Week 35 2013 Profound or Pro Found

I love to write.  However, I have no illusions about my writing.  I am neither gifted nor profound.  While I may be able to occasionally come up with something that is interesting or amusing, there are many others who do it a lot better.  My reading list includes many of those who are truly profound.  These are gifted people who are able to take those things that many of us see as ordinary and discover the hidden spectacular, and then open those secrets to the world in a comprehensible manner that amazes and amuses.  These are those I refer to as the pro found.  In other words, the professional who is able to utter those prophetic phrases that help to influence my thought processes.  Yet, they would not be recognized if they had not honed their talent through an educational process that includes a great deal of time reading and studying the gifted ones from the ages.  Thus, in one sense, much of what they do is an amalgamation of what others have already proclaimed, giving credence to Solomon’s dictate that there is nothing new under the sun.  Put in its proper perspective, this truth takes nothing from the truly profound.  They would be first to confess that much of what they have to say has been said before, albeit in not the same manner or context.  It is this latter truth that aides in the profundity of these gifted writers.

I once had a friend who, while talking, would stop and repeat something he had just said and say, “See, I come up with these profound statements all the time.”  I would have to use extreme self-control to keep from laughing and hurting this fellow’s feelings, because I knew he was serious.  He truly believed that he was profound, when, at best, he was just repeating what someone else had already said, and, at worst, saying something that was so ordinary that even a stretch of the imagination would find nothing profound.  It sort of reminded me of some of those poor souls who try out for American Idol.  One finds themselves asking if they really believe they can sing?  I know from personal experience that many of them do believe just that.  The same is true with writers and public speakers.  There are many who are self-deluded into believing they are profound, when, at best, they are pro found.

Week 34 2013 God is Great, Beer is Good, People are Crazy

I’m not much of a country western fan, but this song caught my attention.  What an interesting sentiment.  The lyrics tell the story of an old man who has suffered the indignities of life, having gone through two wars and a divorce.  His prophetic piece of advice to his younger protégée is that God is good, beer is great, and people are crazy.  It is a different kind of wisdom.  One that some might find offensive, while others may laugh, and still others finding it to be profound.  I’m not sure which category I fall into.  I must admit that his sense of priority is appealing, only because it is so different from anything I have heard before.  Yet, when I really put my mind to it, I must come to the conclusion that is flawed.  As much as we may tend to dwell on the negatives of our society and the people who seem to be falling into a morass of sinful and difficult to understand behavior, I can’t escape two truths that have helped guide my life.  We are made in God’s image, and, as my mother used to say, there is good in everyone if we will only look deep enough to find it.  The second truth is found in the Lord’s prioritization of God’s commands, giving us the mandate to love others as we love ourselves.  Understanding that some have a difficult time loving themselves, it is still true that God has found something within us that is very lovable.  So much so, that He provided the life of His only begotten Son out of love for each and every one of us!

Therefore, as crazy as people might often be, we have been bought with an indescribable price, the cost of which is far greater than beer, or anything else for that matter.  Yes, God is great!  Whether or not beer is good, I will leave that up to the individual.  However, I must conclude that, at base, people are not crazy.  Yes, we are a sinful lot, filled with idiosyncracies that befuddle each other, but we are still chosen by God to be with Him forevermore.  I, for one, cannot and will not call that crazy.  Having said that, I will probably continue to enjoy the fanciful lyrics of this song, along with its catchy tune.

Week 33 2013 Lifestyle Choices

My wife and I are constantly trying to overcome the effects of aging.  We try and eat right and less.  Our daily routine includes an exercise routine that works on our muscle structure and, combined with our diet, attempts to keep our weight under control.  All in all, it seems to be effective.  With the realization that we will never again enjoy our twenty-something bodies, we are content in the knowledge that we will not be grossly obese and that our health is as good as can be expected at our age.  However, we also know that if we fail to keep up with our routine we will quickly become flabby, overweight, and less healthy.  So, this will continue to be our lifestyle for the rest of our lives.  And, that is a good thing.  We have discovered that with regular workouts and proper diet we have more energy and life is just better.  Unfortunately, some of us didn’t get this message when we were young, so we are working off the flab of our youthful indulgences.  I am impressed by young people who have established a healthy routine in their early years.  They will be glad they made that choice when they reach my age.  It takes less effort to stay in shape when you are already in great shape.

Jesus intends His disciples to be in great shape.  Thus, the Bible is openly provided to all.  Even more, the revelations of the Divine in nature are inescapable.  That is, unless we choose to ignore Him, or lack interest in His teachings.  If, on the other hand, we choose to know more about Him, learning all we can about His will and ways, we can establish a routine filled with prayer, meditation, reading, and study, that will strengthen our spiritual beings, causing us to be more Christlike.  Fortunately, this exercise regimen takes little effort and tends to fill one with great joy.  Just as a healthy physical lifestyle requires one to voluntarily avoid unhealthy choices, so too a healthy spiritual lifestyle.  However, as anyone who is physically and/or spiritually fit can testify, the benefits far out weigh the sacrifices.  What we gain in return for what we lose is so beneficial that we soon lose interest in the “forbidden fruits.”

Week 32 2013 New Devices

We are blessed with many “toys.”  In fact, one of our close friends once told me that I had too many toys.  Just recently we updated our phones with new iPhones.  These are slick, reliable, pieces of technology that are useful and enjoyable.  Yet, when one breaks it down, they still only provide the basic tools we have always had in our modern world.  Smartphones are telephones that have features we have been able to access in one form or another for many years.  The only thing that’s changed is the ease and convenience.  Because of these those tools are used more frequently and efficiently.  That has been the beauty of technology and human advancement.  Fortunately, we live in a nation where almost everyone has access to these luxuries.

Knowledge of God’s word is more readily available through many “new devices.”  Over the past two centuries archaeological discoveries, along with technological advances, combined with higher literacy rates, have made the will of God more understandable for everyone.  The truth of the Word has always been around, and it hasn’t changed.  I have known Christians who came to a saving knowledge of Christ before they learned to read.  Many of our ancestors received the word from itinerant preachers who were able to read and deliver the message.  Unfortunately, many were dependent on human reasoning outside their own understanding for their comprehension of God’s word.  However, because of the advancements in education, technology, scholarly research, and archaeological discovery, we are not nearly so dependent on fallible human instruction.  Each is able to interpret for themselves through readily available resources the truth of God’s will and nature.

The downside is willing human ignorance.  I cringe when I hear someone proudly proclaim that they are free from technology, because I know how much they are missing.  Even worse, are those who boldly proclaim that they don’t need modern translations and extra-biblical books, software, or other advances, because I realize how they are depriving themselves of much of the meat of the Word.  Truth doesn’t change.  Accessibility to truth, however, does change.  Just as we can choose to not avail ourselves of the benefits offered with new technological devices, we can also choose to stay in the dark ages when it comes to the Bible.  The primary reason for either is laziness.  It takes effort to learn how to use new devices.  Are you willing to be diligent in learning to gain deeper knowledge of God’s truth?

Week 31 2013 Smiling Faces

“Smiling faces sometimes pretend to be your friend

Smiling faces show no traces of the evil that lurks within

I'm telling you beware, beware of the handshake
That hides the snake
Listen to me now, beware
Beware of that pat on the back
It just might hold you back”

These are words from an old song demonstrating the truth of racial discrimination.  Very often those who are pretending to be a friend have a hidden agenda.  There are those who offer handouts only to keep one from advancing themselves.  Some of these are devious.  Others are acting in ignorance.  Our national welfare system is a prime example.  By providing unlimited welfare we have developed a group of people who no longer have any incentive to better themselves.  They are being held back, having become dependent upon their master, the government.  Instead of limiting welfare and helping its recipients get job training and jobs, the system actually rewards those who choose to remain on welfare by making it more financially lucrative than an entry level job.  With food stamps many of them are able to eat better than a working family.  Even though history has proven the failure of these types of social programs our politicians continue to fund and promote them.

Back in the early nineties Una and I lived in Tulare, California.  We bought a tract home in a new housing development.  The total cost for building the home was $64,000.  Soon after we moved in there was an article in the local paper about a proposal for low-income housing.  It was to be an apartment complex at a cost of $68,000 per unit.  Since I had been involved in local politics, I knew all of our city council people and the mayor.  So, I called each one to make a case against this development.  My argument went as follows: If you build an apartment complex, filling it with low income people, it will turn into a slum because they will have no respect for the property.  However, if you take that same money and use it to build single-family houses and then subsidize the payments for low-income families, giving them a stake in the property with the hope and possibility of one day owning their own home, you will have provided them a hand up, helping them to become productive citizens instead of dependent citizens.  The cost would be the same, but the outcome would yield greater benefits for everyone concerned.  My argument fell on deaf ears.  They went ahead and built the apartment complex and it stands today as a slum filled with people who have been robbed of their honor and self-respect, becoming dependent upon those “smiling faces.”

For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”  1 Thessalonians 3:10 NIV

Week 30 2013 Whitewashed Tombs

One of the last regular jobs I held as a television technician was in the cleanest, most efficient shops I had ever worked in or seen.  This store sold used consumer electronics, and, while there was not a particular brand name for sale, it was a warranty station for nearly every brand on the market.  We repaired anything that was brought to the shop.  The owner ran it like a finely-tuned machine.  Each technician had his own workspace with everything at his fingertips.  Large, expensive, diagnostic equipment was on wheels and easily moved from station to station as needed.  The foreman saw to it that parts were quickly delivered to each tech as required.  When we repaired a piece of equipment, be it a television, stereo, VCR, or anything else, we listed the parts used and the work done on a blank piece of paper.  The foreman filled out an estimate worksheet, delivering it to a salesman who would sell the repair to the customer.  All work was guaranteed with a quick turn around in order to please the customer.  As I said earlier, a very clean operation with an eye to detail.  Everything was geared to maximize profit.

Unfortunately, there was a dark side to this shop.  For starters, while there was a parts room with new parts, there was also a warehouse with row after row of used parts.  This would not be a problem if it was disclosed to the customer when a used part was put in their set.  However, this was not the case.  Not only were all parts listed as new, there were often parts billed that were not used in the repair.  I once saw the foreman scurrying about looking for the old parts that were not actually taken out to give to a customer who asked for them.  As stated earlier, the foreman put together the estimates.  All of these were skillfully written as to make them major repairs, regardless of how minor the repair actually was.  He depended on his salesman to sell the job.  If the repair was covered under a manufacturer recall policy, and the customer was unaware of the policy, both the customer and the manufacturer would be billed and collected from.  Televisions that were too old and not worth repair were still repaired because the customer would be sold on the merit of repairing versus discarding.  Thus, while the repair work was completed efficiently and done well, the customer was nearly always being overcharged or ripped off.  Yet, this shop continued to flourish and prosper!

I was reminded of the Lord’s words concerning whitewashed tombs.  He was referring to the Pharisees and teachers of the law who self-righteously displayed all of their righteous deeds while they were rotting internally.  They stood in judgement of others who didn’t live up to their standards, while those under their scrutiny humbly put their lives in the hands of a loving God who is able to forgive, cleanse, and sanctify.  Beware of pharisaical religious people who force their letter-of-the-law doctrines on others.  Jesus welcomed those who were rejected by the law keepers.  He was reviled for doing so, but it didn’t stop Him.  With Him and His followers what you see is what you get.  There is no deception or hypocrisy.  Love, not law, is their guiding principle.

Week 29 2013 Walking in the Light

I love the passage in 1 John 1:5-10, “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.  If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.”

The Greek tense for purify is a flowing tense, signifying that God’s purification is ever-flowing like a river.  He is continually cleansing us of our sin.  Wow!  This is so awesome, because I know that I need that continual cleansing.  However, there is that troubling part in context that adds an if.  “If we walk in the light . . . Jesus . . . purifies us.”  So, what does it mean to walk in the light?  Well, I have always been told that it means to be obedient.  On the surface this doesn’t sound bad, except that I, like Paul and many others, have a difficult time always being obedient.  Indeed, this same passage says that if we claim to have no sin we make God out to be a liar!  So, we are back to what it means to walk in the light.  It also says, “as he is in the light.”  Well, again, if this means obedience I’m lost.  Jesus was perfect, obedient in every way.  Sorry, I am not able to be perfect in complete obedience.  Not that I don’t try, but I fall short every day.  I am beginning to think that this walking in the light involves something other than obedience.

We are called children of Abraham, and he was commended for his faith.  He was far from perfect, but he did trust God.  When tested with his son Isaac, Abraham was willing to sacrifice him, if that was God’s will.  Yet, he trusted that God would provide an alternative.  I wonder, do you suppose that trust has something to do with walking in the light?  I think we may have hit on something here.  Jesus is called the son of David, and David was called a man after God’s own heart.  However, he was far from perfect.  In fact, his sins were extremely grievous.  However, he trusted that God would create in him a new heart, a clean heart.

Throughout the Lord’s ministry He was dogged by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law.  These were extremely righteous men.  They were constantly pouring over the scriptures, endeavoring to be completely obedient in every facet of God’s word.  Jesus even challenges his followers to exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees.  “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.”  (Matthew 5:20) And then, in that same sermon, He says, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) Uh-oh, now I’m really in trouble.  I not only have to be more righteous than the Pharisees, I have to be as perfect as the Father!  What am I to do?

Well, the Lord provides a parable and examples of what we can do.  However, before we get to these, let’s go back to this trust idea.  If we are to understand Jesus walking in the light as having to do with trust that might be doable.  He had to trust that the Father would raise Him on the third day.  He had to trust that the pain He was going to endure would truly be enough to pay the penalty for the sins of the world.  In other words, Jesus continued to walk in complete trust of the Father who sent Him.  In fact, He is constantly reminding his listeners that the words He speaks are the words of His Father, that the life He is living is life in His Father.

In Matthew 8:5-13 there is the story of a centurion who was so painfully aware of his sins that he felt unworthy to have Jesus in his home.  However, he trusted that Jesus could heal without entering his house.  Jesus said that He had not found such great faith in all of Israel.  He exalts this sinful man above the Pharisees!  Did his righteousness somehow exceed theirs, and if so, how?  He trusted Jesus.  He put his complete faith and trust in the One who could save him.  Along with this story, there is that famous parable in Luke 11:9-14.
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable:  “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

When I read those passages in the sermon on the mount telling me that my righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees, and that I must be perfect as my heavenly Father is perfect, I can only be driven to my knees, saying, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”  Thus, I come to the conclusion that walking in the light has much more to do with trust than obedience.  I must trust that God will be faithful and save me in the end.  I must trust that He will continually cleanse me of my sin.  Does this mean that I should not live an obedient life?  In no way!  Obedience is my response to a loving Savior who is faithful to forgive and cleanse.  Obedience is my privilege to a God who has graciously offered me eternal life, providing the only perfect sacrifice for my sins.

It is unfortunate that we are still inundated with modern-day Pharisees who believe they can claim a place in God’s kingdom based upon their own righteousness.  It is this belief that they are right and others are wrong that is at the root of the many divisions in the church.  Mankind’s pride has always led him to believe that he is better than another, that he is more right than another.  Walking in the light means that we humbly admit that we are sinners, that we are completely dependent upon Jesus and His righteousness, that we must trust in Him and Him alone, if we are to be saved.