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(Galatians 5:1)
You just read the verse for today from Paul's letter to the Christians in Galatia. Question: What does it mean? What is this yoke of bondage Paul is warning us against?
If I had just read this verse as presented above, out of context, (and didn't already know the answer), I would quickly respond: Sin! Paul is warning us not to lapse back into sinful behavior. That is the yoke we have been freed from. Christ made us free from sin!
Which of course is true but at the same time the wrong answer. Paul is not talking about the bondage of sin in this passage, but the bondage of legalism, or as they called it back then, The Law. That is, in fact, the main theme of the Book of Galatians: The danger of legalism vs. the freedom we have in Christ.
One can sense Paul's growing frustration beginning in the salutation of this letter. He had spent some real quality time with the people of Asia Minor and they had started well. He was proud of them. But the insidious Judaizers, Jewish Christians that felt certain Old Testament laws were still binding, had begun to poison his teaching. They were so powerful and so intimidating that they were turning the new converts away from the true gospel Paul had preached, and back to a system of rules and regulations, in effect denying their faith. But it wasn't only the new converts being "bewitched". As Paul unabashedly relates:
Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, "If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?" (Gal. 2:11-14).
Right. Even Peter, the great man of Pentecost, the fearless fisherman whose "kill and eat" vision was still hot sermon material, was having trouble staying free of this spreading bondage. Though he no longer followed the old Jewish dietary restrictions, he wanted to look good to the legalists by at least not eating publicly with Gentile dogs.
Though Peter had a little lapse of cowardice (I keep reminding you guys these people were human), which he certainly made up for later and then some, the Galatians were really getting sucked in. So Paul doesn't tip-toe around their feelings, calling them "foolish Galatians"and continuing with that theme, goes on to say, "Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?" (Gal. 3:3).
We see a lot of this today as well, which is the reason I write about it so often (some would say too often). But a good deal of the email I receive relates to this issue; people want to know the rules. They want a list of what they can and can't do (read: get away with) and still be Christians. And some are genuinely concerned because they are told by their denominations that this regulation or that applies and failure to abide by these rules could not only keep them on the borders of the kingdom of God, but could cost them their very salvation. So naturally people want to know what the Bible has to say about the rules, regulations and laws their churches have placed on them.
The truth is, Jesus, being non-denominational, rarely devoted much time to these kind of issues, so most of them aren't covered by Scripture. He thought the "rules", as such, fairly obvious and simple. Though he spoke at length on forgiveness, mercy, love, sin, faith, and even the end of the world, the subject of dancing on Sunday never came up. His Sermon on the Mount was devoid of any mention of the proper attire for righteousness. He failed to address the use of coffee, cigarettes or alcohol, though He made a point of saying that what went into us is less important than what comes out. Maybe He thought we'd figure it out. We haven't. Freedom still scares us. It's too big, too limitless. Like prisoners released after years of confinement from tiny cells, we take small, uncertain steps. Some of us miss the reasurring walls and bars. So we build our own. But what are the results?
For instance, there are many Christians who, desiring holiness, have given up smoking and drinking (wise move), and yet eat enough to feed an average African village. This seems to be accepted behavior in the church. Eating an entire German chocolate cake is not sinful, but having one beer is. Smoking, an obviously stupid thing to do, is wrong, but being fifty or even a hundred pounds overweight is not. Yet both will kill you just as dead. If you don't believe this is a problem in the church, go to a crusade some time and witness how many people in the healing lines are overweight. Sure, some of these people truly can't help it. But how many of these good people are suffering from disorders that might be (at least in part) attributed to obesity, resulting from careless nutrition and lack of exercise, not genetics, such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, back problems, leg problems, etc. Yet because of man-made rules, they feel they're doing everything right, because they're not doing anything on the officially recognized list of don'ts. Still, God loves them no less.
That last paragraph is bound to upset some folks (not my intention) but it's true nonetheless. And it's problems like these in the body of Christ that are the very fruit of legalism, not freedom. See, we want someone to make Christianity simple for us and just tell us what to do. Or what not to do. Then we feel safe. We're being herded toward heaven. But it doesn't work that way. Christianity is not following a list of rules, it's relationship. And that relationship is not achieved solely by avoidance and abstinence (heck, even Buddhist monks do that and they are thoroughly unfamiliar with Christ). Salvation is not the end result of following a list of don'ts. It's the result of faith, and faith alone. It isn't the prize for doing everything right. It's an unearned gift. But for you folks that absolutely crave rules, that demand boundaries, I'll give you one, the same Paul gave the law-hungry Galatians. He said, "Here it is guys, the whole law, every bit of it, boiled down to one simple rule that even Galatians can memorize. Do this and you're there: You shall love your neighbor as yourself (Gal. 5:14).
Now you know why legalism exists. It's much simpler than freedom. Ask any prisoner.
You're not on parole, you're free.
(Matthew 24:14)
If we were to describe any facet of the life and ministry of Jesus here on Earth that we felt was the most impressive, likely it would involve the physical miracles: His healing the sick, raising the dead, walking on water, calming the storm, multiplication of the loaves and fishes, etc. Rarely, however, do we give much regard to something else He did almost constantly, namely, prophesying. The Bible is full of prophets, but Jesus is the best there ever was. He didn't prophesy in generalities. He was specific.
Jesus, aside from making dozens of long-range pronouncements, also prophesied many events right before they happened. There are too many instances to detail here, but some examples would be Judas' and Peter's respective betrayals (Matthew 26:21-25 and Matthew 26:31-35), His own death and resurrection (Matthew 17:22-23), the fish with the gold coin in its mouth (Matthew 17:24-27) and the man with the water pitcher on his shoulder (Mark 14:12-16). You can probably think of many more.
Of course, these are easy targets for skeptics to punch holes in. Since the gospels were written many years after the death of Christ, the writers could make anything He said work out. The same goes for all the Old Testament prophecies that deal with His birth, death and resurrection. Knowing these Scriptures, the New Testament writers would find it a simple task to make His life jive with the old predictions. Piece of cake.
Where the skeptics do run into problems, however, is with His long range prophecies, like the one I included as today's opening verse. Let me show you why this simple prediction is so powerful.
Jesus was born into a time of upheaval. Rome was losing her tenuous grip on empire. People were dissatisfied with the status quo. The world was changing, expanding. Even Jerusalem was in a state of flux. The environment was ripe for the emergence of sects, cults and rebellion (Indeed, Barabbas, who was freed in place of Jesus, had been involved in a bloody revolt, hence his death sentence).
When John the Baptist came on the scene, he was but one of many upstart preachers pushing new ideas. When Jesus began His own ministry it did not replace all the others; it existed simultaneously. We see His disciples confront Him with this (Mark 9:38), and later we see that Paul and the other apostles were simply seen as members of yet another sect. There were sects everywhere, based on everything imaginable. Sure, this one gospel will be preached in all the world. Right. Dream on.
Of course the authorities figured that with the execution of their ringleader, Jesus of Nazareth, this pitiful little sect would eventually fade into well-deserved obscurity like dozens before had done. For a time it seemed they might be correct. But then strange things began to happen. As Rome became increasingly alarmed at the ideas these rebels were spreading, and began ruthlessly and violently purging them from their midst, the sect grew. The more they slaughtered them, the more gruesome the executions became, the more followers there were, eventually reaching into the highest ranks of Roman society. This is not how it is supposed to work.
Certainly the Roman rulers of Jesus' day could not have imagined this outcome. They thought they were dealing with a minor troublemaker from the burbs, a fraud, a Jewish con man, and one not really worth worrying about. He didn't threaten mighty Rome. Big deal, let Him call Himself King. But how surprised they would have been years later to see even their own emperor, Constantine, convert to Christianity, follow this long-dead Jesus, and declare it the faith of Rome. And the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the members of the Sanhedrin who fought so hard to have Jesus crucified, wouldn't they also be amazed now to see just how far this "blasphemer" from Galilee's message spread, how His followers have surpassed theirs by millions. Their names are forgotten. But we know His. Actually, they probably are painfully aware of it even as you read this.
It appears that Jesus' prophecy came true, against all logic and all odds. Not in cloudy symbolism, but specifically and as He said it would. From twelve followers there are now millions. There are Christians in virtually every country on Earth. His gospel is proclaimed 24 hours a day through every media and carried to remote places by those still called to do such things. The skeptics can't refute this prophecy. It came true. No amount of trickery by New Testament scribes could make it so. It's reality.
Are you comprehending just how amazing this situation is? 2,000 years ago, a virtually unknown Man from Nowheresville rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, and in the face of deadly opposition declared that His never-before-heard message would spread worldwide, even though He'd be killed almost immediately. And it happened. The message spread around the world. Before email, before TV, even before the printed word. And it's still happening. Gee, could this mean everything else He said is true?
He's got the future covered. Yours, too.
(John 12:9)
Have you ever asked yourself why God works miracles? It has nothing to do with our simply needing one. Many people that need a miracle will never see one. It's not because God is a loving Father, either. Sure, He loves everybody but everybody doesn't experience the miraculous. The answer, I believe, lies in two statements Jesus made prior to the resurrection of Lazarus, and the effect that resurrection had on the community.
Our first explanation for the miraculous comes after Jesus hears of His friend Lazarus' death, and tells His disciples that He is going to Bethany to "wake him up". Again proving that these twelve were not picked for their intelligence, they inform the Lord that, hey, if he's just sleeping, he'll wake up again! Jesus calmly replies, "Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him." To which the ever clueless and energetic Thomas replies, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him" (John 11:11-16). Now aside from proving He's the Christ with nothing more than His super-human patience, Jesus proves that miracles are for believers, that they might be empowered to believe even the impossible.
Our next insight into the reason for the miraculous comes in the statement Jesus delivers at Lazarus' gravesite. As the Lord arrives in Bethany, He is met with the customary Middle Eastern funerary scene: mourners, wailing women, scads of relatives and throngs of other locals with nothing better to do (Bethany was not a happenin' place). Though dead four days, Lazarus' funeral is still the event. Jesus is also accosted by His own friends who pointedly remind Him that if He had just bothered to show up a few days before, Lazarus wouldn't be wearing sheets right now. Undaunted, Jesus orders the stone removed. Still being a total pain, Martha warns Him who will judge the quick and the dead what death smells like. Jesus tells her to simmer down and get ready for something really cool. They roll the huge stone away and He says, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people standing by I said this, that they may believe You sent Me" (John 11:41-42). You know what happened next, but the point is, miracles are for those that don't believe as well, so that they might be saved.
The third reason for the miraculous is demonstrated by today's opening verse, and it's one passage of Scripture that we don't consider often enough. Lazarus became something of a celebrity, but more than that, the miracle birthed a ministry. People were coming to see Jesus, but they were also coming to see this guy that had been raised from the dead. Jesus couldn't have paid for a better ad campaign. You can imagine Lazarus had plenty to say about his Friend. People listened to him, and they believed in Jesus. That's what miracles are for, and it's our responsibility, when we receive them, to share our experience with others. They are not for our private consumption. I can't prove this, and it is found nowhere in Scripture, but I have a hunch that one's willingness to share what God does in one's life directly corresponds to how much He actually does. Just a thought.
How effective was Lazarus' ministry? But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus (John 12:10-11). That effective. They hated him almost as much as Jesus.
Of course, I doubt these threats had much effect on Lazarus. Kinda like throwin' Br'er Rabbit in the brier patch. But I still wonder what happened to him. Did he witness the Crucifixion? Did he live to be an old man, recounting his amazing story to rapt and gape-jawed listeners year after year, bringing thousands to the Truth? Or was he martyred like so many others? I don't know. One thing I would bet on, however, is that he was the only one who wasn't surprised by Jesus' Resurrection. And Lazarus' ministry? It's still continuing. We're still talking about him and his Friend who showed up a little late.
It pays to advertise.
(Romans 5:8)
There are certain times in our lives when we feel compelled, make that desperately driven to near insanity, to create a positive first impression. We know that everything's riding on how we are perceived and there will be no second chance. Several examples came to my mind immediately, and produced at least a couple shudders: 1) The first meeting of future in-laws, 2) The first introduction to the president of the company you have been praying to work for, 3) Your first IRS audit, 4) Your 20th high school reunion.
If none of these situations made you feel the least bit queasy, maybe these scenarios will get the bile moving: 1) You meet your future in-laws while having lunch with an attractive ex-girlfriend who just needed someone to talk to about her unexpected twins due next week, 2) On entering his office, you realize that the president of the company you had hoped to work for was the man you just screamed (and gestured) at all the way down the highway for cutting you off in traffic, 3) Trying to convince the IRS agent that the dog really did eat all those receipts, I swear, 4) Waking up the morning of the reunion with the biggest pimple you've ever had right on the tip of your nose.
It would be normal to feel uncomfortable in any of these situations. Not just because of our embarrassment and bruised egos, but because we know there is a real relationship between how others perceive us and whether we succeed or fail. Our lives have proved it over and over to us. Unfortunately this experience warps our understanding of and our relationship with God. We tend to hide from Him, feeling we're not good enough, or go overboard trying to impress Him and earn His love. This is unnecessary, and besides, it won't work.
That's because God isn't like anybody else. He's already seen us at our lowest. He knows all the rotten things we've done and said and thought. He knows we'll do more rotten things. He can't be impressed or fooled. He knows us. For some bizarre reason way beyond this writer's comprehension, He still loves us.
See, you've already made your first impression on Him. You did it before you were even born. He knew what you were then, and went ahead and created you anyway, and He sent his Son to die for you before you even had the first notion to impress Him. Look at today's verse back in context:
For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him (Romans 5:6-9).
Don't worry about making a good impression on God. Jesus made it for you. Don't feel like you need to clean yourself up before you can make His acquaintance. Don't let the situation you find yourself in embarrass you and force you to hide under the table. He's forgiven your insults. He needs no excuses or explanations. There's no need for fear. He's already accepted you exactly as you are, giant pimple and all.
Here's one final thought for you to chew on. Paul says while we were still (or yet) sinners, Christ died for us. Do you realize that he is speaking of a past condition and a term that no longer applies to a born-again Christian? Yes, we still sin, all of us, but our Father no longer sees us as sinners, but as His much-loved children. Maybe if we saw ourselves the same way it would make things better for everybody. We wouldn't be trying so hard to impress. We wouldn't get so embarrassed when we looked less than perfect. Who knows, might even affect that audit.
God gave His best for our worst.
(John 8:58)
The last time I wrote about the Deity of Jesus Christ it angered a few readers and cost me at least one subscriber. Now I really do appreciate all you folks who subscribe to this weekly message, but I have to transcribe what God puts in my heart to write, even if it makes you angry as hell with me. Better you than Him, I figure. But if something really ticks you off, you can (lovingly) let me know and give me the opportunity to set right any wrong I may have inadvertently committed or at least allow me to explain more fully my reasons for believing as I do. Typing "unsubscribe" is so impersonal. I'm doing this for you. For free. Be nice.
Some people will tell you that Jesus never claimed to be God incarnate. Today's verse should should totally dispel that falsehood forever. To me this simple statement is the most profound comment Jesus ever made concerning Himself and it leaves absolutely no doubt, no matter how one desperately tries to misinterpret it, that He openly claimed to be Divine.
Before we dissect this verse, let's look at what the non-believing Pharisees asked Jesus that prompted His dramatic response and their subsequent desire to stone Him into the Old Testament on the spot. They had become embroiled in a discussion about Abraham and Jesus was trying to explain to them that they were not following their forefather's excellent example. He wasn't being very delicate about it, either. After twice accusing our Lord and Savior of being demonically possessed, they asked Him this: "Are You greater than Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead, who do You make Yourself out to be?" Jesus responded, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad." "You are not yet fifty years old," they countered, "and have You seen Abraham?" To which Jesus delivers the ultimate topper, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." Immediately they began scurrying around for stones with which to kill their one and only Messiah because they knew exactly what He meant. In their eyes, He had committed blasphemy to the nth degree.
But what had He really said that got them (and some folks today) so riled up? Well, first He acknowledged that, yes, he is greater than Abraham, and all the prophets (most of whom they'd also killed, by the way) who predicted His miraculous ministry. When He says before Abraham was, He is really saying before Abraham was born. This makes Him not only timeless and immortal; it also makes Him Divine. They didn't like that. But what really made them crazy was those two little capitalized words: I AM.
See, these Pharisees knew their Scripture. They may not have been too sharp at understanding it (or following it), but they knew what was written. When Jesus, a Man they knew to have grown up in their midst said, "I AM", this verse, Exodus 3:14, came instantly to their minds: And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'"
The Pharisees knew that I AM WHO I AM, or I AM, typed in capital letters, is God's name. It is not just what we call Him, it's what He calls Himself. It is where we get the names "Yahweh" and "Jehovah", derivations of the Hebrew word for to be. Be assured of this, Jesus knew what He was saying, and so did they. Nobody was confused back then. We shouldn't be confused as to who Jesus Christ is today.
If this were the only place in Scripture where Christ asserted His Deity, I would probably go a bit easier on the subject, and those who would deny others this obvious truth, but it's not. Another quick example would be His claim of being Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28), just one of many, many more. But this is not about being right. It's about being empowered. It's about this thing called Christianity really functioning like Christ intended.
See, we pray in Jesus' name because of who He is. His ongoing ministry to us works because He is I AM. We have salvation in His name because He's more than a prophet, more than a teacher. We have heaven through our faith in Him. A good man, a good example for living can't deliver on this promise. Only God can offer eternity, at least in the best location. Without recognizing the Deity of Christ you may as well be praying to Buddha or Vishnu. The results will be the same.
The Pharisees missed the truth of this. They still do. Today, as then, there are still those who outright deny Him. Others play subtle, more dangerous, high-stakes word games with the truth and the salvation of their followers, saying Jesus is Lord, but not God, making Him, by what we've read today, a liar. Not just a run of the mill liar, but a liar of cosmic proportions. Don't be fooled by them. Read the Bible for yourself. Read the words of Christ. See what He has to say about Himself. He will speak to you. He still has power. He still owns time. And He can still be very convincing. This should not come as a surprise. After all, like He says, "I and My Father are one" (John 10:30).
I AM still is.
(Zechariah 4:10a)
Recently I read a short biographical account in a local publication, Coffee Times, by writer Betty Fullard-Leo that I would like to paraphrase for you today. I was unfamiliar with this story, even though much of it takes place in my own "backyard", Kealakekua on the Big Island of Hawaii. It demonstrates how seemingly small beginnings and achievements, the day of small things, can in reality be world changing.
In 1792, in a time of great turmoil, in the Ka'u district of the Big Island of Hawaii, a boy named Opukaha'ia was born. Not much is known of his early years, but by his own account, written years later, his parents were both killed in a factional war that broke out after the death of the old king. Slinging his baby brother on his back, the ten year old Opukaha'ia sought to escape the slaughter, but a spear thrown by one of the attacking warriors hit him, killing the baby.
Opukaha'ia survived, but in an ironic twist, came under the guardianship of the very soldier who had killed his parents. A year and a half later, the young boy discovered that his uncle was a kahuna (priest) at a nearby temple, and he was permitted to go live with his grandmother and this uncle. But what seemed like good fortune for Opukaha'ia quickly turned again to terror. While visiting an aunt in a nearby village, soldiers stormed her house and arrested her for kapu-breaking, kapu being the system of laws the Hawaiians lived under in those days. What infraction she had committed is unknown, but the punishment rarely varied. Opukaha'ia broke through the grass wall of her hale (house) and escaped to safety, but not before witnessing the soldiers throwing his aunt off the pali (cliff) to her death.
Opukaha'ia made it back to his uncle at Napo'opo'o where he trained in the priesthood, with the intention of succeeding him as kahuna of Hiki'au Heiau. (Incidentally, this is the same heiau, or temple, where Captain James Cook was killed twenty years earlier. It stands to this day at the beach below my house). But the young student was not happy. He longed to see other lands. Taking the first chance he got, Opukaha'ia boarded the Triumph as she anchored in Kealakekua Bay. Even though the sixteen year old spoke no English, Captain Brintnall invited him to stay for dinner and the next day he set sail on a two-year odyssey that would take the young Hawaiian to the Seal Islands, Macao, around the Cape of Good Hope and finally into New York, landing in 1809. It was also during this voyage that Opukaha'ia met a Christian sailor named Russell Hubbard, who began, with the Bible as an aid, to teach the young man to read and write. Young Opukaha'ia was also given the English name "Henry" at this time, and his last name simplified to Obookiah (the reasons are probably obvious to you if you're still trying to figure out how to pronounce it).
Of course docking in New York, even in the 1800's, was like stepping onto another planet for Opukaha'ia. He was awe-struck by the big buildings with their many rooms and the general affluence he saw around him. But what really surprised him was to see women eating at the same table with men and not being struck down by the gods for breaking this kapu still adhered to among his own people.
Captain Brintnall was good to Opukaha'ia and brought him to live with his family in New Haven, Connecticut, where he began studying under the guidance of a Yale student named Edwin Dwight. As Opukaha'ia's reading skills grew, his view of religion began to change. He came to understand and believe in the Christian God and said of his native Hawaiian gods, "Hawai'i gods. They wood -- burn. Me go home, put 'em in fire, burn 'em up. They no see, no hear, no anything. We make them. Our God -- He make us."
Surrounded by encouragement, Opukaha'ia thrived. He spoke publicly and began translating the Bible into Hawaiian as well as compiling a dictionary and book of grammar. He continued his studies at Yale where he braved Latin, Hebrew, geometry and geography. It was also at this time that he wrote a little book, with the sole intention of improving his writing skills, called "Memoirs of Henry Obookiah". He completed this little project in 1815 and began a diary of his thoughts on his new faith.
In 1817, a dozen students, six of which were Hawaiian (others had come after Opukaha'ia), began training for the mission field. But the following year, Opukaha'ia fell sick with typhus and died at the age of 26 on February 17, 1818. Those who attended him in his sickness remarked that he passed with a "heavenly smile on his face." His last words were of love.
So ended, without fanfare, the short, sad and amazing life of Opukaha'ia Henry Obookiah. Few remember him. It would seem that his life was a waste, full of promise and then over. But remember that little English project, his tragically brief memoirs? After his death it was published, inspiring fourteen missionaries to volunteer to carry Opukaha'ia's message back to his people. Only one of those sailing back to Hawaii had ever even met him. And the work Opukaha'ia did in translating and recording a Hawaiian dictionary/grammar/spelling book made it possible for the missionaries to print the first Hawaiian primer and Bible stories. Though a small thing, his little book and a simple desire to learn changed Hawaii forever. He brought Jesus Christ to the Hawaiian people.
Opukaha'ia was buried in Connecticut, and his body lay in the hillside cemetery for 185 years. But 6 years ago a group of his descendants brought his body home to the Big Island. He was reinterred at tiny Kahikolu Cemetery at Napo'opo'o, near the very heiau, had things gone otherwise, that he would have presided over as kahuna. His resting place is marked with a simple plaque, and cared for by a small group who believe, as the first Hawaiian Christian, he's worth remembering.
Your smallest act may outlive you.
(Psalm 130:3)
In our media-overload world we are constantly bombarded with other peoples' problems, failures and wrongdoing. With the non-stop, detail-specific coverage of the recent Clinton scandal, the spate of talk/freak shows flooding the airwaves with their almost inhumanly shameless guests, the lurid tabloid covers leering and winking at us as we innocently pay for our groceries, it becomes less and less possible to avoid hearing about the shortcomings of others. To make matters worse, our society seems to be developing a ravenous appetite for this kind of revealing information.
Though most of us would deny having even a passing interest in this who-did-what-to-whom journalism, we tend to look anyway, in spite of our distaste for it. It's the 6-car pileup on the freeway thing. No, you don't want to see it, but you just can't turn away.
There are many dangers to this growing trend to tell us more than we want to know. One is a sort of spreading numbness towards the fact that someone's privacy is being trespassed and violated beyond anything considered decent only a few years ago. Another is the impression that everybody is basically lousy. But the worst, and most dangerous to us all, is the feeling of superiority that comes from continually seeing others revealed at their lowest point.
Indeed, I suspect that this is the very reason for the success of most daytime television. It's hard to watch the oddballs, wackos and weirdos that populate this timeslot without feeling extremely normal and rather pleased with oneself. Pleased that, if nothing else, at least your ancestors looked outside their immediate family for mates.
Even watching the news as of late has given many of us the false impression that we've never done anything really wrong in our lives, at least by comparison. Sure we've stumbled here and there, but compared to what we see everyday, we're candidates for canonization.
Which brings us to the wake-up call of today's verse: If You, Lord, should mark (take note of) iniquities, who could stand? Short answer: Nobody.
Don't fool yourself. Just because your private failures haven't made it to primetime doesn't make them insignificant. Sin is sin, whether you are the President or some homeless drug addict sleeping curled up in a doorway somewhere. God does not grade on a curve or make allowance for occupation or fame. There are not degrees of sin, just sin. God doesn't like any of it. And if He kept count of all of our little, unpublicized iniquities, not a one of us would be left standing.
Fortunately, He doesn't do this. The psalmist goes on to answer his own rhetorical question with these paradoxical words: But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared. I say paradoxical because one would think there would be punishment with Him, so that He might be feared. Not so. The method God uses with His children to engender their fear (their reverence and respect for His awesome power) is to employ His unfathomable forgiveness. This is where His omnipotence is truly revealed. Even lesser beings, like Satan, can destroy. God can destroy, too, and in spectacular fashion, but He chooses to forgive. That makes Him God. That makes us very fortunate.
As His children, we should stay mindful of the fact that we are operating at all times under and because of His forgiveness. We are told in Scripture that, as His dear children, we are to imitate Him. Since we can't create worlds, hang new stars, aren't omnipotent or omnipresent, and can't even begin to come close (even though we try) to expressing His timelessly unconditional love, what can we do to be more like our Father? How can we look like Him? We can forgive others. It's one thing we're capable of and it's easy. Just think of all the times you've been forgiven and divide by a thousand.
Forgiveness is only gained by giving it away.
(Proverbs 14:10)
One thing I have learned over the years is that what is painful, hurtful or unpleasant to me may not even ruffle another person. To them I might appear to be overly sensitive, self-conscious, even to have a chip on my shoulder. Likewise, problems or worries that afflict others may seem to be mere trifles to me. I can't imagine why this insignificant situation should cause them so much grief. They should just shake it off, get over it and stop whining.
This is because, as our verse for today from Proverbs points out, what is in our hearts is very private. The inner pain we feel, the emotional trauma, is deeply hidden. The surface situations that trigger the heart's response may appear to be minor annoyances, but our reaction to them is deeply rooted in who we are. Our feelings are ours alone. They simply can't be understood fully by others. Sometimes even we have a hard time understanding them ourselves.
This is as true for the things that bring us joy as it is for those that cause sadness or ignite anger. Sometimes I catch myself feeling really happy and even I don't know exactly why. To explain this elation to another person, no matter how close to me they may be, would fall short of a real explanation. I'm just happy. It's in my heart.
As Christians, we tend to think that happy is the only state we can be in and be doing the Christian thing correctly. But there are times when we will be down in the dumps. No, we shouldn't pitch a tent and camp out there for days on end, but everyone will visit them from time to time, even if it's just to drop off the garbage. What we have to realize is that others, our husbands, wives, parents and even closest friends, those that know us inside out, will not fully appreciate what we are dealing with. At times their advice will seem insensitive, even uncaring or cruel. Our heart is mostly hidden from them. They can't see the turmoil inside. Forgive them. They probably mean well.
One thing you don't want to do is pretend happiness. Proverbs 10:13, just a couple verses further down states: Even in laughter the heart may sorrow, and the end of mirth may be grief. This is simply wearing a mask. Masks must come off eventually. If you feel bad, feel bad. This doesn't mean wallow in it, but express it honestly. It will make more sense to those around you than feigning an everything's great attitude and then exploding into smithereens an hour later. Don't be afraid to show real joy either, even if you can't put the reason for it into a complete (intelligent) sentence.
As our verse says, the bitterness you feel in your heart and the joy that replaces it can't really be shared by a stranger. But here's some very good news. God is not a stranger. Not to you, or your heart. You may find this hard to swallow if you still see Him as one, but He knows what's going on inside you better than you do yourself. He knows exactly why you react the way you do, what makes you singin' and shoutin' happy and what makes you suicidally sad. You may be a mystery to everybody else, but not to Him. It's when we find ourselves on these lofty peaks and in these dark valleys that we really should start talking to Him. We should tell Him what we're feeling, good or bad. He alone can help us make sense of it all. If it's a low spot we're stuck in, He can lift us right out of it. If we're sailing through space thinking life just couldn't get any better, He can remind us why we're feeling that way and teach us how to make that happiness a much more frequent state of being (a pretty good goal to shoot for, actually).
Remember also that the Lord can do more than just understand your heart. He can change it. He can make issues that have burdened you for years seem like somebody else's bad memories. He can rewire every circuit so that when someone pushes that little button, instead of getting you, they get God. He can replace despair with irrepressible hope, fear with courage, sadness with joy overflowing, and pain with peace, real peace, that is neither fragile nor temporary, but eternal.
Even you can't really see your own heart. You can't make sense out of all the issues it contains, some of which were put there so long ago, even before your first memory. Why not trust it to Someone who can?
Better than a bypass.
(Proverbs 23:4)
I can't prove this, but I suspect that the number one regret people experience in their last hours on our little planet is that they have missed so many of the good things, the fun things, the beautiful things. They were always just too busy, in most cases trying to make money. Too busy for their spouses. Too busy for their children. Too busy for their friends. Too busy to just enjoy life.
Not that making money is an entirely useless pursuit. Money comes in very handy, especially if you need to buy something. Yet this pursuit should not be all-consuming. Just being rich is not a worthwhile goal. Actually, it's not even aiming very high.
Throughout my life I've known many people who have accumulated huge piles of the stuff that were absolutely miserable and others who barely had change for a buck that were excited about each new day. I've also seen the reverse: happy rich folks, miserable poor folks. So have you. But one thing I know for certain is that no one on their deathbed grieves about not having made enough money. I can't imagine a person living his last few minutes pining for all the things he could have bought, but didn't.
That's what today's verse is hoping to make us aware of: that money, nice as it is to have, is not worth a life, yours or anybody else's.
The key to understanding this verse (and applying it) lies in the third and sixth words: overwork and rich. Certainly we all need to work at something. We should all support ourselves and our families. This is not just responsible, it's Biblical. But when we overwork to be rich we exceed not only what's required of us, but what's good for us.
This kill-yourself-to-make-money lifestyle is not a purely secular phenomenon. Christians are frequently just as guilty of this behavior as their unchurched neighbors with the new Benz, though they often don't see it that way. After all, they tithe. They contribute to missions. They feed the hungry and shelter the homeless with their surplus. They forget, however, that their kids only see them Sunday morning at church. That's not enough.
There's more harm to be had from all this mania to get rich, however, than just the damage it can do to yourself and those around you. It can seriously impair your relationship with God. In the first place, if you don't have time for your family, you probably don't have any for Him either. This does not strengthen a relationship. Secondly, it shows that you have absolutely no faith whatsoever in His ability to provide a prosperous life for you. This, beyond almost anything you can do, really ticks God off. Wouldn't it bother you if your name were Jehovah Jireh (The-Lord-Will-Provide)? He makes us rich, and adds no sorrow with it (Proverbs 10:22).
To help us all avoid this, here are a few of the warning signs:
Can't remember the color of husband/wife's eyes. Haven't had a date since high school. Think parks are for kids, as well as bikes, walking, running and anything else that requires physical exertion. Write off all your vacations as business expenses (because you always do business on them). Use your bed for sleeping (exclusively). Haven't had an un-microwaved meal in years. Don't know what your child wants to be. Don't remember his/her birthday. Find FNN relaxing. Can't remember last movie you saw together. Can't remember last time you played hooky. Keep Tums in briefcase, glove compartment and nightstand. Worry that your neighbor makes more money than you. Hate him for it. Ride the bus to work so you can work on your way to work. Hate golf, only play it to network. You're the last one out of the building every night. You excel at eating and driving simultaneously. Last book read was on making more money. Your heroes are all (dead) millionaires. Your children want to be adopted. Your wife left you. You didn't notice for a week.
If you can say, "Hey, that's me!" to more than a few of these, then do as Solomon said in the end of today's verse: "Cut it out!" You weren't put here to work yourself into a quadruple bypass, to lose family and friends, to miss all the fun things. Ulcers aren't the Lord's way of saying "well done, good and faithful servant." Stop and enjoy some of what He's given you. It's alright. Really. It's all gone so fast.
You know, I've never been to heaven but I will bet you that when we stand face to face with God, totally awestruck by His awesome power and majesty, and He asks us to give an accounting of ourselves, He isn't going to call for some winged CPA to check our figures. He's going to want to know what we did to make this place better, how we treated others. Even, did we have a good time? Somehow I think, "Made a pile of dough, Lord" isn't the answer He'll be looking for.
Time isn't money. It's one of the two things money can't buy.
(Galatians 3:5)
Have you ever experienced a miracle? Have you seen one with your own eyes? (By this word miracle I do not mean the birth of a baby, a beautiful sunset or any other marvel of God's creation, as wonderful as those things may be, but an actual, full-on miracle, wherein God defies the laws of Science/Nature and does something that can only be attributed to His supernatural power and immediate personal intervention.)
Well, I have. Many times. Hopefully you have, too. If so, no one will ever be able to dissuade you from believing that God is still in this line of work. You know better. This is not bragging on my part. I'm not better, holier or more loved by God than you are. Sometimes I'm downright human. Ask anybody. So if I can experience these wonderful gifts from God, you can, too. Here's how:
Expect one.
Not complicated enough? Okay, let's go back to today's verse. The Galatians were in trouble. Paul reminds them that God is supplying them with His Spirit. That word supply, epichoregeo in the Greek, means to fully supply or abundantly, overwhelmingly, generously provide what is needed to cover all costs. In other words, they have been given enough of God's Spirit to take care of anything.
Paul then, in the same breath, mentions the fact that miracles are happening among them. He says this in a very matter-of-fact way, as if it were a common event everyone was familiar with. That's because it was. Miracles were expected. They were a part of daily life in the early church. The large helping of the Spirit they had received made this expectation possible. He covered all their doubts, fears, unbelief, even their super-refined logic, with faith. His faith. This faith the Galatians had and their willingness to use it allowed for the continuous working of miracles among them and through them.
At this point Paul poses a question to these guys: Is God doing these great things among you because you're following the finer points of the law or because He's heard your faith?
For an example, take a law, a serious law, like the one forbidding adultery. We all agree that this law is good and necessary. Say you go your whole life and never break this commandment. Not once. Will this guarantee you a miracle when you need one? Does not committing adultery cause you to expect the miraculous? No. Miracles are not a reward for 'being good', for not doing something wrong, they are God's response to hearing our faith.
Now obviously we need to live right and turn from sin. God gave us these guidelines for our own good. But the Galatians were about to lapse back into slavery and silliness. The Judaizers were trying to convince them (and it was working) that salvation was not through faith in Jesus alone but through following every little rule, regulation and rite of Mosaic Law. Paul calls them foolish Galatians (and compares the Judaizers to witches) in verse one, because they were about to trade their freedom in Christ, and the miracle-working power they had received, for dead legalism. And if legalism were what God wanted from us, the Pharisees would have been healing the sick and raising the dead; Jesus could have just stayed comfortably in heaven. Therefore Paul fought vigorously to keep the Galatians operating in the faith mode.
So how do we let God hear our faith? How do we get this abundant supply of His Spirit and the accompanying miracles in our midst? By showing Him we expect it. By standing on the Word He's given us. By claiming what's ours by the authority we have in Christ as His children and heirs. Not by moaning and groaning, a-wishin' and a-hopin', and if-it-be-Your-willing Him to the point He can't stand to listen to us anymore. And not by legalism. He wants boldness. Boldness expects and expectation is faith. Let Him hear that.
Faith is all God responds to. You can't fool Him. You can't buy a miracle with works. You can go without make-up, give up alcohol, coffee, cigarettes and drugs; you can break all your old rock n roll records and disconnect the cable; you can read your Bible daily, virtually live at church and use "Praise God" as if it were a comma. But unless God is hearing faith coming out of you, unless He sees your expectation, the confidence in your relationship with Him that allows you to boldly approach His throne and know you'll be heard and answered, miracles are going to be things that happen to other people. And you know what's worse? Some of them won't even look like they deserve it. But don't let this make you crazy, let it make you smart. Stop trying to buy one. Realize that miracles are already paid for. The cost has been covered. Take one. They're free.
Miracles happen when you most expect them.
(Colossians 1:15)
From time to time I hear people who consider themselves spiritually enlightened mention Jesus Christ in the same breath with men such as Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius, and others who taught (or teach) a religious philosophy while on this earth. This verse from Paul's letter to the Colossians, however, reveals the difference. Jesus Christ is the very image of the Father. When you look at Jesus, you see the Father. He is over all creation (the process and the result). This is not a mere semantic difference, but a profoundly wide chasm that separates Him from them: Deity.
This fact of Christ's Deity also eludes many so-called Christian sects, who see Him as Lord, but not God, and therefore also view the concept of the Trinity as blasphemous and extra-Biblical. This is not a small point. Rejecting the deity of Christ not only makes Him just another guru, but probably the greatest liar and fraud who ever stood in sandals. Since none of us want to do that, let's look at why we can believe He is who He, and others like Paul, said He is. First, the whole passage from which today's verse was lifted:
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence (Colossians 1:15-18).
Question: If Jesus is not divine, how did He create all things? Creation is not retroactive. He had to be there. Further, Paul states that He created even the invisible. This is describing the angels and their hierarchy as well as heaven itself. This would be a difficult task for a 33 year old carpenter from the little one-donkey town of Nazareth, no matter how charismatic and full of niceness.
Paul continues to hammer home this point with the fact that everything was created through Him and for Him. That one mere man should be the goal and purpose of all creation is beyond ridiculous, but not if that Man is the Son of God, the ultimate Redeemer of all Mankind.
He is before all things and in Him all things consist, or in other words, hold together. Yep, He's the glue that's keeping the entire universe from exploding into a zillion flaming pieces. Sound like something your average philosopher could handle? Or does this job require a tad more power than you or I on our best day could muster?
Paul closes his explanation of the preeminence ( Gr. proteuo: firstness, superiority) of Jesus Christ with the fact that He is the firstborn from the dead. This even makes Him more preeminent (as if He needed it). No man ever did this before. Jesus rose, a fact that sets Him light-years apart from mere religious teachers and general good guys. He's alive. They're dead. Big difference.
This fact can also make a big difference in your life. Realizing who Jesus really is, and that he's alive and still working, is Life's greatest revelation. That we can actually be on a first-name basis with this timeless, powerful, creative, loving Person and His Father is an overwhelming, but real, opportunity. That He should want this relationship with us, each of us, in spite of all He's done and all He's still got to do, is mindboggling. But it's true. That's why He came here as Jesus of Nazareth. That's His plan. He started working on it a long, long time ago.
In this case, image is everything.
(Psalm 37:5)
When God encourages us to trust Him by committing our plans to His care so He can bring them about, He expects us to do it without reservation. He never promises to explain the process step by step to us, only that we'll get there. He doesn't tell us how long it will take, only that it will come to pass. He doesn't describe the journey, only the destination. These are things we aren't to concern ourselves with. This is called faith.
Even though we tend to think of this as advanced Christianity, like some kind of spiritual graduate course we're not ready for, we all exhibit this faith, this trust, in one degree or another every single day of our lives. Here's another of my ridiculously transparent analogies to prove it:
Where I live on the island of Hawaii, we don't have what most people on the Mainland, or even Oahu, would call 'highways'. We have two-lane roads for the most part, and as this is a very rocky and mountainous place, they tend to zig and zag and go up and down a lot.
The road to my house is no exception. Between the main road and my driveway, a distance of some 2.5 miles, there are approximately 60 curves. And these are not all gentle curves, but some very sharp ones as well. To one side of the road is a mountain comprised mainly of lava rock, to the other is a long, steep, downward continuation of that same mountain. It is remarkably beautiful, but there are no shoulders in most places and when it's raining, dark, or both, it can be a bit nerve-wracking.
Of course none of this is ever on my mind when I start down the road. I'm going home. My house is down there. No, I can't see it because the road curves this way and that, but I know it's there. I have never paused to wonder if my house has ceased to exist or if the road will come to a sudden and terrifying end into some unforeseen oblivion. I just drive. Nor do I know (or worry about) what is around each curve. Today it was men trimming trees. Sometimes it's a dog, a low flying pheasant or owl, a stalled car, a tourist taking pictures, a cow or a fallen boulder. You never know what you'll encounter, the road curves so much.
And these curves, these 60 crazy curves, were they put there just because some engineer couldn't draw a straight line, the shortest distance between two points for crying out loud? Were they put there to make the road more dangerous? Time-consuming? No, they were put there to avoid natural obstacles. It's the only way to get there. But it's worth it.
Some people would disagree. They won't live on this road because they don't like all the twists and turns. Forget the perfect view of the sun sinking into the Bay as hawks soar below, the lush, tropical vegetation at every turn, the spirit of old Hawaii peeking out of the mist from the mountains above, they want a straight road with no surprises. They want to get home fast.
And that's our problem with trusting God to get us where we want to go. He takes His time. He doesn't take the shortest distance between the beginning and the end. He shows us things along the way, beautiful and frightening. He leads us around obstacles, through one twist and turn of our lives after another. Usually we see this as just (another) unnecessary delay, never realizing He has lovingly steered us away from plummeting down a sheer drop-off or running face-first into a mountain wall. But that's how He does it. It builds our faith and makes us strong. But we rarely see it this way, that's why we have to trust Him. He knows the road. And the best thing is, the destination He has in mind for us, though at times difficult and tedious to reach, is well worth the ride.
Let Him drive.
(Mark 13:32)
Now that we've entered the final year of this millenium (quickly becoming the most popular word in the English language), it might be a good idea to be prepared for a lot of spiritual gobbledygook. Multitudes of Christians and non-Christians alike will be zeroing in on that innocent little number 2,000 as if it were in some way magical or portentous. It is neither, but you can expect to hear guesses, theories and evidence (with Scriptural backup), some convincing, some otherwise, designed to lead you to this misconclusion.
Thus today's verse, one eschatologists would do well to have tattooed on their foreheads, the upshot of which is that nobody, not the angels or even Jesus Himself, knows when He is coming back. Nobody, that is, except the Father. At least that's what Jesus said (witness the red type) and that's good enough for me.
However, this is not good enough for many so-called experts. I say so-called, because being an expert on the end times is like being an expert on life after death: there is not much personal experience to draw from. Still, this doesn't seem to slow them down.
I remember many years ago when The Late, Great Planet Earth was published. We read it like it was gospel. We saw the re-formation of the state of Israel as the starting point of this dead-certain countdown, and the wars, earthquakes, Common Market and all the other omens as glaringly obvious cues for the Son of Man to return and set things right. Only problem is that the Father, who's directing the whole show, is not using our script. Jesus is still waiting in the wings, heedless of our calculations about the length of generations and the relevance of satellites, listening for His Dad to say, "Action"!
I have always found it amazing (and a little embarrassing) that modern-day theologians would reason that they could figure out something that the Incarnate Son of God was, by His own admission, in the dark about, not to mention all the apostles. Peter, Paul, John and all the rest assumed that Jesus could (and would) return at any minute. They didn't know Israel had to become a state again. They weren't looking for the eurodollar. They weren't waiting for a new millenium. They were expecting Him, otherwise they would have just told everybody to goof off for a couple thousand years, there being no sense of urgency.
But that's the point. Jesus never instructed us to figure anything out. It's not a riddle or a puzzle. Sure, He told us to observe the signs and take note of the changes around us so we wouldn't be caught unawares. That's just good sense. His instruction, however, was to watch, because we don't know when He's coming back. Anyone that tells you they know when this will be is a LIAR. It doesn't matter if they're standing in a pulpit or sitting cross-legged on a hand-woven Indian blanket, they are, I repeat, LIARS. Pardon me for shouting.
It's also extremely important to remember that while Jesus did not tell us when He's coming back, He did tell us how. He said, "Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory" (Mark 13:26). You're going to know who this is. Count on it. He will not be in a space ship (did He need one when He left?). You will see Him. If you didn't believe in Him before, you will have no more doubts (though the timing of this epiphany is extremely tardy). This verse also precludes His arrival in a station wagon, Mercedes Benz, private jet or simply stepping out from any earthly cult and declaring Himself. If He doesn't arrive in the clouds with great power and glory, He isn't the Christ.
"Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or "Look, He is there!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect" (Mark 13:21-22). This is sound advice, and will keep you from being fooled like a lot of others that should know better, as well as prevent whiplash. You only need to look in one direction. Up.
The proof of man's smallness lies in his ability to imagine his own greatness.
.HAVE FAITH IN GOD!
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