Life Lessons

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Worthy of Trust

Trustworthy!

What makes something worthy of your trust?  What is it about a statement, or a person, that would  make you say, “I trust that.”?  Is there one characteristic that you can point to and say if that is present, then you will trust?  Is there a set time period that a person or statement must go through before you will trust?  And then, what happens when you do trust a statement made, or a person’s word, and you end up betrayed?  What then?  Can trust be regained?  Will the relationship or situation ever be the same?

Who, or what, to trust is a question people deal with on a consistent basis.  Everyone seems to have their own way of determining what is trustworthy.  The eternal nature of God provides us with a foundation that allows us to build absolute trust in His Word and His ability to keep His Word.  We read of this as Paul writes to Timothy these words:

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance:  Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners — of whom I am the worst.  But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.  Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.  Amen. 
1 Timothy 1:15-17

Wow!  A trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance.  Why is this statement trustworthy, and why does it deserve full acceptance?  Is it not because of the author — the one making the statement and bringing it to pass?  It is not simply a single characteristic that we like about God and hold on to as our sole reasoning for trusting Him.  It is not a matter of picking and choosing what we like about God and then discarding what doesn’t fit our image of what God should be.  How trustworthy could any statement of God be if we make Him like us?

Let’s look at how Paul describes for us, in the above verses, the nature of God that makes Him trustworthy. 

  • His purpose – As Jesus, God came into the world to save sinners.  His very nature is a Savior.  The nature of a savior is to save . . . to seek the best for someone else, even at your expense. 

  • His mercy – God’s nature is merciful.  He is not looking for people who deserve Him, He is willing to be merciful — even to the “worst of sinners”.

  • His patience – God does not grow weary or give up prematurely.  He willingly holds back judgement and wrath because “He is not willing that any should perish but all would come to repentance.”

  • His position – He is King of kings and Lord of lords.  His postion as king gives Him the authority to make things happen.  He needs no man’s counsel and does not need permission from anyone to make what He says happen.

  • His presence – The eternal nature of God as King means there is no asterick or limited “lifetime” guarantee.  No concern of a “new sheriff in town” that does things differently now, so everything you’ve heard before goes out the window.  Not with an eternal God.  No one was in charge before Him and no one will be in charge after Him.  No changing of the guard.  He was and is and always will be.

  • His deity – An immortal God is not bound by the fickleness of mortal man.  Immortality goes way beyond never dying.  It is the unchanging, spiritual nature that God is.  It is an incorruptible being that is not influenced by the “desires of the flesh” that make mankind so untrustworthy.

  • His form – The invisible nature of God is loosely tied to the ever-present nature of God.  God does not have to by physically seen to be “an ever present help in time of need.”  His presence with us teaches us, and allows us, to learn daily just how trustworthy He is.

  • His uniqueness – He is the only God.  He is the only “I AM!”  There is none like Him, so any comparisons that we try to make will always fall short.  There is none like Him, so all of the excuses about people who have let us down and have been untrustworthy do not apply. 

The sum total of His characteristics show us a God beyond compare. . . . A God who can be trusted yesterday, today, and forever.  Only an eternal God with the characteristics that my God has can truly be worthy of all my trust with no exceptions.

I pray that you also know this eternal God that is beyond anything you could hope or imagine.  I pray also that you would recognize this eternal God is worthy of trust.   

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Who Do You Think You Are?

Have you ever tried to convince someone of who you are, but they just wouldn’t believe you?  Or perhaps you’ve been on the other end of the discussion where you’ve been unwilling to accept a person for who they say they are.  In today’s era of identity thefts and complex technology, it seems like it gets harder and harder to prove that a person is, or isn’t, who they say they are.  Yet, this isn’t a new problem.  Read the following exchange of words as an identity is being questioned.

At this the Jews exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed!  Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will never taste death.  Are you greater than our father Abraham?  He died, and so did the prophets.  Who do you think you are?” John 8:52-53

Who do you think you are?  The people of his day often asked this of Jesus.  Not so much because he was always so mysterious and hard to understand.  Rather, it was a question of his authority.  It was that very authority that people marveled at when they would state, “He teaches like one with authority, not like our teachers of the law.”  The authority was inherent in his teaching — it was the acceptance and submission to that authority that people were often rebelling against. 

We’ve all been there in relationships with people, right?  You know, “Who do you think you are to tell me what to do? . . . what to listen to? . . . who to see? . . . what to wear? . . . when to be home? . . . where to go? . . . how to treat others? . . . how to treat myself? . . . Who do you think you are to have any input into my life whatsoever?”  We like to believe, and we try desperately to convince ourselves, that we are in complete control of every aspect of our life.  No one can take that autonomy away from us.  Pity the person who tries, because they are going to get an earful.  Who do they think they are, anyhow?

We do the same with God, don’t we?  When God calls us to live out our professed love for Him through obedience, we say, “who do you think you are?” . . . “You don’t understand what I’ve been through.” . . . “If only you knew what that person did to me.” . . . “Who do you think you are to expect me to love my enemies? . . . to care for widows and orphans? . . . to share with the poor and needy? . . . to talk to my friends, neighbors, co-workers, and others about my relationship with Jesus?  Who do you think you are to have any input into my life whatsoever?” 

It is through an ongoing dialogue with Jesus in John chapter 8 that He challenges His listeners to know true freedom through the truth found in holding to His teachings and living in submission to His words.  The response of the people is quite typical; “we are not slaves, so how can you say we will be set free?”  As Jesus explains the truth to them of who He is, who they really are, of the bondage they are really under, they reach the point where they have had enough. . . . enough truth. . . . enough of being exposed. . . . enough of the challenges to their trust in Abraham. . . . enough of this man Jesus making veiled claims that add up to him being an imposter.  The time had come to insist on an answer to that all important question, “Who do you think you are?”  “How can you have seen Abraham and talk like you have perfect knowledge of both his actions and his thoughts?”

I don’t think they saw it coming.  They were begging for an answer, but only for the answer they already had in their minds.  “Jesus, agree with us.  We’ve already figured this out, so just confess and be done with it.”  “Get over this craziness that has you speaking words that make absolutely no sense.”  “Jesus, what you keep saying is impossible.  You are a young man.  Abraham and the prophets died long ago.  Yet, you keep speaking as if you knew them — actually as if you know them.  This is completely impossible.”  And as the questions kept forming in their minds and spilling out into the air, Jesus makes a simple statement: “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am!”  With this statment, His hearers pick up stones to stone Him because they understood what Jesus was saying and refused to accept it.

Who do you think you are?  Jesus replies, “I AM!”  The I AM that we discussed in a previous post where God introduced Himself to Moses as such.  The answer hasn’t changed.  When we fight against living faithful, obedient lives in submission to Jesus and we cry out to Him, “Who do you think you are?”, His answer is the same: “I AM!”

What will you do with the “I AM”?  Will you pick up “stones” and try to run Him out of your world — to attempt to destroy His existence in your life?  Or will you surrender completely to the God who was, and is, and is to come?  Will you submit to the God who always has been and always will be, to the only God whose true being is “I AM!”

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Why Not?

Why?

If you are around young children very long, chances are that you will hear this one word question more often than you would like.  A child’s curiosity makes them want to know how things work and why things happen the way they do.  Everything is questioned to the extent that many parents and teachers begin to dread hearing the word, “why?”, and they long for the day that it is no longer used with such frequency.

Sure enough, the day arrives when “why?” is no longer the question of choice.  The age of self-discovery has come.  Much to the dismay of many a parent, the question changes to a constant “Why not?”.  An explanation of the way things are is no longer good enough.  A reason is demanded for why things can’t be different.  As irritating as the constant questioning might be, it is good to be reminded that it is through this process that discoveries are made that can bring about much of the growth and positive changes that we enjoy.

As individuals and as congregations of Christians, we need to ask why.  Why are we here?  Simply put, we exist to bring glory and honor to God and to do so in such a way that we bring others into complete relationship with Him also.  When we understand the why, then we can begin thinking and dreaming of ways to do that more effectively.  When we grasp the “why”, we begin to grow into the “why not” stage.  Churches and ministries often do that as organizations.  “Why not add new and multiple worship services?”  “Why not have events and programming focused on teens, children, seniors, college students, or other specific group?”  “Why not reach out as a congregation to people in the community that have needs?”  “Why not . . .?”  While these and other “why not” questions often get asked by churches and groups, what about individually asking, “why not? “.

Individually, why not be more involved?  Why not give more of my time and money to ministry?  Why not serve others?  Why not teach a children’s class, a teen class, a small group, or other class?  Why not pray for my neighbor, co-worker, family member, etc., and talk to them about my relationship with Jesus every opportunity that I have?  Why not . . .?

Why not?

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What Are You Craving?

“Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.  Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.”  1 Peter 2:1-3

Have you ever had a craving for a meal or particular food item that just can’t be satisfied short of giving in and enjoying the thing you crave?

I would guess that we’ve all been there, I know I have.  For me, it’s often a steak, Skyline Chili, shrimp, or just plain ice cream.  There are times that I will go to great lengths to satisfy these cravings.  I let nothing stand in the way of my obtaining that which I crave.

In the verses above, we are told to crave pure spiritual milk.  Newborn babies crave milk in such a way that they simply will not be satisfied until they get it.  No peace and contentment exists for them nor those around them until the milk is provided and consumed with great delight and enthusiasm.

So, are you craving the pure spiritual milk of the Word of God with this same intensity?  Has your craving for the things of God caused you to rid your life of things that cause hurt and division among people?  It is interesting that the list of things Peter tells us to get rid of in connection with our spiritual craving, are things that are most damaging in relationships with others.  Malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander are all things that cause great hurt when harbored in individual lives and within the church.

The next time you crave that food item that you just can’t resist, think about how you’re doing in craving the things of God.

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It’s Not My Fault!

Who’s to blame?  When something goes wrong, we are often quick to try to avoid any responsibility.  I remember my grade school years.  I was not very coordinated and often paid little attention to what was going on around me.  Therefore, I was constantly splitting my head open or injuring myself in some way.  Yet I also remember not wanting to admit these injuries were my fault, so I blamed other kids for my mishaps.  Fortunately, my parents would get to the facts of the situation and hold me accountable for my own actions.

This avoiding responsibility was not a new problem begun by me.  From the beginning of time, mankind has been saying, “It’s not my fault!”  God came to Adam, and Adam said, “It’s not my fault.  It’s the woman that you gave me.”  Eve says, “It’s not my fault.  It’s the serpent that you created.”  From that point on, our sinful desires have been screaming out, “It’s not my fault!”

Typically parents have shouldered a great amount of the task of teaching children to take responsibility for their actions.  I grew up under the two for one plan.  If I got in trouble once at school, I received a bonus and was in trouble a second time when I got home.  This philosophy changed greatly during my generation.  Now we often see a child in trouble at school for something they have done, yet when they get home the story is different.  The child is not in further trouble, the teacher is in trouble for trying to correct the student.

This reminds me so much of the verse at the end of the book of Judges that states, “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”  What ever happened to the cry, “Lord, be merciful to me a sinner!”  “I was wrong.”  “I have sinned.”  Our society shows us a very vivid picture of the trouble that erupts when individuals cry out, “It’s not my fault!”

As Christians, as a body of believers, as individuals, may we take responsibility for our actions and repent when we do wrong.

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Living Large!

“Would you like that super-sized, up-sized, mega-sized, or king-sized?”  If you go to fast food restaurants, I’m sure you have heard this question in one form or the other.  We live in a society where, for many, a regular meal is not enough.  We want more!  We deserve more!  We need more!  More money, more time to ourselves, more things, larger meals, larger homes, larger cars, etc., etc., etc..

God tells us in Ecclesiastes that the eye is never satisfied with seeing.  “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income.”  (Ecclesiastes 5:10 NASB)

If left unchecked, the more we see, the more we want.  There seems to always be something just out of reach that we want, deserve, need, or just have to have.  We spend enormous amounts of energy and financial resources trying to find the biggest, best, fastest, nicest things we can find.  Or at least bigger, better, faster, and nicer than what those around us have.  It is so easy to get caught in this pursuit of things that we forget to pursue God.  Many times God gets the leftovers, if there are any, because we fail to plan ahead and give God from our first and our best.

I wonder what would happen if all Christians would pursue God with the intensity that we have in other areas of interest in our life.  Can you imagine seeking a super-sized Sunday School?  A mega-sized worship service?  A king-sized ministry of caring and missions?  An up-sized effort of outreach and evangelism?  It might sound something like this:  “Would it be possible to have more Bible study opportunities?”  . . . “I wish our worship service wouldn’t get over so quickly!” . . . “How can I help more people in our church, community, and world?”  . . . “Where could I best spend my time to impact lost people for Jesus?”

May you and I truly desire to live large by living large for Jesus!

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Pass The Salt, Please

“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.  Let you conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”  Colossians 4:5-6

How serious do you take your witness for Jesus?  Do you consistently think about how others view your actions?  As Christians, we generally try to avoid the things we consider major sins.  We would never think about stealing something or murdering someone.  Or would we?  You know, “the hotel expects people will take the towels, etc.” or “they have so much at work, they won’t miss a little of this or that.”  Or remember the teaching of Jesus, the harboring of hatred toward others is the same attitude in our hearts as murder!  It is a bad reflection on Christians when those outside of Christ look at us and see no difference in the way we live.

I’ve been to Christian conventions for both youth and adults.  At many of them, I have been told by hotel and restaurant personnel that they see no difference in the way they are treated compared to when any other group comes to town.  In fact, some hotels refuse to book rooms for Christian conventions because the youth groups or adult groups are rude, demanding, and show little respect or restraint.  Obviously, there are exceptions on both sides and some individuals and groups do quite well in representing Christ.  However, it saddens me when I hear these reports of individuals not experiencing the best treatment of their career when dealing with Christians.

We would do well to daily practice restraint and wisdom in dealing with others.  Our conversation should be gracious and “seasoned with salt”.  If you’ve ever been on a no-salt diet, you quickly learn to find seasoning of some type to avoid tasteless food.  I think that Paul is getting at a similar theme in these verses.  We’re not to have tasteless conversations that would void our attempts to witness.  As our speech is seasoned properly, we learn to answer everyone appropriately.

May God give us wisdom in our speech and actions so that we are productive and faithful servants of Jesus.

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It All Has To Go!

I have a dream . . .  Oh, wait . . . That was someone else’s speech. 

I did have a dream the other night that made me think.  Oh, I should probably start with the statement that I hate snakes!  That is probably why this particular dream was so memorable and made me think and take notice.

They say that what and when you eat may have an effect on the dreams you have when you sleep.  I don’t know if that is true, but I had just had an incredible Greek food experience that evening.  (For more about that, see The Acropolis post.)  Probably more significant than what I ate is the fact that I was at a National Student Conference where Randy Garris spoke God’s Word and challenged us to simplify, to live “truly human” in wholeness as God created us, and to stand in an intersection in life shepherding people that have needs. 

Anyhow, I had this dream that made me think about the things I try to hold on to.  It also made me think about things that I tolerate, and shouldn’t, simply because to get rid of them would disrupt some of the things I enjoy.  In my dream, I was in a lovely park and found a small concrete bench where I could sit and enjoy the view and the beautiful flowers blooming all around me.  As I sat, there eventually came a slight noise from under the bench.  It was kind of like the air slowly leaking out of a tire.  I was a little curious as to what this noise could be, so I looked under the bench where there was a marvelous planting of tulips.  They were perfect!  They were so incredible that I could not help but get down to take some pictures and admire them even more closely.

That is when I saw it.  Out from between two of the most beautiful blooms there were, came a small head of a viper.  (Now, I don’t know anything about snakes to know one from another –did I mention I hate snakes– but in my dream I knew this was a viper.)  Now in real life, I run!  But in dreams, we sometimes do things differently.  In this dream, I miraculously sat there having a debate with myself.  I loved the flowers.  They were beautiful.  They looked perfect.  I wanted some good close-up pictures.  I didn’t like the snake.  I knew it was bad.  I didn’t want anything to do with it.  Yet, I kept telling myself, “It’s only one – and a small one at that.”  “I’m sure if I don’t bother it, it will leave me alone as well.”  “Maybe if I could just gently move the flowers a little bit away from the viper I could still enjoy them and get some great pictures – pictures without the snake in them!”  Fear kept me from reaching in.  Maybe if I just ignored it and walked around to the back side of the bench, the tulips would be just as beautiful and the snake would not be visible.  It was worth a try.

As I stepped around the end of the bench, I could hear the sound in my dream change.  That slow tire leak was becoming more persistent and increasingly louder.  The sound of many tire leaks, of a mighty rushing wind, filled my ears as I looked under this side of the bench and discovered the viper up front was probably just a baby that had slithered off from the overwhelming brood of them that had taken up residence under the back side of the little concrete bench!  Did I mention I hate snakes?  That was enough for me.  I woke up with this vivid picture in my mind.  A picture I would have liked to have never seen.  A picture that made me think, “That was wierd!” 

Unlike most of my dreams, this one didn’t disappear when I awoke.  It stayed with me, not in a frightening way but in a thoughtful way.  It made me think about how often in life do I have a similiar reaction when I see or experience something that attracts me.  Something that is good and pleasing.  Something that has just a small piece of bad or evil in it – you know, that TV show, that movie, that situation, that relationship that isn’t “that bad”.  I don’t know how often I have heard someone recommend a movie to me with the disclaimer, “You’ll have to overlook some of the language, but other than that it’s a good movie.”  Or, “There are a few scenes that are inappropriate, but overall it has a great story-line.” 

I think about my dream and the thought I had in it.  “It’s just a small viper, you do want to enjoy the tulips, don’t you?”  How often are the small “vipers” that show up in your life and mine just the tip of the real “brood of evil” that is lurking in the background just waiting for us to ignore the threat of even a “hint” of sin?

I pray that no matter how Satan may try to package evil and disguise it in ways that we think are manageable, we would see through the deceipt and tricks and realize that it all has to go!