July 4, 2000
Many people, myself included, mourn the death of Grant McEwan. While I never met him, the stories about him made him familiar. He was not only well-known but widely admired and respected. Someone wondered about this admiration, and questioned if others thought so highly of this man, why is no one willing to follow his footsteps or imitate his high standards?
We react thinking not everyone can be like him. Besides, we need our heros. Remember our teen idols and switching from one to another? In most cases, such adoration did nothing for the idol (unless it sold products and built their bank account) but it must have done something for us who adored them, like give us an ego boost.
A person I know often mentions many “wonderful, kind” people she knows, but after hearing this many times, it is easy to see that she does not hold up their virtue as much as point out that she knows them. For her, knowing exceptional people somehow boosts her self-esteem.
Part of becoming an exceptional person does include a healthy self-image. Some say anyone can be “anything they want to be” as long as they think they can. Is that right? Can any person become a Grant McEwan?
Norman Vincent Peale’s “Power of Positive Thinking” said so. I was in my early twenties when my father talked about this book and its concepts. I remember telling him I could think positive all I wanted but it would never make me an opera singer.
Dad had to agree (he likely overheard my squawks from the shower). Some things are beyond some people. Positive thinking cannot overcome certain limitations and being a hero is far more difficult than worshiping one. We can sing along with our favorite music stars but that is not the same as having a hit tune.
Reaching the top of any chart requires personal discipline, hard work, and persistence. “Overnight successes” have behind them a history of untold effort. So would a good self-image and hard work enable an ordinary person to be a man like McEwan? Or did he have a secret others do not know? Maybe he did.
The Bible says that “all good things” come from God. McEwan was a professing Christian. Because of his faith, he had a divine source for the good things in his life.
He also could claim these verses from 2 Peter: “(God’s) divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, to that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”
God makes His glory and goodness available to anyone who puts their faith in Jesus Christ. Besides salvation from sin and eternal life, Christians have the nature of God added to their own nature. That does not make Christians perfect. Our own nature is still with us (the part that has those evil desires), yet the presence of His nature changes the way we live. With personal discipline, hard work, and persistence, we can live extraordinary lives.
McEwan was one of these. He disciplined himself with simple living and hard work, persisting in the virtues God gave him and went beyond making claims to live out God’s promises. Anyone who aspires to being a man like him can follow his footsteps — if they are willing to take the path that leads first to a Cross and the One who offers Himself to them. Then they can both say and prove it is true: “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”
Showing posts with label true goodness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label true goodness. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
Monday, June 13, 2016
No One can be Good Enough! .................. Parables 444
October 25, 1994
A certain alcoholic man decided to leave his Christian wife. He said she was “too good for him” and he could never be “that good.”
Another person responded in a similar way when she first encountered Christians. She said, “Everyone at church is so godly. I’ll never be good enough to belong in that place.”
Many of the Christians I know are amazed and saddened at statements like that. For one thing, we do not see ourselves as being “that good.” Even though we know Christ has changed our lives, we also know we constantly are in need of forgiveness and cleansing from sin. The nearer we draw to God, the more we realize how imperfect we are.
The idea that a person must be “good” in order to belong also saddens us. While Christ calls for holiness and obedient living, we are well aware it comes as a result of knowing Him, not as a prerequisite. Goodness is the consequence of believing, not the criteria.
Further, a genuine Christian should never be making an effort to be something they are not. The goodness observed by both the alcoholic husband and the new church attender is an unconscious goodness, put there because they know Christ. It is only in that relationship with the Son of God that the above described wife and congregation could possibly have characteristics that qualify as “godly.”
Is it possible for anyone be godly even when they are certain they are unable to be “that good”? Of course it is. God Himself promises to change lives. He says in Isaiah 1:18: “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white a snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
That means that anyone who is willing to confess their sins to God will receive His forgiveness. As He wipes the slate clean and gives them a new heart, they experience freedom from guilt and a new ability to behave as He intended. This ability comes from His Spirit, a gift to every born-again child of God.
Along with that freedom and ability, Christians find themselves without crippling despair. Instead of fighting a horrible sense of never being able to “measure up” they simply acknowledge it is true. As the Bible clearly says, everyone falls short of the high standard of God and not one person can stand before God on the basis that they are “good enough.” God accepts sinners for entirely different reasons.
This is why Romans 5:8 says Christ died for us, not after we pull up our own bootstraps, but “while we were still sinners.” He offers us love and His own godliness with no prerequisites but need. His offer of forgiveness of sin and eternal life is for to those who realize they do not deserve it.
Compare it to medical care. Those who are healthy do not need a doctor, only those who are sick. In the same way, Jesus came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance and new life. Anyone who recognizes themselves to be in that category and is willing to admit it before God, can ask for forgiveness and receive a new, changed life.
The irony is that those who honestly feel they are not good enough to be Christians are far closer to God than anyone who insists they are good enough the way they are.
A certain alcoholic man decided to leave his Christian wife. He said she was “too good for him” and he could never be “that good.”
Another person responded in a similar way when she first encountered Christians. She said, “Everyone at church is so godly. I’ll never be good enough to belong in that place.”
Many of the Christians I know are amazed and saddened at statements like that. For one thing, we do not see ourselves as being “that good.” Even though we know Christ has changed our lives, we also know we constantly are in need of forgiveness and cleansing from sin. The nearer we draw to God, the more we realize how imperfect we are.
The idea that a person must be “good” in order to belong also saddens us. While Christ calls for holiness and obedient living, we are well aware it comes as a result of knowing Him, not as a prerequisite. Goodness is the consequence of believing, not the criteria.
Further, a genuine Christian should never be making an effort to be something they are not. The goodness observed by both the alcoholic husband and the new church attender is an unconscious goodness, put there because they know Christ. It is only in that relationship with the Son of God that the above described wife and congregation could possibly have characteristics that qualify as “godly.”
Is it possible for anyone be godly even when they are certain they are unable to be “that good”? Of course it is. God Himself promises to change lives. He says in Isaiah 1:18: “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white a snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
That means that anyone who is willing to confess their sins to God will receive His forgiveness. As He wipes the slate clean and gives them a new heart, they experience freedom from guilt and a new ability to behave as He intended. This ability comes from His Spirit, a gift to every born-again child of God.
Along with that freedom and ability, Christians find themselves without crippling despair. Instead of fighting a horrible sense of never being able to “measure up” they simply acknowledge it is true. As the Bible clearly says, everyone falls short of the high standard of God and not one person can stand before God on the basis that they are “good enough.” God accepts sinners for entirely different reasons.
This is why Romans 5:8 says Christ died for us, not after we pull up our own bootstraps, but “while we were still sinners.” He offers us love and His own godliness with no prerequisites but need. His offer of forgiveness of sin and eternal life is for to those who realize they do not deserve it.
Compare it to medical care. Those who are healthy do not need a doctor, only those who are sick. In the same way, Jesus came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance and new life. Anyone who recognizes themselves to be in that category and is willing to admit it before God, can ask for forgiveness and receive a new, changed life.
The irony is that those who honestly feel they are not good enough to be Christians are far closer to God than anyone who insists they are good enough the way they are.
Monday, January 25, 2016
Darkness and Fear ............. Parables 384
August 29, 1993
“I was too scared to go down the dark one...” said 12-year old Angie, after a visit to West Edmonton Mall’s Water park. She loved the water slides and wasn’t intimidated by their height nor steepness, but the darkest tunnel slide was too dark. No matter how much her brothers coaxed her, she refused to try it.
James and Joey couldn’t understand her fears. “There is nothing to be afraid of,” they insisted. Many parents say the same thing when their children want lights on and doors left open. They know childish monsters exist only in a child’s imagination. But children are not much different than adults. We tend to fear whatever darkness might conceal, not darkness itself. If there are enemies or dangers, we prefer both to be visible, out in the light.
Several hundred years before Christ, Plato remarked, “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.”
Whatever Plato meant, I can think of several possible applications. One of them is the not-so-funny fear of looking at one’s self in the mirror in full sunlight, a phobia that materializes some time after a person’s thirtieth birthday.
Perhaps a more crucial fear is that of examining our prejudices. Sometimes we prefer hiding them because we may discover we were wrong. It is difficult to either live with error or change our minds, so we would rather not bring those biases to light.
Light and dark are symbolized somewhat differently in the Old Testament. Darkness is associated with a life of sin and ignorance; light with righteousness and goodness. Jesus added even more dimension to these symbols when He declared, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life.”
Jesus Himself is Goodness and Righteousness, true Light that came into the world to expose and set us free from all the hidden elements of sin’s darkness. He shed light on the human idea that sin is something we do by saying it goes much deeper; it is an attitude of the heart. Such hidden sin must be exposed, never covered by a show of “good” deeds.
Jesus’ explanation of sin was not popular then or now. The religious leaders of His day made a show of piety and were what we might call “good, God-fearing people.” Jesus said they were hypocrites because their deeds were motivated by hearts that were not right.
In this context, Jesus uncovered a third fear related to light and darkness. He said, “Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed” (John 3:19).
Notice, He was not talking about those who are afraid of what darkness hides, but people who love the dark itself, a far more serious problem. He gave this reason: “Men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” (vs.20)
He is referring to people whose attitude toward sin is contrary to Scripture’s teaching. The Bible says those who cover their sin will not prosper. Sin is our worst enemy, the very cause of eternal death. Besides, since light represents for more than goodness or spiritual enlightenment but Jesus Himself, then everyone who does evil hates Jesus, and will not come to Him fearing He will expose their evil deeds.
That means sliding further into darkness regarding the nature of sin and darkness and disregarding the only One who can overcome it.
“I was too scared to go down the dark one...” said 12-year old Angie, after a visit to West Edmonton Mall’s Water park. She loved the water slides and wasn’t intimidated by their height nor steepness, but the darkest tunnel slide was too dark. No matter how much her brothers coaxed her, she refused to try it.
James and Joey couldn’t understand her fears. “There is nothing to be afraid of,” they insisted. Many parents say the same thing when their children want lights on and doors left open. They know childish monsters exist only in a child’s imagination. But children are not much different than adults. We tend to fear whatever darkness might conceal, not darkness itself. If there are enemies or dangers, we prefer both to be visible, out in the light.
Several hundred years before Christ, Plato remarked, “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.”
Whatever Plato meant, I can think of several possible applications. One of them is the not-so-funny fear of looking at one’s self in the mirror in full sunlight, a phobia that materializes some time after a person’s thirtieth birthday.
Perhaps a more crucial fear is that of examining our prejudices. Sometimes we prefer hiding them because we may discover we were wrong. It is difficult to either live with error or change our minds, so we would rather not bring those biases to light.
Light and dark are symbolized somewhat differently in the Old Testament. Darkness is associated with a life of sin and ignorance; light with righteousness and goodness. Jesus added even more dimension to these symbols when He declared, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life.”
Jesus Himself is Goodness and Righteousness, true Light that came into the world to expose and set us free from all the hidden elements of sin’s darkness. He shed light on the human idea that sin is something we do by saying it goes much deeper; it is an attitude of the heart. Such hidden sin must be exposed, never covered by a show of “good” deeds.
Jesus’ explanation of sin was not popular then or now. The religious leaders of His day made a show of piety and were what we might call “good, God-fearing people.” Jesus said they were hypocrites because their deeds were motivated by hearts that were not right.
In this context, Jesus uncovered a third fear related to light and darkness. He said, “Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed” (John 3:19).
Notice, He was not talking about those who are afraid of what darkness hides, but people who love the dark itself, a far more serious problem. He gave this reason: “Men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” (vs.20)
He is referring to people whose attitude toward sin is contrary to Scripture’s teaching. The Bible says those who cover their sin will not prosper. Sin is our worst enemy, the very cause of eternal death. Besides, since light represents for more than goodness or spiritual enlightenment but Jesus Himself, then everyone who does evil hates Jesus, and will not come to Him fearing He will expose their evil deeds.
That means sliding further into darkness regarding the nature of sin and darkness and disregarding the only One who can overcome it.
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