What does your conscience say?

So we should stop judging each other. Let’s decide not to do anything that will cause a problem for a brother or sister or hurt their faith. I know that there is no food that is wrong to eat. The Lord Jesus is the one who convinced me of that. But if someone believes that something is wrong, then it is wrong for that person. (Romans 14:13-14)

Van Gogh said that 'conscience was a man's compass'. Einstein reminded us, "Never do anything against conscience even if the state demands it." Aquinas told us, "Every judgement of conscience, be it right or wrong, be it about things evil in themselves or morally indifferent, is obligatory, in such wise that he who acts against his conscience always sins." If conscience is so important to us, why do so many 'violate' their own conscience time and time again? To believe something is wrong, then pursue it anyway is a clear-cut violation of one's own conscience - the very 'tool' God gave each of us to help us avoid sin in the first place. If we focus on one 'rule' in a stricter sense than we do another 'rule', aren't we being hypocritical? Tattoos were prohibited under Levitical Law, but so were haircuts of certain styles and clothing made up of more than one type of material!

What Paul is saying is that if someone believes something is wrong, then it is wrong for that person. For the longest time, I wondered if God 'allowed' certain things that didn't seem to be outlined as 'good' or 'bad' in scripture. For example, you may not accept that God allows tattoos on one's body (Leviticus 19:28) Scripture asks God's people to live a holy and honorable life - using their bodies as his temple and keeping it holy. Does that mean tattoos are prohibited. Under the Law of Moses, God asked them not to apply marks to their bodies - why? There were people who worshipped false Gods, practiced vile deeds, who marked their bodies. Perhaps he was asking Israel to 'set themselves apart' from those who did this so they would be 'noticed' as set apart. Some would ask if this 'prohibition' continued into the New Testament church. I can find no reference to tattoos in New Testament writings, but...the issue is not whether tattoos are good or bad. It is what is in the heart of a man or woman. 

If someone has given their heart to the Lord, and in good conscience obtain a tattoo, who are we to judge them? As Paul told the Roman believers, it isn't ours to judge. Sometimes we get all wigged-out about stuff that clearly isn't all that important. Paul was dealing with a group of believers (church-goers) who didn't eat meat because it could have been offered as a sacrifice to some 'idol' and then sold in the market. The church was in uproar because some would eat the meat, while others would not. It isn't the 'rule' we look at - it is the heart. If the heart is right with God, and their conscience doesn't get 'pricked', is it okay to engage in the action? In some cases, yes, but we should also be very aware of how our actions affect the faith of another! Never violate your own conscience. Don't force your conscience on another. Be respectful of those who 'believe differently' than you - following a rule to the 'letter of the law', so to speak. We don't hold all the answers ourselves, but if we cannot in 'good conscience' pursue a course of action, while respecting the conscience of those around us, then we should not engage in that action. Just sayin!

A change of heart

I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. (Ephesians 3:14-19)

God's people will continue to struggle with the influence of those 'religious individuals' around them who seek to 'bind' them with rules and regulations. In Paul's epistle to the Galatian church, he recounted the purpose for the Law of Moses - to point out the need for a Savior - but he also reminded them how impossible it is to ever keep ALL of the Law. In fact, he goes so far as to say the Law was meant to be kept in its entirety, but no one was actually able to do that, so depending on those rules and regulations as your means of being made right with God was quite foolish. Grace came to us through the sacrificial offering of Christ dying on the cross. Grace differs from the system of works in the Law - one is God doing it all for us, the other is us trying to do it all for God!

In our passage today, we observe Paul's earnest desire for each of us to understand the unlimited resources available to those who enter into this relationship with God through faith in the finished work of Christ. His Holy Spirit comes to empower us to live right - something we find very difficult without his presence guiding us out of 'slavery' to the way of living by 'rules and regulations'. There is something powerful that happens when we stop 'trying to work our way to God' and we begin to trust that God has already worked his way into our hearts. We begin to find rest and a sense of peace that permeates our every fiber. Is sin still a constant temptation to us? Yes, as long as we live on this earth, sin will tempt us, but with God's Spirit within, sin need not win.

The 'inner strength' that comes from being empowered by the Holy Spirit is more than our 'internal willpower'. Our own willpower is quite ineffectual in changing our motives. Our motives are changed when God's Spirit energizes our thought life, moves upon our emotions, and settles into our heart. The desire to 'live right' or 'upright' is not something we can 'will' ourselves into - it is a condition of the heart that is accomplished when God's love begins to permeate the mind, emotions, and spirit of man. Religion keeps us bound to 'doing' and 'redoing'. Relationship with God sets us free to realize a change of heart we can never accomplish on our own. Just sayin!

Where is that foundation?

In considering events in the lives of those who have known fame and fortune, we also must consider just how fame and fortune has left them wanting so much more than it ever promised or provided. Fame and fortune are elusive - they keep those who pursue either of them running toward them as if under their spell. They are also disappointing - leaving those who finally "achieve" their end wanting more, but not really satisfied with what they have! Sound familiar to anyone other than me? Wanting more that what we have, chasing what seems to have us under some "spell" or external "control"? We may not be pursuing fame in the sense of the movie stars, but we may be pursuing something with as much tenacity - something which will not truly bring us any satisfaction once attained.

A thick bankroll is no help when life falls apart, but a principled life can stand up to the worst. (Proverbs 11:4)

Life WILL fall apart at some point. Whatever we place our trust in today will become the force we reckon with then. We may not realize when or where our "tipping point" may come, but there is a tipping point. As a kid, I would work for hours on those little domino experiments. Sometimes I would encounter a particular point at which I just could not get anymore of the dominoes to fall. Most would have fallen, but at this one point (either a turn or because the height was different), no more would fall. What made the difference was either the variation in the height or the distance between the last domino to fall and the one which remained upright. Sometimes it was the slight variation in angle at which the domino was erected. Regardless, they wouldn't fall beyond that certain point. I think our lives might be a little like this when we get our focus off where it really should be. We go along "erecting the dominoes" in a good path for a while, then we get a little variation in where we are headed, causing us to be at risk for "falling down" in rather short order. It is good to know that the slightest "variation" is all it takes to set us in a course which can come tumbling down in a moment's time, though. I think it keeps us humble!

We all have "tipping points" in life when we are at our greatest risk for life crumbling or tumbling down. The "trick" is to allow the space between what could take us down and what has become our foundation to be great enough to keep us from being knocked down when those things we have been focusing on might just come tumbling down! If our foundation is laid correctly, we are not going to be totally wiped out by a wrong pursuit! We may suffer some loss, but we won't be totally taken out by it! This may not seem like a very "spiritual" thing to say, but it is truth. We are the kind of creatures who will (on occasion) pursue a path which is not really the best for us to pursue. Those paths are what place us at risk of succumbing to the "tipping point". At that moment, what might just be the slightest difference in distance between our "firm foundation" and that wrong path makes all the difference in keeping us on our feet!

Think of the dominoes as "principles" upon which we build our lives. Domino number one: Serve no other God but the One True God. Domino number two: Love him with all your heart, soul, and mind. Domino number three: Love others as he has loved you. Domino number four.... You get the idea. As we surrender to the one who wants to set the "dominoes in order" in our lives, we are assured a good foundation. It is when we begin to take on the work of building our own "domino path" that we get a little off-course. The dominoes we erect will eventually produce a tipping point which can set us at risk of loss, but only to a certain point! That which was erected by the Master's skillful hand will remain standing - that which was erected by our own lusts, greed, demands, and warped perceptions will eventually be knocked down by whatever it was we were pursuing in the first place. Just sayin!

Life Hack #4 - Within or Without

Life Hack #4:

Keep those boundaries - but you have to know them before you can keep them! Boundaries are really nothing more than a dividing line. We have all kinds of "dividing lines" in life, don't we? Some are quite real - like those drawn for the purposes of playing a sport on the field. Others are set up in our minds - not specifically clear to others, but definitely clear to us. The problem comes when someone wants to move one of those boundaries - stretching it or reducing it in some manner. We feel a little threatened, challenged, or overcome by this attempt to move the "markers", don't we? 

Don’t stealthily move back the boundary lines staked out long ago by your ancestors. (Proverbs 22:28)

In Old Testament times, they did not have surveyors with highly technical laser point imaging tools to assist in laying out boundary lines. They'd use landmarks or "markers" of sorts to indicate a boundary. They'd say the boundary limit was the mountain range to the east or the river to the west. If they had no such "visible" limit, they'd set up some kind of pile of stones or pillar. That "pile" would stand as a marker to indicate the point of boundary. 

There are also boundary lines of different sorts which we often refer to as rules or commandments. The Ten Commandments were given as "protective boundaries" in our lives. They were never meant to be "laborious" or "impossible" to keep but were designed to assist us in remaining in a place of safety - spiritually, physically, emotionally, and 'relationally'. This is all that God's "rules" really are anyway - like guardrails on a winding highway, they keep us safe from going over the edge!

One thing is certain - boundaries are not to be moved! We cannot dispute the "ownership" of a particular piece of property because the boundary lines establish that ownership. The boundary lines we choose to live within in our own lives often show who has been declared the "owner" of our lives! Live within God's boundaries and we are showing he is the owner of our life. Choose to constantly be moving those boundary lines and we reveal the ownership is really ours and not his. This doesn't seem very significant, but we often move boundaries little by little, almost as though we'd hope nobody would notice them being moved. In truth, God catches each subtle movement of the boundaries, and he is grieved when we push them away, or even "fudge the line" a little.

Learning to trust the boundaries God establishes for our lives is part of growing up in Jesus. Trusting him enough to stay within those established boundaries is a matter of maturity - not moving those lines is a matter of obedience. Boundaries established early in our walk with Jesus are not meant to be moved later on - they may become clearer as we walk with him, but once established, they are to be honored. Just sayin!

Rule-Maker Focused

Do not snatch your word of truth from me, for your regulations are my only hope. I will keep on obeying your instructions forever and ever. I will walk in freedom, for I have devoted myself to your commandments. I will speak to kings about your laws, and I will not be ashamed. How I delight in your commands! How I love them! I honor and love your commands. I meditate on your decrees. (Psalm 119:43-48)

As I have mentioned on other occasions, it can be hard to keep 'rules' - some believing that God's commandments are merely a set of 'rules' that must be kept or else. It is the 'or else' that keeps them constantly striving to 'do' as the commandments require, but if we live our lives with an 'or else' kind of faith, we are always going to be looking over our shoulders or fearing the hammer is about to fall. Yes, God is a God of justice. Yes, he has laid out his commandments or 'spiritual rules' for each of us to clearly understand. He has NOT left us powerless to 'live within' the boundaries of his commandments, though. We don't 'do' obedience - we 'live' obedience. There is a difference. The difference comes in the attitude of heart toward the 'rule' or commandment. If we are constantly living in fear of 'not keeping the rule' to the letter of the rule, we are living with chains on - bound to the rule. We are meant to be heart-bound to the one who gives the rules, not soul-bound to the rule itself. What is established when a surveyor sets out a marker of boundaries for the builder? Is it not showing the builder the area of land that is 'safe' for the work that needs to be done? The builder begins to work 'within' those boundaries because the 'scale' and 'scope' of the work is established by those boundaries.

The boundaries God gives in our lives (his commandments) are meant to help us stay within the 'scale' and 'scope' of work, play, and relationships he knows will allow us to enjoy our lives. The 'scope' is our 'space of movement' - within the boundaries, we can move as freely as we like. As soon as we start to approach the limits of those boundaries, we begin to encroach upon territory not declared to be ours. It could be because it will be unsafe for us to traverse that territory - we aren't ready for it, aren't mature enough to explore it, or it will not produce good things within our lives. To push beyond the boundaries into what is not within our 'scope' is indeed unwise. The 'scale' determines the extend or range of activities that are deemed to be safe for us within those boundaries. Some might think of this as the 'spectrum' of things that are 'okay' for us to explore. The boundaries God establishes through his commands may not leave a lot of wiggle room for us - such as don't steal, don't commit adultery, and don't covet. Then there could be a little bit of wiggle room for some other things - such as do I get my ears pierced, can a Christian get a tattoo, or is it okay to drink a glass of wine with supper. Scripture declares some commandments as 'absolutes' and then it may afford us the 'choice of conscience' as to other things.

To be bound to the rule may actually keep us from understanding the extreme love of the rule-maker. Every 'rule' is given in love - protection being at the core of each set of boundaries. So, we shouldn't let the rule be our focus - we need to let God be our focus and the rule will not seem like a limitation as much as it will become our choice in order to enjoy absolute protection. Just sayin!

So, that's why

Even today when the proclamations of that old, bankrupt government are read out, they can’t see through it. Only Christ can get rid of the veil so they can see for themselves that there’s nothing there. Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are—face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We’re free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him. (2 Corinthians 3:15-18)

Back in the day, I used to be quite a 'rule-follower'. As a matter of fact, my friends used to make a bit of fun with me because they knew I would not do some things they might feel was okay. They would ask me why I didn't want to do some things and I'd simply answer, "I am not supposed to..." That is kind of a lame answer - I admit it now. The truth is that I rarely understood the reason behind some of the rules I lived by, but I knew i wasn't supposed to break them. The only problem with living this way is that 'blind obedience' is that one is blind to the reason or rationale for the actions they are taking. They just know they aren't supposed to do this or that, but there is no connection between the rule and the one who made the rule. Christianity may have some 'rules' - like the 10 commandments - but it is the connection to the living Savior that makes all the rule-keeping make sense.

God's intent is that we come to know his personal presence with us - not that we keep all the rules. It is this personal relationship that actually allows us to make sense of the rules - the commandments that are meant to keep us safe. We are truly free to live 'within' the rules, but don't have to be so intent on making sure we don't break one. We actually have the power to stay within the lines - we don't find as much issue with the lines because we begin to understand they are there for our protection. God's intent is for us to come into close personal relationship with him. It is this 'closeness' that helps us realize the rules pointed to a truth we didn't otherwise see: God's grace through his Son, Jesus Christ. Why is it important for us to understand grace? We are all rule-breakers and we NEED his grace more than we really want to admit!

The 'lines' we are always trying to not 'color outside of' now point us toward a transformational way of living. Instead of seeing the 'rules' as constricting, we see them as revealing bits and pieces of how God's presence with us actually makes us more alive and more aware of our world around us. Our lives are filling with light - the light of God. This light is actually what helps us see the 'why' behind the rules - we begin to appreciate the dangers the world's darkness actually hides from us until we have the light to illuminate why we want to stay 'within the lines'. God's rules aren't restrictive where there is light to illuminate where the lines actually keep us in a place of safety! Just sayin!

Not just barely free

I have to admit - at times I keep score. Not so much in your life, but in mine. I keep score of the things I do that are right steps toward a healthier lifestyle. I keep score of the steps I take in a day by wearing a smart watch. These are pretty 'harmless' things to keep score of in our lives, but when we start to 'keep score' of times we fail to take the right steps, we are doing just the opposite of what Christ does on our behalf. God doesn't 'chalk one up' on our 'account of misdeeds' just because we make a bad choice. We don't earn merits and demerits in some 'heavenly accounting system'. Prayer, going to church, reading our Bible - good actions, but they don't 'even out' the score when we do dumb stuff! In fact, it isn't about evening out any score - it is about all the demerits going away because God only sees the side of us that reflects the 'merits' of Christ!

Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we’re a free people—free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth. (Ephesians 1:9-10)

The good news we are looking at today is this idea of living more than 'just barely free'. I once read the story of how the circus trained the large elephants to 'stay' where they were supposed to stay. At first, they drove long stakes into the ground and secured the back leg of the elephant to the stake with a length of chain. It allowed the elephant to maneuver just so much, then it would feel the tug to not go any further. In time, the more the elephant got used to the 'distance' they could go while secured to the chain, the less the elephant resisted or pulled against the chain. As time went on, the chains became unnecessary because the elephant learned the 'distance' he was allowed to maneuver and he stayed put.

I kind of look at God's plan for our lives as kind of 'restrictive' at first. As new Christians, we look at all the 'rules' it seems we are supposed to live by - some 'rules' such as go to church, read your Bible, have a 'quiet time' with Jesus every day aren't particularly onerous 'rules' per se, but then there are the ones we struggle with a little bit more that present a little bit of a 'tug' that 'restricts' us somewhat. They kind of rub us the wrong way at first. I could elaborate on a lot of those things people consider God's 'rules', but I will just look at a couple to make this point. 

The 'rule' to turn the other cheek comes to mind - one that is harder to do in the moment when all we want to do is defend ourselves or retaliate. Why are we told to turn the other cheek? It represents the grace of God - when least deserved, totally unearned, grace is given. The 'rule' to 'forgive seventy times seven' is not just designed to 'keep the peace' in relationship. It is exemplary of the unconditional love of God. These are more than 'rules' - at first, they are like the 'chain' that holds the elephant - harder for us than we might like it to be. The more we allow those 'rules' to guide our actions, the less we notice there is even a 'rule' being kept. It becomes our way of life. 

We don't live 'bound' in Christ, even when we find ourselves 'keeping the rules'. We have learned the value of remaining within the 'boundaries' set by those 'rules'. The distance we can go without getting outside of those rules isn't what matters, it is that we remain securely in the place of safety those 'rules' create for us. The elephant doesn't notice he is no longer chained - he just enjoys being safe where he is placed and lives to the fullest right where he stands. Maybe we need to take a lesson from the elephant today - live more than 'just barely free' constantly chafing against the 'rules' - learn to appreciate those rules are just there for our safety and provision. Just sayin!

Life comes at us fast...are we ready?

I have been cleaning out small spaces lately, going through all of mom's belongings, sorting little things to give to family that will hold meaning to them. In the process, I came across a small trinket I have carried with me for years - a "Dope-Stopper" coin given to me by Art Linkletter when I was around 12 years of age. I was honored to hear him in person, having won a challenge at my local school to create a poster that spoke to remaining drug-free. In the height of the 60's, drugs were rampant and kids everywhere were beginning to experiment with the stuff. His goal was to speak truth and hope into the lives of pre-teens, on the cusp of making life-changing decisions as they entered their challenging teen years. My "Speed Kills" poster afforded me the opportunity to meet this great man, but most importantly, gave me the chance to hear his message of his daughter's addiction and her ultimate death. In the end, I walked away with his words echoing deep within me to keep kids - friends and those I'd never even met yet - safe from the damaging influence of drugs. I am grateful he shared his pain, because the careless decision to 'do drugs' carried more than one 'bad outcome' in lives all around me. If we were to be honest, there are a whole lot of things that we 'do' in this lifetime that are blatantly 'careless' and without much thought. Drugs aren't the only thing we should avoid - because there are a whole lot of careless living choices we make that take us down pathways that lead to pretty awful outcomes.

Keep the rules and keep your life; careless living kills. (Proverbs 19:16 MSG)

I have shared this before, but my poster, entitled "Speed Kills", featured a man taking speed, then speeding down a road filled with turns, until finally he crashed and died. Kind of morbid when I look back on it, but my thought was to capture the twists and turns life puts us through and the dangers created when we don't "obey the rules". The rules we 'violate' are the ones that would have helped us avoid those twisty and danger roads! "Keep the rules and keep your life". Many don't realize Mr. Linkletter was an orphan, adopted by a preacher, growing up as a "P.K" (Pastor's Kid). He was abandoned by his own family when he was only a few weeks old, adopted by an evangelical preacher, and he grew up to be quite a man. One of his most talked about accomplishments in life is the longevity of his marriage! 75 years married to the same woman! Not a thing most people in Hollywood can boast! One of the things I liked best when he spoke to us was what he said about choices in life - there will be many, but not all will be the best for us. He was saying we have to keep growing, constantly developing, because none of us is perfect yet. So true!

Life comes at us fast - decisions made on the fly often get us by, but they don't always make sense for the long haul. When we have a good foundation, we often respond better to the "on the fly" choices we have to make. When we don't take time to lay the right foundation, we often lack consistency, or what some may call integrity in our decisions.  We have choices in life - not everything is cut and dry. If you have ever tried to find some things in scripture, such as exactly when to marry, if you should marry at all, or if you should get a tattoo, you might be a little frustrated to see there are no clear cut "words of wisdom" recorded for us on these matters. Sure, there are "guidelines" like not doing something that will offend others. There is nothing in scripture which clearly says YOU should marry HIM, or YOU should not ever marry ANYONE. In fact, the Apostle Paul tells us some will desire to marry, and this is okay. Others will desire to stay single, this is still okay. Not one set of guidelines fits for everyone. In cases such as these, we need to go with the guidance of scripture and prayer. God is giving us choice in some matters such as marriage - so, if it is for you, go for it! Just use wisdom in selecting the one you are going to spend the rest of your life with - it is a "for keeps" relationship!

Carelessness kills. Being careless is when we don't really pay attention to the choices we are making. We might think of it as being a little too "unconcerned" about the outcome. In making choices, when we are not concerned with the outcome, we almost always will be caught a little off-guard with what "comes out" of our choices! Rules are there for our safety. Although I don't like to think of scripture as a set of "rules", they are! The guidance set out in scripture does what a "rule" does - it sets boundaries for living. Embrace them and we usually come out okay. Disregard them, and we are mopping up the mess! The heart of our heavenly Father beats for us as his kids. His words to us are heard over and over in scripture - the beat of his heart for us is found in the words recorded for our learning and protection. His goal in all the "rules" - for us to avoid the hazards of carelessness. What seems burdensome to us at this moment makes all the difference in the outcome! Just sayin!

Cookie-Cutter Images

Do you know anyone who seems to constantly want to do things 'by the book'? There can be absolutely no variation for these individuals - they can never see anything beyond the book. Legalism is the tendency to keep to the letter of the law - it lacks the spirit behind it, though. There is little wavering from the laundry list of rules because there is great determination to do everything "by the book". What we often observe in these cases is a lack of true "spirit" behind the obedience - it is a sense of obligation, not desire - doing things by rote rather than out of a sense of true connection to the one who wrote the rules. It is truly a helpless state of living life to just do things "by the book" without the animation of the Spirit within.

Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified. Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.(Galatians 5:23-26)

There is much to be said about "desire". Desire is a motivating factor - without it, every response we make in the "right" direction is nothing more than doing things "by the book". When we come to Christ, there is an exchange of nature. We get a new nature - one animated by the Spirit of God within. This very "indwelling" of the Spirit is what brings the animation that "drives" us toward "right" choices - what we refer to as obedience. The old nature has been "nailed" to the cross with Christ - the new nature is "incorporated" into our day-to-day choices by "grace". Grace operates in a realm way beyond "book learning" or "sentimental" reasoning. It operates in the spirit of man - giving us a sense of purpose in our obedient responses. It is more than just 'doing things by the book' because there is a connection to the purpose behind the obedient steps.

"Each of us is an original." As some know, I spent some time in the military. In those first months of Basic Training, the main thing we came to realize was the need to "conform" to the rules and regulations being taught. Whether it was in the steps taken to dismantle and reassemble a weapon, or the rigid detail of marching in line with fellow soldiers, there was a drive to "conform" to the plan of our superior's command. What we chafed so much against actually had a purpose - this conformity was a good thing, but we were not free to question the 'reason' behind the desire for this conformity. What I came to realize was that when we were a tight group of well-prepared soldiers we had each other's backs, could respond quicker to the needs of others in the group, and recognized easily when something was just not right.

Christian life is a little like military life. Although God asks for us to conform to the truth of his Word, there is a need for us to "come in line" with the requested steps we are to take. In the military, we learned to do it, or else we did a whole lot more push ups than any human should have to endure! In God's kingdom, we learn to do it because it produces the best effect in our lives - it helps us respond quickly and to see the needs of those around us. We don't obey the commands of God because we have to keep all the rules - we do it because we have come to realize that by keeping the rules, we enjoy the best of all God has for us! In the military, they worked to keep one from standing out above the others. We each wore the same uniform, marched in formation, called the same cadence, ate the same food, and dug the same trench. In God's kingdom, we wear a new nature, but it still allows us to be uniquely who we are - all our talents and personality shining through for God's glory. In fact, we "march" together in this walk, but we do it with a certain assurance of the outcome of our journey! We are each an "original" - we don't conform to a set of rules so we look like cookie-cutter images of each other. We "conform" so we might be "transformed" into the reflection of all Christ is! We become a reflection of his grace, mercy, and love.

In being transformed, we are actually becoming a reflection for others to experience the Lord in the unique manner in which only we can reflect him to others. As an "original", God "meshes" our unique personalities with his work of grace - in turn, we become the reflection of the purpose and possibilities of God's transforming power! So, although the "book" is very important, the "Spirit" is what animates us to reflect the book's Author! Let's live animated, shall we? Just sayin!

More than bending over backwards

I think we shall always be among those who don't approve of what we say, what we do, the way we dress, or what we take joy in discovering. The world is full of people who think they know best, not really knowing much more on the subject than we do, but they think they do. There also all of those in this world who find fault in what we do, but all the while they are secretly admitting they want to do the same thing, or probably are! One day, Jesus and his disciples are walking to their next destination. They find themselves in the midst of a field of grain. Hungry from their journey, they reach out to take some of the grain as a little snack to get them through. What they do is forbidden - not because this was not their field to harvest, but because it was the Sabbath. To the Jew, this was a day of rest - commanded by God many years prior to be kept holy; a day when men cease from work and pay attention to God. A day in which there was absolutely NO flexibility for these Jewish 'law' followers - the 'letter of the Law' must be followed.

"There is far more at stake here than religion. If you had any idea what this Scripture meant—'I prefer a flexible heart to an inflexible ritual'—you wouldn't be nitpicking like this. The Son of Man is no lackey to the Sabbath; he's in charge." (Matthew 12:6-8)

Their simple actions of removing grain from the stalks, and rubbing them between their hands to remove the outer "husks" of the grain, was the issue - not that they were hungry, not this specific source of food, and not even their desire to be satisfied. It was the action of 'conducting work' on the day dedicated to not doing any work. The Sabbath had become a day full of ritual observances, but it lacked the reality of seeking God, of truly enjoying his presence. The Pharisees were livid with Jesus and his disciples - they were not honoring the traditions of the Jews and this just wouldn't do. Their encounter of Jesus and his disciples was less than welcoming - they immediately confronted Jesus with an accusation: "Your disciples are breaking the Sabbath rules!" Not that they recognized their need for food, but that they weren't keeping all the rules!

I almost imagine Jesus at this point taking a deep breath, holding back the desire to roll his eyes and shake his head in disappointment at their lack of understanding about what the Sabbath was to be to the one who serves God. There are probably times when we receive a response from Jesus that is "tempered" with his grace when what we really deserve is a good "chewing out" for our lack of belief, limited understanding in the face of revelation, or our silly belief some 'set of rules' will get us somewhere in life. His response is direct and to the point. "There is far more at stake here than religion." This is the key we must see in what he says. Jesus is pointing out that the "religion" of the Jewish leaders had not produced what God would honor. They were hung up on the keeping of rules, while God was looking for obedient and submissive hearts. To so many, religion is a set of "do's" and "don'ts" - keeping many in a place where they don't really want anything to do with "religion". I think that was what Jesus was most concerned about that day when he responded as he did. He knew that the religion of rule-keeping was driving men further from God, not drawing them nearer.

"I prefer a flexible heart rather than an inflexible ritual." Plain and simple - Jesus focuses on the condition of the heart, not on all the good intentions, the innumerable times they had done "good stuff". He looks at the "pliability" of their heart - in other words, the responsiveness of their heart to the voice or leading of God's Spirit. The one thing that gains the attention of God more than anything else is the flexibility of our heart. If we are rigid in the keeping of rules with the idea that the rule-keeping will somehow get us the notice we desire from God, this does not move his heart. It is quite plain - the openness of our heart is what God notices. Rules are fine - that is not the issue. We spend lots of time developing the rules - far less time evaluating the heart that struggles with the keeping of those rules. Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath - he is the "point" of the Sabbath. It is not the rules, the religious rituals, or the day of the week. The Sabbath was always known as being a day of rest. He is the one who provides perfect rest to our souls - the place where we cease from all the things that distract us from living for him and then we are drawn into the nearness of his presence.

A flexible heart is one that is capable of being "molded" without being completely destroyed in the process - one that is willing to be modified for the use of the one who is doing the "molding". The desire Jesus has for his disciples is that they be "pliable" in his hands - yielded to his leading, open to his voice, hungry for more of him. When he finds that kind of heart, he takes delight in making that one into his image. The person who is rigid in belief, unyielding in the "rules", finds themselves struggling with the "change of heart" that Jesus may be after. If we can learn anything from this exchange with the Pharisees it is this: We need to be flexible. That which is flexible is expandable. Jesus is looking for "expandable" hearts - because he desires to gives us more and more of his grace until it leaks out of us to all those around us! Just sayin!

So, why all the rules, God?

142 Your justice is eternal for your laws are perfectly fair. 143 In my distress and anguish your commandments comfort me. 144 Your laws are always fair; help me to understand them, and I shall live. (Psalm 119:142-144 TLB)

One thing we can learn from history is that God's laws (rules for living) are always "fair". The same cannot always be said about the laws of the land, or those some insist upon in their "own little world". Human beings have a very hard time "being fair" - we just have a bent toward showing someone a little more "favor" than another (sometimes because that "someone" is us). It is important to remember a law is nothing more than a "rule" that helps to define the way we are to conduct ourselves - it defines how it is we are to be living - oftentimes guiding the culture of a group, not just our own self. All laws set parameters - boundaries. Living within those boundaries is what is referred to as being "law-abiding", but we all know some live much further from the boundaries than others!

It is important to ask God for help understanding his boundaries. If we don't, then we will make up all kinds of ways of interpreting why that boundary exists. In healthcare, there are certain "boundaries" set for us, one of which is the protection of health information from getting into the hands of anyone who should not have access to it. There are laws or boundaries set in the stock market, ensuring no one gets an unfair advantage over another in being able to buy or sell on the market. On the roads, the boundaries of which lanes I can use while traveling alone in my car are well-marked and there are different boundaries I can explore if I am with another passenger. While we don't always understand the boundaries, there are usually very good reasons for the ones that are set.

Too many times, we get hung up on the fact there are boundaries and miss the intent behind them - to keep us safe and provide an advantage to those who live within those boundaries. If I use a couple of the examples above, I could say the advantage behind the "insider trading" laws are to give us all a chance to equally share in the gains of a particular stock should we choose to trade in that stock arena. If I think about the use of the carpool lane, it is designed to reduce emissions by reducing the number of vehicles on the road each day, thus making it easier for us to breathe, while decreasing the commute times when less vehicles are caught up in that traffic each day. God's laws aren't much different - they keep us safe, provide for our well-being, and help us realize the best potential in our lives.

We don't want to just "guess" as to their meaning or intent. We want to know the intent, making it easier for us to stay within the boundaries, and maybe even live a little less content to "push those boundaries". Just sayin!

No more white noise

2 Tell me this one thing: How did you receive the Spirit? Did you receive the Spirit by following the law? No, you received the Spirit because you heard the message about Jesus and believed it. 3 You began your life in Christ with the Spirit. Now do you try to complete it by your own power? That is foolish. 4 You have experienced many things. Were all those experiences wasted? I hope they were not wasted! 5 Does God give you the Spirit because you follow the law? Does God work miracles among you because you follow the law? No, God gives you his Spirit and works miracles among you because you heard the message about Jesus and believed it. (Galatians 3:2-5 ERV)

Do you ever "complicate" things by adding just way too much to the time you take to do something, or by adding so many requirements that must be met before you will do it? I do on occasion and whenever I do, I find myself in a muddle that kind of bogs me down. I don't move at other times simply because I get confused about what I should really do as a result of all the "noise" in my life from that which I have allowed to complicate the picture. Whenever we attempt to "make better" what God has already declared to be "perfect", we just end up adding stuff that we could label as "unnecessary noise".

Paul is dealing with the Galatian church - not just the leaders, but those who have been busy adding "noise" to the daily walk of each of the believers there. In simplest terms, they were requiring some of the old "rules" of the Law of Moses to be kept in addition to the finished work of grace in these believer's lives. Noise - pure and simple - lends complexity, makes it hard to sort things out as well as we should, and makes us work harder to get at the core of what is at hand. As Paul points out, we didn't receive the Spirit of God by following any set pattern of rules - so to reintroduce those into our lives is kind of like adding "noise" to a symphony!

Some of us don't sleep well in a completely quiet house. We need what some refer to as 'white noise' - that little bit of hum produced by the turning ceiling fan, or the gentle in and out breathing of someone in bed next to you. Remove that "white noise" and we are like hyper-alert and just don't get into that place of rest we so desperately desire. In a spiritual sense, when we need all this created 'white noise' of the rules we insist on or requirements we believe must be met in order to achieve some measure of "spiritual position" to make us feel secure about where we are in relationship with God, we miss out on the beauty of the simple "rest" he has for us in this place of grace.

While this may not seem like much at first, the more "noise" we add to the simplicity and sweetness of grace, the less we become comfortable with the peace grace produces in our lives. What we need to do is learn to quiet some of the "noise" and really settle into the peace! Just sayin!

Okay, I need the rules

"One's philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes... and the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility." (Eleanor Roosevelt) I had to take a philosophies class in college - the toughest thing for me to sit through that you could ever imagine. I think might just have enjoyed my root canals better than I enjoyed that class! Why? The purpose of philosophy class was to teach me to think in the absence of laws, medicine, theology, technical precepts, and/or practical arts. While I know not everything in this world can be defined as either black or white, with some gray area existing, it is just plain hard for me to exclude things like God's teachings, evidence based upon scientific experiment, etc., from my possible "solution" to life's problems!

You are to fear Him and obey His rules and commands, just as I’m teaching them to you now. Do this your whole lives—you, your children and your grandchildren—and you’ll live in the land a long time. The Eternal is our True God—He alone.  You should love Him, your True God, with all your heart and soul, with every ounce of your strength. Make the things I’m commanding you today part of who you are.  Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you’re sitting together in your home and when you’re walking together down the road. Make them the last thing you talk about before you go to bed and the first thing you talk about the next morning.  Do whatever it takes to remember them: tie a reminder on your hand and bind a reminder on your forehead where you’ll see it all the time, such as on the doorpost where you cross the threshold or on the city gate. (Deuteronomy 6:2, 5-9 VOICE)

Whenever we try to consider life in the absence of the rules, laws, or technical precepts outlined in scripture, we kind of make choices which are probably a little more too self-centered, malicious, and not so very godly as a result. We need the guidance of what if "assured" to yield the right results - otherwise we are constantly living such "loosey-goosey" lives that we don't really find rock solid foundation in our lives. Look carefully at the instructions Moses gives to Israel as they are about to enter into their inheritance - the Land of Promise. "Do WHATEVER IT TAKES to remember". This is pretty clearly outlined - there is no room for compromising the importance God places on keeping his teachings "front and center" in our lives.

I agree with Roosevelt in the idea of our "philosophy" guiding our choices. When our life "strategies" are based solidly upon the Word, our choices are bound to be closer to right than wrong. When I see a speed limit sign and observe the streets are periodically traversed with those who will enforce that law, it makes me more apt to follow the law. In the absence of any law at all, I am free to make my own rules, live according the beat of my own drum, and do whatever it is that makes me "feel good". This is a pretty dangerous place to be, and I can attest to this because I have made a few rules myself, followed some pretty strange drumbeats, and engaged in more than one activity in life that just tickled my every sense.

Make the things God has commanded "part of who you are" - this is a pretty practical thing we are asked to do. We aren't to just consider the commands of God as "one of the things" we can consider or toy with in life as a "potential" option for how it is we are to treat others. These commands are very specific, outlining very detailed actions which are reflective of the love and grace of God being modeled in our lives. As such, they are not open for "free interpretation" - meaning we pick and choose which ones we will keep and which ones we will say don't "apply to us". The entirety of the Word was given so that the entirety of our lives could be affected deeply by what is contained within!

A long time ago, I listened closely as my pastor taught us about the purpose of God's commandments in the Word. What became very clear to me what the "safety" created by having "boundaries" by which we are to live our lives. Without the lines on a road, we might just believe every inch of that roadway belonged to us and us alone. Without an air traffic controller sitting behind many a sophisticated instrument designed to track our move and keep us from colliding midair with each other in flight, we'd likely crash because we would be flying blind. Without a way to filter water we'd ingest all manner of unhealthy bacteria that could eventually end up taking our lives. We need some "boundaries" to keep us safe, don't we?

Let's think of God's Word not so much as a book of bondage, but as a book of boundaries designed for our safety, guiding us into right choices, and keeping us from making up the rules as we go along! Just sayin!

You breaking any rules?

Douglas MacArthur was quoted as saying, "You are remembered for the rules you break."  This has to be one of the most profound truths I have heard in quite some time. We go through life trying to "keep" all the rules, just about breaking our backs under the load of rules we think we must adhere to each and every day.  Then, in an instant, at the blink of an eye, we "violate" one of those rules and what is it people remember - the endless hours and hours of "keeping" the rules, or the moment we "break" one?  I daresay, it is more likely they remember our "variation" in performance than our consistency!

Through this man we all receive gifts of grace beyond our imagination. You see, Moses gave us rules to live by, but Jesus the Anointed offered us gifts of grace and truth. God, unseen until now, is revealed in the Voice, God’s only Son, straight from the Father’s heart. (John 1:16-18 VOICE)

I've tried to live by all the rules, and yes, they do keep me safer than when I choose to do something totally opposed to the "rules" by which I am designed to live.  In a purely physical sense, I have an intolerance for sodium - my body just hoards it and puts on pounds and pounds of water in places water isn't meant to be. Whenever I eat a large intake of foods which are higher in sodium content than is reasonable for my body, I swell.  To not endure the swelling, I have to live by the rule of staying pretty close to a low-sodium diet all the time.  Even when I do, my body responds to the heat of day by sending fluids into spaces which leave me with swollen ankles, tight calves, and with rings fitting a little too tight.  Variation from my low-sodium diet actually cost me a couple of "good days" to regain my body's "equilibrium".

The rule of limiting my sodium intake actually helps me "feel" better.  It gives me less weight to carry around on my frame, and it doesn't overwork my heart, kidneys, etc., to get rid of the extra stuff I shouldn't have taken in.  Try as I might, there are just times when I want chips with my sandwich, or a batch of fresh, hot french fries with my burger.  It is as though they call my name!  Now, I know chips and fries cannot call my name - they are inanimate objects - but they exert some "power" over me on occasion, getting me to yield to the temptation to "take them in". One thing is for sure - you pay the price when you are willing to break one of the rules!  If rules are meant for our safety and protection, then why do we struggle so hard with keeping them?  It may be we struggle so hard because the rule doesn't seem "totally worth it" when we compare the overriding desire pulling at us to respond by breaking the rule.

The rules are hard for us because we haven't learn to live totally by grace.  You see, I can have a "little" sodium - that isn't all that bad for me and my body can handle it.  I cannot take in a couple of grams of sodium in one meal, though! Grace allows me moderate intake - selfish desire pulls me toward an intake way too great for my body to handle.  Sin is kind of like that in our lives - it is there all the while, just like the salt shaker. It isn't a problem for us until we think we are being denied something "good" or "desirable".  Then we chafe against the thing we have been working so hard to resist. Grace doesn't allow me (or you) to dabble with sinful deeds, but it does make a way of perfect escape each time that thing we have been resisting tries to convince us to give into it! The more we learn to take the rules designed for our safety to God, asking him to give us the "grace" to live by them in a way which keeps us from "variations" we will regret, the more we will find ourselves able to resist those variations.  Just sayin!

Determined to not just be "inside the line"

Pure lives - those lives which are unhindered by things which contaminate - either from external force or internal pressure.  Most of us struggle with one or the other of these, but most likely it is both.  We recognize the pull of things external to our lives which easily get us muddled up and kind of leave us feeling a little "dirty" or "contaminated".  It might be the not so "clean" joke at the lunch table, or the flashes of inappropriate images and language which enter in through our eyes during the viewing of a TV show. The sources are many - the influence is greater than we might think. To this we add our own internal "pressures" to conform to this or that image of what we think we are meant to me - either because we imagine it is what we are supposed to be, or someone has somehow convinced us it is the right way for us to act.  Either one of these produces enough internal pressure to get us thinking and acting in ways which aren't always the best for us, or the wisest.  In the end, we are left with some pretty confusing thoughts and actions. What keeps us from being affected from all these internal and external forces or pressures?  It is close consideration and adherence to the principles taught in God's Word. 

Great blessings belong to those who live pure lives! They follow the Lord’s teachings. Great blessings belong to those who follow his rules! They seek him with all their heart. (Psalm 119:1-2 ERV)

God's Word isn't meant to be an extraneous force - it is meant to be an internal "compass" by which we allow our path to be directed. In order for this to actually "work" in our lives - we have to get into the Word and allow it to get into us.  It is more than a casual acquaintance with it - it is a daily and consistently focused consumption of it.  You have heard it said that we are what we eat. I challenge us to begin to also think that we are what we consume in the way of influencing thoughts, guiding principles, and valid instruction.  The Holy Spirit gives us influencing thoughts - what we choose to do with them and how we ultimately allow them to guide our actions is our own choice.  The Word of God is filled with all manner of guiding principles - some steering us away from one course of action and toward another, others simply stating truth and giving us a standard by which to live (no matter what).  It may come as a surprise to some, but to avoid the influence of external forces and internal pressures, we need God's wisdom, direction, and stable principles by which we guide our steps and measure our actions.

As I have said on numerous occasions, we all kind of chafe against the "rules" in life at one time or another - some of more frequently than we'd like to admit.  It should come as no surprise that we are creatures who like to live as close to the edge of being "inside the rules" while being just close enough to being "outside the rules" to give us a little bit of a thrill and taste of what we somehow think we are "missing" by keeping the rule.  We don't recognize how dangerous this is for us, though.  The closer we walk to the line of being "just barely inside the rules", the closer we are to the influences which can be our undoing and easily ensnare us.  God didn't give us rules to make us "miss out" on things which would be for our good, but he gave us rules to live by which would ultimately keep us from the destructive influences which would lead us into areas of compromise which would "contaminate" our focus, "stain" our character, and "corrupt" our thinking.

David begins this rather long psalm with the premise he will build upon throughout the 176 verses which follow.  In essence, he sets the stage for what he will reveal as true and trustworthy as he goes on to elaborate about the choice he has made to follow the teachings of God in his life.  I would have to concur with David as it comes to living life by a "different" set of rules than most.  As we make this determination to follow the instructions God lays out, choosing to walk well within their boundaries, not dangerously close to the edge, we find blessing (contentment, happiness, joy, peace, emotional well-being).  I haven't found those same blessings in much else in life - have you?  How "close" we choose to live by the rules and how "determined" we are to actually become familiar with those rules will make all the difference about how well we fair when the external forces mount their attack and the internal pressures build.

Two things for us to take away from this today:  1) We have to follow God's teachings, not just make them a nice set of "ideas"; and 2) We have to do more than occasionally glance God's way for advice or deliverance in life.  This is the meaning of following the Lord's teachings - it is a determined commitment to not just acquaint oneself with what he instructs, but to use those instructions to order our steps and settle our thoughts.  This is also the meaning of seeking him with all our heart - nothing deterring us from actually spending time with him, drawing us away when we are, or pulling us back to the edges of the rules.  Seeking implies action - sometimes action requires a little more effort than we might want to exert, but I have never known God to ask for any action in my life that isn't "rewarded" by something great he reveals (maybe not immediately, but when I do as he says long enough, I see the action producing an outcome much more desirable than any I could produce on my own).  Just sayin!

The heart is revealed

One day Jesus was out with his followers, walking through the fields, probably on their way from one spot to another.  The issue this day - it was the Sabbath. In the eyes of the religious of the day, the Sabbath had very strict rules one had to follow if one was even remotely close to being called or acknowledged by God. One such rule was that of not "working" on that holy day - so all manner of normal "housework" or "house care" was to have been pre-planned on the day prior to the Sabbath.  This meant they prepared enough bread for two days instead of their normal one, laid aside a portion of the meat they had cooked on the day prior to the Sabbath for the partaking on the Sabbath, and ensured enough water was drawn from the well to make it through.  It was like work shut down for the day - because the Sabbath was dedicated to the Lord.  The only problem with this was that there was also a whole lot of other "rules" added as time went on and the purpose of the Sabbath somehow got "lost in translation".  To the Jewish believer of the day, the Sabbath had so many rules attached from how many steps one might be able to walk in that day, to not even being able to pulverize a medicinal herb should the need arise.  It was on this day, with this frame of reference, that the Jewish religious leaders point out the followers of Jesus as "non-adherents" to the rules of the Sabbath.  They were passing through the fields, hunger setting in, and plucking a few grains of wheat in passing.  Shucking the wheat a little in the palms of their hands, they partook of those tiny grains to give them nourishment and stamina for their journey.  In so doing, they have "broken the rules" of the Sabbath and are now judged by the religious leaders as "non-adherents" to the Law.  It was as though Jesus is being pointed out as one who was leading these people into some type of sin.  It was just like Jesus to take their own "rule" and turn it around to show how utterly absurd it was to rely upon the "rule" more than the soul being expected to keep the rule!

The Scriptures say, ‘I don’t want animal sacrifices; I want you to show kindness to people.’ You don’t really know what that means. If you understood it, you would not judge those who have done nothing wrong. (Matthew 12:7 ERV)

Hearing this condemnation of the actions of his followers, Jesus begins to point out how much it mattered that they found nourishment - something they didn't have time to pre-plan for when they set out to follow the one who would lead them into all truth and liberty.  Herein is the "rub" - truth was right there being revealed in the person of Christ, walking in those fields, setting at liberty all who would follow, but the religious leaders could only see the "rule-breaking" behavior, not the hungry hearts of those seeking truth.  It isn't just like us to focus more on the rule being broken rather than the heart behind the rule-breaking?  Jesus counters their judging spirit with a pretty awesome answer when he tells them they really don't know the "intent" of the rule - they are just keeping it without understanding why God gave the rule in the first place.  That is sometimes how we go through life - keeping rules without any clue "why" we keep them or "why" the rule was given in the first place.  Most of the time, we keep the rule because we feel some "obligation" to keep it - such as when we are quiet in class because it is one of the "classroom rules" for which we can find ourselves in the corner with our nose to the wall if it is violated.  Maybe this is the way we view life within "religion" - as a set of rules for which there is no room for violation.  We believe penalty awaits those who "violate" the rule.  

While there is some truth to this, rules aren't given to penalize or punish the individual - they are given to provide the individual an element of safety or protection when they are kept.  Rules place someone under obligation - as though there was always a penalty to not adhering to the rule.  If we view rules this way, we see through the eyes of the religious leaders of Jesus' day - judging the behavior of those who don't adhere fully to the rule as "wrong" or "deviants".  Jesus' answer to the religious leaders also shows us how much we often "miss" the intent of the rule because we focus on the "action" over the "heart".  His answer:  "I want you to show kindness to people."  In essence, Jesus was saying when we focus on the action of the one in front of us, we often miss their heart need.  We see the behavior and don't even stop to consider the hunger driving their heart.  These were "hungry" people - not just physically hungry, but emotionally and spiritually hungry.  They longed to be in the presence of the one who revealed truth and who actually embodied truth.  This even impacted their "planning ahead" so much that they had no meal prepared for the Sabbath.  They were willing to "risk" the violation of the rule in order to be in the presence of the one who would give them what their hearts yearned to receive. 

In essence, Jesus tells the religious leaders they were the ones "doing wrong" by their judging without knowing the heart of the one behind the "rule violation".  It wasn't the one who shucked a few grain in their hands - it was the proud heart of the religious "rule-keepers" he points out as having missed the mark!  Do we ever find ourselves peering through these same "mirrored lenses" on occasion - seeing only the goodness of others by how well they keep the rules?  If we are honest, we struggle with this type of judgmental attitude on occasion - sometimes more than we might like to admit.  The lesson for us today isn't whether the rule is right or wrong - it is that the heart is always to be considered anytime there is a violation of a rule.  The rules are provided for a reason - but we might have a good reason for violating the rule, such as when we are rushing a loved one the hospital who is bleeding profusely from a wound they have suffered.  The heart matters more than the rule - failing to see more than the rule will always set us up to discount the needs and the actions of the human heart. Jesus made it a priority to consider the heart - we would do well to follow his lead.  Just sayin!

Muddied waters

I know there is a lot of commotion in the world right now about what religion one practices.  The issues are multi-faceted, for some have chosen to live as though there is no alternative but to be violent in the face of anyone or anything which opposes their view.  I cannot condone their "religious pursuit", but I can offer a peaceful practice on my part which encourages us to live as positive examples of God's love in this world.  I hear of hate crimes being committed in which people do things ranging from spray painting graffiti on the doors of the worship places, to protests which get heated and require police intervention to keep from being a full-fledged riot of sorts.  As strongly as I feel about the faith I have in Christ Jesus, I cannot see the need for this type of response to the beliefs of others.  It is indeed a tragedy for some to follow beliefs which encourage the destruction of property and life - it is safe to say I don't ever condone this type of action as part of any religious pursuit.  I don't believe we should focus so much on the "sin" of the "radicals", but on the "sinner" in each of us which begs for the intervention of a Savior to redeem us from our sin.

We Jews came to Christ to be made right with God, so it is clear that we were sinners too. Does this mean that Christ makes us sinners? Of course not. But I would be wrong to begin teaching again those things that I gave up. It was the law itself that caused me to end my life under the law. I died to the law so that I could live for God. I have been nailed to the cross with Christ. So I am not the one living now—it is Christ living in me. I still live in my body, but I live by faith in the Son of God. He is the one who loved me and gave himself to save me. I am not the one destroying the meaning of God’s grace. If following the law is how people are made right with God, then Christ did not have to die. (Galations 2:17-21 ERV)

The issues are age-old.  Someone comes into a new faith, leaving behind some old way of living and making their choices in life.  Anyone who finds "faith" in any religious pursuit is this way - they leave some old way of living behind and take up with new choices and purposes.  They may be totally misguided on occasion, but nonetheless, this "exchange" of purpose and practice takes place. The point is we all "leave" something to "embrace" something else.  As Christians, we have chosen to leave a life which was lived by a self-directed means with a focus clearly not on others, but ourselves.  We chose to embrace a new way of seeing things and others around us - through the eyes of grace and not the eyes of judgment.  We "came to Christ to be made right with God". Did you ever stop for a moment to consider what you "gave up" when you "came to Christ"?  If we examine our hearts and minds a little, we will begin to realize we think we gave up a whole lot of stuff, but in fact, we didn't give up that much.  Our faith brings us into a new plane of living and making choices - we just left the old way of doing things behind.  If we go back to the old way of making choices, expecting to live on this new plane with those practices from the old way of living, we will live confused and misguided lives.

We die to the law - complete with the messed up belief that we could keep all the rules included in any set of religious rules - and come to Christ.  We live for God as a result of letting go of those set of rules.  As long as we are more focused on the "practices of religion" rather than the relationship we are brought into in Christ Jesus, we will continue to mix the methods of the old life with the new.  This lends to confusion and frustration.  As long as we focus on the rules of the law, we destroy the power of grace.  I don't know about you, but any time I have tried to keep the rules perfectly, I see how imperfect I really am!  I am not the best at keeping all the rules - sometimes I just need to break out into some rebellion and do things my own way!  I don't think I am alone here, so this is why we must band together in this pursuit of grace.  We cannot do this apart from grace helping us to live at peace with each other - something missing in many of the religious pursuits of those who become violent against others who they are intolerant of.  Are there things we can be intolerant of and still be operating in this plane of grace?  

We are told to not compromise our trust in God.  To do so is to clearly operate outside of the boundaries of safety he has placed in our lives.  We are told to not engage in sins which violate our body because the body is the temple of God's Spirit - therefore any compromise to this is clearly outside of the boundaries of safety in our lives.  The "rules" we adhere to as Christians are essentially to protect us from the destructiveness of our own sin nature - something for which grace provides a barrier or covering.  Whenever we keep trying to do things in our own strength or power, we are outside the boundaries of grace - for grace is essentially rooted in trust and reliance.  Paul's writing to the Galatian church was not to condemn those who continued to mix the old way of living with the new way of grace, but to remind them of the absolute need to make a separation from the old way of rule-keeping.  Mixing the old with the new just muddies the waters and doesn't help us to embrace or live in grace.  Just sayin!

And the winner is....

Years ago, my mother was one of those "faithful" Publisher's Clearing House devotees.  Every week, she'd receive mailings touting the possibilities of her numbers being the winning numbers which could yield her a landfall of millions of dollars.  Her response is what makes the Publisher's Clearing House so successful - she bought and bought stuff just because she felt it increased her chances of winning!  Stuff we didn't even need - poor quality, cheaply made.  I will admit, there were a few "trinkets" she'd get which actually made a good gadget around the house, but in general, it was stuff we could have purchased for much less at the local dollar store!  After several years of this, we received a mailing indicating she would no longer be receiving these notices.  Why?  It seems the State Attorney Generals of multiple states had taken action against the Clearing House to stop their "marketing" to the elderly as they were "preying" on them.  You would have thought my mother would have been relieved to know someone was looking out for her - trying to protect her from schemes designed to get her to spend her money on stuff she didn't really need.  Nope!  You guessed it - she was devastated.  Her chances of winning big were now out the window!  We are all a little "optimistic" of winning big in life, aren't we?  There is a saying in some of the states where the lottery is big news - it goes something like you have to play to win.  In order to play, you have to pay, though!  Since I don't play, I won't win!  I guess I just realize that if God wants me to have a sudden "win fall" of sorts, he will find a way to do it!  I think what I have realized is the importance of living the life I have right now - not the life I could have down the road!

A thick bankroll is no help when life falls apart, but a principled life can stand up to the worst.  (Proverbs 11:4 MSG)

Scripture shows us a man who lived a principled life, facing difficulties beyond what most could imagine, but coming back to center again - finding anchor in his faith.  His name?  Job.  Amassing flocks and herds galore, having homes which some would state showed his affluence, and enjoying the pleasures of money in the bank, most would have said he "had arrived" and could live without a worry in the world.  It is a sad thing to "arrive" at that point, though, because nothing is secure in any of these things!  Flocks and herds can be wiped out with one major illness or a catastrophic weather event. Homes can crumble in around you with one solid shake of the earth's core, or torrential winds and rains.  Monies can dwindle away quicker than you can think possible.  Friends and family can begin to draw away because they see a "change" in the circumstances of one's life - leaving you feeling alone and deserted.  What then?

If you are like Job, you fall back onto the principles by which you have lived your life all along.  Sure, the events may throw you a curve ball, making you almost strain under their weight - but even the weight of the events can be "shifted" to the one most capable of bearing that weight!  Sitting on a pile of poop, scraping his boil covered body with shards of broken pots, and listening to the speculations of his "friends" as to why these events have come makes life even more crazy - but he has lived principled and he will ultimately not depart from the principles he has learned.  Why?  These principles go deeply into the very fabric of his inner man - something which occurs when there is consistency in learning, understanding, and application.

Principled people can withstand terrible things, not because the "principles" are what makes them strong, but because those principles point them to the one who upholds those principles in the first place - God himself.  A principle is more than just a "professed" rule or action - it is a believed rule which results in a trusted action.  In other words, there is consistency and integrity is the result of the consistency.  When we learn the principles of a godly life such as time in the Word as a basis of learning the character of God, then apply those principles to our lives by allowing that character to be worked into our lives, we are taking steps to incorporate "rules of living" into our practice of life.  It isn't the "rules" so much, but the evidence of life change which occurs because the "rules" of God's character are established in our lives. Rules such as love without ceasing, judge not, do justly to all without measure, and forgive without strings attached.  These are principles by which we live with "greatness" in a world where "greatness" is measured by bank account balances instead of the integrity of a life put together by God!  Just sayin!

Get me off this hamster wheel!!!

Have you ever felt "stifled"?  You know what I mean - the feeling like every step you want to take is just held back, like every dream is crushed, or there is some force just standing in the way of you moving forward.  The feeling might be one of the walls "closing in" around you - like you just can feel the very space you occupy on this earth as getting smaller and smaller!  In the most literal sense, being stifled means something similar to being choked out, much like we'd "choke out" a campfire.  You smother it with something like dirt long enough and in sufficient quantities until it just has no way of receiving the very thing it needs to continue on - oxygen!  As a result, it is "choked out" - smothered or stifled.

For my part, I am going to boast about nothing but the Cross of our Master, Jesus Christ. Because of that Cross, I have been crucified in relation to the world, set free from the stifling atmosphere of pleasing others and fitting into the little patterns that they dictate.  (Galations 6:14 MSG)

Did you ever stop to consider the position of being a "people-pleaser"?  Whenever we assume the role of trying to live up to some standard set by this or that individual in our lives, we are allowing them to determine what is expected of us, how we should respond, and even what we should feel as a result of our actions.  In the end, we are quite miserable - because it is IMPOSSIBLE to please people!  Try as we might, the target is a constantly moving, so ever being in a position of really "pleasing" another is quite difficult!  I have been trained to hit a moving target - but the ability to hit the moving ones doesn't allow me much accuracy in my shot - it only allows me to "graze" them on occasion!  At best, we "graze" the demands of another - never really hitting them "dead on".

It is quite easy to get caught up in the little spinning "hamster wheel" of being a people-pleaser, isn't it?  It truly is a "hamster wheel" kind of experience - just spinning endlessly without any real end to the demands.  Today we spin a little, thinking we are making real progress, but tomorrow, we realize the wheel is moving, but we are really in the same spot as we were yesterday!  Being on the "hamster wheel" in relationships where we become wrapped up in pleasing people is tiring business.

Paul says something quite revealing in our passage.  As long as we are on this "hamster wheel" of being "people-pleasers", we aren't keeping the Lord central in our lives.  Here is the crux of our decision - do we put Christ first, even in our relationships, or do we continue to allow others to determine our steps?  Scripture tells us the steps of a righteous man are "ordered" - they aren't spinning out of control and going nowhere.  They are "ordered" - done according to specific principles and well-planned.  When we are wrapped into the control of always trying to please this one or that one, we find fulfilling each of their demands begins to violate some principle we know better than to violate.  For example, we begin to lose control of our time.  We find our time for things which "add to" our character begins to wane - time for meditating on God's Word, time for being quiet before God for a while, etc.  The principle of seeking the Kingdom of God FIRST begins to take second place, then third, until one day we find our time for relationship with our Lord in last place!

The cross changed everything in our lives.  Nothing remained the same - the patterns we followed changed.  I think this is what Paul hoped we see - the hamster wheel is no longer our "place" of operation.   We stepped off the wheel the moment we embraced the cross.  We exchanged positions - no longer living by the changing rules of those who make demands of us, but living by the unchanging grace of God!  Why do we ever drift into the "spinning wheel" of being people-pleasers?  Isn't it because we aren't really sure of our identity apart from their approval?  Paul wants us to recognize our "identity" and our "approval" are linked to the cross of Christ.  We find our true selves at the foot of the cross and we go about living as our true selves by keeping ourselves right there!  Move back on the wheel, and our identity becomes governed by the approval of others once again!  So, where we chose to "anchor" ourselves makes all the difference!

Pleasing others is really stifling.  This requirement added to the next one eventually chokes out the very thing we need for life!  Nothing stokes the fire of our hearts better than being close enough to God to actually feel his breath gently nudging fire from the embers of our heart!  On the spinning wheel, we only feel the pressure of the wheel.  At the cross, we feel the breath of hope, grace, and love.  One takes away our breath - the other breathes life back into a tired and worn-out spirit!  Which one will you choose?