War and/or Peace? .......... Parables 496

December 19, 1995

“If those who want peace are just as interested in success, popularity and power as those who want war, what then is the difference between war and peace?” (H. Nouwen)

Good question. It interests me that Jesus Christ offered both war and peace. He said, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” but also said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you.”

Why the contradiction? Was Jesus interested only in results and not at all concerned with the means used to get them? Did it matter to Him whether He became popular with promises of peace or powerful with promises of a sword? What was He trying to say?

Some think Jesus enjoyed popularity but when it leveled off, He and His disciples concocted a plot — if He “died” and “rose from the dead” no one would ever forget Him. In other words, Jesus was no different than anyone else who seeks personal success, fame and power. Securing a name for Himself and a following was the most important thing.

If Jesus was interested only in success, popularity and power, He had to be mentally warped. Nothing He did secured any of those three. The world, even in His day, measures success by wealth and position. Jesus was a mere carpenter and an itinerant preacher who died without owning any land or houses, only the clothes on His back. He was penniless.

Popularity is measured by the number of people who like you and stick with you. It is not the same as notoriety. If Jesus wanted only to be popular, why then did He make decisions that caused even His closest friends to misunderstand Him and eventually desert Him?

Power was measured in His day by the size of a man’s army and the number of His weapons. Jesus had no army. His power was kindness and forgiveness, with which He gathered a following of fishermen, tax collectors, prostitutes, and other “low life” of society who hardly fit anyone’s idea of an army.

Even the “power” He had had no influence on Jewish leaders, except a few who were too afraid to let anyone know they followed Him. He also had no influence over political leaders. Herod tried to kill Him as a baby, and subsequent Roman leaders willingly allowed the Jews to crucify Him. Even on the cross, Jesus did not choose power. The crowds mocked Him saying, “You saved others... come down... save yourself” but He refused to call out for help, either to His Father or to “legions of angels.”

Was Jesus’ idea of success twisted? No, but His concept was different. He knew the Scripture said, “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” To Him, success was obeying everything God said. He was successful at doing that.

Jesus did not have a twisted idea of popularity either. He simply was not as concerned with the applause of men as He was with pleasing God. The Apostle Paul later wrote, “I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God....” Of Him, God said, “This is My Beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased.” Jesus was popular — with the One Person who counts.

As for power, the Bible says Jesus had no human armies and even though He could have called on angels to deliver Him from death, He instead affirmed that spiritual might is not in swords and spears. The Bible says the “weakness of God (in becoming a vulnerable man and dying) is stronger than men.” His death accomplished the purpose of God in providing redemption for sinful man. However, His “weakness was not permanent. Jesus also has the “power of an endless life” — and He lives and reigns forever at the right hand of His Father.

Rather than challenge the difference between those who want war and those who want peace, Nouwen would be wise to inquire about different views of success, popularity and power. He might discover it is possible, even in the midst of conflict, to have peace.

Security assured ................ Parables 338

October 6, 1992

“When I was a young boy, my dad gave me a silver dollar. He told me to keep it because if I did, I would never be broke.”

Smart dad. While the value of a dollar has diminished, the fact of having something in one’s pocket during tough times is comforting. There is a story about an orphanage where each child was given a crust of bread at night. None of them ate the crust though. Instead, it went under their pillow where it gave them a sense of security against hunger for the next day.

These small things illustrates how God’s present blessings are tokens of assurance for the future. His spiritual versions of “a silver dollar” ensure we will never be spiritual impoverished. His spiritual “crusts of bread” are deposits to give us assurance about a great coming feast we will share with Him someday in heaven.

While not every promise in the Bible is guaranteed in the life of every believer all the time, here are some universal “tokens” in the Christian experience.

PEACE WITH GOD: Jesus Christ secured our forgiveness to the extent that those who believe in Him for eternal life are “no longer condemned.” While this is a reality that is not visible, it is made real by faith since faith is “the evidence of things not seen.” This peace is a token of what one aspect of eternity will be like — a great and deep peace with our Creator and Judge.

PRESENCE OF GOD: God does not promise that life here will be always rosy and trouble-free, but He does promise to be with those who truth Christ. Even though we sometimes fail to sense His presence, our feelings do not change the reality. When we do sense Him near, we often yearn for the fullness of seeing Him someday face to face. This is a wonderful token of a future blessing.

INDWELLING OF HIS SPIRIT: The presence of God is related to the Third Person in the Godhead, the Holy Spirit who lives within Christians. He enables us to “partake in His divine nature” so we have all that is needed to believe and obey Him. This is so important that the Bible says, “Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His” (Romans 8:9).

In Ephesians, the Holy Spirit is also called “the guarantee of our inheritance” until the redemption of our bodies. He has saved us and given us Himself as a “deposit” or down payment which is assurance that the full transaction will be made later on. In the meantime, we are able to enjoy the ministry of the Spirit as He teaches, comforts, assures, enables, and equips us to serve God.

ACCESS TO THE THRONE OF GOD: Jesus, as the High Priest who intercedes for us, also opens our access to God. Sinful creatures cannot approach the Holy One but His blood covers our sin and we can “therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). While God has the wisdom and prerogative to deny our selfish and foolish requests, He still hears what we say and considers our needs. He knows whether we need money, more food, a new job, a friend, to get married, to stay single, or good weather. Every thing that we pray about is heard, evaluated, and answered according to His will and His wisdom — because He loves us and is attentive to us.

EVERLASTING LOVE: No one is able to consistently meet the love-needs of another person, no one except God. His love is unconditional and eternal. He has demonstrated it in sending Christ to die for us.

Paul exclaims, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” These are the tokens — imagine the yet-to-come heavenly inheritance!

The Purpose of Life ................ Parables 335

September 15, 1992

The question comes to me at the oddest moments. Sometimes I am in the grocery store with my cart nearly full. Other times I am at a wedding, or in a classroom. Sometimes I hear it when my husband and I are planning a trip or playing golf. The question has frightened me, even left me baffled, but most of the time it makes me stop and consider the answer, even adjust my life if it seems necessary. The question?  —  Why am I here?

Apparently people in the middle of life are not the only ones who hear the question. Younger people wonder why they exist. Many of them consider only a few options, such as an “eat, drink and be merry” philosophy. Or they defer the question — they are only young once — and try to forget it. Others look for answers through achievements in political or social endeavors and try to become the best in their field or make a name for themselves so they somehow leave a mark on humanity. Yet still the question haunts them.

And it haunts me too, not that I am without an answer nor do I doubt my answer is the best option. For me though, it seems that the question serves more than one purpose. It first challenged me to find meaning for life, now it prods me to base life on what I have discovered.

Becoming convinced of God’s purpose for my life has not been painless or quick. Like Solomon explains in the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, it is only after trying almost everything else that I am now convinced that all human answers to this question are dismal at best. Should I live for pleasure, money, popularity, awards, my work or human recognition, I would find none of these settling down in the heart for very long — they are not the best answers.

Of course such aspirations are not without value and I would be lying if I said it does not feel good to have fun, make money, gain friends or reach the top of list now and then. It is just that my life, focused on those things, leaves me feeling empty and the question remains without an answer.

Purpose for living is expressed several ways in the Bible. Solomon gives one: “The conclusion of the whole matter is to fear God and keep His commandments, this is the whole duty of man.” In this case, fear does not mean terror but reverence for God. Because of that awe, we ought to obey Him. Micah explains life’s purpose this way: “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” The satisfaction everyone wants from life cannot be found apart doing what God requires. According to Micah, honorable living accompanied by a benevolent attitude towards others and an honest recognition of our position before God is beneficial to us.

Some seem to think if we do what God wants we will not be happy, but God is not against us being happy. In fact, I am convinced that He is not against us being wealthy or popular or successful either. The Psalmist even prays, “May He grant you according to your heart’s desire and fulfil all your purpose” (20:4). Because we tend to put our human wants first, before pleasing God, we miss the fullness of what He wants for us.

Don’t misunderstand; I do not subscribe to a “God wants you rich” theology. God wants us to experience His riches and if worldly wealth will stand in the way of that, He does us a favor if He makes money hard to come by or dissatisfying when we do have it. As our Maker, He knows our true purpose and what will make us truly happy — both are found in Him and in doing what He created us to do.

So now the question serves as a reminder to ask myself often if I still fear God and still obey Him — because that is the reason why I am here.

Unexpected Peace ................. Parables 203

(February 7, 1990)

It was 4 a.m. The telephone woke both parents instantly. The father answered, mother wide-awake beside him. It happened to quick for prayers. In fact neither of them remember even a Godward thought, yet before they found out the news wasn’t good, a strange thing happened inside their minds. They were instantly and completely filled with peace, a peace so incredible, it erased all the tension that comes when the phone rings in the night.

The call was from another parent. Their young daughter, best friend of this couple’s daughter, had invited her for a sleep-over. Both were missing. So was his vehicle. The caller’s voice was filled with fear. They were only 13. Neither of them could drive. Where would they go? They had no money. It seemed they had taken no extra clothing. He was in a state of panic. His wife could be heard crying in the background.

The recipients of this alarming news dressed hurriedly. They quickly drove the few blocks to the home of the other parents. They prayed with them first, then calmly began making plans to search the area. Both were concerned but serene. That serenity still didn’t make sense, not even to them, never mind to the parents of the other girl. Why would anyone, given the situation, be so calm?

Jesus made an incredible promise to those who trust in Him, “Peace I give unto you, not as the world gives give I unto you...” The Apostle Paul called it “the peace that passes all understanding.”

This couple were new Christians. God was teaching them all about turning their fears over to Him, about trusting Him with all their heart and that He would give His peace to those who do so. They were learning to turn to Him in need and not rely on their own understanding. But this was something new. His peace was there, without even a thought of asking Him for it.

It makes no sense that such deep peace can be experienced in such a traumatic episode of life. We may want it, but the normal reaction is fear and anxiety. However, our God is greater than our normal reactions. The above situation gives evidence that His ways are far beyond even what we can understand. No psychologist can explain it. No philosopher can decipher peace where there ought to be a storm.

No matter how often we reach out to God, no matter how often He responds to our cries, He must take great delight in meeting needs that we don’t even know we have, or meeting them before they come into our awareness. What joy in discovering Him through a surprise. What grace in His supply of protection and assurance during those times we least expect it. He knows how to build our confidence in Him.

Surely God’s invitation to: “Call unto me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you know not,” earns far more response from that father and mother after such a sovereignly bestowed blessing. Without calling, their experience of a great and mighty peace revealed to them the grace and power of God. He could now say to them: “You have seen what I can do in this... trust Me in all things”

The rest of the story? God already knew it. The girls drove only a few blocks, parked the vehicle, locked it, and spent several hours, chilly and frightened, wondering what would happen to them when they returned home. They walked in before breakfast, feeling foolish but nonetheless wiser -- and safe.

To God belongs the glory -- not only for their safety, but when it was threatened, He granted a deep and unexpected peace.

Stressed? ................ Parables 064

Some people hate self-tests. Others like them. Personally, I found “How do you react to stress?” both revealing, and interesting. It was in a recent newspaper, and contained 20 questions with 1 - 4 self-rating scores.

The ratings went something like this:

1 - “never” = “non-productive and lacking stimulation”
2 - “sometimes” = “has a good balance and able to control and handle stress.
3 - “frequently” = “borderline tense”
4 - “always” = “a candidate for heart disease.”

It was revealing because it showed me some areas where my walk with God could improve; interesting because I noticed that each question was related to Biblical principles - principles that, if followed, would make stress much easier to manage.

Here are some samples from the test:

1) Do you try to do as much as possible in the least amount of time? Psalm 90 says “Teach us to number our days that we might gain a heart of wisdom.” Ephesians 5 says “Be careful how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil.” The Bible teaches prayerful planning and being active, but not frantic cramming.

2) Do you become impatient with delays or interruptions? James 1 tells us to “consider it pure joy... when you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” But we are also told to “press on” and overcome obstacles. The Bible teaches that interruptions and delays are controlled by God, and that He can use them for good in the lives of His people. We need to use them, not let them cause us to sin.

3) Do you always have to win at games to enjoy yourself? James teaches that we are to guard against selfish ambition, yet we are also to do our very best. Because of Christ, we can be “winners” in God’s sight, loved and accepted unconditionally by Him, and given all we need to do all He wants us to do. Therefore winning in games becomes unimportant.

The other 17 questions also relate to scriptural principles.

When a person fails the stress tests of real life, they find themselves irate, irritated, frenzied, worried, confused, unable to make decisions, flighty, and just plain frazzled. This is a violation of the kind of life that God intended. The test makes the point that the body suffers more from a stressed mind and emotions than it does from hard work.

The Bible says this too. In fact, His book was the original manual on the subject. It gives the cause of stress: unbelief and sin; and the one solution that works: Jesus Christ. He came to give inner peace to the stressed person, rest for the soul.

Jesus makes an invitation. “Come unto me you who are weary and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest.” He knows that the load of life is hard. He lived here too. He bids the stressed to come to Him, and promises all who come that He will never turn them away.

The first load He removes is the burden of personal sin: “As far as the east is from the west - so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

Then He replaces it with a lighter burden: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am meek and lowly in heart.....My yoke is easy, my burden is light.”

Doing HIS will, with His enabling power is far less stressful than doing OUR will without Him.

While not all stress can be eliminated, (we would become mashed potatoes) we need not carry it alone. Jesus can deal with stress at its source. He may take the load away. He may lighten it. He may give stronger “muscles” to carry it. Whatever He does, He will untie the knots and give peace.

Faith gives peace, not control ...........................Parables 008

Last Friday was an interesting day. I dropped my article off at the Record office, came home, and the telephone was ringing as I unlocked the door. A man’s voice said, “Don’t be alarmed . . .  I have your son at the hospital.”
 
Surprisingly, I was not alarmed. He went on to describe a minor accident at school, painful for our son, but not serious. This incident followed on the heels of the article that I had just given to this newspaper. It appeared with the following title, FAITH IN GOD’S WORD KEEPS OUR KIDS SAFE but that title did not match what I was hoping to convey, making me realize the importance of clarity.
 
So I will say it again -- faith in God’s Word can keep us from going into a state of panic during the crisis times, when the circumstances of life are unpleasant. However, contrary to what the headline may have suggested, faith does not prevent the unpleasant from happening.
 
Maybe that is what we would like to believe . . .  something like, “I’ll just trust God and everything will be the way I want it.” The Bible doesn’t guarantee that. In fact, it says we should not be surprised at trials and problems, that they will come . . .  and all of us will have them.
 
What God’s Word does say is that we can have confidence and even rejoice in those trials because they have a purpose. God is not allowing them out of vindictiveness or indifference, but uses them to develop qualities that make Christians more like His Son. That is not only our goal, but our eternal destiny. (1 John 3:2)
 
Our faith then, is not a hopeful escape from the realities and pressures of life, but a gift from God to help us meet them head on. In those trials, God supplies the needed strength, wisdom, courage, and even joy to carry us through the trials and out the other side with even greater conviction that our God is entirely sufficient for these things.
 
I would not want anyone to think, “If I only had more faith in God’s Word this would not have happened to my child.” What pathetic theology that would be to the MacMillans, the Wilgoshs, the McClenaghans, or any other suffering parents. They, and all of us, need to know that faith in God is not a guarantee of a disaster-free life, nor is faith to be measured by the lack of pain that we go through.
 
Faith is simply the means by which we KNOW that God is not being unkind or indifferent to our sufferings, nor are they dropped on us haphazardly. And Biblical faith is not something we can conjure up, but is a gift to us: “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17). Our responsibility is to read it, and to respond to trials by placing our lives and the lives of those we love, into the Lord’s care, fully trusting that He knows what we do not know, that He sees what we cannot see, and that His peace is available, even in those trials.

No Need to "What if?" .................. Parables 007

A bus full of high school students saw what looked like a human hand lying on the street as they were going to school today.
 
Another school was closed this afternoon due to a bomb threat.
 
News headlines tell of schools attacked by snipers, burned down by pranksters, bullet-sprayed by crazies, taught by sexually perverted people, marched on by mad minorities, and crashed into by airplanes.
 
Who said, “Enjoy school -- it is the best time of your life”?
 
Moms and dads reading these things are beginning to “what-if?” Some have pulled their children out of school and retreated underground, to spend the rest of their lives “protected” from society in a bomb shelter. Others worry themselves gray. Still others try to shut it out, knowing they have little control.
 
One of these unusual events touched my life this week. As my son told me about it, this thought ran through my mind, “But we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are the called according to His purpose.”
 
I wondered, for a brief moment, why that verse from Romans 8 should fit this situation. But later on I realized how practical it was. The “news of the day” had not flustered me in the slightest. That truth protected me from the “what-if’s.”
 
I send my son to school about 200 days out of a year, and run the risk of a multitude of things that could happen to him. Yet over and over again, this promise from God sets my mind at rest. I know that it applies to me, for I love God and have been called by Him according to His purpose. But it also applies to my son. He loves God also, and has responded to His call. And, according to the Word of God, nothing is going to happen to him that God cannot use in his life, for God’s own good purpose. The very next verse (verse 29) reveals that His purpose is to transform those He calls into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ.
 
Frankly, I haven’t a clue how God controls the events of life, from the ordinary to the extraordinary, and uses them to mold a person into a different person’s image. I do know that he starts from within, and gives the gift of his Son to each of us who have responded to His call. His Son lives within. Then somehow, He takes the outside and reworks it to match the inside. That makes all of life a school -- a school where every situation is a lesson or an exam, and the only way to fail is to refuse to be molded.
 
We will send our son back to school, confident of Who is in charge of his life, and joyfully see both kinds of school shaping him to mental and spiritual maturity. And we don’t have to “what-if.”