Loving People

 I have said for years, and I should never say this - yet I still do - Church would be great except for the people. And I am one of those people. You probably know, or can imagine, what sort of people I'm referring to. They are annoying in some way. They follow the pastor around incessantly asking questions, or worse, making suggestions. They have opinions about everything, whether they know anything about the topic or situation or not. They complain about almost everything, although most often about people who annoy them at church.

Yes, these are the "hypocrites" of which those who criticize the church from the outside seem to know so well. Rather than explore the strange irony of that, I want to show something I found very encouraging in Scripture which shows Jesus' perspective on "those annoying church people". First, the setting, Jesus leads His disciples away to rest...

The apostles *gathered together with Jesus; and they reported to Him all that they had done and taught. And He *said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.” (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.) They went away in the boat to a secluded place by themselves.
Mark 6:30-32 NASB

The apostles had just come from their first "missionary journey" to the villages of Judah. They had cast out demons, healed the sick, and preached the Kingdom of God to the people. And, when they returned, a bunch of people either came with them to see Jesus, or were already swarming around Him while they were gone. Either way, it's pandemonium around them. So, Jesus leads them to a quiet place to rest and rejuvenate. Only, it doesn't work...

The people saw them going, and many recognized them and ran there together on foot from all the cities, and got there ahead of them. When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.
Mark 6:33-34 NASB

These people are geniuses. They see the boat leaving, figure out where it's going, and get there first on foot. And not just those around Jesus when He leaves, but "...from all the cities" they gather together ahead of them. That's a spectacular failure to find rest. Now the pandemonium not only continues, it worsens. They weren't able to eat before, now what is it like? Don't you hate it when people do that, interrupt your plans, hijack your vacation, invade your "sanctum"? So annoying! And yet, Jesus looks at them with compassion. 

I confess, I'm not there yet. I like my "space", I like having that "cushion" around me, this is definitely an "area of growth" for me. I'm not like Jesus in this respect, and need to submit my desires for "space", for individuality, for safety, for "my right to rest" to my Savior. Because He looked at them with compassion, because He saw they were like sheep without a shepherd. They had no idea who they were, where they were going, and what they were supposed to do (who else heard Yoda's voice when they read that?). I'm like them, and I need to be like Him.

I believe we can be like Jesus in this regard. It won't be easy, it will be very counter-culture, counter pop-psychology, counter conventional wisdom, and counter to a lot of other stuff we take for granted. It means taking Philippians 2:1-11 seriously and applying those verses rigorously to our decision-making, attitudes, and priorities. I admit, I'm not a fan, I'm not looking forward to it, dying to self is dying, don't think it's easy or happy. But it is joyous, it is peaceful, it is freeing in ways I am looking forward to. For when I die to myself, I rise to live within my Savior, and walk within His Spirit.

So, let them come, let them steal my attention, derail my plans, invade my space, and interrupt my rest. It's not just okay, it's a joy and a privilege. It's a messy relational Kingdom, my Father's Kingdom. So, how can I help you?

Pack Light

In the past month, my wife and I have gone on two backpacking trips, our first. We learned a few things about backpacking on those two trips, like, how seriously out of shape we are. The four-mile hike was torturous, and that's really not much of a hike. When you add a 30 pound pack - well, it still shouldn't be torturous.

We also learned that suggested methods of making coffee (something I take very seriously) are not effective. We eventually broke down and bought an aeropress pack version. After the first trip, I repacked our cook kit to include the fuel and stove inside the kit. We didn't need the two measuring cups they included. We added a "tarp", or something, we could use to set stuff out so we could re-pack without laying everything out in the dirt. 

There were other lessons, but, to allow a short illustration remain short, we learned to pack light, real light, as light as possible. It was kind of funny. I brought full-size binoculars on the first trip. And I used them to look at the shockingly clear and bright stars. But I didn't use the shovel. And so on, lessons learned, and then refined. If only we had a guide to help us weed that stuff out before we packed it four miles in the hot sun...

And He *summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits; and He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belt— but to wear sandals; and He added, “Do not put on two tunics.”
(Mark 6:7-9 NASB)

Jesus sends out His disciples into the towns and cities ahead of them with some instruction on how to pack. "He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey..." Who doesn't want a couple of smelly travelers in their homes? Actually, in the Middle East, that's not a rhetorical question. Maybe more nowadays, but certainly not back then. It was actually genius. Be in need and be dependent. 

We don't always appreciate that detail. In our culture that is a horrible thought, well for some. In fact we exalt those who are more independent, and despise those who are not. It's a culture that makes church a bit difficult with too many "doctors" and not enough "patience" (and I did not misspell that). We abhor dependence. We abhor weakness. We shall not ask for directions (and, let's be honest, that's not a "gender" thing).

Jesus didn't stop there with His instructions, though. He didn't just give them a packing list, He gave them instructions on how to act as well...

And He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town. Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them.”
(Mark 6:10-11 NASB)

Rather than speculate (one of my favorite things) about why they should stay in one house, I think it's probably simpler, with Mark's account anyway, to simply think of it as the antithetical corollary to the rejection. Sometimes we will be cared for when we depend on others. Sometimes we will not be. If not, take nothing with you from that place, not the dust, and certainly not the resentment. 

It's a strange life with Jesus that asks us to be dependent. It borders on asking us to be vulnerable (how terrifying!). You may have learned that "church people" are not safe. If you haven't, that's awesome! I hope you never do. Because lessons like that make this request of our Savior all the more difficult. Yet, it's no less of a request of no less of a Person. He's still our Creator and Savior, and He still makes this request. The question is, how much do we trust HIM, not how much do we trust them.

Go to church, participate, love the people, and be dependent, ask for help for yourself, for what you go through, with your stuff. Be that person who helps, and that person who needs help. We all need help, and our Savior has provided a group of disciples, called out of a dead world into life, to help. We are them, and help. We are them, and need help. It's okay, that's how He designed it. 

Is That Our Carpenter?

 Have you noticed that Jesus tends to refuse to fit into nice neat theological categories? Even those categories we use that aren't technically "theological", he tends to refuse to fit well. For instance, "Jesus is our Friend." We can sing the hymn from way back, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus", and think, "Wow, that is so great, to have Jesus as our friend." Yet, we also think in terms of "friends like us." We can't help it. It's our culture, our society, our personality to think of Jesus as our friend in the same way we're friends with Bob or Cheryl, or whoever. And we would be wrong, often way wrong.

The people of Nazareth thought of Jesus as their carpenter. He was the guy in the village who fixed the wood stuff, which was a lot, tables, tools, tent frames, plows, yokes, wheels, carts, you name it, if it was wood, he made it or fixed it. His work was never done, and when he left, well... But he was back! They had heard word of him travelling around and teaching, performing miracles, and all this weird stuff. But I need a table fixed for my shop, and Ted over there needs his cart fixed so he can bring in his stuff from the family farm, and Sue has a loom that needs a better fix than her yarn wrapped around one side of the frame. When's Jesus coming home?

Jesus went out from there and *came into His hometown; and His disciples *followed Him. When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?” And they took offense at Him.
(Mark 6:1-3 NASB)

I'm not going to get my table fixed, am I? What carpentry work were you hoping he would do for you? What did you need fixed? I mean, that's what He does, right? He fixes things. He makes stuff for us, so we can go on about our lives, isn't that right? I mean, what's wrong with this picture? It's the way stuff is supposed to work, who he is supposed to be, how he is supposed to fit into our society, culture, community...

I blow through this passage so fast, stopping just long enough to shake my head sadly at the people of Nazareth, and move on. But, if I stop, if I look around at what's going on, listen to what they say, think through their perspective, I see something a lot more painful. I see myself among them. I want my table fixed, so to speak. Can you see yourself among them? Do you also struggle wanting Jesus to be that part of your world that makes it a bit better, easier, more comfortable? There's a price for being a part of the people of Nazareth, though.

Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household.”  And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He wondered at their unbelief. And He was going around the villages teaching.
(Mark 6:4-6 NASB)

Do you see it? It includes the lack of miracles, sure, and they missed His teaching. But look at the last sentence, and let it prick your heart. It drives a nail through mine. He was going somewhere else. Sure, those other people saw Him as "the miracle man", the guy who heals people and drives out demons. He was the guy who fed a ton of people without catering. It was cool! But they also heard teaching, and he gained a lot of followers who stuck with Him, following Him as Savior, Messiah, the Son of God. He left Nazareth without a carpenter.

So, now we have a choice. We can look around at each other wondering who will fix the table. Or we can follow Him, listen to Him, be healed of our separation from our Creator, walk with our Savior, and enjoy the closeness we lost in the Garden of Eden. Doesn't that sound better? Keep in mind, even Jesus' family didn't get it, those closest to Him, who should have known, couldn't see past their own preconceived notions of Him, who He was, what they needed Him to be. You may be close to Him, but are you close to who He is, or close to what you have made Him out to be? Are you following Jesus, or seeking what He can "fix" in your life, so you can carry on with your life? Jesus probably has another plan, different from yours. Just a thought.

Postdiluvian History (After the flood)

 I used this presentation in a Bible study for youth, and they asked great questions. It's not the "scientific" timeline at all, so, it's not what we are usually taught. On the other hand, it's what God inspired, and there was probably a reason since they could do math back then too. Anyway, it's a 15 minute video, so make sure you have the time to watch, or plan to watch in segments. I suspect you will be surprised. I was blown away.

I hope you are blessed by it.

Demon = Enemy

 Continuing to pursue the study of the spiritual landscape of spiritual warfare, I'm in the process of defining terms. It sounds pretty easy on the surface, but it has rapidly become very complex. I believe Paul has left references in his letters to teachings he gave in person, not in writing (or at least not writing we have now). 

 

This is not specific to the spiritual arena, there are plenty of tantalizing tidbits on which he does not elaborate. These can be frustrating at first. Then, once the frustration subsides, I remember that we have what our Savior has preserved for us. We have what we need for a relationship with Him. The point of Scripture isn't "spiritual warfare" but "walking with our Creator".

 

With that context, the frustration goes away completely. I don't need to know. I may want to know, but my Master does not consider it important enough to explain. Probably, because He knows it would easily become a distraction from what He does want me to know.

 

One of these terms that you would think would be easy is "demon". Just for fun, look up "daemon" in a modern dictionary, and you will find a reference to a "computing" definition. It is a term referring to a background program, not under the control of an interactive user. So, if you go to your "Task Manager" in Windows, and select "All Processes", everything below the line of "Background Processes" would probably fall into this category. Which means, that, as most of you have suspected all along, your computer is demon-possessed, and probably by "legion" (mine had 86 processes running in the background).

 

Okay, on to what Scripture says about these things. They're bad. ALWAYS. That's important because they aren't always a reference to something evil in the surrounding cultures. In the Ancient Greek used in Scripture, in "secular" usage anyway, they are references to divinities or deities. That makes a lot of sense as Paul writes to the Corinthian church about food sacrificed to idols. It puts the discussion in a whole new light, or could.

 

When Paul is in Athens, involving himself in discussions in the market, he is brought before the Areopagus because "'He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities,'—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection." (Acts 17:18b NASB). Guess what Greek word is translated as "deities"? Yup, "demon". For the people of Athens, they were not necessarily evil, just generically divine. So, that's the cultural context in which Paul moves people to belief in Jesus.

 

For Jews, any sort of belief in "demons" was relatively new, and probably developed due to greater interaction with Greeks. They struggled to come up with some sort of way to discuss monotheism with these philosophical polytheists. It wasn't easy, and adopted some of their terms to describe distinctives. They did this by "redefining" Greek terms in light of their belief in Yahweh. It led to some interesting, often confusing, writing.

 

By the time Jesus walks upon His brief segment of human history, belief in demons among the Jews was wide-spread. They were blamed for just about everything bad. That caused the "Rabbis" all sorts of problems, because, when there's only ONE God, even what seems bad comes from Him. Some sort of understanding of a "creation in rebellion" emerged, and satisfied both popular Jewish and Rabbinic Jewish understanding of demons. When Jesus appears, He confirms this understanding, even expanding and explaining it in more detail.

 

For disciples of Jesus, as we examine the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, belief in demons essentially includes these few elements:

 

1. Demons exist in a state of rebellion against their Creator and ours.
2. Demons interact with the created order of this planet, environmentally and personally.
3. Demons will never exercise complete control over creation.
4. Demons will fail in their rebellion, and they know it.
5. Demons seek to take as many people as they can with them in their failure.

 

They represent a "lost cause", a hopeless collection of beings who seriously should have known better. On the other hand, they know our Savior in a way we have not yet experienced. It is interesting to me that these beings, fallen angels or whatever, started a hopeless rebellion in the first place. Their "arche", Satan, was able to persuade them to join a hopeless cause that would lead, inexorably, to eternal punishment. 

 

That may sound crazy, but isn't that precisely what is happening in this world? Doesn't the bulk of humanity seem to be on the same path as these hopeless spiritual rebels? It does seem to extend the crazy perspective of "this present age" into the realm of those we cannot see, where a war we barely perceive is fought in the presence of our Creator. It doesn't help make sense of this place and people. It just helps explain and "normalize" the weirdness around us. None of if makes much sense to me.

 

So, bottom-line: We, who walk with Jesus, win. Demons, who rebel against Jesus, lose. Demons are the enemy of our Savior and, therefore, us. This world seems full of hopeless losers. We must be in prayer for the liberation of our fellow people. That is spiritual warfare as we know it.

When Did That Happen?

 In this entry I will attempt to avoid "creating a hostile work environment". That is what led to my prior entry being removed. It was not intentional. There was no desire on my part to be hostile to anyone, and if what I wrote implied any hostility to anyone, I apologize. I'm not going to explain myself further here, I'm open to questions through other means of communication.

Instead, I want to share something I stumbled on that some of you may already know, but I never considered before. For me, it's one of those things around which I have spent a bunch of time, but never considered in its context. It has to do with the "Fall". We usually think of it in terms of "Fall of Man", but there is another element that begs the question, "What else fell when man did?".

It's related to the question of "Why curse the ground?" When Yahweh curses Adam for eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, the punishment includes "Cursed is the ground because of you," (Gen. 3:17). Why do that? What did the "ground" do for which it needed to be punished? Why did Adam's mistake result in the curse of "nature" or the "natural order"? Doesn't it seem a bit like Yahweh slapped a bystander watching the spectacle from across "police tape" or something?

While it's true that the ground was part of Adam's calling (Gen. 2:15), the calling seems more closely tied to Eden specifically, from where Adam was cast out. Why, then, go on to curse the ground? And the curses in the garden did have to do specifically with their design, the serpent (loss of legs, enmity with people), the woman (help-mate and child-birth), and man (keeping the garden).

But that wasn't the weird part. The weird part that I stumbled on was this: what happened in the spiritual realm when the garden was shut to humanity? Think about this, if Jesus stills a storm by rebuking it (Matt. 8:26, Mark 4:39, Luke 8:34) doesn't that seem to personify something about the "natural order"? Was that part of the Fall? When did the natural order start to defy its Creator?

I have always thought of demons using (or abusing) the natural order for their own purposes, not actually having the responsibility over the natural order. That would be "animism" to consider the natural functions of nature to have a spiritual entity responsible for them. And yet, Jesus and His disciples do seem to encounter more than their fair share of storms on Galilee. And Jesus speaks to the storm like a person, demonstrates these storms have no power over Him, but rather the other way round. He walks on water, in a storm. He truly does what He wants with regard to "nature".

Did this corruption of creation (see Rom. 8:18-20) occur at the Fall in the Garden? Was it there that the spiritual forces responsible for maintaining the natural order rebelled? It may seem like the natural order is...well, orderly. But does it seem in subjection to its Creator? It is, in a sense, as He created it (Gen. 8:20-22), and will continue to be. Yet, it still seems "broken" somehow. 

As I have studied Scripture to attempt to glimpse the "spiritual realm", it has seemed to me that nature seems to be sometimes at odds with our Creator, but not always. As if the rebellion isn't constant. Perhaps it's too much to personify it like adolescents telling their parent, "Leave me alone, I got this!" And, for the most part, do. But then, also abuse the power, and throw tantrums when they don't get their way.

On the other hand, I have also assumed, for most of my life, that God simply did what He wanted with nature, and it was always Him, blessing or punishing. Now, I'm not so sure. God promises the Sons of Israel good harvests and plenty of good weather if they obey Him. But, does it happen that way? Or, in spite of good behavior, did the late rains not come, or early rains come late, or whatever? What was it that made the competing religious views make some sense to the people for whom God parted the Red Sea, showed up in smoke and fire on Horeb, gave them victory over powerful nations, and planted them in the land? I don't know.

What if the weather wasn't, and isn't, always what our Creator wants? He can obviously step in and correct it, but doesn't always, or has very violent intent with it. But why rebuke something you caused in the first place? Isn't that a correction? When did nature "rebel" against her Creator? When did that happen? Was it always that way, and the garden was this perfect "bubble" within the chaos outside? 

All I have are clues to such answers, not clarity or certainty. How does that work? Am I being "superstitious"? That's what it feels like, I feel silly working through this. Yet, Scripture depicts this weird milieu of spiritual reality somehow superimposed over physical realities, natural and political. It's weird. And I'm not sure how much of it is our Savior accommodating the human condition of the day, and how much is an accurate description of spiritual reality.

So, did Adam and Eve start a spiritual rebellion on earth? Was it already going? Or did the enemies of our Creator take over from the "good guys" when the serpent succeeded? When did that happen? I shiver, and not just because it's a cold foggy day here. It makes me want to "go home". I don't know how much I like this place any more.

Struggling With The Sins of Others

 I am absolutely not a fan of "pride month" being June. It's the month I was born. Now, instead of being able to do fun things to celebrate me, I find my plans blocked by parades and celebrations I find extremely "uncomfortable". Okay, I don't actually plan to go anywhere for my birthday that this will be a problem (except for this year, and we're going anyway). Honestly, it's this month-long celebration of a behavior that is so clearly a violation of my religious beliefs. It's as if that's the point, to offend.

Scripture isn't "obscure" on the topic of gender-identity. It isn't one of those "grey areas". Paul begins his letter to Rome with these very clear statements:

For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.
(Romans 1:26-27 NASB)

Now, to be clear, this is a translation of an ancient version of Greek, no longer in use. So, English translators do their best to render the original meaning into English. It's tough, though, to really get the descriptors Paul uses here to work well in English. Most of the translations I've looked at (here it's the New American Standard) agree on the gist of Paul's point. It's wrong, people know it, and our Creator has stopped trying to stop them from harming themselves.

So, am I right in being bothered by a month of "pride" in what my Savior calls "degrading passions"? Well, maybe. Although, the chapter of Romans doesn't end there. 

And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.
(Romans 1:28-32 NASB)

You see, the list isn't restricted to LGBTQEtc-type sins. There's actually a long list of behaviors that "miss the mark" of righteousness with our Creator. The key is how this paragraph begins, "And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer,...". It is this statement that forms the basis on our Creator's "handing over" of these people. It's not that they are LGBTQ-whatever. Look at the rest of the paragraph's behavior list. How many of those are mine? Way too many, honestly.

I'm not going to go through the list with a "done that" "not done that" marker. You get the point, and you could do that yourself. The point is that Paul is making it clear the problem is actually wide-spread. The Jewish readers would have been horrified and appalled at the sexual sins listed, but then they would find themselves on the list at the end. The point isn't whether you find yourself on the list, the point is "acknowledging God".

Look at how Paul leads into this discussion:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
(Romans 1:18-20 NASB)

Our Creator is known. He has revealed Himself through what He has created. So, people, also His creations, are without excuse regarding acknowledging their Creator. But it goes on:

For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
(Romans 1:21-25 NASB)

Did you notice the pointed accusation in verse 25, "...and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator..."? Do you catch the point? I know that I struggle with that. When I think of what people think of me more than what my Creator thinks of me, I fail precisely at this point. Then I gossip, I slander, am arrogant, boastful, insolent; am basically selfish, self-centered, and fear the creatures rather than the Creator.

So, yes, a month dedicated to celebrating any one of these failures of humanity is frustrating and confusing. But what should I expect from such a world as Paul describes? Isn't every day some sort of celebration of these things? Don't our entertainment choices celebrate the list of sins?

I still don't like it, I feel uncomfortable with the topic, and I don't want the topic of "gender identity" pushed in my face. And yet, I am right there with them with my own vices on this list. The sad reality is that I am not going to be pleased with the reading of the "books" in Revelation listing everything we've ever done, both good and bad. I'm going to have a lot more bad than good, that's just the truth about me.

On the other hand, I believe my name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. At the end of the process, it's not what's written in the books, but rather my name being in the Book of Life that matters. What's in the books may be embarrassing, but that will be overwhelmed by the joy of my name being in the Lamb's book of life. 

My Creator is my Savior, and not because of something I've done. He is my Savior because of what He has done. He loves me. My actions on that list have not voided His love for me. So, I can only assume that this is true of anyone who's behavior is on that list. The key is whether we acknowledge our Creator. 

So, at the end of my line of thinking, I'm still uncomfortable and frustrated. I am also more mindful of the wide arms of my Savior. If He accepts me, He will accept anyone who acknowledges Him, anyone who believes that He exists and is a rewarder of those who seek Him. Will the behavior change? Mine has. On the other hand, some hasn't. But how I view my behavior has completely changed. I accept my Savior's view of my behavior, His definition of good and evil, His desire for my actions toward others. Perhaps that's the litmus test of acknowledging our Creator as our Savior.

What do you think? Or is that a dangerous question?

Learning Contentment

We don’t have to be taught to voice our dissatisfaction when things aren’t to our liking; even babies know how to do that naturally.  And we don’t just outgrow our complaining nature or resist it easily, even when we become Christ followers.  But grumbling and a negative attitude tarnishes our testimony for Christ.  So we have to learn how to be content.

 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.

     Philippians 4:11 (NKJV)

Paul wrote this verse from a dark prison cell while being denied every comfort.  He spoke from experience because he had learned contentment in very adverse circumstances.  We may think that’s because he was an Apostle and such virtue is beyond us, but that’s not true.  We too can learn to be content by focusing on God’s sufficiency and God’s sovereignty.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

     Psalm  23:1 (NKJV)

If the Lord is your shepherd, then He will provide for all your needs (Phil. 4:19).  But to claim this promise, there must be a personal relationship between you and Jesus. He must be your Savior and Lord of your life. But even then, you must trust that He will be sufficient in all your circumstances. It’s easy to look back and see how the Lord has provided for us in the past. And we may say with confidence that we’re not in want today. However, to be content, we must be able to trust that in every tomorrow, God will provide and we shall not want.

 Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

     Philippians 1:6 (NKJV)

Contentment also comes when we trust in God’s sovereignty over all and that because He’s begun a good work in us, He will see it to completion. This confidence comes from knowing it’s His work, not ours. That work may very well take us through adversity and trials, we may be chastened, we may suffer in this life, but we can trust that it is accomplishing God’s purposes, for our good and His glory.  He doesn’t give up on us and He’s promised to be with us through all of life’s difficulties. That should help us be content in every circumstance.

 Now godliness with contentment is great gain.

     1 Timothy 6:6 (NKJV)

There is great gain to our character when we learn to be content, so let’s ask God to help us.  And when everyone around us is negative, let’s resist the temptation to join in and instead, speak of the greatness of God and the difference Christ has made in our lives. Our contentment will be a wonderful testimony to Him.

Revenge By Good Behavior?

 Teaching young people, high school-age or middle schoolers, is more like leading wading through a dense jungle together with them, than actually teaching, in a traditional sense. Yesterday, I was asked, "If doing good to people 'heaps coals on people's heads', are we doing good to people to get them angry? Isn't that manipulative?" I don't think that question would even occur to most adults. On the other hand, I don't think most adults ask about what they don't understand, at least not about the Bible anyway.

“BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD.”
Romans 12:20 NASB

Well, I figured the best approach to any sort of answer was to examine the context. Here's the verse where the phrase is found. It's a quote from Proverbs 25:21-22. The reference to "burning coals on his head" is probably cultural, and doesn't mean what it sounds like. I couldn't find an explanation though, and it seems the imagery remains a mystery.

Paul doesn't just quote this proverb without some sort of helpful context. Look where it occurs in his discussion in Romans 12 (where application begins):

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord. “BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:14-21 NASB

The quote is bracketed by "Vengeance is mine, I will repay" from Deuteronomy 32:35 reserving vengeance to Yahweh, and the summary statement, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." That last statement probably provides the best understanding of "heaping coals". It is probably not meant as a punishment as such, but more like an incentive to repentance. Although, vengeance of Yahweh could feel like hot coals on the head. Even so, the vengeance would, hopefully, lead the person to repent.

These verses leave disciples of Jesus with the clear call to treat those inside and outside the church well, even (or especially) when persecuted. We are to associate with the lowly, to be at peace with everyone, and leave revenge to our Savior. Bless others, join them in their pain and joy. Don't make it about you. And "be of the same mind". When does that happen? We are all about factions, differences, politics, race, sexual orientation, whatever. 

What would the world think of a group of people who lived out these principles? Wouldn't it be interesting to find out? I'm struggling with the part about not making it about me. I always seem to catch myself after I snack on my foot. But what if I really tried, worked at trapping that thought before I spoke? What if I did good, fed my enemies, treated them with kindness? What if I wept with those in mourning? What if I rejoiced with those rejoicing without wondering when good stuff will happen to me? What if I was like minded instead of contending for the wrong priorities?

What about you? Can this be you? Can you be like this? Will you? Perhaps we can help each other work at it together? What a thought.

Believing Faith

 

"So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust,

The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you.”

     Joel 2:25 (NKJV)

At a very low point in my life years ago, the Lord gave me this verse.  I was in a desperate place when all hope seemed gone and God comforted me. His promised restoration spoke hope to my heart.  This OT verse was written to Israel about a period of time called the Day of the Lord, so what does it have to do with me?  It illustrates the great principle that although all Scripture is not written to us, all Scripture is written for us—that is, it is useful for us and has application to our lives (2 Tim. 3:16). 

Since that first time, God has reaffirmed this verse to me on numerous occasions over the years, including recently.  I’m grateful for that because although God only needs to say something once for it to be true, it’s encouraging to have confirmation, especially since I have not seen any fulfilment yet of the promised restoration.  So I keep trusting and like Abraham, remain “fully convinced that what He had promised, He was also able to perform” (Romans 4:21, NKJV).

God worked through Abraham’s faith to bring about the great promises made to him.  Although Abraham knew there was no natural way for him to have a son through Sarah, he considered not those limitations but believed God.  We are also called on to believe. And when we do, we are "strengthened in faith, giving glory to God" (Romans 4:20, NKJV).

What are you trusting God for today? Is there a promise you’re waiting for Him to fulfill?  We serve a God who is faithful and true, who can make a way where there seems to be no way. So let’s consider not the obstacles but have faith in God to do what He promises.