Seeking God Daily

Saw this Hi and Lois comic in the “Funnies” of our newspaper this week (Does anyone still call it that?) and chuckled at its relative truth. I’ve encountered signs like this one. Haven’t you? It declares everything you aren’t allowed to do but gives no indication as to what is allowed. I saw one sign that had the list of “nos” followed by the cheery sentiment, ”Have a nice day”. Oh yeh..how?

The comic got me thinking about how many people look at Christianity with a similar disdain. They feel Christianity is only about all of the things that they are  not supposed to do. They accuse the Bible of being a book of no-nos with very few yes-yeses.  Their belly-aching begins with the ‘thou shalt nots” of the Ten Commandments followed by all of the prohibitions in The Law and then they highlight the laments and taboos announced by God’s prophets.

Now we could argue with them that those no-nos are all in the Old Testament before Jesus’ ministry.  Jesus was all about yeses. But then they counter with, “ OK, let’s look at some of Jesus’ tidings of good joy (I believe you call that sarcasm.):

LOVE PEOPLE WHO HURT YOU AND PRAY FOR PEOPLE WHO DON’T EVEN LIKE YOU?  Is that normal?

 OFFER YOUR LEFT CHEEK AFTER YOU JUST HAD YOUR RIGHT ONE SMACKED?  The Rocky Balboa mind(less)set…ok, go ahead and take your best shot!                       

 BE WILLING TO LOSE EVERYTHING SO YOU CAN GAIN EVERYTHING?  Huh? How does that work?

 LIKE  SUFFERING? Why sure, doesn’t everybody?

ASSOCIATE WITH THE LOSERS OF SOCIETY?  Only if they’ve taken a bath and had a recent background check.                                                

IT’S BETTER TO HAVE TREASURES IN HEAVEN, A PLACE YOU CAN’T SEE, THAN A LOT OF MONEY IN A BANK THAT YOU CAN SEE?  Who’s your financial planner anyway?

BE THANKFUL FOR EVERYTHING, EVEN IN CRUMMY TIMES?  You bet. I love being down, disappointed, and depressed.                                                    

 GIVE UP YOUR RIGHTS TO YOURSELF?  Yeh, I always wanted to be a puppet.

And then he has the audacity to declare that he came to earth so people could enjoy an abundantly full life…full of what? Sort of like saying, “have a nice day”. Oh yeh…how?

Well, I’m glad you asked that question.

When Jesus told his disciples of “then” and “now”, “If any man would come after me he must first deny himself…” (give up your rights to yourself; Matthew 16:24) he was saying, in essence, that when you say yes it really means no and when you say no it really means yes. What? Before you get your Fruit of the Looms all in a snuggie, let me explain.

If a person says yes to Jesus as their Lord, Savior, and Best Friend, they are saying no to some dreadful realities such as …

…hell

…separation from God,

…accountability for sin,

…guilt, shame, and doubt,

…anxiety and stress,                                                             

…imperfect self sufficiency,

…uncertainty of the future,

…live relying upon common sense,

…love with conditions, just to name a few.

If a person says no to themselves they are saying yes to some wonderful realities such as …

…living forever,

…friendship with God and adopted into his forever family,

…forgiveness of sin,

…incomprehensible peace and confidence ,

…eternal purpose,

…perfect God sufficiency,

…confidence in the future,

…live relying upon supernatural sense,

…love with no conditions, just to name a few. And lest I should forget, they are saying yes to the above skeptic’s complaint list.

If you’ve already said yes to Jesus, there is absolutely no limit to what God has available for you from his heavenly storehouse. You might say, the sky’s the limit. If you’ve yet to say yes to Jesus, there is absolutely no way that you can access any of God’s good stuff, which includes God himself, without Jesus.  And all of that good stuff…that’s just God’s way of saying ,“have a nice day”…everyday!.

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  John 14:6

 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realm with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”  Ephesians 1:3

 “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.”  2 Peter 1:3

Dramatically rising nearly 1,300 feet above the Belle Fourche River in the Black Hills of northeastern Wyoming is the massive volcanic intrusion of sedimentary rock called Devil’s Tower. Forty years ago I climbed it for the first time. I’m not sure why I climbed it…perhaps, because “it was there”. Next to teaching preschoolers, it was one of the most strenuous and challenging experiences of my life. During my initial encounter with Mato Tipila, as the Lakota Tribe calls it, I was struggling with a particular pitch. I couldn’t see where to move next and the blood was rushing from my fingers and feet causing me to have the shakes; not a good thing when you’re dangling 500 feet above the ground. Above me with my belay rope was my buddy, John. He told me that he would be my eyes and then instructed me how to position my feet and where I should place my hands. In spite of my pain, fear, and inability to see where to go I moved as he prescribed and, wouldn’t you know it, his directives were right on. My confidence to make the move, though, was not in John’s plan but rather in John’s person. Because of our close relationship I trusted him. That’s the kind of faith God requires of us; one that puts absolute trust in him in spite of our pain, fear, and inability to know what to do next or what he might do next. It’s all about the relationship. He promises to be our eyes. When you trust the person of God you’ll discover that  his plans are right on.

“…We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”  (2 Chronicles 20:12b)

“We live by faith, not by sight.”  (2 Corinthians 5:7)

Ok, I want to live a life of faith but where does faith come from anyway? Yesterday I concluded my thought with some of the Apostle Paul’s most direct teaching on faith when he declared that “…faith comes from hearing and hearing comes from the Word of Christ” (Romans 10:17 NASB). Now let’s go back to the mountains. One of the most critical aspects of climbing is found in the communication system. By this, I’m referring to the direct voice commands that must be given before, during, and after a climb in order for the climb to have maximum safety and success. It is essential that the appropriate commands are given loudly and clearly, so that all parties involved in the climb can function effectively. Blowing or misunderstanding a command could have disastrous results. On the other hand when the climber hears and responds accurately the results can be exceptional. One of the most critical aspects of Christian faith is found in its communication system. Simply put, its all about the voice of Jesus and the ears of the follower. God himself commands that we “listen to him” (Mark 9:7). Jesus himself said, “My sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). How’s your hearing? How’s your doing? How’s your faith?

“…Everyone should be quick to listen…So do not merely listen to the word…Do what it says.”  (James 1:19 & 22)

Another valuable faith lesson I learned while mountain climbing was in the rappel. Simply defined, rappelling is the act of descending from the top of a rock face down to where the climb began by means of a specially designed piece of hardware that creates enough friction to allow a climber to slide down a fixed rope safely. What that definition didn’t say was that the first step in a rappel has the potential of being extremely frightening.  If it wasn’t for the persistent questioning of the climber handling my safety belay rope I’d probably still be on the cliff”s edge during my first rappels. But he kept asking me if I trusted him and did I trust the equipment and I kept saying yes, yet my body wasn’t moving.  He countered with “I won’t believe that you trust me and the equipment until I see you take the first step over the edge. I need to see some action to back up your words”. Once I put my actions where my words were it was one sensational ride to the bottom. I wonder how many Christians are missing the sensational ride the Lord has available for them because their faith hasn’t progressed beyond their words. God hears our words of faith but expects to see lives that back up those words. God may be asking you why you declare belief in him but aren’t willing to step over the edge and prove it. Are you confused and afraid of how the Lord wants you to demonstrate the genuiness of your faith? Why don’t you ask him. You’ll be amazed at what he’ll reveal. “Now faith comes by hearing and hearing comes from the Word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).

“…faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead…I will show you my faith by what I do.”  James 2:17, 18

I usually learn more through experience than I do from lectures and books. Case in point is when I climbed the GrandTeton during my youth. There were moments of amazement and wonder and other moments of just wondering what in the world was I doing on the side of a 14,000 foot mountain. Exhausted, sore, afraid, and unsure, our guide persistently reminded us that the struggles could never outweigh the joys if we would listen to him, watch him, and trust him in our journey to the top. And amazingly enough, the climb was exhilarating. I saw beautiful sights and had enriching experiences that surpassed my wildest expectations. 

The Christian life is full of amazement and wonder and at the same time can issue moments of uncertainty and fear. God, the author of life, knew that following him wouldn’t be easy…nothing worth having or doing ever is. He too promises that the joys will far outweigh the struggles if we would listen to him, look to him, learn from him, and live for him daily. And oh, the exhilaration of the spiritual sights and experiences that he brings us will excede our wildest expectations. All he asks is that we trust him.

“Do not fear for I am with you, do not be afraid for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you with my righteous right hand.”  (Isaiah 41:10)

What is faith for a Christian? It’s all about risk taking but of a particular kind. Let me illustrate from the world of mountain climbing.  Once the ascent has begun, there is risk. If the climber climbs with the appropriate equipment, a climbing guide, and takes the necessary precautions the risk is considered calculated, responsible, purposeful, adventurous and relatively safe. He has everything he needs to make it to the top. If the climber, for whatever reason, climbs solo, no equipment, no safety belay, ignores any precautions they are considered reckless, irresponsible, foolish, and unsafe. All he has is himself. This kind of risk taking is what American sci-fi and mystery writer, Ray Bradbury, describes as, “…jumping off the cliff and building your wings on the way down”. Life is full of dangers, no doubt, but the only risks we face in those dangers are when we do so without our guide, Jesus. “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). This kind of faith produces a great adventure that is responsible, has purpose, and results in safe passage to the summit.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”  (Proverbs 3:5, 6

Had your flu shot yet? Got mine this week. Seems like the needle is getting longer and thicker each year while the nurse is less sympathetic to my wiggle of anticipation and wince of pain. What a gullible guy I am. I still believe her when she tells me every year that it’s “just a little poke and won’t hurt a bit”. Try  convincing  my throbbing arm of that sentiment. You’d think she’d be more sensitive to an old guy.

Upon arrival at Dr. Wilson’s house of hurt, I picked up a pamphlet in the waiting room that discussed the ins and outs of the shot and its target—influenza. I didn’t realize that  influenza is the Italian word for influence. Besides literally meaning influence, it has its roots  in a Medieval Latin word īnfluentia, which was also rendered epidemic (so called apparently from the belief that epidemics were due to the influence of the stars). Interesting reading for a doctor’s office but who cares, really? I wouldn’t under normal circumstances but since my turn for a hypodermic jab was taking much longer than usual, my mind kicked into some mental gymnastics with the words influence, influenza, and epidemic. When I got home I consulted Noah Webster. His “way with words” aroused some profound reflections upon Jesus and some probing personal questions.

Influence is simply “the power to effect decision”. Aren’t we all products of what influences us?   You can be arrested for being under the influence of alcohol. Genres of art have been born through the influence of one artist. A missed field goal in an NFL game last weekend influenced the final outcome. Parents and teachers can be influential on the children they raise and teach. Weather will often influence our day’s agenda. Whether they want to accept it or not, professional athletes have the power and platform to influence kids. What I permit to influence my thinking and subsequent acting will most likely shape how I live.

Influenza is “a highly contagious and often epidemic viral disease”. The words highly contagious jumped out at me; things that are communicable, catching, infectious, transmittable.

Epidemic is “the rapid spread or increase in the occurrence of something”. This word usually denotes something that is undesirable like a disease, a riot, or greed. How about a scattering of good things like grace, forgiveness, and love?

CONSIDER THE LIFE AND MINISTRY OF JESUS

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor…The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and be began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips…”  Luke 4:18-22

He was and is still all about affecting a person’s decision making process. He not only has the power to do so but He has the highest authority supporting Him plus he always knows what is best in any situation.

He taught and lived in such a way that “multitudes” of men, women, and children were drawn to who He was, what He said, and what He did. That remains a common occurrence.

He created an epidemic that continues to circulate “good news” in a world that is too often characterized by so much bad news.

CONSIDER MY LIFE

What exactly has the greatest influence over my life?

What exactly is there in my life that is so infectious that it has the power to cause others to desire it and benefit from it?

If I were to start an epidemic what exactly would I want to spread? How would I do it?

“I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”  John 13:15

“But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” 1 John 2:5. 6                         

“You are the light of the world…In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”