Remembering MLK -- and honoring the example of our Lord!

Today, we honor Martin Luther King, who fought for equality among the races of man. That it had to be so hard-fought -- that we still fight the battle on many fronts today -- tells us something about our culture. Perhaps we are not so pure, so upright, as we like to believe. 

To put it bluntly, you can't be a Christian and hold one person in higher or lower regard because of his or her skin color. God didn't create His children in a melanin-based hierarchy. This isn't even, for most of us, a new lesson. We learned it in Sunday school:

"Red and Yellow, Black and White, They are precious in His sight." This isn't just a fun verse, but a profound statement about the truth of the Gospel. God's love is for each of His creation. Man -- all Man -- was created in His image. 

Adam and Eve were probably not Caucasian. Jesus certainly was not.

In fact, Ephesian 6:9 reminds us that, even where there was a slave-master relationship, God Himself sees no difference from one man to another:

And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.

Equality isn't just about race. It's about money and privilege, too. Man may care about these things: who has the most money, the most toys, the most power over other men. God sees only two distinctions: those who are His children, and those He still wants to bring to Himself.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Unfortunately, even among those of us with the best intentions, we have a culture that demands, one way or another, we pay attention to race. That we give deference, one way or another, based upon the amount of melanin in somebody's skin. Martin Luther King's dream was that one day all men would be based "not on the color of their skin, but on the content of their character." How often we fall short!

In Luke 10:25-37, Jesus tells a story of a man who, though he was hated and looked down upon by even the religious of the day, was an honorable person. With this story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus was explaining not merely that we ought to take care of strangers, but that our neighbors -- those we are to love just as much as we love ourselves -- could be and are every single person. Even those our cultures teach us to hate.

The great thing about Jesus is that His love transcends culture. His command, implied in the parable of the Good Samaritan, and in His words about love and grace and mercy, and in His further command to "Go and make disciples of all nations," is that we do the same.

Describing An Indescribable God

Today is Thesaurus Day. Being a word guy, an entire book of synonyms and new ways of expressing things is a fascinating and wonderful thing. But it occurs to me, that even with a Thesaurus, I still don't have the words in my vocabulary to sufficiently describe the wonder, the love, the grace, and the glory of our God. But then, because I believe everything we do, we do for the Glory of God, Thesaurus Day seems like a good day to try.

My God is...

Holy (Revelation 4:8): Sacred, Blessed, Devoted, Righteous, Uncorrupted, Perfect.

Just (Deuteronomy 32:4): Fair, Impartial, Blameless, Even-handed, Upright, Virtuous, Trustworthy

He is Majestic. He is our Savior, our Redeemer, our protector and provider. Our friend. Our father.

He is forgiving, and merciful, and comforting.

He is El Echad - the One God
El Emet - the God of Truth
El Shaddai - the All-sufficient God
El Elyon - God Most High
El Olam - God Everlasting
El Roi - The God Who Sees Me!

He is Adonai Elohai - The Lord, My God.
Adonai Nissi - The Lord, My Miracle.

Jewish tradition has so many names for God -- simply trying to describe who He is -- I don't have time to find, let alone print, them all. But I know this: this wonderful, awesome, indescribable God wants a personal relationship with me. Wants to forgive me for the wrong I've done against Him, and even sometimes in His name. He wants to draw me near. And some day, my paltry words will no longer be necessary, because I will be surrounded in His glory!

Ditch Your Resolution - Or Let God Give You Resolve?

Today is Ditch Your Resolution Day. If you made a New Year's Resolution, it's officially time to evaluate yourself on how you're doing and then... simply make the decision to keep ignoring it.

Now, I admit, I'm really not a "resolution" guy, for exactly that reason. I don't keep them. Maybe I'm lazy, or just unmotivated. Or maybe my resolution simply doesn't get to the real heart of whatever the problem is I'm trying to change.

Nevertheless, when we make that crucial decision to turn our lives over to Christ, we do so with the expectation that we will, actually, turn over our lives. This doesn't mean an overnight change. We don't kneel in prayer and rise Super Christian. Rather, the change is a process: God shows us things in our lives He wants us to strengthen, add, or remove in order to live better, fuller lives more worthy of His name (Romans 12:2 says, "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").

But it isn't just a list He gives us, a collection of New Man resolutions. He doesn't simply ask you to change your life and then wait for you to do it.

Philippians 4:13 reminds us, "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me."

God doesn't expect us to walk this world alone, yet when we decide to better ourselves -- be it a resolution to lose weight, or quit smoking, or get organized, we most often try to go it alone. And fail.

But 1 Corinthians 10:31 reminds us, "whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

So, if we're working to better ourselves to be better ambassadors for Christ, we can rest assured He will bless our efforts, if we ask only ask him.

Rather than ditch your resolutions, why not ask God to strengthen your resolve?

Nothing!

Today is Nothing Day. Ostensibly, it is a day to sit around celebrating nothing at all. So, in honor of this, today I choose to celebrate every single thing that limits God. Which is, of course, Nothing At All.

The word "nothing" is used more than 320 times in Scripture. Sometimes, it's used for mundane purposes. Very often, it is used to compare the trappings of this world with the Glory of God (they are as Nothing). And sometimes, it is used as a comprehensive list of all the things of which God is incapable (Luke 1:37 KJV).

We have a God so great, nothing will be impossible even for us, as tiny as we are, if He is our strength. 

And because Nothing can limit God, Nothing can limit His love for us. And because nothing can limit His love for us, nothing can separate Him from His children. Only we, in our sinfulness, can remain apart from Him. But, when we turn to God, Psalm 103:12 tells us, "as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us."

He doesn't merely bury our sin, or sweep it under the rug. He lifts that burden off us as though it were nothing and throws it away; so far away it can never be found. 

There is nothing you can do to make it impossible for God to love you. No sin is so heavy He can't remove it. You and I are weak, He is strong, and in Him, all things are possible!

Are You A Humanitarian?

Today is Humanitarian Day -- one of three days in which we honor Dr. Martin Luther King: January 15th happens to be the day the civil rights activist was born.

But what is a "humanitarian?" Put simply, it is somebody who makes the needs of others a priority. It might be somebody who gives money to charity, or who runs a homeless shelter. We know the word largely because of all the coverage given to celebrities every time they do something nice for somebody. And that's all well and good, but the generosity of Spirit that God expects goes far deeper, and almost never receives national televised coverage.

James 1:27 says, "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."

Jesus takes this even further:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

There's a credit card commercial right now claiming, "we'll treat you like you'd treat you." It features a customer calling the company help desk and, basically, talking to him or herself.  Which is funny, but not entirely accurate. For example, I wouldn't charge me interest. 

And in fact, Jesus isn't referring merely to the way we treat one another, but to our attitudes toward one another. What does love look like, through Jesus' eyes?

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. (John 15:12-13)

God willing, you may never have to die for another human being. But if you're willing to do that, would you not also be willing to help a friend in need, to do what you can with your limited resources to lift a neighbor out of poverty or distress?

 Jesus personified love by laying down His own life. What he asks of us is often to simply lay down a little time, maybe some of our material possessions, for the sake of others. It may never get you on television, but it sure looks good in God's eyes. 

Setting His House In Order

I've heard it said "God is not a God of disorder, but of Peace (1 Corinthians 14:33a)." Or, put another way, "God is a God of order."

The statement comes from 1 Corinthians 14, a chapter in which Paul is reminding the church to maintain order during worship; to give everything, from prophecy to teaching, its place.

But right from the beginning, we see our God is indeed a God of order.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. (Genesis 1:1-2)

So, as God started to create the world, it was at first without shape. It was chaotic. But we can see from reading and from experience, that's not how it stayed. God set the Universe in order, placed planets around a star called the Sun, built on one of those planets a habitat for life, put together that life, set the moon, established times for day and for night.

As the world seems to spiral out of control around us, as war and sin and death surround us, we can praise God because He will not let this chaos last for long. 

Before Jesus was crucified, He was tried. As He was being questioned, they asked Him outright: are you the Messiah?

 “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Mark 14:62)

Satan may have the reigns of this world for now, but God is coming, we are promised, to set His house in order. He ordered the Beginning, and He will reset that order in the New Beginning. We know this, not only because Scripture tells us He will, but because it is in His nature to do so.

Red Meat, With a Tall Glass of Milk

When it comes to teaching the Scriptures, both Paul and Peter talk, in their letters, about spiritual milk. Of course, as babies, milk is the only sustenance we can consume. Sure, there are substitutes, but medical science has shown time and time again, that when it comes right down to it, there is nothing better in those first days than mother's milk (seems like God may have known what He was doing after all, right?).

Even as we grow and are able to consume solid foods, we continue our consumption of milk because it strengthens our maturing bones. Into adulthood, we find we need those solid foods to stay fit and healthy -- but if you drop milk from your diet, you need to find another source of calcium or risk the deterioration of your bones.

In the same way, Paul tells us when we're growing in Christ, we start off needing milk: the basics of the faith (1 Cor. 3:1-2). But it isn't enough to sustain us as we grow. At some point, we consume the solid food of deeper teachings and theology. Or at least we should (Hebrews 5:11-14).

But, even as we grow in Christ -- even as we learn those deeper lessons and increase our understanding -- it is good to remember the basics. Christ, as Paul said, and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2).

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. ² Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, ³ now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (1 Peter 2:1-3)

I'm nearly 35 years old, and I still crave milk. Don't get me wrong: I love solid food. Red meat, breads and vegetables. But sometimes, nothing will do but a tall glass of cold milk. It's true for food, and it's true for Scripture. 

As an adult Christian, I love the deeper aspects of our faith. I love learning theology and discovering the mysteries of God as I grow in my walk with him. But sometimes, nothing satisfies my hunger for God like a refresher in the basics. To start my day with the milk of His majesty and great love for even somebody as small as I am. 

Don't ever let anyone tell you the red meat of deep theology is unimportant. As children of God, it is our duty to understand His words and works. But at the same time, don't ever get so caught up in the red meat of philosophy that you forget to drink up the Milk of His love and grace.