Category Archives: The Character of God

The Rest of the Story

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Violently persecuted in his home land, he joined a group who fled by boat, hoping for safety on some different shore.  But, what they found was terror – from pirates, from storms at sea and even from one another.  In desperation, he jumped overboard.  Soon, he was exhausted from his futile attempts to swim, surrounded by sharks and coughing up sea water with every breath.  A ship drew near and a life ring was thrown.  Should he take it?  Nothing to lose, he thought, and grabbed it.  The next thing he was aware of was waking up in a comfortable bed, washed, rested and fed.  He made his way up on deck, found a place to hide and watched intently for any kind of danger.  When the men working on deck noticed him, he raced away to the rail, preparing himself to fight or jump.

That is when he heard the voice of the captain, saying, “You are safe here and we will not hurt you.  You do not need to hide, or dash back and forth, watching and worrying about who is coming.  If you trust me, you can rest from all that.  Of course, if you are too frightened to trust me, too used to scheming and fighting to protect yourself, you can keep doing so.  I cannot force you to rest, but rather, I invite you to do so.  How about it?  Don’t you want to leave all this stress behind and rest?”

Could this be real?  Could it be true?  He had to decide: either listen to his old fears, try to protect himself and jump overboard or trust the captain and rest.

Hebrews 4, an extended warning about failing to trust God and missing out, also contains these lines about His promise of rest for those who trust:

“Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.”   (Hebrews 4:1)

“Now we who have believed enter that rest, …”  (Hebrews 4:3a)

“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”  (Hebrews 4:7b)

“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest,…”  (Hebrews 4:9-11a)

Eager for Beauty

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When the Olympics begin, make a point of watching the faces and body posture of the athletes who are waiting for their chance to compete.  When a beautiful dive has been executed, you can see admiration on their faces, but, more than that, determination to do better.  When a record has been broken, the runners waiting want to break it better.  They are eager for the chance.

Jesus came, according to Paul’s letter to Titus, and:

14 …”gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”   (Titus 2:14b)

The word translated, good, literally means “beautiful.”  When people have been “redeemed from all wickedness,” the things they are eager to do are truly beautiful.  Not just inoffensive, or plain vanilla, but strikingly beautiful!  You know the video on the ‘net of the basketball team who rallied around the boy with special needs and gave him a chance to score the winning basket?  That kind of beauty.  The kind that is seen through a tear of inspiration.

Craftsmen are eager to “do what is beautiful.”  They are not content with ordinary.  They want people to experience an uplifting thrill.  Jesus had it in mind for His people to be craftsmen of beautiful things.  I wish Christian films “out-Spielberged” Spielberg instead of putting up with simplistic plots and mediocre acting.  I wish Christian music transported people to new heights.  I wish everything done to honor Jesus’ great love and grace would be known for astonishing beauty.

According to Paul, so does Jesus…

Special Treatment for the Corrupt

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They didn’t say it out loud, but the people in line resented me as I was ushered to the front and given the best seat on Space Mountain in Disneyland.  “Hey, Buddy, we been standing in line for an hour…”  They didn’t say it because they assumed I was some important celebrity who naturally would receive special treatment.  (Actually, I simply knew a guy who worked the ride.)  We have gotten used to it when so-called important people get the best seats, free tickets, etc.  I suppose all that, as screwy as it is (because they could most afford to pay for those perks…), is relatively harmless.

But, in fact, those same important people sometimes also get a free pass when they break the law.  Most of us grudgingly accept that, too, knowing there is little we can do about it.  Perhaps it would help to know that God is angry about it too.  He says,

22 Woe to those …
23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe,
but deny justice to the innocent.    (Isaiah 5:22a & 23)

Those who get away with breaking the law, who think they deserve special treatment because they are better or more powerful than the rest of us, should pay careful attention to the first word quoted above, “Woe…”  “Woe” may not seem to be such a deal unless you remember that it was dictated by Almighty God.  If your neighbor’s kid says, “Woe…” to you, you might shrug it off.  But if it turns out he’s a champion fighter in the UFC, well, then you got a problem.  But if God says, “Woe…” you’ve got a whole lot more than a mere problem.  Here’s what God has planned for those to whom He says, “Woe…”

24 Therefore, as tongues of fire lick up straw
and as dry grass sinks down in the flames,
so their roots will decay
and their flowers blow away like dust;
for they have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty
and spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel.  (Isaiah 5:24)

There will come a day, God says, when the corrupt will be destroyed as with fire and will no longer be able to propagate their injustice (their roots and flowers will decay and blow away).  If you have been angry about someone getting treated as though the laws do not apply, take heart.  However, while you are taking heart, also take note:  this outcome is for those who “have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty and spurned [His]… Word.”

Faithful

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“Stuff that works, stuff that holds up The kind of stuff you dont hang on the wall  Stuff thats real, stuff you feel  The kind of stuff you reach for when you fall… ” 

 That’s from a great song by Guy Clark, about things that don’t let you down.  You go to use a tool, or start a motor and the tool doesn’t slip or break and the motor starts – reliably.  You can count on it.  Or, you call a friend, knowing you can count on that person.  He or she will be there for you.  If they say they’ll do something, you don’t have to wonder or worry.

You want to be that guy, the one they know they can count on and trust.  In a word, you want to be faithful.  God is faithful.  He stakes His reputation on reliably doing what He said He would do.  Think how nice it would be to be known for that character trait.

Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.

Proverbs 3:3 -:4
Good advice, that.  Be worthy of trust, like the stuff that works.

Old Wisdom

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In “When Nations Die,” Jim Nelson Black examined the common causes behind the fall of Carthage, Greece and Rome.  These powerful empires didn’t fail because they were attacked from outside; they rotted away from the inside with what Black calls “Social, Cultural and Moral Decay.”  Such decay results when the people abandon traditional wisdom and values.  People turn away from the mores and beliefs of the past and attempt to rewrite new ones, based on what they believe is new and more sophisticated thinking.   That’s what happened to Carthage.  The same process brought down the empire of Greece and then Rome.  We have seen similar attitudes and consequences in Europe and Not-so-Great-Anymore Britain.  And here.

You might think we would get the point.  That guy you just passed on the highway with his hood up?  He ignored his “Check Engine” light.  If we paid attention to history, we would see a bright, flashing “Check Engine” light on the dashboard of the United States.  But the prevailing attitude is to put tape over it and drive on.

This is more puzzling since we also see examples in history of nations that have returned to old wisdom and have prospered.  The Old Testament is full of such examples.  Rwanda is a present day demonstration of this truth.

But it’s not just any old wisdom that matters.  It’s not about hanging on to old superstitions and myths.  The old wisdom that is critical for national survival is grounded on a deep reverence for our Creator, God.  Standing in humble awe before the One for Whom quantum mechanics is two plus two.  Recognizing He just might know what works best.

1 My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
2 turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding—
3 indeed, if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
4 and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Proverbs 2:1-6

Firm in What?

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Wars and rumours of war aren’t indicators of Jesus’ return.  Neither are famines and earthquakes.  Jesus called those things “the beginning of birth pains.”  First labor pains ordinarily indicate the start of an unstoppable progression of events but not the imminent conclusion of them.  So what indicators did Jesus say would tip us off the time was drawing close?   Among other signs, Jesus included this troubling thought:

 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,  (Matthew 24:12)

The more we encounter wickedness, the more  tempted we are to respond in kind.  The recent sniping murder of Dallas policemen is a sad case in point.  Somebody thought, “Enough is enough; I’m going to make someone pay.”  That’s an extreme example.  Maybe you would never go that far.  But Jesus taught us to actually respond in the opposite way:

27 “…Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”  (Luke 6:27b-28)

When most people find it too tough to respond to wickedness with love, that is a sign the end times are drawing to a close, that Jesus is coming soon.  What do you think?  Are we there yet?  Has the love of most grown cold?  If you had to make the call, based on your own attitudes, what would you say?  For me, that is a sobering question.

But don’t give up!  No matter what, don’t abandon love.  That first quote above is only the beginning of Jesus’ sentence.  Here’s the whole thing:

12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,  13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. (Matthew 24:12-13)

Stands firm in love.

More is More

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In “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” the people who had seen the extraterrestrial vehicles in the sky, gathered on the hill in wonder and amazement, hoping to see more.  You should experience that attitude when you attend a church: people who have glimpsed a beautiful and powerful mystery and want more.  Sadly, many churches seem to know all the answers, to have everything tied up in neat bundles.  They have lost their taste for mystery.  Stay away!  Those so-called churches are dangerous; they have died.  A pastor who considers himself to be an expert has not encountered God.

When Paul encountered Jesus, it blew his mind so thoroughly he couldn’t see for days.  Before that, he was an expert.  After that, he wrote,

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
1 Corinthians 13:12

Just One

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If you had to pick just one rule to live by, one rule to teach your kids, which one would you choose?  Jesus picked this one:

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.  (Matthew 22:37-38)

God is not emotionally needy; He is not hurt or impoverished by our failure to love Him.  So what’s the deal?  Why is this the most important one?  Let’s start with this: If we could truly wrap our minds around the reality that we have personally been created by an infinitely superior Being, Who designed and created the universe, Who knows us, cares for us and loves us, if we could hold that truth present in our consciousness, our natural response would be wholehearted love for Him.  Anything less would be petulant rebellion.  

Presumably, as we obey the command to love God with our all, it has the effect of bringing us closer to the full realization of Who He is and how He loves us.  Aligned with that truth, we are more in tune with the rest of His design.

But how would such love be expressed?  A Hallmark moment wouldn’t suffice. As we are drawn into a closer relationship of love with God, it spills over and is naturally expressed in our love for others.  That is why Jesus added this:

And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”  (Matthew 22:39-40)

Simply put, if you could truly obey the first command, you would find yourself obeying the second, and would not need to worry about all the others.  

Free to Believe

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Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; ... (1st amendment to the Constitution – excerpt)

It is a rare and precious privilege to live in a country with that freedom.  Ask anyone who lives under Sharia law, or in a nation where religion is prohibited.  I fear Congress has begun to erode this freedom.  No law should prohibit anyone from conducting their business according to their sincere, religious beliefs.  What I believe guides everything I do, not just how I worship.

Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

Acts 4:18-20

Pay or Pray?

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Here’s some good news: you can be released from a spiritual death sentence if you send televangelist, Paula White, pastor of New Destiny Christian Center in Apopka, Florida, a mere $1144.  That’s what she said so it must be true.  She’ll even through in a prayer cloth with magical powers.  Better yet, I’ll give you a discount; I’ll knock off $144.  I don’t have the prayer cloths, but my promise of spiritual life is every bit as reliable and valuable as hers.  What a bargain…

I wonder if Ms. White knows about this event:

“Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”  (Matthew 21:12-13)

When you pray, at a house of prayer or back home in private, you ask God to provide.  Money changers set up booths in the temple to make a profit (possibly an exorbitant profit) in order to provide for themselves.  If Jesus got so worked up about those guys, calling them “robbers,” how do you suppose He would respond to Paula’s offer to sell spiritual life for $1144?

If she charged 50 cents, it would be a ripoff.  Jesus gives spiritual life, eternal life away for free.  You don’t pay for it.  You pray for it.