months of September and May, I was in the midst of my first year of seminary, trying to fit 30 credit hours into 3 quarters, while being a full-time pastor.  Second, while having a little more time since classes ended in May, I've recently begun two more weekly preaching/teaching ministries than the usual Sunday morning and Tuesday night schedule:  A Wednesday morning study through the Gospel of Mark at a local Senior Highrise, and a new Sunday night "Dinner and Answers" ministry at church.  As you can imagine, the busy-ness has made blogging next to impossible.

My Sunday morning sermons are available online here.  I can't presently make my Sunday night teaching available through recording, so I thought it wise to blog the content of the talks.  The Sunday night ministry itself is seeking to engage skeptics and non-skeptics alike who have common questions regarding Christianity, the Bible, or just overall social issues.  We gather, eat dinner, worship, and then I give a talk on that night's topic.  We've had three meetings so far, and I'll blog the content of the second and third -- the second today, and perhaps the third (this past Sunday night) tomorrow.

How can a good God allow suffering?

I began answering this question by citing Job's response to a similar question from his wife.  Job was a righteous, godly man on whom God had inflicted an incredible amount of trial and suffering.  In the beginning of the suffering, Job seems to think back about all of the good God has richly blessed him with in the past, sure of the rightness and goodness of God's intentions.  His wife, however, seems unconvinced.  Job responds to her, "Shall we not receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" (Job 2:10). He knew that God brought both incredible blessing, and some trial.
This reveals to us that when suffering is experienced and life is incredibly difficult, we should always remember all of the good that has accompanied us the rest of the time.  Even while we sit and ponder our suffering, we are able to think, reason, breathe, etc., all at God's provision and because of His grace.

The Curse

It is also important to remember that God's creation is not in the state in which He created it.  He has put it under a curse, in response to the human race's rebellion against Him.  This is seen in Genesis 3, where the first thing that is lost is the intimate relationship between man and his God.  In this man loses his own self and identity.  Man then becomes defensive when he's held accountable, and ultimately, we find the marriage relationship losing its bliss as well (notice Adam blames Eve).  Finally the work of man's hands is made difficult.  Practically speaking, this means there isn't an easy job on planet earth.  All jobs are rife with thorns. 
Much of the suffering we experience can be connected back to what happens here in Genesis at what theologians call "the Fall".  God has willed that His creation, which has rebelled against Him, be placed under a curse, wherein suffering and hardship is essential (Gen. 3:14-19, Rom. 8:20).

Thus God is only working with a cursed creation and people who sin.  Some are under the impression (along with much ancient philosophy) that the cosmos is engaged in some comic-book style "war between good and evil/bad".  Actually this isn't true.  God's creation is not "good vs. evil/bad", but "good-gone-evil/bad".  He created it good, and then it went bad.  This is important when making distinctions between "fair" and "unfair", which inevitably comes in suffering.  If we were the ones that rebelled, trading in the truth of God for a lie (Rom. 1:22), we shouldn't expect that our categories of "fair" and "unfair" to be trustworthy.  We aren't in the seat of judgment anymore.  Rather, we are the judged.

The Flip

The best way for God to triumph over evil wouldn't just be to have the aforementioned comic-book style "good vs. evil" fight, where good wins.  The best triumph would be if He were actually to flip the purposes of evil for good in the end.  In other words, God will defeat evil not by just burying it in the ground, but by turning it upside down for good in the end.

In the Jim Carrey comedy "Fun With Dick and Jane", Carrey is Dick Harper, who works for a major corporation which endures complete liquidation because of economic recession.  Not only does he and all other workers lose their jobs, but also their pensions.  The CEO, McCallister (played by Alec Baldwin), doesn't seem to lose anything amidst the debacle, but is well-off.  Harper and his wife then resort to theft, and this makes the movie funny in that they are "nice thieves".  Sparing you all the details Harper comes to realize that McCallister had emptied out the company's pension plans before the liquidation into his own account.  Harper then hatches a plan to sneak into McCallister's bank and steal his money through clever maneuvering.  The film climaxes with an encounter at the bank, McCallister having caught Harper.  McCallister threatens Harper, who, with tears in his eyes, puts a gun in McCallister's side and says, "Do what you want when I leave, but after what you've put me through, I'm not leaving here empty-handed."  McCallister then writes Harper a tongue-in-cheek check of $100, "to show you how much I think you're worth", and leaves.
The next scene, the movie's finale, has McCallister arriving home at a later date, bombarded with cameras and news people thanking him for his generosity.  Of course he is stunned and has no idea what's happening.  In the meantime Harper and his wife had taken McCallister's signature from the $100 check, and forged it to empty out his stolen money back into the former company employees' pensions.  The CEO's own evil actions were flipped for the good of many.

To use a more Biblical example, Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery out of pure hatred.  When Joseph ended up a major player in Egypt, the brothers came to him for food amidst an awful famine.  They apologized for their previous actions, afraid of what he might do to them.  Joseph responds, "Brothers, what you meant for evil, God meant for good, to preserve for us a people alive, as we are this day" (Gen. 50:20).  Note that Joseph doesn't say that what they meant for evil God used for good, but that what they meant for evil God meant for good.  They had an evil intent, but God had a good intent the whole time.  How these seemingly irreconcilable truths work together is a mystery to the human mind.  But since the Scripture is the mind of the Spirit, let us all just stand amazed at God's unsearchable wisdom and abilities, in flipping the evil intent of some for the good of more.
Perhaps the greatest example of this is the cross.  While the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem hanged Jesus on the cross out of evil and hatred, the Bible says that Jesus was in sovereign control the whole time.  He offered Himself as a sacrifice of his own accord, uncontrolled by anyone (John 10:18).  Further it was the Father who "delivered (him) up according to (His own) definite plan and foreknowledge" (Acts. 2:23).  Repeatedly the New Testament says that God offered Jesus (Rom. 3:25, 2 Cor. 5:21).
The point is that in the Biblical narrative, we already find God flipping the evil purposes of sinful men for the good of his people.  Truly it is of much consequence that Romans 8:28 says that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him.  The proof is seen everywhere! 

Four reasons God allows suffering

1.  To get peoples' attention, because otherwise he never would.
Ps. 119:67, 71, 75: Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word ... It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes ... I know, O Lord, that your rules are righteous and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.
The psalmist had gone through a great affliction, and having made it to the other side, he was not only glad for the affliction, but he acknowledges that it was God's good plan and intentions that brought it on him, for his own good.  Now he can keep his Word, whereas otherwise his own faithfulness would have surely lapsed.  As CS Lewis has rightly said, "We can ignore even pleasure.  But pain insists upon being attended to.  God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world."  This was the psalmists experience.

2.  To bring people to seek Him and ultimately depend on Him. 
2 Corinthians 1:8-9: For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.

Frankly, we all have a god-complex.  Our "thinking self" largely keeps us in a mindset of walking alone, not dependent on the God who created us and provides for us every moment.  We tend to assume that all good comes because of our own work and dedication, and not God's.  Godliness does not run in our veins, but rebellion does (Rom. 3:9-10).  We want God to leave us alone and let us live our lives how we want.  It is into this state of mind that God brings affliction and suffering.  Without it we would remain autonomous and independent, with no clue that our hearts are hardening not only to God but to those around us. We don't want God to interfere with us.  But God does interfere, and we're never the same.  Like Jacob we walk away limping but better.  Paul is making this exact point in 2 Corinthians, drawing on his own affliction.
Tim Keller has rightly said, "Christianity teaches that, contra fatalism, suffering is overwhelming; contra Buddhism, suffering is real; contra karma, suffering is often unfair; but contra secularism, suffering is meaningful.  There is a purpose to it, and if faced rightly, it can drive us like a nail deep in the love of God and into more stability and spiritual power than you can imagine."

3.  To get us to better identify with and empathize with other sufferers, so we can comfort them as we've been comforted by God. 
2 Cor. 1:3-5:  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.
We tend to box ourselves in from the suffering of those around us.  When confronted with it, we try to slide out the window like Peter Griffin and the gang as Joe cries his eyes out at the thought of retiring from the Force.  This is because we haven't been through personal suffering ourselves, and have no sensitivity.  So God brings it on us, to soften us up and make us sensitive to the needs around us.  He then comforts us in kindness, so that we can then give that to others as well.

4.  Because there's something better He's preparing us for. 
James 1:2-4: Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Trial produces endurance in us, and it is through endurance that we attain "perfection", meaning that we are complete in our joy in and trust in Christ.  Note that this is how James opens his epistle.  Trial is just a normal part of the Christian experience.  Only through trial are we made ready for Christ to return, bearing fruit in keeping with our readiness.  When he returns we'll all be made perfect, and joy will be the song for eternity.  Our trials prepare us for that moment. 
Speaking of that moment, Jesus told his disciples and all believers to "stay awake".  We must feel the weight of the evil around us (and in us, in our flesh).  Otherwise, we, like the disciples the night of Jesus' arrest, will take a nap while Jesus is laboring.  The requirement is, "Stay awake"; the provision is, "Here is trial."  Count it all joy when they come!
In the movie Cinderella Man, Russel Crowe plays Depression-era boxer James Braddock.  As a boxer he is notorious as a right-hander with a weak left.  He then breaks his right hand on a mistimed punch, and has to take time off away, working at a loading dock.  While there he is obviously must lean on using his left hand to get work done.  After his manager gets him a random, unexpected fight later (against the number one Heavyweight contender in the world, which he is obviously expected to lose), he is now for the first time able to fight with both hands.  He wins handily, and goes on a few fights later to win the World Heavyweight Championship. (And this is based on the true story of James J. Braddock).
In essence, God gives us trial to break our right hand so we'll learn to use the left.  Then and only then are we truly ready to fight for the big stakes.  Thus as James 1 says we should count it all joy when God brings trial on us -- He's making us ready and able, whereas before, we weren't.

The next post will be this past Sunday night's talk on the validity of the Bible:  Is the Bible true?  What is it's message?

The Golden Rule

"Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."  Jesus of Nazareth, Matthew 7:12

The command to treat others the way you would like to be treated needs no introduction.  It is known today as the “Golden Rule”, many people unaware that it originated from the mouth of Jesus.  It is one of three or four popular Bible verses that almost every American is familiar with, along with “For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son … “, “God is love”, and “Judge not, lest you be judged yourself”.  (I said the verse didn’t need an introduction – I didn’t say I wasn’t going to give one anyway.)     Shortly after teaching His people to treat others the way they themselves want to be treated, Jesus made some fairly controversial statements about Himself being the only way to God.  Regardless of if people believe the latter teachings, no one can argue the value and goodness of the former teaching.  Truly we should treat others how we want to be treated.

Though a beautiful teaching, a quick self-inventory reveals how little I’ve kept it, even in the last two days.  And I belong to Jesus!  What makes it so difficult is that I don’t understand other people.  So when their actions annoy or inconvenience me, I respond the way I think they should be treated in that moment of my annoyance, instead of the way I wish they treated me if I inconvenienced them.  I can’t be sure, but I’d imagine that you’d share the same conviction, if you were honest.

If you think about it, Jesus’ teaching in this verse is incredibly penetrating.  Because to treat others the way you’d like to be treated first requires sitting down and thinking, “How would I like to be treated?”  Think about it right now.  How would you like to be treated?  I can only speak for myself:  I’d like people to be interested in me, taking me seriously.  I’d like them to listen to what I have to say, not obviously watching my mouth waiting for a free moment to bounce out their next tidbit.  Instead, allow me to verbally process what I’m obviously still working through even if it takes me a minute.  I’d like those who also belong to Jesus to tell me the truth, and cut me off when I’m making excuses and need to be cut off (which requires a certain level of intimacy).  I know that last sentence sounds like a contradiction with a previous sentence, but I’m giving you an opportunity to put into practice what I’m suggesting!  I’d also like, if a person disagrees with me on some issue, to not just assume I’ve not thought through the issue and wrestled, but instead to assume that I’ve come to a conclusion and am putting it out there to them at a known risk of rejection. 

If this is how I want to be treated, it is how I should treat others.  I should take people seriously, and be patient with them.  They’re a sinner in need of Jesus’ grace like me.  They need to see and hear that grace.   They also need the truth.  But Jesus comes with a grace that can’t be separated from truth, nor vice-versa.  To speak truth in a way that can be trusted requires laboring to build trust.   To speak grace in a way that won’t be misunderstood requires clarity, which requires learning their categories and transposing from mine if need be.

What about you?  How do you want to be treated?  And how are you doing giving that treatment to others?

I once read Calvin say that the best way we learn to love others is by putting ourselves in their shoes.  Really seek to find yourself in their situation, wrestling with their wrestlings, and see how your attitude toward them changes.  I think many Christians (myself most of all) would do well to practice this.   Jesus’ command to treat others how we’d want to be treated moves us in that direction, because it forces us to not only consider our common humanity with others, but to take seriously their heart, by way of first taking seriously our own.  This is hard labor, because it makes us do something we don’t like to do: get under God, and humbly think. 

But nothing could be more worth our time.  Considering how we treat others, and whether it is according to Jesus’ Law of grace (which we should always seek to let dwell in us), carries with it a temporal and immediate blessing, in that it will bring us into a person-to-person connection.   Those are becoming more and more rare.  But this consideration also  carries an eternal blessing as well – “blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy”, and, “blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God”. 

Surely Heaven will be full of people who have failed miserably in their earthly lives to treat others the way they would want themselves to be treated.  But there won’t be any there who won’t be praising Jesus for His grace and His mercy (see Revelation 5).  And if Jesus’ people will be like Him when they finally see Him, they will be a gracious and merciful people as well.  Of course in that day there will be no more need for them to extend grace and mercy.  But in this day (in which the New Testament we are presently beholding God's glory in Jesus' face), there is a need.  And Jesus is calling His sheep to walk as He walked, treating others with the same care, patience, and gentleness that He did.  He never refrained from the truth.  But He never had to.  His kindness was disarming enough that when He spoke truth, His grace was never forgotten.   Is yours?

Enjoying the Bible

"Oh how I love your law!  It is my meditation all day." Psalm 119:92

Each person has a beginning point both for their worldview and thought-habits, and a continual inflow which influences both.  For me the beginning point has always been affirmation and "fitting in".  I don't know why, but I was so concerned with popularity growing up, under the impression that if I could attain it, I'd justify my existence.  I never did.  My worldview and thought habits were driven by this need for popularity and appreciation.  The inflow was media, sports, music, and just an overall secular culture that praises and glorifies people for their achievements, regardless of where said achievements fall on the "honorable" spectrum.  I wanted some of that.  
If you think about it, not stopping until you find the Truth, you also have a beginning point, from which you derive your worldview and thought habits, with inflow moving you forward in one direction or another.  Philosophers call it your ultimate reference point, and all people have one.  Thus it should go without saying that this means no one is entirely "neutral" -- ie. no one just picks and chooses what they think about.  Your worldview and thought life are a boat, your reference point is the anchor, and the inflow is the wind.  For some it is more money, for others it is more sex, and for others it is local pride (which of course is nonexistent in my city).  You can fill up a list with as many more options as Satan has ideas.

When Creator-God speaks His Word into peoples' lives, He bids them to come and repent of their beginning point for the sake of finding the beginning point for which they were created.  Jesus came preaching the Kingdom because the Kingdom is the ultimate purpose of God's creation in the first place.  The Kingdom is to be received in repentance, because those who will enter the Kingdom will first need a directional change.  To move toward Jesus' Kingdom requires moving away from any other "kingdom" which opposes His.  If one is honest (brutally honest), one finds that the kingdom in their own chest opposes Christ's, because it has the individual's glory as the chief end of all things. 
Jesus doesn't poo-poo on the human's need for glory -- He just changes the source to be sought for glory. "To those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life" (Rom. 2:7).  But who's glory?  Not man's, for, "If I were seeking to please men, I wouldn't be a servant of Christ" (Gal. 1:10).  Instead we're drawn to Jesus' rebuke of the religious people who couldn't believe in Him because they "receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God" (John 5:44).  Mark that -- they couldn't believe in Him.  Their desire for glory, affirmation, respect, etc. had in effect blinded them to their need for God's Christ.  Here we find the paradigm-shifting truth that man must repent of his need for glory from other men and himself, hungering for the glory of his Creator God alone.

The Psalmist spends 175 verses in chapter 119 showering God with praises because of His Law.  Here was a man who not only hungered for God's righteousness (cf. Matt. 5:6), but was satisfied by the feast which God's Word provided.  It appears that there had been a shift in his ultimate reference point (or perhaps grace had allowed his ultimate reference point to always be this way).  The thing about satisfaction is that, when satisfied, one will keep coming back for more, if it is offered.

To meditate all day on God's will, which is where the Psalter begins (see 1:2), Joshua's ministry begins (Josh. 1:8), and where Jesus begins fighting his desert temptation (Matt. 4:4), is not in contradiction with the need to go about your day and do your work.  It is a continual state of mind humbly practiced by those have tasted that the Lord is good, as they do their work.  The one meditating does not stop working, but he keeps working with a different reference point.

Unless your reference point changes, God's Word will be a burden.  And you will avoid it except for when you're at church.  When pressed, you'll respond, "I'm not a theologian".  And yet the Psalmist, who never brushes over his own sin (see Ps. 51, 58:3, 119:176), will continue to judge you by finding joy in the word of his Creator/Redeemer, while your heart remains divided.  Heed the challenge.  "His commandments are not burdensome" (1 Jn. 5:4b) if you love Him (5:4a).  That is, if you belong to Christ and are adopted into God's family as a sinner saved by grace -- the gracious life, death, resurrection, and continual intercession of Christ.  He didn't die to remove His disciples from the world.  He died to expose the faultiness of all that would raise itself up against the enjoyment of the presence of God forever.  And enjoying the presence of God forever begins with enjoying the Word of God presently.

All I Can Write About Is the Bible

I've recently not had much time to blog.  Truth be told, I've not had much time do anything online.  Kate and I have been transitioning into a new ministry; we've been looking for, purchasing, and moving into a new house; and I've been a busy Master's student.  My last post was over two months ago!  But I did want to check in somehow or another.  Because of the busy-ness, I thought that perhaps the healthiest thing I could do in a blog is share from my recent Bible reading. 

I spend time every morning in the Word, in the early hours.  M'Cheynne inspired me to get up earlier, by pointing out (I think rightly) that the early hours are the best hours of the day, so they should be spent with the Lord.  Plenty of Scripture teaches how much of a blessing it is to rise early and spend time alone with God. 

In Bible-reading, I typically am covering at least two books at once, if not three.  At this point, I'm in the Psalms (as it is always a good practice to keep going through the Psalms), Deuteronomy, and John.  I'll share today from my studies this morning.

Thoughts From Psalm 89 and 90
Psalm 89:14 says that righteousness and justice are the foundation of God's throne.  I've recently been studying much on the idea of wisdom, goodness, and truth being proof of the existence of God.  John 1 calls Jesus the Word of God, through whom the world was made, He himself being "the life, which was the light of men".  Colossians 2 has Paul saying that in Christ is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.  Further, Proverbs 8 has "wisdom" speaking as a person, saying it (he) was with God from the beginning.  If one connects Jesus' parallel statements in Matthew 23:34 and Luke 11:49, one finds Jesus calling Himself the wisdom of God (as does Paul in 1 Cor. 1:24).
In the Psalm here, we find that it is righteousness (all that is right, correct, and good) and justice (fairness, balance) that are the very foundation of God's throne.  In essence, man's desire for and appreciation of righteousness and justice (and we all passionately long for justice) is at most proof of God's existence, and at least a witnessing tool for God's people to use in bearing witness.  "Don't you long for justice, and rightness?  The God of the universe is Himself righteousness and justice.  All that is well throughout history is seen in His Son Jesus Christ.  Anywhere where there has been righteousness and justice practiced has been the result of God's grace in pouring it forth from His throne."
Psalm 90:2 says that before all things were created, "you are God".  Time doesn't apply to God, only to the creation.  Thus, God is not waiting on the future to come to pass, nor does He look "back" into the past.  Rather, God is both up ahead and behind while He is here in the present.  This is why His Word never changes, nor does He -- as time marches on, God is.  "I am who I am".  "Before Abraham was, I am."  His putting Himself into conversations of history and action throughout the Scripture is simply His bearing witness to man that He does in fact work in history.  This is why the miraculous is so miraculous to us, while it is the snap of a finger to God.

Thoughts From Deuteronomy 6
Deut. 6:1-2 calls the keeping of God's Word "the fear of the Lord".  People are thrown off by the idea of "fear", but it is because they don't understand sin and the need for a healthy relationship with their God.  As sinners, we must fear God.  And yet, it is not the same fear as a scary movie, but the same fear that a son has for a good dad and a good dad has for his precious little daughter.  It is reverence and care.  It is the fear of the loss of life if the relationship is severed.
God ties up the fear of Him with keeping His Word.  If you're to know Him, you must keep His Word.  This is why Psalm 19:9 equates the fear of the Lord with the Word of the Lord. 
And as you keep His Word, you'll find yourself healthily fearing Him more.  His Word will reveal His holiness and goodness, which will keep you continually stunned at His majesty.  It will show you your lack of holiness, which will then highlight His grace in forgiveness.  "With you there is forgiveness, that you'd be feared" (Psalm 130:3).  And it will prove fruitful and blessed in your life.  It'll make you grow.  In due time you'll yield fruit (Ps. 1:6).
Deut. 6:4, while we are called to keep God's Word, says that our relationship to God is to be one of love from the heart.  6:6 continues, saying that His Words are to be on your heart.  God has never wanted an empty observance.  He wants the hearts of those created in His image to be captivated by His beauty and glory.  He wants to be loved.  Again, the implication here is that as you keep His Word, you'll find yourself loving Him more.  Think about Jesus' words in John 8:31-32, where He promises that if you keep His word, you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.  Your heart will change as you walk with Him.  The truth will change you.
Deut. 6:12 has God warning His people as they enter the promised land.  He is bringing them into a land of abundance, where they will be richly blessed.  Now he warns them to take care when this time comes, lest they forget the Lord.  Blessing, while it is a blessing, has been made a curse by the Fall.  The sinful flesh under Adam takes God's blessing and abundance, and forgets about Him.  As the person has much, they begin to find their identity and fulfillment in the possessions. One needs the Spirit of Jesus to keep their heart soft.
This is exactly why Proverbs 30:9 has the prayer that God would give just what is needed, "lest I be full, and deny you".  Jesus pointedly said to pray to God for our "daily bread" (Matt. 6:11), following up shortly by saying to pray to be led away from temptation.  The rich young ruler is a good example of the deceitfulness of riches -- he thought he wanted eternal life, but when Jesus said, "Gotta get rid of your riches for your heart to be free in me," he proved where his heart was.  He was self-deceived.  He couldn't accept that following Jesus means leaving literally everything behind if Jesus says to (see Matt. 19:24). 
Our treasure must be in heaven, not on earth.  If it is on earth ... and it isn't just riches, but power, control, comfort, whatever "cause" you are undertaking, peoples' opinion of you, affirmation of family, cultural norms, etc. ... you will not believe.  "How can you believe, if I tell you heavenly things?" Which leads to ...

Thoughts From John 3
In this familiar story, Nicodemus a Pharisee, from among the many who "believed" in Jesus because of His good works (2:24-25), comes to him by night looking for commendation for coming and knowing Jesus is from God.  "We know God is with you".  Jesus responds remarkably (and, if it was today, meanly) by telling Nic he needs to be born again, from above.  Jesus says that it is by God's sovereign Spirit (meaning man can't force it or do it, but it is something God does alone; see 3:8), and that it is through the cleansing away of idols.  Jesus tells him he'll never see God's kingdom if he isn't born again.
Note how Jesus takes Nicodemus right to talking about the Kingdom.  Nic wants to talk about earthly things (he can't not).  But instead of commendation for saying, "Ooh, teacher, I know the answer!  I know who you are!", he got condemnation for not seeking God's Kingdom first.
Jesus appeals to his being "the teacher of Israel", because, in studying the Scriptures, Nicodemus should have seen:
a) the importance of the Kingdom; all throughout the Old Testament, God is more and more revealing the Heavenly Kingdom as the real Promised Land for the people of God.  Nicodemus should have understood this.  Instead of responding with a question about human birth (trying to oust Jesus) after Jesus' first rebirth statement, he should have responded with a question about the Kingdom.
b) the sovereignty of Spirit rebirth; if man is addicted to his sin (which the Bible repeatedly says), God must give rebirth as a gift.  And the good news is that He wants to, and is giving it to people as His Word goes out.  Nicodemus should have remembered the language of Ezekiel 36 and 37, where God promises in the Messianic days to put His Spirit in people, writing His Word on their hearts.  There God couches these truths with a famous visual image of Ezekiel prophesying God's Word over a valley of dry bones, with God then saying this is the new birth: the preaching of His Word over dead people, and through it He puts His Spirit in them.  Jesus is graciously telling Nic that he should be thinking in these terms.
c) that if our eyes are on earthly things, our eyes can't receive Jesus' testimony and God's Word.  "I speak of heavenly things and you don't receive it... if I've told you earthly things and you don't receive it, how can you receive it?" (3:11-12).  It is the same as Romans 8:7-8 and 1 Corinthians 2:14, where Paul says that if the mind is on the flesh (earth, this life, self, etc.), it can't accept the things of God's Spirit.  This is a witness to us of the importance of making sure our eyes are on heavenly, Kingdom things, lest our hearts harden and our minds darken so that we are no longer able to hear God's truth (cf. Rom. 1:21-23). 

God's Word is such a rich treasure.  If you want to grow in your fear of Him, it'll have to be through His Word.  If you want to know Him, it'll have to be through Jesus.  Go to him, for His arms are open to the truly repentant.  "Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things from your Law" (Ps. 119:18).