We See In Part

Truth & Consequences [ABRIDGED]

I posed a question to my oldest son, who my wife and I had just caught in a days long lie that he had hoped would never come to light. After the shock and disappointment passed,  I sat down to talk with him and dropped it on him:

“If no one ever found out, why is the truth still important?”

He’s a fairly introverted kid, so I gave him some time to think and come up with some answers.  Over the course of several hours he came up with a few good answers- but also revealed his heart posture:

“Because it’s a bad example for my little brothers.”  

Yes, but remember, let’s say no one ever found out. Half an hour later:

“Because you and mom want me to be like Jesus.”

Oof. Closer, but shows clearly that he isn’t relating directly to Jesus.  Remember, let’s say we don’t know about it.  What happens to you? Later, just before bed:

“Because if I tell a lie I get used to telling lies and pretty soon they turn into big lies and I end up in jail.”  

Sure, that’s true and that could happen.  But man, it’s still so externally motivated… so I boiled it down to the essence for him, and it turned into a good reminder for me.

If you have hidden sin in your life, you have rejected Jesus sacrifice on the cross (poignant point the day after Easter) and put yourself in opposition to God himself.  It’s like choosing sides against God and it’s not a good place to be.

I continued. 

The Holy Spirit visits you to teach you, encourage you, give you joy, but as He nears, He senses that hidden stain and draws away. After some time like that, soon the Bible seems boring, church seems dumb, and instruction from your parents just makes you angry.

He was fully engaged and our gaze was locked.  

After a bit, you’ll begin to withdraw from your relationship with God and then with us, and then it’ll start to hurt other people around you.  Run towards God with your sin, not away from Him.

After a few more minutes of talking he was quiet and staring off into the distance, so I wrapped it up, laid on some extra love and affection, and hit the lights.  Asking the Spirit to meet with all my boys tonight.

I’m Now Independently Wealthy

Well I’m happy to say that after working hard for a number of years, I’m now independently wealthy.  Thanks!  I know, right?

So how did this happen?

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Faith vs. Works

There is always a tension between the idea that we are justified by faith, but that faith is proven by works.  It seems to me that works can exist without faith, and vice versa, but genuine faith would never be absent of works.

That said, I was pondering Revelation 2 this morning, especially Jesus’ beginning commentary on the various churches:

1. “I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance…”
2. “I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith”
3. “I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first.”
4. “I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God.”
5. “I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut.”
6. “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! ”

It’s interesting to me that he doesn’t ever begin with, “I know your hearts…” but instead makes commentary about their works.  Some of them don’t have hearts than line up with their works, but it seems that in general Jesus is concerned with what they do as much as who they are.  

He ends each church commentary with the presentation of a reward for those who conquer:

1. “To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”
2. “The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.”
3. “To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.”
4. “The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron”
5. “…be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.”
6. “…I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God… and my new name”
7. ”..I will grant him to sit with me on my throne”

Seems like there is an expectation for some works, and then there are clear rewards for those works.  And these rewards are no small thing, it seems.  Sit on the throne with Jesus? Hidden manna and a white stone with a secret? Make me a pillar in the temple?  Jesus confessing my name before the Father?

Look, I don’t even really know what all that means, but something inside of me stirs and longs to spend my days doing things that Jesus values.  To live with a heavenly value system until my time to die arrives.

Degrees of Devotion

Every religious group has those who linger near the center of the shared belief chart, while others hover near the edge of the group, often tarnishing the image of the main stream.  The labels vary from fundamentalist to extremist to terrorist, but the lesson is the same.

DISCLAIMER: The diagram above is my quick, lightly researched, subjective opinion about the shared beliefs and values of some of the religions of the world.  My intention is not to offend or misrepresent, but to illustrate visually that the lines between systems are sometimes blurred.

In fact, my premise is that the reality of the world’s belief system could be represented more like a spectrum than an org chart.  Many people and cultures around the world tend to merge their own cultures and belief systems with a particular religion.  Christians in Africa often still worship their ancestors as an effort to hedge their bets.  Many Catholics in Latin America have merged a type of mysticism with the official doctrines of the church.  The Taliban took Sharia Law and created a flavor of Islam all their own.

What’s my point?  My point is that when an extremist group of a particular type of religion gains the media spotlight due to some horrible act or failure (Al Qaeda, Norway killings, Gaza Strip, etc) we all have a tendency to categorize and form under-informed judgements that we carry for years to come.  We use labels that villify the whole group and often lead to further offense and/or violence.

As a Christian, I hold very strong convictions on some of life’s biggest topics.  I feel compelled to share the joy of my faith (a relationship with Jesus) and pray that more and more people would agree with me and convert to Christianity.  However, I also learn from Jesus life and teachings: He broke down social and religious barriers, loved and valued people from every tribe and tongue, and spent time with those whom his culture had deep prejudice against.

I’d challenge you to examine your own prejudices and judgements, to operate from a deeper place of love and compassion, and be cogniscant of cultural and religious generalizations you may be perpetuating.

He’s Not a Tame Lion

I’ve been in some lively discussions with Jesus people and normal people alike about what role fear should have in our relationship to God.  The debate usually centers around the idea that perfect love drives out fear, and if God is love, we shouldn’t be afraid.

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True or False

It is the weak who become Christians. People without courage and strength, those unable to stand on their own cosmic feet, those who cannot celebrate the beauty of our humanity, it is they who look for God.

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|         |                |          |                |          |
|         |   YES       |          |  NO         |          |  MAYBE
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