Hindblindness

And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. – Luke 2:36-38

Albert Einstein once said, “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” Anna lived her whole life in expectation of God’s redemption. As a result, she recognized the Promise when she saw a little baby in the arms of a young rough looking couple from the wrong side of the tracks.

Meanwhile, the Pharisees had accurately predicted where the Messiah would be born (Bethlehem) and some say they had successfully predicted the timing of the Messiah’s arrival to be within their generation. They were busy digging tunnels under Jerusalem and stocking weapons and supplies so that the Messiah would have the wherewithal to kick the Romans out. But because their minds were made up on what the Messiah would look like, they didn’t recognize the young carpenter from Nazareth. And when Jesus failed to be grateful for their efforts and lead them to military victory – when He refused to play ball – their anticipation turned to jealous, murderous outrage.

Hindsight is usually looked down upon in favor of foresight. But I believe that it is at least as valuable, since it does include a few facts. We need to learn from Anna and the Pharisees. We need to learn that God does not think like we do.

We think we must push our way forward to be recognized as leaders. Christ says the way to leadership is through humble service.

We think that in order to lead a fulfilling life, we need to cling to our rights. Christ says that those who cling to their life will lose it and those who are willing to lose their life will gain it.

We think that we need to accede to our family’s machinations so that we can keep our relationship with them. But Christ says putting Him first and being willing to lose them if need be is the only hope we have of keeping them eternally.

We believe that political activism and global mobilization will allow us to solve the world’s problems. Christ says that it is through individual one-on-one efforts to restore justice that help will be had.

Look back on your life. How many times has God intervened on your behalf so that you might be at this particular juncture in life? I don’t just mean times when your physical life has been threatened. How many decisions have you made in your life? At each one, Proverbs teaches that “there is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.” At each step, the Holy Spirit was present, seeking to give us His guiding hand. Angels and demons were all around, fighting for our souls. Christ was watching from heaven to see which direction His errant sheep would go. A “great cloud of witnesses” waited with bated breath. We can learn from this process or go through our lives stricken with “hindblindness”.

The Grave Digger’s Boards

So all these curses … shall become a sign and a wonder on you and your descendants forever. Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and a glad heart, for the abundance of all things; – Deuteronomy 28:45-47

There once was a poor Christian named Abish who lived in grinding poverty. But he never complained. Instead, he remained satisfied with whatever little he had. He responded to everything – suffering included – by saying “Everything that God does is for good.” His face radiated joy at all times; he was happy, cheerful and exuded the joy of life.

In that same town lived a rich man called Getzel. He held an atheistic view of material things and as a result, had become depressed and gloomy. In spite of his great wealth, he often imagined the Death Angel was striding after him with a sword and was consumed by an irrational paranoia of death. His paranoia became focused on Abish, who possessed not a kopeck to his name, but walked around radiating joy as though he had won the lottery. Getzel decided to do something about it.

Everyone admired Abish and his righteous attitude, but a rich man is still a rich man and they depended on him for their livelihood. So although they despised Getzel, they obeyed his command to not render Abish any aid.

Abish needed some boards in order to repair his small hovel but no one would sell him any. His hut was nearly unlivable but no one would take him into their homes either. “What do I care!” Abish whispered to himself. “Everything that God does is for good. Happiness is the foundation of divine service. After all, all the curses pronounced in Deuteronomy come as punishment ‘because you do not serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness of heart. If I have nothing in this life, still I have the Master and a future in heaven!’”

Paltiel, the local cemetery’s grave digger was determined to help Abish. He did not fear the rich man for he knew that regardless of one’s station in life, everyone ends up in the gravedigger’s hands at some point. Back then, people used boards as grave markers. Paltiel thus had a great supply of boards that had already been marked “Here lies…” with a blank space for the person’s name. He gave Abish the boards he needed and soon Abish’s house was repaired with grave markers.

When Getzel heard that Abish’s house had been repaired, he raged in anger and ran to see who had helped him. As he came to Abish’s house he saw all over it, “Here lies…” and his irrational fear overcame him. He quickly begged forgiveness of Abish who gladly forgave him and taught him the Christian Way. Happiness may come from wealth and good circumstances, but true joy comes from a right relationship with God.

Awiya the Hunter

“…Go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” - Matthew 19:21

Awiya was renowned as a great hunter. People far and wide talked of his exploits and craftiness. Being part pygmy, he stood barely five feet tall, but he did not rely on his strength or speed to catch his prey. He knew his quarry well and caught them by using their weaknesses.

One day, he went into the jungle to catch a monkey. He went to a coconut tree and found a nut. Drilling two holes into the nut (one larger than the other) he ran a small chain into the smaller one, with a little metal spring-loaded claw that would spread once inside. He took an oddly shaped pebble and dropped it into the other hole. The pebble fit through the hole only one way.

He hid a short distance away and waited for a couple of hours. Sure enough, along came a large ape. He knocked several of the nuts around, looking for some of the succulent white meat, and drawn by the smell of the freshly cut coconut, quickly found the trap. He pawed at the nut, which made the chain rattle and the pebble sounded hollowly inside the nut. Curious, he shook the chain a couple times and tried to peer into the nut. It was too dark inside to see anything so he slid his hand into the hole and grasping the smooth pebble tried unsuccessfully to withdraw his hand which now formed a fist. As soon as Awiya saw that the ape’s hand was caught, he jumped up and walked quickly toward it. The ape saw Awiya and began jerking on the coconut, but the chain held fast. He started screeching at Awiya who walked right up to him and killed him with his club.

Do you know why that ape didn’t simply let go, withdraw his hand and escape? The ape’s greed overcame even his sense of survival. He was so determined to keep his worthless little stone that he forgot common sense and thus fell into the trap.

What are you holding onto? Is it some grudge that you’ve even forgotten the source of? Is wealth or the lack of it keeping you from serving God? When a young rich man came to Jesus and asked him what remained for him to be saved, Jesus (knowing the young man was trapped by his wealth) told him “…go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Matthew 19:21. The Scriptures say the young man went away sad, because he had great wealth. He held on to his sad little things that would remain behind when he died, and missed the greatest gift of all: God’s gift of love. (John 3:16)

Yahweh Yireh (The Lord My Provider)

Abraham named the place “The Lord Will Provide.” This name has now become a proverb: “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” Genesis 22:14

Abraham was at home one day when the Lord spoke to him. By now, he recognized the Voice because he had spent so much time listening to it. Just as a football player must study the play book in order to be a good player, a true worshiper realizes that worship is not based on our likes, dislikes, personal preferences or priorities. It is based solely on the scriptures. Because true worship is based on the Bible, the only question that needs to be asked of our means of worship is: are they biblical? The music must be biblical. The sermon must be biblical. The prayers must be biblical. If you want to do more this Sunday than merely sing songs and listen to a preacher talk, then STUDY THE PLAY BOOK.

Just like Abraham, we need to make the appropriate preparations in order to worship God. Football players GET THEIR GAME FACE ON. That means they prepare themselves mentally for the challenges of the game they are about to play. Spiritually speaking, we need to ‘get our game faces on’ before we go to church.

We prepare for church by getting dressed in our Sunday best, fixing our hair and make-up, and grabbing our Bibles as we head out the door. We may prepare to go to church. But that isn’t the same as preparing for worship.

At a certain point in the journey, Abraham left his servants behind. It is very possible that they would have interfered when they realized that he was going to sacrifice his son and Abraham wasn’t about to allow anything to distract him from worshiping.

We need to separate ourselves from anything that would draw our attention away from God. Not just sinful things, but also the natural and normal things of life. Things like work, family, finances, the preacher, the music can all distract us from the worship of God. These are not things that we can simply eliminate from our lives, but we do need to put them out of our minds so that we can be free to focus on God.

The night before a game the players all stay in a hotel together so that they can separate themselves from the cares of their regular lives and begin to focus on the game entirely. The coach establishes a curfew because they need rest to be their best.

We need to KEEP OUR CURFEW. We need to start getting ready for Sunday morning worship on Saturday night. On Saturday evening, we should begin reading and meditating on God’s revelation. We should spend time praying and praising. And, we should get to bed early.

Abraham dedicated his son, Isaac, to God. Isaac was his only son, the son God had promised to him, the son that was to carry on the family line and grow into a great nation. But Abraham had dedicated himself and all he had to God. True worship is always costly. True worship always requires us to give up our best for God’s best.

Football players have a saying -- “leave it all on the field.” It means that during the game they don’t hold anything back. They give 110%. God expects us to do the same thing as Christians. He wants us to be totally dedicated to Him.

Only then could Abraham call that place “The Lord Will Provide” -- Yahweh Yireh. Only after he had studied the play book, got his game face on, kept the curfew and left it all on the field could Abraham realize God’s provision.

Yahweh M’Kaddesh

(The Lord Who Makes Holy)

Keep all my laws and obey them, for I am the Lord, who makes you holy. - Leviticus 20:8

At the village church in Kalonovka, Russia, attendance at Sunday school picked up after the priest started handing out candy. One of the most faithful attendees was a pug-nosed, pugnacious lad who recited his Scriptures piously, pocketed his reward, and then fled into the fields to munch on it. The priest took a liking to the boy and persuaded him to attend church school. This was preferable to doing household chores from which his devout parents excused him. By offering other inducements, the priest managed to teach the boy the four Gospels. In fact, he won a special prize for learning all four by heart and reciting them nonstop in church. 60 years later, he still liked to recite Scriptures, but in a context that would horrify the old priest. For the prize pupil, who memorized so much of the Bible, was Nikita Khrushchev, the former Communist Premier.

As this anecdote illustrates, the "why" behind memorization is fully as important as the "what." The same Nikita Khrushchev who nimbly mouthed God's Word when a child, later declared God to be nonexistent -- because his cosmonauts had not seen Him. Khrushchev memorized the Scriptures for the candy, the rewards, the bribes, rather than for the meaning it had for his life. Artificial motivation will produce artificial results.

Did you notice in the verse above that we are to keep and obey God’s laws, not in order to BECOME holy but because God is Yahweh M’Kaddesh (the Lord Who Makes Holy)?

At times I have been accused of preaching a doctrine of works – of preaching that one must do good works in order to get to heaven. I do not believe that at all. What I do believe is that if you are “saved” (by which I mean you have put all your trust and faith in the ability of Jesus’ sacrifice to get you to heaven and decided to make Him your Master), you will inevitably work. In both cases, good works are being done, but the difference is in the motivation.

I have also been accused of being judgmental at times. But Christ said, “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep, but are really wolves that will tear you apart. You can detect them by the way they act, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit.” (Matthew 7:15-16). You can tell a person is alive by what they DO. If I had a body lying down before me that did not speak, see, hear, smile, move, defecate or procreate, I would have a hard time believing that it was not a cadaver. A person who claims to be a Christian but does not understand the holiness of the Lord and react by keeping all His laws and obeying them will have a hard time being a convincing Christian.

Where Holiness Dwells - Ga’al (Redeemer)

With unfailing love you will lead this people whom you have ransomed. You will guide them in your strength to the place where your holiness dwells. - Exodus 15:13

A woman’s husband returned home from the war with post-traumatic stress syndrome. She was unable to deal with him or get him to care for himself and was soon ready to leave him. But first, she sought the help of a wise man who told her he could make a potion to heal her husband, but the remedy required the chest hair of a bear.

The woman spent months befriending a bear at its cave, getting closer and closer to it until one day she was close enough to pull the hair and run for safety. She then brought the hair to the wise man who simply threw it away. The woman screamed “I risked my life for that hair! You were to make a potion to heal my husband!”

The wise man smiled and said, “Now go home and be as patient with your husband as you were with the bear.”

The Jewish people were expecting God to take them to a place “where holiness dwells.” But when they got to Canaan, they found giants and walled fortress cities. They balked and ended up wandering the wilderness for forty years. Forty years later, they still had to face the same giants and walled cities but this time they were prepared to fight for it.

One of God’s names is Ga’al, or Redeemer. He has ransomed us from the clutch of Satan through the finished work of Christ. But that does not mean holiness (or what some refer to as sanctification) comes easy. There is still an effort on our part. Listen to the apostle Paul – “We put no confidence in human effort. Instead, we boast about what Christ Jesus has done for us…I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection! But I KEEP WORKING toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be. No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am FOCUSSING ALL MY ENERGIES on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I STRAIN TO REACH the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.” (Philippians 3:3b, 12-14)

Holiness cannot be found in a potion, nor in a location (like church or in nature). Holiness is a path. It is the effort to demonstrate our gratitude to Christ for our redemption by obeying Him and serving Him. But just like Israel, we cannot fight in our human strength alone – we need the Redeemer, Ga’al, to call us, set us on the path and give us the requisite strength. In the end, it’s all still His doing.

Killing God’s Anointed

“Were you not afraid to kill the Lord’s anointed one?” David asked. Then David said to one of his men, “Kill him!” So the man thrust his sword into the Amalekite and killed him. “You die self-condemned,” David said, “for you yourself confessed that you killed the Lord’s anointed one.” - 2 Samuel 1:14-16

David had been anointed as Israel’s king for many years but God had not seen fit to remove the reigning king, Saul, yet. Saul had disobeyed God and lost His approval. David understood that God’s plan would happen in time and was willing to wait. Saul, however, was insanely jealous of David and kept trying to kill him. So, David spent years on the run, hiding in caves and finally had to take refuge with the Philistines, Israel’s enemy, by pretending to befriend a Philistine ruler by the name of Achish.

One day, a man who was an Amalekite arrived in David’s camp and announced that David’s enemy, Saul, was dead. He lied through his teeth about it, saying that he had happened upon Saul alone, wounded and suicidal. He said that Saul had asked him to take his life. He presented Saul’s crown and one of Saul’s bracelets as proof. But the truth was that he was a battlefield scavenger who had found Saul’s dead body before the Philistines. He had come to David for a reward for something he hadn’t actually done. But worse than that, he had seriously miscalculated David’s character.

David knew that if a precedent was set that a king could be killed at will, then his own throne would never rest easy! God had established Saul as king and so he should remain until God removed him.

Too many of us are perfectly willing to kill God’s anointed in our lives. God establishes certain conditions, circumstances or people in our lives and when we don’t enjoy it, we look for an opportunity to overthrow them.

The self-appointed religious elite of Jesus’ day were guilty of this very thing. They didn’t like the teachings they were hearing. These teachings didn’t go along with their view of the world and didn’t make them look good, so they plotted to kill the Lord’s anointed! (John 5:18; 11:53).

Has God made you poor? Work hard, save your money and wait for God to lift you up. If anyone offers you a short cut, get rid of that influence in your life. Are you physically handicapped? Praise the Lord, so was Paul. Paul asked the Lord to remove it but humbly accepted God’s will when God said “No, my grace is sufficient.” Has God placed an authority over you? Then whether it’s your boss, your parents, a mentor or a spiritual leader, humbly submit to that authority until God removes it. Have you learned that the Lord Jesus Christ should be your master? Then accept that state and do not rebel. Don’t be guilty of killing the Lord’s anointed.

A Theology of the Trivial

The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For nothing will be impossible with God." - Luke 1:35-37

God took an ordinary, every day girl and gave her life such a shake that the whole world has been reeling from the results ever since. She was no different from you and I. She did not have some special merit that we do not possess. “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). “There is not a single person in all the earth who is always good and never sins” (Ecclesiastes 7:20).

I do not say that in disrespect, but in wonder and hope. For if God was willing to indwell a girl who would not even understand the true nature of what was growing inside her, would not trust the Christ to know what He was doing but instead would declare Him insane, would not even fully believe in His deity until after the resurrection, then there is yet hope for us.

You see, God is an inveterate renovator. He is in the habit of taking the ordinary and making it extraordinary. The Scriptures show every biblical hero for all his lack. The good, the bad and the ugly facts of their lives are all clearly demonstrated for our education.

The Lord God took each one that was humble enough to recognize his need for God and impregnated their lives with possibility. He planted a seed of hope deep within their hearts and it grew into the miraculous works we have studied for the last few thousand years.

But let’s not simply shake our heads in wonder at the graciousness of our God. Let’s apply this principle to our lives. It is indeed a great thing to learn about the entire Bible. But adding a single virtue to one’s life is a far greater thing. After all, we have been admonished to not be mere hearers but doers of the Word (James 1:22).

We must understand that at its heart Christianity is a theology of the common deed - of the trivial. We are not so much to prepare for the grand deeds of life as we are to manage its trivialities well. Our piety should be unconscious and unassuming; not extravagant, mortifying or ascetic. Rather than seeking nobility, we should like God constantly seek to ennoble the common.

The Young Man’s Beard

And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the new wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine must be stored in new wineskins. But no one who drinks the old wine seems to want the new wine. ‘The old is just fine,’ they say. – Luke 5:37-39

An old biblical scholar had an odd habit. His students, being curious, asked him, “Why is the first page number missing in all your works? Why does each begin with the second?”

He answered, “No matter how much I may learn, I need to always remember that I have not even gotten to the first page.”

The Pharisees forgot that simple truth. After hundreds of years of studying the works of Moses, the Prophets and the Writings, they concluded that they had it all figured out. Think about that – they thought they had omniscient, eternal, infinite God figured out.

It’s troubling when you hear theologians categorically state, “That part of the Bible was not inspired. It doesn’t fit my notion of how God would act.”

We are so silly. We are like the inhabitants of the town of Chelm, a Jewish mythological place filled with fools. One day, a young Chelmian man, who wanted to be wise, felt very confused. So he went to the Chief Sage and asked, “Why can I not grow hair on my chin? Is it hereditary? I don’t see how – my father has a beautiful, thick beard.”

The Chief Sage meditated on this world-shaking problem for a while and finally he snapped his fingers. “Perhaps you take after your mother!”

“That must be it!” The young man crowed with glee. “My mother doesn’t have a beard! How wise you are!”

He asked a decent question. He got an answer that seemed to fit the facts. But he missed a very fundamental point. Females (at least most) don’t have beards!

The people of Romans chapter one also thought they were wise. They also thought they had God all figured out. The problem was that they were making gods in their own images, worshipping the created rather than the Creator. This act blinded them spiritually and turned them – POOF! – into fools.

The Pharisees liked the old wine just fine, thank you very much. They didn’t want any of this new-fangled, life-changing, head-buzzing wine. They had God figured out and He was an old, comfortable grandfather figure who loved them just as they were. The problem was that the old wine of legalism was powerless to make fundamental changes.

To accept the new wine of salvation by grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ requires humility and a reception of Christ’s easy yoke. It requires change – growth. To learn the whole Bible is a great accomplishment. But to learn one virtue through its study is even better.

Don’t try to put God, whom all of creation cannot contain, in your little mental box. As Philo said, “The final aim of knowledge is to hold that we know nothing.”

Life is a Wedding Hall

There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to rebuild. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to search and a time to lose. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak up. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Once, a man came to an inn. In the evening, he heard sounds of music and dancing coming from the house next door. “Sounds like a wedding,” he thought to himself. But he heard the same sounds the next evening, and the next after that. So, he asked the inn keeper, “How can there be so many weddings in one family?” The inn keeper replied, “That house is a wedding hall. Today one family holds a wedding there; tomorrow another one will.”

Life is the same. People are always enjoying themselves. But some days it’s one person and other days it’s another. No single person can be happy all the time. When the Bible promises us joy, it is not necessarily offering us eternal bliss. We are to find joy in the midst of our trials. We are to search for wisdom in the midst of chaos. We are to look for God in the streets, in the faces of the ones we meet, in the sayings of the wise and in the babblings of the drunk.

To think that you are to be continuously happy will lead you to insanity or hypocrisy. If you believe that you are always to be happy, then you may end up turning to alcohol or drugs or even psychotic escapes in order to achieve that goal. If you believe that Christians are supposed to be constantly smiling, you will end up lying to your spiritual brothers and sisters when they ask “How are you?”

The key to joy is timing. The book of Ecclesiastes lists a few things that require perfect timing. What if you planted in September and attempted to reap in March? What if you laughed when your friends shared their burdens with you and cried when your lover said “I love you”? The secret is to find out what time it is and do the appropriate thing.

Praying Through Scripture

Lord, you have brought light to my life; my God, you light up my darkness… Revive us so we can call on your name once more... The old way ends in death; in the new way, the Holy Spirit gives life. - Ps. 18:28; 80:18; 2 Co. 3:6

Prayer and the Word of God go hand in hand. You cannot say that you understand doctrine unless it leads you to your knees. Your prayers will not be powerful and effective until you are praying the word of God. 1 John 5:14 tells us “And we can be confident that He will listen to us whenever we ask Him for anything in line with His will.” How will you know what is in His will if you are not listening to Him speak through His Word? It’s good to pray using His Word so that you know for a fact that you are in line with His will!

I’m not saying that you should simply recite the Lord’s Prayer over and over. That’s too close to the prohibition against vain repetition that He gave us in Matthew 6:7 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered only by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!”

Instead, take a passage of scripture (start easy and find a prayer in the Bible) and study it carefully. Use it as a model for your prayer. Does the person ask for forgiveness? Take their words for your own and ask too. Do they ask God to search their heart and motivations in order to let them know if they are unknowingly sinning against Him? Why not ask Him the same thing? Adopt their prayer for yourself.

Then, once you become more adept at this “praying through Scripture”, start looking at passages that are not quotes or discussions of prayers. The passages above show some things that we are encouraged to ask for: enlightenment, revival, understanding of the spirit of the Word. Take a passage where a person is talking to God, but not necessarily in the traditional form of a prayer. For example, look at Moses in Numbers 11. In this passage, Moses is complaining about the difficulty of his leadership position. He’s whining! But notice that God doesn’t rebuke him for it. He sends Moses an answer, a solution to his difficulties.

Are you in a position of leadership? Maybe it’s just over your own children. Maybe you are experiencing difficulty with your spouse. Go ahead. Whine a little. Tell God about your troubles and see what happens. Maybe He’ll tell you to get off your knees and go do something about it (Josh. 7:10-13). Or, maybe He’ll send you the solution. Either way, you’ll be better off for having prayed through the Word.

Surpassing the Master

The truth is, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, because the work of the Son brings glory to the Father. Yes, ask anything in my name, and I will do it. - John 14:12-14

Even greater works? How is that even possible? Jesus fed thousands on a few loaves and fish. He healed the lepers, the lame, the mute, and the deaf. He healed people who did believe and those who did not. He exorcised demons, he taught with power and eloquence. He opposed the hypocrisy of the people and taught a simple gospel that even children could understand. How could we surpass this?

Yet, Jesus didn’t just promise that our works would surpass His– He mandated it. We should seek to surpass our Master in the demonstration of compassion to a world in need. We must find a way to feed the millions who are starving. We should send our children to good schools and produce doctors who will minister to the sick and dying of the world. We should actively participate in the political process in order to bring about justice and freedom to the oppressed of the world.

Paul said in Colossians 1:24 “I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am completing what remains of Christ’s sufferings for his body, the church.” What could remain to be completed in Christ’s sufferings? His death was complete and sufficient for our salvation. But the full suffering for the consequences of sin is not yet done. We are His body, each of us a different part, having a different role to play. Each of us should be willing to take on some of the suffering of the world as He did. This is what Paul meant in Romans 12 when he said “Give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask?” Paul then goes on to talk about the gifts or talents we receive and their use. He concludes, “When others are happy, be happy with them. If they are sad, share their sorrow…Never pay back evil for evil to anyone…Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible.”

We are to imitate Christ. He came and lived among us. He didn’t cloister Himself somewhere. He went out and lived among the scum of the earth…the prostitutes, the publicans, the sinners of the world. He provided for their physical needs. He showed His love in a concrete manner. And thirdly, He provided them with the forgiveness of God and sought to restore them to their rightful place of fellowship with the Father. Can we do any less?

The Power of Commitment

Listen to me! You can pray for anything, and if you believe, you will have it. - Mark 11:24

There are two types of martial artists: those who are into the forms and breaking boards, and those who fight. Very few people do both. These different styles are for different purposes, requiring completely different training methods. However, they do have this in common: something called follow-through. A friend told me that when he breaks, he tries to mentally see his hand following a straight white line through the boards. He tries to follow that line and the boards just happen to be in the way. When he succeeds in perfectly visualizing this, he also succeeds in breaking the boards. Because he doesn’t “see” the boards, but only sees the line, he proceeds without fear. He proceeds fully committed.

The same thing helps in the fighting arts. If you hesitate during the attempt of a throw, if you are timid in your punch, the lack of committal causes you to lack momentum. Your hand will hurt when you make contact because there is not enough momentum. Your opponent will not go down because all your weight is not into the throw. Fighters are not to punch TO but THROUGH their target.

In the Christian life, I have too often been guilty of timid prayers. I ask God for something but my faith lacks that extra little “umph” that comes from faith. I pray for rain, but I don’t carry an umbrella. I ask God for forgiveness, but don’t rejoice in the answer. I ask God to save my friends or family, but I fail to witness. We are talking about so much more than mere positive thinking. If that were the case, God would be no more complex than a vast bubble gum machine. Put in sufficient currency (in this case positive thinking) and out comes what you wish for. Let’s return for a moment to the board breaking analogy. Let’s say that I succeed in fully visualizing the line through the board, but fail to drive my punch through…will the board break? No, of course not. Visualization is insufficient without follow-through. Similarly, faith without action is useless. That’s what James says in James 1:6-8, 2:14, 17 “Ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways…What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead being by itself.”

So, what is the relationship between Mark 11: 24 and James and martial artists? If you truly believe, you will act upon that belief. If you are not acting, you are not believing, and you will not receive.

Dancing into Suffering

As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” Jesus answered, "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him." – John 9:1-3

There were once two great scholars. One, Eli, was a renowned biblical scholar, who was famous for his grasp of textual criticism and ancient languages. However, he rarely attended church and did not submit his life to the teachings he so assiduously studied.

The other, Simon, was primarily known for his ability to apply the Scriptures. He had gone far past simple knowledge, past understanding, past discernment and finally achieved true wisdom.
Eli spent most of his life surrounded by dusty books and had little to do with people. Simon, who understood that the point of the Scriptures was to reconcile humanity to the One, surrounded himself with people. Because of this, he became greatly loved.

One day, Eli came across Simon who was (as usual) surrounded by a great throng of people. Eli asked him, “Why does everyone surround you so adoringly, while I remain almost completely ignored? My knowledge of the Word is just as great as yours.”

Simon answered, “There is only one major difference between us. If the Lord of Hosts asks you to suffer, you respond ‘Who, me? Suffer? Why me?’ And Jehovah must drag you kicking and screaming to your test. But when the Master asks me to suffer, I respond ‘Lord, what would you have me learn by this lesson?’ And because I know that everything comes from His loving hand and that even suffering has its own unique lessons, I can go dancing and singing with delight into the greatest pits of pain and evil if need be. The joy of the Lord is my strength and it attracts the people to God.”

Suffering is a valuable tool. James teaches, Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything. (James 1:2-4 NLT)

Many will tell you that if you will only follow them, they will show you the way to health, wealth and success – “Your Best Life Now!” But our Master suffered. Are we wiser than He? The apostle Paul suffered and was told to rely on God’s grace. Even the Psalmist said we would be led through the valley of the shadow of death and have to eat in the presence of our enemies (Psalm 23). If Christianity is all about getting rich, having stuff, and never getting sick, what was the cost of discipleship that Christ kept warning us about? Sometimes God teaches us through success. Sometimes He teaches through failure. Either way, we need to gratefully accept His Way and dance forward into whatever lies ahead.

Question but Don’t Doubt

Zacharias said to the angel, "How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.” The angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.” – Luke 1:18-20

Christians’ reverence for knowledge, education and wisdom should be legendary. It is the obligation of the Master’s disciples to study and question. Moses ordered the elders of Israel to “gather the people – men, women, and children, and the strangers in your communities – that they may hear and learn.” (Deuteronomy 31:12). The people of Israel’s respect for learning is probably best seen in the fact that Moses, their most important historical figure, is not referred to as leader, prophet or savior but as “Rabbenu” – our Teacher. Jesus inherited the same appellation, being frequently addressed as “agathos didaskalos” or Good Teacher.

We should be constantly seeking something new and fresh in the old, old story. We must develop our minds, and hone our skills by learning how to question. The lessons, the inquiries and the call for intellectual, creative and spiritual excellence should begin early in the lives of both our physical and our spiritual children.

Those among us who are appropriately gifted should be producing moral stories, ethical teachings, and analyses of biblical law. We should probe, argue, and consider every thought from as many perspectives as possible. After all, the Scriptures enjoin us to not only be open to new ideas but to actively seek them (Proverbs 18:15). We should double check the motivations of those who seek to teach or lead us (1 John 4:1) with a joyful, respectful attitude, but the ultimate standard simply has to be the revealed word of God (Acts 17:11). As Albert Einstein put it, “The important thing is not to stop questioning.”

However, Zacharias was disciplined for questioning Gabriel’s message. Didn’t Paul specifically teach “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!” (Galatians 1:6-10)? In fact, in the very next chapter, the very same angel was questioned by Mary when he brought her a similar message and he did not discipline her for her question! The difference lies in the nature of the question. Zacharias questioned God’s ability to overcome the problem of his age. Mary was simply stating her commitment to moral purity.

God has no problem being questioned (Isaiah 1:18; 21:12). Feel free to ask Him the big questions, the tough questions - the meaningful questions. Just never doubt His ability to overcome your circumstances. Things that are humanly impossible are possible with God (Luke 18:27; Matthew 19:26).

Praying Scripture

This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. - 1 John 5:14-15

I am not a great prayer warrior. I often lack faith. Worse yet – I sometimes openly rebel to the will of God. I struggle with my sin nature and am known to fall.

I am not a master of words. Finding the right word – the one that not only has the correct meaning but also the appropriate flavor – is a challenging safari.

I do, however, have a strong desire to know God and to be a righteous man. I want to pray powerful prayers that are clearly and miraculously answered. I want to see God work in my life and in the lives of others. I yearn to see the kind of revival seen by my forefathers.

Jesus told us how. Our faithful Brother never held truth or help back from us, particularly in the area of prayer. His inspired Word promises that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. If He hears us, then we already possess the answer to our prayers. Therefore, the “trick” to answered prayer (if you’ll pardon the crass way of putting it) is learning to determine God’s will and getting on board. It’s thinking God’s thoughts after Him; hearing God’s Word and repeating it back to Him.

The other means to answered prayer is clearly stated in 1 John 3:22 which states “and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.” We must not imagine that by simply parroting God’s Word, by picking and choosing verses taken out of context or selectively interpreted according to our pet theories that God will be fooled into giving us what we want. Not only our prayers, but also our lives must match His will.

Praying Scripture – taking a passage and turning it into prayer – is not meant to be a limiting discipline. In the years that I have practiced this type of prayer, I have found that it is the fastest way to finding that worshipful mode that is the holy grail of the devotional life. It makes me pray more deeply and widely than ever. This shouldn’t surprise us. After all, didn’t the author of Hebrews describe the Scriptures as “living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart”?

My hope is simply that this simple discipline will help you spend more time with the Master and that you will thereby gain more faith, more love and more works to offer Him in worship.

Seat of Honor

But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, “Friend, move up higher”; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. - Luke 14:10-11

A town had two preachers. One, named Smith, was the humble pastor of a small but healthy congregation. The other, named Jones, was the proud leader of a congregation better known for its material rather than its spiritual wealth.

Rev. Jones would not condescend to counsel the people on the wrong side of the tracks. He felt his education and personal charisma would be better used reaching the upper crust of society. Rev. Smith had led a hard life and struggled with poverty, but was known for his joy.

Rev. Jones was well paid by his congregation and lived a rather lavish lifestyle. However, though in his sermons he used soft, mellifluous tones, in his personal life he always seemed angry and bitter. Now a person who hates others will eventually end up hating even himself and Rev. Jones finally came to the point where he felt he needed some help. What to do? His pride wouldn’t allow him to go to any of his parishioners and admit his root of bitterness. He hated to admit his weakness to other pastors. He finally settled on going to Rev. Smith because the poor pastor was so low on the social totem pole that even if he told anyone he was counseling the great Rev. Jones, who would listen?

So he went (at night, lest anyone should see) and asked, “Why are you always so happy, while I remain miserable?”

Rev. Smith replied:

Let me use last week’s wedding as an example. You received an invitation to go to a rich man’s daughter’s wedding. But you were angered when you saw that you were sixteenth on the guest list, even though you were supposed to conduct the wedding. You thought to yourself ‘How dare they! I’ll show them how important I am! I’ll show up late. See if they can have their wedding without me!’

So you showed up hours late, but meanwhile, they found someone else to conduct the wedding. The reception had already started, everyone was seated and there was no room at the table for you. By the time anyone noticed you were there and served you (because your pride wouldn’t allow you to simply serve yourself), all you got were leftovers. Then you hoped you could simply pray a prayer of blessing on the couple. But because you were sitting off to the side, everyone forgot to ask you and another got the privilege of blessing the young people.

I, on the other hand, received the invitation and was shocked to be so honored by a rich and powerful man of the community. Out of gratitude I decided to show up early and help. So I was there when they needed a pastor to fill in. Because I conducted the wedding I got to sit at the head of the table and because I was next to the master of the house, I was offered the opportunity to pray the blessing.

You expect everything and whatever you receive is too little. So you went home cursing and angry. Because I expect nothing, I can be happy no matter what happens.

The Wedding Gift

But then God our Savior showed us his kindness and love. He saved us, not because of the good things we did, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins and gave us a new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us because of what Jesus Christ our Savior did. He declared us not guilty because of his great kindness. And now we know that we will inherit eternal life. – Titus 3:4-7

There once was a rich man who had all the world could offer. But the pride of his life was his son. He arranged a marriage for his son to a beautiful young woman from a fine family. The marriage would be lavish, the presents extravagant and only the best and brightest of musicians would play.

Finally, the day arrived and the ceremony began. In the midst of the quiet hush however the sound of a person sobbing could be heard. A marriage should be a happy event! Who could possibly be weeping at such a time? The rich man sent his servants and a distraught young man was brought to the powerful father. “Why are you weeping on such a happy day?” he demanded. The boy replied that he and the bride had loved each other for years but because of his recent financial losses her parents had instead arranged for this marriage into a rich and powerful family.

The father called for the bride and asked “Is it true that you loved this boy all your life?”

She replied, “Yes.”

“Is it true that you love him the most?”

“Yes,” she answered, “it’s true, I love him the most, but my parents won’t let me marry him!”

The rich man said, “Thank you so much for telling me the truth. Thank you so much! Son, do you hear this? I’ll find you another girl who will truly be your soul mate. But now, go back to the house. Take this boy with you and give him your tuxedo.” He turned to the crowd and shouted,

“Today these two will be wed, and all the money and gifts that I was prepared to give my son I am giving to this young man.” The guests all agreed that they had never seen a father dance at the wedding of his own son with as much joy as this rich man danced at the wedding of a boy he didn’t know but whom he had reunited with his intended bride.

God has done such a miraculous thing for us. He has taken poor, blind, dirty orphans with no hopes or expectations and made them co-heirs with His own Son. He has made us the owners of the universe and granted us immortality. And He dances with joy whenever we accept His gift. All He expects in return is our loyalty and gratitude. Is it so much to ask?

The Holy Sacrifice

When Jesus had tasted it, he uttered another loud cry, “It is finished! Father I entrust my spirit into your hands!” With these words he bowed his head and breathed his last, releasing his spirit. – Luke 23:46; John 19:30

A man had a son who was the commander of a tank artillery division. After leaving the home as a young man and joining the army, the son had become more and more anti-religious. He was so far gone that he would even complain about a photograph of his grandfather praying over a meal that hung in his father’s house. “That man was an idiot! Take that embarrassing picture down!” he would shout.

But one day, he converted! When asked what happened, he related the following story:
During a battle, his tanks were all spread out when, and as Murphy’s Law dictates, the worst thing occurred. A group of enemy tanks approached his tank before he could get his tanks regrouped. The commander spun his tank around and tried to race back to his other tanks. Unfortunately, the fastest way was straight across an open stretch.

Suddenly, he saw an old man kneeling in the desert sand right in his path. “Doesn’t the idiot have any better place to pray than in the middle of a desert battle,” he screamed. “I’m going to run him over.” But something in him couldn’t do it, and at the last minute he swerved aside. The enemy behind him had no such compunctions. As it ran over the old man, the enemy’s tank exploded into a fiery inferno as it tripped the landmine underneath.

The commander would then finish his story by saying that he realized that the old man had been praying for him while laying that landmine. He came to understand true holiness by that act of tikkun hanefesh (self-sacrifice) and decided he needed to be like that old man.

Two thousand years ago, another man knelt in prayer in a garden called Gethsemane. He didn’t want to suffer. He asked if there was any other way to accomplish what needed to be done. But when he determined that the only way justice could be served was for someone to die, he selflessly made that sacrifice. He took all the fury of God’s wrath upon himself and bore in his body the consequences of our foolish decisions. We separated ourselves from the safety of God’s presence and the devil was waiting to pick us off one by one. But Jesus stepped in the way and if we will simply accept his selfless act as the free gift of love that it is and quit depending on our own works to save us, he will cause the enemy to die in a fiery inferno.

Then, we must try to become like him. We too must pray to ask who God would have us save. And we too must be willing to do whatever it takes. To be a Christian is to dedicate oneself to worshipping God and loving one’s neighbors regardless of the cost. We must never allow ourselves to forget the holy sacrifice that is at the very heart of our salvation.

Passion Driven Prayer

Lord, we love to obey your laws; our heart’s desire is to glorify your name. All night long I search for you; earnestly I seek for God. For only when you come to judge the earth will people turn from wickedness and do what is right. - Isaiah 26:8-9

In the beginning, God created. Have you ever considered why? Have you ever stopped to wonder why a limitless, all-powerful God who needs nothing would choose to create creatures that He knew for a fact (due to His ability to foreknow the future) would spit in His face?

It couldn’t have been out of a desire to be worshipped, for that would be narcissistic and in the history of His interaction with man, He has never shown anything but the desire to serve us. It can’t be because we possess something He needs to live or to be happy, because He has constantly told us there is nothing we have that could hold Him or satisfy Him. Didn’t He say, “I have no need for your offerings, I do not desire the blood of bulls. Do I not own all the cattle on all the hills?”

So, why did He do it? If we examine the history of man’s relationship with God, we see the answer. He wanted someone to receive His love. That’s His desire. Love is what created the universe; love is what sustains it; what keeps it running - simple love. This is not sterile reductionism. It is so much more fulfilling than the random accidents of atheistic evolutionary theory. The fundamental principle of the universe is passion – desire. It is God’s desire to love us.

In the same way, we can participate in the continuing sustention of the universe by desiring Him. By longing for God the way God longs for us, we form a cycle, a circuit if you will, that powers the universe. When we long for God, we desire what’s best for Him. What’s best for Him is what’s best for us, so we get what we need. That’s the way to pray. “Not my will but Thine be done.” “Seek first the kingdom of God and THEN all these things will be added to you.”

Happiness is a by-product of searching for God. Joy is a by-product of righteousness. Power is a by-product of proximity to God. Our problem is that we search for these things as an end to themselves. We pray, “God, give me this. God, make him or her give me that. God, make that happen. God, I don’t like such and such – make it go away.” But we cannot find fulfillment in things. We dare not trust the empowerment of mere man. We mustn’t expect to find peace, happiness, joy, or value in anything but the desire for God. A passion for holiness (“Be ye holy as I am holy”) should be the central point of our prayers.

The Simple Truth

This command I am giving you today is not too difficult for you to understand or perform. – Deuteronomy 30:11

Naaman was a celebrated, powerful officer in the Assyrian army, but he had a huge problem: he had leprosy. He heard of a prophet in Israel who had the power to heal him, so he asked for and received permission to travel to Israel (a considerable effort in the day) to find this prophet. The Assyrian king tried to help with a letter of introduction to the king of Israel, asking him to heal Naaman. The Israelite king thought that Naaman was trying to provoke a war. The prophet, Elisha, heard of the situation and sent for the leprous officer.

But when Naaman arrived, Elisha didn’t even deign to come out of the house to meet him. Instead, he sent a servant with instructions to walk out into the water of the river Jordan and dip completely into it seven times. Naaman was a very important and powerful man who wasn’t used to being snubbed. He grew angry at Elisha’s seeming disregard and began to leave. His servants stopped him however with some very wise words. “Sir, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, wouldn’t you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply to go and wash and be cured!” (2 Kings 5:13). So, Naaman did as he was told was cured.

We all would like to think that our salvation could come by our efforts. We would like to go on some great adventure like Sinbad the sailor and earn our own salvation. If we could, then we would be able to gain some degree of glory or respect, because we had earned our way into the very presence of God. Paul warned us saying “God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece.” (Ephesians 2:8-10a).

Many of us still hang on to this misbegotten hope even AFTER salvation, that perhaps our great works can elevate us then. Those who think this show that they still haven’t fully grasped the doctrine of prevenience – that God is always first. He gives us the faith we need to accept Him. His grace allows this. He paid the penalty for our sins. His Holy Spirit is the one who gives us the power to do any good works we may do. Jesus is not only the author, but the finisher! You know why we’ll cast the crowns made up of our good deeds at His feet? Because we’ll finally realize that they’re His anyway. Salvation and sanctification are not things that are difficult. We whisper His name and it’s done. We call out for help and it’s accomplished. Spend your life seeking to maintain that simplicity.

The Yetzer Hara War

(The war against the negative impulse)

"Don't you understand?" Jesus asked him. "Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes out of the body. But evil words come from an evil heart and defile the person who says them. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all other sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands could never defile you and make you unacceptable to God!" – Matthew 15:16-20

The yetzer hara is the human heart’s inner impulse or tendency to sin. We find the first occurrence of the word yetzer in Genesis 6:5, where humanity is described as having every imagination of their thoughts being only evil. Yetzer is also used in Scripture to describe something that has been formed or shaped. Our inner impulses thus form our lives. To paraphrase Jesus, “It is our inner impulse toward evil that defiles us, not our external actions.”

Once, when a tzaddik entered his classroom he noticed that his students stopped conversing and then started again. He asked them what it was they were talking about. They told the teacher that they were saying how they were afraid that the Yetzer Hara, evil inclination, would pursue them. The elder responded “Don't worry. You haven’t reached such a high level. You’re still pursuing it!”

James, Jesus’ step brother, put it this way, “Temptation comes from the lure of our own evil desires. These evil desires lead to evil actions, and evil actions lead to death.” (James 1:14-15). The problem is that most of us are too quick to lay the blame elsewhere saying, “The devil made me do it.”

We need to admit that deep within us there is a powerful dark force that is constantly driving us to do the evil that we don’t want to do. Further, it constrains us from doing the good things that we know we should. The sooner we identify and claim this spiritual cancer as our own, the sooner we can fight it.

We need the chemo of salvation to wash through our minds and hearts, reducing the effects of yetzer hara. We need the incisive scalpel of the Word, separating the thoughts and intents of our hearts and cutting out all that would keep us from being holy. We need the radiation of the Spirit glowing in our souls, shrinking the devil’s toe hold on our lives and placing Christ on his throne in our hearts.

This is war, people. We need to fight this tendency tooth and nail. The enemy will fight tough and he will fight dirty. We will use weapons both subtle and shocking. He will be constantly looking for a chink in our armor. Be on the lookout for opportunities to put yetzer hara down. Even insignificant decisions can be useful as practice for the big ones. We need to be taking this battle seriously, because even if we don’t - the enemy does.

The Creative Life

Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. Wherever they go, they will find green pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness. – John 10:9-10

Many people feel trapped by their day-to-day lives. Their jobs are boring and purposeless. They could spend their whole lives doing what they’re doing right now and it wouldn’t mean a thing. If they died, no one would notice outside of their immediate circle of acquaintances or business associates. They dream of living great lives. They fantasize about adventures and challenges that will fulfill their minds’ cravings for excitement.

Christ calls us to a creative life. He is longing to give us “life in all its fullness.” But first you must possess a firm belief in God. Believe that He exists and that He created the universe and everything in it. Believe that Creator God did not stop with the origin of the universe, but is continuously creating.

Add to your belief in God’s creative genius and power a faith in the fact that He created you in His image. He has made it possible for you to be a co-worker with Him in the never-ending creative process that will culminate in a new heaven and a new earth.

You must also believe that in Jesus Christ God has given you the perfect example to emulate. If you want to know how to live life, watch Christ. If you want to know how to be more like God, imitate the Son of God. By following the teachings of the Christ and by allowing His divine Spirit to guide and empower you, you can live so creatively that your new life will make you feel “born again.”

God has created each of us with a task, a purpose in mind. Seek that vision. Ask the Giver of Good Gifts what He has in mind for you. Climb high enough in the Christian life to gain a vision of the boundless possibilities that lie at hand.

Commit yourself to never being satisfied with the way you do things. Constantly crave improvement. Take courses, study under a master. Travel abroad to see how others do things. Even the great apostle Paul, as he approached the end of his life said “I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.” (Philippians 3:13-14).

Spend some time discovering what the great truths of life are. What are your convictions? What are you prepared to die for? Then learn how best to articulate those thoughts. Don’t just speak them. Write them down. Draw them. Paint them. Sculpt them. Better yet – live them!

Castles or Company?

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. - John 13:34-35

A good man was walking on a beach on a hot summer day when he came across two children playing in the sand. Amused by their play, he paused to watch them. They were diligently building an elaborate sand castle. It had everything a fairy tale construct could desire: towers, walls, a moat and a draw bridge. The children even went so far as to begin building a secret passageway from the inner keep to the outside of the maze-like artifact. They were nearly finished when a huge wave came rolling in and instantly destroyed the project that had taken them hours to build.

But instead of crying as the tzaddik expected, they simply ran hand in hand away from the wave, laughing. Their sweet spirit and delighted laughter taught him a valuable lesson.

All the things on which we spend so much time and effort in this life are only so much sand. Sooner or later, the waves of time will sweep all our jobs, houses, cars, ministries, programs and projects into the great ocean of the forgotten past. When that happens, only the person who is able to stand hand in hand with another will be able to laugh. Only our relationships with God and man will last eternity.

Some people may believe that they love their solitude, but that is only because they know in their hearts that they cannot actually achieve true solitude. Here is a test – if you knew you were going to be stranded on a deserted island for the rest of your life and that you would never be able to escape, would you take a book or another person?

We were created to be social creatures. We need each other. You may sometimes feel that the only way forward in a relationship is through compromise. But if you feel that love IS a compromise, a defeat, you are mistaken. Love is a victory. It is the way we overcome life’s circumstances. Is love sacrificial? Absolutely. But all we sacrifice is those parts of us that are selfish and narcissistic. We are like the great artist’s statues hidden deep inside a marble slab. All that is needed is to get rid of the extra junk to reveal the work of art inside.

Don’t be afraid to let go. This is the time to choose. An act of love could tip the balance. No one ever got poor by giving themselves away.

The Shouting Shepherd

Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. - Deuteronomy 6:4-5

A tzaddik once heard that there was a shepherd who, though unlearned, was known for his particular rapport with God. Since Proverbs teaches that wisdom may be found anywhere to those who know how to look, the tzaddik immediately made for the area the shepherd was known to frequent, hoping to discover some means to improve his own relationship with the Lord God.

Soon, he spied the shepherd from a distance. The shepherd was watching over his sheep but he seemed to talking to himself. Moving closer, the tzaddik discovered to his surprise that the shepherd was shouting toward heaven.

“Master of the world!” he shouted, “You are so great and marvelous! I stand in awe of your creation! I have nothing to offer you. I am poor and uneducated. But I do have the horn that I use to call my sheep. I will play it for you!” He proceeded to blow with all his might until he fell down exhausted and out of breath.

After a few minutes, he recovered his energy and once again called out, “Great Lord! I am just a simple shepherd. I only know a few shepherd songs but I will sing them for you!” He then sang lustily the few songs he knew until he was once again exhausted.

Once again, he recovered his strength and shouted “Mighty God! I have played my horn and I have sung all the songs I know. I have nothing left to offer but a couple ridiculous tricks. I know they are not worthy of you, but they are all I have. Please receive them to your glory.” He then jumped onto his head, and while doing a hand stand waggled his feet in the air. After a couple moments, he began to do somersaults over and over.

The tzaddik moved away from the area, overcome with awe at the shepherd’s approach to God. The holy man was certain that the Lord God was well pleased with the shepherd’s gifts. Not because of their intrinsic worth, but because of the love and the passion that went into them.

Each of us has some small gift to offer our King. Moses had nothing but a stick. But God used that stick to bring Egypt to its knees and to liberate an entire nation from bondage. Esther had her beauty. Abraham had nothing but blind obedience. What’s important is not the greatness of our gifts, our abilities, our talents or our resources. What is important is the motive: the humility, gratitude and service that drive the act of giving. An all-consuming desire to please Yahweh, to serve Him with all our heart soul and strength is the greatest gift we can give Him.

Mesirus Nefesh (Self-sacrifice)

Then he turned to his critics and asked, "Is it legal to do good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing harm? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?" But they wouldn't answer him. He looked around at them angrily, because he was deeply disturbed by their hard hearts. Then he said to the man, "Reach out your hand." The man reached out his hand, and it became normal again! At once the Pharisees went away and met with the supporters of Herod to discuss plans for killing Jesus. – Mark 3:4-6

A great tzaddik (holy person) once traveled to a small town. The town’s church folk were thrilled to receive the famous man and competed amongst themselves for the privilege of housing him.

To their dismay, however, the teacher chose to go the house of an unbelieving, rich man who was known for his persecution of the saints. The tzaddik went to the rich man’s house to eat and then stayed there all night long. Their disappointment turned to bitter gossip. “He went there to eat the rich man’s sweet meats” claimed some.

“He has developed a taste for the high life” gossiped others. The next day, the tzaddik left the house and went on his way without saying a word.

Shortly thereafter, one of the rich man’s servants exited the house. The church folk pressured him to reveal what he knew. “My master became convinced that one of you had cheated him on a business deal. He hired a bunch of thugs to beat you up and burn down your church. They were gathered in his house, ready to go when the tzaddik arrived. For some reason, my master agreed to reason with him. They talked all night. At one point, as my master took a break, I asked the tzaddik why he had not simply sent my master a letter. He responded that if he was able to save the church, then wonderful. But if he was unable to change my master’s mind, then the tzaddik was ready to die with you.”

We think of that righteous man and shake our heads in wonder at his willingness to lay down his life for his peers and their total inability to recognize what was going on. They thought the worse of him as he was doing the best for them. But that tzaddik had learned “mesirus nefesh” (self-sacrifice) from a Great Master.

Jesus saw a man crippled by palsy and felt compassion for him. He knew the consequences of performing this miracle on a Sabbath. His enemies were just waiting for him to “slip up.” But he chose to go ahead and help the cripple. As a result, his enemies went wild with rage and began to plot his death. He went on to dedicate his whole life to doing good works, even though he knew it would end with his crucifixion.

We are too concerned with the bottom line. We care too much for our lives. We want others to like us too much. We need to meditate on Jesus’ words “If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give it up for me, you will find it.” (Matthew 10:39). We need to come to understand and practice the skill of mesirus nefesh.

Generation P

But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; avoid such men as these. – 2 Timothy 3:1-5

An incident in Iraq has been made much of in the news lately. Apparently, a group of young soldiers planned the rape and death of a young Iraqi girl. As a by-product of their horrible act, they killed her parents and sister, too.

The army reports that they gave the young man who was the leader in this crime an honorable discharge after serving only eleven months due to a diagnosis of “anti-social personality disorder.” This is a polite way of saying, “The guy is a psychopath!”

When dealing with a person with APD, you need to remember the following mnemonic. The word is CORRUPT and it stands for:

• C – cannot follow the rules or law
• O – obligations will be ignored
• R – remorseless
• R – reckless
• U – underhanded
• P – plans will never be made
• T – temper; has one – will yield to it

But before we get on our moral high horses and look down our noses at these young men, we need to carefully examine Paul’s prophecy in the scripture above in light of what we are seeing in society today.

Write 2 Timothy 3:1-5 out on a piece of paper. Go buy a newspaper. Hold the piece of paper next to the articles you read in that paper. Notice a strange resemblance?

We have all heard of Generation X and Generation Y. I am afraid that the new name for this coming generation will be Generation P (for psychopath). Here is the dictionary definition of psychopath: a person with an antisocial personality disorder, manifested in aggressive, perverted, criminal, or amoral behavior without empathy or remorse.

Parents refuse to discipline their children and wonder why they are completely out of control. They lie to them constantly saying “Stop or I’ll do…(fill in the blank).” But they never (or rarely) follow through. Then they wonder why this generation disregards authority. Our children are taught that all sins are merely “alternate lifestyles.” We label sinful behavior as a “syndrome.” Then we wonder why they are remorseless. We teach them that the individual’s highest pursuit is personal gratification. Then we complain that they are reckless. Little children are allowed to stomp their feet, scream, cry and pout and then we are amazed that they grow into adults who are completely unable to control their violent tempers!

God is calling us out of this moral morass. He is offering us something better, higher, purer, nobler. He has our good at heart. But we must trust Him. We must listen to Him. We must do it His way. If we refuse, then we must content ourselves with an entire generation with anti-social personality disorder – Generation P.

Deep Running River

He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.' But this He spoke of the Spirit… John 7:38-39a

One day a group of missionaries journeyed into northern Chad in order to reach a particular group of people. The trip took them into some of the most arid and intimidating territory that brutal country has. It is said that Land Rovers and Jeeps go to this area to commit suicide. The temperatures routinely reach 120 degrees in the shade (when you can find it), so water was running short and tongues began to thicken. Concern began building in their hearts as to whether or not they would make it.

Suddenly, an oasis was spotted. They gratefully arrived in the shade of date palms and sat listening to the trucks ticking and pinging in the change of temperature. A local group of nomads showed the missionaries where to find water. To reach it, one had to go down deep beneath the surface of the earth by a series of steps carved out of rock. There they found a river in a cavern that was a good 40 degrees cooler than the surface. It was like stepping into air conditioning.

What a difference: above - sun-blasted, dust-covered furnace. Beneath – cool, moist air and life-giving water. This is the kind of picture Jesus offers us in John 7. Life may be bitter and harsh at times. You may suffer persecution for doing what is right. You may suffer the consequences of doing what is wrong. You may suffer the consequences of someone else’s sin! But Jesus offers a source of life that will well up and refresh you from the inside.

The source of this power and capability is the Holy Spirit. We non-charismatic Christians don’t talk a lot about Him. But the Father raised the Son through the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11). If He can resurrect Jesus from the dead, what do you think He can do for you? Think about it. Jesus’ cadaver was lying on a stone slab, buried behind a huge stone with a Roman seal and soldiers guarding it. The next thing you know, the soldiers have passed out, the stone is rolled away and Jesus emerges in a glorified body!

Now that very same Spirit is available to those who will submit their lives to the mastery of Jesus the Christ. We can experience peace as the world collapses around our ears; joy when around us is nothing but despair; contentment in a culture that breeds envy. We can trade impotence for power over sin and self. All that is required is to take Jesus at His word and believe in Him – in His lordship, his salvific powers, and His soon return. What are you waiting for?

It's Your Life that Counts

Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as ‘Lord,’ but they still won’t enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Father in heaven. - Matthew 7:21

We celebrate the birth of Jesus the Christ on Christmas. But is it really His birth we should celebrate or His life? What if the Master had been born, but then took the devil up on his offer to make the stones into bread, or to seize the rule of the kingdoms of the earth, or to do some fantastically publicized but self-glorifying deed? It is because the Lord spent His life doing the will of His Father and being a submissive servant all the way to His death that we can celebrate Him (Philippians 2:5-8).

It is the same with us. Our births, whether they be low or high are insignificant. Our appearances, whether good or bad, are meaningless. Neither money, nor prestige, nor race, nor position, has any import.

It’s our lives that count. Not our professional beliefs, nor our form of worship, nor the church we may attend. What counts, above all else, is how we live. Nothing we say with our lips can outweigh what we do with our lives. Nothing we claim to believe is nearly as important as what we actually act upon. Our lives must be characterized by integrity, sensitivity, unselfishness, a forgiving spirit and an indefatigable desire to obey and submit to God. True happiness is directly tied to doing what’s right and having a clear conscience.

The verses that follow today’s text reveal the dangers of self deception. On judgment day many will tell me, ‘Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Go away; the things you did were unauthorized’ (Matthew 7:22-23)

What a tragedy to go through our lives being assiduously religious only to discover our deception! What a disaster to do all those good works only to find that because they were driven by the wrong motives they do not count! So if simply being religious, or doing great charitable works do not make our lives count, what does? Jesus answers that question in the very next verse.

Anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys me is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock (Matthew 7:24). Obedience. That’s it. That’s what makes your life count. Simple obedience to the will of the Father and the teachings of the Christ. It’s not about what you or your family or friends, or your church or even I think. It’s about Jesus. You make your life submissive to him and your life will count.

Teddy Bear or Lion

“For I know the plans I have for you, “ says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me.” Jeremiah 29:11-13

We are often reticent in our prayers because we are unsure of our standing with God. “What does He intend for me?” we ask. “What if His calling for me is to do some terrible thing, like travel to a foreign country where I will be persecuted?” “What if He wants me to be single for the rest of my life?”

This mistrust is natural, to a certain point. After all, God is not like us. He says that He is the embodiment of love and yet He was willing to drown the known world when they became evil. He claims to be humble and lowly of heart and yet He drove the money changers out of the Second Temple and cried out against them, “You Scribes and Pharisees…hypocrites! Blind leaders of the blind! Whitewashed sepulchers full of dead men’s bones!”

Many people feel that because God is love, He should be comfortable like an old shoe, a teddy bear or your grandfather. When they encounter the real God, not their make-believe one, they are shocked and left with these lingering doubts as to His intent. This is a good thing. We should never get so comfortable with God that we forget that He is – well – God! He is omniscient where we are pitifully ignorant. He is omnipresent when we are stuck in one place. Where He is terrifyingly holy and pure, we are the very essence of sin…and sin can find no place in God. His presence destroys sin.

But with all these qualities that should distance Him from us and leave us groveling on the ground, there remains one stupendously confusing element in God. He desires intimacy with us! Unbelievable, I know. Incomprehensible, I realize. And yet, there it is. The Sovereign Lord wants to get one on one with you and He says that His intentions are good. He wants you to have a future and a hope. When He limits you, it is for your safety. Where He calls, He shows you the way. When He calls, He will give you the strength and grace to not only endure it, but will cause you to flourish in that calling - no matter where it is, no matter what it is.

It’s like having a lion suddenly roar, charge you and just as you throw up your hands in despair, he suddenly stops. Purring, he nudges you out of the way of a dangerous serpent that (unbeknownst to you) was sneaking up on you. Unsettling to say the least; but once you understand what’s really going on, it can be quite a rush.

Tikkun HaNefesh (A Healing of the Soul)

Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, "My son, your sins are forgiven." – Mark 2:5

Jesus was back in his adopted home town called Capernaum after a quick tour of Galilee (Mark 1:35-39; Luke 4:42-44; Matthew 4:23-25). As usual, the news spread quickly that he was home and soon, the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door.

Four men arrived, carrying a paralyzed friend on a sleeping mat. Realizing that they could not approach Jesus the normal way due to the crowds, they climbed to the roof which, like most Jewish houses, was flat and used as a porch. Once there, they somehow determined Jesus’ location, dug straight through the roof, opened a hole and lowered their paralyzed friend in front of Jesus.

This whole scene is completely surrealistic and difficult to understand. First, why wouldn’t all these people, who had come to hear Jesus speak of mercy and compassion, get out of the way so this paralyzed man could be healed? Second, why didn't anyone say or do anything while those guys were tearing off the roof? But let’s get to the REALLY strange part.

Those four guys went to all that trouble: risking life and limb, an encounter of the legal kind, and the anger of the very man from whom they were seeking help. After all, it was Jesus’ house they tore up, right? But after going through all that to get their friend healed, Jesus’ response was “My son, your sins are forgiven.”

Can’t you just imagine them laying on their stomachs, looking down through the hole and thinking, “WHAT? Come on, Jesus! Can’t you tell he’s paralyzed?” And the fact of the matter was, Jesus could tell the man’s physical condition and was concerned about it. But the man’s soul was more important than his body. The body, even after its miraculous healing, would only last a few more years. The man’s soul would last forever. Jesus ended up offering them the physical healing they sought, but he gave them so much more. He gave them “tikkun hanefesh” – a healing of the soul.

I have been terribly concerned about the degeneration of my body. I thought that my confinement to a wheelchair would slow me down so much that I would no longer be able to effectively work. What I have discovered is that it has slowed me down enough to actually listen to God and people. I thought that the loss of my hearing would so cripple my ability to communicate that my counseling would have to stop. Instead, because I must focus so much on listening, paying attention to the body language and asking people to repeat or clarify their statements, I have become a more effective counselor and my load has nearly tripled! God is taking my handicaps and making me more effective. It seems the more broken I am, the more powerfully God has been able to use me.

We get so caught up in our physical circumstances. We feel the pain and want to immediately be delivered of it. But God may be seeking to provide so much more than simple comfort. He is bringing about tikkun hanefesh if only we will be patient enough to allow it.