A Slap in The Face

My mother tried to teach me not to fight.  I say try because I had older brothers and fighting seemed inevitable.  Fun for us included activities like King of The Hill, wrestling (which sometime got a little out of hand), throwing makeshift spears at each other, etc.  Fighting was a test of manhood.  Fighting was also how young boys like us found our place in groups.

My mother and my Grandmother were dead set against it.  They were very plain in saying they did not want to catch us fighting.  So, we took it outside, where they wouldn't catch us.  I remember one time in particular when my brother Gary and I were scrapping in Grandma's house and she said to us rather sternly, "I don't want to see you two fighting anymore!"  So, honoring her wishes, we took our battle into a closet.  They tried but we boys, except our oldestt brother Frank (no one wanted to fight Frank and he had nothing to prove to us), fought like cats and dogs.

One of the reasons our Mother and Grandmother weren't successful convincing us was flawed logic based on a misunderstanding of Scripture.  They would quote Matthew 5:38, "If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to them to them the other also."  We weren't theologians but it just didn't make any sense to offer up the other cheek to let someone punch you in the jaw again.  We were not predisposed to let them get in the first hit, let alone the second one.

Their argument didn't stand up to what common sense and self-preservation seemed to dictate.  And, although we didn't understand the theology at the time, it didn't  resonate because it was based on flawed  theology.  Jesus was a man of peace but he was not precisely a pasifist.  Perhaps you will remember when Jesus sent his disciples out, he told them, "If you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one" (Lk 22: 36).  He was not agressive but he left room for self defense.

So what was the right cheek, left cheek thing about then?  First, it was in the context of retribution not defense: "You have heard it said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.  But I tell you, do not resist an evil person.  If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other" (Matt 5:38-39).  Considering that most people are right handed, to strike somone one the right cheek would mean a back-handed slap with the left hand - an act of disrespect, not and attempt to physically harm.  We still have the saying, "Well, that's a slap in the face."

Turning the other cheek would not put you in danger but rather diffuse the offense, taking the higher moral ground.  Man says, "I don't get mad, I get even."  Jesus says, "Don't get mad or even, get over it by rising above it, letting grace abound."  Jus' Say'n.

Old Dogs and Puppies

Ever watch an old dog trying to take a nap while a bouncing puppies vigorously attacks him.  While the old dog lays still the puppy darts in and jumps back, nipping at the giant's ears and tail, growling and bearing it's tiny fangs as fiercely as the minature marauder can manage.  All the while, the old dog pretends not to notice, eyes closed lying still as the attack continues.

The old dog knows he can stop the attack with one will placed nip or likely with just the barring of a real set of fangs and a deep growl warning of inpending doom.  But he doesn't return in kind, he doesn't warn the little tyke off, he just lies there enduring the attack patienttly.

Why?  Why doesn't the old dog push back against the pup?  Why does he allow such abuse?  Two things: 1) It's part of puppy development and 2) the old dog does not feel threatened by the puppy.  Because it knows all is well, he puts up with the torment of the little tyke for now, waiting patiently for it to run out of steam.

What I have just described is the biblical meaning of the word perseverence - the act of willingly enduring something, even if you could put an end to it.  Just enduring painful times is not to persevere.  Many get to the other side having wined and fussed the entire journey through.  Others worry and fret not knowing if they will endure or not.  But the one who perseveres does so in a quiet calm stemming from a knowledge that there is purpose in the pain and victory in the end.

James wrote, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance fihish its work so tht you may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything" (Js 1:2-4).  To persevere is not to just get through but it is to go through with a purpose and with a calm found in knowing that Jesus has already won the victory.  Whinning is replaced with winning and fear is replaced by faith.  Jus' Say'n.

In Jesus Name

Prayer is a part of my earliest memories.  It was not just a daily thing, it was something one engaged in multiple times a day.  Every meal began with prayer, every bedtime was sealed with prayer, Sunday services were filled with prayer, Wednesday evening Bible study was began and ended in prayer, every need or concern was surrounded in prayer.  Prayer was a vital part of my daily life.

Although I was not then and am not now an expert on the act of prayer.  There were two things my little mind were certain of on the subject: 1) It began with an address to "Our Father" and 2) it ended with the stamp of "in Jesus' name."  I was certain prayer didn't begin until you got God's attention and could not be fully consumated with the authority of Jesus Christ stamped upon it.

It is the latter, ending a prayer in Jesus' name, that I want to address today.  I was sure that it had to be ended in this manner because my Mother and Grandmother said so.  That was all my young soul needed to know to make it so.  Later I would be introduced to John 14:14, where Jesus tells his disciples, "Ask for anything in my name and I will do it."  Well, there you are.  What else is to be said on the matter?  Quite a bit actually.

While I continue to this day ending my prayer with the words "In Jesus name, amen," I know that is  not what our Lord had in mind.  Neither God the Father nor the Son are moved by word placement or formulations.  While many, especially in the pagan world of mystics and witches, believe incantations have power, Jesus clearly said, "Do not keep on babbling like the pagans, for they think they will be heard for their many words" (Matt 6:7).  It is not in the formulation of words but by the authority in which the words are offered.

To make a statement in someone's name means to exercise their authority.  Ambassadors speak in the name of their governments, officers speak in the name of their commanders.  When an embassary says, "I come in the name of the king," that means what he has to say is stamped with the king's authority.  However, it is not in the proclamation, "In the king's name," but in the fact he actually speaks according to what the king wills that makes it so.

To pray "in Jesus name," is not just words to seal a request, it is an acknowledgement that what you are asking is by the power of his name and in accordance with his will.  In his name means in accord with his nature, his desires, his will.  And, when we ask for that which aligns with his will in and around our lives, he will do it.  This is similar to a young child asking his mother for something.  If it is within her will for him (and in her power), she will do it.  But would she give him something she knows is bad or ill-timed?  No.  Neither will the Lord.

How do we know what to ask in his name?  Get to know Jesus.  Study his words, read of his life, spend time with him daily.  Seek out his will in your prayers and quiet time.  For "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" (Jer 29:13).  Jus' Say'n.

Knowing The Way

When Jesus told his disciples that he was going to His Father's house to prepare a place for them in John 14:1ff, he went on to say, "and you know the way to the place where I am going."  Not too surpizing, it was "Doubting" Thomas who responded, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, how can we know the way?"  Jesus reply is a game-changer for all those relying on their understanding of doctrine or tradition to pave the way: "I am the way, the truth and the life and no man comes to the Father except through me."

Jesus' statement makes it clear that the path to heaven is not based on our ability to discern and follow a set of rules or system of rituals.  The path to heaven is singular, it is Jesus himself - he is the path.  It is in accepting him, accepting his life, his mindset, to follow in his steps.  This truth is precisely what our Lord said to the disciples as he called them: "Come follow me" (Matt 4:19).  He did not say to follow a set of rules or comprehend a body of tradition - Jesus said, "Follow me."

Following Jesus means so much more than following rules, it means to become a different person, to become Christ-like, to, as Paul says in Philippians 2:5, "have the same mindset as Christ."  We are called, not to act in a certain way or to acknowledge certain doctrines but to be changed in the likeness of a certain Person.  We are to become Christians (little Christs) - we are to become like Jesus.

I'm not suggesting that rituals have no meaning or that doctrine is unimportant, I am saying that those are things to be addressed by a disciple but do not make one a disciple and discipleship is not a matter of following rules and precepts but in following a person.  Are you doing that?  Are you showing love to your enemies?  Do you give generously?  Is faithfulness a guide to your relationships?  Are you sacrificial, are you honest, are you humble?  Are you becomming like Jesus?

Jesus is the way.  Are you learning from him?  Are you spending time with him?  Are you asking him to transform you?  Is Jesus and the life he modeled your template for life?  Do you know Jesus, do you know The Way?  Jus' Ask'n.

Being Wronged for Doing Right

The old adage, "No good turn goes unpunished," was never truer than it was with British aid worker to Syria, David Haines, who was beheaded by one of the mongrel dogs of the Islamic State known as ISIS or ISIL or as I prefer to label them IHNS (I have no soul).  David's high crime deserving of death?  He provided help to everyone regardless of race, creed, religion or color.  He was in Syria helping the hurting Muslims, for whom ISIS claims to be fighting for but really cares nothing about.  

This kind of thing always begs the question, "Why would God allow such a thing?"  Why wouldn't God protect a man like David Haines from the godless terrorist who butchered him?  How can a good God allow such bad things?  A better question might be, "How could he not?"  

How would God go about protecting every good person from every bad one without taking away the freedom of each.  David's freedom of choice allowed him to go into harm's way to bring aid to a devastated population.  The ISIS thug's freedom of choice allowed him to take David's life.  God could have prevented David from going to Syria or prevented the terrorist from being able to capture him.  Freedom of choice goes out the window in either case.

So what?  What shouldn't God take away the freedom of choice?  The reason?  God is love (1 Jn 4:8).  Love is based on the exercise of free choice.  God put Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and told them not to eat from the tree in the middle of the garden.  He could have put a barrier around it but that would have taken away their choice and therefore their ability to respond in love.

As long as evil exists, there will be the ability to choose evil over good.  In the Judgment to come, evil will be cast out, leaving only good to inherit heaven.  In that heavenly existence, there will be choice but those who inherit it will desire good.  Until then, we live in a fallen world where many chooce evil over good.  Therefore, our good deeds will be in contradiction with that evil and will draw fire from it.

In other words, we live in a world at war.  Even when it is not as evidentt as it is now with the Islamic lunatics loose across the globe, we are still at war with evil.  And evil, will always strike out at good. How can good deeds not draw a bad response in an evil world?  What happened to Jesus, the apostles, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King?  

God calls us to choose good and many do.  But so many others choose evil and we are living in a world where evil is abundant.  As the days grow in that evil presence, we can expect to draw even more fire from the Evil One.  As Paul warned, "everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2 Tim 3:12).  Jus' Say'n.

Sovereign God

Perhaps you've heard the old joke, "What does an 800# gorilla do?  Whatever he wants."  Although it would seem unlikely, by extention, this has dogmatic theological implications.  Working backwards from the gorilla who is made by God, "What does the God of the universe do?  Whatever he wants."  As a matter of fact, that is precisely what the Bible says in Job 23:13, "But he stands alone, and who can oppose him?  He does whatever he pleases."

Listen to the words of the Psalmist: "When I  consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, whch you have set in place, what is mandkind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?" (8:3-4).  What indeed!

I am amazed at how often we call God into question asking, "Why did God do such and such?" or "Why did he let so and so  happen?"  We tend to ask those questions with an air of judgment, suggesting God did not have the right, even saying, "What did I do to deserve this?" or "How could this happen to me?"  We seem to have the attitude that God needs to answer to us.  Really?  Not!

God is not a Cosmic Bellhop whom we call up when we need something or a Gallactic Whipping Boy to lay blame upon.  God is Creator and Master of the universe of which you and I are but specks.  John the Baptist, the cousin of Jesus, spoke to this truth in Mark 1:7 in saying, "After me comes the one...whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie."

John the Apostle wrote, "You say, I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.'  But you do not realize tht you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.  I counsel you to buy god from me refined in the fire..." (Rev 3:17-18).  In other words, we think we are all that and a bag of chips but we are not at all that and our bag is empty.  In comparison to some others, you may feel like you've hung the moon, but in comparison to God, you are little more than a speck of lunar dust.

God is sovereign, he does do what he wants.  But inexplicably, he loves us and wants to bless us.  However, having made us moral and rational beings, he gives choice.  "He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.  Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God..." (John 1:11-12).

God is not our servant that he should answer to us, we are his.  His has given us choice, not to decide what he should do but whether we will accept what his has done.  The question should not be, "Why did God do such and such?" but rather, "How can I honor God in this?" or "What would God have me do in respose to it?"  God is sovereign, we are servants.  Jus' Say'n.

Success and Failure

Failure is a hard thing to handle.  Dreams crushed, plans scuttled, hopes dashed; not to mention the personal embarrasment of setting out to accomlish something that you were not able to complete.  Jesus even warns of this in a spiritual context relating tower building to cross carrying: "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower.  Won't you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?  For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, 'This person began to build and wasn't able to finish'" (Luke 14:28-30).

Yes, failure is difficult to deal with.  But success can be just as difficult.  Have you ever known someone who got a big promotion that came with an equally big head?  Before he became a "big man," he was a good Joe and afterwards became a big jerk.  Ever hear of a lottery winner raking in millions of dollars only to be raked over the coals by divorce lawyers, IRS agents and collection agencies?  It almost seems that there is not enough air at the top for some people to maintain their sense and sensibilities.

I don't know which is worse - to succeed at failing or fail at succeeding.  Both can be disasterous.  Both can lead to your undoing.  But neither have to be.  One can fail in a business attempt, assess what went wrong and then strike out again without striking out.  Many very successful businessmen and women have a laundry list of failed attempts before making the big time.  Successful politicians often lose before winning.  Inventors may discover dozens of ways it doesn't work before discoverring the key to a successful invention (Edison said it took 10,000 attempts to successfully light up an incandescent bulb).  Failure can be a precursor to success if we allow ourselves to embrace it and learn from it.  If we can "humble ourselves before God, he will lift us up" (Js 4:10).

Success can spoil us or even ruin us completely.  As Lord Acton said, "Power tends to corruupt, and absolute power corrupts absoloutely.  Great men are almost always bad men."  Wow!  It doesn't sond good for the rich and powerful, and it isn't easy.  Jesus warned, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God" (Matt 19:24).  Difficult to the degree of impossible apart from God for "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" (v. 26).  God can use the rich like Abraham, the powerful like Moses and the educated like Paul; who all understood what they had came from God and was to be used for His glory.

If we devote our wealth, our power our intellect to God, he will use us in kingdom work.  We will be successful instruments in His hands while not becoming inflated in our minds.  It is the knowledge that everything comes from the Lord and ought to be used in His service that keeps us from failing beyond recovery or succeeding beyond redemption.  Jus' Say'n.