Jesus talked about being “rich with respect to God.” Intriguing phrase, but what did He mean? This is the final segment of a Thanksgiving message. If you missed them, you can find the first section posted HERE . The second section is HERE.
Before I go fix a leftover turkey sandwich, I thought I’d let you know I’m thankful for YOU and all the others who regularly read this blog. And I hope you had a great Thanksgiving Day.
What do many rich guys have in common with toddlers? You can find out in this continuation of the Thanksgiving message posted last time (See Happy + Thanks + Giving).
Have a great Thanksgiving Day tomorrow. I’ll post the conclusion to this message on Friday.
Next time you are arguing about politics (or anything else…) pay attention to what is going on in your mind when the other guy is speaking. Most people spend that time putting together their next argument and mentally rehearsing it, while only halfheartedly listening to what is being said to them. They may hear a word here and there, enough to get the gist of what they assume the other person is saying. And when they get a chance to reply, the same thing happens in reverse. Which is why arguments are rarely constructive. Nobody is listening.
James, the brother of Jesus wrote this good advice:
“My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,…” – (James 1:19 (NIV84))
Real listening is more than registering noises in one’s ears. Listening means attempting to truly understand the emotions and meanings being conveyed. Real listening has not happened until you can restate what you heard, in your own words, to the other person’s satisfaction. That last part is the key. The idea is for them to look startled and relieved, with the realization that you really understood it, your really got it. If you work for that to happen, before you state your position, then you will have a better chance of being understood, too. But as long as two people simply lob angry slogans at one another, without listening, not much is accomplished.
It seems to me that much of the hostility and divisiveness we experience in our culture could be reduced or even eliminated by the simple act of listening. Real listening. Give it a try and see if James wasn’t right. Be quick to listen and slow to speak. And slow to get angry, too…
“…for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” – (James 1:20 (NIV84)
There wasn’t much my mother and I agreed on during my adolescence. Especially music (Yeah, I know: big surprise…). She was into lofty, classical refinements; I tended toward Four Strong Winds and Mr. Tambourine Man. So when she announced that she had bought me a ticket to a performance at the local university, I groaned and protested. With great reluctance I slumped down the dusty halls of academia, preparing to sleep my way through some tedious Elizabethan minstrels or something. But it was legendary blues great, Josh White playing! Far from being tedious, he held the audience captive with his plaintive, rich baritone voice. His soulful guitar work, replete with amazing, raspy slide licks with his leathery thumb, put the whole experience over the top. An experience I almost missed because I assumed I knew what to expect. Score one for Mother.
So frequently when I try to communicate the exhilaration and joy I’ve found in Jesus, I am met with the same indifference. Usually, I am convinced, it is because they hear the name, Jesus, and immediately associate it with dusty, boring, irrelevant religion. But I’m talking about lighting the afterburners on life and blasting into a whole different reality.
Of course, this is nothing new; you can hear a bit of similar frustration in Paul’s words:
“I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally.
– (Colossians 2:1)
He goes on to say that the purpose for his struggle is:
“… so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
– (Colossians 2:2b-3)
If you have kept yourself a safe distance from Jesus because of dull religious experiences (or worse), don’t let what you assume you know keep you from experiencing the “One in Whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge!”
Remember this song?
I’ll give you jewelry and money too
That’s not all, all I’ll do for you
Oh, if bring it to me
Bring your sweet loving
Bring it on home to me
(Sam Cooke – Bring It To Me)
Great song, but lousy concept. Because you can’t buy love. The Beatles almost had it right with “Can’t buy me love…” But, even in that same song they sang:
I’ll give you all I’ve got to give
If you say you love me too
I may not have a lot to give
But what I’ve got I’ll give to you
(The Beatles – Can’t Buy Me Love)
Bribing someone to love you is illogical on its face. And yet, the default posture we humans adopt before God is this: I’ll pay whatever You want if You will love me. That is the core idea behind all man-made religions. Here’s an example from the Old Testament book of MIcah:
6 With what shall I come before the Lord
and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? (Micah 6:6–7 – NIV84)
God already and always loves us like a father. Imagine if one of your children got the idea you didn’t love him and offered to pay… It’s offensive, isn’t it? God does not need for us to pay Him with any of His possessions. So then, what does He want? This:
8 He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8 – NIV84)
God wants us to stop hurting one another and ourselves. He wants us to live with a humble awareness of Him, Who gave us life, Who made this world and Who knows how to live in it.
One last thought. Eventually a payment was made for sin, the most costly one suggested above – the sacrifice of a firstborn Son. But it was not a bribe, but a punishment that balanced the scales of justice.
And it was God Who paid.
Because He loves us that much.
One of the hassles of selling your home is that you have to keep that place ready for folks to come to see it, for them to come at any time of day without much notice. It’s stressful to stay ready for an inspection at all times. But Jesus tells His followers to be ready for His return, which will come when we least expect it. You have probably spotted a crucial distinction: the difference between getting ready to look perfect in an artificial way and being ready because that is how you naturally live. The first kind of readiness is stressful; the second is not.
But what does it mean to be ready? Jesus told a parable about what it means, recorded in the 12th chapter of Luke, starting at verse 35. Let’s take a close look at what that parable means and consider how it applies to our lives today, once again by means of a recorded message. If you have been following these blog posts you know I’m experimenting with this format. I really appreciate your feedback on what works and what does not. This week, I’m going to break the message up into three sections but post them separately, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. (That is, if Jesus hasn’t come back before Friday!)
What does it mean to be ready? Let’s begin with a mindset of readiness, something NFL punters know a lot about:
Next time we’ll talk about turning the mindset of readiness into action.
If I told you how God intervened in my life a couple of days ago, you might think I was gullible or naive. It was a simple little thing – (OK, it had something to do with hubcaps) – nothing like parting the Red Sea. But I know Who pulled it off. I call those brief encounters with God’s grace, winks. He winks at me and lets me know He’s there and He cares.
Have you ever thought a situation you faced was too small to trouble God with, too silly for prayer? Consider: Is there anything you face that isn’t small to God? Check out these words of Jesus:
“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” – (Matthew 10:29-31)
God invites us, through Jesus, into an intimate relationship, in which we walk together through the circumstances of life. As we do, we are humbled to discover God cares about how we are doing – even about the “little” things.
Knowing He cares makes the tough experiences more “doable.” Jesus spoke those words as He told His followers not to be afraid to tell people about Him, even in the face of physical violence. Because God cares and He intervenes or not, depending on what is best.
It is a good time for those of us who follow Jesus to remember His example. In His day, the most highly respected people were the super-religious, the ones who made a lifestyle and outward display of doing everything they thought God wanted them to do. The least respected people were prostitutes and tax collectors (generally considered to be traitorous and dishonest). And yet,
“Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. – (Matthew 21:31b)
Make no mistake: it was not that Jesus approved of the things such people were doing. To the contrary, He had compassion on them, knowing how much they were hurting inside. He did not condemn them or marginalize them; He loved them and offered them a new way of life.
Whoever you believe are the lowest and least respectable, the type least likely to be welcomed into religious circles, those are the people among whom you would have found Jesus. When He engaged in angry rhetoric, it was against those who puffed themselves up with religious pride and looked down upon those who were suffering from destructive choices. If we become known for angry rhetoric against the ones Jesus came to seek and save, we do not represent Him well.
“We don’t say ____; someone might be offended.” You may think that is a new attitude of our hyper-sensitive times, but in fact, they said similar things to Jesus. He paid no attention. Jesus constantly said things that offended people. So much so, they killed Him. Roughly paraphrased, He said, “I am God.” I don’t think anyone would be offended by that today.
But there are two words Jesus said that still offend people deeply today. I think the offensiveness of the two words has a lot to do with why so many people reject Him. The two words? “Deny himself.”
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” – (Matthew 16:24)
We don’t say “deny himself” or “deny yourself” today. People definitely get offended. We say, “find yourself,” “express yourself,” “help yourself,” “be yourself,” “love yourself” and “protect yourself.” But not that D word… “Take up your cross?” No problem. That phrase no longer contains any horror for us. Not like denying my self…
Jesus’ offensive truth is this: You cannot follow Him and follow your “self” at the same time. And to choose your “self” over following Him is to forfeit your eternal soul. I know, I know, we don’t say that. We don’t want to get anyone’s feathers ruffled. But Jesus not only said it, He explained it:
“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?…” – (Matthew 16:25-26a)
It sounds like heresy in our “Me” world. But instead of being offended, why not spend some time considering whether Jesus might have been telling the truth?
The biggest Swiss Army knife would never fit in your pocket. It is 9″ wide and weighs 2 pounds. It has 141 different tools folded up in it, including a hook dis-gorger and a snap shackle. If you bought it, you might have more room in your pocket though, because it lists for $2100. I suppose this thing is a joke, but before it went to seed, the idea of having one tool with which you could do most things was attractive.
Paul lists a bunch of new behaviors for followers of Jesus to put into practice:
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. – (Colossians 3:12-14a (NIV))
That’s quite a list – a nice list, to be sure – but a lot to remember. And, even at that, it is not comprehensive; it doesn’t include everything for us with which to “clothe ourselves”. However, there is a “Swiss Army Knife” of attitudes for Christians, one tool for most circumstances. Here’s the rest of what Paul wrote:
And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. – (Colossians 3:14b)
If you understand that love is an act of will with which I put away my self-interest to minister to what you need, all of the attitudes listed in the first passage really are bound together under the one tool called love. Better yet, you will discover that “Love” fits in your pocket. It’s not free however; it costs you, maybe even more than $2100 in some circumstances. But it is a great tool, worth much more than the biggest Swiss Army Knife.
FRESH BREAD OF LIFE 