Well, THAT's Peculiar

I am not a normal person.

Okay, yes. That can be taken in several ways. My friends, my parents, and even my wife would probably agree with even the face value of that statement. And it's true, but allow me to add to it: By the grace of God, I am not normal human being.

Okay, you may not consider this a good thing. After all, when one is strange, they stand out -- and not always in a good way. Especially in this world today, with its pressure to normalize, to go with the flow, to accept social definitions of beauty, to accept political correctness as a replacement for morality, standing out isn't always pleasant. But I'm going to take this a step further:

We -- you and I -- not only stand out, but as children of the King, we are actually called to do just that.

1 Peter 2:9 reminds us, ^"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."

That word, "but," means there's a difference. We are different from those spoken of in the previous verses, who "stumble because they disobey the message (vs 8)." 

But back for a second to verse 9. I actually like how the King James version puts it a little better: "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people..."

This word, peculiar, has a couple different meanings, but they are related. Listen to the progression of definitions from dictionary.com: Strange. Odd. Uncommon. Unusual. Distinctive in nature or character. Belonging characteristically. Belonging exclusively. 

We -- you and I -- are peculiarly God's. Nobody else has us. We don't belong to anyone else. We belong exclusively to God, and are therefore uncommon, unusual, strange, to a world that does not. 

And because we are His, He calls us out of the mediocrity of common existence. You are a peculiar person, and you are called, as a child of the King, to peculiarity, to strangeness, to distinctiveness, and even to greatness, in His name.

Playing God

God's Wheel, art and poetry by Shel Silverstein,
from his book "A Light in the Attic"

Today is Play God Day. I am reminded of the poem "God's Wheel" by Shel Silverstein.

God says to me with a kind of smile,
"Hey how would you like to be God awhile
And steer the world?"
"Okay," says I, "I'll give it a try.
Where do I set?
How much do I get?
What time is lunch?
When can I quit?"
"Gimme back that wheel," says God.
"I don't think you're quite ready yet."

 I am reminded daily that it is by God's grace alone that I have occasions of being a good man. I can know God, but in knowing Him know also that I am unworthy of Him.

God reminded Job of His majesty and power, beginning in Chapter 38:

Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
    Tell me, if you understand.
Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
    Who stretched a measuring line across it?
On what were its footings set,
    or who laid its cornerstone—
while the morning stars sang together
    and all the angels shouted for joy?
(Job 38:4-7)

I can, however, by His grace strive to be more like Christ.

So today, being Play God Day, I want to invite you to celebrate the glory and wonder of God, who steers the world. Celebrate a Savior we can only begin to comprehend. Celebrate the fact that you and I are not Him -- and better still, that He is not bound by our petty differences and desires. That He can give grace and love and joy and life abundantly, because He is the author and perfecter of those things and more. And celebrate, too, that He gives us those things, not merely for our own benefit, but to share with the world. Celebrate that, while we can never be as great as God, He chooses us to walk with Him, to be Holy as He is Holy (Mt. 5:48), and to be His hands and feet on this earth.

God's War on Poverty

Today is War On Poverty Day -- a reminder that on this day, January 8, in 1964, President Lyndon Johnson declared a "War on Poverty."

Now, depending on your political persuasion, you may have your own opinions on that, but as a Christian, I think he might well have been onto something: that man is, indeed, to care for the poor. This is not a political statement, and I'm not talking about the government here. No, this is instead a deeply spiritual issue. God cares very much for the poor, and expects His Church -- His Bride -- to care as well. In fact, as God's children and heirs, we have all the more reason and responsibility to care for the less fortunate among us. After all, weren't we poor in our sins until Christ in his grace and mercy lifted us up?

God's view on poverty is clear in the book of Proverbs.

Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. (14:31)

Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done. (19:17)

One who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and one who gives gifts to the rich—both come to poverty. (22:16)

Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses. (28:27)

The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern. (29:7)

And those are just a few examples! God cares about what happens to the poor and, what's more, he wants you and me to do something about it. So what do we do? Do we take it to the halls of government and shove it off on their shoulders? Or do we be the bride of Christ and do as He has commanded? 

It's so easy, in this world, to lament that the problem is too big. To give the problem to others to deal with, and hope it works out. It's easy to declare that others aren't doing all they should, while at the same time keeping our own resources close and tight. Or even -- and I am just as guilty of this one -- to declare a man's poverty is his own problem, built of his own doing, and as such is not our concern. 

How blessed are we that Jesus didn't have the same attitude about our sin!

I'm not talking politics here. I'm talking about doing what's right in the eyes of our Savior and Lord. He is clear in His expectations:

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me... Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. (Matthew 25:34-36, 40)

For those who did for the least of these, the King has eternal reward. For those who did not, judgement. 

Washington's War on poverty may or may not be political posturing. But God's war on poverty is serious indeed, and He expects His children to fight it.

The Rocks Will Cry Out

Here's something to think about: The whole of God's creation was created for the express purpose of worship. In Luke 19, when Jesus rode into Jerusalem, He was confronted by the Pharisees about the joy with which He was received. “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out (Luke 19:40).”

There is a real temptation to think He was being hyperbolic here; that Jesus was merely poetically relaying the sense of joy felt in the city. I don't believe that to be the case, however. Psalm 65:8 says, "The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders." Not merely the people of the earth, but the Earth itself. 

Psalm 96:13 declares, "Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness."

Even Paul -- not known for poetry, reminds the church in Rome that Creation itself testifies to its Creator. 

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. (Romans 1:20)

Today's celebration is Old Rock Day: A day to go out and explore God's creation by looking at the beauty of the ordinary rock. Embedded in some we'll find fossils: evidence of the wondrous variety of Life God has given to this world. In others, simple beauties of crushed and packed treasures. Gems, quartz, even the stones in your driveway can all speak to the wonder and the glory of God, who created the Universe. 

The stones themselves will cry out in testimony to God, if you have ears to hear.  

Trivial Pursuits

January 4 is Trivia Day! I love trivia: random little bits of knowledge about subjects ranging from pop culture to science to history, and beyond. My wife and I enjoy playing trivia games with friends -- or even just sitting at home together, bragging about our useless knowledge, and delighting in learning new facts.

But celebrating Trivia Day? How about this: I'm worshiping God this morning, in the knowledge that nothing is too trivial for Him. That nothing escapes His watchful and caring eye. This morning, I'm celebrating that His eye is on the Sparrow, as the hymn says:

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. (Mt. 6:26-29)

Today I'm celebrating the fact that God, the Creator and Keeper of the Universe, knows me better than I could ever know myself. God told Jeremiah (1:5), "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

God knows even the most trivial aspects of our lives, and He reminds us daily of His love. His love for us is so great that nothing about us escapes His notice. Your every freckle, the way your nose wrinkles when you smile... God sees it all, and as your Creator and Father, loves ever inch.

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Luke 12:6-7)

Praise God that nothing is too trivial for Him. That, as small as we are, He knows us, and loves us, and always will! 

 

Celebrate Humiliation?

I'm a prideful man. It actually takes quite a lot to wound my pride, but when it happens, I have a harder time recovering from it than I do actual physical injury. Partly, it's human nature. From the time we're small, a fall, for example, is always made worse when somebody is watching.

So, no. I don't like to be humiliated. And yet, there's Jesus, telling us to go against human nature and not only embrace humiliation, but celebrate it!

 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Mt 5:11-12)

Jesus has a way of doing that, doesn't He? Reminding us that, in Him, we are different creatures than what we've always known? Of calling us, instead, to excellence and holiness, and then, of all things, providing us the perfect example in His own life!

But I am a worm and not a man,
    scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
All who see me mock me;
    they hurl insults, shaking their heads. (Psalm 22:6-7)

As Jesus watched from the agony of the cross, soldiers cast lots for his clothes. A crowd of people mocked him through his pain. And His response? "Father, forgive them."

So yes. Jesus asks you to celebrate humiliation. It was by His humiliation that you and I can call ourselves Sons and Daughters of God. And it is in our humiliation that we recognize our Heavenly inheritance is greater than the temporary pains of this world.

Run It Up The Flagpole

There's a good chance you've heard the expression, "run it up the flagpole and see who salutes." It means to float a thought or idea and see whether it gains any traction. It's an expression used often in media, which is more or less built on doing exactly that.

As a broadcaster, it's part of my job to come up with ideas for promotions and gimmicks, not only for my show, but for the station as a whole. It's actually an important part of a lot of jobs.

When I was first back working in radio, I remember asking a co-worker about an idea I had. "I like it," she said, "you should bring it up to [the General Manager]."

"What if he hates it," I countered.

She shrugged. "Worst he can say is 'no.'"

And from that point, I was bold in presenting ideas, good and bad. Because, after all, the worst anyone could say was, "no."

So the question is, where is that boldness when it comes to telling others what Christ did for me? What is it, exactly, that I'm afraid of?

2 Timothy 1:7 says, "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline." 

Remember when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples hiding in the Upper Room? They were emboldened. They came out of hiding and preached the Gospel of Christ and, yeah, some people said no. Some people even said they were drunk. But three thousand said Yes! That's three thousand people who came to know Jesus Christ in a personal way, who were saved from sin, and death, and Hell, whose lives were changed, all because of a group of men who were unafraid to speak up. 

So, why not run the Gospel up the flagpole and see who salutes? You may discover a brother or sister you never knew you had. Or, more importantly, you may even be the one who plants that seed in the life of another, and introduces him or her to the Love and Grace of Jesus Christ. The worst they can say is "no." 

But, if you pray for them, and ask God to grant you boldness and clarity, maybe they'll say "yes." 


This is the second in a year-long series, "Celebrate Today." A collection of devotions based on celebrations, serious and silly, throughout the year.