Rebellion Pendulum

As I continue my year-long challenge of reading of the entire Bible, this morning I'm struck by a common theme: The repeating pattern of those who witness and experience God's miraculous work to take Him for granted and fall away from Him.  I'd like to think that I'm different, better than those stupid people...but I've walked with the Lord long enough, and fallen into many of the same traps, enough to admit the truth that I am not.

All throughout the history of God's chosen people in the Old Testament, the Hebrews seemed to go through endless pendulum swings of rebellion, consequences, repentance, forgiveness, blessing, apathy, and back to rebellion.  God's stubborn love, and His dedication to His covenant promises, stands out like a beacon of hope throughout history...in spite of the peoples' repeated inability to hold onto it.  I'm so thankful for the forgiveness we have in Jesus, which over and over covers my inadequacies and rebellions....and gives me new opportunities to walk with Him.

His call to us to continue steadfastly in Him remains today:

"See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. As has just been said:

'Today, if you hear his voice,
    do not harden your hearts
    as you did in the rebellion.'”

(Hebrews 3:12-15)

My thoughts about overturning gay marriage bans in America

I thought it would be good to record some of my Facebook posts from right after the US Supreme Court ruled to overturn gay marriage bans in American states.  This has become a very hot topic, and here's where I land on it.  The comments were abundant, and all over the map.

June 27

Here's why I'm supportive of the Supreme Court decision to overturn gay marriage bans...

As a follower of Jesus in our world today, it is my responsibility and joy to do my best to imitate Him, to love what He loved, and condemn what He condemned. I consider myself to be a decent student of the whole counsel of God's Word, and I see Jesus' descriptions, teachings, and reputation consistent with someone who was wildly supportive of all kinds of people who were condemned and marginalized. I also see that His enemies were the ones who were so eager to keep all God's rules that they sat in judgment against those same people. At the end of my life, I would rather err on the side of GRACE than JUDGEMENT...because mercy triumphs over judgment.

The reason I'm supportive of this has nothing to do with whether or not I agree with gay marriage, but has everything to do with my responsibility to love my neighbor regardless of who they are, what they believe, what they do, etc. My role is not to force anything on anyone....my role is to love.

love wins.

June 28

My post yesterday in support of the supreme court decision outlawing gay marriage bans induced a lot of reaction! I thought it would be good to do a followup to clear up a few aspects of how I, as a follower of Jesus, approach this sensitive & divisive issue.

Several have accused me of embracing and condoning sinfulness by my view. I want to set that record straight. It is abundantly clear that God’s acceptance of us as part of His family is not based upon our moral views or conduct, but solely upon sincere belief in God’s one and only Son, Jesus Christ the Savior. We are saved by grace, not works. However, it is also clear that after any person decides to follow Jesus, he/she enters into a lifelong journey to put that faith into practice, becoming more & more like Him everyday. A lot of this has to do with saying “no” to sinful temptations that work against our relationship with God. The word “Sin” in scripture literally means “missing the mark”…and God is the person who decides what that “mark” is. Homosexuality is one of many sins listed listed in scripture…it “misses the mark” of God’s design. My role as a follower of Jesus is to avoid sin. However, as a follower of Jesus in post-modern, post-christian America, it is not my role to put up blockades that will make it illegal for people to sin. I do not believe it is the christian’s right or responsibility to impose Biblical moral beliefs on those who do not believe...but to love & serve & model Jesus.

Now I may have detractors from both ends of the spectrum.

The Greatest Person

The greatest person is the one who dies empty-handed, leaving behind a trail of blessings.

Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21)

Prayer Reminds Me Whose I Am

Some days, I cannot manufacture peace inside of me.  It's not totally a choice, is it?  One cannot simply un-feel feelings.  They are often not under our control.  Sure, we can divert and distract our minds...kind of like parents do when re-focusing a child...but the feelings just get covered over for a while.  We can also hide emotions behind a veneer of something else.  The only thing I've ever found that has power to unlock and remove unwanted feelings of anger, fear, sadness, depression, etc., is God.  He has what we do not....what we need...and we were designed to live in constant communication with Him.  And once that communication is firmly established, His peace takes root.  Most of the time, when I'm struggling inside, the answer I need is not really about the problem I'm wrestling with....but about my desperate need at that moment for God's perspective.  I need to remember who I am....or better, Whose I Am.

We can come closer to God in many ways, but there's nothing quite like prayer & meditation. Taking a time-out from the noise & responsibilities of life in order to get our bearings...reset our compass...re-surrender control our lives to God. Here's some good advice to live by, found in Philippians 4:6-8...

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you can experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 

And 1 Peter 5:7...
Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.

Tantruming Baseball Players

OK, I think sports are cool and fun and all that, but I saw the dumbest thing and just had to say something.  Apparently some famous baseball player guy got himself kicked-out of a major league game last night on account of a questionable "strike" call by the ump.  The guy was literally acting like a 7-year-old child...and then his old-guy manager came out of the dugout to defend his tantruming player by jumping up and down, screaming in the ump's face, and kicking dirt.  I literally laughed out loud at the stupidity of the whole thing.  He & the ump went at it like gorillas fighting for turf.  It's a frickin' game!

Now, there is a time and place to get worked up, for sure....like when someone's threatening my family, or abusing a child, or stealing from an old lady.  As a society, sometimes I think we've lost perspective about what's truly important.

Golf Marathon Reflections

I'm thinking about the significance of Catalyst's recent fundraising success with the Golf Marathon.  23 people raised $59,000 in sponsorships for playing 100-holes of golf in 4-hours last Saturday.  There's nothing noble about showing up to play golf, but the time & energy these guys & gals put into the effort in the weeks leading up to the event was amazing.  There are some lessons in there about our motivations, and the effect we can have in the world.

People are motivated by all kinds of things...mostly for personal pleasure or gain.  That seems to be the "god" of our age.  The place we go to fill the void.  "If there's something in it for me, count me in...If it makes me happy or gains me wealth/prestige then I'll invest time & energy into it....but if not, forget it."  Most people wouldn't say it like that, but it's pretty much how our motivational drives seem to work.  That's the "fallen" side of human nature...self-centered...working to manufacture feelings of worth & hope & joy based upon our circumstances.

But there's another side of our nature, which is tied to the God-Stuff in all of us.  Humans are capable of amazing acts of selfless service & sacrifice.  People who invest time in energy serving others are the ones who inspire us and catalyze wonderful things in the world.  This is God's intention, and it points toward His character.  I felt like I was surrounded by people last Saturday who really understood this, and were working toward it.  What a pleasure!

When we put our pleasure on hold in order to meet the real needs of others...
When we sacrifice our time in endeavors that benefit others...
When we invest our money to provide for the necessities of others...

...We experience true happiness
...We redeem time
...We generate heavenly wealth for the life to come

...We're acting just like Jesus

Some Of The Ways Jesus Worshipped

What does it really mean to "worship"?  Surely it's more than what we do in church buildings!  To Jesus, worship was a way of life:

Befriending the outcasts of society 

Loving & playing with children

Constantly getting away from everyone & everything, out to solitary places, for prayer

Enjoying food & drink in moderation

Being absolutely, completely dedicated to God's ways without shoving them down others' throats

Speaking out against abuses of power and oppression of the poor

Honoring parents & old-timers

Teaching beyond popular platitudes, getting to the heart of the issues

Investing time getting to know & understand God's Word

Using money to strengthen God's Kingdom instead of one's own

Letting reputation be built by character, rather than manufacturing opportunities to boost popularity

Living every day as though our Heavenly Father is, indeed, in control

These are some of the ways Jesus worshiped.  What are some others?  How do you most like to worship?