When you read about the ancient kings of the Jews, many were evil and followed the pagan practices of other nations. From time to time, a good king like Asa would come into power who "did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father David had done" (1 Kings 15:11). They would turn the people back to God, expelling the shrine prostitutes, taking down the Asherah poles and fully their lives and lead their nation to the Lord.
And yet, over and over again is would be said of those good kings that they "did not remove the high places" (vs. 14). The high places were elevated worship sites, either on a mountain or raised place in a valley where sacrifices were offered on altars other than the altar God ordained in the Temple. Often the sacrifices were made to pagan gods and idols. In any case, the worship reflected a self-determination rather than a God-dependence.
The high places left undisturbed in ancient Israel are akin to those things of tthe world and our own self-determination we leave in tact when we commit ourselves to the Lord. We come to Christ, repenting of our sins, turn and follow his ways - but not in everything. We may very well leave some high place in tact.
You've committed everything to God except the high place of materialism. You go to church and worship God but you hold back giving the way you know you could and should because their are nice things you really want or you trust more in your bank balance than in God's blessings.
You daily feed on God's Word, digesting its truth and filling yourself with the mind of Christ. Except that you have not torn down the high place of gluttony. You eat when you are sad, when you are glad, when you suffer a loss, when you experience a gain. Whether celebrating or sulking, you turn to the high place of consuming food.
You've given your heart to the God of heaven and you seek to serve him daily. You desire to love as Jesus loves and lift up others in acts of ministry but the high place of your sexual appetite is still in tact. Pornography, prostitution, lustful thinking, questionable sexual behavior of whatever stripe. you are committed to the Lord but the altar of adultery or fornication has not been torn down.
You put in your high place, whatever it is that you simply cannot give up for God or that things that you keep in place to turn to from time to time instead of God's mercy and grace. Whatever it is, it is something you know is ungodly and/or competes with God's will for your life. The high places are real and they are difficult to give up. However, they are just the places where Satan works to pull you away from the Lord. Ancient Judah and Israel constantly were turning away from God and back to idolatry largely because they did not tear down the high places.
What are your high places? How can you go about tearing them down? What help do you require? What decision do you need to make? Who do you need to consult with? How does you devotional life need to be altered? How can you tear down your high place? Jus' Ask'n.
Friday, August 7, 2015
Thursday, August 6, 2015
One Mind
Yesterday, after meeting with the Arkansas Director of the VA, a white-haired conservative Caucasian male and a young African-American liberal female stood across from the Capitol Building talking first about the plight of returning veterans and then the course-correction needed in our nation for race relations. Neither one accused the other, no one raised their voice, smiles could be seen on their faces and laughter was interspersed in their dialogue.
How is that possible? How is it possible that two people from opposite ends of the cultural/gender/political spectrum could enjoy a conversation regarding a subject that should have drawn a line of division and contention between them? How? They were of one mind. Say again. They were of one mind.
Their backgrounds were different. Their experiences were different. They could not have looked any different if they had come from separate planets. Nonetheless, they were of one mind - the mind of Jesus Christ.
This is the real call of biblical unity. It is not the lockstep of denominational doctrines and dogmas. It is not in a common agreement on what is allowed, what is required and what is denied. It is not found in doing the same things in the same way or believing everything to precise detail. Unity is found in coming together in the same Name, the name of Jesus Christ.
Listen to the words of our Lord: "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them" (Matt 18:20). Do you see it? Unity is found in the gathering Point, not in the points of the gathered. The unity God calls us to have is not one of robotic singularity but of holistic empathy. "May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had" (Rom 15:5).
How is that possible? How is it possible that two people from opposite ends of the cultural/gender/political spectrum could enjoy a conversation regarding a subject that should have drawn a line of division and contention between them? How? They were of one mind. Say again. They were of one mind.
Their backgrounds were different. Their experiences were different. They could not have looked any different if they had come from separate planets. Nonetheless, they were of one mind - the mind of Jesus Christ.
This is the real call of biblical unity. It is not the lockstep of denominational doctrines and dogmas. It is not in a common agreement on what is allowed, what is required and what is denied. It is not found in doing the same things in the same way or believing everything to precise detail. Unity is found in coming together in the same Name, the name of Jesus Christ.
Listen to the words of our Lord: "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them" (Matt 18:20). Do you see it? Unity is found in the gathering Point, not in the points of the gathered. The unity God calls us to have is not one of robotic singularity but of holistic empathy. "May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had" (Rom 15:5).
When together we follow the direction of the same Conductor, we can play our dissimilar instruments in concert. When we follow the same song leader, we can together harmonize our unique voices. I can sing tenor, you can sing soprano, another can sing bass and someone else can bring the alto. The unity is found in the harmony of the Key not in the sameness of the note.
Be of one mind, yes! That is biblical (see 2 Cor 13:11). But this one mind is not found in thinking the same thoughts but rather in having the same mindset, a mindset that brings us together even when we have dissimilar thoughts: "In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus" (Phil 2:5). Let us have one mind - The Mind of Christ! Jus' Say'n.
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Self-Inflicted
While you don't hear it much these days, in my younger years people used to say, "He shot himself in the foot." One didn't really need a gun to do that, just an opportunity to make a bad decision and reap the consequences that follow. I had a chance to watch up close a fairly literal illustration when my oldest brother, Frank (now deceased), shoot a hole in our kitchen floor with a shotgun after saying, "This gun isn't loaded, see..." Then he pulled the trigger and boy did we ever see and hear has that 12 gauge discharged inside the house.
The reason the gun discharged in the house, creating some additional ventilation, was twofold: 1) Frank made a bad choice and 2) Because it could. The second reason is what is known as Murphy's Law, which came to be so called when Captain Edward Murphy, who was working on a deceleration project for the Air Force in 1949, cursed a technician for wiring a transducer wrong saying, "If there is any way to do it wrong, he will find it."
We have changed the original to, "If it can go wrong, it will." However, that is a corruption of the original as it takes out the personal responsibility in things going wrong. Murphy's Law wasn't about things going wrong but rather our making poor choices that cause them to go wrong because they can and will when we are careless. In the South, "Bubba's Last Words," are a close parallel: "Hold my beer and watch this!"
While we tend to blame bad luck or Divine Providence, the truth is that most calamities are the result of someone's poor use of the freedom of choice. We make ill-informed, rash, stupid choices. Recently, a terminal patient recently asked me, "Why did God allow this to happen to me?" I responded, "Do you think your smoking for 40 years had anything to do with it?"
While there are some natural causes like tornados and earthquakes. And sometimes cancer is purely genetic. Even a well thought out plan can sometimes fail due to unforeseeable circumstances. But on the whole, we shoot ourselves in the foot. As Moses said, "You can be sure your sins will find you out" (Num 32:23). And the apostle Paul affirmed this truth in Galatians 6:7, "A man reaps what he sows."
There is a remedy for the self-inflicted wound: Pray, Plan, Proceed. As Solomon put it, "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans" (Pr 16:3). Jus' Say'n.
The reason the gun discharged in the house, creating some additional ventilation, was twofold: 1) Frank made a bad choice and 2) Because it could. The second reason is what is known as Murphy's Law, which came to be so called when Captain Edward Murphy, who was working on a deceleration project for the Air Force in 1949, cursed a technician for wiring a transducer wrong saying, "If there is any way to do it wrong, he will find it."
We have changed the original to, "If it can go wrong, it will." However, that is a corruption of the original as it takes out the personal responsibility in things going wrong. Murphy's Law wasn't about things going wrong but rather our making poor choices that cause them to go wrong because they can and will when we are careless. In the South, "Bubba's Last Words," are a close parallel: "Hold my beer and watch this!"
While we tend to blame bad luck or Divine Providence, the truth is that most calamities are the result of someone's poor use of the freedom of choice. We make ill-informed, rash, stupid choices. Recently, a terminal patient recently asked me, "Why did God allow this to happen to me?" I responded, "Do you think your smoking for 40 years had anything to do with it?"
While there are some natural causes like tornados and earthquakes. And sometimes cancer is purely genetic. Even a well thought out plan can sometimes fail due to unforeseeable circumstances. But on the whole, we shoot ourselves in the foot. As Moses said, "You can be sure your sins will find you out" (Num 32:23). And the apostle Paul affirmed this truth in Galatians 6:7, "A man reaps what he sows."
There is a remedy for the self-inflicted wound: Pray, Plan, Proceed. As Solomon put it, "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans" (Pr 16:3). Jus' Say'n.
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Messiah Over Mission
In religious circles, it has been said that "We determine our buildings and then our buildings determine us." The idea is that we determine what we want in a church building or facilities and once we build it, what we do is determined by what is left after paying the mortgage, utilities, maintenance and repairs.
In order to much more than to keep up the building and hire a preacher, we have to focus on filling the building with committed contributors. Our focus become much less Kingdom advancement and more congregational enrichment. Out thoughts shift from Kingdom building to church growth.
A mission is begun to help the poor or reach out to the broken. It begins modestly, just doing the mission work itself until it is determined that there is a need for facilities and infrastructure. From then on, a lion's share of energy and effort is spent on raising funds and raising buildings.
A television ministry is launched to reach the masses but at some point the masses are being reached just to support the television ministry and the televangelist's new lifestyle. The message of the Gospel becomes a message of giving to the ministry and the new theology becomes giving to support the ministry.
My point is that too often our mission becomes that of buildings and budgets. Our relationship with the lender becomes more intricable than our relation with the Lord. Infrastructure becomes more vital than Indwelling. Our mission efforts of building attendance in order to attend to our buildings takes over the Messiah's missions to build relationships.
Jesus did not come so that we could build missions or ministries or meeting halls, he came to build bridges between mankind (us) and the Messiah (himself). He came "to seek and to save the lost" (Lk 19:10). The mission we imagine of building things here on earth is not the mission of the Messiah who came to build a path between heaven and earth. The point was never to be what we could do but rather our need and the need of others for him. It was always Messiah over mission.
So, what do we do with this truth? We focus on building our relationship with the Messiah not on erecting building or building up missions or ministries. Whatever facilities or efforts that may come out of that pursuit are fine but they must never be our main focus. Personal relationship with the Lord must be job one. Being personally prepared to share that relationship with others is next in line. Other stuff comes after and further down the ladder.
Listen to this simple outline for faithfulness offered by the apostle Peter: "in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." (1 Pet 3:15). 1. Have Christ in your heart and 2. Share what's in your heart. The rest comes further down the line but always the Messiah comes first. Jus' Say'n.
In order to much more than to keep up the building and hire a preacher, we have to focus on filling the building with committed contributors. Our focus become much less Kingdom advancement and more congregational enrichment. Out thoughts shift from Kingdom building to church growth.
A mission is begun to help the poor or reach out to the broken. It begins modestly, just doing the mission work itself until it is determined that there is a need for facilities and infrastructure. From then on, a lion's share of energy and effort is spent on raising funds and raising buildings.
A television ministry is launched to reach the masses but at some point the masses are being reached just to support the television ministry and the televangelist's new lifestyle. The message of the Gospel becomes a message of giving to the ministry and the new theology becomes giving to support the ministry.
My point is that too often our mission becomes that of buildings and budgets. Our relationship with the lender becomes more intricable than our relation with the Lord. Infrastructure becomes more vital than Indwelling. Our mission efforts of building attendance in order to attend to our buildings takes over the Messiah's missions to build relationships.
Jesus did not come so that we could build missions or ministries or meeting halls, he came to build bridges between mankind (us) and the Messiah (himself). He came "to seek and to save the lost" (Lk 19:10). The mission we imagine of building things here on earth is not the mission of the Messiah who came to build a path between heaven and earth. The point was never to be what we could do but rather our need and the need of others for him. It was always Messiah over mission.
So, what do we do with this truth? We focus on building our relationship with the Messiah not on erecting building or building up missions or ministries. Whatever facilities or efforts that may come out of that pursuit are fine but they must never be our main focus. Personal relationship with the Lord must be job one. Being personally prepared to share that relationship with others is next in line. Other stuff comes after and further down the ladder.
Listen to this simple outline for faithfulness offered by the apostle Peter: "in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." (1 Pet 3:15). 1. Have Christ in your heart and 2. Share what's in your heart. The rest comes further down the line but always the Messiah comes first. Jus' Say'n.
Monday, August 3, 2015
Equipping
According to Google, USA education ranks ranks 14th on the world stage. We rank only 24th in literacy. However, we do rank 2nd out of the top 14 in ignorance. We're only #2 now but were working hard to gain the #1 spot.
While we are only #2 in ignorance, according to CBS News, we are 1st in spending per student. So, what we lack in educational productivity, we make us for in educational waste. Hats off to our Department of Education and the Teacher's Union for being able to increase the cost of dumbing down our children.
That is the problem, by the way. It is certainly not that we don't spend enough money but rather that we don't expect enough out of our students or teachers. America used to be #1 back when we spent far less money but invested far more energy into teaching. We had high standards or you were kept back in school until you reached them.
Today, the standards are much lower and a child is pushed through the system whether or not actual learning ever took place. According to the Huffington Post, 19% of high school graduates can't read. They can recognize letters and words but can't functionally read.
The problem? We've stopped trying to equip our students to the tasks of life and began lowering the standards to what they are equipped to do. When tests scores are not high enough, rather than increase the intensity of education, we lower the standard of the test - test scores go up but education goes down. Looks good on paper but isn't worth the paper it's printed on.
How about trying a biblical approach? "All Scripture is God- breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God a may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Tim 3:16-17). Did you notice the "teaching, rebuking, correcting and training" part? As is often preached, "God doesn't call the equipped, he equips the called."
When you read the narratives of the great kings, judges, prophets and apostles, you find that they weren't chosen from the top of the heap but like cream rising to the top, they rose in stature as they faced challenges and were equipped by God to handle them.
That's why James say to "court it all joy when you face trials because the testing of your faith results in maturity" (see Js 1:2-4). If our life experiences are only what we can already handle, then there will be no growth in our character or abilities. If we are not challenged, we can never rise to meet it. We need high standards to reach and challenges to overcome so that we can be overcomers.
Rather than having life dumbed down to the level we are equipped to handle, we need to raise the bar of equipping in order to embrace life as it is. We need to stop giving awards for showing up and start challenging kids to win them. We need to stop paying people for coming to work and start rewarding them for a job well done. Instead of just giving a hand out, how about we give the poor a hand up with a challenge to step up.
The deal is that life is hard and it's harder if one is stupid, lazy or ill-equipped. Let us accept God's call to a higher standard of living and call on Him to equip us for life rather than asking Him to make life easier. Jus' Say'n.
While we are only #2 in ignorance, according to CBS News, we are 1st in spending per student. So, what we lack in educational productivity, we make us for in educational waste. Hats off to our Department of Education and the Teacher's Union for being able to increase the cost of dumbing down our children.
That is the problem, by the way. It is certainly not that we don't spend enough money but rather that we don't expect enough out of our students or teachers. America used to be #1 back when we spent far less money but invested far more energy into teaching. We had high standards or you were kept back in school until you reached them.
Today, the standards are much lower and a child is pushed through the system whether or not actual learning ever took place. According to the Huffington Post, 19% of high school graduates can't read. They can recognize letters and words but can't functionally read.
The problem? We've stopped trying to equip our students to the tasks of life and began lowering the standards to what they are equipped to do. When tests scores are not high enough, rather than increase the intensity of education, we lower the standard of the test - test scores go up but education goes down. Looks good on paper but isn't worth the paper it's printed on.
How about trying a biblical approach? "All Scripture is God- breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God a may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Tim 3:16-17). Did you notice the "teaching, rebuking, correcting and training" part? As is often preached, "God doesn't call the equipped, he equips the called."
When you read the narratives of the great kings, judges, prophets and apostles, you find that they weren't chosen from the top of the heap but like cream rising to the top, they rose in stature as they faced challenges and were equipped by God to handle them.
That's why James say to "court it all joy when you face trials because the testing of your faith results in maturity" (see Js 1:2-4). If our life experiences are only what we can already handle, then there will be no growth in our character or abilities. If we are not challenged, we can never rise to meet it. We need high standards to reach and challenges to overcome so that we can be overcomers.
Rather than having life dumbed down to the level we are equipped to handle, we need to raise the bar of equipping in order to embrace life as it is. We need to stop giving awards for showing up and start challenging kids to win them. We need to stop paying people for coming to work and start rewarding them for a job well done. Instead of just giving a hand out, how about we give the poor a hand up with a challenge to step up.
The deal is that life is hard and it's harder if one is stupid, lazy or ill-equipped. Let us accept God's call to a higher standard of living and call on Him to equip us for life rather than asking Him to make life easier. Jus' Say'n.
Sunday, August 2, 2015
God Only Knows
One of my mother's favorite sayings was, "God only knows." Anytime something was questionable or undetermined, she reminded us that it wasn't in our ability to see into the future or the hearts of others - only God knew. And her answer to nearly every why question was the same. I can hear her very clearly saying, "God only knows what made them [him, her, you] do that."
When I was a young minister, I wrestled with the why questions. With the theological background of graduate school and seminary, I had the answers to virtually every question. I may not have been right very often but I was never in doubt. Why questions were not beyond my youthful reach. In fact, my faith seemed to require that I have an answer to the whys.
But now-a-days, my response to why is a familiar refrain from my childhood, "God only knows." What age has afforded me is a comfortableness with unanswered questions. I have come to truly accept the truth of Deuteronomy 29:29, "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law."
God does not choose to reveal everything to us. Somethings will remain a mystery and I am finally comfortable with knowing that "Only God knows" many things. I am finally OK with mystery and delayed understanding. I have come to fully accept the truth that God is good and faithful. I can embrace Jesus' words of comfort: "Let not your hearts be troubled, trust in God, trust also in me..." (In 14:1).
When only God knows, I can trust that everything is in his control and I can rest easy in him. Jus' Say'n.
When I was a young minister, I wrestled with the why questions. With the theological background of graduate school and seminary, I had the answers to virtually every question. I may not have been right very often but I was never in doubt. Why questions were not beyond my youthful reach. In fact, my faith seemed to require that I have an answer to the whys.
But now-a-days, my response to why is a familiar refrain from my childhood, "God only knows." What age has afforded me is a comfortableness with unanswered questions. I have come to truly accept the truth of Deuteronomy 29:29, "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law."
God does not choose to reveal everything to us. Somethings will remain a mystery and I am finally comfortable with knowing that "Only God knows" many things. I am finally OK with mystery and delayed understanding. I have come to fully accept the truth that God is good and faithful. I can embrace Jesus' words of comfort: "Let not your hearts be troubled, trust in God, trust also in me..." (In 14:1).
When only God knows, I can trust that everything is in his control and I can rest easy in him. Jus' Say'n.
Saturday, August 1, 2015
When No One Is Looking
Do you remember the old adage, "When the cat's away, the mice will play"? When we think no one is looking, we make different choices. When there no one around to whom we must give an answer, are inhibitions are lowered. When we think no one will tell, there is no telling what we will do.
Except that there is never a time when no one is looking. In this day of security cameras and smart phones, chances are good that someone will see your bad. And, it would not be unusuL for your indescretion to be shared on social media. Big brother and the whole family tree is watching.
More importantly, our Father before whom we must one day stand, is watching: "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account" (Heb 4:13).
Here's the thing, it's what we do when we think no one is watching that reflects our true heart. And it is our heart that, which, God, judges, not our external action. As someone once said, character is what one does when no one is watching. Jus' Say'n.
Except that there is never a time when no one is looking. In this day of security cameras and smart phones, chances are good that someone will see your bad. And, it would not be unusuL for your indescretion to be shared on social media. Big brother and the whole family tree is watching.
More importantly, our Father before whom we must one day stand, is watching: "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account" (Heb 4:13).
Here's the thing, it's what we do when we think no one is watching that reflects our true heart. And it is our heart that, which, God, judges, not our external action. As someone once said, character is what one does when no one is watching. Jus' Say'n.
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