Blotted Out

 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. (Acts 3:19-21)

I love the phrase, "blotted out." It shows the power of forgiveness in Christ. It says that when God forgives, it's not a simple matter of simply deciding not to punish you for your past; but a promise that those sins are no longer a part of who you are, as far as He's concerned.

When I was a kid, I had this terrifying idea of Heaven and judgement. I had this picture in my head of God sitting on His throne, me standing there, small and scared, watching the movie of my life as He picked apart my every action. Mortifying! Then, when it was all over, all said and done, He would weigh all that sin against the grace and mercy of His son, and I'd escape Hell.

But "blotted out" tells us that's not what's going to happen. "Blotted out" says when I get to Heaven, what He's going to see is Christ in me, and then stack up how I've lived for Him. All that sin, all that filth, gone, as though it never happened.

See, God sees what we do. He knows when we sin, and that sin just piles up, slowly adding to the destruction of our immortal souls. That's life before repentance, and without Christ, that is the criteria on which we will be judged. But in Christ, we have the power to turn from that sin, and in the turning, leave it behind. And as Psalm 103 tells us, that transgression against His holiness is removed from us "as far as the East is from the West." It's no longer a part of us. It no longer holds us back, and is no longer even recognized by God.

How refreshing.
 

Grace Found In Murder

“Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled." (Acts 3:17-18)

As Peter continued his message to the men of Israel, this is when he really started getting to the meat of the message. Up to this point was illustration: the healing, the reminder of the crucifixion, the mini-lesson in God's power. These were a preamble to the Gospel message Peter was about to share. This next part of the message, Peter began by echoing the words of Jesus. He'd already reminded these men about the man they killed, and now he was reminding them of what He said from the cross: "Father, forgive them, they don't know what they're doing." 

But what were they doing? It turns out, much like Joseph's brothers, their actions were being used to fulfill God's will, more or less in spite of their intentions. 

What grace! 

In spite of wicked and jealous hearts, God provided a way for even these men to be saved -- and He did it using the very wickedness He'd come to heal! 

The fact is, we've all stepped outside of God's will. Romans 3:23 reminds us, all -- everyone -- has sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Many of us have made such a mess of things, we don't know whether we can ever be right with God. We wonder how a just and righteous God could ever forgive the things we've done, the lives we've lived. 

Yet, even in our sins, we discover a path back to Him, if we choose to find it. Peter echoed the words of Christ in offering salvation, even to the men who clamored for Jesus' execution. Surely, God has grace enough for you, too.

Don't Look At Me!

Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon’s, greatly amazed. So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? (Acts 3:11-12)

A man, lame from birth, suddenly leaps up and joyously declares he has been healed. The peoples' reaction to this healing isn't that surprising. But Peter's response is interesting. He asks the men of Israel two questions: First, why are they so surprised to witness the acts of God? And secondly, why are they so willing to put mere men on some sort of pedestal?

"Why look so intently at us," asks Peter, "as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?" This is a theme that began in chapter 2 and will be repeated throughout the book of Acts, and indeed over and over in the letters of Paul: don't look at the mere mortals God chooses to use as instruments of His will; look instead to the God who causes these things to happen. 


It's easy, when we see a ministry grow, or witness the movement of God, or hear a stirring Word, to attribute it to the holiness or piety of the people involved. It's easy to -- and very human -- to wish to be a part of something just as wonderful. To see ourselves used in such a mighty way. To wonder whether we aren't "together" enough in our faith for God to use us. It's natural to worry that we'll never be "good" enough for God to use in a powerful ministry.

The wonder of God's Grace and Mercy is such, however, that we needn't be perfectly holy to be used to glorify His kingdom. Read the accounts of Moses, of David, of Peter and Paul. These were not naturally holy men. These were not the men you or I would choose to fulfill God's will (or in the case of David, allow to continue to act on God's behalf). But then, we aren't God.

As Peter tried to explain to the men on Solomon's Porch, God isn't being glorified by the acts of mere men. This crippled beggar wasn't healed because Peter and John were good and righteous and holy. He was healed because God chose to heal him, using Peter and John as His instruments.

Men fail. Consistently. Failure, indeed, is possibly life's singular constant. But as Peter and John demonstrate, God doesn't wait for us to become perfect before working through us. He doesn't call the qualified -- if He had to do that, He'd never be able to call anyone. God calls the willing, and by working through us brings us closer to His holiness.

Hey, This Isn't What I Asked For!

Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God. (Acts 3:6-8)

Do you recognize the movement of God in your life?

When the man lying at the gate saw Peter and John, he raised his hands and begged for alms. Born lame, begging for money was the only life this man knew. It was all he understood. That was the way of the culture; he could not take care of himself, so he lay by the temple gate and asked the children of God to help him. When they noticed him and stopped, the man had no expectation beyond the usual: that they would provide him with whatever they had available to give him, and be on their way. 

Instead, they gave him much more. They gave him a chance. A new life. And, as we see in verse 8, this formerly lame beggar responded appropriately. 

I wonder how many of us would have fallen back down, content to maintain the status quo. How often have we begged God for something, only to have Him respond in a way so much bigger than we had dared hope? And how often does that happen, but we reject the gift because it wasn't what we asked for?

Can you imagine what it would have looked like if the lame man had rejected this healing? "Hey, wait a minute, guys! I don't know how to do anything but beg! What am I gonna do now?!" He would have seemed pretty ungrateful, right?

Yet, how often do we say the same thing to God? "That's not what I asked for, God. What am I gonna do with this?"

Trust God. Trust that He knows His plan for you, and that it's better than you could ever plan for yourself. Trust that whatever happens will be to His glory. If you have the faith to ask, have the faith, too, to accept His answer, whatever it is, and to praise Him for the answering. 

Learn to understand that God will bless in His own way, and that His way is far superior to our own, and you will find yourself blessed beyond measure.

Judas's Grisly End

And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and said, “Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus;  for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry.”

(Now this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out. And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem; so that field is called in their own language, Akel Dama, that is, Field of Blood.)
“For it is written in the Book of Psalms:

‘Let his dwelling place be desolate,
And let no one live in it’;

and,‘Let another take his office.’ (Acts 1:15-20)

As an aside, in what seems like almost a throw-away passage in Acts 1, the author describes the horrifying death of Judas Iscariot, the betrayer of Jesus. Matthew 27 tells us Judas's suicide was the result of his deep remorse over his betrayal. 

I often think about Judas. The simple reality was, somebody had to turn Jesus in. But did Judas have to be condemned? The answer, I think, tells us something about God's relationship with us. Though we have an all-knowing God who sets the course of all things, our actions remain our choice. God didn't force Judas to turn on Jesus; that was Judas's choice, and his alone. But even then, I believe Judas could have been redeemed. 

This is not unprecedented; indeed, you might say the story of Joseph parallels with that of Jesus almost perfectly. Betrayed by his brothers -- those in whom he ought to be able to trust with his very life -- Joseph was sold into slavery. But, we discover, this act of betrayal was ultimately vital in the salvation of Jacob (Israel) and his sons. In fact, without this horrific act on the part of Joseph's brothers, the nation of Israel would not exist. Joseph himself recognizes this fact when he forgives his remorseful brothers:

But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. (Genesis 50:20)

So, just as Joseph forgave his brothers and reconciled with them, I believe even Judas was not too far gone for the grace of God. He, unfortunately, allowed his remorse to lead him to death instead of the arms of Grace. If only he could have learned the lesson of Joseph's brothers! If he'd only known the truth: we can't sin too big for God. 

Let me say that another way: there is only one sin in all of Scripture which Christ has declared unforgivable, and that is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31-32). Speak against Me, He says, and you'll be forgiven. So, in fact, Jesus declares in plain language that even Judas could have sought, and been granted, forgiveness for his actions. 

No matter what you've done, who you've hurt, where you've been... you aren't too far gone for Grace. God is bigger than your sin. He is an infinite God with infinite stores of grace. Judas's final sin was despair -- despair too great for him to escape. Judas chose that despair over the loving gaze of God. You needn't make that mistake. God's grace is big enough for me, and it's big enough for you. All you need to do is let go of your pride, and let Him take the guilt away. 

You've held onto it long enough.

Baptism: Water AND Spirit

"... for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” (Acts 1:5)

Sometimes, it feels as though you can never be clean, doesn't it? 

I spent some time looking at this verse, trying to figure it out. We know that John baptized with water -- Jesus says "Truly baptized," which I take to mean John's baptism was right before God, and truly signified cleanliness before God. So why does Jesus make the distinction?

I think this goes back to the beginning. Genesis 2:7 says

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

We are both physical and spiritual beings. God first formed man's physical body, and then breathed His own breath to give him life. So while it makes sense that baptism -- the washing with water -- symbolizes the cleansing of our physical sin, this second baptism carries it a step further. 

When we sin, we sin in the flesh. This point is made in the New Testament on several occasions. And so a physical baptism of water cleanses that sinful flesh. Yet, Jesus also makes the point that sin begins in the heart. 

 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire....  

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28)

In other words, it's not enough to be clean on the outside. Instead, Jesus gives us His spirit -- not only to empower us to do His work, but to sanctify us and make us clean before Him. As Paul says in Romans 12:2

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 

 Thank God for baptism of both water and spirit. Thank Him that, no matter the strength of our own sin, He can wash it away, from the inside out!

In The Paths of Righteousness

He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake. (Psalm 23:3b)

Our God is marked by His grace and mercy. These two key traits are how we best know our Messiah -- they are manifestations of His great love for us. We, meanwhile, are known by our need for His grace and mercy. If you're a Christian, this is pretty basic stuff. You don't come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ without first understanding what it is you need to be saved from. 

One of the wonderful things about having a God who saves though, is that He knows our strengths and weaknesses. Take, for example, Jesus' admonition in Matthew 5:48 to "be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." Does He really believe you and I, in our own strength, can come even close to that kind of standard? If He did, He wouldn't have needed to die. 

No. He knows you and I aren't capable of perfection. We take a couple steps toward Righteousness and are as completely lost as a ship in fog with no navigation. But He doesn't expect us to tread the path of Righteousness on our own. Instead, He leads us. 

This is part of what it means to be a shepherd. The sheep don't always know the way. They don't always have the destination in mind. They get distracted. But the Shepherd knows where He's going. He knows what the sheep need, and how to get them there. So He leads. 

And the leading, too, is a part of His grace.

Four Facts About Sin and Temptation

Drug addict. Alcoholic. Gay. Loose. Gossip. Bully. Hypocrite.

All too often, we define others by the sin in their lives. We label and judge on the nature of their fallenness, turning their wounds into their identity. It only makes sense for us to do this, though. After all, on some level, we do it to ourselves, too. We define ourselves on how we are tempted. And so we define others the same way.

But we've forgotten the truth about sin and temptation. There's Good News to be had here, and we needn't collapse under the weight of our own imperfections. And we certainly needn't add the weight of our own judgement onto the burdens of others.

Here are four forgotten facts about sin and temptation, straight out of the Bible.

1. Temptation is not sin.
Hebrews 4:15 tells us, "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin."

Here's a truth that shouldn't be controversial: it isn't a sin to be tempted by homosexuality. It isn't a sin to be an alcoholic. Sin is not temptation, and temptation is not sin. Jesus Himself was taken into the desert and tempted. But He did not sin. See the difference?

2. Temptation may never go away
While it's true that God may remove temptation from some people, it's not always the case. I've certainly heard wonderful testimonies from people who stopped drinking as soon as Christ entered their lives. I've heard of God gradually healing people of sexual temptation, of homosexual desires, or of the desire for drugs. Sometimes, He removes these heavier temptations from us. But for every case I've heard where God removes temptation, I've heard countless others where He has not. 

Why? Because in our weakness, we rely on Him, and He is made strong. 

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.(2 Corinthians 12:9)

3. You are not your sin
Your sin doesn't define who you are. 

When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”
She said, “No one, Lord.”
And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” (John 8:10-11)

"Go and sin no more." When Jesus was confronted by the legalists over the woman caught in adultery, His response was to challenge the first person without sin to cast the first stone. No one was able. But it was His words to her that were most telling. She wasn't an adulteress. It wasn't who she was. It was something she did. And she was forgiven, and empowered to leave that sin behind. 

And if you're not defined by sin, your identity certainly isn't tied to your temptation.

4. Sin can be forgiven.

Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation... (2 Corinthians 5:16-18)

The Crack In My Songlasses

 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:4-8)

 
I have a confession: I sometimes have a really hard time seeing people the way Jesus sees them.

I'm not talking about the poor here. Or the widows. Or orphans. I'm not talking about people who obviously need to be shown God's love in a practical way. Granted, I could do more on that score, too, but I don't have a difficult time seeing them through Christ's eyes.

But on the other side of the spectrum, you have the haughty. The proud. The rude. You have people who seem to somehow believe they are better or more important than everyone else. You see people who are selfish with their belongings, refusing to help others. You have people who cut in line, cut you off, look down their noses, judge others. The greedy, the arrogant, the self-righteous.

I confess a difficult time seeing Jesus in some people.

But the more I think of it, the more I think it has more to do with me than it does with them. I have never been homeless or orphaned. I have been proud. I have been rude. I have been arrogant and self-righteous. And, sometimes, I still am.

Maybe I have such a hard time seeing Jesus in these people, because I'm too busy seeing myself.

All Fun And Games Until...

Repent is a big word. A huge word, actually. Even an impossible one.

Repent means to turn away from sin. It means to recognize what we have done to displease God, and to simply walk away from it. To stop doing it. Sounds easy, right? Sure, until you try it. Before you know it, one tiny sin trickles its way back to your doorstep. One little temptation.

Yet Scripture tells us repentance is necessary for Salvation. Indeed, Jesus takes sin so seriously He recommends doing whatever it takes to cut it out of your life.

If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. (Matthew 5:29-30)

Not only does this passage tell you how serious Sin really is, and how serious God really is about it, but it tells you how impossible it is to fight it on our own. Cut your hand off? Pluck out your eye? Does Jesus really mean these things?

Fortunately, repentance isn't merely a turning away. It is also -- perhaps even more -- a turning to. We take our eyes off our own worldly temptations and fix them instead on Christ. And it is in Christ that true repentance becomes possible. 

So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me.  For in my inner being I delight in God’s law;  but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.  What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?  Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. (Romans 7:21-25)

We can't turn away from sin on our own. But we can turn to Christ, and in Him have the strength to truly repent.

I'm Rubber, You're Glue!

Ever heard this one before: I'm rubber, you're glue, whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you?" As poetry, maybe it's not the best, but there's an interesting truth to it. Just not the one we usually meant when we said it as children.

But first, let's back up a little. We are sinners. We are guilty of sinning against the God of the Universe, and failing to meet His standard of holiness. This is spoken of in Scripture, and evidenced in our daily lives. Children, for example, aren't taught how to lie, how to fight, how to misbehave. It comes naturally. Instead, they must be taught how to treat one another properly. How to put others before themselves. Welcome to human nature.

Thank God, then, that He sent Christ, His only Son, to lift that burden of our sinful natures, and offer Himself instead, not only as ransom, but as a means of escaping sin itself.

Yet, we still have an Accuser. Accusers, actually. Not only is the devil himself whispering in my ear, reminding me of my past, and present, failures. Not only is he telling me I can never be good enough for God, but the rest of the world, too, stands with fingers pointed in accusation.

Hypocrite! Liar! Bigot! Sinner! The wrath of the world fueled by the lies of Satan, the Accuser. But we have hope. We have confidence. Because we have Christ, who has paved the way. We have Christ who has loved us, even while we were yet sinners, as Romans 5:8 reminds us, and died for us to prove it.

The Devil says you're not good enough, and he's right. You're not. I'm not. Nobody is. But where he's wrong is in accusing you of sin for which you've already been forgiven. He's right that you're not good enough to stand in front of God. But he's wrong, because we have an intercessor to plead our case when we do.

We call this "projection." It is important to Satan that we believe we will never abide eternally with God, because he knows he once did, and never will again. So these arrows of accusation, though meant for you, bounce right off, and stick right back to the one who sent them. Because it is he who can never be made worthy. It is he who once had everything you and I will inherit, and threw it away in his arrogance. He stood face to face with God, and chose to walk away. But in Christ, his fate is not ours.

Of Presidents, Bears, and Failing To Do The Wrong Thing

Today is Teddy Bear Day. Most people have heard the story of how the Teddy Bear came to be. It started in 1902, when, after a frustrating hunting experience, President Teddy Roosevelt was presented with a baby bear. Mr. Roosevelt, the presenter suggested, might like to shoot this bear so at least they wouldn't go home empty-handed. The president of course refused, and the incident was portrayed in a newspaper cartoon. A toy maker picked up on the idea, and the rest is history.

Originally, I was going to use today to illustrate something about mercy. Instead, I'd like to point out how badly we need it. See, Roosevelt isn't remembered in this incident for showing mercy to this baby bear. Not really. Rather, he's the hero of this tale simply for refusing to do something horrible.

Think about it. This small bear cub hadn't done anything to the hunting party. It hadn't even grown into a mature adult. Whether or not you agree with hunting as a sport, I think anyone with a heart pretty much understands why shooting the cub would've been a rotten thing to do. This isn't mercy; it's humanity. That the incident was commemorated tells us something about ourselves, I think.

We, the human race, tends to see simple kindness as something extraordinary. We have this idea that we deserve to be rewarded somehow for not taking part in doing the wrong thing, or because we managed, somehow, to do what's right.

I'll never forget the day when, as a substitute teacher, I was asked by my students about drug use. Actually, I believe the direct quote was, "I bet you did a lot of drugs in college, huh?" He really wanted to know. So I told him: no. Not even once. I've never been drunk, and I've never even experimented with drugs. The students were incredulous. How did I manage that? How did I get through college and not do drugs? It's just sort of taken for granted that, at a certain age, you're expected to do the wrong thing, and anyone who fails to do the wrong thing is either a hero or pariah. I'm honestly not sure, to this day, how they viewed me.

But what all this tells me is simply this: we need a savior. All of us. It's so easy to do the wrong thing. Doing the right thing, even if, in hindsight it was as simple as just making a decision, can seem like an insurmountable challenge at the time. The truth about human nature is that defaulting to the wrong choice is ingrained in all of us. And that's why I need God. That's why Jesus came. Because even though we all do it right now and then, even though anyone can (theoretically) avoid the bad and embrace the good, much of the time, we simply don't.

My prayer this morning is that God help each of us to stop looking for the pat on the back every time we do the right thing. That He help us instead see our need for Him. That He forgive us our depravity which causes even simple acts of kindness to seem extraordinary, and that we look to Him as the perfect example of how to live a truly good life.

Hey, you. With the bomb strapped to your chest. I love you.

We read it so often, I'm afraid it's gotten too easy to fail to recognize the power of the scene. To misunderstand the significance of a man forgiving his murderers, even while he is being murdered. And yet, that's exactly the scene set before us in Luke 23.

And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do. (vs 33-34)

Right here, in this act of Divine forgiveness, is where we learn two very important things about Jesus Christ. First, that He really did come to create a path between us and God; that He was so focused on that cause and mission He was not only willing to die for it, but still loved those who killed Him over it. Second, we learn He has not commanded anything of us that He was unwilling to do. 

Early in His ministry, Jesus gave a sermon. This sermon not only detailed what He expected of each of us, but told us how we would accomplish it: because it set the tone for His entire ministry. 

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?  Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:43-48)

We will have enemies. This is a fact of life. There are people on this planet who hate you only because of where you happen to live, the nationality you happen to have grown up in. They may not even know you, but they hate you. And there are people who hate you personally. We are faced daily with a choice: do we hate them back? Or do we love them?

And I don't mean just saying the words. It becomes all too easy to say you love your enemies. But to actively love. 

Looking at my own life, I wonder how often I pray for Al Qaeda. Not just the organization, but for the extremists, the hate-filled individuals who make up the organization. How many times have I asked God to quiet their hearts, and fill them with an understanding of His Grace? 

How often do I argue with or mock the misguided children of Westboro Baptist (the infamous funeral protestors), rather than pray for them to know and understand the love of Christ? 

When it comes to those with whom I strongly disagree politically or religiously, do I spend more time formulating an argument, rolling my eyes, and wishing they'd just shut up... or praying that they spend each day fervently seeking God; praying that He be with them in their troubles, and for the health of their families?

When it comes to those who hate and hurt me, the question is, do I hate back? Or do I love, as Jesus loves, enough to forgive?

Nothing More Than Peelings

I like bananas. I mean, I like fruit in general. But I like bananas. The thing about bananas is, they're nutritious.
They taste good. And they're so versatile. You can eat them plain, cut them into your Cheerios, put them in grilled peanut butter sandwiches, bake them into bread... you get the idea. Hundreds of ways to enjoy the deliciousness that is the banana.

But you have to peel it first.

(Now, before the Whole Foods movement launches an attack, yes, you can eat the peel. But I'm talking about the fruit itself.)

To get the best use out of the banana, you have to remove the tough, bitter outer layer. Only then can you get to the wonderful, versatile fruit I've described.

Humans often have a similar shell. A peel, if you will. Created by circumstance: hurts, betrayals, fears -- these peels protect our soft, squishy reality from the harsh world outside. Like the banana peel, this outer layer is tough. It's bitter. And it renders us mostly useless.

The truth is, you can't be the most you -- you can't be everything you could be -- as long as you stay inside your peel. Until you expose the real you, until you offer up yourself -- including the soft, squishy fruit in the middle  -- for God's use, all you can be is an unpeeled banana. The peel is there to help you ripen... but stay inside and you simply rot, no good to anyone.

Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

 If you want to love authentically, and to be loved authentically, you have to get beyond the outer layer, expose the true You, and look for it in others. Just be gentle: we bananas bruise easily. 

If it wasn't for failure, I'd have nothing to be proud of

Failure is possibly humanity's greatest common denominator. We've all failed. We're all going to fail again. Failure is a part of life, and a vital key to success. Everyone from Michael Jordan to Thomas Edison has extolled the virtues of failing.

In the Disney film Meet The Robinsons, the Robinson family celebrates each failure, recognizing it as the next step to success. And this is all great, and there's a lot of truth to be learned from all this. But the joy in failure goes even deeper.

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10 - Emphasis mine. Obviously.)

I, like Paul, can celebrate failure because it is a reminder that I need God. I need God because I am too small to save myself. Because I am too broken to heal others on my own. Because I am too weak to serve Him in my own strength. 

And I rejoice in this need for Him, just as I rejoice in my need for my family. It is this need that brings us together and binds us. It is this need that becomes relationship, and love, and joy. Need is the basis for community itself, and because it is, it is a thing to be revered. I rejoice in failure, because in our weakness we find our need for one another, and recognize our need for a Savior.

Wounds

This is a hard world. A world where, from a young age, children learn to hate without provocation, while others learn to either fight back or keep their heads down. A world where our childhood fears and troubles grow right along with us into adulthood. A world where some folks are out for themselves, stepping on anyone they have to in order to reach the top of whatever ladder it is they're climbing, and where some folks are fighting just to survive another day, week, year.

It's been said nobody gets out of here alive; certainly none of us will escape unharmed.  Wounds -- physical, emotional, spiritual -- are the price of admission, and the price will be paid by each of us.

We read in Scripture about a Great Physician, who heals the sick, give sight to the blind, makes the lame walk, gives life to the dead, and forgives sin. Yet, somewhere along the way, many of us have decided that some wounds run too deep to find real healing.We have this idea that we, somehow, are uniquely troubled; that we must find a way to heal ourselves before we present ourselves to the Father.

But not only do we not need to fix our own brokenness, the truth is, it simply can't be done. Jesus said,  

Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
    For they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek
    For they shall inherit the earth. (Mt 5:3-5)

He's not looking for people who have it all together; He wants those who understand they don't. It doesn't matter what you've done in the past, who you were, or who you think you are. It doesn't matter, to Jesus, what others think of you, or how others treat you. He made you. He loves you. He sacrificed Himself in one of the most painful ways possible just to bring you near to Him. And you think that, somehow, you are too broken? If Jesus can raise the dead, and make saints of prostitutes and tax collectors, He can handle your baggage, too.

You are broken... and that's exactly where you need to be. Now, seek healing.

Of Dogs and Saints: Mutts One And All

I love dogs. All dogs. Big and small, scruffy, slobbery, refined... having a dog in one's life is one of life's great pleasures.

My last dog was a mutt. She may not have been a show dog (because, after all, one must be a pure bred to be considered worthy of such an honor. Or some such nonsense.), but she was beautiful. Part golden retriever, part black lab, she was short and blonde. She shed her fur uncontrollably. She loved to jump up with excitement whenever my wife or I came into the room. She was well-behaved, loyal, loving. She may not have been some judge's idea of a perfect dog, but she was the perfect dog for us. No breeding certificate necessary.

But just as some people erroneously believe the only worthwhile dog is the one that fits some nonsensical definition of picture perfect, we often wind up with the same view when it comes to God's children. We have this idea in our minds of what a Picture-perfect Christian looks like. How Christians are "supposed to" act. The music they're "supposed to" listen to. How they're "supposed to" dress.

When I was in high school, I had a subscription to a magazine for "Christian" teens. Or at least, the publisher's idea of a Christian teen. I don't remember much about it, but one article -- or at least the visual elements of the article -- is still seared into my head. On the left was their idea of an "extreme" teenager. His hair was slightly in his eyes (this is the 90s, remember). He wore very nice jeans. His tie-dye shirt may or may not have been tucked in. The image on the right was an Amish kid. The other "extreme." In the middle stood the publisher's ideal Christian Young Man: neatly parted hair, wrinkle-free slacks, polo shirt. This, the article suggested, was how one dressed as a Christian. The Uniform of the Holy.

Honestly, it made me wonder whether I could walk with Jesus if I didn't own an iron.

The truth is, though, there are no pure bred Christians. We are, none of us, picture-perfect in any way that actually matters to the Living God. Can anyone honestly believe our sinful wretchedness is more palatable to the Most High if we but listen to the right music, say the right words, and wear the right coordinating socks?

The Apostle Paul was a Jew's Jew. A Chosen Man from among the Chosen People. Here are his words: This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief (1 Timothy 1:15).

Only by the blood of Jesus Christ can I enter the presence of God. And only by my living like Him will I show the World that I am His. We've created all these trappings. All these arbitrary rules for being a Christian. Yet the deepest desire of Christ is for all of us adopted mutts to go tell the rest of the mutts He wants them, too. Fat or skinny. Shaggy or well-groomed. With papers or without. Big, clumsy, sloppy, shedding. He wants you to know He loves you. Come as you are, chief of all sinners, and find Grace.

Wrong Way, Israel

Today is Wrong Way Corrigan Day: a day created to celebrate as a hero a man who is famous for flying in the wrong direction.

Douglas Corrigan, a pilot in New York, had applied to fly from there to Dublin, Ireland in the mid-1930s, only to be turned down because his plane was in poor condition and he didn't have the necessary experience. He applied again, and was again denied. So, he applied for a flight to California instead. The story goes, onlookers were surprised as he headed east instead of west. As he dropped below the clouds again, he was, he says, shocked to find himself above the ocean. Miraculously, he ended up in Dublin -- right where he'd wanted to fly in the first place. Upon his return, his pilot's license was revoked, but he was thrown a ticker tape parade in New York City and welcomed back a hero.

If the ancient nation of Israel is famous for anything (I mean, besides being specifically chosen by God to carry out His will for mankind), it's for consistently going the wrong direction. Yet, in spite of their constant disobedience to God, and in spite of wandering homeless in the wilderness for 40 years, they eventually wound up right where God wanted them.

Samson, a Judge of Israel and set apart as a Nazirite, also messed up constantly, finally even allowing himself to be so defiled as to lose the strength given to him by God. Yet this mistake put him in a position to destroy many of Israel's enemies, the Philistines.

King David allowed lust to control his actions, committed first adultery, and then murder. But the woman whose hand he won in these misdeeds, Bathsheba, would mother the direct line of Jesus Christ.

God has a place for each of us. A plan for our lives. We mess it up, inserting our own frail ideas, and may well find ourselves off-course. Circumstances may arise to make us believe we'll never fulfill God's plan. But through His strength -- and not our own -- He will ultimately bring us exactly where He wants us to be. Even if we have to wander around 40 years to get there.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. (Romans 8:28-29)

Only The Lonely

I can't speak for everyone, but it seems the darkest periods in my life were when I was at my loneliest. It's a
funny thing, loneliness. Okay, maybe not "ha ha" funny, but it's strange. You can be surrounded -- even by friends -- and still feel a deep longing and sadness. Nearly my entire Sophomore year in college was marked by this sort of inexplicable depression. I had friends -- great friends! I belonged. And yet, I was lonely.

I've looked back on this period in my life often, with great curiosity. It took me until years later to realize that the enemy -- Satan -- will use whatever arrows are in his quiver to keep you from doing as God desires. If you allow him, he will whisper in your ear tales of worthlessness and friendlessness, doubts about the friends you have, questions about your value to others. And when you listen, that loneliness creeps in, slowly at first, and building into something almost intolerable. It's broken many, and still more will walk with a spiritual limp as a reminder of the struggle.

By the grace of God, I remain unbroken, and most days the limp is barely noticeable. There are days, to be sure, when a shadow of doubt will still creep in. As my arthritic knees -- constant reminders of an injury in my youth -- will creak and ache on humid days, so my limping soul will under certain conditions begin to seize and groan with the memory of past hurt.

But we're not alone. No matter what the Devil is whispering in our ears, no matter how bleak our lives can look while we're in the midst of a sea of self-doubt, our God is standing with His hands reaching out. Just as He reached for Peter when his doubt caused him to sink in the raging waters, He grasps our hands and waits for us to refocus on Him and climb back to His level.

Psalm 34:18 reminds us "God is close to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

Who is hurting in your life? Is there one who is lonely or brokenhearted? We -- you and I -- are the arms of Christ. The physical manifestation of His love for His children.

James 1:27 reminds us that the very essence of religion is ministry to the lonely.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

We are never alone. When we are at our loneliest, the enemy says nobody cares. But it's a lie.  You have value. You have value to God, and you have value to those around you. Don't believe the words of an enemy who wants to see you fall. Believe instead the words of the God who made you, who loves you, and who can't wait to have you by His side.

Oh Lord, Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood (Expanded Edition)

The case of Justin Carter -- a Texas teen jailed for making an unfortunate sarcastic comment at the wrong time in history -- has prompted me to return to a familiar theme. This, minus some additions added below,  was originally posted in September of last year.

Oh, Lord, Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood

We live in a technological age which makes it both easy and convenient to communicate without speaking. This has not, of course, come without a price. I dare say while our ability to communicate has increased exponentially,  our skill at doing so has suffered greatly. We talk about everything -- our pets, our fears, our baggage -- without actually saying anything. And when we do have something to say, meanings can be lost in a digital world of typewritten words without voice or inflection. We have gained efficiency at the price of nuance.

What I mean to say is, thanks to technology, we can now be misunderstood, misrepresented, and accidentally offensive at greater speeds and rates than ever before. Turn that into a marketing slogan.

Some of being misunderstood, of course, is the fault of the listener. Communication is, after all, a two-way street. Sometimes this is willful misunderstanding -- a person may simply choose to ignore what you mean in order to attack what you said (we'll explore those motives another time). And sometimes, it is simply a genuine misapprehension.  This is something with which Jesus dealt throughout his entire ministry. His own disciples, in fact, were notorious for just not getting it.

The key, however, to being understood more often lies, not with the listener, but with you: the speaker. How easy it is to say the wrong thing! And when the internet, or a text message is involved, even easier. Because then, you don't have to see the face of the person. You're not held responsible, by that look of hurt or passing anger,  for the things you have said, no matter how well-intentioned.

But the Bible warns us about the danger inherent in our tongues. That, in fact, communication is itself potentially a deadly weapon. Proverbs 12:18 says, "The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." 

If Solomon had known about Facebook,  maybe he would have mentioned fingers, too. 


And now, an addendum.  

As easy as it is to say the wrong thing online, it's just as easy to point an accusing finger. To infer meaning in what was said and become offended over our own interpretations -- whether they are accurate or not! In a world where clarification seems to be key, it's so much easier to make assumptions about meaning instead of simply asking; to ignore the evidence of past encounters, and assume the worst about the person who made the offending comment. 

In short, while we've lost the fine art of nuance in this new, digital age, it seems that, in a world of instant information, we've also lost our capacity for Grace.