Don't fade into the crowd

One of my biggest fears has always been the fear of mediocracy, of falling into the status quo.  I fear disappearing into the crowd, of a friend failing to think of anything that makes me different when describing me.  While I'm sure many people sympathize with me, I'm equally positive that just as many people - or more - don't have any desire to stick out, don't have any wish to be recognized, don't have any need for uniqueness.  

And there's nothing wrong with that - to a point.  But when it comes to our relationship with the Lord, uniqueness is of paramount importance.  It's what distinguishes us as Christians from the rest of the world.  God has called us to be the salt and light of the earth, to be the people that stick out and act differently in the middle of a hurting, dying world.  But how can we do that if we act just like everybody else?

Amos gives a stern warning to us as Christians, that we would not become indistinguishable as non-Christians.  The first chapter and a half are spent detailing how God will punish all of these pagan nations for their wickedness - He will break down the gate of Damascus, set fire upon the walls of Gaza, consume the fortresses of Bozrah, send the king of Ammon into exile, ecetera.  But then, the rest of the second chapter details how He will do the exact same thing...to Judah and Israel, because of their unfaithfulness.

Think of it.  Judah and Israel were God's chosen people, the nation that He had protected and provided for for years, throughout thick and thin.  But they had chosen the path of least resistance.  They had become just like everyone around them, and God had no choice but to discipline them just as equally as they behaved.  God wants to love you, cherish you, and bless you.  But if you choose to live the life of a Christian that is indistinguishable from the world, then He will have to discipline you just as harshly as He does the world.  Don't make Him do that.  Don't fade into the crowd.  Let your light shine, let others taste your salt.  Be different.

Amos 2:1-5

This is what the LORD says:
"For three sins of Moab,   

even for four, I will not relent. 

Because he burned to ashes 

   the bones of Edom’s king, 

² I will send fire on Moab 

   that will consume the fortresses of Kerioth.

Moab will go down in great tumult 

   amid war cries and the blast of the trumpet. 

³ I will destroy her ruler 

   and kill all her officials with him,” 

            says the LORD.

4This is what the LORD says:

"For three sins of Judah,

   even for four, I will not relent. 

Because they have rejected the law of the LORD 

   and have not kept his decrees, 

because they have been led astray by false gods,

   the gods their ancestors followed,

5I will send fire on Judah

that will consume the fortresses of Jerusalem."

Our talents

A friend of mine was complaining to me the other day about not having any talent.  She thought of herself as a stupid, ugly, fat loser, with nothing to offer the world, nothing to offer God.  But that's not what I see in her.  I see someone who is a brilliant photographer, gifted poet, and beautiful person.  It's true that she doesn't have the top grades in her class; but she has been gifted with other talents and abilities, things that people like myself could only dream about.

Somehow, our society has convinced us that if we don't have a certain set of talents, then we don't have any talent at all.  If we don't get good grades, aren't considered beautiful by the standards of the world, and would rather spend Friday night with a book than with a boyfriend, then there is something wrong with us, we are not capable of contributing to God's kingdom as equally as others may be.

What's wrong with that picture?  Well, the easy answer is that it's just plain not true.  God is the one who has given us our talents, skills, attributes, and passions.  How could we say that we serve a just God, if He punishes us for what He has given us - or a lack thereof?

No, lack of talent doesn't displease God.  In fact, the truth is that no one has a complete lack of talent - we have all been given gifts, something with which we can serve the Master and bring glory to His kingdom.  So what is it that God truly dislikes?  He dislikes laziness.  He dislikes a fear of failing which cripples activity.  He dislikes blaming our failures on the fact that we were not given enough to start with.  "For to everyone who has, more shall be given," He says in His word.  We have all been given a gift.  It is our choice to decide what we will do with it.  We can choose to use it, to further His kingdom...or we can choose to squander it, to complain about what we don't have instead of being grateful for what we do have.

In the end, lack of talent isn't what displeases God.  It's a lack of action with the talent that you do have that truly saddens Him.

Matthew 25:14-30

14 “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. 16 Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. 17 In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more.18 But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. 

19 “Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20 The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’ 21His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ 

22 “Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ 

24 “And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ 

26 “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. 27 Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. 28 Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’ 

29 “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. 30 Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Do it the right way

Today I continued my study of the life of Ruth.  I find myself wondering how differently her life would had turned out if she had not followed where the Lord had led her.  Would she have started a people group that was never meant to exist, like Abraham and Sarah did with Ishmael?  Would she have been punished for her disobedience, like God punished Moses by refusing to let him enter the promised land?  Would she have lost her place in the genealogy of Jesus?

The Bible is full of accounts of the mistakes of people who did things the wrong way.  But Ruth's story is a refreshing example of someone who did it the right way.  We'll never know what would have happened to her if she had stayed in Moab.  But I can guarantee you that she would have never been able to provide for her mother-in-law.  She would have never married Boaz.  She would have never become a part of Jesus' family line.

It's so easy to rush God's plan, to think that your timing is better than His.  But a masterpiece cannot be created rushed, haphazardly.  It takes patience, dedication, and talent to see it through to the end.  Skills that, honestly, we as humans do not possess.  We want to hurry things along, we don't want to wait, we want our way and we want it now.  But one of these days someone is going to come around who will make you realize why it never worked out with anyone else.  Something is going to happen that will make you understand why all of your efforts were futile.  God had bigger plans for you.  He has bigger plans for all of us.  Whatever we can imagine....His plans are bigger.  But He can only show us His plans if we stop interjecting our own.  So let Him lead.  Trust that He really is looking out for you.  Do it the right way.

Ruth 2:8-18

 ⁸ So Boaz said to Ruth, “My daughter, listen to me. Don’t go and glean in another field and don’t go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me. ⁹ Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the women. I have told the men not to lay a hand on you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled.”

 ¹⁰ At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?”

 ¹¹ Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. ¹² May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”

 ¹³ “May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my lord,” she said. “You have put me at ease by speaking kindly to your servant—though I do not have the standing of one of your servants.”

 ¹⁴ At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar.”

   When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over. ¹⁵ As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, “Let her gather among the sheaves and don’t reprimand her. ¹⁶ Even pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don’t rebuke her.”

 ¹⁷ So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah. ¹⁸ She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also brought out and gave her what she had left over after she had eaten enough.

Family

Love is in the air in my world.  Two dear friends of mine have recently gotten engaged (and I will be in both of the upcoming weddings), several others have started relationships, and my brother will be getting engaged any day now.  As happy as I am for all of them, it's times like these that I usually start feeling sorry for my state of single-ness.  But instead of wallowing in self-pity, today I decided to immerse myself in the Word of God.  

Ruth was also a single woman.  Well actually, she was a widow, which I can't help but think was a worse fate than single-ness in biblical times.  She was no longer a virgin, no longer pure, and thus less desirable than other women.  Not only that, but she was also a foreigner, which made her chances of remarriage practically nil.  

I marvel at Ruth's courage.  She insisted on staying with her mother-in-law, Naomi, after the death of their husbands.  She had to have known what she was getting herself into.  She was a widowed woman choosing to live away from her family in a foreign land, with someone who (to her knowledge) had no male relatives that could marry her.  These may seem like insignificant details now, but in biblical times this was relational suicide, and I'm sure Ruth must have known that.  

But Ruth had a choice to make, and she chose Naomi.  She chose to love and take care of her family over her own desires.  And God blessed her for it.  As noble a sacrifice as she made, I like to think that many of us would make a similar sacrifice for someone we really truly loved.  But would we do it for God?

The Bible says that God is our Father and we are His children.  We are family.  But would we do the same things for Him that we would do for our earthly families?  Most people wouldn't flinch at the idea of moving to a different state to take care of their ailing parents.  But if God asked them to do the same thing, to minister to hurting people, would they do it?  Would you?  If we are truly God's children, truly part of the family, then it's time that we started acting like it.

Ruth 1:16-18

16 But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay.  Your people will be my people, and your God my God.  17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried.  May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me."  18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.

Haters of religion

There's a video on YouTube that has gone viral over the last few weeks.  The title of the video is "Why I hate religion, but love Jesus," and throughout the meat of the video, the creator is citing a poem that he wrote, which talks about how bad "religion" is, even though Jesus Himself is equally as wonderful as religion is bad.  (to see the original video, click below)

I understand what the author is trying to say.  By "religion," it seems to me that he really means false religion - he means the people who follow all of the rules but have no room for grace and mercy, the hypocrites and "whitewashed sepulchers" of this generation.  And I can understand why his video has gotten so many views so quickly - with its emotional message, pro-Jesus but con-organized religion stand, and slick camera angles, this is exactly the type of video that my generation wants to see.

But there's one minor problem with it.  It's wrong.  Jesus did not come to abolish religion.  He was a law-abiding Jew, one who went to the synagogue and observed all of the rules and holidays and festivals.  Jesus respected the pre-existing traditions and rituals in the church; He did not intend to do away with them.  He specifically said that He did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.  

But therein lies the rub.  Jesus came to fulfill the law.  Which means that we don't have to.  We all know, if we are honest with ourselves, that we are not capable of obeying every law and precept laid down in the Bible.  Perhaps that's why we say we hate religion - we can't do it, it overwhelms us, so let's just say we love Jesus instead, right?  Jesus came to take the pressure to perform off of our shoulders.  He came to set us free.  And He came so that, eventually, He could mold us into the kinds of beings who could also fulfill the requirements of religion and the law - albeit after we have died and joined Him in heaven.  So the next time you say that you hate religion but love Jesus, just remember this...He came to fulfill the requirements of religion.  He came so that you would not have to.

Matthew 5:17-20

17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish then, but to fulfill them.  18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will be any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.  19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.  

The ministry of reconciliation

Miriam Webster defines reconciliation as "the restoration of friendship or harmony."  On the other hand, it defines salvation as "a delivery from the power and effects of sin."  Growing up in the church - and, more recently, hearing the complaints that many unbelievers have AGAINST the church - it seems to me that many people believe that we are called as Christians to save people.  We're supposed to get them to church, encourage them to read their Bibles, pray with them, and make sure that they do good, right?

Wrong.  As Christians, we have been called to bring people to God...but only to bring them to Him.  To show Him to them.  It's His job to save them.  Second Corinthians 5 says that God has given us the ministry of reconciliation; it's HIS job to actually save them.  It reminds me of the proverbial saying, "you can bring a horse to water, but you can't make him drink."  I do not intend to be calling humans animals by any stretch of the imagination; but if we were to speak figuratively, our job is to bring people to water.  God's job is to make them drink.

When you think about it, we really have a much easier time of it than God does.  God has made us new creations, He has infused us with His spirit, He has blessed us with a new lease on life.  All we have to do is tell people about it.  So the next time you feel overwhelmed by all of your friends who need saving, relax.  Take a deep breathe, dig in the Word, and show them how much you love God because He first loved you.  He'll take care of the rest :).

2 Corinthians 5:11-21

11 Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. 12 We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart.13 If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

The faith of the centurion

So God can use prostitutes, huh?  Those aren't the only people He can use.  There is more than one time in the Bible that God uses a "heathen" to show us "Christians" how things should be done.  Take, for instance, the story of the Roman centurion found in Luke chapter 7.

I am amazed at this story.  It never ceases to surprise me.  Jesus spent His days surrounded by Jews, Pharisees, and Sadducees.  These were people who knew the law, they knew the Bible, and (supposedly) they knew God.  They lived every day with Jesus Himself, the Son of God, living among them.  You would think that if anyone had faith, it would be them.

But it was not a Pharisee whom Jesus declared to have the most faith in Israel.  It was not a Sadducee.  Significantly, it was not even one of Jesus' own disciples.  It was a Roman centurion.  A gentile.  How could that be?  How could an unbelieving outsider have more faith in Jesus than the Jews who had been learning about Jesus almost since birth?

It's so easy to feel "holier-than-thou" when we're around other people, especially non-believers.  I know that I certainly fall victim to that attitude more often than I care to admit.  But sometimes, those aforementioned non-believers have the most to teach us about what it means to live like a Christian, to live a life trusting in the Lord.  What kind of faith do you have?  Is it like the Israelites, who constantly demanded proof of God's sovereignty, and turned their backs on Him at the first sign of the slightest inconvenience?  Or is it like the Roman centurion, who trusted God even before He had done anything for him?

Luke 7:1-10

1 When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, He entered Capernaum.  2 There a centurion's servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die.  3 The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to Him, asking Him to come and heal his servant.  4 When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with Him, "This man deserves to have you do this, 5 because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue."  6 So Jesus went with them.  He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to Him: "Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have You come under my roof.  7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you.  But say the word, and my servant will be healed.  8 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me.  I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes.  I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  9 When Jesus heard this, He was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following Him, He said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel."  10 Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.

Prostitutes for role models

I was taught all my life, and I would be the first to say, that Christianity is not a mere checklist.  It's not a list of do's and don'ts that you have to do to be "good enough."  It's not going to church, reading your Bible, or even praying.

So why is it so easy to fall into the "Christian" rut?  I find myself waking up every day, doing the same old thing with my job, my friends, and my family.  Life becomes monotonous, and it's not difficult for your spiritual life to fall into the same rut as the rest of your life.  Take me, for instance.  Even as I write these words, I'm in danger of falling into a spiritual rut.  The daily devotional, reading the Bible, going to church, even praying - it's all become so habitual that it doesn't mean what it used to mean to me.  (And on a side note, that sounds suspiciously like a checklist to me!)

It's so easy to tell when you're in a rut, versus when you're actually growing in the Lord.  You can do the exact same exterior actions, but one leaves you fulfilled, while the other is simply painting the empty shell of your soul.  Sometimes it's scary, when you can tell that you're not where you need to be. You ask yourself, "how will I ever get out of this?"

Thankfully, the Lord gave us a way out, in the form of a prostitute.  He told the prophet Hosea to marry Gomer, an unfaithful prostitute, as a symbol of His unfailing love for His people.  I'm sure our mothers would quickly remind us that prostitutes should not be regarded as role models.  But the picture that Hosea and Gomer paint for us is a beautiful one.  It's one of redemption, second changes, and unconditional love.  And it's one that's available to each and every one of us, free of charge.  No matter how far we've strayed from the path - or how deep the rut we've fallen into is - God's love will always be there to pick us back up from where we fell.

Hosea 3

1 The LORD said to me, "Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress.  Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes."  2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley.  3 Then I told her, "you are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will behave the same way toward you."  4 For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stone, without ephod or household gods.  5 Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king.  They will come trembling to the LORD and to His blessings in the last days.

From numbers to people

I've been looking into a lot of global urban issues lately.  Poverty, disease, drug addiction, sex trafficking...for some reason these issues really touch a nerve with me.  It's not the issue itself that touches me so deeply, but rather the staggering magnitude of it.  Drug addiction is rampant in every major city in the world.  Twenty-seven million people worldwide are enslaved in human sex trafficking.  In the United States, over 15% of the population lives in poverty - that number skyrockets to over 50% in some third-world countries.

The numbers are mind-boggling.  And, for anyone who wants to make a difference in these peoples' lives, they can be paralyzing, as well.  You, me, my neighbor down the street....all of us are just one person.  How could we possibly make a difference?

We cannot fix all of the problems in this world.  But we can make a difference.  So many people, because they cannot do everything, end up doing nothing.  "Be realistic," they say.  "How much good can one person really do?"  But being realistic is the most commonly traveling road to mediocracy.

I remember a story that I read years ago about an old man and his little grandson who were taking a walk on the beach.  They came across an astonishing sight - thousands and thousands of starfish, who had somehow all been washed up onto the shore.  They were spread out on the beach as far as the eye could see.  The little boy knew that they would die out there in the hot sun, and so he quietly went down to the water and started throwing them back into the ocean, one starfish at a time.  "What are you doing?" asked the grandfather.  "There's so many of them; you can't possibly make a difference."  The little boy pick up another starfish before he responded.  "I made a difference for that one," he replied, as he threw it into the water.  He picked up another one.  "And that one, and that one, and that one."

Yes, the numbers are sad and scary and overwhelming.  No one who tries to fix the bad statistics in this world will ever succeed.  You have to get to know the statistics, learn their stories, see their joys, share in their sorrows.  The statistics have to become people.  You have to care about something before you'll ever fight for it.  How many people do you have in your life who's causes you are willing to fight for?  Or are they all just numbers?

Matthew 9:1-13

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man
 ¹ Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. ² Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man,“Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”

 ³ At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”

 ⁴ Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? ⁵Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? ⁶ But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” ⁷ Then the man got up and went home. ⁸ When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man.

The Calling of Matthew

 ⁹ As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

 ¹⁰ While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. ¹¹ When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

 ¹² On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. ¹³ But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’^[a] For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

A love affair

I've got to admit, I am most certainly not a sports person - especially watching sports.  I don't know that rivalries, or the famous names,  or the mind-blowing statistics.  I don't understand the sports culture, and honestly I don't really care to.  It's simply not my thing.  I would much rather go dancing with a friend or curl up on the couch with a good book and a mug of hot chocolate.


But that being said, I recognize that many people do not share my affinity for the written word, nor my disdain for watching televised sports.  And every now and then, their love of sports spills over into my little sports-less bubble.  Someone break a record, or there is a major upset, or a rookie makes history, and for a few days my world in invaded my friends' comments and newspaper articles and Facebook status updates.  


I think that it would be safe to say that these people love sports.  Although I do not love sports, I understand their passion, because I too, have things that I love.  Isn't it interesting, watching people doing what they love?  No one squabbles over little differences, like what clothing you wear to the game, or what food you eat while you're there, or where you go to watch the game.  They are united in their mutual love of the game.


And then I turn around and look at the Church.  The Church, which should be united in the greatest Love there ever was.  But so often, instead of love, you find silly insecurities and petty squabbles.  Why is that?  We serve the Author of love.  So why do we act like He is nothing special?


G.K. Chesterton said that we should "let our religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair."  Perhaps we have gotten so bogged down with the minutiae of what being a "Christian" should be, that we have forgotten Who Christ is.  Christianity is not a theory.  It's a love story.  The greatest love story ever told.  That being said, when people are more willing to express their love of football than they are of Jesus, I think it's time that we re-evaluate our priorities.    

John 3:16-21

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.  17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.  18 Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.  19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.  20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.  21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

Would you go back?

Today's exploration of the Bible has led me to the book of Luke, chapter 17.  It tells the story of Jesus healing the 10 lepers.  This story has always left me with feelings of surprise, and more than a little sadness, too.  Leprosy was one of the absolute most feared diseases ever during Biblical times.  It ate away your flesh right before your very eyes, and left you a feared object of disdain, an outcast from even your own family.

And into this terrible disease Jesus walked straight in.  It was something that most people ran from in terror, but Jesus calmly let the men approach him without any sign of fear or disdain.  Not only did He mix with them, but He loved them - He loved them and He healed them.

He healed them.  He removed this terrible pestilence from their bodies and gave them back their lives.  He gave them back their families, and their friends, and, one may even argue, their humanity.  I imagined myself in their positions.  I imagine the whisper of hope that I felt when I saw Jesus coming from afar.  I think of the overwhelming memories of my old life that flooded me when I headed to show myself to the priest, and the shock of finality when he pronounced me cleansed.

The first thing that I would have done, once I realized that my life had been restored to me, was to rush to the One who had given it back to me and thank Him as profusely as I knew how.  I imagine that's what most of us would do.  So why didn't the lepers do that?  The Bible says that out of the 10 men that Jesus healed, only 1 returned to thank Him.  And the one who returned was not even a Hebrew - he was a Samaritan.

This story makes me wonder...would I really go back to thank Jesus?  Or do I just think that I would?  Would I only thank Him if He healed me in person, if it was convenient for me?  Or is my life truly a life of gratefulness, a life where I give glory and honor and thankfulness to the One to whom it is due?  What about you?  Would you be the one who went back?  Or would you be among the many who took Jesus' blessings as a matter of course, never thanking Him for the miracles that He had done in their lives?

Luke 17:11-19

11 Now on His way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee.  12 As He was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met Him.  They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"  14 When He saw them, He said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  And as they went, they were cleansed.  

15 One of them them, when he saw that he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice.  16 He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked Him - and he was a Samaritan.  17 Jesus asked, "Were not all 10 cleansed?  Where are the other nine?  18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?"  19 Then He said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

Plans and pants

The great theologian A.W. Tozer once said that "God is looking for people through whom He can do the impossible.  What a pity that we plan only the things that we can do by ourselves."

I have to admit....I'm a planner. Some people suffer from procrastination - but I suffer from the opposite extreme.  I have outlines done months in advance, rough drafts completed weeks in advance, and final submissions  finished days in advance.  I cannot remember the last time that I worked on a project the day - or even the day before - it was due.

Sometimes this is really nice.  I've never had to pull an all-nighter for anything, never missed a deadline, and am rarely stressed about my workload.  But other times, it's more of a curse than a blessing.  Let me give you an example.  I'm in the middle of an intensive English camp with my students right now - I have them 2 hours a day every day for 2 weeks.  And I am planning it to death.  Every day I'm spending at least 5-6 hours preparing for the 2 hours of class that I have - not to mention the weeks that I spent getting ready beforehand.

And then, despite all of my planning and preparation, plans always seem to change.  I go from feeling completely in charge and prepared to flying by the seat of my pants.  Times change, topics change, people change, and I am left nowhere close to in charge.  But sometimes I get the feeling that God likes it that way.  When we are not in control, that means that He can be.  He can be the guiding force behind all of our grandiose plans and hopes for the future.

So I guess when the push comes to shove, we all have a choice.  We can either plan our lives to death, and probably do pretty great things.  Or we can let God plan our lives, and do impossible things.

James 5:13-18

13 Is anyone among you in trouble?  Let them pray.  Is anyone happy?  Let them sing songs of praise.  14 Is anyone among you sick?  Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.  15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up.  If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.  16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.  17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are.  He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.  18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

In His steps

I recently finished reading, for the third time, In His Steps by Charles Sheldon.  First published in 1897, In His Steps has been a phenomenal hit, selling over 30,000,000 copies since its original publication date, and ranks as the 9th best-selling book of all time.  It begins with a pastor in the fictional town of Raymond who challenges his pastorate to do nothing for an entire year without first asking the question "What would Jesus do?," and then following His probable course of action, regardless of the consequences to themselves.  The rest of the book is devoted to the stories of the people who take "the pledge," and the results that those resolutions have in their town, their country, and beyond.  

At the beginning of the year we always speak of "resolutions."  But I'll wager that the vast majority of us have never met anyone in our entire lives who was willing to take such a resolution as the one found within the pages of In His Steps.  The book is fictional, of course, and I am by no means trying to pass it off as a real-life historical account of actual events.  But perhaps it still remains in the annals of great fictional writing because it records all too well what would happen if people in the modern world actually lived their lives "in His steps."  The results of the parishioners of Raymond taking this pledge include public shame, loss of wealth and status, familial alienation, and physical pain and suffering.  Sheldon does not pull any punches when he depicts the worst of humanity - and what Christians must sacrifice if they truly want to win humanity's worst to Christ.

But Sheldon also shows the beautiful side of following in Jesus' footsteps, the reason why these characters chose to live so sacrificially in the first place.  He depicts love and fellowship, peace and tranquility, a purpose of life and a bearing of one another's burdens nearly unheard-of in this modern day and age.  He depicts people who sacrifice not because they have to, but because they want to.  They want to give their lives to the Lord, because they have found that life is so much more fulfilling when they do.  

Do you want to suffer for the Lord?  Do you truly desire to walk in His steps?  Every Sunday morning, countless Christians sit in churches all over the country singing about how wonderful God is; and then the vast majority of them go home and promptly forget.  Don't be in the majority.  As a new year has dawned on us, I want to issue a challenge to you.  Commit yourself to truly living your life the way that you think Jesus would want you to.  Find other people who are willing to commit, as well.  Hold each other up and seek Christ with all your heart.  I promise you, you will not regret the results.  

1 Peter 2:19-25

19 For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God.  20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it?  But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.  21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps.  22 "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth."  23 When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats.  Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.  24 "He Himself bore our sins" in His body on the cross,  so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; "by His wounds you have been healed."  25 For "you were like sheep going astray," but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. 

Eyes wide shut

Life is full of contradictions, isn't it?  Full of unexpected surprises - both good and bad.  Full of twists and turns in the road that you weren't expecting and have no idea how to navigate.  You go through your life thinking that you know your family, you know your friends, you know yourself.  You know how you will act when crisis comes.  You are living life with your eyes wide open.  Or so you think.

But then crisis hits.  And you don't react the way you thought you would.  Your family behaves irrationally.  Your friends betray you.  How does this happen?  How could we be so sure of future behaviors, and be so wrong?  We live our lives thinking that our eyes are wide open, when in reality they are wide shut.  In a way, this is even worse than knowingly living in ignorance.  A fool who thinks he is wise is much more dangerous than a fool who knows he's an idiot.

Does that ever scare you?  It certainly scares me.  The thought of living in unintentional ignorance makes me want to drop everything and fall on my knees right now.  But perhaps that's the whole point. We were never made to live life on our own.  God wants us to fall on our knees in desperation.  He wants us to depend on Him completely.  He wants us to trust in and obey Him.  And we should want that, too.  Because He's the only one who can truly open our eyes to what's going on around us.  Without Him, they will always just be staring wide shut.

Matthew 26:40-46

40 Then he returned to His disciples and found them sleeping.  "Couldn't you men keep watch with me for one hour?" He asked Peter.  41 "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.  The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."  42 He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, then may Your will be done."  43 When He came, He again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy.  44 So He left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.  45 Then He returned to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting?  Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinner.  46 Rise!  Let us go!  Here comes my betrayer!"

First fruits

It's the beginning of the year.  It always starts off with such promise and expectancy.  The first few days of January are when people make resolutions to change their habits, improve their relationships, and better their lives.  January first, for me, is always tinged with an almost palpable air or excitement.  It's a day that promises to the world that the next 365 days will be different, better, than the last 365 days were.

So why is it that 360 days later, we find ourselves making the same old resolutions we did last year?  Over and over again, year after year, we promise ourselves the same old things on January 1st, and then never follow through on them.  We repeatedly resolve to make better habits, but the only real habit that we're making is the habit of breaking our resolutions to ourselves.

And what do these resolutions usually involve?  Lose weight, get in shape, make more money, be a better friend.  Small wonder that we never keep our resolutions.  We are told in the Bible to "seek Him first, and then all these things will be added."  How is your relationship with the Lord going?  Are you seeking Him first?  Are you chasing after Him, and letting Him determine the course of your life?

In Leviticus, the Lord commands us to give Him the first fruits of our labor.  This goes beyond wheat and oil.  God wants the first fruits of everything - including our very lives.  So instead of a new year's resolution, here's a new year's challenge: give God your first fruits.  Seek Him early and daily, and let Him take over your life.  You'll be amazed at how many of those previously broken promises to yourself come true when God is guiding you.

Leviticus 23:9-14

9 The LORD said to Moses, 10 "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest.  11 He is to wave the sheaf before the LORD so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath.  12 On the day you wave the sheaf, you must sacrifice as a burnt offering to the LORD a lamb a year old without defect, 13 together with its grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with olive oil - a food offering presented to the LORD, a pleasing aroma - and its drink offering of a quarter of a hin of wine.  14 You must not eat any bread, or roasted or new grain, until the very day you bring this offering to your God.  This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.