Picking up the pieces

Christmas is perhaps the most anticipated holiday of the year. Children and adults alike look forward to this one festive season all year. In modern American culture, a fat man in a red suit ostensibly breaks into people's houses and gives them stuff after their children have sat upon his lap and told him their deepest covetous thoughts. On Christmas morning, children and adults alike rip open packages containing those deeply coveted items, or not, in which case a temper-tantrum ensues. We get together for parties with people we tolerate once a year, usually consuming more alcohol than is strictly recommended and hope that nobody does anything too horribly embarrassing.

But of course, Christmas is about none of these things. It's not the gifts, it's not the parties, it's not the man in a red suit with a thyroid problem. It's about the baby, wrapped in rags, lying in a feeding box. It's about the man he grew into, the man who lived a life of love and humility. It's about that same man who died an unjust death at the hands of people who had no right to have him put to death. Above all other things, it's about the fact that this man did not stay dead, but rose from the dead, forever taking its power. It's about the peace we can find if we put our faith in Him.

See, this year has been a rough one for me and my family, as have the last few. It's one of the things that drove me to start this devotional blog. It's the reason I chose the name for this page. I feel broken. I feel like I have nothing left.

And that's why God sent His Son. He knows we are broken. He knows we are lost, and He allows us to be filled with Him, but because we are broken, it spills out and we need to be filled again, and again, and again.

There's joy to be had, real joy...and that's what Christmas is about, but first we need to let Jesus Christ pick up the pieces. 

Sometimes you just have to walk away.

“You can please some of the people some of the time all of the people some of the time some of the people all of the time but you can never please all of the people all of the time.”

- Abraham Lincoln 

Yeah, it's not a scripture passage, but don't worry, that's coming. In fact, in 1 Corinthians 8, the Apostle Paul talks about not offending others with our actions. Specifically, he writes about eating meat sacrificed to idols. 

Paul states that we should be aware so we don't cause a younger brother or sister in faith to stumble. So we do our best, and sometimes, even when we see another person making an error and try to bail them out, it turns on us anyway. It recently happened to me when I confronted someone about something they had posted on social media. One thing led to another and it became obvious that not only was the original poster not going to be reasonable, but one of his family members joined the fray, and I had to apply another scripture. In fact, it is one of my favorite, on the surface most confusing, scripture passages.  

Proverbs 26:4,5 (NLT)

4 Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools,
   or you will become as foolish as they are.

⁵ Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools,
    or they will become wise in their own estimation.

My understanding of these verses is this: Don't argue with someone who isn't willing to listen because you're not going to win and you'll just be frustrated in the long run. Correct someone when they're saying something silly, because if you don't they'll just keep on doing it. Simply put, state your piece, and if the other person isn't willing to roll with it, walk away. 

Proverbs 10:8 (NLT)   

The wise are glad to be instructed,
    but babbling fools fall flat on their faces.

All we can do is try to point the other person in the right direction and pray that they go the right way. Beyond that, they're responsible to God for their own actions. 

So, I walked away. I'll pray for the kid and his family, but it will do me no good to continue to bang my head against the wall, and it won't do either the kid, or his family member any good because they're convinced of their self-righteousness. 

It all comes back to balance. 

Proverbs 10:9 (NLT) 

People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall.

Don't look now...

Isaiah 53:6 (NIV)
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.

We've lost our way.

We've lost our way and persecution is building, and we whine and complain, but we don't really pay attention to what's happening because we have allowed distractions to lull us into a false sense of our own "rights."

In Egypt, Syria, Sudan, China, North Korea, Nigeria, and any number of other countries, disciples of Jesus Christ are tortured, beaten, bereft of their possessions, and/or killed. The very area of the world where the Apostles first spread the Good News of Jesus Christ is once again a place where that name cannot be spoken aloud without risking severe persecution.

But here we are, in the United States, upset because a very visible individual professing faith in Christ (whose faith I do not doubt based upon his charitable contributions and other considerations), has been suspended from filming a television show because he stated his beliefs. Yes, it's persecution, but this is a small can of beans compared to what the rest of the world suffers.

Know and understand that "...our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12) The devil's been at this a long time, and he knows that the religious freedoms so dear to those of us in the United States are only there so long as a few pieces of velum, made and written upon by men, remain the law of the land. So long as enough people stand firm upon the principles in those founding documents, those freedoms will stand; however, those very same freedoms have made us soft and complacent. We have reveled for so long in our prosperity. Even the poorest American has more to his/her name than many in third world countries.

Sure, we wring our hands and say the necessary platitudes, and put a few pennies in the jar when the missionary stops in for a visit every several years. When we hear about the atrocities in other parts of the world, we may shed a tear, but then we go back to business as usual. As soon as we leave the church building (or even as soon as the final hymn is sung), our smart phones come out and we're discussing the current gossip. We get home and the TV goes on, filling our minds with more of the insidious brainwashing we've become addicted to.

 

We have become the church of Laodicea who were rich and pampered, but inside were sick and dying. They'd become lazy about their faith. They said they believed, but there was no feeling. The things they clung to, thinking they would be happy, turned on them and became a bloated monster of apathy and indolence.

We're in trouble folks.

But there is good news!

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV)

Father God, forgive us our apathy. Open our hearts to be a true people after yours. Turn us away from our laziness toward our faith. Make us a fire that will burn away the dust and tarnish that have lain too long upon those of us who claim to be the Body of Christ. In the name of your blessed Son, Jesus Christ, Amen. 

Listen up!

Matthew 13:13

"This is why I speak to them in parables: "Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.'"

I know this may ruffle some feathers,  but hear me out.

I'm not a Roman Catholic,  and I don't agree with him on all doctrinal points, but the more I read what he has to say (and don't just take the spin from the left or roght at face value), the more I like Pope Francis.

See, the guy is getting a bit of hard press from the right because he's supposed to be anti-capitalist, while he's receiving accolades from progressives because he's supposedly for same-sex marriage, or any number of other things.

Read carefully the transcripts of what he has to say and, well, he's not saying that at all. Everything I've read of what he has said or written points instead to somethig that is close to my own heart: the true mission of Christ.

Jesus was hated by the religious leaders of His day because He healed the sick, loved the unlovely, touvhed the lepers,  cast out demons, raised the dead, preached and lived love and forgiveness.

Ok, the pope says consumerism is bad. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell all he had and give the money to the poor. The Apostle Paul told Timothy that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. The Apostle James wrote that we should not favor the rich over the poor and the purest practice of religion is caring for widows and orphans. Seems to me, the Bible says consumerism, or materialism if you'd rather, is bad.

This is an unpopular stance in Christian America, but being rich is not the core teaching of Jesus. Yes, we should earn our keep. The Apostle Paul, in the second letter to the Thessalonians wrote (in so many words) "Stop sitting on your butts expecting others to take care of you while you wait for Jesus to come back. Go to work, earn your keep, or don't expect to eat." So, yes we should continue to work, and earn our keep, but this doesn't mean we should stockpile stuff and pile up "treasures on earth where moth and rust corrupt."

Furthermore,  if God should bless us with wealth,  we should bless others with it. Along with this, we need to love people and show them Christ, and let Him do the work of healing and change in their hearts.

This is exactly what the Pope is saying.  It's perfectly in line with what Jesus taught and lived.

Then there is the claim that he said Atheists can get into heaven. Strictly speaking, he did, with the caveat that the atheist must accept Christ first. Yes, I read the statement in question in it's entirety, and Pope Francis said nothing new. He said exactly what has been said all along.

Let us not be those who look but do not see, nor those who hear, but  do not listen. We must read the scriptures, know them, and follow them.

Enjoying the moment

Matthew 6:25-34

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ 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? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.


About a week ago I referred to the writings of Solomon in Ecclesiastes. Thinking of that passage and the wisdom Solomon shared, I'm struck by the joy we can find in the moments of life that God gives us.

As recorded in Matthew's gospel, Jesus taught the disciples and others on the mountain with him, to set worry aside. God's provision is such that we need not worry.

It's so easy to worry. It's certainly something with which I struggle. There are so many things that creep in to our lives. Money, relationships, work, any number of things can grab our attention. This time of the year it gets worse, for me at least. 

Then I come across a family in worse straights than mine, and I stop and think, "wow, look at that. They have nothing, but they are so joyful just the same." And I suddenly feel like a heel.

I grew up in poverty. I didn't know it at the time. It wasn't until I was in my twenties that my dad told me how bad it really was. He worked three jobs, and my mom, despite her college degree,  worked as a waitress when I was very young, and later as a Christian school teacher. By the time I was ten, we pulled just over the top of the poverty line,  but it didn't matter. We were happy, healthy, clothed and fed. 

I look at my life now. My wife and son and I have a house (sure it's a townhouse but it's warm and dry), two cars (both are actually quite nice, if a bit on the high mileage side of things), a scooter each for my son and I, a tv (its tiny by today's standards, but it works), internet, a computer, tablets, phones, and so on. We have so many blessings, including a job that I love.

But I forget to see the joy in those blessings. I forget to look back and see what God has done and thank Him for the way He has provided. 

He has provided so much, yet I still worry for the future. Ok, so I'm not a millionaire.  I'm not working at the top tier of a fortune 500 company. I don't have a house with a five car garage and a Jaguar in the drive (scratch that, I do have the Jag, but I got it on the cheap). I don't wear Armani, my wife doesn't wear Prada, and my son doesn't have the pair of Jordans that came out next month. We don't have a 500 inch television,  or a pool, or a helipad on the roof.

But...

we have family, we have love, and we have faith.

It's enough.

Feel the love

Read 1 John 4:7-21

We say "I love you," an awful lot. We use the same word in reference to things we may own or want, or see or hear.

For instance, I recently said to my son, "I really love my car," and of course, being British,  it is quite lovely. Just the same, if I tell my wife or son, "I love you," it should mean something much deeper.

Love describes not just a phrase we say to make someone feel better or get something from them. Love is far more than a passing emotion that comes and goes as the situation changes. As the Apostle John illustrates, love is self sacrifice.

John tells us that a person who says he loves God, yet hates his brother is a liar. That is a pretty tough standard to meet, but it's accurate. Think about it. If God is love, and we are trying to live like Him, showing hatred to others is the exact opposite of what God is.

Recent events in my life have brought this to the forefront of my thinking. If others try to hurt me or those I care about, it's natural for me to be angry, but Jesus said "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." This from the man who died for the very people who hated Him. Seems legit.

So, I'm refusing to be bitter. Every time the situation comes to mind I pray for all those involved by name. I may never know if my prayers have an effect on anyone else, but I know they're having one on me. My anxiety is fading, and I have no more anger, just a profound sadness for those still holding on to their anger.

God is love. Love is more than just a word, it is a way of life.

Stretched faith

Matthew 17:20 And He *said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. 

Ahh the mustard seed illustration. As I've mentioned before, sometimes I see connections after thinking about things for a long time. I know the principle of brokenness applies to faith, and people of faith will struggle, but I never really understood the depth of the simile.

If one watches the process of a seed growing into a plant, one can imagine that if a seed had a nervous system, there would be a fair amount of pain involved. It struck me that this is indeed a vivid picture of faith. As a seed germinates and grows, the shell breaks open, the little shoot has to push up through the soil and it will die if it isn't watered or if the soil is too dry, or any number of other factors aren't in place.

Similarly in the growth of a child, there can be a lot of pain involved. It isn't constant, of course, but it is sometimes difficult to get through when it happens. I remember when I was young, I would wake at night with excruciating pain in my joints. My mom or dad would let me sit on their lap and would try to comfort me. It was horrible.

There are painful moments in our faith journey. Some more painful than others. In these times we need to seek the comfort of our Father. Not any earthly father, but the Heavenly Father. We need to be willing to let the Father help us through the tough times.

One way we can do this is to fall into the earthly arms of brothers and sisters in the faith. Fellowship is so important for dealing with the pain involved in the growth of faith. If we have no one to lean on, we will struggle all the more.

Faith is not a journey we can make alone. We need others to lend us their strength and comfort. Just like a rubberband, faith can only stretch so far before it breaks.

It's Immaterial

Read and consider Ecclesiastes 1 and 2

In the United States, we just celebrated a holiday set aside to give thanksgiving to God for His provision and bounty. The very next day, at least one person was killed and several people were injured as greedy shoppers trampled each other in their haste to get the best deals.

There is nothing wrong with having a few things. In fact, there are some things that are needful in our daily lives; a place to live, transportation, food, and clothing. Amenities that make life easier and more pleasurable are not necessarily bad things either, to a point.

The problem comes when we become so obsessed with things that it distracts us from what is truly important in life. A rich young ruler came to Jesus and asked him what was necessary to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus told him to sell everything and give it to the poor.

Now, let's be clear and fair, Jesus wasn't suggesting that there's anything wrong with having some possessions. He was asking the young man what was most important to him.

We can ask the same. Do we own the things we have, or do they own us? Do we really believe Jesus Christ is all we need, or do we value other things?

If we are truly broken, and want Jesus Christ to use us, material distractions just make it more difficult for us.