January 29, 2002
“I’m not afraid of anything,” boasted the redhead. She planted her hands on her hips and defied all comers.
It was only a television movie, but this line is repeated many times everyday by children on the playground, teens trying to impress their peers, and adults who are certain they can conquer whatever comes at them. But everyone is afraid of at least two things. We are born with a fear of falling and of loud noises. All other fears are acquired.
Is fear bad? Not always. We tell our children to look both ways before crossing the street. We want them to be afraid of getting hit by a car. We run if we see a charging wild animal and would hide if a gunman appeared. We are afraid of walking on thin ice or touching a hot stove.
Those fears are normal, even wise, but pushed to excess, fear can be debilitating. In the movie “Secret Garden,” a child’s care givers feared he would become ill and die so they kept him in bed all the time. Their fear almost ruined his life.
Real wild animals can be dangerous but only if they are real. Proverbs 26:13 tells us, “The sluggard says, ‘There is a lion in the road, a fierce lion roaming the streets.’” Fear (real or feigned) keeps a lazy person from going about his business. A friend tells me she cannot go on bridges or even escalators. She is terrified of heights and falling. Taking a normal fear to this extreme prevents normal living.
This kind of enslaving fear started in the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve began life there they “were both naked, and they felt no shame.” They walked in open communion with God and each other. After they disobeyed God’s one command and ate forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they hid from God. When God called to them, Adam replied, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
Their disobedience produced shame. The man and woman no longer felt comfortable with God nor could they focus on Him and His care for them. They tried to solve their shame by covering themselves but it did not work. They became “slaves to sin,” unable to free themselves without the help of God. Their guilt also produced fear.
Other situations produce fear too. My mother-in-law is terrified of spiders. A neighbor is constantly afraid she will be robbed. A friend fears a terrorist attack. The list is long but, as with Adam and Eve, those who are overcome by fear have lost their focus on God and on His power to love and protect them. Whenever we commune with the Lord and maintain our awareness of His love and power, we cannot at the same time live in fear.
Those who have faith in Him also enjoy the security of His care. That does not mean problems disappear but faith does banish our fear. As the psalmist says, we cry out to God and “He delivers us from all our fears” (Psalm 34:4).
The Bible also says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Fear can protect us but when we allow it to rule our lives, we become its prisoner. Thank God that He can give us His perfect peace and set us free from the enslaving power of fear.
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Monday, May 14, 2018
Be careful what you ask for! ............. Parables 741
January 15, 2002
During a television interview, Billy Graham’s daughter Ann was asked how God could let the September 11th terrorist attacks happen.
She responded, “I believe that God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we’ve been telling God to get out of our schools, get out of our government and get out of our lives. And being the gentleman that He is, I believe that He calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand that He leave us alone?”
While this rightly points at the guilt of those who reject God, does God protect and bless only those who invite Him into their lives?
In one sense, no. He blesses everyone. The Bible says God “causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” One does not have to invite God into their lives to enjoy many of His blessings. They are simply part of our life. That being said, those who welcome God do enjoy special blessings. However, they are not what most people would guess or expect.
The confusion lies with His promises. In contradiction to some television preachers, God does NOT promise financial overflows, total health and well-being, or a life free of pain and trouble. Let’s not forget that Christians also died in those terrorist attacks. However, God does promise major blessings to His people. For instance, He promises His presence. He says, “I will never leave you or forsake you” and “I am with you always.”
He also offers the fruit of His Holy Spirit to those who live obediently in His presence. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.”
A third blessing is deep fellowship with others who know Him: “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.” God living in me is able to commune with God living in other believers. The unity of that communion bridges all ages, races, cultures and denominations. When we enjoy fellowship, it is as if we have “always known” each other.
Another huge blessing is answered prayer. While God may say “no” or “wait,” He also says “yes” and does it in ways that we have no doubt He heard our requests. Imagine the sovereign God of the universe listens to our cries for help!
By far the greatest blessing is the assurance of eternal life. “Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made Him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about His Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
This is not the life that can be snuffed out by terrorists. It is a life that begins here with God through a simple invitation, then gives us what we need to go through whatever sorrow, pain or suffering this life might dish out. It then takes us beyond the grave and on into eternity to spend forever with Him.
During a television interview, Billy Graham’s daughter Ann was asked how God could let the September 11th terrorist attacks happen.
She responded, “I believe that God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we’ve been telling God to get out of our schools, get out of our government and get out of our lives. And being the gentleman that He is, I believe that He calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand that He leave us alone?”
While this rightly points at the guilt of those who reject God, does God protect and bless only those who invite Him into their lives?
In one sense, no. He blesses everyone. The Bible says God “causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” One does not have to invite God into their lives to enjoy many of His blessings. They are simply part of our life. That being said, those who welcome God do enjoy special blessings. However, they are not what most people would guess or expect.
The confusion lies with His promises. In contradiction to some television preachers, God does NOT promise financial overflows, total health and well-being, or a life free of pain and trouble. Let’s not forget that Christians also died in those terrorist attacks. However, God does promise major blessings to His people. For instance, He promises His presence. He says, “I will never leave you or forsake you” and “I am with you always.”
He also offers the fruit of His Holy Spirit to those who live obediently in His presence. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.”
A third blessing is deep fellowship with others who know Him: “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.” God living in me is able to commune with God living in other believers. The unity of that communion bridges all ages, races, cultures and denominations. When we enjoy fellowship, it is as if we have “always known” each other.
Another huge blessing is answered prayer. While God may say “no” or “wait,” He also says “yes” and does it in ways that we have no doubt He heard our requests. Imagine the sovereign God of the universe listens to our cries for help!
By far the greatest blessing is the assurance of eternal life. “Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made Him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about His Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
This is not the life that can be snuffed out by terrorists. It is a life that begins here with God through a simple invitation, then gives us what we need to go through whatever sorrow, pain or suffering this life might dish out. It then takes us beyond the grave and on into eternity to spend forever with Him.
Friday, May 11, 2018
What about clones? ............. Parables 740
December 25, 2001
Scientists now claim to have cloned a ‘human being.’ This is not as impressive as it first sounds. Their clone was not an exact duplicate of the cell donor as was “Dolly” the famous cloned sheep from Scotland. The best they could do was a human ‘embryo.’
An embryo is “an unborn or unhatched offspring in the process of development, especially an unborn human in the first eight weeks from conception.” If this clone was “developing,” it did not get very far — only six cells. In other words, it did not survive to the point of being visible.
These scientific gurus also fell short of their stated purpose for cloning. They hoped to produce stem cells but this tiny, six-celled mass did not have stem cell capacity within it. It could not form itself into various other cells required in a human being, such as brain, hair, muscle, etc. Without that ability, who knows what it might have become?
One wonders how this six-celled creation could be called a ‘human’ embryo. Many people will not tag ‘human’ on a eight-week old fetus even though it has fingers, toes and a heartbeat. They say an unborn child is not human — only a “blob of tissue.”
Creating a human from another human might become possible but even if science accomplishes this so-called feat, God will always stand far above our efforts. In the first place, He created a man from the dust of the ground. After breathing life into that man, He later put him to sleep and from his rib created a woman. Now that is an accomplishment!
Those who consider this story a myth have to dismiss God entirely or at least say He hasn’t any power. They are left with the theory that people evolved over millions of years from apes, and apes came from a lesser life, and lesser life evolved from a single cell that accidently appeared as atoms clashed in some primordial soup.
Granted, maybe faith in God is more difficult because if we believe in Him, we must also believe and acknowledge that we are no longer the perfect creatures that He initially created. Since pride is part of the reason we are no longer perfect, we struggle with that part of faith.
No problem for God. He knew we could not do it alone so He did something even more amazing than the creation of Adam and Eve; He Himself became a human so He could save us.
Until recent computer and film technology, I could not offer anything that compares to the Incarnation. God in human flesh? How can that be? Yet I “saw” a leopard become a person through the magic of morphing. Through the eyes of technology, one became the other.
In the case of God, He did not lose His own identity by morphing into a human being; He remained fully God. And the person that God became was nothing less than fully human, yet He was also fully God. Through the eyes of faith, we see Jesus “who being the brightness of God’s glory and the express image of God’s person. . . and by Himself purged our sins.”
The man, Jesus Christ, was totally human. He breathed, became hungry, thirsty, and tired, and ate, drank, and rested. He had emotions; He cried and laughed. He was intelligent and understood human needs. He had a will for He decided to obey His Father rather than yield to Satan’s temptations.
The man, Jesus Christ, was totally God also. He could see into the human heart and declare a person’s motivations. He was powerful — “even the wind and the sea obeyed Him.” He was also sinless, something true of deity only.
By taking on flesh, God did something unique. No one can duplicate His feat. We might be able to ‘create’ flesh but it would not be anything like Jesus Christ. Instead, the result will be more sinful people, just like ourselves. Why add more rebels to a world already filled with them?
Even stem cell research makes no sense. No matter what science comes up with to cure disease and prolong life, without a changed heart, living longer only adds more time for sin. Our real need is not duplication in triplicate but the salvation God offers us through the death and life of Jesus Christ, His remarkable clone.
Scientists now claim to have cloned a ‘human being.’ This is not as impressive as it first sounds. Their clone was not an exact duplicate of the cell donor as was “Dolly” the famous cloned sheep from Scotland. The best they could do was a human ‘embryo.’
An embryo is “an unborn or unhatched offspring in the process of development, especially an unborn human in the first eight weeks from conception.” If this clone was “developing,” it did not get very far — only six cells. In other words, it did not survive to the point of being visible.
These scientific gurus also fell short of their stated purpose for cloning. They hoped to produce stem cells but this tiny, six-celled mass did not have stem cell capacity within it. It could not form itself into various other cells required in a human being, such as brain, hair, muscle, etc. Without that ability, who knows what it might have become?
One wonders how this six-celled creation could be called a ‘human’ embryo. Many people will not tag ‘human’ on a eight-week old fetus even though it has fingers, toes and a heartbeat. They say an unborn child is not human — only a “blob of tissue.”
Creating a human from another human might become possible but even if science accomplishes this so-called feat, God will always stand far above our efforts. In the first place, He created a man from the dust of the ground. After breathing life into that man, He later put him to sleep and from his rib created a woman. Now that is an accomplishment!
Those who consider this story a myth have to dismiss God entirely or at least say He hasn’t any power. They are left with the theory that people evolved over millions of years from apes, and apes came from a lesser life, and lesser life evolved from a single cell that accidently appeared as atoms clashed in some primordial soup.
Granted, maybe faith in God is more difficult because if we believe in Him, we must also believe and acknowledge that we are no longer the perfect creatures that He initially created. Since pride is part of the reason we are no longer perfect, we struggle with that part of faith.
No problem for God. He knew we could not do it alone so He did something even more amazing than the creation of Adam and Eve; He Himself became a human so He could save us.
Until recent computer and film technology, I could not offer anything that compares to the Incarnation. God in human flesh? How can that be? Yet I “saw” a leopard become a person through the magic of morphing. Through the eyes of technology, one became the other.
In the case of God, He did not lose His own identity by morphing into a human being; He remained fully God. And the person that God became was nothing less than fully human, yet He was also fully God. Through the eyes of faith, we see Jesus “who being the brightness of God’s glory and the express image of God’s person. . . and by Himself purged our sins.”
The man, Jesus Christ, was totally human. He breathed, became hungry, thirsty, and tired, and ate, drank, and rested. He had emotions; He cried and laughed. He was intelligent and understood human needs. He had a will for He decided to obey His Father rather than yield to Satan’s temptations.
The man, Jesus Christ, was totally God also. He could see into the human heart and declare a person’s motivations. He was powerful — “even the wind and the sea obeyed Him.” He was also sinless, something true of deity only.
By taking on flesh, God did something unique. No one can duplicate His feat. We might be able to ‘create’ flesh but it would not be anything like Jesus Christ. Instead, the result will be more sinful people, just like ourselves. Why add more rebels to a world already filled with them?
Even stem cell research makes no sense. No matter what science comes up with to cure disease and prolong life, without a changed heart, living longer only adds more time for sin. Our real need is not duplication in triplicate but the salvation God offers us through the death and life of Jesus Christ, His remarkable clone.
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
Stuffed with too much stuff? ............. Parables 739
December 11, 2001
Norman Douglas says “You can tell the ideals of a nation by its advertisements.”
Take a look. Most of the ads in today’s media are for cars, alcoholic beverages, computer equipment, beauty products, clothes, household furniture, sports equipment, restaurants, life insurance, food and entertainment.
Translation? The ideals of our nation are those things that spell comfort, security, and the good life. Besides, marketing experts know how to appeal to our senses. If something tastes good, sounds good, looks good and feels good, it is a sure sale. Add the possibility of making an impression on the neighbors and consumers will line up and buy two.
Not that comfort or the good life is wrong. Our culture is well off and we should be thankful for what we have. However, our motivations are out of control. Instead of function or practicality, we opt for the biggest, the fastest, and the most expensive because these things will supposedly make us more popular, more powerful, more impressive.
More “stuff” does make some people happy, at least some of the time. I can remember my youthful desire for a big house. After moving twenty-eight times, I have a big house — but the desire is long gone. Besides, I no longer have my youthful energy to clean it!
Growing older makes a person realize that satisfaction with “stuff” soon flies away. The cosmetics work for a little while, but external beauty will not last. Clothes look good for a season but they soon wear out or go out of fashion.
Impressive achievements fare a little better yet soon someone else is in the limelight, just as a fancy car rapidly becomes last year’s model along with computers and other gizmos. No matter how up-to-date we are, the calendar keeps flipping to the next day, week, month, and year, leaving us wheezing in its dust.
Jesus knew we would have problems with “stuff” so offered this warning: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven. . . . for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
The first of the Ten Commandments says it too—God wants first place in our hearts. He deserves it. He created us and He is greater than anything else; all the fame, fortune, or “stuff” that we could possibly accumulate. Besides that, He knows that we become like those things we worship. Imagine what will happen to us if we fix our hearts on “stuff” instead of Him.
This year, as every year, our family members make out a wish list for Christmas, mostly to help one another know what to put under the tree. I had three things on my list. One was a new Bible, the other two were smaller items. My son said, “There must be something else you want, something you’ve seen on TV or a new gadget?”
I scratched my head and finally came up with a couple more things but at the same time wondered if I’m finally listening to my own “sermons.” I am content. I don’t want more stuff.
Of course, I’m also thankful for the good life, the security we enjoy, and my “stuff” but I realize there is enough of it for six people. How can I make out a wish list when I really need to give away much of what I already have?
For many of us, we must honestly admit we have enough treasures to satisfy us for a long time. Right now, the one thing we need the most, regardless of how much “stuff” we have or want, is to more deeply know the heart of God and more actively live to please Him. Just imagine the change that would make in both our ideals and our advertising!
Norman Douglas says “You can tell the ideals of a nation by its advertisements.”
Take a look. Most of the ads in today’s media are for cars, alcoholic beverages, computer equipment, beauty products, clothes, household furniture, sports equipment, restaurants, life insurance, food and entertainment.
Translation? The ideals of our nation are those things that spell comfort, security, and the good life. Besides, marketing experts know how to appeal to our senses. If something tastes good, sounds good, looks good and feels good, it is a sure sale. Add the possibility of making an impression on the neighbors and consumers will line up and buy two.
Not that comfort or the good life is wrong. Our culture is well off and we should be thankful for what we have. However, our motivations are out of control. Instead of function or practicality, we opt for the biggest, the fastest, and the most expensive because these things will supposedly make us more popular, more powerful, more impressive.
More “stuff” does make some people happy, at least some of the time. I can remember my youthful desire for a big house. After moving twenty-eight times, I have a big house — but the desire is long gone. Besides, I no longer have my youthful energy to clean it!
Growing older makes a person realize that satisfaction with “stuff” soon flies away. The cosmetics work for a little while, but external beauty will not last. Clothes look good for a season but they soon wear out or go out of fashion.
Impressive achievements fare a little better yet soon someone else is in the limelight, just as a fancy car rapidly becomes last year’s model along with computers and other gizmos. No matter how up-to-date we are, the calendar keeps flipping to the next day, week, month, and year, leaving us wheezing in its dust.
Jesus knew we would have problems with “stuff” so offered this warning: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven. . . . for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
The first of the Ten Commandments says it too—God wants first place in our hearts. He deserves it. He created us and He is greater than anything else; all the fame, fortune, or “stuff” that we could possibly accumulate. Besides that, He knows that we become like those things we worship. Imagine what will happen to us if we fix our hearts on “stuff” instead of Him.
This year, as every year, our family members make out a wish list for Christmas, mostly to help one another know what to put under the tree. I had three things on my list. One was a new Bible, the other two were smaller items. My son said, “There must be something else you want, something you’ve seen on TV or a new gadget?”
I scratched my head and finally came up with a couple more things but at the same time wondered if I’m finally listening to my own “sermons.” I am content. I don’t want more stuff.
Of course, I’m also thankful for the good life, the security we enjoy, and my “stuff” but I realize there is enough of it for six people. How can I make out a wish list when I really need to give away much of what I already have?
For many of us, we must honestly admit we have enough treasures to satisfy us for a long time. Right now, the one thing we need the most, regardless of how much “stuff” we have or want, is to more deeply know the heart of God and more actively live to please Him. Just imagine the change that would make in both our ideals and our advertising!
Monday, May 7, 2018
How the enemy wins ............. Parables 738
November 27, 2001
Stephen King was starting his morning’s writing when he heard the news on television, Tuesday, September 11th. He said, “I can’t do this.”
King admits he has no illusions about the everlasting significance of his novels. That is one reason he felt it was not crucial to continue writing that day. Yet he went up to his office, blocked out the television his wife watched downstairs, and went to work. He explained that he continues to write because “if everybody continues working, they (the terrorists) don’t win.”
King is one of thousands who express this sentiment. If fear prevents anyone from their responsibilities, not only do the terrorists “win” but in many other ways, we lose.
At the same time, I don’t think anyone has been able to carry on normally since September 11th. Who can say this atrocity has had no impact on their lives? Some try. I’ve met a few people for whom nothing matters but their own personal agenda. They’ve shut their minds to the photographs and daily news. They concentrate entirely on their own goals and plans. It seems to me, at least in their case, that the terrorists may have gained some ground.
Terrorism is a tool of the heartless; people without concern for anyone or anything that stands in the way of their goals, even innocent bystanders. In several instances, they claim to do their violent acts in the name of God and that He will reward them for their zeal and tenacity. Even people who know very little about God doubt that He is delighted by destruction. Those who know more understand that God is perfect goodness. Jesus both said so and demonstrated it.
In contrast, Jesus said that the devil is “a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him . . . he is a liar and the father of lies.” Satan is the opposite of God and rejects goodness. Although God sometimes deals harshly with evil people, His goal is to protect and uphold truth and righteousness. He redeems people from sin and enables them to live in goodness and peace.
On the other hand, Satan’s purpose is delusion and ruining lives. He instigates destructive acts. He does not want anyone to honor and obey God, to know truth, to be good, or to have a legitimate claim to eternal life. To reach his evil goals, he convinces many that they are serving God when they are actually serving him. The apostle Paul was a case in point. Before he met Christ, he was killing Christians and thinking he was doing God a favor. In His mercy, God opened Paul’s eyes so that he knew the truth and decided to follow it.
God says that the heart of man is deceitful to begin with. Paul realized that is true. He knew that everyone seeks their own way. When the lies of Satan are thrown into the mix, the human heart is not only deceived but can become extremely destructive.
Judas is another example. He was a selfish man. He spent three years as a disciple of Jesus Christ but that was not enough to change his heart. The Bible says he carried the money bag but dipped into it whenever he wanted some for himself. Later, “Satan entered his heart” and Judas betrayed Jesus by selling information to those who wanted to kill Him. When Judas realized what he had done, he was still under satanic thinking. Instead of confessing his sin and asking forgiveness (God’s way) he believed the Liar, listened to the devil’s lie, and destroyed himself. The trauma of a horrid event did not change this man.
If the trauma of September 11 does not change us, what does that imply? Tragedy ought to make us more compassionate and act on behalf of others, but if we harden our hearts and go our merry way, then the terrorists have won. They have pushed us into their same heartlessness and unconcern for anyone but ourselves.
Stephen King was starting his morning’s writing when he heard the news on television, Tuesday, September 11th. He said, “I can’t do this.”
King admits he has no illusions about the everlasting significance of his novels. That is one reason he felt it was not crucial to continue writing that day. Yet he went up to his office, blocked out the television his wife watched downstairs, and went to work. He explained that he continues to write because “if everybody continues working, they (the terrorists) don’t win.”
King is one of thousands who express this sentiment. If fear prevents anyone from their responsibilities, not only do the terrorists “win” but in many other ways, we lose.
At the same time, I don’t think anyone has been able to carry on normally since September 11th. Who can say this atrocity has had no impact on their lives? Some try. I’ve met a few people for whom nothing matters but their own personal agenda. They’ve shut their minds to the photographs and daily news. They concentrate entirely on their own goals and plans. It seems to me, at least in their case, that the terrorists may have gained some ground.
Terrorism is a tool of the heartless; people without concern for anyone or anything that stands in the way of their goals, even innocent bystanders. In several instances, they claim to do their violent acts in the name of God and that He will reward them for their zeal and tenacity. Even people who know very little about God doubt that He is delighted by destruction. Those who know more understand that God is perfect goodness. Jesus both said so and demonstrated it.
In contrast, Jesus said that the devil is “a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him . . . he is a liar and the father of lies.” Satan is the opposite of God and rejects goodness. Although God sometimes deals harshly with evil people, His goal is to protect and uphold truth and righteousness. He redeems people from sin and enables them to live in goodness and peace.
On the other hand, Satan’s purpose is delusion and ruining lives. He instigates destructive acts. He does not want anyone to honor and obey God, to know truth, to be good, or to have a legitimate claim to eternal life. To reach his evil goals, he convinces many that they are serving God when they are actually serving him. The apostle Paul was a case in point. Before he met Christ, he was killing Christians and thinking he was doing God a favor. In His mercy, God opened Paul’s eyes so that he knew the truth and decided to follow it.
God says that the heart of man is deceitful to begin with. Paul realized that is true. He knew that everyone seeks their own way. When the lies of Satan are thrown into the mix, the human heart is not only deceived but can become extremely destructive.
Judas is another example. He was a selfish man. He spent three years as a disciple of Jesus Christ but that was not enough to change his heart. The Bible says he carried the money bag but dipped into it whenever he wanted some for himself. Later, “Satan entered his heart” and Judas betrayed Jesus by selling information to those who wanted to kill Him. When Judas realized what he had done, he was still under satanic thinking. Instead of confessing his sin and asking forgiveness (God’s way) he believed the Liar, listened to the devil’s lie, and destroyed himself. The trauma of a horrid event did not change this man.
If the trauma of September 11 does not change us, what does that imply? Tragedy ought to make us more compassionate and act on behalf of others, but if we harden our hearts and go our merry way, then the terrorists have won. They have pushed us into their same heartlessness and unconcern for anyone but ourselves.
Friday, May 4, 2018
Golf, presidents and persistence ............. Parables 737
November 6, 2001
Despite the insistence from non-fans that the game of golf only “spoils a good walk,” I know why golfers enjoy their game and keep coming back. It’s that occasional perfect shot. I had a dream once in which I played a perfect golf game, finishing with a hole-in-one. I woke up laughing. Even though an occasional good shot gets me back on the course, in my case, perfection takes a lot more than dreaming.
My husband calls golf a “muscle memory” game. I say I have a bad memory. He says practice may not make me perfect but it would certainly help my game. So, I need to practice. Actually, if golf can teach me persistence, then this otherwise “spoiled good walk” has more value to it than I thought.
Persistence is an important commodity. History offers many examples. For instance, a family was forced out of their home when their son was seven. He had to work to help support them. His mother died two years later. At twenty-two, he lost his job. He wanted to go to law school but his education was insufficient so he went into debt to became a partner in a small business. Less than five years later, his business partner died and it took him years to repay the debt.
He courted a girl for four years but she turned down his marriage proposal. After trying three times, he was elected to Congress but failed to be re-elected two years later. Two years after that, his four-year-old son died. Four years later, he ran for the Senate and lost. In two years, he failed as candidate for vice-president, then two years after that failed to make the Senate again. Finally, at fifty-one, he was elected president of the United States. His name? Abraham Lincoln. He persisted and became part of American history.
God tells his people to also persist. When life gets rough, we are not only to keep trying, but the Bible says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance” (James 1)
Aside from the “be joyful” part, God makes sense. We are not born with persistence. We need trials to learn and develop it. Without steep hills to climb or difficulties to overcome, our lives atrophy.
The Bible continues: “Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Gems are polished with friction; we are perfected with trials. Notice that enduring under pressure is the mark of maturity. Obviously, those who endure must be well-grounded in their faith. They can handle whatever comes their way with courage and determination because they know that God is with them and He will help them through the trial.
Compared to the difficulties faced by Abraham Lincoln, being persistent in golf is a small challenge but big or small, whatever looms up before us can be seen as important to our character development and maturity. Rather than letting trials produce whining and retreat, we can let them produce growth in our lives.
So I’m working on the ability to stick to it, no matter what. Facing obstacles is a challenge but I try. As I do, I’m also noticing there is one other obstacle — when I see trouble coming, I’m not quite yet able to be joyful about it!
Despite the insistence from non-fans that the game of golf only “spoils a good walk,” I know why golfers enjoy their game and keep coming back. It’s that occasional perfect shot. I had a dream once in which I played a perfect golf game, finishing with a hole-in-one. I woke up laughing. Even though an occasional good shot gets me back on the course, in my case, perfection takes a lot more than dreaming.
My husband calls golf a “muscle memory” game. I say I have a bad memory. He says practice may not make me perfect but it would certainly help my game. So, I need to practice. Actually, if golf can teach me persistence, then this otherwise “spoiled good walk” has more value to it than I thought.
Persistence is an important commodity. History offers many examples. For instance, a family was forced out of their home when their son was seven. He had to work to help support them. His mother died two years later. At twenty-two, he lost his job. He wanted to go to law school but his education was insufficient so he went into debt to became a partner in a small business. Less than five years later, his business partner died and it took him years to repay the debt.
He courted a girl for four years but she turned down his marriage proposal. After trying three times, he was elected to Congress but failed to be re-elected two years later. Two years after that, his four-year-old son died. Four years later, he ran for the Senate and lost. In two years, he failed as candidate for vice-president, then two years after that failed to make the Senate again. Finally, at fifty-one, he was elected president of the United States. His name? Abraham Lincoln. He persisted and became part of American history.
God tells his people to also persist. When life gets rough, we are not only to keep trying, but the Bible says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance” (James 1)
Aside from the “be joyful” part, God makes sense. We are not born with persistence. We need trials to learn and develop it. Without steep hills to climb or difficulties to overcome, our lives atrophy.
The Bible continues: “Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Gems are polished with friction; we are perfected with trials. Notice that enduring under pressure is the mark of maturity. Obviously, those who endure must be well-grounded in their faith. They can handle whatever comes their way with courage and determination because they know that God is with them and He will help them through the trial.
Compared to the difficulties faced by Abraham Lincoln, being persistent in golf is a small challenge but big or small, whatever looms up before us can be seen as important to our character development and maturity. Rather than letting trials produce whining and retreat, we can let them produce growth in our lives.
So I’m working on the ability to stick to it, no matter what. Facing obstacles is a challenge but I try. As I do, I’m also noticing there is one other obstacle — when I see trouble coming, I’m not quite yet able to be joyful about it!
Wednesday, May 2, 2018
Living now — living forever ............. Parables 736
October 30, 2001
A Roman scholar named Cato started to study Greek when he was over eighty years old. Someone asked why he tackled such a difficult topic at his age. He replied, “It is the earliest age I have left.”
Cato was not the last of the spunky senior citizens. I attended a party for a woman celebrating her 105th birthday. With a twinkle in her eye, she supplied her own entertainment. She breezed through every song she knew on her harmonica and tossed out one-liners in between. She also took requests and if she didn’t know the song, she picked it up after someone hummed a few bars. This woman has Alzheimer’s disease and cannot remember what day it is—but she retains her storehouse of favorites and her huge sense of humor.
Another acquaintance is in his eighties. He rides his bicycle and participates in bicycle marathons, riding hundreds of kilometers in a summer. He too has a wonderful sense of humor.
A woman in our church is over ninety and just retired from work. My uncle is in his early eighties and just went back to work. Both walk tall and have a twinkle in their eyes.
These seniors value life and yet refuse to hoard it up for themselves. Their remaining years are dedicated to learning, growing, keeping active and blessing others. For them, life is lived to the full, much to the pleasure of those who know them.
While time may be short, for them it is not an issue. They have come to grips with Solomon’s words: “There is a season for everything: a time to be born and a time to die.” They realize time is a precious gift from God but are not anxious about it’s passing.
The Bible also says to “redeem the time for the days are evil.” Paul explains further: “The time is short . . . buy something as if it were not yours to keep . . . use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.”
The Bible tells us to utilize whatever things of the world we need but not clutch them to ourselves. God gave us “all things” to use and even enjoy, but we are not to make ‘things’ our chief concern. After all, they will pass away.
That statement is in contrast to most warnings about materialism and worldliness. Preachers and philosophers say, “You cannot take it with you” and focus on the fact that we will pass away. But instead, Paul says ‘things’ will pass away.
Even if we could take our stuff with us, we need to remember it is still temporary. ‘Things’ are not designed for eternity; they rot, rust, or fall apart.
Even our bodies age and die too, but God plans new bodies for His people, bodies that are “incorruptible.” He says, “mortals will put on immortality” and “death is swallowed up in victory.” Only people are designed to live forever. That does not happen to our stuff.
Most of my senior friends realize and live by the truth found in 2 Corinthians 4: “Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
For them, that eternal hope not only conquers death, it also changes life. It gives music to an aged woman who has forgotten everything else, mobility to an older man who wants to keep active, and meaningful work to two folks who are long past ‘normal’ retirement age.
This hope of eternal glory is available but we need to unclench our fists. We will last forever, but our stuff is doomed.
A Roman scholar named Cato started to study Greek when he was over eighty years old. Someone asked why he tackled such a difficult topic at his age. He replied, “It is the earliest age I have left.”
Cato was not the last of the spunky senior citizens. I attended a party for a woman celebrating her 105th birthday. With a twinkle in her eye, she supplied her own entertainment. She breezed through every song she knew on her harmonica and tossed out one-liners in between. She also took requests and if she didn’t know the song, she picked it up after someone hummed a few bars. This woman has Alzheimer’s disease and cannot remember what day it is—but she retains her storehouse of favorites and her huge sense of humor.
Another acquaintance is in his eighties. He rides his bicycle and participates in bicycle marathons, riding hundreds of kilometers in a summer. He too has a wonderful sense of humor.
A woman in our church is over ninety and just retired from work. My uncle is in his early eighties and just went back to work. Both walk tall and have a twinkle in their eyes.
These seniors value life and yet refuse to hoard it up for themselves. Their remaining years are dedicated to learning, growing, keeping active and blessing others. For them, life is lived to the full, much to the pleasure of those who know them.
While time may be short, for them it is not an issue. They have come to grips with Solomon’s words: “There is a season for everything: a time to be born and a time to die.” They realize time is a precious gift from God but are not anxious about it’s passing.
The Bible also says to “redeem the time for the days are evil.” Paul explains further: “The time is short . . . buy something as if it were not yours to keep . . . use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.”
The Bible tells us to utilize whatever things of the world we need but not clutch them to ourselves. God gave us “all things” to use and even enjoy, but we are not to make ‘things’ our chief concern. After all, they will pass away.
That statement is in contrast to most warnings about materialism and worldliness. Preachers and philosophers say, “You cannot take it with you” and focus on the fact that we will pass away. But instead, Paul says ‘things’ will pass away.
Even if we could take our stuff with us, we need to remember it is still temporary. ‘Things’ are not designed for eternity; they rot, rust, or fall apart.
Even our bodies age and die too, but God plans new bodies for His people, bodies that are “incorruptible.” He says, “mortals will put on immortality” and “death is swallowed up in victory.” Only people are designed to live forever. That does not happen to our stuff.
Most of my senior friends realize and live by the truth found in 2 Corinthians 4: “Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
For them, that eternal hope not only conquers death, it also changes life. It gives music to an aged woman who has forgotten everything else, mobility to an older man who wants to keep active, and meaningful work to two folks who are long past ‘normal’ retirement age.
This hope of eternal glory is available but we need to unclench our fists. We will last forever, but our stuff is doomed.
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