Corinthian = American?

“You think you already have everything you need. You think you are already rich. You have begun to reign in God’s kingdom without us! I wish you really were reigning already, for then we would be reigning with you. Instead, I sometimes think God has put us apostles on display, like prisoners of war at the end of a victor’s parade, condemned to die. We have become a spectacle to the entire world—to people and angels alike. Our dedication to Christ makes us look like fools, but you claim to be so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are so powerful! You are honored, but we are ridiculed.”

1 Corinthians 4:8-10 NLT

http://bible.com/116/1co.4.8-10.nlt

Paul gives a stinging reprimand to the Corinthian church because of their awesomeness. Apparently they were living good and getting rather pompous about that. They were getting some respect presumably through leaving out important parts of the gospel. 

Paul on the other hand suffered because of his faith, and he had to point out the disconnect. 

There were two competing assumptions. 

Corinthians: When things are going well we must be experiencing Gods blessings for our goodness. 

Paul: When things are going poorly with persecutions, we are doing right in Gods eyes. 

We must clarify the logic. Just because our life seems good, that does not mean we are in the center of Gods will. Additionally, just because we are doing right by God, our life might not be going well. 

However it does not mean that if things are going well we are absolutely out of Gods will. Nor does it mean that if we are suffering we are automatically in Gods will. 

Nonetheless what light does this passage shine on the American church in relationship to the foreign church. Our situation bears resemblance to this one. The American church is prosperous and relatively safe. We have big churches and respect in many areas (though falling). The foreign church is suffering. We could easily hear in our minds the same condemnation from the foreign church that Paul leveled at Corinth. 

Would it be accurate?

Maybe. After reading the book, Radical by David Platt, one could easily see a connection. David shows the dire poverty in the foreign church contrasted with the wealth and possible hoarding of the American church. 

I am certainly not saying that our affluence proves we are out of Gods will. But it does not show we are either.

We must evaluate our lives with respect to God outside of our affluence with some expectation of suffering for what we believe. 

Lord help me to evaluate my life with you accurately. Don't let me confuse secular affluence with spiritual vitality. Help me serve you well as You direct. 

Mysterious Saints

“Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. He did not do what was pleasing in the sight of the LORD, as his ancestor David had done.”

2 Chronicles 28:1 NLT

http://bible.com/116/2ch.28.1.nlt

“Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became the king of Judah, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. He did what was pleasing in the LORD’s sight, just as his ancestor David had done.”
2 Chronicles 29:1-2 NLT
http://bible.com/116/2ch.29.1-2.nlt

Ahaz, a bad king, was king at 20 and reigned 16 years. Hezekiah, a good king, was 20 when he began. That mean Hezekiah was born when Ahaz was 16 and would have had 4 years with his grandfather Jotham, a good king. Perhaps Jotham was able to impart some wisdom to Hezekiah before he died, but that would have been limited due to his young age. 

I think that there must have been one or more mysterious saints that discipled Hezekiah secretly so that he would serve God when he became King. But we don't know who they were. The mysterious Saint changed the direction of the nation but was never mentioned in the bible. 

Mysterious saints are

• Humble
• Visionary 

They follow the vision they have with no requirement for fame. 

First, God supplies the vision. We don't know who we are called to help. God must supply that guidance.  Second we disciple with no expectations for fame or benefit. 

So be available as a mysterious Saint and see what God can do. 

Dear Jesus. 

Is there someone that you need me to introduce you to? I can be a mysterious Saint like Hezekiah had if you want. 

Love You. Tom. 

Single Point of Failure

“Joash did what was pleasing in the LORD’s sight throughout the lifetime of Jehoiada the priest.

Jehoiada lived to a very old age, finally dying at 130. He was buried among the kings in the City of David, because he had done so much good in Israel for God and his Temple. But after Jehoiada’s death, the leaders of Judah came and bowed before King Joash and persuaded him to listen to their advice. They decided to abandon the Temple of the LORD, the God of their ancestors, and they worshiped Asherah poles and idols instead! Because of this sin, divine anger fell on Judah and Jerusalem.

Then the leaders plotted to kill Zechariah, and King Joash ordered that they stone him to death in the courtyard of the LORD’s Temple. That was how King Joash repaid Jehoiada for his loyalty—by killing his son. Zechariah’s last words as he died were, “May the LORD see what they are doing and avenge my death!””

2 Chronicles 24:2, 15-18, 21-22 NLT

http://bible.com/116/2ch.24.2,15-18,21-22.nlt

Joash was a great king as long as Jehoida was alive. But after Jehoida's death, Joash went downhill. Jehoida was like a father to him. Jehoida saved the Kings life as a child, taught him, put him on the throne, and advised him. Jehoida even picked the King's wife! Apparently they had a very close relationship. Unfortunately Jehoida was also Joash's only connection to God.

In engineering we talk about single points of failure. That is a system that could fail with the failure of a single part. For example consider the swing ride at the amusement park. There are four cables holding the swing up. If any one of those cables broke the swing would stay safe. There is no single point of failure there. However if those four cables all connect to a single joint at the top, that would be a single point of failure. If the one connector would break, you would fly to the ground. (BTW that's not how they are made!)

Jehoida was a spiritual single point of failure for Joash. Do you have one? If your pastor died or sinned grievously or renounced Jesus, would that scuttle your faith? If your parent died or sinned grievously or renounced Jesus, would that scuttle your faith? If the person that introduced you to Jesus or mentored you died or sinned grievously or renounced Jesus, would that scuttle your faith? If you answer yes to any of these questions, that person is a spiritual single point of failure and you are living with the same risk that Joash did. 

You must retrain you eyes and faith off the human and more on to Jesus. It is too risky. Just like you don't want to trust your physical life to a ride with single points of failure, you mustn't trust your spiritual life to people that are spiritual single points of failure. 

Dear Jesus show me where I have a spiritual single point of failure or where I am one for someone else. Help us fix that dangerous situation! Help us all to have our own relationship with you. 

Love you Tom

Zealous but Wrong

“Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law.”

Romans 10:1-3 NLT

http://bible.com/116/rom.10.1-3.nlt

The Jews had zeal but they were wrong. 

It is easy to mistake zeal, energy, or charisma for right. It is easy for humans to get pretty excited about untruths. Lord knows that I have done it. 

We must take our ideas and those of others and cross reference them to a standard. And what better standard is there than the Bible?

That was easy, right? No. There is one other crucial aspect. Science teaches us to do our very best to disprove our hypothesis from our research. If we try our best and can't do it, then the hypothesis can be accepted. 

Most of us make a mistake with the Bible. We get an idea in our melon and look for some Bible verses to support the idea. When we find something we like, we stop. We must try to find verses to disprove our idea. If we can't then we can accept the truth. Otherwise we risk the Jewish problem of having zeal and being wrong. 

Dear Jesus. Help me be zealous and right. It is easy to get excited about wrong things and I have done it. Help me read your Bible correctly. Love you. Tom

Blessing vs Exchanging

“Then she gave the king a gift of 9,000 pounds of gold, great quantities of spices, and precious jewels. Never before had there been spices as fine as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba whatever she asked for—gifts of greater value than the gifts she had given him. Then she and all her attendants returned to their own land.”
‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭9:9, 12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

http://bible.com/116/2ch.9.9,12.nlt

36“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’

38This is the first and greatest commandment.

39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

I find this interaction by Solomon and The Queen of Sheba very interesting. Queenie gave Solomon a grand gift in gold and spices and jewels. King Solomon turned around and gave her a bunch of stuff. It appears to me that both parties chose to give and to bless the other. But then maybe they gave only to get something from the other person? It is really not clear from the story.

But it did get me thinking about relationships with friends, family, and my wife. What is my gifting like? When I give to someone, am I giving with the sole intention of blessing that person, or am I really just exchanging my gift for something else such as another gift, favor, or even love. 

The test is this: When I give a gift to someone else, will I be disappointed if they don’t give me something back?

If I would be disappointed, I am not giving out of love, I am simply exchanging.

When I think about Jesus, His example is pretty clear. He gave Himself to people even when people could not give back anything equivalent to Him.

Here is an interesting idea, since Christmas will be here sooner than we think. Make two lists this Christmas of the gifts you buy. On Exchange list put the gifts that are for people who will give you a gift. On the Bless list put the gifts that are for people that can’t or won’t give you a gift. Divide the value of the gifts on the Exchange list by the value of the gifts on the Bless list. Is the number where you want it to be? If the number is greater than one you are exchanging more than giving. If the number is less than one you are giving more than exchanging. You many want to set a goal for yourself. 

Jesus you are a pretty good example of giving without expectation of reward. Help me to give to bless others and not to simply exchange gifts. Help me be more selfless. Help me to give love with no strings attached. When I don’t feel love from someone, help me love deeply. Love You. Tom 

Why I Want Ben Carson, Part 3: Respect for All

After twice reading Ben Carson's book, One Nation,  I am convinced that He is the best man to lead this country.

He has a powerful response for political correctness: RESPECT FOR THOSE THAT DISAGREE with him. 

Dr Carson is not under a naive belief that everyone in Washington will see things his way. He recognizes that he will disagree with many. But instead of tactics like political correctness that stifle honest debate, he uses a powerful tactic called respect. 

When you disagree with Dr Carson you will be treated respectfully. 

I am so tired of the political right like Bill Oreilly, Sean Hannity, and Mark Levin that obnoxiously demonize their democratic counterparts. That is no way for a true statesman to act. Dr Carson is a breath of fresh air for those that believe we can

• Learn from each other
• Value our differences
• Forge win win compromises
• While holding true to a moral and fiscally sound plan

Please consider Dr Carson for President. 

Why I Want Ben Carson, Part 2: Healthcare

After twice reading Ben Carson's book, One Nation,  I am convinced that He is the best man to lead this country.

He has a powerful insider perspective on HEALTHCARE that could finally solve the healthcare issue.

Dr. Carson has a simple idea that could revolutionize healthcare in the US. When every child is born, they would receive:

• An HSA account
• An electronic health record

The HSA account would be used to purchase health care services and health care insurance.

The following benefits would be realized:

• Individual power and choice would increase and insurance power would decrease
• People would make wiser choices knowing that they had skin in the game
• Small businesses could easily help to fund medical costs for employees with minimal effort
• The doctor patient relationship would be strengthened
• Overall costs for healthcare would go down
• Friends, family members, and non-profits could easily help others with healthcare expenses
• And more...

Coupled with overdue Torte reform, 

• Insurance rates would go down and
• Doctors would only require tests they needed rather than perform every test as CYA
• And cost would go down further

Ben Carson has gifting and experience that uniquely enable him to guide this country to solve its healthcare crisis.

Why I Want Ben Carson, Part 1: Statesmanship

After twice reading Ben Carson's book, One Nation,  I am convinced that He is the best man to lead this country.

He is a rare STATESMAN in a world that has forgotten the idea of compromise.

It seems to me that most republican politicians believe that:

• Their party is always right
• There is no victory if not complete victory
• Their party does no wrong

Furthermore, it seems to me that most democratic politicians believe that:

• Their party is always right
• There is no victory if not complete victory
• Their party does no wrong

Frankly, I am so tired of the disrespectful finger pointing by both parties. Ben Carson is one of the few presidential candidates as willing to point a finger at his own party as the other. As a result he is uniquely able to respectfully disagree with people without:

• Closing down discussion
• Disrespecting the other person
• Missing the opportunity to learn another's reasonable perspective

I believe that Ben will be uniquely able to work with both parties in a way to fosters discussion, compromise, and true solutions.

My God, mine mine mine mine

“David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished.”

1 Chronicles 28:20 NIV

http://bible.com/111/1ch.28.20.niv

“Discipline your children, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to their death.”
Proverbs 19:18 NIV
http://bible.com/111/pro.19.18.niv

David said that God would be with Solomon. One phrase he used was "My God." I checked a few other translations and they were all consistent with this same phrase. I hate to develop great theologies on small changes of language, but the use of my God instead of your God or our God may be significant. 

Many people are aware that Solomon was a rock star Jew in the beginning, building the temple and asking God for wisdom. He was doing it all right. But as the years went by he gradually went away from God and did a lot of bad stuff like building temples and shrines for other Gods. 

Does David's language give us some insight into why Solomon walked away from relationship with God? 

Was David more focused on demonstrating HIS God than helping God become Solomon's God?

Baking cookies. Almost everyone has made cookies with a child at some point. At various times there is the option of you demonstrating a task or letting the child do the task. You KNOW that the job will be done less effectively and more messy by the child. If you do the task, your goal is to get good cookies as efficiently as possible. If you let the child do the task your goal is to train the child. 

I believe we have the same types of choices in spiritual development of children. We can demonstrate and do things for them and they will see our God working. Or we can guide them to do and it may be messy and inefficient. If you do the task, your goal is to do great things for God (certainly not a bad goal). If you let a child, an apprentice, do the task, your goal is to train the child and transfer relationship with God to them. 

I have a hunch that David was a demonstrator, not a trainer. I think that we as adults have this same option to be demonstrators or trainers with the next generation. We must focus on the strength of the church for years to come and be willing to apprentice young people. They don't need to just see OUR God. They need to get down in the mud and slog out the messy parts of a true relationship with the God of the universe. It's not safe. It's not easy. But it's how God will become My God for them. 

Dear Jesus

Could you help me be a better trainer? It is sometimes easier in this crazy world to do things myself or have professional pastors do them when my kids need to do the work. Help me have discernment about what is what. 

Love Ya

Tom

Hushai was his friend

“Ahithophel was the royal adviser. Hushai the Arkite was the king’s friend.”

1 Chronicles 27:33 NLT

http://bible.com/116/1ch.27.33.nlt

I was reading recently the book of Chronicles in the Bible and have been about waist deep of these long lists of names and assignments and genealogies. As a result my daily inspirations have largely been from other parts of my reading. However, something grabbed my eye today that I found quite interesting. 

These lists are compromised of very important leadership assignments within the kingdom. These were the who's who in ancient Israel. Then there was this funny assignment. Hushai was David's friend.  It  was interesting to me that with all these important people the author felt it important to point out David's friend. 

But it brought some good questions to my mind.  What would my list look like? I could list many people with roles in my life: partners, employees, vendors, wife, daughters. But who would I list as friend? Who would list me as friend? 

I spend a whole lot more time cultivating relationships with all the other people in my life, but I don't spend time intentionally working on friends. But if Hushai was so important to David that he was listed here maybe I need to reconsider the importance I place on friendship. 

Lord. I've not been much for cultivating friendships with other guys. I am pretty comfortable with my little family. But I don't want to disregard your wisdom. So help me be a friend to other guys so I can be and have a Hushai. 

Your Friend

Tom

Pastors and Priests Boycott Performing Weddings?

“Now tell us what you think about this: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” But Jesus knew their evil motives. “You hypocrites!” he said. “Why are you trying to trap me? Here, show me the coin used for the tax.” When they handed him a Roman coin, he asked, “Whose picture and title are stamped on it?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. “Well, then,” he said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.””
Matthew 22:17-21 NLT
http://bible.com/116/mat.22.17-21.nlt

This verse clearly speaks specifically about paying taxes. However in a broader sense, Jesus seems to suggest an appropriate separation of church and state. He suggests for us to give appropriately to both the church and state. 

I have heard many Christians concerned that the legalization of gay marriage will require pastors to go against their sincerely held beliefs and marry homosexual couples. I have no crystal ball or prophetic word to answer that question, but for now I will believe that possibility as real. So though I have no answer for that question, I do have a thought about a possible solution 

Many countries have separate civil and church marriages. Things here get a little confusing because the pastor or priest is acting as an agent of the State and God simultaneously. If we segregated those two roles, it would be much harder for the state to require a pastor or priest to go against his sincerely held beliefs. 

This could happen two ways. Pastors could just stop signing any marriage certificates. The happy couple would have to get their civil marriage at the courthouse and their church wedding with their pastor or priest. 

Alternatively, we could have state legislature that would separate the civil and church weddings. State legislature would be more difficult but the wall of separation would be stronger. Probably the best strategy would be to implement the first strategy while working on the second. 

This idea could push off the conflict regarding pastors being forced to perform weddings indefinitely. Many pastors might feel slighted, but there would be a great deal of freedom gained by releasing these rights. 

Dear Jesus 

Help me to love people. Help me to find innovative ideas to  maximize my opportunity to demonstrate Your love and truth in winsome ways. Help us to find innovative ways to avoid denying your truth without building walls between those that don't know Jesus and Him. 

 

Confusing the beginning and the end

“The Jewish ceremony of circumcision has value only if you obey God’s law. But if you don’t obey God’s law, you are no better off than an uncircumcised Gentile. And if the Gentiles obey God’s law, won’t God declare them to be his own people? In fact, uncircumcised Gentiles who keep God’s law will condemn you Jews who are circumcised and possess God’s law but don’t obey it.”
Romans 2:25-27 NLT
http://bible.com/116/rom.2.25-27.nlt

One of the most interesting things about reading the Bible, or any ancient literature I suppose, is seeing how little human nature has really changed in thousands of years. Apparently, people have had the tendency to confuse the beginnings and the endings of things for most of human history. 

In this passage Paul gets on the people about circumcision. It appears the people had confused circumcision as an end rather than a beginning. To them, as long as they were circumcised they were complete. However, Paul says that circumcision was just the beginning. He thought that circumcision led to obedience and THAT was the key. 

Other times when I read this I would just chuckle and think "Oh silly people. Don't you get it?" But today I had a different thought. I thought, "Oh man the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

But first let me say that I think circumcision was great. Well maybe it was not great for the kid getting the knife, but it was great from a spiritual perspective. Spiritual things can be really loosy-goosy and intangible. Having something physical that helps us to relate to God and the spiritual world is very positive.

Back to the apple. You see, I think that sometimes our baptisms and praying the salvation prayer can be the same as circumcision was for the ancient Jews. I have heard things like this before in my circles.

Did you hear about John Smith?

No

He killed 5 people with a dinner fork because the steak was overcooked.

Wow, Oh my.

He killed himself with a butter knife.

Wow.

But he is okay. I remember when he was 10 years old he prayed the prayer of salvation. He is with Jesus now.

That may be an exaggeration… But the point is clear. John Smith may have confused his prayer as an ending when it should have been a beginning.

Paul wanted us to realize that circumcision, and baptisms, and the salvation prayer are beginnings. They should start us on the path to things like being friends with Jesus, doing the things Jesus would do, loving people, serving people, and introducing others to Jesus. We need to make sure that we cherish our spiritual beginning, and let it be a wonderful springboard to further spiritual development, not an anchor that ties us down.

Dear Jesus

Help me not confuse my spiritual beginning with an ending. I want to be friends with you and keep learning what being a Christian is like. When I don’t want to obey You (And we both know that happens a lot) help me remember that I had a beginning and that was not an end and there is an end but it hasn’t come yet.

Love Ya

Tom 

Pray The Prayer!

“For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight. Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right.”

Romans

2:13-15

NLT

http://bible.com/116/rom.2.13-15.nlt

This passage in Romans clearly needs to be taken in the context of the whole bible. However, it seems to imply that some Gentiles that did not have the law would be in eternity with Jesus based on the merits of their lives. We can debate this but for now let's assume this interpretation. 

For anyone involved in evangelical Christianity like myself, you are very familiar with praying The Prayer. At church events we now our heads or come forward or raise our hands and pray for salvation. I think this is great and support it fully. However I do wonder if having this act as the sum total of our understanding of salvation may be insufficient. 

Bringing this concept from Romans forward 2000 years, it seems that some people in church who prayed the prayer may not be saved because the commitment wasn't real and there may be some people outside of evangelical Christianity or even outside that church may be saved even though they never Prayed The Prayer. I am reminded of this verse: 

“But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.””
1 Samuel 16:7 NLT
http://bible.com/116/1sa.16.7.nlt

I don't think that we need to make radical changes. Praying the Prayer is a useful construct to help us understand a big God. But maybe we do need to let God adjust us in a few ways. 

• Don't assume a person from another part of Christianity is not saved because their theology of salvation is different from yours. For example I know a lot of wonderful Jesus loving Catholics. 
• Don't assume that because someone caused certain words to cross their lips at one point in time they are saved from eternal death. The Prayer is not a magical incantation. 
• Realize that we create certain patterns of behavior that we can understand (The Prayer) to help us understand more complex issues like Jesus. 
• Realize that we have no record of Jesus or  Paul asking for every eye to be closed and every head bowed and pray after me. 

Again praying the prayer of salvation is a good thing. It just seems like salvation is more complicated than we make it out to be and we should recognize it as such. 

Dear Lord help me to not be limited by our human constructs. Help me to remember that you are "a good Lion but not a tame one. " and as such are difficult to define with simple models. Help me to have an open mind toward You and the work You may do through people that truly love You but are theologically different.  Bring unity to Your church.  

Abandoned!

“So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies.”

Romans 1:24 NLT

http://bible.com/116/rom.1.24.nlt

In this passage it appears that God decided to let the people go with their sin without limitation. In what way did he abandon them?

No punishment?

No counsel toward holiness?

No prophets?

No immediate punishment?

Not sure exactly. 

Before continuing we must point out this is one scripture among many and one scripture a theology does not make. I think Yoda said that. However, it is interesting that God said he would remove the boundary or limitation from the sinful. In that sense it appears God's laws, as seen through a lens after Jesus death, are primarily for those that willingly obey. Certainly God wants sinners to repent and obey. Certainly he does not hold people guiltless when they sin. However He appears to be unwilling to attempt to impose his law on those that do not want it. 

In light of this let's consider the morality laws in the United States. Were God living in MD, how would he engage in the political process? Would he push for more morality laws? Would He abandon people to their sin? I don't know, and a much more complete study would be needed to understand this fully. However, there is a sense here that God might just ignore some issues like gay marriage laws. He might focus on wooing his friends and neighbors to follow him out of love and abandon their sinful ways by choice. 

Lord Help me know when it is not the time to impose boundaries on sinful people, when to abandon them to their desires. Don't let me abandon them personally though. Use me to reach them and win them to You. 

Who is the Leader? For Dads.

“In the past, even when Saul was king, you were the one who really led the forces of Israel. And the LORD your God told you, ‘You will be the shepherd of my people Israel. You will be the leader of my people Israel.’””
‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭11:2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

http://bible.com/116/1ch.11.2.nlt

Is leadership a title? Is leadership something you earn from followers? This is not a new question as evidenced by this observation of David and Saul. Basically what the author said was, Saul has the title of King, but David has earned the role of leader from his followers.

In EVERY case leadership given to a leader by the follower’s choice is greater than the leadership granted by title alone.

So let’s ask this question to Fathers. Would your children choose to follow you if you did not have the title of DAD? If not what is wrong with your family leadership? How can you change your leadership so that your children would choose to follow you title or not? Harder yet? Are you the kind of leader that your wife would want to follow even if she was not married to you?

I do not ask these questions as one that can answer, Yes. I write them as one that asks the questions daily and generally fears the reality of the answers. So I don’t invite you to fix your issues, as much as I invite you to join me in a really hard journey toward a great, great goal.

Lord, it wrenches me heart to think that my wife and kids may not want to follow me if they did not have to. Please, oh please, make me into the kind of leader that my family would follow, as I follow Jesus, to the ends of the earth by their own choice. 

Yummy Words

“Wise words satisfy like a good meal; the right words bring satisfaction.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭18:20‬ ‭NLT‬‬
http://bible.com/116/pro.18.20.nlt

The other day I went out for dinner. It was actually our 16th wedding anniversary. We ate at Buddy's Crabs and Ribs, commemorating our first date. It had been years since I had raw oysters, and they were so good. They had magic cocktail sauce that added just the zing the oysters needed.

When I was a kid I ate oysters to show how manly I was because my Dad and Grandfather ate them. I wouldn't  chew them much; just swallow quick.  But, when I ate them the other day I chewed their magical yumminess completely, savoring every bit. Awesome. 

I think wise words are a bit like those oysters. There is a little bit of magic and an impactful memory. 

Just like I have food memories like eating oysters with my Dad, wise words can stick in our memories forever and satisfy us. A single phrase, single story, or single speech can alter the trajectory of our lives. What are those for you? What ones have you spoken to others?

I think I need to do two things. First I really need to eat more oysters. No that was the second thing. First I need to seek to give and receive wise words, for they are as satisfying as raw oysters. Secondly, I need to eat more raw oysters. 

Lord giving wise words is a beautiful thing. I want to do more giving and receiving. Please help me do this.  

Grace, Truth, and John the Baptizer

“For Herod had sent soldiers to arrest and imprison John as a favor to Herodias. She had been his brother Philip’s wife, but Herod had married her. John had been telling Herod, “It is against God’s law for you to marry your brother’s wife.” So Herodias bore a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But without Herod’s approval she was powerless, for Herod respected John; and knowing that he was a good and holy man, he protected him. Herod was greatly disturbed whenever he talked with John, but even so, he liked to listen to him.”

Mark 6:17-20 NLT

http://bible.com/116/mrk.6.17-20.nlt

This morning my wife and I read this scripture while still tucked in bed pretending the day's work was not peering into our bedroom calling us. I noticed something today that had escaped me before. It was Grace and Truth. I never considered John the Baptist and example of that, but he was.

John clearly spoke the truth, "It is against God's law for you to marry your brothers wife." Even, so "Herod respected John" and "liked to listen to him." So you have the both-and magic potion of John telling Herod the truth, but not repulsing him.

How did John do it? Unfortunately we don't have a lot of information about how John did this. What we do see are three goals we can hold to:

• Tell the truth clearly
• Strive to not repulse others with your words
• Strive for multiple conversations... (read build relationships)

I wish John gave us the three steps rather than three goals. Goals are fuzzy and require us to think and pray and seek God for the how to. But knowing what you are aiming for is actually more than half the battle. If we can grab hold of these three goals like a jedi knight holds onto his light saber, I believe we could:

• Improve our relationship with those outside the Christian faith
• Have opportunities to share truth in a way that people can begin receive it.

Lord, help me to speak Your truth in a winsome way which engages people and draws them to it in spite of any unbelief.

When God blows up your Theology

“But when Peter arrived back in Jerusalem, the Jewish believers criticized him. “You entered the home of Gentiles and even ate with them!” they said.

When the others heard this, they stopped objecting and began praising God. They said, “We can see that God has also given the Gentiles the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life.””
‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭11:2-3, 18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

http://bible.com/116/act.11.2-3,18.nlt

The churches paradigm regarding salvation was not something they developed carelessly. It was based on:

• Careful reading of the scripture
• Hundreds of years of history with God
• Strongly held traditions

Not only that, these were men they walked with Jesus personally or knew those who had. Yet, with all that going for them, they were wrong. WRONG. They did not think Gentiles like me could know Jesus. We accept this as normal thinking today without batting an eye.

We as a church and individuals must be very careful in light of this. If these disciples could have something wrong, we too, corporately or personally, could have something wrong even when we studied the scripture carefully and have history and tradition to back us up. That is not to say we throw all our beliefs out the door, but we should be open minded toward God and what he reveals to us. Being so dogmatic is dangerous and destroys unity in the church.

For example, lets look at the Holy Spirit. There are many different theologies about it. But only one is right and that maybe only partially. When we all get to heaven most of us will find we misinterpreted the scriptures.

What about young earth versus old earth creation? The truth is one or the other, not both. There are people on both sides that dogmatically assert their view to be truth. Half are right and half are wrong.

What about gay marriage? Does the church have it exactly right? Maybe so, but maybe not. We must be open to God correcting parts that are sincere but wrong.

My recommendation is this. Study the scriptures, pray, read, investigate all questions thoroughly until you are convinced you are absolutely correct. You owe your question that. But then hold your answer loosely. Some of the answers I am so certain of will be wrong. And it is okay. Good people are wrong sometimes. Once you find out you were wrong you can change your opinion and be okay still.

Dear Lord, help us personally and as a church to be like the early disciples who allowed you to blow up their theology. Thank you that they accepted it and did not resist the change. Actually they rejoiced. Yet help us to study carefully to find the best answer possible to our questions. When we get it wrong show us. Develop more unity in your church as we become less dogmatic. Love. Tom.

Doing part of Gods plan

“When the Israelites in the camp heard that Zimri had plotted against the king and murdered him, they proclaimed Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that very day there in the camp.”

1 Kings 16:16 NIV

http://bible.com/111/1ki.16.16.niv

Bad King kills bad King kills bad King and so on. This is how it goes in Israel. In some cases God commanded the person to kill the king. But the committed the same sins as the king they killed. 

It seemed they were willing to do Gods will when it involved fighting and other cool activities but when it was personal holiness there was not more interest in God. 

We can be the same way. We follow God devoutly when he wants us to do cool stuff. But when His will does not match ours suddenly we beg off. We sound like Henry ford. I will do anything God wants me to do as long as it sounds fun to me. Instead we need to sign up for the whole package  

Lord help me to do anything you want with no qualifiers. And if it is hard can you give me some extra help? Love always. Tom. 

I WANT TO BE RIGHT

“How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil that was poured over Aaron’s head, that ran down his beard and onto the border of his robe.”

Psalms 133:1-2 NLT

http://bible.com/116/psa.133.1-2.nlt

God tells us how awesome harmony is among brothers. Elsewhere God extols the importance of unity in the church. God strongly values his family being united rather than splintered. I think based on the new testament scripture this is primarily to be a stronger witness to the world. 

I think the biggest impediment here is our insatiable desire to be right. We want to:

Be right

Be commended by others as right

Demonstrate that others are clearly wrong. 

I suspect this is largely about valuing ourselves and feeling good about ourselves. We must be the winner. We are driven by competition as humans. And I count myself in this crowd. 

What would it be like if we had churches where harmony and unity we more valued than being the best and the correct ones. I guess the splintered denominational structure would no longer be needed. I guess we could all go to church in our community church instead of driving 30 minutes to the church that is right. I guess we would each minister to our local communities with a united front across the country. Really I don't know what the church would be like if unity were elevated above being right. But I think it would make the church very different and better. 

Lord I am as competitive as the next guy and I want to be right, but I think I may be damaging the unity of your church in small ways. Help me be a uniter and harmonizer even if that means I am not always seen as right. 

God told me to tell you...

“But the old prophet answered, “I am a prophet, too, just as you are. And an angel gave me this command from the LORD: ‘Bring him home with you so he can have something to eat and drink.’” But the old man was lying to him. So they went back together, and the man of God ate and drank at the prophet’s home.”

1 Kings 13:18-19 NLT

http://bible.com/116/1ki.13.18-19.nlt

The was the prophet hungry and thirsty. He wanted to eat and drink SOOO badly. But he was resolute that he would not. He would follow God no matter the difficulty. Then comes along a lying prophet. He says God told me to tell you..." A phrase popular in pentecostal circles. But the lie fit the prophet's desires so well that he believed the lying prophet. The prophet lost his life as a result of believing this lie. 

We certainly don't want to quench the fire of prophecy but we must be very careful when others try to speak for God. When the word is wrong but lines up with our desires, there is an immense internal pressure to believe the lie and move into grave error. 

Make sure you apply the 4 pillars of hearing God. 

Wise counsel: What do the wise people you trust think?

Prayer: What do you think God is saying through prayer?

Circumstance: What do the circumstances around you say?

The Bible: How does the wisdom in the Bible guide you in this decision?

Lord help me to be wiser than a lying prophet. Help me to know Your truth and not be confused by voices that lie.