With all we are

“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. (Matthew 6:1-4)

Have you ever noticed that you could serve and not be noticed for your service? Sometimes it is possible that those who serve the most are acknowledged the least. There is nothing wrong with this, though. In fact, we may serve well, never being 'celebrated' for our service, and almost feel that others see what we do as 'expected'. The things we do over and over again, with consistency of heart and spirit, may not always be outwardly appreciated. If you have been feeling like others are taking your service for granted, don't stop! Be as trustworthy as you have always been - Jesus knows you are serving faithfully!

The most important thing we can do is be consistent in our walk with Jesus. That leads to consistent service to others. It is a natural outflow of our relationship with Jesus. Sometimes people think what is 'seen' is the most significant part of life, but what is 'unseen' is more significant to Jesus. We serve, not to receive the accolades of others, but because Jesus asks us to love and serve one another out of that love. When we are consistent in our service, even when there seems to be no 'outward' reward, there is a far greater reward awaiting us at the feet of Jesus.

God sees our motives - others just see our service. He sees our consistency - our integrity. We may never hear those words of appreciation we crave, but we need to remember God's grace and love are 'felt', not just 'heard'. We aren't being taken for granted, my friends. We are being consistent, acting in integrity, loving as Jesus called us to love others. The greatest reward and blessing are oftentimes not what others lavish upon us, but what we find at the feet of our dear Savior. Serve with all you are and watch Jesus love with all he is. Just sayin!

Here I am

Lord, you made me understand this: You don’t really want sacrifices and grain offerings. You don’t want burnt offerings and sin offerings. So I said, “Here I am, ready to do what was written about me in the book. My God, I am happy to do whatever you want. I never stop thinking about your teachings.” (Psalm 40:6-8)

At times, we might think God wants this or that from us, like an offering upon the altar of the Old Testament times. Things don't matter to God as much as our heart does. When he asked the people to bring a lamb or goat to offer in the Temple, it wasn't because he wanted the meat of the animal - he wanted to see the heart of the people - to see if they were willing to choose the best and dedicate it to God. All God asks of us is to choose him first - period. Nothing we 'bring' to him is of real or lasting value until he has our full heart!

The words, "Here I am", these are what God wants most. When the heart is behind those words, the world we live in changes. We begin to see things in a different light - his purposes become plain, his protective power is felt, and our lives take on an atmosphere of hope. When the people of old brought the sin offering, they were filled with hope that their sins would not be remembered against them. When we bring ourselves to the altar and ask God to forgive our sins, with truly contrite and open hearts, he instills a hope that we will finally live free of those things. 

Ready to do...all of life isn't about doing whatever we want to do when we want to do it. When we finally realize the sacrifice of a dedicated life means a change in the actions of that life, we are moving closer and closer to what God intends for us. Doing our 'own thing' might be okay for a while, but at some point, we will grow weary in following that path. When we place our lives on the altar of grace, we are asking God to change our priorities - to refocus our plans, so to speak. At first, this might seem a little uncomfortable because we had things 'all worked out' to be going one direction, but in time, the more we submit to his will, the easier it is to actually leave what we had 'worked out' and take on what he had planned for us from the beginning of time.

God doesn't stop teaching us as we grow in grace. In fact, his teachings become richer, more meaningful. We find ourselves actually craving the knowledge and wisdom contained within those teachings. Today it may seem like we don't really have that 'intensity' of dedication, but when we are willing to allow it to be developed within, laying down our lives upon the altar of grace, we are placing ourselves exactly where his work can begin. Just sayin!

Willing to make a difference?

It's easy to make a buck. It's a lot tougher to make a difference. (Tom Brokaw)

My brothers and sisters, God chose you to be free. But don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do what pleases your sinful selves. Instead, serve each other with love. (Galatians 5:13)

We can make a difference in BIG ways when we let God guide our steps, choose our interactions, and prepare us in advance of each day. What we choose to do with our lives will determine the outcome. Living for Jesus is more than living for oneself. When we choose to live for Jesus, we choose to live for all those he presents in our path!

We might find it hard to please everyone, but God isn't asking us to be 'people-pleasers'. He is asking us to learn the acts of service that will touch those around us. In essence, he is telling us to turn outward and stop always looking inward. It is easy to ask how something will affect us - it is quite different to ask how something has or is affecting someone else.

What is the hardest part of 'service'? Isn't it the willingness to see life through the eyes of another and then begin to find ways to make their circumstances just a bit better? It doesn't mean we give money, although we may be called up on to serve in that manner. It may mean we bring someone groceries, give them a lift to work while their car is at the shop, or even help them clean up their yard after a particularly bad storm. Service comes in various forms - we just need to be open to God's leading to serve one another.

God's plan is quite simple - unconditional, service-hearted, self-sacrificing love. This is what brings hurting communities together, helps families in need get a fresh start, and opens doors to deep and lasting relationships. It is what binds a community together, breaking down all kinds of barriers that would keep us apart. Service might just begin in your own home - sacrificially giving of oneself to another. It then leads us outward to our community. Our world isn't changed until we are each willing to step up and make a difference! Just sayin!

He doesn't want this

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2)

Back in the day when Paul penned these words under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the church goers would have understood all about 'sacrifices'. As was the established custom under the Law of Moses, Israelites would bring various sacrifices to the Temple as an act of worship - especially during certain seasons of the year. It was in addition to their 'tithe' of their harvest, flock or herd increase. The sacrifices were specific such as, for atonement (dealing with the sins of the nation), while others were for 'jubilee' or celebration. Even the 'pagan' religions of the times brought 'sacrifices' to their pagan gods - burning them on the altar of their pagan gods. We don't have the same form of 'sacrificial offerings' anymore - because Christ's death did away with the need for those burnt or grain offerings of the Law of Moses. That doesn't mean God doesn't still desire 'sacrificial' dedication to his teaching and his direction for our lives.

Today's sacrificial offerings can still be 'tangible' - you can bring a sacrificial offering of a sum of money to the 'storehouse' known as your local church - something above and beyond your tithe. Some offerings are what we might refer to as 'intangible' - those would be more like the gift of your heart in loyal dedication to the principles God teaches. God's hope is that each of us finds our way to his altar through his Son, Jesus Christ - no other sacrifice being necessary in order to approach his holy altar. In approaching his altar, we may begin to sup with him, enjoy his presence, and 'keep company' with him. At times, he may ask us to 'lay down' something we have been holding onto right there at the foot of that altar. I don't know what it may be, but you likely do. Whatever we are holding onto may actually be what is keeping us from fully trusting God with some area of our lives. This is why he asks us to offer it at the foot of the altar - to lay it down and allow him to 'dispose of it' once and for all - so we can enter in a depth of trust that brings us deliverance from our fear, anger, bitterness, or other plaguing sin.

The altar was always a place of sacrifice - a place to see things 'dealt with' through the means of 'laying down' something of great value and importance. If the offering was a blood sacrifice, such as a lamb or dove, that life was of great value and importance to the one bringing it. It was to have been without blemish - making it one of the most valued parts of your flock or herd. It was to be of a specific age - such as a newborn or yearling - not some old, haggard animal that had outlived its usefulness to you. Today, we bring our 'offerings' to the altar, not so much as 'without blemish', or even all that 'valuable' to us. In fact, we bring our sins, worries, dashed dreams, and even our unholy thoughts. These things have definitely 'outlived their usefulness' in our lives - they aren't exactly those 'unblemished' sacrifices of great value, are they? Yet, God doesn't turn us away - in fact, he instructs us to lay them down so he might fill us with greater things in their place.

The 'prized sacrifice' has already been made by Christ, in order that we can bring the things that need to find their way to the healing of his altar. Many of us think we have nothing to bring that is 'of value' to God. The next time you think you have nothing to give to God, you might begin by asking if there is anything that has outlived its usefulness in our lives that needs to be left at the altar. You could just be surprised at what he points out! In bringing what needs to be 'laid down' at the altar, we could just find he is opening us up to realize there is something of 'utter beauty and worth' he puts in its place, making our presence with him the greatest 'sacrifice' he desires. Just sayin!

The two wings

Death and love are the two wings that bear the good man to heaven. (Michelangelo)

Michelangelo may have a portion of this 'going to heaven' thing correct, but I know the only death that really mattered was Christ's. The only thing that draws us all into his arms is his intense love for each of us. So, it is indeed a death and some pretty amazing love that bears us to heaven...but...none of us are 'good men' or 'good women' without Christ. So, even the goodness of mankind is reliant upon the love of God!

“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. (John 3:16-18)

God didn't send Christ to earth just to have him experience all the things we experience in our lifetime, but it certainly made the connection a little more 'real' to some of us, didn't it? God didn't reach out to a hurting and mixed-up group of sinners just out of curiosity - as an experiment in human nature designed to see how we'd respond to his intense love. God knew his love would be a little foreign to us - because we don't actually fully understand love without conditions. 

The good news is that he came. He lived his life on this earth, making that earthly connection with us, and now he sits at the right hand of his heavenly Father, carefully drawing each and every one of us into his loving arms. Can we resist his love? You betcha! Have we probably done that on occasion? Likely so, but hopefully we don't do it too often, or for too long. Is his love drawing us closer to our heavenly home? Yes, and as we feel his arms bear us up each day, we are drawn closer and closer into his presence. We may not need to experience death to experience life. Just sayin!

A little lesson in sacrifice

How can I stand up before God and show proper respect to the high God? Should I bring an armload of offerings topped off with yearling calves? Would God be impressed with thousands of rams, with buckets and barrels of olive oil? Would he be moved if I sacrificed my firstborn child, my precious baby, to cancel my sin? But he's already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It's quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don't take yourself too seriously—take God seriously. (Micah 6:6-8)

We are no longer under this system of worship which required the bringing of sheep, bulls, goats, oils and grains to the Temple for sacrifice. If we were, I wonder what our "offerings" would be today? Since most of us merely go to the supermarket to obtain these "products" of someone else's labor, we don't connect with them as a "sacrifice" at all. In fact, we probably take it for granted they will be there in the display cases and the aisle shelves when we next venture into the luxury of the market. Perhaps these believers of yesteryear were just going to the "supermarkets" of their flocks and herds - picking out whatever one looked best and merely carting it to the priests to be offered. If so, they had lost touch with the purpose behind the offering - atonement, forgiveness, thanksgiving - and an intentional giving of the best or the first. It is truly a dangerous to have nothing to offer but the "products" of another's labor. Yet, there were times when I have been guilty of simply not being willing to invest the time or energy into having something "uniquely mine" to bring to God and to give to others. I relied upon the "products" of another's study and time with God to give me a sense of having something "worth" sharing. What a mistake! I missed the opportunity to bring to God what I had right in my hands!

God's greatest joy is not in the impressiveness of the "gift" we bring, but in the expression of the heart behind the gift. Maybe this is what Micah had in mind when he told us God did not want us to take ourselves so seriously! Whenever we think we have to rely upon the "gift" of another to have anything worthy to present to God, we are probably taking ourselves a little too seriously! Our "gift" is simply to come before him in reverence, yielding ourselves to his use. I think the questions about how it was WE could "impress" God are quite telling. When you look up the word "impress", you find it has a meaning of affecting the mind or feelings of another - it carries the idea of changing or influencing the opinion another holds of you. If we are coming to God to "impress" him, we simply are coming with wrong motives. God's greatest joy is seeing us act fairly - exercising justice and honesty in our dealings with others. This is a sacrifice worthy of his attention. Yet, it is not something we "do" to get his notice, or to influence his opinion of us. It is something we "live" because it is an outflow of his grace in our lives.

Being compassionate and loyal in our love seems to be a thing which is only remotely part of most of our relationships today. In fact, if we were honest, I wonder how many of us could say our relationships even remotely reflect God's compassion. Instead, we bicker, are opinionated, and hold our ground when we feel we have been "wronged". We shift our allegiances to another who sees things our way. God's greatest gift to us is his grace. The greatest gift we can give back to him is the expression of this grace with and toward others. We find many opportunities each day to live out his love - to be loyal and compassionate in our relationships. In so doing, we are pointing others to Christ's grace, as they see it evident in ours. There is no greater "sacrifice" God could have offered than his gift of grace as evident in his Son's death for our sin. In turn, there is no greater gift we can bring than to allow his grace to be an expression of his love within and through us. In turn, we will judge less and embrace more. We will hold our ground significantly less and find the good in the other more freely. In fact, we might just see ourselves becoming a more loving and compassionate creation when we really begin to understand the greatest gift we bring is the reflection of his grace back to him! Just sayin!

Problem solved

I don't know about you, but my hardest subject in school was math. I did well, but I had to work very, very hard at learning math. It just didn't come easy to me. Natural sciences, reading, writing,  language work, and all the rest just seemed to come easier. Math took effort and lots of study. It is the one class I actually didn't look forward to - all the others were a delight. When I finally 'got' the method of solving the problem, whether it was a formula I needed to follow, or some principle I needed to consistently apply, it made sense and I held onto that method. Put in another variable and that same method didn't always work! Sometimes you had to adjust the method to get to solution. I am so glad God gives us a little help in the 'problem-solving' department when it comes to sin (another subject I mastered well without much trying!). There is no 'method', nor any particular 'series of steps' we need to take, just trust him to be the solution!

I write this, dear children, to guide you out of sin. But if anyone does sin, we have a Priest-Friend in the presence of the Father: Jesus Christ, righteous Jesus. When he served as a sacrifice for our sins, he solved the sin problem for good—not only ours, but the whole world’s. (1 John 2:1 MSG)

Sin isn't a 'field of study' most of us need to spend a great deal of time 'mastering', is it? We seem to just gravitate to it and get pretty doggone 'good at it' without much effort! On the other hand, getting free from the hold sin has in our lives is way harder than it appears. Those math problems in algebra and calculus didn't look all that 'confounding', but the truth of the matter was that they were beyond my grasp without the intervention of one who already knew how to solve the problems! Sin is exactly like that - beyond our grasp to solve without the intervention of the one who already knows there is only one solution!

The sin-problem is solved for good, but we have to apply the solution. Just as with those math problems, it we don't use what has been provided to reach the end result, we might just find we have been spinning our wheels. We invested a whole lot of effort without reaching the result we really needed to reach! I had pages of 'work' to show I had solved the problem, but oftentimes the 'work' was just that - work. It didn't solve the problem and wouldn't work the next time I tried it! When it comes to my personal character, marred as it is by wrong choices and selfish desires, I am powerless to find the right solution to the problem. What leads me down the path to sin one time is not always going to be what leads me down it a second time. 

The solution to sin's problem in my life, and yours, needs to be consistent because the variables with sin keep changing. There are a whole lot of variables, but thank goodness, there is only ONE solution! The solution is Christ - our advocate - our sacrifice - our problem-solver. The moment we realize there are no amount of 'right steps' we can take to solve sin's problem on our own, the solution becomes quite clear - we need someone to solve the problem for us! There is no admittance of weakness here - just the revelation that sin doesn't just solve itself! If we are to be free of its grasp, we need someone who understands its root. Just sayin!

Prioritizing our Priorities

So I beg you, brothers and sisters, because of the great mercy God has shown us, offer your lives as a living sacrifice to him—an offering that is only for God and pleasing to him. Considering what he has done, it is only right that you should worship him in this way. (Romans 12:1 ERV)

How exactly does one offer their life as a living sacrifice to God? If we were to take this literally, one might think about needing to die as a martyr for God, as one might for a "good cause". If we were to merely think of this figuratively, one might reason it is some type of reference to the amount of time we spend at church, doing "work" for the church or community. While neither of these is bad, it isn't the intent of the passage. Paul is reminding the Roman church of how much God's grace has accomplished in their lives to deliver them from "religious pursuit" and from having to make all things right in their lives by their own effort. In other words, he has reminded them of the work of grace in their lives. The natural outflow of grace is to honor the one bestowing that great gift by living in obedience to his will. This is the "living sacrifice" God is most "impressed" with - for a life lived well is one in alignment with is will.

Living only for God brings him great pleasure. Some might think this means we have to lock ourselves away in some cloistered convent or monastery, but the opposite is probably more accurate of what God wants. He wants us to be in this world, working alongside each other, living out our faith in our daily work. In so doing, we meet up with others who also need to discover the joy of what it is to experience complete freedom from a life of sin and to come freely before the throne of God in restored relationship. We "live out" our faith in service to each other, helping each other grow in God's grace. We share in developing one another's understanding of the magnitude of God's plan for their lives and then we help them walk it out. In living life as an example of his grace, we are offering a precious sacrifice.

In another sense, we offer our lives as a living sacrifice each time we come into the presence of God. We spend times specifically focused on celebrating him, enjoying his presence and learning at his feet. This is what energizes us and helps us to be ready to "live out" our faith in our everyday work. It is more than just going to church on Sunday, then calling that "all good" for having had time in God's presence. It is the time each and every day in which we just take time to get alone with him and celebrate him in praise and worship. It includes time in his Word and time just listening. In so doing, we are being renewed and he receives honor each time our lives are changed more and more into his likeness.

We over-think this "sacrifice" thing, but if you have ever tried to take time each day to do this, you know how incredibly difficult it can be when life's demands are knocking at the door. Yet, if we do take the time with him first, we find all the "knockers" can wait and all we needed to accomplish that day gets done. It might just be that God is asking us to prioritize our priorities in asking us to present ourselves as a living sacrifice! Just sayin!

Three lessons from the Mount

There aren't too many of us who haven't heard the teaching of "turning the other cheek" whenever someone wrongs you - like we needed to actually be hit twice!  Yet, in the breadth of this teaching, Jesus is really laying out the path he will walk during the next several years of his teaching ministry - continually allowing the criticism, forgiving the hateful words of others, and refusing to strike back when deliberately opposed by those who would seek to shut down his ministry on this earth.  Back in the Old Testament, there was a practice set up in the Law which allowed for this "eye for an eye" kind of thing to occur. For example, if a man killed your donkey he was to restore it and something extra in return. In making restoration of the one thing which was lost also to make some type of restitution for the lost item.  Steal from someone and you had to not only repay what you stole, but a portion more.  Maybe God was trying to help us see the connection between sin and it "costing" us something.  Or maybe he was just trying to help us see the distress sin brings into our lives.  It doesn't really matter why he established those rules, because Jesus is about to blow the minds of those listening to his sermon when he tells them they should turn the other cheek, give a coat to one who steals your shirt, and hate our enemies!  A totally radical thought for a generation who had grown up under the Law! 

You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you, don’t fight back against someone who wants to do harm to you. If they hit you on the right cheek, let them hit the other cheek too. If anyone wants to sue you in court and take your shirt, let them have your coat too. If a soldier forces you to walk with him one mile, go with him two. Give to anyone who asks you for something. Don’t refuse to give to anyone who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies. Pray for those who treat you badly. If you do this, you will be children who are truly like your Father in heaven. He lets the sun rise for all people, whether they are good or bad. He sends rain to those who do right and to those who do wrong. If you love only those who love you, why should you get a reward for that? Even the tax collectors do that. And if you are nice only to your friends, you are no better than anyone else. Even the people who don’t know God are nice to their friends. What I am saying is that you must be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.  (Matthew 5:38-48 ERV)

A couple of pretty important relationship principles are being taught by Jesus - those which he would demonstrate in his own life over the next couple of years as he made his way around the cities preaching and teaching to those who came with curious hearts.  Here are a but a couple:

- Give more than you are asked to give.  Most of us understand what it is to have some kind of "debt" we might own.  When we go to the grocer we fill up our baskets and then head to the checkout.  At the checkout, the clerk rings up the total bill for all of the items in the cart.  This becomes a debt we must pay if we are to remove these groceries from the store.  Until the debt is settled, we are not free to roll that cart out to the car and make our way home with those delectable treats.  We "get" that we have to pay for what we put in the basket, but how many of us actually would think to give the grocer another ten dollars at the end of the transaction, just because we wanted to give something to recompense the grocer for the debt we incurred?  I daresay we'd point out if we were over-charged, but to actually leave more than what we owed - not!  I think this is a principle mom and dad tried to teach me, and I have tried to pass it on to my children and grandchildren, as well.  What can we do which is just a little more than what we are asked to do?  It may not be much, but if we always just go through life giving exactly what we are asked to give and never any more, we will live kind of empty lives.  Learning to bless another is our focus here.  We need to see the "value" in giving - sacrificially - not just when something is demanded of us.

- Partiality is not going to serve anyone well.  In the time of Christ, there were "systems" of people - some might call them "casts" - some more affluent and "honored" than others, while others were looked down on because of disease, poverty, or the like.  The idea of God allowing the sun to shine on the rich and the poor, the diseased and the well, etc., is Jesus' way of reminding us that no one sticks out as the "shining star" in God's eyes.  All are equal - all receive the same attention, privilege, and honor in his eyes.  Neither money nor poverty impact how he thinks about us.  Neither good looks or plainness impress him. His is an attitude of grace and acceptance of all who turn his way.  The religious leaders of the day had a hard time with this one - especially when Jesus modeled it by hanging out with tax collectors, prostitutes, and then came into the synagogue to teach a lesson or two on the Sabbath.  It just wasn't in their "system of beliefs" to be lacking in this "social partiality".  But...it was not Jesus' intention to win a popularity contest - it was his intention to embrace all of mankind with his grace and love!  We'd do well to model this behavior in our own lives.

- Love sometimes doesn't get returned in the way we might expect it to be returned.  This kind of goes back to the idea of us thinking there should be "compensation" for what it is we "bring" into the relationship.  Jesus didn't just go to those who accepted his teaching and warmly embraced him.  He stood in the crowds of naysayers and those who out-rightly opposed him.  He helped the widows and the captains of the armies - both with nothing to give back to him. He opened the eyes of the blind and made the withered arms straight - some never even looking back to say thank you for the tremendous reward of being made whole again.  Learning to give "into" a relationship without expecting something "from" it might just the hardest lesson for us to grasp from this teaching, because love just yearns to be returned in some manner.  Jesus yearned for a return of his love from those he touched - he didn't demand it, though.  It was a "condition" for him to love us - he just loved, and loved, and kept on loving - not waiting for a return of that love.  Yep, probably the hardest lesson of the three for us to fully grasp, but probably one of the most important! Just sayin!

Not just your body

If you have ever been asked to make a "sensible" decision, you probably knew that meant you were to give it a little extra thought, not just acting upon a whim or fancy.  You are "aware" of what is happening and then you are making actively engaged decisions based on this awareness.  There is something about serving God which is kind of sensible - because we actively engage in this relationship with him.  Yet, there are parts of serving God we cannot "over-think" - because then the relationship becomes kind of just a "religious pursuit" and not a relationship.  The idea of presenting our bodies to Christ as a living sacrifice is kind of something we cannot pour a whole lot of thought into or we will get kind of "weird" in our beliefs!  First of all, God doesn't actually want any of us "burning our bodies" on an altar in a literal sense.  What he does want is this idea of yielding something which we treat with so much attentive focus to him so he can occupy it and bring about great things in it!  Our bodies are pretty much top priority for us.  If you don't believe me, think about the last time you were hungry and what you did about that.  You probably marched off to the pantry, kitchen, or took a trip to the local eatery to get that hunger under control.  You respond to your body's demands, don't you?  You might not treat it "well", but you respond to it and give into it so many times.  God wants us to take this thing which receives all this attentive focus from us and present it to him - to be of service to him.  In other words, we enter into this relationship asking God not what he will do to please us, but what it is we can do to bring honor and glory to him.

Dear friends, God is good. So I beg you to offer your bodies to him as a living sacrifice, pure and pleasing. That’s the most sensible way to serve God. Don’t be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him. (Romans 12:1-2 CEV)

Changing the way we think is probably harder than yielding our bodies to him, though.  At first, our way of thinking is kind of warped - focused pretty intently on what it is in this life we can get out of it to please ourselves, fulfill our desires, etc.  When we come to Christ, this focus begins to change a little and we find ourselves gradually focusing less and less on what "we" want and more and more on what it is God wants to do through us.  This is when we truly know we have presented our "bodies" as a living sacrifice - when we begin to take backseat and Christ becomes preeminent in our lives.  

Too many times we think our thoughts are our responsibility.  If we examine our passage again, we find it is God who sets about to change the way we think - because our patterns of thinking are contrary to his.  We actually need to be "schooled" in a new way of thinking about ourselves, our abilities, and about others around us.  Before Christ changes how it is we process our thought, we probably are a little too self-absorbed and self-focused, even for our own good! When he begins to restructure our thought processes, we begin to observe the things which were pretty much consuming our thoughts are gradually changed to seeing others through a different "set" of values.  We actually begin to truthfully value another when Christ becomes central in our lives.  Before he does this, each person in our lives is merely a means by which something in "us" is met.

When God restructures our thought life, we find the things in others we appreciate so much - not because of how much they will meet one of our needs, but because we see how unique their gift is in our lives.  Some will speak "into" us and keep us moving in the right direction - something we didn't fully appreciate before because we might have seen it as "meddling".  Others will lead by example - something we didn't fully embrace before because we were too consumed with being right ourselves we couldn't believe anybody else could live as well as we were living.  

If we are really careful about examining scripture right from the beginning of the book, we will certainly see this whole concept of "relationship" woven into each and every account, prophesy, and purposefully written page.  Why is  this important to us?  If we are to truthfully "offer" anything to another it is because we appreciate the value of this thing called relationship.  If we are to earnestly and sincerely give to another, it is only because there is some measure of relationship established.  Sure, we can "give" to strangers, but where there is relationship established, the "giving" takes on new meaning.  There is a value built in the relationship when one yields to another.  God doesn't ask anything of us he has not already done himself!  He has given much for the benefit of those who he calls into relationship with him.  In turn, he asks only that we give of ourselves - not our efforts - but our lives.  

In giving our bodies as living sacrifices, we are not giving our efforts, but we are yielding our thoughts, attitudes, and intent to him.  In so doing, he is free to begin to create within us the things which will truly bring us deep satisfaction and great peace.  Just sayin!

Because!

Do you know what "because" means?  In the simplest of terms, it refers to a "direct reason" for something occurring.  In fact, if we were to look at the origin of the word, we would find it stems from the term "by cause".  When we are reading through scripture and come to the word "because", it is kind of like when we come to the word "therefore".  We need to stop and pay attention to these "little" words we may just gloss over at first.  "Because" sets out the reason for something occurring - some action happening.  "Therefore" refers to some set of facts already established acting as the reason we can move to the next thought or action.  These words are rich in meaning, as they give us a point of reference for the "reason" we can believe or act upon what it is we are reading.  As my kids were growing up, it was the hardest thing to not answer their questions with a "Because I said so, that's why!"  I doubt I am the only parent who wanted to take the easy way out on this one!  It is so much easier to say it is "because I said so" - but do they really "get" it?  Not usually.  The same thing is true with us and what God sets out for us to act upon - if he simply said "Because I said so, that's why!", do you think we'd be prone to act upon it?  Likely not!  We don't understand the "why" yet and we are creatures who need to know the "why"!  We need the dots connected - it helps us take steps when we see one action leading to another.

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 1:7-10 MSG)

In the scriptures, we are declared "free" in many different ways.  We are free from condemnation, guilt, our sin, the penalty for our sin, our past, the limits of our inabilities, etc.  The list is quite extensive, but you get the idea.  Now, why is it we live so far "below" our level of freedom?  Maybe it is because we haven't really thought of the "because" by which our freedom became a reality and how reliable that "because" really is!

Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah - blood poured out on the altar of the Cross - we are free people.  There is the "why" behind our freedom - the blood of Christ, shed on our behalf, applied to the Cross at Calvary - the purchase of our freedom from sin and the penalty for that sin.  It was by the blood of Christ that our understanding of God's grace was opened - it was the blood that made a way possible for us to share in this understanding.

Adam and Eve only saw the two trees - one of life, the other of good and evil. Which do you imagine Satan wanted them to taste of first?  If they tasted of the one called "life" - do you think they'd have been inclined to experience good and evil?  Not likely!  So, he presented them with the one which would open their eyes to experimenting with good and evil - knowing full well God would not allow them to experience eternal life without a means of restoring them to their innocence!

Freedom was compromised that day in the garden - freedom was returned to us that day on Calvary.  Freedom was the farthest thing from our reach without the intervention of the Cross.  Yet, once the Cross provided the "bridge" for our freedom, we were free to cross over and taste of the tree of life.  What we could not experience without the Cross was provided free of charge, unearned by any of our own effort.  What we can now experience because of the Cross is total, permanent, and complete freedom.  So, we best be walking in what has been provided!

If we could see luscious trees full of ripe fruit on the other side of a ravine, hunger deeply set into the fabric of being, all while we stand in the barrenness of desert land, would we be prone to use the bridge provided to cross over to the other side?  Probably so!  Why?  It makes sense, it satisfies a need, and we'd be considered silly if we just ignored what was right in front of us.  Yet, so many of us live in the barrenness of desert rather than using the bridge provided to cross over to the fullness available in Christ Jesus. It isn't because we are comfortable in our present state - but BECAUSE we haven't trusted the bridge as being provided for US!

Some of us hesitate to fully cross the bridge between past (bondage) and present (freedom).  We are stuck in our ways - settling instead for the barrenness of the desert.  We don't make the connection with what God has provided and what it is we so desperately need.  Here's the truth:  BECAUSE you have been born with a sin nature, you need a means by which to "bridge" the gap between your sinfulness and God's righteousness.  BECAUSE you have no means by which to bridge this gap yourself, God has provided completely free of charge a means by which the gap can be closed - Jesus.  BECAUSE of every action Christ took on our behalf, the way has been provided for our total freedom.  BECAUSE of his provision, we are declared free.  BECAUSE we take the bridge provided, we ARE free!  You and I ARE free - not just walking toward freedom, but totally and completely free.  What God has declared to be free is free indeed.  Now, isn't it silly to stay in the barrenness of our bondage when we have been granted so much in Christ Jesus?  Just sayin!

You a little hesitant?

Hesitation - a delay due to uncertainty of mind or fear; a state of doubt.  How many times do we simply avoid doing something just because of our fear?  If you and I are honest, it may be more than most would think.  We avoid saying something when we feel impressed to do so, or don't act on what we know simply because we are reluctant to take that first step.  Hesitation is the cousin to procrastination.  While procrastination is the delayed action, hesitation is the uncertainty which sometimes is the cause of the delay. This hesitation can keep us from some pretty awesome stuff, though.  Especially as it deals with coming into the fullness of what God has planned for those who are bold enough (not overtaken by fear or doubt) to walk straight into his presence and spend some time getting to know him!

So, friends, we can now—without hesitation—walk right up to God, into “the Holy Place.” Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of his sacrifice, acting as our priest before God. The “curtain” into God’s presence is his body. So let’s do it—full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out. Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:19-25 MSG)

After explaining how the Old Testament tabernacle and subsequent temple were just symbols of the old "system" of worship, we find the invitation to enter boldly into what Christ accomplished by his sacrificial death.  If we were to read the two chapters just prior to this one, we'd see Christ's death accomplished the end to the old and the beginning of the new.  What had been off-limits because of our inability to "clean up" our sin under the "old" was totally declared "full access" under the new because did the "clean up" of our sin with the shedding of his blood on our behalf.  If such a provision is made on our behalf, then why are we so hesitant to enter into the fullness of all God has designed for us?  It might be fear, or even unbelief, but regardless of the "reason" we give, none stands in the face of this truth:  We are declared righteous in Christ Jesus.  We are made righteous in Christ Jesus. We stand righteous in Christ Jesus.  We cannot diminish our righteousness because in Christ Jesus we are fully and totally righteous!

Many of us spend a great deal of time being presentable on the outside. Each morning, we spend countless minutes in front of the mirror, grooming, applying this or that, putting each hair into place.  We pick out the clothes with care, discarding some things which makes us look to heavy, frumpy, or just doesn't fit the mood of the day.  We turn this way and that, getting a view of ourselves in the mirror and applying any last minute touches.  So, why is it we spend so much time on the outward appearance and almost forget to spend any time in the Word, prayer, or just simple worship?  Maybe it is because we think what can be "seen" is what gives people the impression we have life together even when we are falling apart on the inside!  I'd like to challenge that idea, though, because I believe what is on the inside, receiving frequent care and tender touches from Jesus will eventually trump whatever is on the outside!

What we can count on is the faithfulness of God regardless of our behavior, although it may not be as consistent as it should be - he is consistent.  His love extends beyond our inconsistencies, but to really "come into" that love we have to push past our hesitation and enter into his presence.  The delay in action on our part is often just because of our misperceptions - we don't understand how much God has done on our behalf to ensure we have access to him and can boldly enter into his presence.  We get a little insight into how we accomplish this when we consider the verse:  Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching. First, we have to know what has been promised and then stand on it unwavering.  Then we have to believe with all our ability that God does what he says.  This may be the hard one since we have learned to NOT trust because trust has been violated by some person in our lives. Truth is, God cannot lie - it is against his nature.  It is impossible for him to not fulfill his promises because that would be equivalent to him telling a lie.

Probably one of the most overlooked portions of this "boldness" to enter into God's presence is the encouragement of others to help us develop this comfort of entering into all God has for us.  If we really see what is being said here, we will recognize it is about the company we keep.  Those who can spur us on are invaluable to helping us enter into all God has for us - moving us beyond our hesitation and into a place of bold, bounding faith.  The challenge to us is in being "inventive" in our encouragement - through loving actions and sacrificial deeds.  We don't do these to gain access to God - we engage in demonstrating God's love so others will develop a boldness to enter into the fullness of his love themselves.  There is no room for hesitation in us experiencing God's love.  We are beckoned into his love, provided a means by which we might enter into his love, and then we are given encouragement of others to help us maintain our consistency in experiencing his love.  Isn't it about time we enter into what God has taken such great pains to prepare on our behalf?  Just askin!

Love me - I need it more than I will admit!

I don't know what you are observing in your area, but as quickly as the Christmas decorations went on half-price sale the day after Christmas, the Valentine stuff was littering the shelves in my local stores!  If that wasn't bad enough, we actually were in a store where Easter stuff was in the very next aisle!  Now, this isn't "plan ahead" crafting stuff, but the candy to fill baskets with, those cheesy cards you give to classmates, and the like.  We used to make jokes about "Halo-Thanks-Mas" - that season when Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas stuff would all just "blend" on the shelves.  Now we have some competition with "Vale-Trick-Ster" for that season when Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, and Easter items just stack the shelves! Can anybody else but me see this as just a little too much?  I think in the scheme of things, we have lost touch with the opportunity to share these "special days" with special people in a special way!  If we were to be honest, we'd all probably like to feel "loved" on Valentine's Day, enjoy a good corned beef and cabbage meal with friends on St. Patty's Day, and settle down to some special family time on Easter.  In fact, we'd like to feel "loved" almost any day of the year, even without all this hype and "salesmanship" from the local markets!

So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover’s life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9-11 MSG)

As this next "wave" of holidays (if you want to call them that) begins to crash over us, I pray we don't lose sight of the one focus God wants for each of us - that we'd learn to love well - testing our head and heart frequently to be sure we aren't just "gushing" over silly stuff.  I think this is where our culture gets "love" a little wrong - in focusing on the "sentimental gush" instead of the sincerity of heart behind what we label as LOVE.  We need to focus not so much on the "feelings" of love, but on the actions.

As we consider this idea of letting love flourish in our lives, we often gravitate to the "feelings" associated with being loved, not so much on the actions of showing love to another.  Did you catch that?  We "show" love in our actions - not in our words.  Flourishing love is action-based.  The very idea of something flourishing is that of growing vigorously - to grow, love must have its soil tended well and with tender-loving skill.  

We are reminded to love appropriately - something we evidently don't do naturally as our passage suggests we have to "learn" to do this.  I think the idea here is that we need help getting this "love" thing straight in our hearts and minds - because we focus on the emotions of love so readily and not so much on the actions of love.  Many years ago - perhaps 30 or so - some close friends saw me in a time of financial struggle.  My husband had just left us and the monies were tight.  I was a full-time nursing student, raising two young children, and I could only work part-time.  I was too proud to ask for help from anyone - especially my friends.  I think God knew this and he prepared a moment in time where my pride had to come down in order to allow the "actions" of love to be manifest the way he intended.

It was one of my days off from school and we were all hanging around with friends - the kids playing in the next room while my girlfriend and I just talked and caught up on things.  In just a short period of time, a card was being pushed across the table to me.  As I opened that card, in a moment of uncertain panic as to what this "gesture" of kindness would do to my tough outer appearance of having life "all together, I could see it was not only a card expressing some words to touch my heart, but also two hundred dollars to assist the kids and I through that time of struggle.  You know what happened next, don't you?  Yep, I immediately gushed about how I couldn't accept this from my friends who were also struggling to make ends meet!  In fact, I attempted to give it back!

If you have ever tried to "give back" what you might have had a little difficulty accepting because of your pride, you know exactly where I was coming from in that moment.  I wonder how many blessings we deny others when we do not accept the actions of love they manifest on our behalf?  It may not be two hundred dollars of hard-earned cash, but regardless of what the display of love is, it is just as significant to the one giving it unselfishly.  It took me about five minutes to break past my pride and to accept this gift as a sign of not only their love for me, but their love for Christ and their obedience to his request to do this for me.  Some thirty years later, I cannot forget the significance of this gift.  It wasn't the money - it was the manifestation of their obedience to Christ which touched me so deeply and helped me deal with the pridefulness which kept me rock-solid on the outside while I as a mess on the inside.

Loving well means we get beyond the sentimental gush and into the hard stuff of obedient service, sacrificial giving, and genuine availability to be his hands and feet in the community in which we live.  It means we focus not so much on what we can get out of love, but what we can bring into the lives of others who need to experience the mighty love of Christ we have had lavished upon us without measure.  Loving actions when it seems our love isn't returned in quite the same manner are hard - they go beyond sentimental gush, don't they?  They require sacrifice - giving out of what we have to touch the life of another, even when they may not reveal actions which show the gift was appreciated.  You never know when your action of sacrifice may be the one action that begins to breakdown the tough outer shell of pride, anger, fear, or other struggle another is experiencing.  Learn to love well.  Let your love flourish - growing beyond what you could imagine.  Embark upon the journey of living a lover's life.  You won't know what blessings await you until you do!  Just sayin!

Bury this!

Burial:  In the simplest terms, it is the act of placing a dead person in the ground.  The remains have no further use - so we bury them.  Oh, don't turn me off yet, thinking this is going to be some morbid and disgusting topic dealing with physical death.  I want us to look at burial in the sense of some of the "stuff" we actually might do well burying!  There were customs of burial dating back something like 130,000 years ago, so this idea of "burying" the dead has quite a long history.  One of the reasons some think burial came about was to attempt to bring "closure".  It was a way of bringing an end to something.  There is more to this burial thing than just the placing of someone's physical remains into a tomb or a grave.  In fact, we might just find something of value in considering just what gets buried and why!

So don’t you see that we don’t owe this old do-it-yourself life one red cent. There’s nothing in it for us, nothing at all. The best thing to do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life. God’s Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go!  (Romans 8:12-14 MSG)

We bury a whole lot of "stuff" in life.  Some of us bury past hurts - trying to accomplish some type of closure to the events which have caused us such pain.  The problem with burying these hurts is the "decay" they cause in their "place of burial".  Others of us try to bury our failures and faults - hoping they will live unnoticed, but somehow they just keep "coming back to haunt us".  Still, there are times when we "bury" the emotional stuff we just cannot deal with right now because it is not a convenient time - but even buried emotions surface, coming back at the most inopportune times.

What we fail to recognize is the way we "bury" things determines if the closure will be permanent.  When we just "put things under the surface" in our lives, we might conceal them for a while, but it is more like creating a "time capsule" rather than a final disconnection with these things.  Time capsules are created for the purpose of "revisiting" the items in them, are they not?  They are a means of "connection" in the future with what we put there in the present.  The sad thing is - we want disconnection with these things, but we deal with them in the wrong way.

I think the idea of "burial" is a good illustration of how God wants us to deal with our past hurts, our present sins, and our emotional upsets.  Yet, if we don't understand the principles of "burial" as he taught them, we might just be burying them in such a way which affords us unnecessary issues in return.  If a human body is buried too near the surface, what happens with the first really good rain?  Isn't it exposed again?  If the human body is buried too near a source of some other resource, such as a water supply, will its decay not cause some contamination of the resource?  I think the "manner" and "place" of burial is important because burial for the sake of dealing with stuff which gives us problems requires expertise we don't possess!

The "manner" and "place" in which God asks us to deal with the things which we need to give "closure" to in our lives is to take them to him and lay them at his feet.  Now, this may not seem like a big deal to you, but let me assure you, we don't always think something "buried out in the open" like that will work.  So, we try our own methods of burial because they seem to at least "cover over" the thing we want closure with.  The problem with this is things not dealt with out in the open often come back to cause us problems at a later time.  Maybe this is why God asked his people to lay things on altars, lay hands on the sacrifices they offered, etc.  There was a connection, but also a way of showing the manner in which God deals with our "stuff" which needs closure.  He puts it right out there in the open - then he deals with it!  

The "place" God requires for burial is at his feet.  The "manner" he uses to deal with the thing we need closure with is "out in the open".  Now, this doesn't sound like burial to me since there is no "covering" over the stuff we need closure with, right?  Yet, if we really see the transformation which occurs on the altar, we might just reconsider our "perception" of God's methods of bringing closure.  The thing on the altar is consumed - it is transformed - by the power of God.  The burnt offering probably was no longer recognizable by its "features" any longer - it was transformed by the fire.  God's means of dealing with our failures is not to point them out to us, but to ask us to place them on the altar, allowing him to alter them (transformation).  In turn, there is closure to the influence of the failure on us - we are free to live anew.

I think we might just give some thought to God's "manner" and "place" of burial in our lives.  Just sayin!

Hindsight sees God's extravagant love!

Are you a "people-watcher"?  You know - - you enjoy just sitting in the mall, sipping a cup of coffee, watching all the people pass by.  You observe their attire, hair styles, the way they carry themselves, and the people they are with.  In some cases, you see "attitude", as when the young men are gathered together in group, one working to outdo the other with a story of some kind.  At other times, you might just see the "loner" gazing absent-mindedly in the windows, not really intent on the "shopping", just on the fact they are out of their homes and escaping life for a little while.  When you stop long enough to watch another, you might just see a thing or two which you'd have missed otherwise!

Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that. (Ephesians 5:1-2 MSG)

I believe Paul probably was a people-watcher.  He observed their behavior, gleaning much from their "attitude", and coming to some conclusions as a result of what he observed.  The power of "observation" is a learned habit.  It just doesn't happen one day.  In fact, you have to learn to look beyond the surface to get really good at this - otherwise, you draw conclusions which are far from reality.  It would be like the game we used to play as kids.  We'd see people walking in the malls, then we'd make up some story about them.  Like the man with cowboy boots and Levis strolling along becoming the Sheriff intent on keeping justice in this hear town!  We saw what we wanted to see and formed the story around what we interpreted in our mind's eye!  But...in the real world, this is a dangerous thing!

Paul gives us the example we are to "watch" - God himself!  He is the one we should "observe" - taking in his "behavior" in order to learn how we are to approach life, answer life's questions, and create life's best outcomes.  Watch what God does - and then do it!  So, instead of just "creating" a story about God, we are to do like God does!  Now, in the make-believe world of the gentleman dressed as a cowboy, I don't think I'd be very comfortable strolling up to him and asking him if I could be his deputy!  But...in God's world of reality, I am quite comfortable asking God if I can be on mission with him!

Look at what we see in this passage.  "MOSTLY what God DOES is love you".  I added the emphasis here because I think it is important to realize God's greatest and most easiest observed attribute is his LOVE.  It is in his actions, even when we don't see it!  Look at how we learn how to make this attribute ours - we "keep company with him".  I have special friends - enjoying every moment of "company" I get to keep with them.  They fill my days with laughter, hold me close when I am low, and can just fill my "space" with warmth without even speaking or doing a thing.  At my weakest moments, nothing and no one else fills my "space" as well as Jesus, though.  In his extravagant way, he reaches into the "space" of our lives - loving us through to wholeness!  It is more than making the lame walk or the dumb talk.  He meets us at the point of our most desperate need and there, he transforms us.

Now, this may not be significant, but his love is learned in observing his extravagance.  His love is not miserly - it is extravagant.  In what actions can we observe the extravagance of God's love?  First, we see the extravagance of laying down his divinity to take on the form of a human - in coming as a babe in a manger.  We see the extravagance of his love in being willing to touch the untouchable in the world - those labeled as unclean by the others in society.  He never skimped on his love - making not only wine from water, but the best wine of the evening.  He always found time for even the least in the crowd - embracing the child, touching the grief of the mother who'd lost her only son, and restoring the guard's ear to full function after Peter attempted to lop it off.  Nothing is "outside" of God's extravagant love - he is willing to humble himself for the sake of another; give the touch of hope where no hope exists; and restore what we so foolishly destroy in our haste and misunderstanding.  Yet, his greatest display of love - his willingness to hang on a cross for our sins.  The man who knew no sin, becoming sin for all mankind.  Now, this bespeaks the ultimate sacrifice - the ultimate display of love.

When Paul reminds us we learn by observing, he is asking us to consider the many "extravagances" of God's love and then to begin to display those same extravagances in our actions.  It takes a little change in our focus to do this.  We have to begin to see the extravagances of God's love - first through our eyes, then through his.  I really never understood the extravagances of my parents' love until I was a parent myself.  In fact, as I was being loved through some of the ugliest period of my life, they were faithfully extravagant in their love, but I was oblivious to their extravagance!  I am older now, and I hope a little wiser.  As I look back at their example of love, I see the extravagance of God's love imitated in their lives.  It is like God opens our eyes to his "extravagant love" not so much when we are experiencing it, but almost after we have been through it!  Maybe it is because we have "clearer perspective" after the fact than we do when our emotions are all muddled up in the moment.

What examples of God's extravagant love have you been observing of late?  If we look hard enough, we might just see the example of his love in the one right next to us today.  If we are willing, we could be the very example of his extravagant love the one next to us needs!  Just sayin!

You a Cain or Abel?

This past Sunday, my pastor spoke about faith.  Not just that we need it, or that without it we cannot possibly please God.  In fact, he was teaching against the argument that all we need is enough faith and then anything is possible.  In his teaching, he referred several times to the tendency we have to "doubt" - believing if we have ANY doubt at all, we must not have biblical faith!  Now, let this one sink in a little.  I had to consider it a couple of times before I really got it.  He said, "You cannot have faith without doubt."  His premise - faith isn't the absence of doubt - it is obeying God in the presence of doubt!!!

^3-5 Time passed. Cain brought an offering to God from the produce of his farm. Abel also brought an offering, but from the firstborn animals of his herd, choice cuts of meat. God liked Abel and his offering, but Cain and his offering didn’t get his approval. Cain lost his temper and went into a sulk.  ^6-7 God spoke to Cain: “Why this tantrum? Why the sulking? If you do well, won’t you be accepted? And if you don’t do well, sin is lying in wait for you, ready to pounce; it’s out to get you, you’ve got to master it.”  (Genesis 4:3-7 MSG)

So, what does this passage have to do with biblical faith?  First, let me set the stage a little.  Two sons were born to Adam and Eve - Cain and Abel.  Cain was the first-born.  Now, if you know anything about the "birthright" of the firstborn in Old Testament times, you know this was a pretty privileged spot in the family line.  The firstborn was the recipient of a double-portion of the inheritance - but he also had some other responsibilities, such as taking on the family business.  If you remember back to when God "closed Eden" to Adam and Eve, you will recall he also gave them a "family business", so to speak.  He told Adam to "work the land" - so farming was his business.  It makes sense to see Cain (the firstborn) following in the footsteps of his father in the family business!

So, Cain is a farmer and Abel seems to be a herdsman.  If you also recall, Adam was given charge of the creatures of the land - at least in Eden.  So, he was aware of the goodness of the creatures and the care they needed.  It is then possible to believe Abel was also following a little in the "family business" - but probably not the "main" business of the family.  Yet, somehow, he connects with the idea of a "blood offering" to God the Father - the firstborn of his herd - the choicest of all.  Cain, on the other hand, brings an offering - but it was just described as "produce of his farm".  I don't think we should skip over this.  Let's dig a little deeper.

Abel could not "produce" a lamb or even a little goat.  He needed the animals to do what he could not do.  He simply knew the beauty of the firstborn and the special place of the firstborn in God's order.  Cain could collect the seed of this year's crop and plant it again next year, producing what he planted.  I realize Cain did not "produce" the crops, but he worked them, watered them, and then harvested them - the harvest a direct result of his efforts.  Abel simply kept the herd where they had food and water provided for them - taking them from place to place where their needs would be met.  

Somehow Abel trusted God to provide what he was incapable of producing - the offspring he'd offer on the altar.  On the other hand, Cain produces what he was "capable" of producing - the harvest was a direct result of his doing.  To him, one bushel is equivalent to the next.  Nothing about the grain seems more important as he looks from one bushel to the other.  If you have ever tasted the "first" of the crop, then you know how sweet and tender it is.  He doesn't seem to connect to the idea of God being more concerned with what we offer than in the fact of us giving an offering in the first place.  He brings the off-hand offering, then thinks God should acknowledge it - blessing him for his "obedience".  Abel brings his offering, thinking God has blessed him with the best, so he will bless God with the best.  

Our pastor made another connection related to biblical faith for us this weekend - we often think things will turn out a certain way just because we have faith.  Yet, if we read scripture long enough, we will certainly realize God is more concerned with our obedience - not just that we did a certain thing!  He wants our heart to "connect" with the offering - not just our minds.  He wants us to realize the importance of what we are offering - this is biblical faith.  When we connect action with belief - we are operating in biblical faith.  Yet, this "connection" is riddled with all kinds of doubt - simply because faith is best revealed in the presence of doubt!  Cain came with his offering - doubting it made any difference which bushel he placed upon the altar.  Abel came with his - selecting only the choicest cuts to offer.  In the end, one was accepted - the other rejected.

Why did Cain sulk?  Maybe it was because he had "expected" God to be delighted with his "careless" offering.  Isn't this how we often act?  We don't give our "obedience" a whole lot of thought - then expect God will just bless our "off-handed" obedience.  Silly us!  God wants our best, not just our "stuff".  He wants our hearts, not just our minds.  He wants our "sacrifice", not just our excess.  Biblical faith is based on trust - give God the best, and trust him to do the rest.  One more thought from this weekend's talk - we often doubt God most when we don't want to obey him!  Cain sulked away - doubting God's heart, questioning God's care for him.  Why?  He was struggling with his heart-response in the offering.

God wants us to hear the message to Cain with ears of "obedience" and "faith".  We may struggle with doubts, but when we surrender our best to him, he is quick to envelop our doubts in his care.  When we are obedient to what we know to be true about God - like Abel did when he acted on what he knew about God always giving HIS best to us - God is honored.  God doesn't expect more from us - but he will never be delighted with accepting less from us, either!  Just sayin!

Reflecting his grace

We are no longer under the Levitical system of worship which required the bringing of sheep, bulls, goats, oils and grains to the Temple for sacrifice.  If we were, I wonder what our "offerings" would be today?  Since most of us merely go to the supermarket to obtain these "products" of someone else's labor, we don't connect with them as a "sacrifice" at all.  In fact, we probably take it for granted they will be there in the display cases and the aisle shelves when we next venture into the luxury of the market.  I think this is where Judah might have been drifting when God spoke these words through the prophet Micah.  Perhaps they were just going to the "supermarkets" of their flocks and herds - picking out whatever one looked best and merely carting it to the priests to be offered.  If so, they had lost touch with the purpose behind the offering - atonement, forgiveness, thanksgiving.


How can I stand up before God  and show proper respect to the high God?
Should I bring an armload of offerings  topped off with yearling calves?
Would God be impressed with thousands of rams, with buckets and barrels of olive oil?  Would he be moved if I sacrificed my firstborn child, my precious baby, to cancel my sin?  But he's already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women.  It's quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don't take yourself too seriously—take God seriously.  (Micah 6:6-8 The Message)


It is truly a dangerous place to be when we have nothing to offer but the "products" of another's labor.  Yet, as a teenager and young adult, there were times when I have been guilty of simply not being willing to invest the time or energy into having something "uniquely mine" to bring to God.  I relied upon the "products" of another's study and time with God to give me a sense of having something "worth" sharing.  What a mistake!  I missed the opportunity to bring to God what I had right in my hands!  


God's greatest joy is not in the impressiveness of the "gift" we bring, but in the expression of the heart behind the gift.  Maybe this is what Micah had in mind when he told us God did not want us to take ourselves so seriously!  Whenever we think we have to rely upon the "gift" of another to have anything worthy to present to God, we are probably taking ourselves a little too seriously!  Our "gift" is simply to come before him in reverence, yielding ourselves to his use.  


I think Micah hit it on the head when he started with all the questions about how it was WE could "impress" God.  When you look up the word "impress", you find it has a meaning of affecting the mind or feelings of another - it carries the idea of changing or influencing the opinion another holds of you.  If we are coming to God to "impress" him, we simply are coming with wrong motive.  God's greatest joy is seeing us act fairly - exercising justice and honesty in our dealings with others.  This is a sacrifice worthy of his attention.  Yet, it is not something we "do" to get his notice, or to influence his opinion of us.  It is something we "live" because it is an outflow of his grace in our lives.


Being compassionate and loyal in our love seems to be a thing which is only remotely part of most of our relationships today.  In fact, if we were honest, I wonder how many of us could say our relationships even remotely reflect God's compassion.  Instead, we bicker, are opinionated, and hold our ground when we feel we have been "wronged".  We shift our allegiances to another who sees things our way.  It is election season in the good US of A again.  That means the TV screens and newspapers are littered with all kinds of he said/she said smear campaigns.  Instead of pointing out the strengths of their "competition" for the office, they find the weakest point in the guy's career or character and capitalize on it.  Why?  It takes the eyes off of weaknesses of the other guy!


Lest I leave us all feeling a little low about ourselves and others, let me bring this around a little.  God's greatest gift to us is his grace.  The greatest gift we can give back to him is the expression of this grace with others.  We find many opportunities each day to live our his love - to be loyal and compassionate in our relationships.  In so doing, we are pointing others to Christ's grace, as they see it evident in ours.  There is no greater "sacrifice" God could have offered than his gift of grace as evident in his Son's death for our sin.  In turn, there is no greater gift we can bring than to allow his grace to be an expression of his love within and through us.  In turn, we will judge less and embrace more.  We will hold our ground significantly less and find the good in the other more freely.  In fact, we might just see ourselves becoming a more loving and compassionate creation when we really begin to understand the greatest gift we bring is the reflection of his grace back to him!