The Welcome Chain

⁴⁰ “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. ⁴¹ Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. ⁴² And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.” (Matthew 10:40-42)

This scripture presents a series of events... one based on the other. Whoever welcomes you [disciples], welcomes me [Christ] and whoever welcomes me [Christ] welcomes the one who sent me [the one who sent Christ, God]. So, it goes...

Welcoming disciples = Welcoming Christ = Welcoming God

But then there is more added to it - righteous persons and prophets also merit the same welcoming. Just by welcoming others, we are welcoming Christ, welcoming God.

Now it may seem a little strange at first... why are these all important disciples referred to as "one of these little ones"? We may remember that they were sent to different towns and cities, left everything to follow Jesus. Just like today's missionaries, these are 'little ones'. They are dependent and need protection, because they have let go of all their own possessions and positions, relying solely on God. So whatever we do for these little ones, we do for God.

Prayer & Life

This morning I was reflecting upon the following quote by Christopher Bryant from "The River Within" and wanted to share that:

There is always a two way relationship between prayer and life. Prayer can be seen as the focusing and redirecting of an attitude to God and to our fellow [human beings] that runs through all that we do. On the other hand, we can see our daily life as something which prayer purifies, directs and consecrates. This interrelationship of prayer and life was expressed by William Temple in his well known saying, 'It is not that conduct is the end of life and worship helps it but that worship is the end of life and conduct tests it.' Temple is here using worship in a broad sense to include all of life. For in worship, as the derivation of the word from worth implies, we declare what we value most. If in prayer I declare that I value God above all things and in my life I show that my own selfish interests come first I am making a nonsense of my praying. We declare how we value God as much by our actions, by the way we treat other people by the manner in why we do our work, as by anything we say.

Holy Spirit,

Help us to live today in a way that expresses that we value You above all things.

So What's the Point of Comparing & Competing

NIV

⁷ For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? ⁸ Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have begun to reign—and that without us! How I wish that you really had begun to reign so that we also might reign with you! (1 Corinthians 4:7-8)

But verse 9 in 'The Message' stood out to me this morning.

^7-8For who do you know that really knows you, knows your heart? And even if they did, is there anything they would discover in you that you could take credit for? Isn't everything you have and everything you are sheer gifts from God? So what's the point of all this comparing and competing? You already have all you need. You already have more access to God than you can handle. Without bringing either Apollos or me into it, you're sitting on top of the world—at least God's world—and we're right there, sitting alongside you!

This past Sunday in church, we read the scripture about the workers in the harvest field; the ones who were hired and worked all day were paid the same as those hired at 5 o'clock. This caused some resentment among the workers who were then rebuked. But this is a lesson of the law of grace... which is so radically different... that different realm we were talking about last week.

I think it really is so very difficult for us to understand and live in the law of grace, because it is so countercultural. Our society is set up in a way that comparison and competition is very much the way things work. It's how you get a job, get your proposal accepted, get the fellowship, get ahead in life. Even when we don't think of it as 'competition', there is a sense in which it is competition... prized items, jobs, etc are only for a few... not for all.

This isn't something that's confined solely to academia, but that's the example that comes to mind, perhaps because it's the example that I live. Certainly not everyone (those who send in late applications and abstracts) will be admitted to conferences. I am currently planning on applying to a fellowship that only 20/500 applicants are expected to receive. Nor does everyone's article make its way into the best journals... or any journals at all. Although my program is amiable and lacks the interdepartmental competition that many suggest they feel, I can feel these more subtle forms of competition.

Instead, here Paul emphasizes that despite our bank accounts, our positions and titles, we are not any better than anyone else. The best, most important, most valuable gifts we have are those that have been given to us from Christ Jesus. And we have no right to claim those as our own, except as gifts given to us by the Father.

If we let ourselves live in the law of grace, it may be unsettling at first... because we are so accustomed to 'fairness' in terms of what we 'earn'. But it can also be extremely freeing. God's law of grace frees us from the pressure of comparing and competing.

Imagine a conference where everyone is welcome to present... even if they submitted the abstract late.

Taking Your Game to the Next Level - A Video Game Analogy

¹ Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, ²because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. ³ For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

⁵ Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. ⁶ The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. ⁷ The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. ⁸ Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

⁹ You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. ¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. ¹¹ And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. (Romans 8:1-11)

As I read this scripture this morning, I was reminded of the infamous Super Mario game, the old video game of my youth, the one all my cousins and I would huddle around at their house when there was some birthday party or something. You may find it quite curious why this verse reminded me of the Super Mario Brothers, and I'm quite obliged to share.

In particular, it was verse 9 which draws the stark comparison between the 'realm of the flesh' and 'the realm of the spirit'. Even the word 'realm' feels like must be used in some current video games out there. The way Paul describes these different realms, he makes it clear that they are separate. You go from one to the other.... just like in video games. You can't be in both levels at once. You are in either one or the other.

Depending on which level you're in, the setting may change, the rules, the difficulty level. Well, this seems quite relevant to what Paul is describing. When we accept Christ and have the Spirit of God within us, we move from one realm to the next, a clear change of setting. The rules (the laws) are different, because we are now guided by the Holy Spirit and pleasing God in ways that we couldn't when we were just flesh (v.8). And we are at a different difficulty level altogether. We are living our lives to glorify God, but we have the Holy Spirit within us to help and guide us.

But Paul says to the church 'if indeed you have the spirit of God in you'. We must know whether we have the Spirit of Christ. Call out to the Holy Spirit today and every day. We need that strength to take our game to the next level.

Grace- The Outlaw

¹ What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? ² By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? ³ Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

⁵ For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶ For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— ⁷ because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

⁸ Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹ For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. ¹⁰ The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

¹¹ In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. ¹² Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. ¹³ Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. ¹⁴ For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. (Romans 6:1-14)

It is my belief that 'grace' is extremely hard to grasp in today's society. Even if we logically memorize the fanciest definitions of the word, 'grace' is so radical, so countercultural, it is extremely difficult to really internalize the fact that 'grace' isn't even a law. Laws by definition are systems of rules which often legitimate the enforcement of penalties. Grace on the other hand is unmerited divine assistance. So by definition, we Christians live outside the law. Yes, we are outlaws!

However, as outlaws, does that mean that we can use this freedom from the law to 'go on sinning'? Paul's answer is 'By no means!' Paul's argument here makes more sense in the context of his argumentation here in Romans. He has been referring to Adam as the beginning of mankind (sin), and Christ as the head of the church (righteousness), the Christians. By birth we belong to the line of Adam, but by our rebirth in baptism, we belong to Christ. Our old self (with our old sin) dies, and our new self is born into Christ. So, how could we go on living as one of Adam's with man's sinful acts? We can't go back to that old self.

But how is this possible? Without the law for punishment and judgment, how can we live in Christ and without sin? The answer is in v. 14... "For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are no longer under sin but under grace." God's grace gives us power to resist sin, something that the law could not do. Sin is no longer the powerful force impelling us to do one thing or another out of fear of the mostly earthly punishments. Instead, we are empowered by Christ himself to resist sin and offer ourselves to God.

While the law is about our own inability to follow rules; grace is really about God's power. Now that's worth being an outlaw... living above and beyond the law.

It's Not About Me

¹ As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³ All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. ⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:1-10)

Everything about our lives as Christians is meant to glorify and point to God. This morning's scriptures points to God's grace in the story of us coming to be Christians. We are saved by God's grace... His mercy and forgiveness that we do not deserve.

And just in case we may tend to think sometimes, "Well, maybe that's true for those awful people... but me ... I'm pretty good, God would love me anyways because of the good I do," Paul reminds us, "This is not from yourselves - it is a gift from God". If we do not realize the magnificence of God's grace and the fact that we cannot earn our way into Christianity, are we really Christians?

"Ok", you might say. "It is about God's saving grace. I need His forgiveness, because I can't earn my way in. But as a Christian, I've done some awesome works. Maybe those are brownie points? Will it book me an extra-large sweet in heaven?" No, that's not it. It's still God. And this is the part that stood out to me this morning, verse 10 - For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. God already was planning on us doing these works. He set them apart for us. Our works are still very much about God fulfilling His plan through us.

So whenever people remark on anything good in us, we owe it to them to remind them who it really comes from - 'We are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.'

Grace WITH God

Amazing Grace,
How sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch
Like me!

God's grace is amazing! He forgives all our sins, even though we do not deserve it. But this morning I realized that I always think of grace by God and through God... but never grace with God. Nevertheless, chapter 2 of Colossians repeats the word 'with' 3 times, suggesting our participation in God's grace, our place in the redemptive work He does with us.

⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.

⁹ For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, ¹⁰ and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. ¹¹ In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, ¹² having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

¹³ When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, ¹⁴ having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵ And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (Colossians 2:8-15)

Praise be to God who invites us to participate in His redemptive work, to be part in the marvelous grace He extends in our lives.

Watching Out for Numero Uno

Chances are we've all heard this phrase before "watching out for numero uno" meaning that you're watching out for yourself, number one. In an individualistic society, this oftentimes sums up our concerns.

But the Bible present a countercultural alternative. It clearly shows that we have responsibilities to one another as a family. We are all asked to watch out for Numero Uno's children... that is, God's children.

¹ Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. ² It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. ³ So watch yourselves.

“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. ⁴ Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”

⁵ The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

⁶ He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you. (Luke 7:1-6)

First we are told to 'watch ourselves' because of this responsibility we have to the others in our family. Jesus calls the other Christians that we don't want to cause to stumble 'little ones', which draws upon the image of our Father and Lord, caring for us. It's as if God has asked us to be babysitters... caring for and watching over His precious children. Although we don't have children, our neighbors have told us how important it is to people you trust to watch over your 'precious little ones'. Jesus is giving us the same charge and responsibility here, to make sure they don't stumble.

In addition to watching over 'these little ones', we are also to rebuke sin and forgive quickly. He continues 'even if" as though he's ready to hear our excuses about why we may not want to forgive something. 'Even if' anything. And then it is repeated that we MUST forgive them. It's particularly hard for me to forgive, especially when I feel I haven't been understood or when someone hasn't asked for forgiveness. This is one sin that I need the Holy Spirit to help me with, so just like the apostles, I ask "Lord, increase my faith!"

Deep, honest and forgiving Christian relationships presuppose a faith in Christ, like the one described by the mustard seed metaphor. A mustard tree has a huge root system, making it very difficult indeed to pull out of the ground and throw into the see. To me, this metaphor, then, speaks to two things. It speaks to the power of faith, regardless of its size, when applied to any situation. And it also, to me, suggests that our faith when connected to a community of believers (our root system, our network) is greater than we would imagine at first... just looking at the seed.

An example of this Christian community may seem trivial, but it meant the world to me. This semester I've been faced with a very challenging course, "Computational Techniques for Linguists", learning how to program in Python and R. And I've found it quite difficult. I sent a 'help' message out to my friends on the GCF listserv and by that afternoon, I had not 1 but 6 responses from different Christian friends offering to help me out! Several have met with me and encouraged me to continue in my studies, giving up their time (which grad students have precious little of) to help me think through homework. These Christian grad students (by opening themselves up to care for their community) have been angels to me- my answers to prayer!

They are watching out for Numero Uno (Christ) and His little ones!

Crashing a Party?

At first glance, the story of the 'sinful woman' below may be quite curious. How did this woman enter the house? Wasn't the door locked? Did she crash the party?

Actually, I learned this morning through the IVP Commentary that it was common for people to be able to enter and watch a special dinner, especially when a respected teacher was one of the invited guests. This dinner fits the bill. So, we may imagine that there were many onlookers watching the special dinner unfold.

³⁷ A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. ³⁸ As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

³⁹ When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

⁴⁰ Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

“Tell me, teacher,” he said.

⁴¹ “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴² Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” (Luke 7:37-42)

So it wasn't shocking that the woman was there but her proximity to Jesus and the intimacy of her act toward him. She moved out of the crowd, wiped his feet, kissed his feet, and undid her hair to wipe them. At the time, this was an extremely culturally shocking event! In fact, I don't think I've ever witnessed anything so shocking in a personal way.

The Pharisee's response must've been partly a response to this shocking event, but it also magnifies the 'separationism' theology of the time. There were the pure (the prophets) and the unclean (sinners), and those who were pure and upright needed to keep their distance, keeping their distance from sinners. Such a mindset let to the rebuke of which Luke often comments (5:29-32, 15:1-2, 18:9-14).

But time after time, we see examples that prove that Jesus is not of this mindset. Separation is not the name of the game. In fact, his critique suggests that the Pharisees, who have not expressed such great love, have not truly recognized the forgiveness of sins.

For, I am of the believe that the amount in denarii here is merely symbolic. We are not supposed to measure our sin against another person's, but measure our sin against the price that was paid on the cross. In that respect even the smallest sin (if there exists such a thing), is certainly more than $500... it cost a death on the cross by our Lord Jesus.

Separationist theology has no place in Christianity... for while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Thank you, Father, for all that You have done for us. We love You so much for all You have forgiven, all our lives. Help us not to forget how You have restored us to You... the beautiful work of restoration that You have done, allowing us to come close to You.

Judge of Reconciliation

Throughout the Old Testament, God is often portrayed as an impartial judge (Deut 10:17; 2 Chron 19:7), and Peter carries this image into his witness to Cornelius, a part of the larger mission to the Gentiles.

But, how is this? What is being judged? Doesn't God offer reconciliation? How is that like a judge who determines harsh sentences?

³⁴ Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism ³⁵ but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. ³⁶ You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. ³⁷ You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— ³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

³⁹ “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, ⁴⁰ but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. ⁴¹ He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴² He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³ All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” (Acts 10:34-43)

First, it's important to remember the unique place of Peter's witness. The Jewish Christians are going to the Gentiles who have long been considered 'unclean' in the context of the Law. The first verse exemplifies his unique position as he explains that "God does not show favoritism".

In fact, that verse continues with the 'judge' theme, because the original text actually reads as an idiomatic expression which means 'to receive the face'. Apparently, when greeting a social superior in that time and context, you would 'lower your face' and lower yourself to the earth. If the person you greeted raised your face up, it was a sign of favor. While this was indeed flattering for the greeter, it's not a characteristic you'd want to find in a judge.

Furthermore, God 'accepts from every nation'. And this 'every nation' is not just the different nation-states, but 'ethnos' refers to any racial, cultural or ethnic grouping by which humans distinguish themselves.

To prove this, Peter gives the example of how Jesus, after anointed by the Holy Spirit, 'went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil because God was in him' (v.38). Jesus was associating with and even helping all people... even those traditionally considered unclean.

However, Peter is very careful not to portray a pluralistic view of acceptance. Instead, he goes back to the image of the Lord as judge of the living and the dead. The Gentiles must 'believe', leaving their idols and false Gods, in order to 'receive forgiveness of sins through His name' (v. 43).

So what God is judging is our belief and faith in Him. And it is not the measure of our faith. In fact, the man talking to Jesus said it well, "I do believe; help me to overcome my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24). God knows the heart; he knows our desires as we thirst for Him. God is judge of whether we are genuinely seeking only Him as Lord of our lives.

Then He can let go of the 'sentence' as the forgiving Father the psalmist sang of:

If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins,

O Lord, who could stand?

But with you there is forgiveness;

therefore you are feared. (Psalm 130:3-4)

It may be easy to see ourselves only as the 'Peter' in this account. And certainly, we should be like Him, sharing our testimony with others. However, I think we should also put ourselves in the place of Cornelius, and the other Gentiles. In what ways have we let other things (schoolwork, sports, work, money) get ahead in our priority list. Are we seeking Christ only as the Lord of our lives every day?

My Lord and friend, in the quietness of this hour, reconcile my contrary motives and conflicting desires. Give me a singleness of purpose that I may be an ambassador of reconciliation to those whom I meet this day. (Upper Room Guided Prayer)

Test Your Strength - Not Just for Fairs & Carnivals

Many of us may have seen it at the fair.

How strong are you? Pull down the little lever with all your might. Hit the lever as hard as you can... Test your strength!

In 2 Corinthians 13, Paul shows us that testing your strength is not just for carnivals and fairs. However, the 'strength' that Paul refers to is quite different.

¹ This will be my third visit to you. “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” ² I already gave you a warning when I was with you the second time. I now repeat it while absent: On my return I will not spare those who sinned earlier or any of the others, ³ since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. ⁴ For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God’s power we will live with him in our dealing with you.

⁵ Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? ⁶ And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test. ⁷ Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong—not so that people will see that we have stood the test but so that you will do what is right even though we may seem to have failed. ⁸ For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. ⁹We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is that you may be fully restored. ¹⁰ This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority—the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down.

¹¹ Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

¹² Greet one another with a holy kiss. (2 Corinthians 13:1-12)

The repetition of the weak/strong theme presents itself in the beginning of this scripture, reiterating that though Christ was made weak on the cross, he lives (and was brought back to life) by God's power. And though we are only weakly rooted in Christ (lacking perfect faith), God's power allows us a place in Christ.

After this reminder, Paul moves on to urge the Corinthians to 'test themselves'. The testing or examination talked about here is the kind that would test how genuine something is. The Corinthians have been talking the talk, "WWJD", but can they walk the walk? The verb "realize" in verse 5 means to 'know fully enough to be able to act on that knowledge' - epi ginosko (IVP New Testament Commentary). This question suggests that maybe the Corinthians have lost sight of the fact that Christ is in their midst... making them unable to show the fruits of the spirit and embody the power of God. After all, it would seem that something was awry if they were demanding proof that Christ was speaking through Paul (v.3). Paul himself has been put to the test by the Corinthians and now it is their turn.

What is the reasoning for this call to self-examination, this auto-test, this 'test-your-strength'? It's quite different from the fair where you'd receive a neon stuffed dragon and cheer from the crowd. The purpose of this self-examination is for the Corinthians to be 'fully restored' (v.9). Verse 10 again echoes this purpose, by encouraging the Corinthians to 'Strive for full restoration... [and] be of one mind'.

This singularity of purpose and restoration should remind us of a theme we've been considering lately... reconciliation. Here we see what can happen when we are not reconciled, restored fully to God. If we are not reconciled to God, we may not know fully enough that Christ is in enough in order to act upon it. Do you know fully enough that Christ is in you?

Call out to God this morning... ask for full restoration, that we may be of one mind of the one Christ who is in us.

Only that kind of strength will win the ultimate prize!

Two Tiny Hands, Two Tiny Feet, One Big Heart

Yesterday my friend and neighbor Jessica went into labor. Yes, quite appropriately on labor day! And she and her husband now have another adorable baby boy... healthy and small and perfect. I was so excited and happy for them that I walked to the store and bought them a card congratulating them all on the addition to their family.

The card I found, which I can only hope they liked as much as I did, read "Two tiny hands... two tiny feet... one big heart, although small in size, so pure, so innocent..." I'm sure I'm forgetting some words in there, but what stood out to me was the heart. It made me think of how beautiful it was to how everything that God creates is so good- the baby's heart is so pure and innocent indeed.

And when I read this verse this morning, it just amazed me:

¹ Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

⁶ You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

⁹ Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! ¹⁰ For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! ¹¹ Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

"Justified" is another Bible term that merits a definition. "Justified" means 'having been made righteous before God.' That is only helpful if we know what 'righteous' means, so let's try again. It could be stated as 'having been made virtuous and without sin by God'. And yesterday we read about reconciliation without ourselves. But Romans mentions 'reconciliation' to God, which is like being 'restored to God'.

So let's put this together. We are restored (reconciled) to God, because Christ's sacrifice makes us (justifies) pure and without sin (righteous).

Now especially after reading Romans, I understood what God does for each of us. But after thinking about my new little neighbor this morning, I couldn't help but think... Wow! God is so great and powerful and wonderful and benevolent! He not only is able to create a perfect little baby with a heart so pure and innocent. He is able to take a sinner with a heart that is torn, filled with conflicting motives, and make it once again so pure and so innocent.

Lord, I pray that once again today you would pour your love out into my heart through the Holy Spirit. Make my heart once again pure, innocent and righteous before You, so that I may be restored to You... Yours all day long, every day.... in all I do and say. Amen.

Inner Reconciliation

The Church of the Brethren is known as one of the 3 historic peace churches, so the word 'reconciliation' is no stranger to a Brethren or I imagine a Mennonite in fact. However, I find that I almost always envision 'reconciliation' as an outward work... peacemaking within a community, in a war torn land, in an unsettled home. This is worthwhile 'reconciliation' work in deed. After all, blessed are the peacemakers.

But Jesus shows us that we must also continually call upon the Lord for inner reconciliation work. We need to be reconciled to God.

¹⁶ So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! ¹⁸ All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. ²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:16-21)

Dictionary.com defines 'reconciliation' as the process of making consistent or compatible. In the outward peace work, we may understand this compatibility as enabling groups to work together harmoniously. In terms of an inner work, the 'reconciliation' would take the form of making our own selves consistent and compatible.

I believe that if we are perfectly honest with ourselves, we are hypocritical beings. How often do we urge others to go to church yet ourselves struggle to find 15 minutes to be with the Lord of creation every day. How often do we forget during the day to reflect upon Christ as the center of our life? How often do we struggle to live out that purpose? As Paul said, "For I do not do the good I want to do. Instead I do the evil that I hate" (Romans 7:19). This is exactly why we need to lift our lives up to Christ daily, confessing our sins and asking the Holy Spirit to do the work of reconciliation to make us more perfect, to be reconciled to God. Then we can daily be a "new creation"!

Praise be to the God who makes all things new!

Weatherize Your Life

Geez- it seems like we've been getting a lot of weather these days. Earthquakes, hurricanes, and now a storm to hit the Gulf Coast! Even people with good sturdy homes may be nervous about what will happen.

But, cautions about weathering our lives not against the tropical storms or hurricanes... but against the storms of life.

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ ²³ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

²⁸ When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching... (Matthew 7:21-28)

In our readings of these scriptures, we often separate this into two pieces. But notice the 'therefore' linking the two distinct parts together. First is the warning that we must really know God. He must be the center of our lives, our thoughts and our prayers daily. It is not only what we do outwardly, but our personal relationship with Jesus inwardly that will allow Him to recognize us.

After the warning comes the promise, like sunshine after a storm. Whoever listens to Jesus' words and walks in a personal relationship with Him will be built on that solid foundation. This is all too vivid of an image after the hurricane. So many deaths, so much destruction. I continue to pray for the many families affected by such loss and hardship.

Jesus here, however, refers to the so-called 'storms of life' which do come in their season. If Jesus is our foundation, then we will withstand the storm. Yes, after a storm all homes usually show a little wear. We may have some tears, some suffering, some hurt... but we will 'not fall', because we have 'our foundation on the rock.'

These storms come in all shapes and sizes. Right now, my mini-storm which is really more of a rain shower is the fact that Brad and I have been apart for so long. I left for Brazil mid-June and he won't return until mid-September (which is soon! :oD!!!!). I'm so grateful that we got to see one another for 4 days in July... such a blessing God granted to both of us. But, it has been hard... to be married yet feel kind of single, to be on our own yet have married decisions and obligations to take care of, to miss each other and feel distant, to have our only form of communication be g-chat. In a first year of marriage, I know that we wouldn't have weathered this storm quite as well as we have if it hadn't been for weatherizing our foundation. The storms may come and go, but our relationship has its foundation on the rock.

And for that, I give God all the glory and praise and honor! I am so thankful that God provided Brad as a husband for me; we have built our relationship together on the rock... and even when we go thousands of miles away, our marriage is not going anywhere. Thanks be to God, the giver of every good and perfect gift!

Let me tell you why you are here...

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:13-16)

A familiar piece of scripture, but an important one. I agree with 'The Message' which includes as a first verse:

¹³"Let me tell you why you are here.

That's really it. In a continuation to the sermon on the mount from yesterday, God explains why we are here... what we are to do and be as His disciples. In short- Be salty! Be light! In other words, as His disciples, we must both 'taste' and 'look' like His. Actually both of these metaphors bring important insights into 'why we are here'.

Be Salty!

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

So, we're supposed to be salty, to taste like God. How do we do that? It may remind us of Psalm 34:8 "O taste and see that the Lord is good." It has often been explained as stating something like "By experience, know that the Lord is good." And indeed, that is what it means to me. It is one of my favorite verses, because it reminds me of all the experiences that have shown me and continue to show me His goodness.

But this verse also clues us into 'why' it is so important for us to be 'the salt of the earth'. It explains that salt that loses its saltiness is 'no longer good for anything', and then it stands to reason that salty salt is good for something- it's useful. Be useful... be helpful... be salty... be tasteful... if we keep our saltiness, then people can be true disciples and people can experience/taste/know God through us.

Be Light!

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16)

And now, we're supposed to be light. My optical science friends could probably explain why technically speaking that is an impossibility, but thankfully this is another metaphor. There will be no bending or refracting here. Instead, let's look at what we're to do with this light. Jesus tells us to give this light to everyone in the house and to let it shine before others. The fact that we are to 'give this light to everyone in the house' is interesting. I've never heard the song go, "This little light of mine, I'm gonna give it to everyone." This suggests that we should be offering this light... in an inclusive way, to everyone. Of course, this is central to Christianity. You dont' need to be born into a certain family line. You only need to be 'born again' in Christ, who gave His life for all. And we also see that our light should 'shine' before others.

So now, we see that individuals should be able to see God in us (light) and then experience/know God through us (salt). But how do we do that?

How?

On our own, we cannot be 'salt' or 'light'... these are distinguishing characteristics of those who walk closely with God. You may have noticed that you start acting or talking like someone that you spend a lot of time with. This kind of thing is very natural. (I can especially speak for the 'talking' part. ;o) And that should be us. As followers of Christ, we seek to imitate Him. We seek to 'be holy as He is holy', to 'be salty as He is salty', to 'be light as He is light'.

But to do that, we must daily ask the Holy Spirit to enter into our lives, asking Him to change and mold us into the likeness of Christ, so that we may be 'good for something' - and that something is leading others to 'glorify the Lord'.

2 Blessings from the Beatitudes

Today as I was reading the beatitudes, I had two interesting thoughts... hopefully they were guided by the Word himself (referred to as the Verb in Spanish).

¹ Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ² and he began to teach them.

The Beatitudes

He said:

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
⁵ Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
⁷ Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. (Matthew 5:1-11)

1) 'Blessed' is very different from 'righteous'.

Just imagine how it would've been different if Jesus had said, "Righteous are the poor in spirit... Righteous are those who mourn." No, righteous suggests right, and right suggests earning something. Instead, to be blessed, there must be one who blesses. And the content of the beatitudes shows that we are not blessed because of what we have done. (Imagine a crying competition to earn a blessing. No one would win, because the competitors would be splitting their mourning with their competing.) We are blessed because of the one who blesses.

'Blessed' literally means 'held as holy'. Only the One who is Holy is able to make us holy... set us apart from this world. And who is set apart as holy? Not only the righteous, the kings, the disciples... those who are sad, those who are persecuted, those who show mercy, the meek. I wonder who of us does not find him/herself in there somewhere.

And that leads me to...

2) What if we treated everyone everyday as if they were truly 'blessed' by God?

That bus driver, the cashier at the supermarket, the student whose cell phone went off (again!), the advisor who keeps giving you more work, the daughter who won't stop asking why.

Just take a moment to stop and think... wow, _____ is blessed by God! This person is really special, and treat them just that way.

With His disciples at His side, I can't help but think that Jesus was teaching them to be true disciples just as much as He was teaching those gathered there. After all, this is the way we see Jesus treat people - women, children, tax collectors alike - he treats them as though they are blessed... and He should know, since He is the holy one who blesses and makes us holy.

I pray today that God allow me to see each person as blessed, set apart as holy by the Lord... so that I may be His disciple, more able to show His love to all I see.

Bearing Good Fruit - Integration of our Inner & Outer Life

As I continue to reflect on true discipleship this week, it seems clear that integration of our inner and outer lives would be a goal- that we would receive the Holy Spirit and then give that to others. Although I never thought of the 'fruits of the spirit' in this way before, the image now becomes more powerful to me. Many of us are probably familiar with the faith/works debate... and we seek to find the middle ground where our faith is present in our actions but also deep in our souls. [Enter fruit tree]

Consider the mango tree. No one could miss its fruit when it's in season... the fruit high in the trees, the bright oranges and yellows against the greens of the leaves. You can certainly see it. But, there was something that had to happen beforehand in order for the tree to bear that fruit. The inside of the tree prepared itself to bear fruit, through the right water, soil and sunshine.

So, Galatians 5:22-26 becomes all the more meaningful to me....

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

When thinking about the image of a fruit tree, this fruit of the spirit similarly is something that begins deep within our souls. We need living water; we need to be grounded in the word; and we need communion with the Son (our Lord and savior) to bear beautiful, nourishing fruit. So, the fruit of the Spirit is from the Spirit (inner), but it is something which shows on our branches... offering the Truth to others.

Mother Teresa said it this way in "Words to Love By":

Just allow people to see Jesus in you

to see how you pray

to see how you lead a pure life

to see how you deal with your family

to see how much peace there is in your family.

Then you can look straight into their eyes and say, "This is the way."

You speak from life, you speak from experience.

This suggests that we must first have an active prayer life, purity of thought, a peaceful family... and all of those come from the fruits of the Spirit. And if we are running a little dry, we only need to seek. For "when you seek, you will find when you seek with all your heart".

I'm so thankful today for the many people who are 'bearing their fruit' to all the people who are still without power or with flooded streets on the east coast. I pray that everyone who was affected by Irene may feel the many prayers lifted up on their behalf and find the outstretched arms that they need in this difficult time.

You Must Receive in Order to Give

I realize that the title of this reflection may be somewhat shocking on this page. We often hear the saying, "It is better to give than to receive." But is it always? Perhaps it depends what and from whom we are receiving.

This week's theme is 'true discipleship', and the opening invocation reads:

"Good Teacher, help me in this hour to hear your clear call to discipleship. By the power of your Spirit grant me wisdom, courage and strength to live as your disciple all day long. Amen.

This prayer clearly shows the relationship between receiving and giving. In order to give ourselves to others in discipleship (following & spreading God's teachings), we must first receive the wisdom, courage and strength that God has to give us. In fact, if we think about it... receiving is a beautiful and important part of the story which allows us to truly recognize God's power in our lives- "I can do nothing apart from Christ who gives me strength." If we attempt to give without Christ's love, courage, wisdom, and strength, we are certainly headed for burnout. We're trying to give water from an empty well... which will leave both ourselves and others thirsty.

In order to give good spiritual gifts, we must receive God's wonderful spiritual gifts that He longs to give to us in our quiet devotional times with Him.

As disciples, we are asked to imitate and follow our teacher, as is described below:

¹ Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ² then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. ³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴ not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

⁵ In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

⁶ Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷ rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross! (Phillipians 2:1-8)

The first verse above is filled with the conditional "if", suggesting that in order to be like-minded and truly imitate Christ, there are certain requirements. And how can we feel encouragement in Christ, comfort from His love, sharing in His Spirit, tenderness and compassion? We must first receive all these beautiful gifts from God... coming before God in prayer, reading His word, opening our hearts and time to Him... only then can we have the same selfless love of Jesus, when He works in our lives and grants us those "good and perfect gifts".

This morning I pray especially for all the graduate students in GCF, especially the new graduate students. Confronted with many new jobs and pressures, it's often hard to set time apart for the Lord. But I pray that each morning, these students are able to find even 15 minutes to read, to pray, to receive God's Holy Spirit, so that He may walk with them each through the day... enabling them to live each day as Christ's disciples on campus.

Similarly, I pray each day for my marriage. Marriage is our opportunity to live out Christ's love for us to each other... this love in which we put the other person first, before our own desires. But we can only do this truly with God's love. So, I pray that God would grant me the wisdom, kindness, compassion, and selflessness of His Spirit to teach me how to love my husband more and more in the way that Christ loves us.

Are You Going?

This week I've been reading about and reflecting on the centrality of Christ in my life. My prayer for this week is more than anything that God would teach me how to let Christ be the biggest and most important center of my life, letting all other things be small ways in which I can glorify the Lord.

Interestingly, today I read a scripture about 'going'... in which Jesus asks them if they will go with Him.

To Whom Shall We Go?

⁶⁶ From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

⁶⁷ “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.

⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹ We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:66-71)

Following Jesus and going where He went was certainly not for the faint of heart. In fact, following Jesus and going where He calls us to go is still challenging. Sometimes we may wander from the path without even realizing it. We may turn back without noticing that is what we have done.

But that's why it's so important to pray that God guide our lives, to commit our lives anew to Him each and every day. Because we may just as well ask the same question as Simon Peter asked, "To whom shall we go?" Perhaps we're not often tempted to go to a 'whom', following another person or religion. But, we might be tempted to go after a 'what' - a better job position, a bigger house, a higher degree. Of course none of these things are bad in themselves, but they should not be the center of our lives. "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you as well" (Matthew 6:33).

After all, as Simon Peter said, when we know Christ and His words of eternal life, we know that only Christ is worth following.

As many on the East coast are leaving their homes/their possession not knowing what will happen with Hurricane Irene, I pray that they may seek God at this time... remembering that He is the one we seek and the one we go to. And that cannot be taken away from us. Many prayers for all those facing the storm. May the one who calms the storm calm your hearts and protect you.

The Spirit of the Old Testament

Today, once again, as I seek to understand the Holy Spirit, I feel that I have been missing something.

Surely, the Holy Spirit plays an important role in the New Testament, but what about the references to the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament?

²⁵ “Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will now restore the fortunes of Jacob and will have compassion on all the people of Israel, and I will be zealous for my holy name. ²⁶ They will forget their shame and all the unfaithfulness they showed toward me when they lived in safety in their land with no one to make them afraid. ²⁷ When I have brought them back from the nations and have gathered them from the countries of their enemies, I will be proved holy through them in the sight of many nations. ²⁸ Then they will know that I am the LORD their God, for though I sent them into exile among the nations, I will gather them to their own land, not leaving any behind. ²⁹ I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the people of Israel, declares the Sovereign LORD.” (Ezekiel 39:25-29)

This morning's readings in Ezekiel helped to remind me that God has worked through His Spirit in many ways, even before sending His son.

Scripture speaks of the Holy Spirit as working in creation:

“By the word of the Lord were the heavens made,and all their hosts by the breath (spirit) of His mouth” (Psalm 33.6).
Empowering God's servants:

‘the Lord took some of the spirit that was upon him [Moses], and put it upon the seventy elders, and when the spirit rested upon them they prophesied’. (Numbers 11:25-26)

These are just a few from

http://www.angelfire.com/ok/bibleteaching/hsinot.html

But I do feel that if we miss this, we are misunderstanding God. God was not distant or absent throughout the whole Old Testament. He sent His Spirit to empower, strengthen, deliver, create, and protect. But now, that Spirit is sent to all of His children, who believe in Him.

However, perhaps understanding is not the hard part. We must be truly open to the Holy Spirit in order for that Spirit to make a true difference in our lives. We must call upon the spirit to search our hearts and change our thoughts, to cleanse us and lead us not in our own ways, but in God's way. We are continually called not to be self-seeking. In a world where that brings rewards, it is so very difficult to seek the interests of others (friends, family, brothers and sisters at church, neighbors, enemies) instead of our own interests.

So we need to pray continually...

Come upon me, Spirit of the living God. Melt all hardness of heart. See if there be any harm in me, and lead me in your way- forever. Use me for your own purposes wherever you are sending me now. Amen.