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

The yokes on you (part 1)

I hate the “bait-and-switch”.  You are promised one thing, and then when the time comes, what you get turns out to be nothing like what you were expecting.  Our family has seen this recently on college brochures.  A campus looks great – it’s open, well designed, looks appealing…and then you get there and realize that all their pictures were taken from the same location, just at different angles to make the campus look bigger than it is in real life.  Another example would be when the “small project” that was assigned to you at work turns into a massive undertaking because no one thought through the consequences of making that supposedly simple change. 

Where the “bait-and-switch” really bugs me is in the church.  You attend a worship service on Sunday morning, and eventually you feel pressured to be there on Sunday evening, and Wednesday evening, and for all special events.  You volunteer for one event, and suddenly you get invites from multiple church ministries to “join our team”, each with a different target audience and a special cry for help.  But the one that really gets to me is a phrase that is tossed out to non-Christians like it’s a fishing lure:

“God has a wonderful plan for your life.”

I’m not irritated by the statement itself, because it is true – God does have a wonderful plan for our lives.  But the issue I have is that the statement is usually presented with the impression that the Christian life is one of sunshine and roses.  Instead, once a person believes in Jesus for eternal life, what is often found in the church are a long list of “Thou shall’s” and “Thou shall not’s” – else your level of faith, or even salvation status, will be questioned.  That level of pressure and constantly wondering if God accepts you…that doesn’t strike me as a “wonderful plan for your life”.

Back in Jesus’ day, the Rabbi would pass along his teaching and understanding of the Jewish law to his students – this was referred to as the Rabbi’s yoke.  Their yoke consisted of the accumulated teaching he had received from his rabbi, and his rabbi’s rabbi, and on and on back in time to (supposedly) Moses himself.  Rabbinical teachings did not replace a previous rabbi’s instruction, instead it was cumulative, building upon the previous generations’ interpretations.  You can imagine how deep the traditions went back and how difficult it would be to keep track of everything that everyone had previously said.

The Pharisees then acted as the “religious police” enforcing their expectations for adherence to the Jewish law.  For your average, every-day person, the yoke imposed on them by the Pharisees was an extremely heavy burden.  Trying to keep track of their cultural responsibilities, managing their day-to-day tasks, and avoiding issues with their Roman rulers – all while wondering if God accepts them – wore them down.  In the midst of all this religious and guilted weight, Jesus offered the following:

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.

From the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary:
Jesus’ easy yoke is in stark contrast to the burden of Pharisaic Judaism.  The Pharisees spoke of 613 commandments, and their halakot (binding interpretations) produced an overwhelmingly complicated approach to life.  In our quest to know God’s Word it is good to remember that we can turn Jesus’ yoke into an equally unbearable burden unless we consciously recognize that discipleship to Jesus is not essentially a religious obligation.  Rather, ours is an intimate relationship with the One who calls, “Come to Me” and “Learn from Me”.  As complicated as life may become, discipleship at heart simply means walking with Jesus in the real world and having Him teach us moment by moment how to live life His way.

God does have a wonderful plan for your life – but it’s not to make your life perfectly comfortable or to pile on rules and obligations.  God’s wonderful plan is to make you like Jesus, to build you into the woman or man you were created to be.  The only way we get there is by coming to Jesus, accepting His rest, and learning from Him.  Jesus says it’s easier than you might think.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

I'm not that grateful

Growing up in the church, I can remember hearing the phrase “Count your blessings” numerous times.  There was even a song in the hymnal with the same title that the congregation would occasionally sing.  The chorus lyrics were “Count your blessings, name them one by one.  Count your blessings see what God has done.”

Throughout the years, I’ve heard various sermons on the importance of having an “Attitude of Gratitude”.  At least, I remember hearing the catchy little phrase in more than a handful of talks.  As texting and social media has grown from a novelty into an integrated part of our lives, we’ve shortened the phrase “Praise the Lord” to just “PTL” and we now add a “#Blessed” to our posts.

At any point along the way, if you had asked me if I was thankful or grateful, I would have likely responded with, “Of course I am!  Have you seen my family, my house, or my job?  They’re all good – nothing’s perfect mind you, but it’s better than how I grew up and it’s probably better than I deserve.”

But as for my day-to-day living and thought process?  I’m focused solely on getting the next task done.  Gotta get ready for work.  Gotta eat.  Gotta get the kids ready.  Gotta work.  Gotta run errands.  Gotta deal with people.  Gotta walk the dog.  Gotta do…Gotta do…Gotta do…

Managing the steps to getting stuff done takes up a different section of my headspace than when I am thinking about being grateful.  If you’re like me, I have to intentionally think about being grateful…and I’ve come to the realization that I haven’t spent much time there.  Sure, I’m surfacely aware that I have had many blessings in my life, but do I intentionally practice gratitude as a habit?  No, I don’t.

A simple online search of “science and gratitude” reveals a ton of research in this area.  Overwhelmingly, the results point to an improved life for those who actively engage in gratitude activities – gratitude letter writing (whether sent or not), gratitude journaling, thankful prayer, etc.  The improvements observed in all studies almost reads like a “too-good-to-be-true” list: better sleep, less anxiety and depression, better recovery from traumatic events, more positive high-energy moods, decreased risk of drug or alcohol abuse, decreased risk of bulimia, lessening materialism and increasing in generosity, lower stress hormones and inflammatory biomarkers. 

That’s just a handful of the benefits found across all age groups: children, teens, young adults, middle-aged, senior citizens.  It honestly doesn’t matter where you are in life, what has happened to you, or how good/bad your circumstances are currently – the science repeatedly shows that intentionally chosen, routine expression of gratitude has a massive, lasting impact on our lives. 

When we look at Scripture, we find that gratefulness and thankfulness are everywhere.  Depending on your translation, the words “thank”, “thankful”, “thanks”, or “grateful” show up about 150 times.  However, further inspection shows that gratefulness is found in more than just spotting the words.  Think about the yearly feasts and celebrations God prescribed to the Israelites – they were set up to produce annual rhythms of thankfulness and remembrance of how good God had been to the nation of Israel.

In just one example of gratitude from the New Testament, Paul tells the believers in Thessalonica:

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Ever wonder what God’s will is for your life?  Apparently, it is to rejoice, pray, and give thanks.  Regardless of circumstances, moods, or the amount of pain we’re dealing with.

I’m also reminded of the first verses my mom had me memorize (from the NIV84 translation):

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

If we acknowledge Him, which would naturally include expressing gratitude, then God will illuminate our next steps in life. 

It’s times like these that I think our modern-day science is simply catching up with what God has asked us to do – what He has wired us to do – all along.  Expressing gratitude to God shifts the focus off of us and our situation.  It causes us to become more God-focused instead of spinning our wheels in Me-ville. 

In the days after (finally) discovering this principle, I have asked my wife “What 5 things are you grateful for today?”  And you know what?  Each time I have asked, that has been the start of the best conversation of my day.  When we share what we’re grateful for, we’re revealing what we are thinking about, and saying it out loud helps to both frame and affirm how blessed we are.

I intend to ask my wife this question every day, because I think it’ll be a good way for us to connect, communicate, and get all the benefits that science has discovered…and especially the ones that God promises as well.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Body aches, pains, and injuries

I hurt my wrist at the beginning of June this year.  The injury happened during my first time at Top Golf, which is basically a gamified driving range.  Rather than just teeing off and see how far you can hit the golf ball, Top Golf has targets set up at various distances where you get points for how close you get to each one.  Now, I haven’t swung a golf club in twenty-some years…and whatever I did on that first swing – my grip, not keeping my wrists straight, whatever – I did it wrong.  I felt an immediate pain in my right wrist that shot halfway up my forearm.

I was a little sore over the next few days, so I decided to treat it like a sprain and take it easy.  Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevate…repeat.  Over several weeks, it didn’t get any better and was becoming increasingly more painful, so I made the appointment with an orthopaedic doctor.  His exam and subsequent MRI revealed a partial tear in the scapholunate ligament.  Fortunately, the tear is in a location that doesn’t cause any structural issues or impact to the wrist’s function.  As such, there isn’t an expectation that surgery will be needed.

Honestly, I didn’t even know this ligament was there.  If it was mentioned in any of my high school or college science courses, I don’t recall.  The SL ligament thickness ranges between 1mm to 3mm.  It doesn’t take up much space, but its job is incredibly important – to provide stabilization and help control rotational motion in the wrist bones caused by the wrist’s movements.

I’m not fishing for your sympathies…I bring this up because what’s really struck me throughout this whole situation is how much impact the injury to this little ligament has caused.  Without NSAIDs and Tylenol, the spot just burns – to the point of mental distraction and frustration.  Because of the pain, I don’t have much pushing strength in that arm, and even when I keep my wrist straight, it fatigues quickly when trying to carry anything. 

All because of a small, partial tear on a little tiny ligament.

In multiple letters to various churches, the Apostle Paul referred to believers as “the body of Christ”.  To the churches in Rome and Corinth, he pointed out that there are different parts of our physical bodies that have different – and each important – jobs.  So too, Paul said, within the body of Christ – we each have different gifts and abilities, so it’s best for the various parts of the body to do what they are made to do in order to have a healthy, active church.

However, in his letter to the believers in Corinth, he also addressed what happens when a part of the body isn’t functioning properly:

1 Corinthians 12:24-26
God has put the body together…that the members would have the same concern for each other.  So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

Just like the injury to my wrist, when someone in God’s family struggles, the impact is much greater than just that one person.  When we’re unable to do what God has made us to do – due to physical, emotional, or mental suffering – then the church as a whole is impacted.  The pain isn’t localized, it can radiate and affect other parts of the body and how they function. 

When one portion of our physical body is injured, the other parts compensate until healing can occur.  Sometimes the injury can heal on its own, with some time and rest.  Other times, the injury needs more specialized attention.  The same should happen in the body of Christ.  Those around the struggling member need to come along side and provide support while the healing occurs.  When we come across a fellow believer who is suffering, we can’t ignore them and their pain.  We need to recognize that if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it and it’s in everyone’s best interest to do the work to restore our suffering family member.

This principle is true, no matter what your role in the body of Christ is.  You don’t have to lead worship or preach on Sunday mornings in order to qualify for assistance.  We are to have the same concern for each other, regardless of how we serve.  Yes, an injury to one of our eyes is impactful, but an injury to a supporting ligament in a wrist can be just as debilitating.  Just as there are no unimportant parts of our physical body, there are no unimportant parts of Christ’s body, the church, either.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Flashback Favorite - Finding our purpose

Whose story are we telling with our lives, and who’s responsible for holding everything together?

I often need this kind of reminder:

Finding our purpose
Originally posted on August 14, 2015

A few years ago, I was having a “parental discussion” with one of my sons.  As he was struggling with the situation at hand, I pointed him toward what God had to say about the subject…to which he snapped in frustration, “Does everything have to be about God?”

I honestly can’t blame him for asking.  In fact, he verbalized something we all struggle with, but are typically too scared to say out-loud.  We don’t want to think about the bigger, God-sized perspective when we’re angry about our current circumstances.  We secretly don’t want to admit that we are not the main character in our life’s story.  We’re afraid that if we’re not in control of the situation, everything will fall apart…or at least not turn out the way we think would be best for us.

These kinds of questions and struggles are not new.  It is part of the sanctification process, part of us growing closer to God after we’ve accepted Jesus as our Savior.  Even believers in the first century dealt with the same struggles we face.  In his letter to the believers in Colossae, Paul’s solution to these kinds of doubts is to have an accurate view of who Jesus truly is.

Speaking about Jesus, Paul states:

Colossians 1:15-16
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation;
because by Him everything was created, in heaven and on earth,
the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities –
all things have been created through Him and for Him.

The fact that Jesus is the One who created everything is explored in these verses.  The last line says it clearly – all things have been created through Him.  However, I don’t think that any of us believers have a problem accepting that.  We look at the magnificent world around us, and understand that it was created.  The design and detail we find as we explore creation points us toward an intelligent purpose rather than suggesting the world “happened” by some “random chance”.

However, it’s the last two words of the sentence that give us pause:

all things have been created…for Him

Did anything inside you bristle or pull back, even just a little bit?
With that slight recoil, we’re internally asking, “Does everything have to be about God?”

Because if those two words are true, if all things have really been created for Him, then our perspective on all things will have to change, won’t it?  When I’m honest with myself, I worry that I won’t have any say over what happens next if I’m not the most important person in my life-story.   I’m not sure of where this new understanding of life will take me.  In a word, accepting that all of creation – including my life – was created for Jesus…it scares me.

But let’s take a breath and think through this a moment…

The one who creates is the one who knows the full purpose of his or her creation.  Ask any artist, architect, or teacher, and they will tell you how both the design and purpose of their music, their building, or their lessons are intertwined.  Each one of them knows the detailed reasons for their creation.  Each of them has a specific design and purpose for their creation to fulfill. 

Likewise, since we know that we have been created by Jesus – we should also recognize that He knows our purpose.

So don’t bristle, don’t pull back.  Even though we may not fully understand, even if the future looks murky…the One who designed us is with us, and He perfectly knows what to do with us.  And we can take comfort in the very next verse:

Colossians 1:17
He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together.

We don’t have to be the one to hold all things together, that’s not our job.  Instead, we just need to trust the One who created us, the One who created our purpose.

Are we willing to let go and trust that we were created for Him?

Keep Pressing,
Ken 

Practical assistance

Although he had been king of Israel for many years, David suddenly found himself in the middle of a national crisis.  His third oldest son, Absalom, who had been plotting against him for years, had finally launched his revolt and had proclaimed himself as king.  When David received word of Absalom’s coup, he knew he had to act fast:

2 Samuel 15:13-17
Then an informer came to David and reported, “The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom.”

David said to all the servants with him in Jerusalem, “Get up.  We have to flee, or we will not escape from Absalom!  Leave quickly or he will overtake us quickly, heap disaster on us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword.”

The king’s servants said to the king, “Whatever my lord the king decides, we are your servants.”  Then the king set out, and his entire household followed him.  But he left behind ten concubines to take care of the palace.  So the king set out, and all the people followed him.

It wouldn’t have been enough for David to slip out and run off on his own.  In those days, when a king was overthrown, all his supporters – and especially his family members – were immediately killed to ensure there were no rivals left to oppose the new king.

In addition to saving his supporters, David also wanted to spare Jerusalem from any violence or destruction the would occur if his supporters engaged Absalom’s troops within the city.  David had to make plans – on the fly – about who stayed behind and who would travel with him.  Based upon the detail given in the rest of the chapter, the group David left with could be estimated between 750-1,000 men, women, and likely children: a mix of allies, warriors, servants, and family members.  They would be no match for the thousands of warriors at Absalom’s disposal.

David and company quickly headed to the Jordan river, likely traveling between 15 and 20 miles.  They were exhausted when they got there, so they stopped to rest (2 Samuel 16:14).  Once word arrived that Absalom was coming for them in the morning, they crossed over the Jordan river during the night.  From there, they continued their flight another 25 miles north to Mahanaim.  It was in Mahanaim that David finally received some help:

2 Samuel 17:27-29
When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, Machir son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim brought beds, basins, and pottery items.  They also brought wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils, honey, curds, sheep, goats, and cheese from the herd for David and the people with him to eat.  They had reasoned, “The people must be hungry, exhausted, and thirsty in the wilderness.”

The Bible account doesn’t say if Shobi, Machir, and Barzillai coordinated their help or if they acted individually and simply brought what they could.  Either way, their support came at just the right time.  A group of that size would not last long without food, support, and rest.  And these regional leaders did what they could to provide for David and his people.

I find the last comment added to be rather insightful.  We don’t have to wonder why they brought their provisions.  We are given their motivation: They had reasoned, “The people must be hungry, exhausted, and thirsty in the wilderness.”

Let’s think about the situation.  National upheaval was happening.  Shobi, Machir, or Barzillai could not have stopped the coup attempt, nor would they be able to prevent civil war.  However, they recognized a need and used what resources they had to provide timely help.

The example I see for us modern folks is to do the same.  Regardless of which way the political winds are blowing, there are people who need food, support, and rest.  If you don’t know anyone personally that is struggling, it would not take much effort to identify organizations and ministries that do great work to reach those in need.

The kind of help I’m envisioning isn’t one where you just go online and donate $20.  Although that would probably be appreciated, the example provided by Shobi, Machir, and Barzillai is specific, targeted gifts that met the needs of David and those he was responsible for.  And…their gifts were personally delivered, which means these three gave their time as well. 

It’s hard to be the hands and feet of the body of Christ if we don’t get off our duffs.  Be proactive.  Be intentional.  There are many who are hungry, exhausted, and thirsty for what you have to offer – be it great or small.  Because even a small amount of support, when given personally, is a great help.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

An undeserved seat at the table

If you study Scripture long enough, you’ll begin to see that patterns emerge.  Themes about God are repeated at various moments in history.  Prophecies are fulfilled, but sometimes more than once and within different generations.  Oftentimes, God’s actions and stories from others people’s lives in the Old Testament are a foreshadowing of something yet to come.  I was introduced to one recently that I want to share.

King Saul had decided to kill David, whom God had already chosen to be Israel’s next king.  Saul’s son Jonathan was David’s best friend, despite knowing that he – the expected heir to the throne – was being passed over.  At one of their last face-to-face meetings, Jonathan and David affirmed their friendship and that it would continue throughout the generations of each other’s families. 

The Bible never explicitly says how long David would be on the run from Saul, but many commentators estimate that it was between 4 and 8 years.  Eventually, Saul and Jonathan died in a battle against the Philistines, and we learn this about Jonathan’s family:

2 Samuel 4:4
Saul’s son Jonathan had a son whose feet were crippled.  He was five years old when the report about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel.  His nanny picked him up and fled, but as she was hurrying to flee, he fell and became lame.  His name was Mephibosheth.

As time passed, David became king, took control of the nation, recovered the Ark of the Covenant, and subdued Israel’s enemies.  However, he had not forgotten his promise to Jonathan.

2 Samuel 9:1-5
David asked, “Is there anyone remaining from the family of Saul I can show kindness to for Jonathan’s sake?”  There was a servant of Saul’s family named Ziba.  They summoned him to David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”

“I am your servant,” he replied.

So the king asked, “Is there anyone left of Saul’s family that I can show the kindness of God to?”

Ziba said to the king, “There is still Jonathan’s son who was injured in both feet.”

The king asked him, “Where is he?”

Ziba answered the king, “You’ll find him in Lo-debar at the house of Machir son of Ammiel.”  So King David had him brought from the house of Machir son of Ammiel in Lo-debar.

It was normal practice for the new incoming king to kill off all descendants of the previous king, in order to assure there were no challengers to the new king’s throne.  So it’s no surprise that Mephibosheth (I’ll call him ‘Shef’) was living his life in secret in a place like Lo-debar.  The name debar translates to either “pasture” or “thing”.  Given that the term “lo” is a negative, Shef was hiding in the last place that anyone would look – a place with “No pasture” and “Nothing” to offer. 

Much to Shef’s horror, I’m sure, he was still found out and summoned to the new king’s palace.  It is unlikely that he was alive the last time his father and David spoke.  It’s entirely possible that he did not know what kind of friendship they had.  Although David had told Ziba that he planned to show kindness to him, could he be really sure that was the case?  How much anxiety did he have as he made the journey to Jerusalem?  I can easily imagine him being a sweaty bundle of nerves by the time he arrived in the king’s palace.

2 Samuel 9:6-8,11-13
Mephibosheth son of Jonathan son of Saul came to David, fell facedown, and paid homage.  David said, “Mephibosheth!”

“I am your servant,” he replied.

“Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “since I intend to show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan.  I will restore to you all your grandfather Saul’s fields, and you will always eat meals at my table.”

Mephibosheth paid homage and said, “What is your servant that you take an interest in a dead dog like me?”…So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table just like one of the king’s sons.  Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica.  All those living in Ziba’s house were Mephibosheth’s servants.  However, Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem because he always ate at the king’s table.  His feet had been injured.

Shef received unmerited favor from the King.  By the law of the land, King David was not expected to allow Shef to live, let alone give him property, servants, and a place at the king’s table!  Shef had moved from Podunk to the Palace, from mud pit to marble, from nothing to being treated the same as one of the King’s sons.  Shef didn’t deserve this.  He couldn’t have earned his way up to it, either.  Even though he remained physically crippled, he was still welcome.

The parallel I was recently shown is that this is how Jesus treats us.  We’re crippled in our sin-soaked state.  We don’t deserve His favor.  We can’t earn His forgiveness.  And yet…Jesus still offers eternal life to anyone who believes in Him for it.  Once we accept that gift…His unmerited favor…we, too, have a seat at the Father’s table.  We are treated as a child of God, with all the access and privileges for those of that status.

But, just like Shef…we’re still physically broken.  Our bodies are flawed.  The older we get, the more we become aware of that fact.  David couldn’t fix Shef, but one day, God promises that we will have resurrection bodies. 

If you have believed in Jesus for eternal life, take a moment and thank Him for your seat at the table.  Then be on the lookout for opportunities to invite others to join us.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Flashback Favorite - Blindsided

This week, I received one of those calls…and now I am weary with grief. This post from 7 years ago is helping me keep both perspective and focus.

Blindsided
Originally posted on May 22, 2015

Blindsided.
Knocked down.
Run over.
Left for dead.

Life does that sometimes.  Just completely out of the blue, you get that phone call.  A relative in good health suddenly dies.  A friend’s child is in an accident.  Layoffs.  Divorce.  Cancer.  Any number of things can take us out at the knees without any warning.

And we’re quickly reminded of how fragile and small we really are.

In Psalm 119:25-32, the author use two descriptive phrases to relate how he feels after life has knocked him down.  First he says, my life is down in the dust.  Other translations render his words as my soul clings to the dust or I collapse in the dirt.  He feels so low that he can only relate to the trampled dirt on the ground.  Secondly he says, I am weary from grief.  Other translations relay the author’s meaning by stating my soul melts from heaviness and my soul weeps because of grief.  We can relate to the psalmist because we’ve all had times when our hearts are so heavy that even our souls are shedding tears.

Our typical reactions to getting knocked down by life is to ask God “Why me?” or, if we’re feeling mature, we’ll ask “God, what are You trying to teach me in this?”  However, the psalmist has neither of those responses.

As you read this section of Psalm 119, look for where the psalmist turns to when life has brought him down low:

Psalm 119:25-32
My life is down in the dust; give me life through Your word.
I told You about my life, and You listened to me; teach me Your statutes.
Help me understand the meaning of Your precepts so that I can meditate on Your wonders.
I am weary from grief; strengthen me through Your word.
Keep me from the way of deceit, and graciously give me Your instruction.
I have chosen the way of truth; I have set Your ordinances before me.
I cling to Your decrees; Lord, do not put me to shame.
I pursue the way of Your commands, for You broaden my understanding.

When life has him down in the dust to the point where he is weary from grief, the psalmist looks for life and strength though Your word.  He’s not looking for an explanation or a life-lesson, rather he is looking for God himself, as revealed in Scripture.

It is noteworthy that when he asks God to help me understand, he’s not looking for the meaning of what knocked him down to the ground…instead he’s asking God to explain the meaning of Your precepts.  Again, he’s not focused on how he got there or why he got there…he’s focusing on meeting God in the midst of it all.

When life has knocked him down, the psalmist implicitly trusts God with all aspects of the situation.  And he seeks God through the Scriptures to reinforce his faith.

So should we.

Keep Pressing,
Ken 

An unusual God-planned meeting

Not to get all mystical on you, but have you ever felt like God was prompting you to do something or say something to someone? 

Maybe it was obvious, to help someone right in front of you.  Perhaps it was just to be somewhere specific.  Either way, how did you respond?  Did you shrug it off, wondering if you’re a little crazy…or did you actually do it?

Let’s take a look at one time God planned a specific meeting for a specific person…but He needed to get someone else to a specific place in order for it to happen:

Acts 8:26-29
An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip: “Get up and go south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is the desert road.)  So he got up and went.  There was an Ethiopian man, a eunuch and high official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of her entire treasury.  He had come to worship in Jerusalem and was sitting in his chariot on his way home, reading the prophet Isaiah aloud.

The Spirit told Philip, “Go and join that chariot.”

This is now the second time we’ve seen God tell Philip to do something.  The first was just to go to a specific area, with no directions beyond that.  While the second direction was a bit more specific, notice that God didn’t tell Philip what to say or how to say it.  Because he acted in both cases, Philip must have recognized that it was God communicating with him.  Philip had such a close relationship with God that he could recognize these promptings.  However, the person Philip found in the chariot might have surprised him.  Not knowing exactly why God sent him here, Philip offers to help the man.

Acts 8:30-35
When Philip ran up to it, he heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you’re reading?”

“How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?”  So he invited Philip to come up and sit wit him.  Now the Scripture passage he was reading was this:

He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb is silent before its shearer,
so he does not open his mouth.
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who will describe his generation?
For his life is taken from the earth.

The eunuch said to Philip, “I ask you, who is the prophet saying this about – himself or someone else?”  Philip proceeded to tell him the good news about Jesus, beginning with that Scripture.

The eunuch believed in Jesus for eternal life and had Philip baptize him at the next body of water they came to.  At the end of this account, we read that the Ethiopian eunuch went on his way rejoicing (Acts 8:39).  We don’t see this man again in Scripture, so we can only guess at what happened when he got home.  I’m certain he told the story of meeting Philip.  A man in his position and influence would have been able to share his experience with many people and…who knows how far into Ethiopia (or even into Africa) the good news about Jesus was spread!  I look forward to hearing the rest of this story when I get to the other side of eternity.

But going back to the start of our story – meeting the Ethiopian man wasn’t part of Philip’s plan for the day.  Since God had to tell him to go to the desert road between Jerusalem and Gaza, it’s safe to say that location wasn’t on Philip’s agenda.  But God desired to reach out to this one man, and by following God’s promptings, Philip was able to partner with God in doing so.

An Ethiopian official worshiping in Jerusalem was not a typical sight – so there must have been others along the way that influenced him so that he was ready to believe in Jesus for eternal life when Philip presented the gospel.  I’m certain there were many people in the Ethiopian’s story that directly or indirectly fueled his curiosity about the one true God.

I hope your relationship with God is as close as Philip’s, so that you can recognize God’s urging in your life.  Maybe you’ll be the one to share the good news about Jesus with someone else.  Maybe you’ll be one of those who helps prepare them to hear the good news at a later time from someone else.  If you’re not sure if you’d recognize God’s promptings like Philip did, then the best way you can develop that is to spend time with God.  Scripture reading and prayer are the two best ways of getting to know God better, a third great way is to hang out with those that know God better than you do.  It's the same approach to getting to know another person – spend time with them and their friends. 

Get to know God better, and you’ll recognize the Holy Spirit’s promptings to meet others where they are.  Who knows whom you’ll meet and how you’ll be able to partner with God?  Well…God does (and that’s kind of the point).

Keep Pressing,
Ken

What if we're wrong?

Have you ever been challenged with the question, “What if you’re wrong about Christianity?”  Maybe this question was thrown at you, like some sort of challenge, by someone who doesn’t think there is a God.  Or perhaps you have asked yourself this question, and thinking about it kept you awake last night.  To be honest, it’s a fair question.  We should examine our thoughts and understand why we believe the things that we do.  And when it comes to what we believe about our eternal destiny, it’s not wrong to think this question through – even if we feel a little uncomfortable doing so.

Most church sermons will not touch this subject.  But on the rare occasion a pastor/teacher discusses the possibility that Christ-followers have the wrong answers to eternal questions, their answer typically goes something like this:

Well, if I’m wrong…and this whole Jesus-thing isn’t true, and there isn’t a God who created all that we can see, and there won’t be a resurrection of the dead…if there’s truly nothing that happens when we die and we just cease to exist, then at least I – because of my belief system – have made the world a better place.  My efforts have made a difference in other people’s lives.

Pardon me while I go throw up this super-sugary, over-baked theological nonsense.

First of all, if there isn’t a God at all, then in the long run – nothing really matters.  The second law of thermodynamics ultimately wins as everything slides to an unenergetic equilibrium and all life as we know it will eventually cease to exist…despite any kindness or nice feelings we produced along the way.

However, the second possible “If Christians are wrong” logical conclusion is arguably worse than the first: What if there is a God, but Jesus was not who He said He was?  If there is no upcoming resurrection of the dead – no life after death – where does that leave us?

If you’ve never considered these questions or you’re feeling a little uneasy right now, don’t worry – you’re not the first person to wrestle with them.  In fact, the first-century believers in Corinth were dealing with these challenges, and here’s how Paul addressed their concerns:

1 Corinthians 15:13-14
If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised then our proclamation is in vain, and so is your faith.

No punches pulled here.  If there is no life after death, then Jesus didn’t leave the tomb.  And if Jesus is still dead, then His offer of “eternal life” to those who believe in Him for it looks like a pretty lousy deal.  If He couldn’t keep Himself alive, how is He supposed to give life to anyone else?

But Paul’s reasoning doesn’t stop there.  He continues to the logical conclusion of what it means if there is no resurrection coming:

1 Corinthians 15:15, 17-19
Moreover, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified wrongly about God that He raised up Christ…and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.  Those, then, who have fallen asleep in Christ [i.e. – those who have already died believing in Jesus for eternal life] have also perished.  If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone.

Paul recognized that if his belief in Jesus for eternal life was misplaced, then his earthly life was wasted and the only thing he deserved was to be pitied more than anyone.  Paul was not using his faith in Jesus as an insurance policy.  He wasn’t hedging his bets and consoling himself with soft-soap platitudes about his “good deeds”.  Instead, Paul was convinced that he could entrust Jesus with his eternal future.  Paul believed that Jesus’ resurrection was proof of His victory over death, and that we, too, will be resurrected one day:

1 Corinthians 15:20-22
But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.  For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man.  For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

We may wrestle with doubts or be asked some hard questions from time to time, but the answer to the question of “What if you’re wrong about Christianity?” ultimately comes down to how we respond to what Jesus told Martha.  Do we find Jesus to be as trustworthy as Paul did?

John 11:25-26
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.  The one who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live.  Everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.  Do you believe this?”

Once you believe in Jesus for eternal life, He guarantees that you have it.  No strings.  No extra promises or actions required.  If you believe in Him, He promises resurrection, even if you experience physical death before He returns. 

Do you believe this?

Keep Pressing,
Ken