Thanks?

Well, Thanksgiving is over, here in el Estados Unidos. We have slain our turkeys, hogs and cattle in annual celebration of our gratitude. It is no longer acceptable, in this country, to verbalize the object of our thanks, so we simply say that we are "thankful".

Interestingly, I was looking for a tie-in to Galatians and discovered that the apostle doesnt address thankfulness in this book. It isnt even listed among the fruit of the Spirit. Paul does talk about it, though, in Romans.

There, he discusses the depravity and decadence of mankind- "when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened".

So, here I am in 21st century America. We have this annual holiday named "Thanksgiving Day". It's origins lie in a time when people were glad to simply have harvested enough to get them through the winter. They gathered together in communal gratitude to their God, sharing the harvest with their neighbors, including unbelievers.

In our time, though, we struggle to give meaning to such a day. Like the people of Paul's day, we dont want to acknowledge a particular God, if we acknowledge one at all.

So, what then?

We still gather our families and spread the board with as much bounty as we can. We cling to the idea that things are better than they could be and that they might get better still. I believe there is something in us that wants to be thankful.

I know. We are inately selfish and unrighteous. Our desires are to please ourselves, but deep down, I believe has built into us a need to recognize what we are - We are creatures made in the image of the One Holy and True God, by whom all things are created.

Longsuffering

Of all the fruit of The Spirit, this may be the most difficult and perplexing. We in the 21st Century church have very little to do with it. Because of the cultural changes over the past hundred years or so, we have come to expect things to happen quickly. We expect people to respond quickly. When they dont, we get irritable and unstable.

So it was a little surprising to me a few weeks ago, that one of my students would bring it up as something she was struggling with. I wasnt surprised that she might struggle with it. The surprise was that she would even think about it.

What is longsuffering? It's very similar to patience, only with a bit of discomfort involved. It is most applicable to situations we'd like to get out of. At this moment, Beth and I are suffering through a time of trial with her knee surgery. I cant speak from her perspective, but from mine, it's a time of anxiety and anticipation. Anxiety, because I hate when she hurts and wish I could help. Anticipation, because I know that she'll be much better when it's over.

When dealing with people, we may have a particularly slow student, or contrary co-worker, whom we would prefer not to deal with. We may or may not see progress, but we are responsible to deal with the situation in a Christlike way. I imagine Jesus, when James and John said,"Let's call down fire from heaven and grill these dudes!" Longsuffering wasnt on their agenda.

Jesus, on the other hand, exhibited it toward the disciples for three years. He put up with their lack of faith, their shallowness of character, their inability to comprehend his teachings. How difficult must it have been for Him to dispute with the scribes and Pharisees? He knew they were wrong and could easily have taken them completely out of the picture. If He had, though, where would we be?

Longsuffering is to stay under the pressure, knowing that it will not crush us. We bear up, because we know that God's outcome will be better than anything we could do on our own. Sometimes it's for the good of another, but we must bear up for their sake.

Clarification

To all of you pet people, I apologize if my previous post seemed a little heartless. I am not a pet person. Never have been. It eludes me why people want to bring animals into their homes. It isnt that I dont like animals. They're fine, in their place, which I find to be outdoors among the other animals living as they were created. Excluded from this are farm animals such as cattle, horses, etc. These are not pets. They're partners, after a fashion- tools, if you must. Either way, I just cant get my emotions all worked up over a dog or a cat. (As a kid, I did get a little choked up when they shot Old Yeller.)

About the best I can do is set up an aquarium and get disappointed when my favorite fish goes belly up. It isnt an emotional thing, though. I like to look at fish. I also like to look at horses, elk, deer, various birds, and the like. It happens, though, that fish are easy to care for and dont require much monetary investment. For a little bit of nothing, I can get a good sized tank off Craigslist and stock it with a nice blend of little fresh water tropicals. I dont have to walk them. They dont need to go outside to do their business. Fish food is cheap. When my favorite one dies, I flush it and get a new one, a little sad that I wont get to enjoy that one anymore.

I was a vegetarian in my teens. It had to do with how inhumane it seemed to raise an animal with no other purpose than to kill and eat it. I imagined someone pressing my leg down into a sausage grinder, just to make a pizza. I dont want to get into that discussion, other than to say that God made very clear in His word that it's okay to eat meat. What kinds of meat remain up to your personal preference or interpretation of the Bible. I dont personally think it's a moral issue whether I include or exclude certain things from my diet. I will say, however, that I cant think of anything that I wouldnt try at least once. This is reflective of my liberty in Christ.

What? Let me rephrase: Because of Christ's sacrifice, I am now free to eat anything- snails to sea urchins, caviar to calves brains- without condemnation. What I am not free to do is condemn others who cant exercise this freedom. I dont believe there's any New Testament reason to abstain from this or that, but my brother may believe differently. If my liberty will impede my ability to minister, then I must sacrifice it. What matters most isnt my freedom, but my brother's. God is very clear- I must confine my own liberty in order to help others grow in Christ.

Jax the Dog and Divine Providence

First off, Beth is fine. She's home and able to get around a bit with her new walker. Thanks to you all for prayers and inquiries.

Now, about Jax- He's a little some kind of hairy terrier. He's hyperactive, mischievous, unruly and I just dont like him. Although he isnt mine, he lives in my house. Since he belongs to my daughter and her three, I'm sort of attached to him, as one might be to a large mole or tumor. Sadly, he thinks I'm his friend. In his world, I am the alpha dog.

This weekend, we received a generous outpouring of snow. Overall, probably 8-10 inches fell. Yesterday, I looked all over for the snow shovel, but couldnt find it anywhere. In the meantime, Jax was feeling rebellious. I tried twice to make him go out, but he was having none of it. While I was on the phone with Beth, just before I planned to walk out the door, he ran out into the snow and across the patio to the far end. I called and whistled. Offered treats, but it was no good. Finally, I went to the other door in hopes that he would either come in there, or run to the first one. Neither. He ran to the middle and stood in the chest deep snow, wagging his tail as though I might want to play. Stepping out onto the deck after him, I felt something under the snow. You'll never guess what it was...I'll bet you already have...yup...It was the missing snow shovel.

Once again, it could have been a coincidence, but I'm accustomed to them by now. Who am I to argue or question if God chooses to use a skinny little dog to do His work? I still dont like the dog, but I was grateful for him yesterday.

Peace

At this moment, my wife is in a local hospital recovering from yesterday's knee replacement surgery. When I walked in this morning, she was crying. A catch basin was under her chin and she was throwing up. Her eyes looked up at me with an expression I'd seen a thousand times on our children's faces - "Please, help me." I was helpless.


She'd been up all night. The pain medication attached to her I.V. was the culprit. Whenever she pressed that button for pain relief, her stomach would empty a few minutes later. She was in pain, because she didnt want to use that button. When the pain became unbearable, she would give in and press it, beginning the cycle again. This morning the staff is working to stop both. They brought her some oral pain meds and injected a nausea reliever into her I.V.

There are few moments in my life when I've felt so weak.

During a break between fits and visits, we prayed. "Dear Father, here is your little girl, and she is hurting. We cant fix this situation, but we know that you can, and that you love her. Please, Father, help."

The pain is under control and she hasnt thrown up again today. Her Father loves her and took care of it for her. Praise Him.

This is a source of peace that the world cannot give. When things in life are beyond my control, I know that I can go to my heavenly Father. He cares about us and is concerned with every little thing.

When we prayed for my wife's immediate help, did we surprise God? If he was aware of the situation, why didnt He do something without our asking? In fact, why didnt he just fix her knee before it needed replacement? Maybe He doesnt love her so much after all?

These questions are not so difficult to answer, but I wont go into them now. All I want to focus on is that He does listen and move. In this one instance, I might be able to attribute chance or coincidence. After more than thirty years in Christ, and countless situations like this, I'm convinced that God is constantly involved in my life. I can find no greater peace than that knowledge.

Release

Requirement without compliance...

It's stereotypical, yet common. We see it on TV all the time when dealing with Christian characters. They're dogmatic, bigotted, loud...and almost always hypocritical. They lie, murder, rape, steal.

Sadly, there is a tiny bit of truth in that characterisation. Some people who do these things call themselves Christians. That doesnt mean they really are, but media doesnt like to split hairs on such matters.

Others who lie, cheat, deride, etc. are believers who have somehow fallen into the trap of measuring spirituality by works. Either way, it's a poor reflection on the person of Christ.

Worse, is that people want to believe it. People can spot the imposter. They know if we're walking in our own power. That isnt to say they wont follow. Some will because they want to believe there's a different way. When they fail, others will point to them and say,"See! There's no power in that Christianity stuff!"

So, I must set the example for those around me. My life has to show them that there is power. That isnt to say I'm trying to live better, or be more thoughtful, or pray more. The goal is to let go of control and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.

How does that happen.......?

A Lesson from Ernest Hemingway

It is said that Ernest Hemingway, the master of word economy, was once challenged (or bet) to write a story with just six words. This is what he wrote- For sale: Baby shoes. Never worn.

I think this is a marvelous response. So much is implied in these six words, yet little is disclosed. The reader is left to imagine, or speculate about the story behind the story. It is a masterful piece of writing.

With regard to God's word, though, we are not so free. If something isnt stated directly, we may imagine or interpolate, but we are not free to accept such speculations as truth.

For example, people speculate about the meaning of Joseph's many-colored coat. They guess at what Jesus wrote on the ground. These things are fine, I suppose, as long as one doesnt draw conclusions from them.

When the Bible speaks, it tells us everything we need to know. God is not forgetful. He doesnt accidentally omit some needed information for us to guess at. If He leaves something out, there is a reason. We must trust Him.

A thing I find interesting, is that our need to discover these answers illustrates that we are made in God's image. We have a natural curiosity that wants things explained - to understand the whole. It's why Hemingway's story is so brilliant. Drawing on his knowledge of our humanity, he crafted a mental image that would cause the reader to press the story further.

In Galatians, Paul seems to be doing something similar. After laying out his argument against adding anything to faity, he encourages us to press our faith, taking it beyond our current level to make it something that people will see and want to emulate.

Let's do that.

Happy Angam Day!

Yup. It's Angam Day in Nauru, and that means celebration! Well, it was actually yesterday, but at this moment here in Denver, it's 11:30 on Monday night. In Nauru, it's 5:30 in the afternoon on Tuesday, the 27th.

What is Angam Day? It's the Day of Fulfullment - a day set aside to commemorate the birth of a baby girl named Eidaruwo. She was the special child, born on October 26, 1932. Her birth brought the Nauruan population back to 1,500. That's right. One thousand, five hundred Nauruans. This was up from 1,086 following the influenza epidemic of the 1920's.

From that time till now, this date has been set aside to celebrate the continued existence of the Nauruan people. It was not celebrated during WWII, because the population once again dropped below 1,500.

Existing as an island about 21 km across, between Honolulu and New Guinea, Nauru is the smallest republic in the world. It gained freedom from Australia in 1968, but is deeply dependent on that country for survival.

The birth of this little girl was so important that seventy years later this little island is still celebrating her birthday.

Now, wouldnt it be easy for me to dive right into a metaphor about how sin is a sickness that infects everyone? And how that there was another baby, born two-thousand years ago who is able to save us all? Sure would, but that isnt where I'm going.

You see, today there are reportedly between ten and fifteen thousand people living on that little island. their religious affiliations are recorded as -Nauru Congregational 35.4%, Roman Catholic 33.2%, Nauru Independent Church 10.4%, other 14.1%, none 4.5%, unspecified 2.4% (2002 census)

The island is destitute as the result of continued mining exploitation and nearly all food has to be imported. The result is a diet that leads to obesity, diabetes and other related health problems. Some reports show the average life expectancy now between fifty and sixty years and declining.

My point is this - Here is a tiny island, with declining population. The people are in bondage to several kinds of falsehood with little or no true witness. .As an American believer, how do I respond to this knowledge?

I cant go as a missionary. First of all, I havent the finances. Second, God simply hasnt called me, so no matter how strongly I might feel about the situation, I'd be going in my own power.

What then? I can pray. I dont mean,"All I can do is pray." I mean, I can do the single most powerful thing any believer can do. I can pray for them. I can pray the Lord of the Harvest to send forth laborers. Then I can believe that He hears and will answer.

Payment and purchase

I keep thinking about temples and "bought with a price". The things my mind stick on are the ideas that God was exact and particular about the tabernacle and the temple. There was to be no variance when the tabernacle was built. All the vessels were made exactly to his His order. He consulted no one and allowed no one to add to the ornamentation of His house.

Today, our bodies are His temple. Shouldnt we give them the same reverence that was given to His building?

Not only that, but Paul tells us "ye are not your own". My body doesnt belong to me. It's loaned to me, as one might loan a house or a tent to a friend. Wouldnt we expect that house or tent to be returned in the same condition it was given? Apart from general maintenance, we wouldnt expect the tenant to add or remove anything. Shouldnt it be the same with our bodies?

This then makes me think about this purchase on the Cross. Whom did Christ purchase? Was it just those who would be saved? or did He pay for the sins of the whole world?

As I think about it, there seems ample support for the idea that Christ's sacrifice paid for all sins. I picture a heavenly bank account, set up before the world was made. In it is the payment for all sins. At the cross, Jesus released that payment and made it available for anyone who will make the withdrawal.

That isnt to say that Sin was removed. The New Testament uses both terms "sins" and "Sin". There is a big difference between these concepts. "Sins" refers to my acts. "Sin" refers to the power of Sin to which I am a slave until I place my faith in Christ for salvation.

Although sins are paid for, unless we accept by faith the payment that Jesus made, that payment is not attributed to our account and we must reconcile at the last judgement. If we accept Jesus' sacrifice, by faith, then His payment is attributed to us (eternal grace), and the power of Sin is defeated in our lives (pragmatic grace). We are free from the law of sin and at liberty to serve Christ, which we were unable to do before.

Opus

An opus is a complete work. It's most often associated with music. A symphony may be referred to as "Symphony in B-flat major, opus 32". That symphony, though, is part of a larger body of work. The same is true of a painting, a boat, a book, a guitar or any number of things. What may not be so obvious, though, is that many people judge an artist or craftsman based on a single piece of work. Sad but true.

Have you ever heard anyone say something like,"I dont like Kandinsky. I saw one of his pieces and it didnt do anything for me." Without seeing a broader representation of that artist's work we cant adequately judge.

People do the same with God. "I've known some Christians and, honestly, I dont want anything to do with their God." They look at us in our weakness, missing the larger body of God's work.

In his epistles, Paul consistently pushes the focus away from himself and onto Jesus. Although he was accomplishing great things, and miracles were done through him, his response was always to turn the attention onto Christ. This wasnt a self-serving response, so that people would think, "See how humble Paul is." It was an honest understanding that the life he lived was of faith and whatever was accomplished in it was Christ working in him.

I know that I've been a stumbling block to many because of my own egotism. There have been many times that I've lived a good Christian life without leaning on Christ. I've walked in my own power and made it appear that I was walking in the Spirit. This is not liberty. It's bondage to my pride. As I continue on that road, I will attempt things because I thinkn I'm such a strong believer that God just has to bless me. It's ego. It's the old man and he is dead.

Imagine for a moment that you stepped into a room and found your own corpse lying on the floor. Somehow you had died and were unaware of it. Now you're free from the hindrances of that flesh and bone. That body cant do anything any longer. So you go out and experiment with this new freedom, doing things that you only dreamt of before. After a while, though, you begin to miss some of the old things. You go back to that room where your body is and you pick it up. Using a special kind of rope, you are able to strap yourself to it, piggy back, so you can carry it with you, and you begin to go about the old ways. How ridiculous is that?

This is a kind of picture of what Paul has been talking about. We are dead, yet spiritually alive and free in Christ. Look at all the things God has done for us. See what He's doing with others around us. He's blessing this person. Look what he's done in that person's life. Why would we want to strap on that old man and go back?

What happens, too, is that unbelievers see us walking around with that old corpse on. They see us miserable and powerless and they think, "Why would I want to be like that? If that's all their God can do, I think I'll pass." They cant look past us and see all the wonderful things he's doing with others. They'll focus on us and our misery.

What must happen to remedy this is that mature, strong believers begin to teach the weaker how to walk in Christ. The older must teach the younger what it means to really trust Him for everything.