May 23, 2000
The child who stabbed his classmates said he did it because he wanted attention. He got what he wanted, but is he satisfied?
Attention seekers feel they are not important, that no one notices or appreciates them. Some attention would take them from a nobody to a somebody. Is this the somebody-status he wanted?
This child is tragically confused about his own identity. To build up himself, he seriously injures others. This may not have happened had he realized even a single benevolent achievement seldom raises one’s self worth for the long term, never mind what one act of violence will do to it.
Can anyone do anything to make themselves more important in their own minds? Perhaps, but first, we need to understand the difference between being and doing. Is who we are established by our actions, or do our actions simply bring out who we are?
Pam (not her real name) wanted to be wealthy and belong to that crowd who has money. She dressed in the finest clothes, bought the most expensive furniture, and frequented the classiest restaurants, doing all the things a rich person does. However, she is not rich. In her desperate desire to be what she is not, she embezzled money and was caught. Doing the actions did not make her rich, it put her in prison, compounded her delusions, and exposed her desperate heart.
The Bible offers a great deal on this topic of who we are. An Old Testament proverb warns us to watch how we relate to people because no matter how they appear on the surface, “as that man thinks in his heart, so is he.”
God never separates our external actions from what goes on inside. If a person is nice to others, God considers their motivation and whether they have personal gain in mind. He sees all our selfishness, no matter how we cover it. Little wonder He can say that “all sin and falls short of His glory.”
Nevertheless, God never condemns us for our desire to be significant. This is part of being created in His image. Because we were intended to reflect the likeness of God, we have this sense of being less significant than we ought to be. Our departure from walking with God created the loss and something in us wants to regain that sense of being more than we are.
God’s condemnation is not against our desire for significance but against our sinful efforts to make ourselves important without Him. We do not live as He intended.
Think of it: we already are, by creation, significant creatures. Our efforts to make impressions, get attention, or be significant simply deny what God did when He made us. Instead of acknowledging Him and what He did, we try to do it ourselves. All our efforts do not change the fact that we are people made in the image of God.
What changed it is our disobedience to God. We cannot reflect His image when we go against Him. Every time we do, we lose something. Stabbing people seems a greater sin yet even a “white lie” pulls us down from the status we could have. Instead of being important, we fall short of what He intended. He wants a significance for us beyond our wildest imaginings.
An eagle was intended to fly. Put it in a cage or a chicken coop and it has lost its glory. Human beings were intended to reflect the image of God. When we resist and rebel against Him, we also lose our glory. Stabbing someone is just one of the many pitiful ways of trying to get it back but the only way that works is turning from our efforts to the One who can redeem and restore us.
Showing posts with label motivations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label motivations. Show all posts
Friday, November 24, 2017
Monday, October 9, 2017
Darkness is desired more than dollars? ...........Parables 651
August 24, 1999
According to one statistic, Hollywood makes 17 times more restricted or R-rated movies than it does G-rated flicks yet films for general audiences make 8 times more money. Go figure.
The obvious question is “What makes movie producers crank out reels full of sex and violence if they do not make as much money as films without them?” In a culture that places high value on making money, this is abnormal. The Bible may say “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” yet according to these statistics, there must be another root.
Sometimes those who produce pornography call it “art.” Do those who produce R-rated movies consider themselves artists of a sort? We question the motivation of artists who paint nudes. Are they perverted or not? Yet most of us know the difference between a Michelangelo and a Hugh Heffner. A playboy bunny is not the same as the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
Or maybe they have a hidden agenda? The more fearful among us would say these films are part of a conspiracy to destroy the minds of our youth. We can agree Hollywood doesn’t seem to care much about what they feed into anyone’s mind, but isn’t the box office competition too keen to grant movie makers a desire to band together with subversive motives?
Does social pressure make them do it? Is the demand for blood and smut loud enough to make the squeaky door thing a motive? If that were true, do they measure demand by noise over box office receipts? Society is sending a message in money but Hollywood seems to ignore it.
Or do they care what anyone thinks? Obviously, some in the motion picture industry are not into pleasing the public. Maybe they operate under the theory that if viewers see this stuff often enough and long enough, it will become more popular and more profitable. Are they that dumb? It seems economics and popularity have little to do with this strange statistical phenomena.
Perhaps another, more sinister reason lies behind their production. Could it be that some of them simply enjoy watching their sexual or violent fantasies come alive on the screen? Could it be that their deepest urges and desires, not generally allowed in society, find an “acceptable” expression in film?
Some would say no, it is simple ignorance. If producers only understood statistics, or even the ramifications of what they are doing, they would stop. Smut and violence would cease. Does education stop a glutton from eating that extra helping of chocolate cheesecake? Or is there an inner drive far more powerful than either ignorance or education?
This is the core of our human dilemma. We have high aspirations to be artists, to change lives, to please people, to be strong against the things that hurt us, yet who of us can say that our aim is always high? Sometimes we pick the wrong thing. Sometimes we simply spiral downward into evil without any obvious motivation other than we want to do it.
We forget that the root of evil begins with our sin nature. We enjoy doing what we know we should not do. Sometimes people claim, “I can’t help it” but those who choose evil are not interested in getting help — unless it enables them to have their cake and keep their waistline, or it allows their self-expression and earns them accolades.
Jesus came offering help to those who struggle against evil, yet He understood people. He said, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Every one who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.”
Money is not the main issue for those who like sex and violence. Instead, they find they can enjoy their passion by producing (or watching) it on film. Take note: these films are viewed in the dark. Also note: evil disappears if the Light is bright enough.
According to one statistic, Hollywood makes 17 times more restricted or R-rated movies than it does G-rated flicks yet films for general audiences make 8 times more money. Go figure.
The obvious question is “What makes movie producers crank out reels full of sex and violence if they do not make as much money as films without them?” In a culture that places high value on making money, this is abnormal. The Bible may say “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” yet according to these statistics, there must be another root.
Sometimes those who produce pornography call it “art.” Do those who produce R-rated movies consider themselves artists of a sort? We question the motivation of artists who paint nudes. Are they perverted or not? Yet most of us know the difference between a Michelangelo and a Hugh Heffner. A playboy bunny is not the same as the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
Or maybe they have a hidden agenda? The more fearful among us would say these films are part of a conspiracy to destroy the minds of our youth. We can agree Hollywood doesn’t seem to care much about what they feed into anyone’s mind, but isn’t the box office competition too keen to grant movie makers a desire to band together with subversive motives?
Does social pressure make them do it? Is the demand for blood and smut loud enough to make the squeaky door thing a motive? If that were true, do they measure demand by noise over box office receipts? Society is sending a message in money but Hollywood seems to ignore it.
Or do they care what anyone thinks? Obviously, some in the motion picture industry are not into pleasing the public. Maybe they operate under the theory that if viewers see this stuff often enough and long enough, it will become more popular and more profitable. Are they that dumb? It seems economics and popularity have little to do with this strange statistical phenomena.
Perhaps another, more sinister reason lies behind their production. Could it be that some of them simply enjoy watching their sexual or violent fantasies come alive on the screen? Could it be that their deepest urges and desires, not generally allowed in society, find an “acceptable” expression in film?
Some would say no, it is simple ignorance. If producers only understood statistics, or even the ramifications of what they are doing, they would stop. Smut and violence would cease. Does education stop a glutton from eating that extra helping of chocolate cheesecake? Or is there an inner drive far more powerful than either ignorance or education?
This is the core of our human dilemma. We have high aspirations to be artists, to change lives, to please people, to be strong against the things that hurt us, yet who of us can say that our aim is always high? Sometimes we pick the wrong thing. Sometimes we simply spiral downward into evil without any obvious motivation other than we want to do it.
We forget that the root of evil begins with our sin nature. We enjoy doing what we know we should not do. Sometimes people claim, “I can’t help it” but those who choose evil are not interested in getting help — unless it enables them to have their cake and keep their waistline, or it allows their self-expression and earns them accolades.
Jesus came offering help to those who struggle against evil, yet He understood people. He said, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Every one who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.”
Money is not the main issue for those who like sex and violence. Instead, they find they can enjoy their passion by producing (or watching) it on film. Take note: these films are viewed in the dark. Also note: evil disappears if the Light is bright enough.
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
Speaking His words, not mine .......... Parables 604
July 21, 1998
David Prowse wore the Darth Vader suit in the Star Wars movie and spoke all of Vader’s lines but in the final version, all his words were dubbed over by James Earl Jones. Prowse must have been disappointed. Even though he was playing the role of an imaginary person, he expected to hear his own voice in the theater.
Prowse was playing a role, but saying someone else’s words could also be plagiarism. I once heard a speech that was almost identical to another one delivered by a more famous speaker. Because I recognized it, the second speech was a great disappointment.
Sometimes people say someone else’s words because they are delivering a message for them. For instance, we send one child to tell the others that “it is suppertime.” We expect them to deliver the message promptly and repeat it as it was given.
I’m not sure how we can define what James Earl Jones was doing. He delivered Vadar’s lines (an imaginary person) using Prowse’s moving lips (without his permission). In some ways, he was delivering a message but imagine words coming out of your mouth that are not your words and someone else is saying them!
Being a “mouth” for another person’s words is not a far-fetched idea for a Christian. When the first disciples of Christ came together for prayer, Acts 4:31 says “they prayed and the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”
These men and women were talking — but their words were not their words. They were not actors playing a role, nor were they committing plagiarism. They were delivering a message, given to them by God, a message He wanted them to pass on to others without changing or adding to it. Further, passing on a message from God is a more incredible responsibility than telling someone supper is ready. The destiny of the listeners depended on fidelity to the original.
Besides that, giving God’s message has an added twist. Merely reciting verses from of the Bible, even reciting them accurately, does not necessarily do it. God did inspire the writing of Scripture, but delivering a powerful message for God is not reading — instead, it is God-driven.
God-driven describes a person controlled by the Spirit of God rather than by personal motivations. This person is usually willing to speak, however God is not restricted by human resistance or indifference. If He chooses, He can speak through whoever or whatever He wants (even a donkey (see Numbers 22).
God informs His people, even commands us, that we can say His words: “If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God” (1 Peter 4:11). Imagine the difference in our speech if we knew God was using our mouths!
Most importantly, speaking for God is a type of service for Him. Peter goes on to say, “If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever.”
Speaking for God is not for self-aggrandizement. In fact, selfish motives must be put aside. When a person (or a donkey!) actually does it, God is using them in a living and active way. He is present and very intentional; these words are important to His plan.
In the minds of Star Wars fans, no one thought about David Prowse’s lips moving, or that they were hearing sounds made by James Earl Jones. For them, Darth Vadar was speaking. It is like this when God speaks through His people. The voice may be a preacher, a Christian neighbor or whoever He decides to use, but those willing to hear God will know it is Him.
David Prowse wore the Darth Vader suit in the Star Wars movie and spoke all of Vader’s lines but in the final version, all his words were dubbed over by James Earl Jones. Prowse must have been disappointed. Even though he was playing the role of an imaginary person, he expected to hear his own voice in the theater.
Prowse was playing a role, but saying someone else’s words could also be plagiarism. I once heard a speech that was almost identical to another one delivered by a more famous speaker. Because I recognized it, the second speech was a great disappointment.
Sometimes people say someone else’s words because they are delivering a message for them. For instance, we send one child to tell the others that “it is suppertime.” We expect them to deliver the message promptly and repeat it as it was given.
I’m not sure how we can define what James Earl Jones was doing. He delivered Vadar’s lines (an imaginary person) using Prowse’s moving lips (without his permission). In some ways, he was delivering a message but imagine words coming out of your mouth that are not your words and someone else is saying them!
Being a “mouth” for another person’s words is not a far-fetched idea for a Christian. When the first disciples of Christ came together for prayer, Acts 4:31 says “they prayed and the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”
These men and women were talking — but their words were not their words. They were not actors playing a role, nor were they committing plagiarism. They were delivering a message, given to them by God, a message He wanted them to pass on to others without changing or adding to it. Further, passing on a message from God is a more incredible responsibility than telling someone supper is ready. The destiny of the listeners depended on fidelity to the original.
Besides that, giving God’s message has an added twist. Merely reciting verses from of the Bible, even reciting them accurately, does not necessarily do it. God did inspire the writing of Scripture, but delivering a powerful message for God is not reading — instead, it is God-driven.
God-driven describes a person controlled by the Spirit of God rather than by personal motivations. This person is usually willing to speak, however God is not restricted by human resistance or indifference. If He chooses, He can speak through whoever or whatever He wants (even a donkey (see Numbers 22).
God informs His people, even commands us, that we can say His words: “If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God” (1 Peter 4:11). Imagine the difference in our speech if we knew God was using our mouths!
Most importantly, speaking for God is a type of service for Him. Peter goes on to say, “If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever.”
Speaking for God is not for self-aggrandizement. In fact, selfish motives must be put aside. When a person (or a donkey!) actually does it, God is using them in a living and active way. He is present and very intentional; these words are important to His plan.
In the minds of Star Wars fans, no one thought about David Prowse’s lips moving, or that they were hearing sounds made by James Earl Jones. For them, Darth Vadar was speaking. It is like this when God speaks through His people. The voice may be a preacher, a Christian neighbor or whoever He decides to use, but those willing to hear God will know it is Him.
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
What about rewards? .................. Parables 412
March 15, 1994
Once an old, but crafty, man found his new neighbors had very noisy children. Instead of yelling at them to be quiet, he decided to promise them money for making noise. At first the children were excited about his offer and happy to oblige. They whooped and hollered and at the end of each day, were paid for it.
After a few days, the old man told them he couldn’t quite afford as much as he had been paying but would still give them money. They still made noise, but not quite so much. Gradually he lowered the amount each day. Finally they got disgusted and quit. When he asked why, they said, “We won’t make noise for nothing.”
The article accompanying this story made the point; promises of reward for desired behavior eventually destroys incentive. If someone is going to consistently do a certain thing, a reward may be the worst way to make it happen.
Christians are promised a reward. One has to ask if that promise destroys our incentive? Or do we “work” for a different reason?
Part of the answer is in something my mother used to tell me. She said that being kind or doing good is its own reward. That is, knowing that we have done right gives satisfaction. We don’t need anything else.
But why then does God promise a reward? Is it to encourage us to keep doing right? Some people think so. In fact, many have the idea that God sets up a list of rules and if they obey them, they will earn eternal life and go to heaven. This same concept of “do good – be rewarded” is carried over to Santa Claus and parent-child relationships: “be a good boy and you will get that bike you want.”
But God doesn’t work like that. He knows a little bit more about human capacity for goodness in relation to His standard. No matter how “good” people are, everyone falls short. Instead of putting the onus on humanity, He took the initiative to offer us a relationship with Himself on a different basis.
In the Bible, this relationship is described as a covenant, a unilateral agreement that God initiates. His covenants have specific regulations or stipulations for those involved. God says, “If you do this... you will be blessed (rewarded), and if you do not, you will be cursed (lose your reward).
The rules do not establish the covenants. They just outline how the people were to behave because of the relationship they have with God. Doing the right things would bring them blessing but it would not establish or keep them in relationship; they already had that.
It was as if God told the noisy children He loved them no matter what. That would never change. However, God asked them to behave as an expression of their love for Him. In behaving, they would enjoy freedom from the consequences of sin and that would be a reward. If they did not behave, they would lose that reward and their failure would also indicate they failed to love Him.
Christians have a covenant relationship with God. It is not earned by what we do. He says, “This is the covenant I will make... I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people... for I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
In response to His law written in our hearts, we live to please Him. That life has rewards; some here, some in heaven, but the reward is not heaven itself.
Actually, incentive is destroyed by promised rewards in one way. Those who mistakenly think they can earn eternal life as a reward sometimes give up and quit trying.
Once an old, but crafty, man found his new neighbors had very noisy children. Instead of yelling at them to be quiet, he decided to promise them money for making noise. At first the children were excited about his offer and happy to oblige. They whooped and hollered and at the end of each day, were paid for it.
After a few days, the old man told them he couldn’t quite afford as much as he had been paying but would still give them money. They still made noise, but not quite so much. Gradually he lowered the amount each day. Finally they got disgusted and quit. When he asked why, they said, “We won’t make noise for nothing.”
The article accompanying this story made the point; promises of reward for desired behavior eventually destroys incentive. If someone is going to consistently do a certain thing, a reward may be the worst way to make it happen.
Christians are promised a reward. One has to ask if that promise destroys our incentive? Or do we “work” for a different reason?
Part of the answer is in something my mother used to tell me. She said that being kind or doing good is its own reward. That is, knowing that we have done right gives satisfaction. We don’t need anything else.
But why then does God promise a reward? Is it to encourage us to keep doing right? Some people think so. In fact, many have the idea that God sets up a list of rules and if they obey them, they will earn eternal life and go to heaven. This same concept of “do good – be rewarded” is carried over to Santa Claus and parent-child relationships: “be a good boy and you will get that bike you want.”
But God doesn’t work like that. He knows a little bit more about human capacity for goodness in relation to His standard. No matter how “good” people are, everyone falls short. Instead of putting the onus on humanity, He took the initiative to offer us a relationship with Himself on a different basis.
In the Bible, this relationship is described as a covenant, a unilateral agreement that God initiates. His covenants have specific regulations or stipulations for those involved. God says, “If you do this... you will be blessed (rewarded), and if you do not, you will be cursed (lose your reward).
The rules do not establish the covenants. They just outline how the people were to behave because of the relationship they have with God. Doing the right things would bring them blessing but it would not establish or keep them in relationship; they already had that.
It was as if God told the noisy children He loved them no matter what. That would never change. However, God asked them to behave as an expression of their love for Him. In behaving, they would enjoy freedom from the consequences of sin and that would be a reward. If they did not behave, they would lose that reward and their failure would also indicate they failed to love Him.
Christians have a covenant relationship with God. It is not earned by what we do. He says, “This is the covenant I will make... I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people... for I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
In response to His law written in our hearts, we live to please Him. That life has rewards; some here, some in heaven, but the reward is not heaven itself.
Actually, incentive is destroyed by promised rewards in one way. Those who mistakenly think they can earn eternal life as a reward sometimes give up and quit trying.
Friday, December 18, 2015
Fear and Prayer ............. Parables 367
April 27, 1993
“If there is a God and He runs everything and knows what is going to happen anyway... what is the point of praying?”
So many times this question is answered with reasons why we ought to pray, like: “God commands it,” or “God wants us to fellowship with Him,” or “God chooses to work through the prayers of His people.” They are good reasons but do they answer the question?
Personally, whenever I wonder if there is any point in praying, I’m not looking for reasons why I should. I know that already. What is really happening is that inside, I am beginning to question if God actually is in control. And if He is, it doesn’t seem that He cares about me.
Jesus’ disciples wondered the same things. On one occasion, He told them to get into a boat because they were “going to the other side” of the sea of Galilee. On their way across, He fell asleep.
Soon a storm whipped across the water. As winds increased, these seasoned fishermen became anxious. Buckets in hand, they no doubt bailed as fast as they could but the wind and the waves continued to rise. Needing all hands on deck, someone lurched to the stern and woke Jesus, demanding, “Master, don’t you care if we perish?” (Mark 4:38).
Jesus stood up. He looked out over the raging water then gave this order, “Peace, be still!” The storm immediately obeyed.
Before they had time to say a word, Jesus turned and also rebuked the twelve. “Why are you so fearful? how is it that you have such little faith?”
After all, Jesus did tell them they would go to the other side, not launch out and die in the sea. Apparently they didn’t believe Him. At least if they did, their faith took a drastic dip when the storm came up and it looked like they wouldn’t make it.
That happens to me too. Even though Jesus promised to take me through life safely, sometimes it turns into a squall and I get scared. Soon I’m wondering if He not only forgot about me but doesn’t care if I go under. Has He fallen asleep?
When I cry out with my “little” faith, Jesus rebukes me as well, not for crying out to Him but for failing to believe that He cares.
Thinking otherwise is a lie that slanders the very character of God. The roots of this kind of unbelief go back to Eve and the serpent (Satan in disguise) in Genesis. When the snake suggested God was not interested in Eve’s good and that He didn’t care about her, she believed his lie and disobeyed God. Later on, the Israelites wandered forty years in the wilderness because they also doubted His goodness.
Believing God loves us and wants to bless us is a fundamental quality of faith. “Anyone who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).
When we are certain God loves us and rewards us for seeking Him, prayer is a delight. Yes, He already knows about our problems, trials, loneliness and fears. He, more than any caring friend, simply longs we share these with Him. When we do, He never accuses us or make us feel foolish because we are afraid of life. Instead, He regards our prayers for His help as a demonstration of our faith.
At least the disciples’ little faith was large enough that they went to him with their fears about the blustery problem at hand. For most of us, “little faith” means we don’t go to Him at all.
“If there is a God and He runs everything and knows what is going to happen anyway... what is the point of praying?”
So many times this question is answered with reasons why we ought to pray, like: “God commands it,” or “God wants us to fellowship with Him,” or “God chooses to work through the prayers of His people.” They are good reasons but do they answer the question?
Personally, whenever I wonder if there is any point in praying, I’m not looking for reasons why I should. I know that already. What is really happening is that inside, I am beginning to question if God actually is in control. And if He is, it doesn’t seem that He cares about me.
Jesus’ disciples wondered the same things. On one occasion, He told them to get into a boat because they were “going to the other side” of the sea of Galilee. On their way across, He fell asleep.
Soon a storm whipped across the water. As winds increased, these seasoned fishermen became anxious. Buckets in hand, they no doubt bailed as fast as they could but the wind and the waves continued to rise. Needing all hands on deck, someone lurched to the stern and woke Jesus, demanding, “Master, don’t you care if we perish?” (Mark 4:38).
Jesus stood up. He looked out over the raging water then gave this order, “Peace, be still!” The storm immediately obeyed.
Before they had time to say a word, Jesus turned and also rebuked the twelve. “Why are you so fearful? how is it that you have such little faith?”
After all, Jesus did tell them they would go to the other side, not launch out and die in the sea. Apparently they didn’t believe Him. At least if they did, their faith took a drastic dip when the storm came up and it looked like they wouldn’t make it.
That happens to me too. Even though Jesus promised to take me through life safely, sometimes it turns into a squall and I get scared. Soon I’m wondering if He not only forgot about me but doesn’t care if I go under. Has He fallen asleep?
When I cry out with my “little” faith, Jesus rebukes me as well, not for crying out to Him but for failing to believe that He cares.
Thinking otherwise is a lie that slanders the very character of God. The roots of this kind of unbelief go back to Eve and the serpent (Satan in disguise) in Genesis. When the snake suggested God was not interested in Eve’s good and that He didn’t care about her, she believed his lie and disobeyed God. Later on, the Israelites wandered forty years in the wilderness because they also doubted His goodness.
Believing God loves us and wants to bless us is a fundamental quality of faith. “Anyone who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).
When we are certain God loves us and rewards us for seeking Him, prayer is a delight. Yes, He already knows about our problems, trials, loneliness and fears. He, more than any caring friend, simply longs we share these with Him. When we do, He never accuses us or make us feel foolish because we are afraid of life. Instead, He regards our prayers for His help as a demonstration of our faith.
At least the disciples’ little faith was large enough that they went to him with their fears about the blustery problem at hand. For most of us, “little faith” means we don’t go to Him at all.
Friday, July 17, 2015
In the kitchen with Jesus ................ Parables 301
January 21, 1992
Some kitchens, no matter their size, are not big enough for two cooks. I can remember when I was a young mother and had to share a kitchen with my mother. We did not agree on anything. She wanted the appliances in one cupboard, their cords in another. I thought the mixer, cords, beaters and bowls should all be together... and on it went.
Far from being a 20th Century North American phenomena, when Jesus and his disciples were invited for dinner, Mary and Martha’s kitchen shrank too! Luke tells the story in chapter 10. Apparently both were making lunch but Mary decided to leave the pots and pans and wander into the living room. Martha was furious. She called Jesus and told Him to make her sister come and help her. (Note, although she appealed to the highest authority, she was telling Him what to do.)
Jesus’ response was not what she expected: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
The details of the incident are left to our imaginations. Knowing women, it may be that Mary noticed these men were far more occupied with theological truth than culinary skills so she voted for quick nourishment, perhaps peanut butter sandwiches. But Martha wanted roast turkey and all the trimmings. She wouldn’t hear of feeding sandwiches to the Son of God. Besides, what would He think of her if she didn’t put out her best spread?
Obviously Mary wasn’t trying to impress Jesus with her cooking. Other passages about her reveal that she was the only one who realized He would not be with them much longer. Perhaps she felt an urgency to know more about Him and more about how to live as one who trusted Him. Perhaps she knew neither big meals nor any other personal accomplishment would improve her standing with Him. Perhaps she realized she needed Him to make an impression on her — the impression of His righteous image stamped deep on her life.
Martha seemed to have different desires and certainly different priorities. While it may have appeared a good thing to be busy with “much serving” and a natural thing to be distressed about Mary’s choice, Jesus’ gentle rebuke shows that something was wrong.
Martha’s anxiety was a clue. What was important here: how she looked (based on how she cooked) or calmly trusting His acceptance — based on His love, not her service? On the other hand, Mary already knew that Jesus saw right through her. Nothing she could accomplish would change what He saw. Only HE could make her acceptable.
Mary choose the “good part,” to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to what He had to say. I’m sure she discovered many new things about herself. Some of them may have made her uncomfortable, even filled with shame, as Martha no doubt eventually felt after the rebuke. But Mary came to Him anyway. She knew His Words healed and He would forgive her if she trusted Him and confessed her sinfulness.
The story of Martha and Mary is not an excuse for we who cook or share a kitchen to abandon our culinary responsibilities and read the Bible all day. Instead, it is a challenge to take inventory. Do outer activities fill our life so we have no time for Jesus? Do we ever stop to ask if we are trying to impress Almighty God? Do we claim to serve Christ yet find ourselves full of anxieties... and resenting others who are not working as hard? Do we even complain to God and insist He do something about them?
In other words, turkey may rate higher than peanut butter in our list of what is important, but where does time with Jesus fit in?
Some kitchens, no matter their size, are not big enough for two cooks. I can remember when I was a young mother and had to share a kitchen with my mother. We did not agree on anything. She wanted the appliances in one cupboard, their cords in another. I thought the mixer, cords, beaters and bowls should all be together... and on it went.
Far from being a 20th Century North American phenomena, when Jesus and his disciples were invited for dinner, Mary and Martha’s kitchen shrank too! Luke tells the story in chapter 10. Apparently both were making lunch but Mary decided to leave the pots and pans and wander into the living room. Martha was furious. She called Jesus and told Him to make her sister come and help her. (Note, although she appealed to the highest authority, she was telling Him what to do.)
Jesus’ response was not what she expected: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
The details of the incident are left to our imaginations. Knowing women, it may be that Mary noticed these men were far more occupied with theological truth than culinary skills so she voted for quick nourishment, perhaps peanut butter sandwiches. But Martha wanted roast turkey and all the trimmings. She wouldn’t hear of feeding sandwiches to the Son of God. Besides, what would He think of her if she didn’t put out her best spread?
Obviously Mary wasn’t trying to impress Jesus with her cooking. Other passages about her reveal that she was the only one who realized He would not be with them much longer. Perhaps she felt an urgency to know more about Him and more about how to live as one who trusted Him. Perhaps she knew neither big meals nor any other personal accomplishment would improve her standing with Him. Perhaps she realized she needed Him to make an impression on her — the impression of His righteous image stamped deep on her life.
Martha seemed to have different desires and certainly different priorities. While it may have appeared a good thing to be busy with “much serving” and a natural thing to be distressed about Mary’s choice, Jesus’ gentle rebuke shows that something was wrong.
Martha’s anxiety was a clue. What was important here: how she looked (based on how she cooked) or calmly trusting His acceptance — based on His love, not her service? On the other hand, Mary already knew that Jesus saw right through her. Nothing she could accomplish would change what He saw. Only HE could make her acceptable.
Mary choose the “good part,” to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to what He had to say. I’m sure she discovered many new things about herself. Some of them may have made her uncomfortable, even filled with shame, as Martha no doubt eventually felt after the rebuke. But Mary came to Him anyway. She knew His Words healed and He would forgive her if she trusted Him and confessed her sinfulness.
The story of Martha and Mary is not an excuse for we who cook or share a kitchen to abandon our culinary responsibilities and read the Bible all day. Instead, it is a challenge to take inventory. Do outer activities fill our life so we have no time for Jesus? Do we ever stop to ask if we are trying to impress Almighty God? Do we claim to serve Christ yet find ourselves full of anxieties... and resenting others who are not working as hard? Do we even complain to God and insist He do something about them?
In other words, turkey may rate higher than peanut butter in our list of what is important, but where does time with Jesus fit in?
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Not all rewards are bankable ................. Parables 225
(July 11, 1990)
Long, long ago, when children were taught to say please and thank you and polite conversation was normal, a young employee worked overtime to meet a deadline. When the assignment was finished and she was getting ready to leave with a friend, her boss said thank you. The friend muttered, “Thanks doesn’t buy much beer.”
There are still a few people who will stay late on a job without expecting or even wanting overtime pay, but they are almost as rare as a polite please and thank you. Mere appreciation isn’t enough in this materialistic society. The reward has to be tangible and preferably bankable.
I came across a startling verse of Scripture one day that showed me the norm for the Christian worker should be diametrically opposite to the norm of our day. It was written by the Apostle Paul to the immature believers in the church at Corinth. He said, “I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.”
I don’t know about most Christians but I find myself often expecting, even taking for granted, that other Christians will not only appreciate me but love me, especially if I spend myself to meet their needs. It isn’t that I serve to earn love but some expression of gratitude is the normal response of a spiritual person, and it usually happens.
However, Paul wasn’t dealing with spiritual persons. He told them in the beginning of his letter that they were carnal, behaving as ordinary men and not saints of God with envy, strife, and divisions among them (3:3). He rebuked them thoroughly and instructed them in godly behavior. At the end of his letter though, he told them he would gladly love and serve them, even if they did not respond as they should. Obviously he wasn’t motivated by any response he hoped to get from them, but what did motivate him?
In his second letter to them, he tells why he could keep on regardless of their reaction: “The love of Christ constrains us...” He could have put it this way: The love of Christ controls us...” It was not a forced restraint but willing submission to the force of the love of God that provided him the necessary motivation to serve others.
But how do you keep on serving people who never show any appreciation? Jesus revealed that to Peter after He rose from the dead and had cooked breakfast for some of the disciples. Taking Peter aside, He asked him if he loved Him. When Peter responded, Jesus said, “If you love me... feed my sheep.”
It is not love for the sheep but love for Jesus that counts. When we love Him, we do what He says. Doing what He says usually involves serving the needs of others. Many times those others are grateful and say so; and many times the Lord will even reward His servants in other ways; but there are occasions when the job is done in love and humility and no one says thanks, or cares, or even seems to notice.
Actually, it is thankless people who really test my relationship with Christ. Am I doing this because I love Him and serve Him? Or am I looking for a pat on the back, my name on a plaque, or at least a mention (with appreciative reverence) from the pulpit next Sunday? Perhaps the truest test of love for Christ is working to help someone who would choke if they had to say thanks, and die on the spot if they had to return the favor, and do that service without a trace of expectation or bitterness.
No, verbal “thanks” doesn’t pay the bills, nor does a servant-spirit keep bread on the table; remuneration is vital to an employee. But if our Master is the Lord and our workplace is with His people, how important to remember that serving Him is a privilege, even a thank-offering, because He gladly spent His life in service to us.
Long, long ago, when children were taught to say please and thank you and polite conversation was normal, a young employee worked overtime to meet a deadline. When the assignment was finished and she was getting ready to leave with a friend, her boss said thank you. The friend muttered, “Thanks doesn’t buy much beer.”
There are still a few people who will stay late on a job without expecting or even wanting overtime pay, but they are almost as rare as a polite please and thank you. Mere appreciation isn’t enough in this materialistic society. The reward has to be tangible and preferably bankable.
I came across a startling verse of Scripture one day that showed me the norm for the Christian worker should be diametrically opposite to the norm of our day. It was written by the Apostle Paul to the immature believers in the church at Corinth. He said, “I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.”
I don’t know about most Christians but I find myself often expecting, even taking for granted, that other Christians will not only appreciate me but love me, especially if I spend myself to meet their needs. It isn’t that I serve to earn love but some expression of gratitude is the normal response of a spiritual person, and it usually happens.
However, Paul wasn’t dealing with spiritual persons. He told them in the beginning of his letter that they were carnal, behaving as ordinary men and not saints of God with envy, strife, and divisions among them (3:3). He rebuked them thoroughly and instructed them in godly behavior. At the end of his letter though, he told them he would gladly love and serve them, even if they did not respond as they should. Obviously he wasn’t motivated by any response he hoped to get from them, but what did motivate him?
In his second letter to them, he tells why he could keep on regardless of their reaction: “The love of Christ constrains us...” He could have put it this way: The love of Christ controls us...” It was not a forced restraint but willing submission to the force of the love of God that provided him the necessary motivation to serve others.
But how do you keep on serving people who never show any appreciation? Jesus revealed that to Peter after He rose from the dead and had cooked breakfast for some of the disciples. Taking Peter aside, He asked him if he loved Him. When Peter responded, Jesus said, “If you love me... feed my sheep.”
It is not love for the sheep but love for Jesus that counts. When we love Him, we do what He says. Doing what He says usually involves serving the needs of others. Many times those others are grateful and say so; and many times the Lord will even reward His servants in other ways; but there are occasions when the job is done in love and humility and no one says thanks, or cares, or even seems to notice.
Actually, it is thankless people who really test my relationship with Christ. Am I doing this because I love Him and serve Him? Or am I looking for a pat on the back, my name on a plaque, or at least a mention (with appreciative reverence) from the pulpit next Sunday? Perhaps the truest test of love for Christ is working to help someone who would choke if they had to say thanks, and die on the spot if they had to return the favor, and do that service without a trace of expectation or bitterness.
No, verbal “thanks” doesn’t pay the bills, nor does a servant-spirit keep bread on the table; remuneration is vital to an employee. But if our Master is the Lord and our workplace is with His people, how important to remember that serving Him is a privilege, even a thank-offering, because He gladly spent His life in service to us.
Monday, January 6, 2014
What motivates me? ....................... Parables 063
WARNING: The following information is hazardous to the human “comfort zone.” It MAY produce defensiveness, excuses, and/or feelings of inadequacy and guilt. Please read with discretion.Robert Hyland was born in the 1920's. For the past 20 or more years he has worked from 2:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. six days a week. That is a 90 hour work week. He declares that he is not “some kind of nut”, but is very committed to his job, loves it even, and works so hard that he seldom notices the time or even when the sun come up.
John Wesley, born in 1703, died in 1791, founded the Methodist church. He knew ten languages and wrote 400 books - no doubt with a quill pen. He also preached 40,000 sermons and rode 250,000 miles on horseback to do it, averaging 20 miles a day for 40 years. He was grieved in later years because he developed a tendency to sleep past 5:30 a.m.
The apostle Paul traveled throughout the known world for over 30 years, most of it on foot, some by sea. He worked hard, was in prison frequently, flogged severely, and exposed to death again and again. He says in 2 Corinthians 11, “Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked. I spent a night and a day in the open sea. I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger form my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food. I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches... I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well.”
Ever wonder what motivates people to work like that, under those conditions? Is it the rewards received for what they do? Does their work give them pleasure or comfort? Or the money that will buy it? Or is there a desire for power, or fame and popularity, or at least recognition?
Hyland loves what he does. He says the pleasure of it motivates him, yet by his own admission, it is a competitive business world, and those who do not know how to work, will not survive. Beyond that, it is anybody’s guess why he drives himself as he does.
Wesley no doubt had a love for his job too, yet that many miles in a saddle is not always comfortable. Writing one book is hard work - never mind 400. His motives seemed to be for other reasons than the usual rewards.
The apostle Paul made no claim to earthly fortune, or fame, or power. He somehow found time to build tents to finance his travels, was not too popular but in fact frequently persecuted including physical abuse, and he considered himself a weak man, powerless without Christ. The usual things that drive a person to hard work seemed completely absent in his life. So why did he do it?
He explains in Ch.5 “...we know what it is to fear the Lord, (so) we try to persuade men... if we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For -Christ’s love compels us-, because we are convinced that One died for all... that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.”
He simply did not have a personal motive. He knew that Christ died for his sins, and rose from the dead so that everyone who believed would have eternal life. Therefore, Paul became a servant of Christ, to tell others the same good news that he had been told. He did not care what it cost him. He was motivated by the love of God, love that is willing to make any sacrifice, give up any personal comfort. It is not for money, or self-glory, or power, but for the good of others, that they might live forever.
No further comment. It was as uncomfortable to write as it is to read.
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