Tag Archives: Living like Jesus

Tested

Eastertide

May 21, 2020

Scripture Reading:
1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in so far as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God, is resting on you. –1 Peter 4:12-14

While I do not think we are going through anything like what the first Disciples experienced, I do believe every generation is tested. We face the decision of how to be in the world but not of the world* every day. the multi-faceted side effects of the COVID 19 virus on the graduating classes of 2020 impact them far beyond direct health concerns. One graduating high school senior noted on the news that most in her class were born shortly after the 9-11 bombings which also reshaped their lives. Such challenges rise and fall through the generations. How we deal with them matters.

We seem caught in a great battle between the God of love and the gods of greed, power, and privilege. It started well before the virus began to spread across our lands. Climate change may have contributed to the increasing incidents of various viruses over several years. Not doing our duty as a country to provide for the Common Good is costing us far more than providing appropriate civil services to support our economy and protect our people all the time. We are suddenly realizing that all God’s children are important for our world to work well.

Perhaps the best thing to come out of these recent tests is that we work to follow God’s guidance and not chase after the temptations of the world. Perhaps those 2020 graduates will lead the way.

Prayer: God of love, we thank you for the leadership of those entering adulthood. Help us all work to assure the Common Good as we care for one another. Amen.

*See John 15:19, John 17:14-16, Romans 12:2, Ephesians 4:22-24, and 1 Thessalonians 4:1

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Selfless-Righteousness

Eastertide

May 14, 2020

Scripture Reading:
1 Peter 3:13-22

Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defence to anyone who demands from you an account of the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil. –1 Peter 3:13-17

The definition of the Greek word agathos1 translated here as “good” is “good.” It is recommended for use when trying to describe something that is: intrinsically good, good in nature, good whether it be seen to be so or not, the widest and most colorless of all words with this meaning. 1 Merriam-Webster wrote several pages trying to describe the word “good.”2

The word “right” used in the scripture above:1343 /dikaiosýnē (“divine approval”) is the regular NT term used for righteousness (“God’s judicial approval”). 1343 /dikaiosýnē (“the approval of God”) refers to what is deemed right by the Lord (after His examination), i.e. what is approved in His eyes.3

What happens when others do not deem what we are doing as either good or right in the eyes of God? Greed quickly closes people’s minds to what is good for anyone else but themselves. Greed results in injustice in the eyes of God. We are seeing a lot of that going on in our world today.

We are called to be people functioning under the example set by Jesus Christ. The popular phrase started a few years ago, “What would Jesus Do” has more significance than a wristband fad. According to the Pew Forum 70.6% of USA citizens identify as Christians. A number that is rapidly declining4. We, however, are houses divided not even able to recognize the validity of the varying tenets we follow.  Our discord is driving people from the faith.

if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. –2 Chronicles 7:14

Once we have sought God’s forgiveness and guidance, we need to find those issues on which we do agree and start the rebuilding now.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us for our self-righteousness in our service to you and guide us in learning how to live like Jesus in selfless-righteousness. Amen.

1https://biblehub.com/str/greek/18.htm
2https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/good
3https://biblehub.com/str/greek/1343.htm
4https://www.pewforum.org/2019/10/17/in-u-s-decline-of-christianity-continues-at-rapid-pace/

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Culture and Christ

Kingdom Building

July 20, 2019

Scripture Reading: Luke 10:38-42

Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.’ But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.’

When I read this scripture today, I thought of Ecclesiastes 3: For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: Jesus is not saying that we should all drop everything we are doing and spend all our time listening to his teachings. I think he is saying that being busy for the sake of being busy is pointless. Our culture often defines who we are and what we do rather than delving into our relationship with God and understanding the talents and skills with which we were created and how we can best use them to the glory of God. I do think we have a choice. I think even Jesus had a choice regarding whether he would go to the cross. His decision is what makes it so meaningful.

Martha most likely was concerned about how others would judge her by the expectations for women in that time and place to offer hospitality. That reminded me of the story when God sent Samuel to look for a new king to anoint. When Samuel saw the oldest son, Samuel judged the man by societies measures But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’ (1 Samuel 16:7)

Martha was probably a little jealous of Mary when after all Martha was doing the right thing related to their culture. There is nothing good or bad with culture and we all live in a least one and most of us live in more than one. Our place of worship has its own culture as does our family and place of work and even our friendship groups. Problems arise when our culture runs counter to the teachings of Jesus. Just because something is the way we have always done it does not mean it is the right thing to do. Identifying those things in our culture that may be harmful to ourselves or others can be hard to do. Examining such activities and altering them when necessary is important in the work we do in the name of Christ.

Prayer: Lord, grant us the insight we need into our cultural heritage to continue to cherish those activities that are in sync with your ways and the courage to remove any harmful things that we may identify. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Customizing Christ

Epiphany
January 20, 2017

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:10-18

What I mean is that each of you says, ‘I belong to Paul’, or ‘I belong to Apollos’, or ‘I belong to Cephas’, or ‘I belong to Christ.’ Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? –1 Corinthians 1:12-13

The phrase, ‘I belong to Christ’ bothers me as it is included in a laundry list of leaders in the church apparently caught in the middle of a game of my preacher is better than yours. Are we not all called to belong to Christ? As I ponder that phrase, I wonder if Paul was trying to say we don’t get to customize Christ—build a Christ based on our values not the other way around. I fear we may all get caught up in creating our own Christ occasionally.

Jesus taught a radically different way of being than was the common practice among the faithful of the first century. He invested his life in standing behind the principles that he taught. I do not think he was bringing a new message as much as he was making the age-old message clearer in more human terms. Loving God, loving our neighbors as we love ourselves, being a blessing to all nations are recorded in some of the earliest writings. So why was it deemed unacceptable in the first century even to the faith community? Why is it still hard for us to live like Jesus today?

Prayer: Lord, just as you opened Saul’s heart and mind on his road to Damascus, open our lives to living through your love on our journeys. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.

Setting Goals

Trike TrackLiving in the Spirit
July 7, 2016

Scripture Reading: Colossians 1:1-14

For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. –Colossians 1:9-10

I score high on being a goal oriented person and am totally capable of driving my process friends and co-workers crazy. With that caveat, I must say I appreciate Paul setting forth our ultimate goals as followers of Christ in the first section of his letter to the Colossians:

  • Lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him
  • Bear fruit in every good work
  • Grow in the knowledge of God

How much are we dedicated in our daily lives to these three goals? What does it mean to lead a life worthy of the Lord? Assuming that all our works are good in the first place, do we routinely assess whether they are bearing fruit? I was recently a part of a discussion about upgrading a playground when someone said he would like to see a track built to circle the area. That immediately made no sense to me. Why would anyone want children riding a little train around and around in an enclosed place with stockade fencing getting no exercise or educational benefit? I misunderstood. The track was a trike track where children could safely ride while getting tons of good exercise, a primary purpose of a playground. And finally, what are we doing to grow in the knowledge of God?

Of course, Paul leads off our scripture today with his commitment to praying without ceasing for our communion with God is crucial to understanding God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

Prayer: Lord, help me never to stop learning about your way and your truth. Forgive me when I push ahead without consulting you or when I perceive your will through my self-limited frame of understanding.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.