There are only three ways to learn

I can still vividly remember one particular scene from when our oldest son was in his preteen years.  He had just gotten himself in trouble, and he was not interested in talking through the choices he had made.  He only wanted to take his lumps and move on; however, he needed to fully understand what his choice caused and what would be the natural consequences if he didn’t make a course correction with his behavior.  I didn’t go full-blown lecture-mode, but I did quote a proverb and then told him how it applied to his situation.  As I walked away to leave him in his room, he sarcastically quipped behind me, “You know, not everything has to be a life lesson.”

I was more than a little irritated by that point, so as calmly as I could, I replied, “It is if you’re paying attention.”  And then I left him to his isolation, hoping that he’d be able to better process this little skirmish without others around him.

It’s difficult to learn lessons when we’re not open to them.  Assuming we’re ok in our ignorance – or that we’ll at least be able to get by on what we do know – can end up costing us in the long run.  Since time marches on, our ability to adapt is directly connected to our ability to learn…and if someone is trying to help us learn before we make a mistake that doesn’t have a do-over, then it’s in our best interest to pay attention.

This is why we go back to the Scriptures, time and time again: to gain knowledge and wisdom, to learn how God designed this life and how best we can abundantly live it out.  The book of Proverbs is a go-to for me, for that very reason.  King Solomon wrote it to instruct his sons in the way wisdom can be woven into our lives.  It is chock-full of applicable knowledge, and it is readily available for us to use.  Here is a great example from Solomon:

Proverbs 24:30-34
I went by the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of one lacking sense.
Thistles had come up everywhere, weeds covered the ground, and the stone wall was ruined.

I saw, and took it to heart; I looked, and received instruction:

A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the arms to rest,
and your poverty will come like a robber, and your need, like a bandit.

Solomon learned a valuable lesson simply because he was being observant.  When we are open to being taught by life’s examples, we can save ourselves a lot of trouble.  If Solomon’s sons applied the lesson, they would find it less work to maintain their blessings than it would be to mount up the effort needed to completely repair a neglected field or replace an entire stone wall.

When you get right down to it, there are only three ways that we can learn something: by instruction, by observation, or the hard way.  Solomon learned his lesson by observation – he saw someone else’s struggle and recognized that was not a path he should be traveling.  Solomon’s sons had the opportunity to learn by instruction – if they followed the lesson provided, they would also be kept from the trouble that negligence leads to.

The third option was also available – they could ignore Solomon’s lesson and have to experience the hard way first-hand.  The trouble with the hard way is…that it’s hard.  There are many first-hand lessons in life that come with no do-overs or take-backs.  Unfortunately, our hard-headedness and pride often  send us down “The Hard Way” path. 

Again, that’s why we need to return to the Scriptures.  There are lessons to learn, both by instruction and by observation, but only if we are open to them. 

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Our foolish dog

Our previous dog died in 2016 due to old age/kidney failure.  For three years, we enjoyed the dog-free life of no hair to clean up, no extra food to buy, and going on a trip without having to plan (and pay) for someone to feed the dog.

That all changed in 2019, when we met a rescue puppy named Blue.  He suckered us in with his big blue eyes, super soft fur, playful hops, and cuddles.  He immediately bonded with each of us, and we found that he shows his love by licking.  And licking.  And licking some more.  But at least the drools only happen when he smells peanut butter in the air.

He is a dog who needs his exercise, so we take him on walks twice a day.  He loves to sniff everything and, when he was little, taste-test most things.  Goose poop and cigarette butts were especially tempting, for whatever reason.  It took a lot to teach him to not go after those things, but eventually he learned to ignore them.  However, we still have to keep an eye out, just in case there is some people-food on the road, perhaps dropped by a kid at their bus stop or by a contractor crew during their lunch break.

One evening recently, we were walking and Blue started to quickly munch something.  I got him to drop it, discovering it was the top of a chicken leg bone.  He didn’t have it in his mouth for more than 15 seconds, and we quickly moved along to continue our walk.  We turned on to a new street and a couple houses down, he started to heave.  Not just little burps, but the gut-pumping kind…and what he brought back up was nasty looking.  Of course, he wanted to check out what he just vomited and had to be pulled away.  I’ll spare you the detailed description, but after he finished, I took him home to get some water.

The next day during our morning walk, he went after the same chicken bone piece again.  I was better prepared to stop him this time, and he had it for only a few seconds before spitting it out.  However, within minutes, he was heaving again.  After clearing his stomach for a second time in about 12 hours, I took him back home.

For the next two or three walks, I was hyper-vigilant when we would pass by the spot where he found the chicken bone.  Fortunately, the bone was gone – presumably because another animal took it.  However, Blue would still get excited each time we passed there and aggressively sniffed around, looking for it.  Even though this nasty food had caused him to throw up twice, there he was, still hoping to find more of it to eat.  As I quickly guided him past this spot each time, I was reminded of this oft-quoted proverb:

Proverbs 26:11
As a dog returns to its vomit,
so also a fool repeats his foolishness.

Typically when I hear this proverb, the one quoting it is talking about their frustrations with someone else.  “Oh we tried to help them, but you know, as a dog returns to its vomit…” Any continued struggle someone else has with relationships, addictions, or bad habits can have this proverb thrown their direction.  

But after dealing with my dog and thinking of the proverb, I had another realization: Not only did I need to steer Blue away from eating what he had regurgitated, but I also had to pull him away from the thing that was causing him to get sick.  Since his vomiting did not occur immediately after eating the chicken bone, it’s entirely possible that his doggie-mind wasn’t making the correlation.  To him, the enticing chicken and the delayed vomiting were not related.

So I began to wonder if there’s anything in my own life where I’m missing the connection.  Is there anything I’m doing – a repeated action or thought process – that impacts my health or my relationships with others, and I’m simply not aware of it?  Nothing immediately came to mind, so I prayed a dangerous prayer:

God, show me where I’m wrong or have a habit that is negatively impacting my life.  I don’t want my foolishness to impact other people or reflect badly on You.  Please show me what needs to change and what steps I can take next.

I call it a “dangerous prayer” because I don’t know what God will show me.  He might reveal something that seems small and easy to manage…but it could also be something I’m not expecting that I will have to reframe my thinking on.  Vulnerability before God can feel “dangerous” and “scary,” but there is precedent for praying this way.  David once prayed:

Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns.
See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.

I challenge you to pray the same way.  Ask God to show you what needs correcting in your life.  Maybe you can easily identify what vomit you keep coming back to.  Or maybe you don’t see what is causing the vomit spots in your life.  Talk to God about it…and when He shows you the way out, trust Him to lead you through those next steps.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

10 years of writing THE WORD

That title makes me pause a bit.  On the one hand, it doesn’t seem like I took up this mantel from my mentor all that long ago…but, on the other hand, it feels like I’ve been writing this blog for so long, that I can’t remember not writing it…

As I reflect on these last 10 years of blogging at least once a week, a few things come to mind:

·       This wasn’t planned.  My mentor, Joe, had started a daily email for a handful of people in 2009.  I was fortunate enough to be included in that handful.  There were times over the years that my faith was hanging by a thread, and that thread was Joe’s daily email.  Starting in 2011, I would occasionally guest write for him, when he needed a break or had family in town…and that had been the case in June of 2013.  I had just finished a series and had handed THE WORD back to him…but then Joe fell and broke his hip.  On July 1, 2013, I stepped into the gap that Joe had manned for so long and took up THE WORD full time.

·       There are so many recipients who read THE WORD every week that I have never met.  Thank you for sticking with me and walking with me as I write to process and write to share what God is teaching me.  I occasionally get replies or second-hand stories of how my contribution has impacted someone’s life or their view of God.  Your stories both humble me and inspire me to keep going.

·       Knowing that you read THE WORD has kept me in the Scriptures.  Believe it or not…I can get lazy.  Having responsibility keeps me from drifting in that direction.  I know God is fully aware of this tendency of mine, and I firmly believe that He gave me this ministry because of it.  If it wasn’t for this assignment and you all reading it, I don’t know how consistently I would have been in the Scriptures over the last 10 years.  I don’t write because I am a “strong Christian”, instead I continue to write because I am too weak of a Christ-follower to go without it.

·       This blog doesn’t always come easy.  Sometimes I can quickly translate what I’ve learned into something readable.  Other times, crafting thoughts into digestible paragraphs takes more energy than I want to give (to be honest…sometimes just finishing has been more instructive to me in that moment than the actual blog post).  And as much as I would like to “get ahead” and have a few posts in queue while I work on the next series, I am almost always writing in the days before a post is published.  This work has given me great sympathies for pastors who preach week-in-and-week-out.  We should show them more appreciation for the effort they put into building up Christ’s body.

·       Since 2014, THE WORD has been available at www.trustingson.com. I didn’t realize it when I started it, but it has been wonderful having this library of what God has taught me!  I can search up any topic or verse and see where I’ve been…please use the search feature there for any life topic or Bible passage you have a question about!

10 years is a long time, and we’ve walked through a lot of Scripture together, but I don’t feel like God’s done teaching me yet – so that means there will be more to share.  I do think there will be some changes, though.  For one, the website needs a refreshed look.  It’s been the same layout since 2014, so it’s time for an update.  I’ll let you know when it’s ready.  Second, I think something else, in addition to the blog, is on the horizon.  Maybe a podcast, maybe a book, maybe something else…we’ll see where God leads (if you have a suggestion, I’m all ears)!  Lastly, I want to share a passage that has kept me inspired and motivated over the years:

Galatians 6:6-10
Let the one who is taught the word share all his good things with the teacher.  Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked.  For whatever a person sows he will also reap, because the one who sows to his flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit.  Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.

Our applications from this passage:

·       If you have learned or applied anything from reading THE WORD, please share it with me.  I love hearing from you.  Feel free to share with others and encourage them to sign up as well, at www.trustingson.com/subscribe.

·       God rewards our work, known as the “law of sowing and reaping”.  But notice that the reward for sowing has two components: it comes at the proper time…and…if we don’t give up.  Let’s keep on keeping on with what God has asked us to do, even if we don’t see the immediate benefit.  God is good for His promises.

·       Let’s intentionally work for the good of all, believers and non-believers alike.  But make sure you are especially kind to your brothers and sisters in Christ.  After all, we’re going to spend eternity together…may as well get those relationships right in the here-and-now!

Over the next two weeks, I’m going to share the TOP 10 Blog Posts from the last 10 years which have been most impactful for me.  I’m looking forward to unpacking those for you.  But no matter where God takes this blog or when He takes me home, please know that I truly appreciate you joining me, for however long we’ve been walking together.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Proverbial life: watch your mouth

We’re taking a topic-focused tour of the book of Proverbs.  Although Solomon was commenting on life roughly 3000 years ago, his observations ring loud and clear in today’s modern times.  In this blog post, we’ll be looking at a topic that trips us all up: what we say and how we say it.

Our words matter, and once they are said, there are no take-backs.  We have several familiar phrases in the English language to communicate this truth:

You can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube.
You’ve let the cat out of the bag.
You can’t unring that bell.

When Solomon was instructing his son about living wisely – how to skillfully apply knowledge to his earthly life – he frequently brought up the words his son would choose.

The first proverb we’ll look at might feel a little obvious…but sometimes we need to be reminded of the obvious:

Proverbs 11:13
A gossip goes around revealing a secret,
but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence.

Being labeled as a gossip or as a trustworthy person is a matter of verbal reputation.  You can be known as either one, but not both.  If you share another person’s secrets or words spoken in confidence, you are betraying the trust that was placed in you.  As long as keeping the secret does not bring harm to others, the best use of our words when another person shares confidential information is to not use them at all…in essence, being trustworthy is often a matter of us keeping our teeth together and saying nothing.

Next, we find Solomon addressing a common situation in life: what to do with an angry person.  Whether the anger is caused by Solomon’s son or if he happens to get caught in the cross-fire of another person’s issues, he’s going to have to navigate situations were other people are seeing red and are looking for a fight.  Curiously, Solomon does not tell him to fight fire with fire:

Proverbs 15:1
A gentle answer turns away anger,
but a harsh word stirs up wrath.

Anger is a secondary emotion.  While anger may be at the surface-level and more prominent, there is always a primary emotion found underneath, driving that angry response.  Perhaps they feel taken advantage of, or foolish, or embarrassed…whatever the root cause is, the angry outburst is almost never subdued by fighting fire with fire.  Matching anger’s intensity or deriding it with a harsh word only escalates the situation.  In these situations, Solomon wants his son to use his words to diffuse the tension – and a gentle answer is the key to doing so.

Admittedly, giving a gentle answer in the heat of the moment is hard.  Not saying anything and keeping another’s confidence is also difficult.  Thankfully, Solomon clues us in to how we can make sure our mouths are doing the right thing:

Proverbs 16:23
The heart of the wise person instructs his mouth;
it adds learning to his speech.

You’ve certainly heard descriptions of other people like, “Her mouth has a mind of its own.” or “He has a loose tongue.”  These phrases attempt to excuse a person for running their mouths or speaking before thinking…instead, Solomon says that our mouth can be instructed and trained by what we have in our heart.  So, time to do a heart check – What are you feeding your heart?  What are you learning so that you can grow and have mature speech?

The benefits of being wise with your words isn’t limited to just you.  Being able to manage your mouth is more than having a good reputation and being able to handle an angry outburst.  Solomon also tells his son that his mature words will be helpful to others:

Proverbs 16:24
Pleasant words are a honeycomb:
sweet to the taste and health to the body.

When someone speaks kind words, encouraging words, supportive words, or empathetic words to you…those are special.  They are sweetly remembered, like a mental candy, that we can retaste anytime we recall them.  Our words can make someone else strong, brave, open, and confident…healthy at many levels of the body – mental, emotional, and yes, even physical.

Words are powerful.  What comes out of our mouths can make or break someone.  How will you choose to use your words today?

Keep Pressing,
Ken

The yokes on you (part 2)

As the Jewish people were drowning under the rules enforced by the religious leaders of the day, Jesus made this offer:

Matthew 11:28-30
Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take up my yoke and learn from Me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

Jesus uses an analogy here that would have made total sense to his audience, but could easily be lost on us modern readers.  As we saw last time, a Rabbi’s teaching was referred to as his “yoke” that was passed down to his disciples.  It consisted of his interpretation and application of the Jewish law, which was also combined with the traditions and teachings of previous rabbis.  However, there was another common use of the term “yoke”, and it’s one that has lasted much longer through the centuries.

From the Tony Evans Bible Commentary:
A yoke is a wooden bar harnessed to the necks of a pair of oxen to bring them under submission and enable them to do the work that the farmer has for them.  To train younger oxen, farmers would yoke them to older, experienced oxen.  It provided maturation and development.

Hooking to Jesus’ “yoke” enables you to learn how to live.  Therein you will find rest.  When you come to Jesus, he gives you rest in terms of your salvation.  When you accept the yoke of discipleship you find rest and experience it in your daily life.

Rest for your souls…that sounds really nice.  Physical rest is helpful.  Mental rest often escapes us.  But rest for our soul?  To be finally at that place where our deepest weariness is satisfied, that sounds almost too good to be true!

To find that soul-deep level of rest, Jesus says we need to take up His yoke and learn from Him.  This passage is often taught where Jesus is the strong, veteran ox and we are to assume the position of the younger ox.  In this example, we learn the rhythms of life and grace from Jesus by letting Him do the heavy lifting – and as we mature, develop, and grow stronger, we are able to take on a heavier load.  In this, we are told, we find the rest for our souls because we’ve grown into the person God designed us to be. 

But recently I’ve been wondering if the typical oxen-training example takes the analogy a bit too far.  Jesus doesn’t call Himself the strong ox, instead He simply claims that it is “His yoke”.  The oxen do not own the yoke…but the farmer does.  The farmer is the one whom the oxen have submitted to.  The farmer is the one who plots the course of work.  The farmer is the one steering and guiding the oxen.

So, if Jesus is the yoke-owner, who then is the stronger ox?  This is where mentorship within the church family comes in.  When we first come to Jesus, when we believe in Him for eternal life, we’re adopted into His forever family.  When we submit to His yoke, to learn from Him, we could read our Bibles and pray all by ourselves.  But how much better would it be if we submitted to being yoked together with a veteran Christian?  How much easier would it be to understand God’s guidance and training if a more mature believer was walking beside us?

In my mid-20s, Joe was willing to yoke up with me.  He lent his strength as God plowed the ground of my life and my character.  Joe helped me understand the guidance and direction God was giving me.  Joe walked with me and worked with me through muddy patches, hard ground, and growth-ready pastures.

In today’s church we desperately need veteran believers to be willing to yoke up with new believers.  You don’t have to be perfect to do this.  If you’ve had a spiritual mentor – imitate them.  If you never had a spiritual mentor – just be the mentor you wish you had.

If you are a new believer, have the humility to ask for help.  Seek guidance from someone who has lived for Christ and knows how to listen to Him better than you do.

Take up [Jesus’] yoke and learn from Him.  The rest you will find is the confidence in His guidance and that He knows the direction you need to go.  His yoke is easy and His burden is light – especially when we plow together.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

A make or break moment

Have you ever sensed that you were in a critical moment…and that your next words or actions were going to be hugely impactful for everyone going forward?  It’s in those moments you realize the potential damage that could be caused by the powder keg of emotions and authority.  We most commonly see these situations arise between parents and children, bosses and employees, and political leaders and citizens. 

Ancient Israel’s newest king, Rehoboam, found himself in this kind of situation soon after he succeeded his father Solomon.  While we mostly know of King Solomon’s reputation for wisdom and wealth, he also led massive building and upgrade projects across the nation of Israel, both for development and fortification.  To achieve these large-scale projects, Solomon had worked the people hard for decades.  After Rehoboam became king, the weary people wanted to know if he was going to bring more of the same or if the new king was willing to provide some relief.

1 Kings 12:3-6
the whole assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam: “Your father made our yoke harsh.  You, therefore, lighten your father’s harsh service and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”  Rehoboam replied, “Go away for three days and then return to me.”  So the people left.

Rehoboam knew that this was going to be a pivotal moment so early in his kingship.  He needed time and advice to determine how to respond.  First, he went to the elders who had served his father.  They would have personally known the history of King Solomon’s projects and the effort the people made over the years. 

1 Kings 12:7
They replied, “Today if you will be a servant to this people and serve them, and if you respond to them by speaking kind words to them, they will be your servants forever.”

Not liking what he heard, King Rehoboam asked for advice from the young men he had grown up with.  Their advice was in line with the bravado of youth.  During their lifetime, they had only observed the hard leadership style of King Solomon.  This was their response:

1 Kings 12:10-11
This is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist!  Although my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with barbed whips.’

Can you guess which advice he took?

In this make-or-break moment, Rehoboam chose the brashness of inexperienced leadership and, as a result, the people rebelled.  The 10 northern tribes formed their own country of Israel, and Rehoboam was left to rule over the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.  The 12 tribes never fully recovered from this…eventually, both Israel and Judah were defeated and exiled from the land.

Look back at what the people were asking Rehoboam to provide – a lightening of their work load.  They needed relief, and although the king had the authority to grant it, he chose not to.  Instead, he piled even more burdens on them.

This isn’t the first time I’ve read this story from Israel’s history.  It’s not the first time I’ve mentioned it in a blog post, either.  However, when reading through it this time, my mind jumped ahead to something Jesus said.  The people of the first century were worn down, both politically and spiritually.  Every new generation of rabbi had their own teaching and additions to a Jew’s religious responsibility…and the politicians were selfishly corrupt.  In the midst of this cultural climate, Jesus made the following offer:

Matthew 11:28-30
Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

Jesus’ offer was in stark contrast to how the nation’s leaders treated the people, but it was exactly what the people needed.  Ultimately, Jesus’ offer was what the Israelites were asking for from Rehoboam.

From here, my mind jumped ahead to today’s world.  People are still weary.  Life weighs heavy on us.  The events of our time, as seen through the non-stop news cycle, are always in front of us.  Burdens don’t seem to be getting any easier, and our political leaders aren’t providing relief. 

And what of Christianity’s reputation?  Don’t do this, you must do that.  You won’t be accepted until you promise to stop screwing up.  Thou shalt not.  Thou should do.  Repent.  Commit.  Give things up.  More.  And.  More.  Rules.  And.  Conditions.

But Jesus had no such qualifiers for His offer.  His rest is available, if we take Him up on His offer…just as we are.  Throughout the centuries, people have sought relief – Jesus is the only one who can both offer it and come through on His offer.

We need to make sure that we’re not making it harder to find Him because we burden others in ways that Jesus would not.  Learn from Him and then display the same grace to others.  You never know – it could be a make or break moment for them.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Flashback Favorite - When we don't learn God's lessons

I really hate it when I have to relearn lessons - in school, at work, for life in general. What do we do when don’t get it right the first time…or the second time…or the fourteenth time?

After so many failings, we often think that God is ready to give up on us - because, let’s face it, we’re ready to give up on us. But is that really the case with God?

When we don't learn God's lessons
originally posted on May 24, 2018

Hard times are called that for a reason…they’re hard to deal with.  But the author of Hebrews gave his readers a better perspective on how to handle the difficult times in life:

Hebrews 12:7, 11
Endure suffering as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons.  For what son is there that a father does not discipline?...No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful.  Later on, however, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

And yet I wonder…What happens when we don’t embrace God’s discipline?  What happens when we refuse to learn the lessons God is trying to teach us?

When we look back in Scripture, we find this theme of God instructing His people repeated, over and over.  Below is just one example of what He said to the Israelites after they had spurned Him and His ways.  In Hebrews, the end result of God’s teaching is the peaceful fruit of righteousness.  Keep an eye out for that here:

Isaiah 48:17
This is what the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel says:

I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you for your benefit,
Who leads you in the way you should go.

If only you had paid attention to my commands.
Then your peace would have been like a river,
and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.

Your descendants would have been as countless as the sand,
and the offspring of your body like its grains;
their name would not be cut off or eliminated from my presence.

God says His teaching would have resulted in peace as steady and calm like a river, and righteousness that is as massive and powerful like the waves of the sea.  What a beautiful (almost paradoxical) comparison…imagine your life…where you handle any/all situations with calmness and peace, and your life’s actions are so undeniably in tune with God’s plan for living that you move with power as your righteousness positively affects the people around you.  A life like that would be a huge comfort to us personally and even more so to those around us.

But let’s be honest…we know that we cannot grow to that level on our own.  So God offers to intentionally teach the Israelites how to be this way – how to reflect Him to the world.  It’s the same offer in our Hebrews passage, where God is training us to produce the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

Teaching, training, and developing His people was God’s intention for the Israelites – both individually and as a nation.  It’s also His intention for us – both individually and as the church. 

But, like the Israelites, we are
hard-headed
stubborn
selfish
slow to trust God
slow to learn
prone to really messing things up
afraid

The Israelites rebelled so many times and ran so far from God, that He allowed their nation to be overtaken and plundered by other nations.  By the time they got to that point in their history, they certainly were not experiencing peace or righteousness themselves.  In addition, God says the course of the following generations was also affected – their families’ descendants and offspring were heavily impacted by the foreign invasion, to the point where family names and bloodlines were cut off or eliminated.

And when we look objectively back at the times we’ve stiff-armed God, trying to keep Him at arm’s length, we can still see some of the lasting effects in our lives and the lives of our family.  Perhaps we even say to ourselves like what was said about the Israelites: if only I had payed attention to God’s commands.  Regret and depression are heavy burdens…and we are unable to undo the past.  What do we do now?

Look back at the Isaiah passage.  Right at the top, how does God describe Himself?

Your Redeemer.

He is the one who buys back, delivers, and protects those who cannot do so for themselves.  The ones who have messed up beyond what they could ever fix or repay…they find rescue in Him. 

Yes, there were heavy consequences for how far the nation of Israel ran from God – but He did not abandon them.  Yes, God disciplines His church – but we’re still part of His family.  Our loving father is also our redeemer.  He loves us enough to show us how to live rightly, how to live well.

Even if we don’t get it right the first time.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

It's ok to write on the walls

It’s around preschool age when a child starts to develop the finger dexterity to hold a pencil steady and is able to make the lines and curves that represent our spoken words.  Moving from individual letters and sounds, at some point it mentally clicks for them – there is a particular combination of these letters that make up “my name”, and my brother’s “name”, and the dog’s “name”, etc. 

Shortly after learning these combinations, our oldest began to fill pages with letters and drawings.  However, he wasn’t always good at keeping his practice space to just a piece of paper.  One day I went upstairs to the boys’ room, and on the wall next to the doorframe was our youngest son’s name, written in blue crayon.  Curious, I asked our oldest if this was his handiwork…because he knew that he was not allowed to write on the walls.  He insisted that the perpetrator was his younger brother – obviously, because that’s whose name was on the wall.  The problem with his sound 5 year old logic was that his younger brother was still toddling around at point, and he was far from ready to write out anything, let alone his own name.

What’s crazy to think is that God once specifically told the Israelites to write on their walls.  However, what they were to write was more important than simply their brother’s name:

Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.  These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart.  Repeat them to your children.  Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead.  Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates.

Thinking about God’s words, talking about them with others, and having them visually available would help keep their relationship with God in the forefront of their minds.  It’s hard to love God if you’re not thinking about Him.  You can’t have a relationship with Him if He’s not a part of your day.

I love how practical these directions are.  To be honest, Moses could have stopped much earlier and simply said: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.  These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart.  That direction is potent, and we could talk for hours about how to make sure this is the focus of our lives.  However, Moses emphasizes how important these directions are by giving a detailed list of examples for the Israelites.

God’s words are to be passed down to your children.  Talk about God’s words when you’re at home and when your out and about.  They should be visible in your actions and potent in your thoughts.

The most interesting part of the section is the last verse: Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates.

One of my favorite ministries, Chestnut Mountain Ranch in Morgantown, WV, has a tradition when constructing a new building.  The workers and volunteers who help with construction write Bible verses and prayers on the wooden frame of each building.  This is a way for them to acknowledge the work God is going to do in the boys’ home they are constructing.  They pray for everyone who will use that space to make a generational impact.  You can see an example of this in the pictures at the bottom of this page.

One last observation: the doorposts and the city gates are rather specific locations for Moses to call out.  It doesn’t prevent them from putting up God’s words on other parts of their homes or in their community, but why these two places?  I think these are the best place to have God’s words visible to His people – because the doorposts and city gates are their transition points during each day.  When you leave your home and when you return back to your family, there are God’s words waiting for you.  When you leave your community to head out in to the world and upon your return – God’s words are there to ground you and remind you whose you are.

Transition points in our day are ripe with opportunity to reset our minds on what is most important.  Rather than move from Point A to Point B or from Task 4 to Task 5, here are some practical ways we can remember God’s words and reset our minds during the day:

·       I recently heard someone say that when they would drive to various meetings with clients, they would spend their drive time talking to God about the next meeting. 
·       To choose a strong password for your accounts, select a Bible verse (e.g. – Philippians2:14) and say it out loud when you log in.  If your work requires that you update your password every 90 days, then next time change it to Philippians2:15 and say both verses together.  And yes, it’s ok to look at the verse to help you memorize it…but after saying the verse for 90 days, trust me, you won’t need any help – you’ll have God’s word in your heart.  I have memorized chunks of Scripture using this method.
·       We use elevators to take us to specific places and people.  So when you ride one, tell God thank you for all the places He’s taken you in life and for the people He has introduced you to.  Name the places and the people you are thankful for.
·       Hang a Bible verse near your door, or even take my son’s approach and write it on the wall.  Find a verse that reminds you of who you are in Jesus and how much He loves you.

Search your day for transition points.  Change one of them.  This reminder will strengthen your relationship with God and help you love Him with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Instruction by embarrassment

When I was in my early 20s, I was part of a men’s group that met weekly and was led by one of our church’s staff pastors.  I was, by far, the youngest man in the group…but they never treated me as less than because of my age.  We would hang out before starting the study discussion, and this particular time I was talking with a guy named Mike.  When he asked me how my week had gone, I answered, “Well the damnedest thing happened to me today…”.  That wasn’t a slip of the tongue, either.  At that time, I was very loose with how I phrased things.  I believed that I was old enough to talk however I wanted.  And when you’re among other Christian brothers, who “understand”, it’s ok to speak a little rougher than you would in public, right?  Perhaps I also wanted to impress him a little, thinking that I should add some joking emphasis to what I was about to say. 

Before I could finish my sentence with what actually happened to me, Mike put his hands up and quickly said “Hold on, hold on, hold on.”  And then, to my shock, he raised his voice so the entire group could hear and said, “EVERYONE, I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO MAKE: ‘the damnedest thing’ happened to Ken today.  I suggest we all listen to what he’s about to say.”

All the eyes in the room were suddenly staring at me.  Everyone was silent and waiting for me to speak.  I felt the red quickly climb up my neck and onto my face.  I wasn’t mad…I was embarrassed, because I knew that what I had planned to say wasn’t ANNOUNCEMENT-worthy.  It was, in the grand scheme of things, a small thing that didn’t qualify for the title of “the damnedest thing”.  I quickly mumbled to the group that it wasn’t a big deal and I had nothing to say.  Everyone shrugged and went back to their conversations.  I don’t think Mike said anything else about it.  Honestly, he didn’t have to.  I learned my lesson.

Did you know that Jesus once used this same technique to teach an important lesson to His disciples?

Mark 8:27-30
Jesus went out with His disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi.  And on the road He asked His disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”

They answered Him, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, one of the prophets.”

“But you,” He asked them, “who do you say that I am?”

Peter answered Him, “You are the Messiah.”  And He strictly warned them to tell no one about Him.

Don’t miss this…By not correcting Peter’s statement, Jesus confirmed to the disciples that He was the Messiah.  That was earth-shattering, front-page headline news.  While Jesus’ warning for them to tell no one that He was the Messiah may have frustrated the disciples, they could certainly understand it.  After all, Jesus wanted people to come to that conclusion on their own.  Also, Jesus had not given a specific timeline as to when The Kingdom that He had taught about was going to start; so the disciples could rationalize that it just wasn’t time yet for the big “Messiah announcement”.  However, it’s what happened in the very next verse that began to trouble the disciples:

Mark 8:31-32
Then He began to teach them that it was necessary for the Son of Man to suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and rise after three days.  He spoke openly about this.

Wait…what?  Imagine what the disciples were thinking…

You said we couldn’t tell anyone who you really are, but you’re PUBLICLY talking about being rejected by all of our country’s leaders, being murdered, and then coming back from the dead?  Are you serious?  Aren’t you the Messiah, the King?  Who would be blind enough to reject you?  How can you die?  What purpose would that serve?  And nobody comes back from the dead.

They murmured amongst themselves, trying to figure out what to do.  How do you correct a teacher, let alone the Messiah?  Somehow or another, either at the group’s urging or perhaps acting alone, Peter drummed up enough courage to approach Jesus.  Challenging a rabbi was risky business, a definite societal taboo.  Correcting a rabbi in public would result either in a pupil’s disgrace or embarrassment for the teacher.  They loved Jesus and didn’t want to embarrass Him, but, they thought, something needed to be said.  So Peter opted for the quieter approach:

Mark 8:32-33
Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.  But turning around and looking at His disciples, He rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan!  You are not thinking about God’s concerns but human concerns.”

I can imagine Peter slinking back to his seat and slumping down into a heap.  Lesson learned.  Peter was the one out-of-line, not Jesus.  In that moment of attempted rebuke, Peter acted like an adversary…like a satan.  When Jesus looked at His disciples to correct Peter, His purpose was two-fold:

1.       to call Peter out for his improper motivation, short-sightedness, and ignorance of God’s plan
and
2.       to use Peter as an example to the rest of the group

Ouch. 

Reading the rest of the gospels, it’s clear that Jesus loved Peter.  However, in this moment, a biting rebuke and public embarrassment were necessary for Peter to learn to trust God’s plan…even if the plan made absolutely no sense to him.

By all indications in the text, Peter humbly accepted his lesson learned.  He didn’t lash out.  He didn’t quit following Jesus.  Peter didn’t stop hanging out with the other disciples or find another group of Jesus-followers to be a part of.

When we are faced with our own embarrassment for our improper motivation, short-sightedness, or ignorance of God’s plan…I pray that we will humbly accept the lesson that God is teaching us. 

Keep Pressing,
Ken

The final warning

We’ve seen that Revelation begins with a blessing:

Revelation 1:3
Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep what is written in it, because the time is near.

and now we see that Revelation ends with a serious warning:

Revelation 22:18-19
I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book.  And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share of the tree of life and the holy city, which are written about in this book.

We understand from our study of Revelation 21-22 that a person’s share in the tree of life and the holy city are rewards for faithful service; they are not connected to a person’s salvation from sin or Jesus’ gift of eternal life.  So what are these penalties then?  On a practical level, how do I avoid them?

Our first clue comes in the beginning of verse 18 – I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book.  The original recipients, the seven churches in Chapters 2-3, also had to deal with those who would distort or minimize God’s Word.

Three specific groups are mentioned among the seven churches – the Nicolaitans, those who followed the teachings of Balaam, and those who followed the teachings of a self-proclaimed prophetess named Jezebel.  Each of these groups taught Christians to live promiscuously and unprincipled in sexual matters.  They also enticed believers to participate in the local feasts which focused on the worship of a Greek god or the emperor through both eating food sacrificed to idols and sexual immorality.

In order for them to teach these things, they either had to add something to what God has already said or to purposefully leave out parts that they didn’t like.  With respect to everything God has said in Revelation, a clear warning is given against either of those practices:

If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book.

The plagues described in this book are the punishments given to those who refuse to accept Christ’s offer of salvation from their sins – they would rather face God on their own terms.  Similarly, Jesus pronounced severe punishment on those who followed the Nicolaitans, Balaam’s teachings, or Jezebel.  From this we understand that adding to what God has proclaimed in Revelation is to invite significant punishment.

And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share of the tree of life and the holy city, which are written about in this book.

Remember, this speaks to a loss of future reward, not a loss of salvation.  The warning here is that we could miss out on the full opportunities to partner with God in eternity future if we willfully remove parts of what God has proclaimed in Revelation.

The cure for both of these types of willful errors is the same, whether we would be in danger of adding our own sections to God’s word or purposefully removing sections of God’s word.  The cure is to take God at His word, as He has revealed it…even if we don’t fully understand parts of it. 

For example:
After the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD and the dispersion of the Jews that happened soon afterward, there was no “nation of Israel” until 1948.  Given the vast amounts of Scripture in the Old Testament and New Testament which speaks to God reigning over the nations of the earth from Israel…how much abuse and ridicule do you think Christians would have suffered prior to 1948 from those proclaiming “There is no nation of Israel, so clearly your beliefs are wrong”?  I’m sure that believers would have been tempted to re-interpret what God had prophesied, either adding a little (like the idea of replacement theology, which is claiming that any Old Testament reference to Israel now relates to the church…it doesn’t, by the way) or by taking a little away (deciding that, maybe that part of Scripture no longer applies).

But God knew that Israel would be a nation again, and that His prophecies were still right, even if in a particular moment in history it appeared otherwise.  So trust God now, take Him at His word – all of it, adding nothing, and taking nothing away.

Keep Pressing,
Ken