Better About Serving

During a church visit a man stood up in front of his electric wheelchair to give a brief witness and testimony, “I’m grateful to God that I am here today. It is only by His grace that I’m able to get out among God’s people. I need to be better about serving God because He is so good to me.” It struck me that most of the lame, the blind and the crippled in the Bible wanted to follow Jesus only after they were healed. I see Paul’s thorn in the flesh as the best example of a person determined to serve the Lord within the confines of their disability. “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12:7 NIV).

Pleasing Men

There was an element of displeasure from a pastor on the article I wrote about my visit to his church, “You write some unflattering comments…I suppose you are writing from the truth of what you experience.” When I looked at the flipside of his comment it became obvious he expected me to use flattery when reporting on his congregation. Paul puts such worldly attitudes in their proper perspective, “On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else” (1 Thes 2:4-6 NIV).

Do Not Look Somber

I visited the Church of the Firstborn who, generally speaking, does not seek medical treatment, but relies on faith for physical healing. There was no structure in the service, but one of fluid individual testimony, witness, confession, repentance and thanksgiving. The group shared their burdens, pain and grief and asked for prayers that they might be overcomers. However, I was struck that the service lacked joy, praise or even the opportunity to say amen. It occurs to me that the Lord’s instruction on fasting could and should be applied, “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matt 6:16-18 NIV).

Feeling the Burn

I burned my thumb taking a pan out of the oven and spent the next two hours sitting around with an ice bag on it to stop the pain. I was reminded of my Grandma Colby, who was a no nonsense, black and white believer. Grandma accepted that some people would go to hell; however, it was the pain associated with a small burn that caused her empathy for those who would suffer in eternity. Jesus said, “And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell” (Matt 18:9 NIV).

Lack of Storage Space

During a church visit a young woman greeted an elderly woman who then apologized for not immediately recognizing the greeter, “My eyes don’t focus and my memory is not good. I have pressure in my head and I think if that would go away I’d have more room for my memory.” I’m going to tuck that gem away for future use…It’s not that I can’t remember, I’ve just run out of storage space. “The memory of the righteous will be a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot” (Proverbs 10:7 NIV).

Logo

A member of a local organization retired and as a parting gift he received one of the large signs of the organization’s retired logos. The recipient said, “Logos have always been a transition...they show where we are going and where we’ve been.” My old church changed their logo every time there was a change in preachers. Albeit there were not many administration changes in 50 years; however, looking at the history of the church logo they can be traced to the presiding preacher. It occurs to me that the logos have one thing in common — they are about the leadership’s vision, rather than the mission of the organization. I suspect that the change in logo, church or otherwise, has more to do with human legacy than with mission. Believers need to be reminded that Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 NIV).

The Best of the Best

The local print newspaper is promoting it’s annual “Vote for the Best of the Best 2017.” Readers are to vote for the best restaurant, the best dry cleaners, the best insurance company, etc. The contest appears somewhat slanted because the newspaper gives you the list of candidates to choose from; however, that’s not to say they would reject your entry if you submitted a name that wasn’t on their list. One of the categories is for the best church and in order to win the title a church membership simply needs to vote for themselves. I can imagine God doing an eye roll. Paul said, “We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise” (2 Cor 10:12 NIV).

Making a Name

Mary anointed Jesus with perfume and those present protested that it was a waste because the perfume could have been sold and the money given to poor. Jesus came to her defense. I find it interesting that immediately following this incident Judas Iscariot went to the chief priest with a plot to betray Jesus. It’s possible the loss of revenue was a concern for Judas; however, I suspect his motivation had more to do with Jesus saying, “I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her” (Mark 14:9 NIV). I wonder if Judas was trying to make a name for himself and he felt his notoriety might somehow overshadow the worldwide memory of Mary. 

Unfinished Business

I attended a meeting where only three of the six committee members were present and for my report I pulled the list of committee members from the official website. Much to my chagrin one of the men I reported as absent for the October meeting had died in August. Hopefully the error didn’t add to the family’s grief; however, the reality is that when we die we will all leave unfinished business. Jesus told the Parable of the Rich Fool, “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:20-21 NIV).

Heaven on Earth

Many of us contemplate heaven and the reward for our faithfulness, obedience, loving our neighbor, displaying the Gifts of the Spirit, etc. However, as I read the Lord’s model prayer it occurs to me that we don’t have to wait until heaven…the Father’s kingdom and His will can be done on earth. Jesus said, “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one’” (Matt 6:9-13 NIV).

What Can I Do?

As my mother-in-law settles into our home she frequently asks, “What can I do to help?” Often I can’t think of anything she can help with because what I prioritize as needing done are things that only I can do — writing, organizing my work space, coordinating schedules. I never thought of helping others as being a God appointed position in the body of Christ, but there it is tucked between some of what many of us consider to be the weightier positions described by Paul. “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues” (1 Cor 12:27-28 NIV).

Cover-Ups

One media headline read, “The Harvey Weinstein cover up: How censorship, settlements and silence kept the allegations out of the news.” Cover ups are not unique to Hollywood, the media and politicians, we also find them in the Bible, in today’s church and in our families. Wives engage in cover-ups for husbands, parents for their children and people of faith for their religious leaders. Paul said, “For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat...So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Ro 14:10b, 12 NIV). We understand that sins which have been covered-up will be exposed. However, not many of us consider that the part we played in covering up the sins of others will also be exposed.

Looking Down on You

Once again I attended a public meeting and heard a civil servant take a condescending tone with members of the community…and get away with it. Government employees who look down on the citizenry seem to forget that they work for the people. Similar situations can be found in the church where sometimes we too forget Who we work for. I’m reminded of Paul’s words to Timothy, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity” (1 Tim 4:12 NIV).

All Have Sinned

For exercise I walk in an event center at the county fairgrounds and fairly often I encounter a county deputy supervising inmates in orange jumpsuits who are working to set up, or dismantle, the structures used at community events. I know the inmates are incarcerated for an offense, but because I don’t know the nature of their offense it is easy for me to say, “Good morning. How’s your day going? Nice day today, isn’t it?” It occurs to me that if I actually knew what each man was sentenced for he would no longer be just an inmate, he would become a thief, a sexual offender, or an abuser in domestic violence. Something similar happens when believers look at one another. Knowing that we are all sinners is not the same as knowing the sinner’s sin. The idea of sinners wearing a generic orange jumpsuit sounds more palatable to me than having other believers know we are hypocrites, liars and adulterers. Paul said, “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Ro 3:22-24 NIV).

De-Valued

We listed a five-year-old chest freezer on a Buy-Sell-Trade site for $250, which I thought was a bargain. It didn’t surprise me when people emailed to ask if we would take less, but I was outright offended when one guy offered to take it off our hands for $100. We did sell it at our price, but some people just don’t understand the value of an item…even the Gospel. The writer of Hebrews said, “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. For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith” (Heb 4:1-2 NIV).

RIP

Jacob (Gen 47:29-30) and Joseph (Gen 50:25) both died in Egypt and each was adamant that their bones should be removed from that country and buried with their fathers. I never fully appreciated the burial request of Jacob and Joseph until we moved my mother-in-law into our house and realized that we’d inadvertently left Grandmother Ethel’s urn buried in the flower garden in the backyard. The house is for sale and we can’t leave Ethel with foreigners, so naturally we’ll go back, dig up the urn and bring her to a new resting place. “Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear an oath. He had said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place” (Exodus 13:19 NIV). 

Generational Faith

I attended a worship service where the pastor’s sermon contained no illustrations, antidotes, jokes, examples, or any other extra-biblical material. I found the verse by verse message refreshing and as I left the service I complimented the pastor to his wife. She said, “Thank you…but I wish he would use some of them sometimes. He’s not formally educated [Bible college], he just learned at his mother’s knee.” I’m reminded of the sincere faith of young Timothy, a faith which also lived in his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice. I don’t know whether the pastor’s mother is still living, but the generational faith she passed down to her son lives on. Paul told Timothy, “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self–discipline” (2 Tim 1:6-7 NIV).

Learning a Lesson

My strategy in moving Ruth, my mother-in-law, into our home was to first move the personal items that she needed, and then gradually move the things she wanted to keep. In essence, with each load we left behind things she didn’t want, or didn’t know what to do with. Last weekend other family members came to help and their strategy was different. They wanted to see what they were dealing with so they pulled everything out of cupboards, closets and drawers. I have to admit that even I was overwhelmed looking at a lifetime of miscellaneous items, treasures and memories all strewn across countertops, tables and chairs. Some items had Ruth asking herself, “Why do I have that and I wonder who gave it to me?” Sayings of the wise from Proverbs, “I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw…” (Proverbs 24:32 NIV).

Focus on the Person

A pastor spoke on forgiveness and how to love our enemies, “Loving our enemies can be hard because so often when we look at people and see their sin. Stop looking at the sin, look at the person and our hearts will change.” His comments gave me pause and I’ll admit that I often can’t see beyond a person’s sin, particularly when it is blatant — homosexuality, lying, stealing, hypocrisy. Paul said, “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” (Col 3:13 NIV).

The Law (Bible Knowledge)

During a press conference a reporter asked a Las Vegas sheriff what law enforcement could have done to prevent the mass shooting. Without judging the question, the sheriff simply said, “We can’t prevent something we know nothing about.” I’m reminded of Paul struggling with having a full understanding of sin, “What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “Do not covet.” But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead” (Ro 7:7-9 NIV).

Heart Transplant

The pastor’s new sermon series was on living for God with your whole heart. “Oh, you may have asked God into your heart when you were saved, but have you given your heart to him? Have you asked him to give you a new heart?” His comment gave me pause. If we are honest, most of us like our hearts, even though we admit they need to be improved, cleaned-up, and strengthened. We just don’t think in terms of needing a heart transplant. Ezekiel wrote, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (Eze 36:26 NIV).

Covered

My husband’s Great-great grandmother’s rocking chair was passed down through the family and for the last 30-years the chair has sat unused, but on display, in my mother in-law’s living room. “We brought it from Oklahoma and left it as it was. I never did anything to it.” When the chair came into my house I removed a variety of thin cushions that were 10 layers deep…cushions of feathers, foam and quilted throws. When I finally got to the original seat of the chair the webbing was stretched and concave leaving one to sink well below the frame. Next I began removing layers of fabric from the back of the chair that had accumulated over the years. Each new layer had been carefully safety pinned to the old layer and the layers included a bath towel, a curtain and a thin quilt. The last two coverings of cotton and upholstery material literally disintegrated in my hands as I removed the pins. I’m reminded of the Old Testament sacrifices which had to be offered over and over and over again. In essence the burnt and sin offering sacrifices covered, but could not remove sin. As Christians we are made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ. The writer of Hebrews said, “Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself” (Heb 7:26-27 NIV).