Flashback Favorite - How to be rich and live richly

Now that we know we’re rich…what are we to do with our wealth?

How to be rich and live richly

Originally posted on April 06, 2017

We discovered last time that we’re rich.  Richly rich.  That if we make over $32,400 per year ($15.59/hour)…we’re in the top 1% of the world.  But we also found out that no matter what our income amounts to, we shouldn’t feel guilty that we have wealth, because God richly provides us with all things to enjoy. 

God gives good gifts, and gifts are given for the enjoyment of the one receiving it.  Maybe someone got a better gift than you, and it doesn’t seem fair…however, our jealousy tends to evaporate once we expand our comparison circle to include the rest of the world.

So now that we know we’re rich, what do we do?

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught:

Matthew 6:19-21
Don’t collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.  But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

A few observations:
·        Jesus gave no indication that being wealthy in this life (or the next) is wrong.
·        What is considered valuable now is not going to be what is considered valuable in the next life.
·        How we obtain wealth in this life is not how we store up treasures for the next life.

During his ministry, Jesus met many rich folks who didn’t handle their wealth very well in light of eternity.  A few examples include the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16-22), also the Pharisees and their scribes (Luke 5:29-31).  The rich were also featured in Jesus’ parables as bad examples of how to live life in the present age (Luke 12:13-21, Luke 16:19-31, and Luke 18:9-14).

So, what should us rich 1%ers do?  What does God consider the right way to handle the wealth He’s given us?

Paul addressed that topic in his instructions to Timothy:

1 Timothy 6:17-19
Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be arrogant or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God, who richly provides us with all things to enjoy. 

Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the age to come, so that they may take hold of life that is real.

Being rich in the age to come means being other-focused in the present age.  Whether we make $15,000 a year or $1,500,000 a year – what we do with what God has given us will determine the foundation of our lives in the next life.

That thought just blows me away, so dwell on it for just a moment with me.  Everything in this life is building *only* the foundation for our lives in eternity.  What we build, the work we do, the experiences we will have in the next life…are going to be based upon the choices we make in the present age.

My mentor, Joe, would tell me often “This life is just boot camp for the next.”  C.S. Lewis wrote that our present lives are simply the cover and the title page…when we enter Eternity future, we will begin Chapter 1 of the Great Story that never ends, where each chapter is better than the one before.

Partnering with God now affects how we can partner with God in Eternity.  We should absolutely enjoy the gifts God has given us, but don’t enjoy them selfishly.  Do good.  Be rich in good works.  Be generous.  Be willing to share.

Lay a good foundation for the age to come.  Find and take hold of life that is real.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Flashback Favorite - Dance floors and lampstands

We represent Jesus to the world, for better or worse…but we can’t be preoccupied with how others respond.

Dance floors and lampstands
Originally posted on January 17, 2019

On a busy Monday afternoon, a second shift co-worker walked into the open office the four of us shared, looked right at me, and with an accusing tone she said, “I saw you.”

My confused look didn’t deter her.  She said it again, but this time with more emphasis: “I saw you!”  And then, it hit me.  I knew exactly what she was talking about. 

The previous Saturday evening had been the company’s annual Holiday party.  Most years, our family’s schedule had prevented my wife and I from going.  However, this year we had decided to get dressed up and attend.  This was no small event, either – there were fancy drinks, several buffets of rich foods, and lots of dancing.

I have to admit, I felt a pang of self-consciousness when we decided to hit the dance floor.  Not because I was afraid to dance with my wife – we always have a great time, and her dance moves make mine look good – but I was fully aware that almost none of my co-workers had ever seen me in this type of setting.  At work, I was the reliable answer-guy you brought your investigations to, a professional to help you figure out your industry-regulated best next step – not exactly the type of person you would expect to groove through the songs of the decades.  I wasn’t so much worried that they would think less of me, but I was certainly curious as to what their reaction would be.

As we made our way to the floor, I had an important realization.  Under no circumstances should I look around for people’s reactions.  As much as I was either self-conscious or curious, focusing on anyone else while dancing with my wife would give the complete wrong impression.  So as we started to move with the music, my attention was focused solely on enjoying the moment with my bride.  We danced the night away, had a blast, and I completely forgot my curiosity surrounding my co-workers’ potential reactions.

Apparently, we were noticed.  And talked about.  Even to the point where a co-worker was excited to point out, two days later, that she had been a witness to the event.  But what, exactly, did they see?  They saw a couple totally focused on each other and enjoying the moment at hand.  It stood out from what they expected.  Watching it unfold was attractive.  Seeing it first-hand was something they thought about, and even talked about days later.

But I think there’s an even bigger lesson here, one that pertains to how we, as Christians, actually show others that we are Christ-followers.  It seems that every ten years or so, there’s a new witnessing technique or life-story-sharing strategy that comes out.  But “witnessing” is much simpler than we make it out to be, because we tend to forget what Jesus said near the beginning of His ‘Sermon on the Mount’, when He looked at disciples and said:

Matthew 5:14-16
You are the light of the world.  A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden.  No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

The disciples would best represent Christ – shine their light – through the lives they would lead and the choices they would make.  Jesus said that their good works would be what would stand out to and attract others to their Father in heaven.

It can be hard to wrap our heads around how doing good works makes that much of a “witnessing” impact; however, demonstrations of patience, kindness, compassion, and forgiveness are not things the world is used to seeing.  Imitating Jesus will cause others to take notice…but we cannot be concerned if anyone has noticed our light.  Instead, our focus should be solely on the fuel for our light – our relationship with Jesus.  As we spend time with Jesus through prayer and studying the Scripture, our good works will be naturally fueled so they shine brightly from the lampstand location we find ourselves in.

In order for Christians to tell others about Jesus, the world doesn’t need us to be schooled in the latest witnessing techniques or debate programs.  We don’t have to have all the answers to the tough theological questions people will ask.  But in order for others to come to the point where they give glory to your Father in heaven, they need to see us Christians doing good works from the platform of our day-to-day lives.

So make sure you spend time with Jesus so you can shine your light today.

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

Pause and recognize need

My family has an often-quoted saying that you’ve probably heard or even used yourself.  Whenever someone can’t find something and then it is suddenly found right next to (or in front of) them, they’re reprimanded with the statement “If it was a snake it would have bit you”.  The point of the phrase is pretty straight-forward: if what you were looking for was dangerous, you’d be dead by now…so why didn’t you see it when you looked right at it?

Sometimes, it’s the milk in the fridge.  Other times, I can’t find my wallet.  I can’t tell you how many times my boys would walk through the house “looking” for their shoes, but for some reason they were not looking for them at floor level, the most likely place for shoes to be – and they would walk right by them.

It's amazing the things we miss that are right in front of us, if we’re actually looking for them.  Jesus’ disciples were not immune to this failing, either.  For our example, we’re dropping into a scene that is pretty normal for Jesus’ ministry:

Matthew 9:35
Jesus continued going around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness.

Jesus took His disciples everywhere, throughout all the towns and villages in order to tell the Jewish people that the long-prophesized Kingdom of Israel was available to their generation because Jesus is the promised Messiah.  Although Jesus was doing all the Messiah-type things (teaching, preaching, and healing every disease and every sickness), Matthew’s account gives us some specific detail about Jesus’ mindset as He interacted with the people:

Matthew 9:36-37
When He saw the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd.  Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few.”

Let’s pause right here.  Jesus wasn’t just administering His office of Messiah.  He wasn’t simply going through the motions, above all the “little people” and expecting the masses to follow because He held a title.  When Jesus looked at the crowds, He saw them.  Jesus saw their distress and recognized their dejected countenance.  Seeing this across the crowds, Jesus felt compassion for them.

This is a rather important observation.  For Jesus to recognize the pain and suffering of the people, He would need to be looking at them on an individual basis.  Recognizing this level of need isn’t something you can do with a quick-survey glance across a sea of faces.  He knew that Israel’s leaders had failed them.  Both the political rulers and the religious leaders had left the people to fend for themselves…and so they were like sheep without a shepherd, left to wander about on their own with no guidance, no assistance, and no protection.

Then He said to His disciples, “If it was a snake, it would have bit you”.  Ok, not quite…but pretty close.  Jesus told His disciples that there are plenty of people who desperately need to hear good news, but there are too few who know this and are willing to work to bring this good news to these distressed and dejected people. 

So what did Jesus tell His disciples to do?

Matthew 9:38
“Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

When was the last time you prayed that God would encourage and strengthen believers to tell others about the good news that our sin-debt is forgiven and we can have eternal life if we believe in Jesus for it?  There are so many in our society that long to be “seen” as Jesus saw the crowds.  They need to know that their pain, suffering, questions, struggles, and fears are recognized by someone who has compassion on them.  Even today, Jesus’ statement is still true: The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few.

Praying for us to recognize need and for other believers to recognize need is an important step – but not the only step.  Honestly, prayer is just the first step.  We find Jesus giving the second step a few verses later:

Matthew 10:5
Jesus sent out these twelve after giving them instructions

After praying that God’s people would participate in God’s mission – we need to get to work in the areas that God has sent us. 

Let’s be real practical and intentional with this:

To effectively see people and see their needs like Jesus did, we need to slow down.  We can’t help someone with a flat tire if we’re flying down the left lane of the interstate.  Similarly, we won’t be able to recognize those who are ready to hear some good news if we’re consumed with the busyness of our own lives. 

Pray about it.  Slow down enough to see people where they are.  Have compassion.  Share the good news.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Put on your detective's hat, part 3

So far, we’ve used our detective’s hat to look for the first four clues: things that are emphasized, things that are repeated, things that are alike, and things that are unlike.  Now we move on to our last two clues, the ones I really like the most, for two specific reasons: one…because they are great at uncovering observations that I wouldn’t normally get by just reading a passage, and two…well…because I think they’re fun. 

Feeling skeptical about this being “fun”?  Well, try these out and then let me know if I’m wrong…

Text Clue #5: Look for things that are related.

By related I mean things that have some connection, some interaction with each other.  The two most helpful relations to look for are Questions/Answers and Cause/Effect.

Questions/Answers are a super powerful form of communication.  What’s also great about them is that they are easy to find!  When you’re reading the Bible, notice the question marks…and then look at who is asking AND who is answering.  Maybe the question is rhetorical, or maybe no one wants to answer.  Looking at questions make for some significant observations.  While Paul uses questions a lot in his letters (especially in Romans), take a look at some of the penetrating questions that Jesus asked His disciples:

Can any of you add one moment to his life-span by worrying? (Matthew 6:27)
Why are you afraid?  Do you still have no faith? (Mark 4:40)
So, couldn’t you stay awake with me one hour? (Matthew 26:40)

Recognizing Cause/Effect can be just as powerful.  We saw this in the last series on Psalm 1:

Psalm 1:2-3
Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction,
and he meditates on it day and night.
He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams
that bears its fruit in its season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.

In these verses, we have a promise to claim: That God’s Word will sustain/grow me and there is happiness, delight, and prosperity as it does.  However, there is also a condition to meet in order to have this God-defined prosperity: Intentionally spend time in God’s Word, purposely meditating on it, and delighting to do so…knowing that God can/will develop me in the way I was created to grow and mature.  And…then…I will find happiness and prosperity.  

This tells us there is a direct Cause/Effect link between Scripture and God’s blessing.  Are you experiencing that effect?  The real question is, are you activating the cause by delighting and meditating in what God has said, as Psalm 1 points out?

Text Clue #6: Look for things that are true to life.

This one is my favorite.  The issue here is authenticity: What does this passage tell you about reality?  What aspects of the text resonate with your experience?  This is where you need to use your sanctified imagination.  You need to look for principles.  We obviously live in a culture that is dramatically different from the cultures of the biblical era.  Yet the same things that the biblical characters experienced, we also experience.  Just take away our technology, and you’ll find we’re not that different.  The human condition hasn’t changed much in the last 5,000 years.  We feel the same emotions they felt.  We have the same questions they had about life and raising kids and growing older.  They were real, live people who faced the same struggles, the same problems, and the same temptations that you and I face.

So as I read about them in Scripture, I need to ask:  What were this person’s ambitions?  What were his goals?  What problems was he facing?  How did she feel?  What was her response?  What would be my response?  What can I see in the text that helps me answer these questions?

Scripture is often studied and taught as if it were some academic lesson, rather than real life.  No wonder so many of us are bored with our Bibles.  We’re missing out on the best lessons of God’s Word by failing to pick up on the experience of the people in it.  ***Spoiler Alert*** The people you read about in the Bible didn’t know what the next verse was going to say.  When we read the Bible with that in mind, we recognize an authenticity to the text we had previously missed.

Let’s look at a couple of examples that will help us see truth in realistic terms.  Other than Jesus, no one in the Bible is perfect.  Every one of them had flaws and difficulties – and we can all relate to flaws and difficult situations.

In Genesis 22, God says to Abraham, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, go to the land of Moriah, and offer him as a burnt offering.”  It takes a couple of days to get there by donkey…what must going through Abraham’s mind during this trip?  And then, when Abraham starts walking up Mount Moriah with his son, who is about 22 years old, Isaac says to him, “Hey, Dad, we’ve got the wood.  We’ve got the fire.  But where’s the sacrifice?”  Abraham knows that his son is the sacrifice…he’s even carrying the wood on his back.  How do you think Abraham felt?  How would you feel? 

Noah was the only one who got it right in his generation.  The only one!  He raised his family accordingly and followed God’s instructions despite the rest of the world being mired in an evil mess.  Because he obeyed God, he saved his family from the Flood.  But the only story in Scripture out of the 350 years Noah lived after the Flood is when after resettling his family, he planted a vineyard, drank a bunch of wine…and passed out naked in his own tent (Genesis 9).  As if that’s not bad enough, his sons had to take care of him so he wouldn’t disgrace himself.  And…I’m thinking…is this even the same guy???  Well, Scripture shows that Noah is not perfect, but a real, normal person…one who could, at times, do great things for God, and at other times, make some really embarrassing choices.  So, what implication does that have for us?

Elijah wanted to quit his God-given ministry (your pastor has felt this, too), John Mark abandoned his friends and family in the middle of a mission trip (we’ve all left the people we love in the lurch), Peter whacked off a guy’s ear in a clumsy attempt to defend Jesus (this could also be a description of a lot of modern attempts at “sharing the gospel”). 

When you read Scripture, put on your detective’s hat and look for things that ring true to life.  Remember, our lives are just like theirs were – without all the technology.  Look for situations where someone failed and paid the price – how did they respond to the consequences?  How would have you responded?  Did God use them despite their mistakes?  Or what about the one who stayed the course?  What did God do in their life?  Look for common, shared experiences and learn from the example of their lives.

Now, let’s try these last two Text Clues out on our verses from Joshua:

What things are related?  When you find the question, why do you think was God asking it?  Looking back through the text, do you find any cause/effect relationships?

What things are true to life?  Why does God need to remind Joshua, multiple times, to be strong and courageous?  What must Joshua be feeling for him to need to hear that?  Think back to a time when you have felt the same way.  Also…everyone wants success, but we know it’s not instant, there’s always work involved.  What steps must Joshua take to be successful in the mission God gave him?  Do you need to take the same steps to accomplish what God has given you to do?

Joshua 1:6-9
“Be strong and courageous, for you will distribute the land I swore to their fathers to give them as an inheritance.  Above all, be strong and very courageous to observe carefully the whole instruction my servant Moses commanded you.  Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go.

This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to meditate on it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it.  For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do.  Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous?  Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Put on your detective's hat, part 2

Last time, we put on our detective’s hat and looked for our first two clues: things that are emphasized and things that are repeated.  Now we move on to our next two clues, which rely on something we humans do, almost without thinking about it – compare and contrast.  Typically the first thing we notice in any given situation are things are that are alike or things that are unlike, and those are great skills to use when we’re studying Scripture.

Text Clue #3: Look for things that are alike.

There are two major categories for things that are alike, and they are as simple as remembering your grade-school grammar. 

Our first comparison tool is finding similes.  These are super easy to find, because all you’re looking for are the terms like and as.  When you find them, you’re going to have a word picture that draws a comparison between two things.  A couple examples:

1 Peter 2:2
Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, so that you may grow up into your salvation

With this like comparison, we immediately get what Peter is trying to convey to his readers – our desire for God’s word should be just like that of a newborn’s desire for milk…because we recognize Scripture as that important and life-giving for us.

John 3:14-15
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.

Jesus is drawing the parallel between those who looked at the bronze snake and believed for their temporal healing with those who will look at Him and believe for their eternal salvation.  His use of an as comparison removes any doubt that belief is the only requirement for us to be restored because of His death on the cross.

Related to the simile is the metaphor, but this time we don’t have a clue word to look for.  Instead you’ll see some figure of speech that describes something in a way that isn’t necessarily true but helps explain an idea or make a comparison.  Even without the words like or as, if you’re looking for them, trust me, you’ll see them.  Any of Jesus’ “I am” statements are good examples:

I am the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6)
I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. (John 15:1)
I am the good shepherd (John 10:11)

Jesus is obviously talking figuratively, not literally.  He’s using a metaphor to illustrate His point in a way that we can identify with.

Similarities have a ways of drawing attention to themselves, so get in the habit of looking for them.  Whenever you find one, write it in your notebook.  The biblical author is trying to communicate with you through the effective tool of comparison.

Text Clue #4: Look for things that are unlike.

The flip side of comparison is contrast – so we’re now looking for things that are unlike.  While there are several ways the biblical writers signify contrast, the main one to look for is the use of the term but.  The word but is a solid clue that a change in direction is coming. 

Many Proverbs use contrast to teach their wisdom:

Hatred stirs up conflicts, but love covers all offenses. (Proverbs 10:12)
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but one who hates correction is stupid. (Proverbs 12:1)

Another example of contrast is found in the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus repeatedly says, “You have heard that it was said…but I tell you” (Matthew 5).

Similar terms include however, yet, and now.  These are variations of the term but – so it depends on the translation you are using.  Although it is a small word, but is one of the most important words you’ll ever come across in your study of Scripture.  Whenever you see it, always stop and ask, “What is the contrast being made?”

Things that are alike and unlike make use of the strong human tendency to compare and contrast.  They are huge clues to help us understand what the author is trying to communicate in the text.  Let’s stop here and try looking for these two Text Clues in our text from Joshua. 

What things are alike?  As with any step, if there’s nothing obvious, don’t force anything.  Move on to looking for your next clue.

What things are unlike?  Scan the text for the word but.  Even if you don’t find that exact word, there are some contrasts made here.

Remember, if you find things that are alike or unlike, be sure to write it down.

Joshua 1:6-9
“Be strong and courageous, for you will distribute the land I swore to their fathers to give them as an inheritance.  Above all, be strong and very courageous to observe carefully the whole instruction my servant Moses commanded you.  Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go.

This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to meditate on it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it.  For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do.  Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous?  Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Keep Pressing,
Ken

The MVP - good ground

We’re looking into The parable of the sower.  It was this parable that Jesus referred to as the “key” to understanding all His parables (Mark 4:13).  As such, I’m calling it: The Most Valuable Parable – The MVP.  All three of the synoptic gospel writers included this parable.  It can be found in Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, and Luke 8:4-15.  So far, we have looked at the sower, the soil of the path, the rocky soil, and the thorny soil.  We’ve also observed that the word of God produced new life in the rocky soil, the thorny soil, and the good soil.  Now we’re taking a closer look at the good ground:

While we might best identify with the conditions of thorny soil, I think it’s safe to say that we’d all like to be good ground.  The good ground produces good fruit, which pleases God…so why wouldn’t we want that?  And all we have to do in order to be considered good ground is do good things and avoid doing really bad things, right?  Well, that’s not exactly what Jesus said about how good ground believers end up producing abundant fruit.

Luke 8:4-8, 11-15
As a large crowd was gathering, and people were coming to Jesus from every town, He said in a parable:

“A sower went out to sow his seed.  As he sowed, some seed fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the sky devoured it.  Other seed fell on the rock; when it grew up, it withered away, since it lacked moisture.  Other seed fell among thorns; the thorns grew up with it and choked it.  Still other seed fell on good ground; when it grew up it produced fruit: a hundred times what was sown.”  As He said this, He called out, “Let anyone who as ears to hear listen.”

…“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.  The seed along the path are those who have heard and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.  And the seed on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy.  Having no root, these believe for a while and fall away in a time of testing.  As for the seed that fell among thorns, these are the ones who, when they have heard, go on their way and are choked with worries, riches, and pleasures of life, and produce no mature fruit.  But the seed in the good ground – these are the ones who, having heard the word with an honest and good heart, hold on to it and by enduring, produce fruit.

There are two big observations about the good ground we need to look at – 1) When did it produce mature, abundant fruit? and 2) How was that fruit accomplished?

The first observation question – When did the good ground produce the mature, abundant fruit?  Jesus says that the fruit came when [the seed’s plant] grew up – not before it had grown up and matured, and not immediately when the new life burst forth from the seed.  God’s word needs time in your life to grow in you.  So don’t berate yourself if you still have stress, struggles, and doubts.  God isn’t tapping His foot and being disappointed that you haven’t yet forced out some fruit growth.  That’s not our job.  Mature fruit is the natural result of the seed being planted in good ground.  Our job is to become that good ground.

How was the ground made “good” and not have the same rock issues and thorn issues that the other soils had?  How can we be made into good ground?  As for me, I can tell you that others have helped pull weeds and thorns from my life.  In one of my favorite song lyrics, the singer states he’s “Still pulling weeds from seeds of yesterday’s scheming”.  We often need help to get rid of those.  Also, I can look back and see that God has removed boulders from my life, so that Godly roots can be laid down, often in that same space where the rocks once were.  Lastly Jesus said that good ground will hear the word with an honest and good heart, putting into practice the lessons God is teaching through His word.  Am I learning and applying His lessons?  In all my examples here, nothing was automatic.  God is willing to take the time for me to grow up and then produce fruit.

However, just because ground is fertile and relatively clean does not automatically mean that mature fruit will be brought forth…there is one more step here, and that involves our second observation question: How was that fruit accomplished?  In a word, by enduring.

We can survive just about anything, but if we are to endure and grow and come out stronger after a trial, we’re going to need to rely on God.  We must trust His path and His leading.  2020 has had more societal disruptions than we’ve seen in the last decade, and it feels like it’s just one crisis/problem after another.  Your persistence in these days matter.  Pursue God.  Seek Him out.  Ask Him to make you like His son.  Cling to the promises of God.  Your efforts in doing so will grow, multiply, and echo in ways your can’t imagine right now.  Don’t just survive; instead, endure these times as training, knowing that your Heavenly Father will produce mature fruit in your life because of it.

Growth takes time.  Enduring takes time.  As much as we want successful, spiritual fruit to happen immediately…all throughout Scripture, we find God taking His time to bring about the results He desires.  So let’s be patient with our growth and trust God as He removes rocks, weeds, and anything else that keeps us from becoming like Jesus.  Let us believe Him with an honest and good heart, holding on to the word of God planted in us…so that we can endure the times set before us…and then, because of God, produce fruit in quantities we could have never imagined.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

The MVP - new life

We’re looking into The parable of the sower.  It was this parable that Jesus referred to as the “key” to understanding all His parables (Mark 4:13), or as I’m calling it, The Most Valuable Parable – The MVP.  All three of the synoptic gospel writers included this parable.  It can be found in Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, and Luke 8:4-15.  So far, we have looked at the sower and the soil of the path.

It’s at this point in the parable that many commentators and preachers have stumbled over what Jesus is saying.  As we read the parable, rather than relying on what others may have told us, we need to approach the text with as little bias as possible.  We must allow the text to speak for itself.  Admittedly…this can be hard to do, especially for veteran Christians or those of us who have been in church since we were little.  The attitude of “oh yeah, that story” or “I already know what the preacher is going to say” is quite dangerous.  That kind of closed mindset can prevent the Holy Spirit from teaching us something new or correcting us on something we have gotten wrong.  Therefore, we need to be careful with our observations. 

We’ll see in verse 11, Jesus tells the disciples, “The seed is the word of God.” So as you read the parable, think about what happens to the seed as it is added to each soil.  Also watch for what’s different between the seed that fell on the path and the seed that fell on the other soils:

Luke 8:4-8, 11-13
As a large crowd was gathering, and people were coming to Jesus from every town, He said in a parable:

“A sower went out to sow his seed.  As he sowed, some seed fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the sky devoured it.  Other seed fell on the rock; when it grew up, it withered away, since it lacked moisture.  Other seed fell among thorns; the thorns grew up with it and choked it.  Still other seed fell on good ground; when it grew up it produced fruit: a hundred times what was sown.”  As He said this, He called out, “Let anyone who as ears to hear listen.”

…“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.  The seed along the path are those who have heard and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.  And the seed on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy.  Having no root, these believe for a while and fall away in a time of testing.  As for the seed that fell among thorns, these are the ones who, when they have heard, go on their way and are choked with worries, riches, and pleasures of life, and produce no mature fruit.  But the seed in the good ground – these are the ones who, having heard the word with an honest and good heart, hold on to it and by enduring, produce fruit.”

Do you see the difference in what happened to the word of God?  It was never accepted by the path, and the birds took it away.  Without the seed there, the path-person could not believe and be saved.  From Jesus’ statement, we can see that belief is the only condition for salvation (just like we learned with the Samaritan woman in John 4).

Many preachers and commentators focus on the maturity of the plant to gauge if a person is a believer or not.  By doing so, they miss Jesus’ point – Notice that even in less than ideal soil, the word of God was accepted and new life was born!  This is true for the rocky soil, the thorny soil, and the good soil.  In all three, the word of God brought forth new life, but their individual fruitfulness – their visible productivity – is what varied.

There aren’t different types of believers (“true believers”, “false believers”, etc) among Christians – either you are persuaded that Jesus is the Son of God and you believe in Him for eternal life…or you don’t.  Based on Jesus’ parable of the soils, we find that after the word of God brings forth new life, each believer’s maturity depends on how long they hold to their belief and if they allow their circumstances to influence their growth. 

Over the years, I have observed how easily Christians write-off others as being “not truly saved” because that other person’s behavior doesn’t match up with how they think a “true believer” would act.  They try to judge a person’s justification by how far they have progressed in their sanctification.  Put simply, they fail to distinguish between having eternal life and bearing fruit.  Christians who are focused on judging others like this end up wasting their time trying to pigeonhole other people’s eternal destiny…and worse yet, put themselves in the place of God.

If your natural-born brother or sister was misbehaving or living a lifestyle that was contrary to your family’s ideals…would you question their status as a member of your family?  Of course not.  We say things like this all the time “I love them and they’re still family, but…” Because the relationship is strained due to their maturity/behavior and there are steps that will need to be taken to help them “come back into the fold”.  We’ll get some more insight into these situations as we look at what Jesus had to say about the rocky soil and the thorny soil.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

The MVP - the sower

Although Jesus was Israel’s promised Savior, when He started His ministry, most of the Jewish population had the wrong idea about the coming Messiah.  Many Jews had locked in on the idea that the Messiah’s immediate plans were to conquer Israel’s enemies and set up the Kingdom of God…with Jerusalem as its capital.  Jesus knew those actions were not His mission at that time.  To get the people past this mental stumbling block, as He traveled from town to town, Jesus taught many things to the crowds that came out to meet Him.  The truth about Himself and the Kingdom of God were taught indirectly, through parable-stories.  However, the setting for these parables was always something local and familiar to His audience.

Jesus referred to The parable of the sower as the key to understanding all His parables (Mark 4:13), or as I’m calling it, The Most Valuable Parable – The MVP.  All three of the synoptic gospel writers included it, and it can be found in Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, and Luke 8:4-15.  Before we get to the meat of the parable; however, we need to look at the main character of the parable – the sower.  Understanding his role – in the way Jesus’ audience recognized him – will help us understand the parable as a whole.

Let’s think about the setting.  Farming was everywhere, and sowing seed in a field was a common activity.  Farmers didn’t have fancy, fast machines to spread the seed, either.  They sowed “broadcast” style…casting the seed by hand as he walked up and down the field.  The sower always spread extra seed to allow for full coverage, and he was not concerned about wasting seed.  Every inch of ground on the field was seeded in the hopes of generating the largest harvest possible.  The ideal seed depth was 1-3 inches into the ground, in favorable conditions, but that wasn’t always the case.  Terrain was often rocky and uneven, sometimes with only a thin layer of top soil.

A sower’s activities would have been something everyone would relate to because they had either done the work themselves or they had seen someone else do it.  Focus on the sower’s actions as you read through Luke’s account:

Luke 8:4-15
As a large crowd was gathering, and people were coming to Jesus from every town, He said in a parable:

”A sower went out to sow his seed.  As he sowed, some seed fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the sky devoured it.  Other seed fell on the rock; when it grew up, it withered away, since it lacked moisture.  Other seed fell among thorns; the thorns grew up with it and choked it.  Still other seed fell on good ground; when it grew up, it produced fruit: a hundred times what was sown.  As He said this He called out, “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen.”

Then His disciples asked Him, “What does this parable mean?”  So He said, “The secrets of the kingdom of God have been given for you to know, but to the rest it is in parables, so that

Looking they may not see,
and hearing they may not understand.

“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.  The seed along the path are those who have heard and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.  And the seed on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy.  Having no root, these believe for a while and fall away in a time of testing.  As for the seed that fell among thorns, these are the ones who, when they have heard, go on their way and are choked with worries, riches, and pleasures of life, and produce no mature fruit.  But the seed in the good ground – these are the ones who, having heard the word with an honest and good heart, hold on to it and by enduring, produce fruit.

So what observations do you have about the sower?

Did you notice these two things?

·       The sower is not responsible for the success of the seed…his job is only to sow.
·       The sower does not pre-judge the soil’s potential or its responsiveness to the seed.  He cast the seed without discrimination or concern that it may not bear fruit or be wasted altogether.

How many times have we looked at someone and not shared the gospel because we assume they wouldn’t respond in faith?  But what we’ve seen in Jesus’ parable is that the sower spread the word of God liberally to all soils, to any ground who might receive it, instead of to just those soils sections that the sower was confident to get a fruitful harvest.

This would have been an encouragement to the disciples and should also encourage us as we encounter opportunities to sow God’s word.  We may not see immediate harvest-results.  The sower certainly didn’t.  Harvest comes later…and the sower may not even be the one to participate in that event.  But that doesn’t matter when it’s time to sow. 

So let’s be faithful and sow as we have opportunity.  Not because we think the person is worthy to hear about the gospel, but because that is the task God has given us to do.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

The MVP - The Most Valuable Parable

Have you ever wondered why Jesus told so many stories?  Or, better yet, why did He tell so many strange stories?

Jesus taught in parable-stories to stimulate a person’s thinking about His truths.  I once heard a parable described as “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning”.  I think that’s a pretty accurate definition.  While some of the parables’ context might seem weird to us, the settings were culturally relevant and understandable to Jesus’ audiences.  This means that we can learn the same lessons Jesus taught, but we need to use our observation skills so we don’t misunderstand first century cultural references.

By teaching in parables, Jesus gave the people a choice to either learn more or walk away.  One of Jesus’ favorite phrases to end a parable illustrates this: “He who as ears to hear, listen!”  However, the crowds were not generally given the meaning of a parable, but the disciples and others who followed Him were.  

Also keep in mind that as Jesus and the disciples traveled from town to town, He would have taught the same parables in each location.  With no internet, email, TV, or radio available, each town was a new place that hadn’t heard these truths yet.  Think about it…the disciples would have heard the parables multiple times and probably could recite them all by heart.  The writers of all four gospels didn’t include every teaching of Jesus, instead they chose to include events, miracles, and parables that fit the purpose/narrative/audience of their gospel.  As such, we need to pay attention if a particular parable is included by more than one of them.

The parable we are going to look at is one of those parables.  It is often referred to by one of two names:  The parable of the soils or The parable of the sower.  It can be found in Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, and Luke 8:4-15.  For starters, we’re going to look at Mark’s account:

Mark 4:1-13
Again He began to teach by the sea, and a very large crowd gathered around Him.  So He got into a boat on the sea and sat down, while the whole crowd was by the sea on the shore.  He taught them many things in parables, and in His teaching He said to them:

“Listen!  Consider the sower who went out to sow.  As he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.  Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it grew up quickly, since the soil wasn’t deep.  When the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away.  Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it didn’t produce fruit.  Still other seed fell on good ground and it grew up, producing fruit that increased thirty, sixty, and a hundred times.”  Then He said, “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen.”

When He was alone, those around Him with the Twelve, asked Him about the parables.  He answered them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those outside, everything comes in parables so that
              they may indeed look, and yet not perceive;
              they may indeed listen, and yet not understand;
              otherwise, they might turn back and be forgiven.

The He said to them: “Don’t you understand this parable?  How then will you understand all of the parables?

So we see from Mark’s account that Jesus considers this story to be the master parable, or what I’d like to call The Most Valuable Parable – The MVP.  As such, we must make sure that we understand exactly what Jesus was teaching the crowds whenever He taught this parable.  If we get this one wrong, we could end up misinterpreting His other parables…and it is impossible to correctly apply what we do not correctly understand.

Since the gospel writers included this story, you and I are being included in Jesus’ inner circle.  We are going to be privy to insider information here!

But as good Bible students, we must make sure we approach the passage without any pre-conceived notions or assumptions.  We must let the text speak for itself.  It’s easy to slip into the attitude of The parable of the sower?  I know that one and what it means.

Additionally, I think a number of others have not correctly understood Jesus’ message here; but we’ll get to that as we go through each part of the parable and match it up with Jesus’ explanation. 

But we have the same choice Jesus’ first century listeners had – will we lean in and learn more, or will we walk away, assuming we already know what Jesus meant with this parable?

Keep Pressing,
Ken