December 2, 1997
My dad had a sign in his workshop that read, “Never take life too seriously. . . you’ll never get out of it alive.”
As certain as death is, life expectancy is at an all-time high: 75.8 years in the U.S. and it could be a little higher in Canada. Fear of dying plus this expectancy contributes to a common practice of joking about death rather than seriously discussing this universal certainty.
My dad, now eighty-eight years old, used to be one of those who never talked about death. Whenever anyone he knew died, his bulging temples gave away the fact that he was troubled and grinding his teeth, but he never said anything.
Increasing frailty and aching bones have made his life less enjoyable yet like most seniors, he realizes more than we do, how precious life is and that both life and death should be taken seriously. Life is a gift from God and we are responsible for what we do with that gift. Further, death is not the end because the Bible says that all die but all will also be resurrected. It clearly points out that what we do with this life will have a bearing on the quality of the next.
Author Eugene Peterson says that to live well and in harmony with God is the best way to spend our years on earth. He says obedience to God is not difficult but sin is difficult. Sin throws us out of kilter with the intention of our Creator. We were not made to sin and it harms our quality of life in every way.
For example, using addictive drugs destroys a person’s health, warps their thinking and ruins their usefulness. Adultery weighs down the mind with guilt, ruins intimacy with one’s spouse and raises havoc with families, sometimes splitting them and leaving hearts in pieces. This is not how God intended we use our years.
Someone once asked me what I wanted to be “when I grew up” and I replied, “I want to be a sweet little old lady” yet aging well is a challenge. According to the Bible, grey hair can be a crown of splendor, but only if it is attained by a righteous life.
We never start out righteous but if somewhere along the time line, we acknowledge our sin and failure to God, and receive the righteousness of Christ, we can begin to age well through taking the lessons of life seriously. When God uses them to shape our faith and give us godly character, we can not only finish well but with joy and courage.
The Old Testament cites Moses as one example. He “was a hundred and twenty when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone.” Caleb was another. At eighty-five, he could say, “I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out (forty years prior); I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then.”
Aging well means being able to approach death without fear. The Bible says that “the last enemy to be destroyed is death” and that Christ Jesus has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” By sharing in our humanity and dying for our sins, He “destroyed the one who holds the power of death—the devil—and set free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”
In the seniors’ lodge where my parents live, some residents are cheerful and enjoying their remaining years. Thankfully, Mom and Dad are among that group. Dad has changed; he talks about death and even expresses his hope that the Lord will soon come and take him home.
Others in the lodge happily speak about their faith in the Lord. The God of peace is helping them to age gracefully and with joy. From them, I clearly see that if I am to be a sweet little old lady someday, faith in Christ and walking alongside God will take me there.
Monday, April 17, 2017
Friday, April 14, 2017
The Information Explosion ................ Parables 575
November 25, 1997
Nearly four years ago, an American company opened an offsite storage service for universities and libraries. Besides space to keep books and records, member libraries also receive retrieval and delivery services for any items requested by their patrons. Soon after it opened, one university put in storage about 110,000 books, dissertations and bound periodicals.
Had this business opened a hundred years ago, few would have shown interest. However, as we approach a new millennium, educators, historians and lovers of research insist all information be preserved and accessible.
Today’s information explosion is mind-boggling. For example, the University of Waterloo’s electronic library claims one million titles. Another says they have 9.75 million articles in their catalogs. The OCLC Union catalog has 30 million bibliographic records. For those who have problems with those big numbers, someone said one issue of the New York Times contains more information than the average 17th-century Englishman encountered in his entire lifetime.
The ancient Scriptures predicted a time when knowledge would increase. In a vision, the prophet Daniel was told: “But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.”
Interestingly, the Hebrew word used here for knowledge takes a slant toward technical ability. People may not agree about this being “the end of time,” but there is no argument that we live in an era that fits this description; technical knowledge is rapidly multiplying.
Today, we associate knowledge with knowing information and having data and facts at our disposal. The Old Testament men and women had a different understanding. For them, knowledge meant a deeper relationship with the information. One of their words for “knowing” is the same word used in other parts of the Bible for sexual intimacy between a man and his wife.
With that in mind, Daniel seems to be saying that people would be highly involved in travel and in learning more and more. However, in the context of his vision, he did not extend this “knowing” to a deeper, intimate and personal relationship with God or even with truth about God.
The New Testament picks up the same concept. Paul wrote to Timothy about a day when people that would be “ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
Here, Paul is finishing the ideas of Daniel. People will be gathering information of all kinds yet despite all the data and facts, many will miss the most important knowledge: truth.
Pilate, the Roman governor, asked the question: “What is truth?” Jesus Christ, who Pilate crucified, said, “I am the truth. . . .”
Pilate was a knowledgeable man but he missed it. He did not recognize truth because he did not know God nor acknowledge Jesus as God’s Son. Because He denied God, he was blind to the fact that the One he put to death was Truth personified.
The Bible says that many will reject Jesus because they reject the other truths that He came to show us. For instance, He says we have turned our back on God’s way and are lost to God. We need restoration and forgiveness. The Bible also says He is life and He can give His life to us if we are willing to receive Him, and that He becomes our wisdom when we do.
As an incurable “information gatherer,” trying to grasp the amount of data now available simply frustrates me. I am far more interested in the data God stores in His mind. What library collection numbers the hairs on our heads and names all the stars of heaven? What information retrieval service can offer us the wisdom of Christ? No matter how much knowledge we can heap up, none of it compares to knowing Truth and trusting Him to give it to us as we need it.
Nearly four years ago, an American company opened an offsite storage service for universities and libraries. Besides space to keep books and records, member libraries also receive retrieval and delivery services for any items requested by their patrons. Soon after it opened, one university put in storage about 110,000 books, dissertations and bound periodicals.
Had this business opened a hundred years ago, few would have shown interest. However, as we approach a new millennium, educators, historians and lovers of research insist all information be preserved and accessible.
Today’s information explosion is mind-boggling. For example, the University of Waterloo’s electronic library claims one million titles. Another says they have 9.75 million articles in their catalogs. The OCLC Union catalog has 30 million bibliographic records. For those who have problems with those big numbers, someone said one issue of the New York Times contains more information than the average 17th-century Englishman encountered in his entire lifetime.
The ancient Scriptures predicted a time when knowledge would increase. In a vision, the prophet Daniel was told: “But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.”
Interestingly, the Hebrew word used here for knowledge takes a slant toward technical ability. People may not agree about this being “the end of time,” but there is no argument that we live in an era that fits this description; technical knowledge is rapidly multiplying.
Today, we associate knowledge with knowing information and having data and facts at our disposal. The Old Testament men and women had a different understanding. For them, knowledge meant a deeper relationship with the information. One of their words for “knowing” is the same word used in other parts of the Bible for sexual intimacy between a man and his wife.
With that in mind, Daniel seems to be saying that people would be highly involved in travel and in learning more and more. However, in the context of his vision, he did not extend this “knowing” to a deeper, intimate and personal relationship with God or even with truth about God.
The New Testament picks up the same concept. Paul wrote to Timothy about a day when people that would be “ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
Here, Paul is finishing the ideas of Daniel. People will be gathering information of all kinds yet despite all the data and facts, many will miss the most important knowledge: truth.
Pilate, the Roman governor, asked the question: “What is truth?” Jesus Christ, who Pilate crucified, said, “I am the truth. . . .”
Pilate was a knowledgeable man but he missed it. He did not recognize truth because he did not know God nor acknowledge Jesus as God’s Son. Because He denied God, he was blind to the fact that the One he put to death was Truth personified.
The Bible says that many will reject Jesus because they reject the other truths that He came to show us. For instance, He says we have turned our back on God’s way and are lost to God. We need restoration and forgiveness. The Bible also says He is life and He can give His life to us if we are willing to receive Him, and that He becomes our wisdom when we do.
As an incurable “information gatherer,” trying to grasp the amount of data now available simply frustrates me. I am far more interested in the data God stores in His mind. What library collection numbers the hairs on our heads and names all the stars of heaven? What information retrieval service can offer us the wisdom of Christ? No matter how much knowledge we can heap up, none of it compares to knowing Truth and trusting Him to give it to us as we need it.
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Why use drugs? ................ Parables 574
November 11, 1997
In 1991, 52,406 minors were arrested in the United States for drug abuse, particularly marijuana. In 1995, that number rose to 124,467. More recent statistics show little change from in teen marijuana use, but the use of hallucinogens nearly doubled in two years and the rate of heroin initiation for the 12-17 age group has reached historic levels.
A frog will sit in tepid water that is heated to a boil and die rather than jump out because it is oblivious to the danger. Could this be what is happening to young people? Some statistics indicated that less and less young people see a risk in taking heroin. Perhaps using a milder drug numbs discernment and prepares the way for stronger addictions.
How can it be explained that people will try something harmful hoping for some benefit but not finding it, then instead of abandoning that behavior, try something even more harmful?
In the beginning chapters of the Bible, there is one explanation. It tells the story of sin beginning with the first two people eating forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. While it seems a good idea to know the difference, they did not realize until it was too late that evil has an alluring and addictive power. They would seek it but not be satisfied by it.
Since then, the human soul seems to seek experiential knowledge of evil. It isn’t enough to know about it but to taste it, to find out for ourselves what it is like. But sin, like salted peanuts, suggests that just one more will satisfy that inner craving. By the time the bowl is empty, we are far more thirsty than we were to begin with.
Drugs do that too. There is a sense of the cravings relieved as long as the drug is available but when it dries up, the craving rages and abusers find themselves enslaved.
Suggested solutions include stricter laws, more education and increased public programs that offer youth other worthwhile things to do. Oddly, these correspond to some solutions people in the Bible attempt in their efforts to conquer all forms of sin.
The Jews thought the answer was in the Law. They lived with rigid rules but were never satisfied and had no assurance that God was pleased with them. No wonder. Jesus told them they didn’t fulfill the Law because it was humanly impossible. In fact, they became slaves to a legalism that held them in bondage.
Education has more promise. Jesus even said, “If you know the truth, the truth will set you free.” However, educators tend to think of truth as being mere information. When Jesus talked about the truth, He was talking about Himself. If people wanted to escape the revolving door of sin and death, they needed to know Him and He would set them free.
Doing good also has merit. The biggest drawback is that the standard of good that lifts us above sin is not possible to us. Again, Jesus said, “There is none good but God.” The Bible completely affirms that everyone falls short.
What we really need for escaping sin, whether it be bondage to drugs or any other enslaving habits, is a radical change inside our hearts, one that causes us to think differently about the temptations of evil. We need the God of the Universe to not only clean up our soul’s sinful cravings but satisfy it with the only thing that can fill that inner void — Himself.
How is that possible? Humanly, we cannot make it happen. All we can do is humble ourselves before God, admit we need help, and ask for His mercy. It is up to Him to move into our lives bringing grace and truth to set us free from the sins that enslave us.
Will we do it? Without Him, even humility escapes us. We tend to easily swallow the lie that drugs or some other allurement will lift us out of our personal pits, but reject the truth that only Christ can give us abundant life.
In 1991, 52,406 minors were arrested in the United States for drug abuse, particularly marijuana. In 1995, that number rose to 124,467. More recent statistics show little change from in teen marijuana use, but the use of hallucinogens nearly doubled in two years and the rate of heroin initiation for the 12-17 age group has reached historic levels.
A frog will sit in tepid water that is heated to a boil and die rather than jump out because it is oblivious to the danger. Could this be what is happening to young people? Some statistics indicated that less and less young people see a risk in taking heroin. Perhaps using a milder drug numbs discernment and prepares the way for stronger addictions.
How can it be explained that people will try something harmful hoping for some benefit but not finding it, then instead of abandoning that behavior, try something even more harmful?
In the beginning chapters of the Bible, there is one explanation. It tells the story of sin beginning with the first two people eating forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. While it seems a good idea to know the difference, they did not realize until it was too late that evil has an alluring and addictive power. They would seek it but not be satisfied by it.
Since then, the human soul seems to seek experiential knowledge of evil. It isn’t enough to know about it but to taste it, to find out for ourselves what it is like. But sin, like salted peanuts, suggests that just one more will satisfy that inner craving. By the time the bowl is empty, we are far more thirsty than we were to begin with.
Drugs do that too. There is a sense of the cravings relieved as long as the drug is available but when it dries up, the craving rages and abusers find themselves enslaved.
Suggested solutions include stricter laws, more education and increased public programs that offer youth other worthwhile things to do. Oddly, these correspond to some solutions people in the Bible attempt in their efforts to conquer all forms of sin.
The Jews thought the answer was in the Law. They lived with rigid rules but were never satisfied and had no assurance that God was pleased with them. No wonder. Jesus told them they didn’t fulfill the Law because it was humanly impossible. In fact, they became slaves to a legalism that held them in bondage.
Education has more promise. Jesus even said, “If you know the truth, the truth will set you free.” However, educators tend to think of truth as being mere information. When Jesus talked about the truth, He was talking about Himself. If people wanted to escape the revolving door of sin and death, they needed to know Him and He would set them free.
Doing good also has merit. The biggest drawback is that the standard of good that lifts us above sin is not possible to us. Again, Jesus said, “There is none good but God.” The Bible completely affirms that everyone falls short.
What we really need for escaping sin, whether it be bondage to drugs or any other enslaving habits, is a radical change inside our hearts, one that causes us to think differently about the temptations of evil. We need the God of the Universe to not only clean up our soul’s sinful cravings but satisfy it with the only thing that can fill that inner void — Himself.
How is that possible? Humanly, we cannot make it happen. All we can do is humble ourselves before God, admit we need help, and ask for His mercy. It is up to Him to move into our lives bringing grace and truth to set us free from the sins that enslave us.
Will we do it? Without Him, even humility escapes us. We tend to easily swallow the lie that drugs or some other allurement will lift us out of our personal pits, but reject the truth that only Christ can give us abundant life.
Monday, April 10, 2017
No Atheists ................ Parables 573
(? date published ?)
In August 1995, Madalyn Murray O’Hair, America’s foremost atheist, was reported missing. By July 1996, she had not been found. A search for an update led me to the Internet home page for the American Atheists Association, an organization founded by Ms. O’Hair. They comment on futile attempts to find her (and a son and granddaughter who are also missing), but seem unconcerned, even amused, by the disappearances.
Ms. O’Hair is best known for filing a case on behalf of another son that led to a 1963 United States Supreme Court ruling banning prayer in public schools. She also worked to have Bible reading banned from the school system.
Even though one of her sons has become a Christian, this woman claims to have no religious beliefs whatsoever and scorns all who believe in any higher being. Whether admired, hated or ignored, she made waves in the system and considers herself a person of influence. Oddly enough, the Bible that she mocks has a few words of its own for her. It says, “Only a fool says in his (her) heart there is no God.”
The Bible never defends or tries to prove the existence of God. It does say that creation itself reveals “God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature” and because these can be clearly seen, all people are “without excuse.” In other words, in the day when God judges lives and the secrets of our hearts, no one can claim ignorance of Him. There are no atheists.
Some say “practicing atheist” is a better term. It describes people who live “as if there is no God.” They believe themselves to be above their Creator, above His sovereign rule and beyond the reach of His judgment. They do what they please without concern over eternal consequences.
An even harsher reality is that God sees all people as “practicing atheists.” The same passage that calls professing atheists “fools” goes on to say, “God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” Isaiah says, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way.”
While atheism seems to be a terrible sin, in Jesus’ day, some came to Him with stories about people who seemed to be greater sinners than anyone else. Jesus replied, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
Apart from repentance from sin and turning to Christ, all are without faith and faithless, bound for God’s judgment. Their sin condemns them unless they stop ignoring God’s offer of forgiveness and enter a faith relationship with Him through His Son.
People who accept His offer yield to the influence of God rather than ruling their own lives. Believers may not be as well known as the Madalyn O’Hair’s of this world but they are people of a far more lasting influence. God promises an eternal reward for their lives of faith and works of righteousness. For those who do not believe, He says “all their righteous acts are like filthy rags.”
The American Atheist association may not know or admit the location of their founder but God knows where she is. Not only that, He knows the condition of her heart. Whatever else she claims about her beliefs and the importance of her life, it will be her heart and how it has led her to live that will be His means of evaluation. From that, He will determine her ultimate destiny.
In August 1995, Madalyn Murray O’Hair, America’s foremost atheist, was reported missing. By July 1996, she had not been found. A search for an update led me to the Internet home page for the American Atheists Association, an organization founded by Ms. O’Hair. They comment on futile attempts to find her (and a son and granddaughter who are also missing), but seem unconcerned, even amused, by the disappearances.
Ms. O’Hair is best known for filing a case on behalf of another son that led to a 1963 United States Supreme Court ruling banning prayer in public schools. She also worked to have Bible reading banned from the school system.
Even though one of her sons has become a Christian, this woman claims to have no religious beliefs whatsoever and scorns all who believe in any higher being. Whether admired, hated or ignored, she made waves in the system and considers herself a person of influence. Oddly enough, the Bible that she mocks has a few words of its own for her. It says, “Only a fool says in his (her) heart there is no God.”
The Bible never defends or tries to prove the existence of God. It does say that creation itself reveals “God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature” and because these can be clearly seen, all people are “without excuse.” In other words, in the day when God judges lives and the secrets of our hearts, no one can claim ignorance of Him. There are no atheists.
Some say “practicing atheist” is a better term. It describes people who live “as if there is no God.” They believe themselves to be above their Creator, above His sovereign rule and beyond the reach of His judgment. They do what they please without concern over eternal consequences.
An even harsher reality is that God sees all people as “practicing atheists.” The same passage that calls professing atheists “fools” goes on to say, “God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” Isaiah says, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way.”
While atheism seems to be a terrible sin, in Jesus’ day, some came to Him with stories about people who seemed to be greater sinners than anyone else. Jesus replied, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
Apart from repentance from sin and turning to Christ, all are without faith and faithless, bound for God’s judgment. Their sin condemns them unless they stop ignoring God’s offer of forgiveness and enter a faith relationship with Him through His Son.
People who accept His offer yield to the influence of God rather than ruling their own lives. Believers may not be as well known as the Madalyn O’Hair’s of this world but they are people of a far more lasting influence. God promises an eternal reward for their lives of faith and works of righteousness. For those who do not believe, He says “all their righteous acts are like filthy rags.”
The American Atheist association may not know or admit the location of their founder but God knows where she is. Not only that, He knows the condition of her heart. Whatever else she claims about her beliefs and the importance of her life, it will be her heart and how it has led her to live that will be His means of evaluation. From that, He will determine her ultimate destiny.
Friday, April 7, 2017
Excited about our faith? ................ Parables 572
October 28, 1997
In a society where teenagers are noted for religiously following the pressures of their peer group, it is odd that those who are Christian feel a responsibility to tell others of their faith in Christ. Even more unusual is that this conviction in young people often exceeds that of adult Christians.
Peers are a strong influence. Teens are not the only age group to conform under that pressure. In a simple issue of selecting which clothes to wear, both women and men make sure their clothes harmonize with what everyone else is wearing. No one wants to be the odd person. However, the gospel counters this tendency. Those who believe it have an unusual desire to demonstrate that we are different, not by what we wear but by what God has done in our lives.
Acknowledging ourselves as sinners is the hardest part. Bragging that we please God and are special to Him would be easier. Nevertheless, if we have evaluated ourselves honestly, we realize that we fall far short of the power and grandeur of our Creator.
Further, by taking an honest look at His Law and listening to our own conscience, we again see that we fall short. We know we have dishonored Him in many ways. We have put other gods before Him and made idols in our minds. We have used His name in profane thought and language. We have not trusted and followed Him but turned our own way and depended on ourselves. We have been without faith and faithless.
Besides directly ignoring or insulting God, Christians must also admit committing similar sins against other people. We know we have not honored our parents as we should. We know we have told lies, blatantly or in some misrepresentation of truth. We have been guilty of covetousness and have taken things that do not belong to us. Not one of us can say we have satisfied the standards of our own conscience, never mind kept the laws of God.
In both creation and His Law, we see our sinfulness but we also clearly see His righteousness. God does not do the things we do. All that He is and all that He does is pure. He is without greed, malice, envy or any evil. He alone is good, holy, full of truth and mercy.
Yet if the truth about ourselves and the truth about God is all we know, we would not have anything wonderful to tell others—failure and despair would overwhelm the wonder of God—but there is more. God’s revelation of Himself does not stop with creation and His laws. He also revealed Himself more vividly by coming to earth in a human body. The man, Jesus Christ, shows us God—with far greater clarity than either the world around us or the rules in His Book.
Yes, God is powerful and can make a universe and yes, God is holy and demands conformity to His law; however, in these we cannot see His mercy and love. Only in Jesus Christ can we see the unmerited favor and kindness of God.
Sin is a fact. So is our helplessness to overcome it. Yet God sent Jesus to trade our death penalty for His life. With Him, we are granted forgiveness and the righteousness of God. His life, in us, makes up our shortfall. He has taken care of our greatest need and makes us different people, capable of loving and obeying God. His life powerfully works to overcome our sin.
No wonder we are excited about our faith, yet even if we lacked enthusiasm, we still must follow the example of our believing youth. Our God has given us a commission, a mandate, to go and tell everyone the wonderful things He has done.
In a society where teenagers are noted for religiously following the pressures of their peer group, it is odd that those who are Christian feel a responsibility to tell others of their faith in Christ. Even more unusual is that this conviction in young people often exceeds that of adult Christians.
Peers are a strong influence. Teens are not the only age group to conform under that pressure. In a simple issue of selecting which clothes to wear, both women and men make sure their clothes harmonize with what everyone else is wearing. No one wants to be the odd person. However, the gospel counters this tendency. Those who believe it have an unusual desire to demonstrate that we are different, not by what we wear but by what God has done in our lives.
Acknowledging ourselves as sinners is the hardest part. Bragging that we please God and are special to Him would be easier. Nevertheless, if we have evaluated ourselves honestly, we realize that we fall far short of the power and grandeur of our Creator.
Further, by taking an honest look at His Law and listening to our own conscience, we again see that we fall short. We know we have dishonored Him in many ways. We have put other gods before Him and made idols in our minds. We have used His name in profane thought and language. We have not trusted and followed Him but turned our own way and depended on ourselves. We have been without faith and faithless.
Besides directly ignoring or insulting God, Christians must also admit committing similar sins against other people. We know we have not honored our parents as we should. We know we have told lies, blatantly or in some misrepresentation of truth. We have been guilty of covetousness and have taken things that do not belong to us. Not one of us can say we have satisfied the standards of our own conscience, never mind kept the laws of God.
In both creation and His Law, we see our sinfulness but we also clearly see His righteousness. God does not do the things we do. All that He is and all that He does is pure. He is without greed, malice, envy or any evil. He alone is good, holy, full of truth and mercy.
Yet if the truth about ourselves and the truth about God is all we know, we would not have anything wonderful to tell others—failure and despair would overwhelm the wonder of God—but there is more. God’s revelation of Himself does not stop with creation and His laws. He also revealed Himself more vividly by coming to earth in a human body. The man, Jesus Christ, shows us God—with far greater clarity than either the world around us or the rules in His Book.
Yes, God is powerful and can make a universe and yes, God is holy and demands conformity to His law; however, in these we cannot see His mercy and love. Only in Jesus Christ can we see the unmerited favor and kindness of God.
Sin is a fact. So is our helplessness to overcome it. Yet God sent Jesus to trade our death penalty for His life. With Him, we are granted forgiveness and the righteousness of God. His life, in us, makes up our shortfall. He has taken care of our greatest need and makes us different people, capable of loving and obeying God. His life powerfully works to overcome our sin.
No wonder we are excited about our faith, yet even if we lacked enthusiasm, we still must follow the example of our believing youth. Our God has given us a commission, a mandate, to go and tell everyone the wonderful things He has done.
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Value systems rapidly changing ................ Parables 571
October 21, 1997
Nearly 18 years ago (now nearly 40 years ago), shocking statistics in southern California said one in four women would be sexually assaulted. More recent statistics quoted in an Ann Landers column report the result of a poll asking teenagers about their opinion of rape.
This poll says that when eleven to fourteen year-olds were asked about forced sex, 41% of the girls said it is acceptable “if the boy spent a lot of money” on the girls. Asked if it is okay for a man to rape a woman if she had past sexual experience, 32% of the girls said yes, rape is okay in that situation. Forty-seven per cent said rape is okay if the couple has been dating for more than six months. In all three questions, the percentages were higher from the boy’s answers.
Ann’s comment was: “We must do a better job of sex education at home. We must teach our children to respect each other.”
Behind this appalling lack of respect is a slippage from traditional value systems. Virtues like honesty, loyalty or self-control are no longer as important as making money (even if it means cheating or lying). Many modern youth are more concerned with being “personally fulfilled” than they are with taking responsibility for how they treat other people.
Beginning with the industrial revolution and mass production, our society was introduced to a throw-away materialism. Consumers can easily “buy another one” so why bother taking care of whatever can easily be replaced? Disrespect for material things seems to cross over to relationships. Why stay married? Or tolerate anyone? Simply replace them with a newer model.
During WWII, women had to join the work force, inadvertently bringing another value change. Children were raising themselves or left with paid care givers. After the need ended, the trend continued. Many youngsters grow up taking for granted that making a good living is more important than sacrificing material things to raise your own children.
Another added pressure on respect came when someone decided “God is dead.” Human pride easily picks up the idea that virtue depends on us, not a Superior Being. By accepting this no-God theory, we are discovering that human virtue is not as strong as we think. In fact, the Bible clearly states than anyone who abandons trust in God, even if they are wearing a clerical collar or singing in the choir, will eventually give in to selfishness and disrespect for others.
We need God to care about people. The Bible tells us, “His 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, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desire.”
In other words, in Christ, God gives us all we need to love and respect one another. No one has to give in to power-hungry violence, nor agree that it is okay. Instead, we can care for each other.
But this is not automatic. Although God offers these virtues, we need to believe and trust Him. We also need to “add to our faith” goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love. While the word “respect” is not in the list, it is certainly implied as part of these other virtues.
We cannot go back to pre-industrial days nor abandon current technologies. We likely will not return to a one bread-winner family structure. However, we can return to God. We can humble ourselves before Him and admit we are in grave danger. We need His power to live lives of virtue and respect. Without it, those dreadful statistics will continue to hurt us and our children.
Nearly 18 years ago (now nearly 40 years ago), shocking statistics in southern California said one in four women would be sexually assaulted. More recent statistics quoted in an Ann Landers column report the result of a poll asking teenagers about their opinion of rape.
This poll says that when eleven to fourteen year-olds were asked about forced sex, 41% of the girls said it is acceptable “if the boy spent a lot of money” on the girls. Asked if it is okay for a man to rape a woman if she had past sexual experience, 32% of the girls said yes, rape is okay in that situation. Forty-seven per cent said rape is okay if the couple has been dating for more than six months. In all three questions, the percentages were higher from the boy’s answers.
Ann’s comment was: “We must do a better job of sex education at home. We must teach our children to respect each other.”
Behind this appalling lack of respect is a slippage from traditional value systems. Virtues like honesty, loyalty or self-control are no longer as important as making money (even if it means cheating or lying). Many modern youth are more concerned with being “personally fulfilled” than they are with taking responsibility for how they treat other people.
Beginning with the industrial revolution and mass production, our society was introduced to a throw-away materialism. Consumers can easily “buy another one” so why bother taking care of whatever can easily be replaced? Disrespect for material things seems to cross over to relationships. Why stay married? Or tolerate anyone? Simply replace them with a newer model.
During WWII, women had to join the work force, inadvertently bringing another value change. Children were raising themselves or left with paid care givers. After the need ended, the trend continued. Many youngsters grow up taking for granted that making a good living is more important than sacrificing material things to raise your own children.
Another added pressure on respect came when someone decided “God is dead.” Human pride easily picks up the idea that virtue depends on us, not a Superior Being. By accepting this no-God theory, we are discovering that human virtue is not as strong as we think. In fact, the Bible clearly states than anyone who abandons trust in God, even if they are wearing a clerical collar or singing in the choir, will eventually give in to selfishness and disrespect for others.
We need God to care about people. The Bible tells us, “His 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, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desire.”
In other words, in Christ, God gives us all we need to love and respect one another. No one has to give in to power-hungry violence, nor agree that it is okay. Instead, we can care for each other.
But this is not automatic. Although God offers these virtues, we need to believe and trust Him. We also need to “add to our faith” goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love. While the word “respect” is not in the list, it is certainly implied as part of these other virtues.
We cannot go back to pre-industrial days nor abandon current technologies. We likely will not return to a one bread-winner family structure. However, we can return to God. We can humble ourselves before Him and admit we are in grave danger. We need His power to live lives of virtue and respect. Without it, those dreadful statistics will continue to hurt us and our children.
Monday, April 3, 2017
Happily Ever After ................ Parables 570
September 23, 1997
Fairy tales are supposed to end with “and they lived happily ever after.” Snow White’s story did. She rose from a deep sleep, married her prince and conquered the spell of an evil witch.
Cinderella’s story did. She sweetly waited until her cruel step-sisters ran out of schemes and the shoe was slipped on her foot. She too married her prince and lived happily ever after.
Is this not the desire of our hearts? We long to rise above the evil forces that threaten us. We want to live, laugh and love in style and grace, conquering all with our life of merit. We wish to look good, be appreciated, even gain the adoration of commoners and the respect of kings.
Diana, Princess of Wales, lived out those fairy tale dreams for us. She stood against evil forces with tough endurance and conquered her critics with outpoured compassion. She was kind to suffering people, both publically and privately. She touched thousands with her generosity.
Diana also lived in public our private sorrows. The inner heartaches we long to tell others but experience alone, she lived openly. Our sorrows and pressures, felt within our broken hearts, were on display in her life. The world knew her hurts. She became our champion.
Such a life was not supposed to end in one unexpected moment. Couldn’t we, just this once, turn the clock back and make it right? Couldn’t we revise her final chapter and move it from the middle of the book to the end where it belonged, in the happily ever after?
Personal sorrow over this tragic, too-soon ending seems fitting yet its depth surprises us. Why are we so sad? Is it because the fairy tale did not end the way it was supposed to? Is it that we have lost our stand-in, the one who represents our longing for the world to know and sympathize with our broken places? Do we ache inside because youth and beauty should never fade or be yanked from those who have it? Does this dying bring home to us the reality that life is not fair and death turns its back on no one?
Many of her loyal and grieving public express their opinion that Diana is in that final resting place of bliss. Who can say? Some evangelicals would demand a “public profession of faith.” Others might say her life displayed the qualities of a person who understands and knows personally the kindness and mercy of God. Her vulnerability did resemble the meekness of the One who would “never break a bruised reed nor quench a smoldering wick.” Certainly Diana’s charitable actions put many professing Christians to shame.
Do those qualities ensure a princess a place in heaven? Most of the world thinks so but the Word of God says not. It says eternal life is a gift from God, not a reward for the way we live. It is a gift given in a personal relationship of faith in Jesus Christ. While extraordinary goodness is sometimes seen in others simply because they have been made in the image of God, the goodness that pleases God flows from a transforming, personal relationship with Him and is a result of Christ’s presence in us. The Bible says, “Whoever has Christ has life” along with all the attributes of grace found in Him.
Knowing that, I prayed for Diana in the hour before she died. I asked the Author of life to grant her life—not length of days for that is the minor kind, but eternal life. I know only He can give it—and that He gives it as an act of mercy to the helpless. Inside that twisted metal executioner, Diana was never more helpless nor would she ever be more vulnerable.
If God said “Yes” to that prayer (and no one knows if He did or perhaps had already given her His gift), then the People’s Princess has found her true Prince. She is with Him, enjoying His love and the only true “happily ever after.”
Fairy tales are supposed to end with “and they lived happily ever after.” Snow White’s story did. She rose from a deep sleep, married her prince and conquered the spell of an evil witch.
Cinderella’s story did. She sweetly waited until her cruel step-sisters ran out of schemes and the shoe was slipped on her foot. She too married her prince and lived happily ever after.
Is this not the desire of our hearts? We long to rise above the evil forces that threaten us. We want to live, laugh and love in style and grace, conquering all with our life of merit. We wish to look good, be appreciated, even gain the adoration of commoners and the respect of kings.
Diana, Princess of Wales, lived out those fairy tale dreams for us. She stood against evil forces with tough endurance and conquered her critics with outpoured compassion. She was kind to suffering people, both publically and privately. She touched thousands with her generosity.
Diana also lived in public our private sorrows. The inner heartaches we long to tell others but experience alone, she lived openly. Our sorrows and pressures, felt within our broken hearts, were on display in her life. The world knew her hurts. She became our champion.
Such a life was not supposed to end in one unexpected moment. Couldn’t we, just this once, turn the clock back and make it right? Couldn’t we revise her final chapter and move it from the middle of the book to the end where it belonged, in the happily ever after?
Personal sorrow over this tragic, too-soon ending seems fitting yet its depth surprises us. Why are we so sad? Is it because the fairy tale did not end the way it was supposed to? Is it that we have lost our stand-in, the one who represents our longing for the world to know and sympathize with our broken places? Do we ache inside because youth and beauty should never fade or be yanked from those who have it? Does this dying bring home to us the reality that life is not fair and death turns its back on no one?
Many of her loyal and grieving public express their opinion that Diana is in that final resting place of bliss. Who can say? Some evangelicals would demand a “public profession of faith.” Others might say her life displayed the qualities of a person who understands and knows personally the kindness and mercy of God. Her vulnerability did resemble the meekness of the One who would “never break a bruised reed nor quench a smoldering wick.” Certainly Diana’s charitable actions put many professing Christians to shame.
Do those qualities ensure a princess a place in heaven? Most of the world thinks so but the Word of God says not. It says eternal life is a gift from God, not a reward for the way we live. It is a gift given in a personal relationship of faith in Jesus Christ. While extraordinary goodness is sometimes seen in others simply because they have been made in the image of God, the goodness that pleases God flows from a transforming, personal relationship with Him and is a result of Christ’s presence in us. The Bible says, “Whoever has Christ has life” along with all the attributes of grace found in Him.
Knowing that, I prayed for Diana in the hour before she died. I asked the Author of life to grant her life—not length of days for that is the minor kind, but eternal life. I know only He can give it—and that He gives it as an act of mercy to the helpless. Inside that twisted metal executioner, Diana was never more helpless nor would she ever be more vulnerable.
If God said “Yes” to that prayer (and no one knows if He did or perhaps had already given her His gift), then the People’s Princess has found her true Prince. She is with Him, enjoying His love and the only true “happily ever after.”
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