Saturday, November 29, 2008

Can one person change the world?

When I was working as an estimator for Comstock one of my co-workers startled me by making this observation, "I've noticed that you're different! Your interaction with people is so friendly and caring. Why?"

I stumbled a bit in making my response. I was so surprised that someone even noticed. As I composed my thoughts I explained that my faith as a Christian was the reason. Because God cares about me I care about others. It was the first time I fully realized that we as individuals have the opportunity to change the world.

In 1 Chronicles 26 the mighty commanders of King David's army were a positive influence on others when they dedicated their spoils of war to maintaining the house of God.

The Apostle Peter changed the world with his eyewitness accounts of Jesus and his life of sacrifice for the sake of others as referred to in 2 Peter, Chapter 2.

In Luke Chapter 13 Jesus' parables reveal that "a single repentent life" can have a miraculous and far-reaching impact on the lives of others. The impact of a repentent life is like a tiny mustard seed that grows into a huge bush providing shelter for many birds or a small amount of yeast that slowly and steadily works its way through the bread dough, helping it to rise.

In both Micah, Chapter 4 and in Luke 13 we are told about the prophesy concerning the cummulative impact of these "repentent lives". Many nations will come to God. They will not battle in war anymore. God will gather the lame and the outcasts. People from the north, south, east, and west will come into God's kingdom.

Friday, November 28, 2008

Prepared and Watchful

It was on a Labour Day weekend that I first took my family on a canoe trip. My whole frame of mind changed as we prepared for this adventure. I had to make sure we were fully prepared with the necessary provisions, life jackets, first-aid kit, map, compass, and so on. Once we embarked on our five day journey I had to be constantly watchful regarding potential risks and danger for me and my family as we ventured into Algonquin Park's interior. This heightened awareness was it stark contrast to a more casual mind-set while in the comfort of my home. As darkness fell each evening, the possiblity of bears lurking around the campsite at night was always on my mind. I decided to set up a battery operated light with a motion detector. If a bear walked near the tent the light would come on and hopefully scare him away. We also had to hang our food pack from a tree limb to protect it from being devoured by uninvited guests.

In Chapter 5 of Peter's first letter we are advised to be prepared for our Christian journey by clothing ourselves with humility and submitting to those who are older. He also warns us to be watchful and vigilant because the devil prowls around like a roaring lion (or bear) looking to spiritually devour us. The enemy is always hoping for opportunities to overwhelm the believer with temptation, persecution, and discouragement.

In 1 Chronicles 24 & 25 King David was preparing and making provision for his people to worship God by organizing the Priests and the musicians.

We are reminded in Micah, Chapter 3 that we must be watchful regarding our relationship with God. If we are unrepentent, regarding wrong-doing, God may hide his face from us.

In Luke, Chapter 12 we are advised to be prepared and vigilant: beware of hypocrisy, fear the devil, rely on the Spirit, beware of covetousness, seek the kingdom, expect persecution, and be watchful for Christ's return.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Breaking Out

I do not have fond memories of my time in Grade 7 & 8. I felt trapped in a crowd that was pressuring me to change. They would quickly label me as strange if I refused to run with them, if I didn't dance to their tune. I became imprisoned by the need for approval from my peers. Deep down I wanted to "break out" and just be myself but I was afraid. The need for acceptance would often drive me to do what I knew I shouldn't do.

In high school, I remember the exhileration of breaking out from the pressure to be someone I was not. It began when I met and fell in love with my future wife. Her acceptance and approval was the catalyst for my "prison break" the "great escape". In empathy, I befriended those who the crowd labelled as "losers". I was even brave enough to wear my Boy Scout uniform to school on the day which celebrates the birth of Scouting's founder - Lord Baden Powell. Much to my surprise my courage to break out and be myself was well received. My canoeing and camping adventures attracted the interest and envy of many.

This became a real life parable for my "spiritual break out" during my early twenties. I met and fell in love with the God who made me. His love, forgiveness, and acceptance was the catalyst for becoming my true self. It released me into the safe and wide open spaces of God's family. It was more than exhilerating to break out from the prison of fear, guilt, sin and self-centeredness. My escape tunnel was the "Good News." I gratefully understood that the kingdom of God was open and available for those who put their trust in Jesus.

This wonderful news was foretold in Chapter 2 of the Book of Micah. He says, "The one (the Messiah) who breaks open (the way to freedom) will come up before them. They will break out, pass through the gate, and go out by it." Jesus says in the Gospel of John, Chapter 9, "I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for - will freely go in and out and find pasture.

In 1 Peter, Chapter 4 we are warned that many will speak evil of Christians because they refuse to run with the ways of this world. We now have the freedom (with God's help) to resist the pressure to conform.
Peter also suggests that we commit our souls (deposit our souls for safekeeping) to God in doing good. To minister (to each other) with the ability God supplies so that in all things God may be glorified. In other words - You are now safe and protected. Go ahead! Break out! Be the person God made you to be! Let them know that it is God who empowers you!
In Luke, Chapter 11 we are told not to hide the "light of God" that now shines in our hearts. We are to put it up on a lampstand so that those who come in may see it. We are to break out from the dark and deep waters of this world and let Jesus -"The Light of the World" shine through us.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Staying Focused

Some years ago I went on a solo canoe trip in Algonquin Park. As I carried my canoe along the portages I had to remain fully focused on every step I took. If I lost my concentration along the rocky pathways, even for a moment, I could have easily fallen and injured myself. Not staying focused could have meant a long wait for someone to rescue me.

I often lack focus in my relationship with Jesus and risk spiritual injury when I don't concentrate during my daily journeys.

In 1 Chronicles, Chapter 22 David says, "Now set (focus) your heart and soul to seek the Lord your God."

Peter says in Chapter 3 of his first letter, to always be prepared, when asked by others, to give a reason for the hope you have but do it with gentleness and respect. I need to focus on being ready to articulate my faith in a loving way when the opportunities present themselves.

In 1 Peter, Chapter 3, Verse 18 it says, " For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive (resurrected) by the Spirit. I need to constantly focus on the reality that Jesus is alive and with me every step of the way.

Micah, in Chapter 1 of his prophecy, warns Israel (the northern kingdom) and Judah (the southern kingdom) that their lack of focus on God has lead to spiritual adultery and will cause them to fall.

In Chapter 10 of the Gospel of Luke, Jesus warns Martha that her worries and fretting have put her life out of focus. He says, "One thing is needed and Mary (Martha's sister) has chosen the right thing." Mary had chosen to focus on Jesus. She was sitting at his feet and listening to Him.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Dangerous Undercurrents

Today's western society has failed to learn from the past. History gives us repeated warnings of the dangerous undercurrents that can drag society down into deep and dark waters.

If we put aside our religious beliefs for a moment and read Alfred Edersheim’s description of Roman society in Jesus’ time it is obvious that from a strictly practical viewpoint something has to be done. Our society will share Rome's disintegration if we refuse to take action. I am struggling with how I should personally respond. What can I do?

After reading the following excerpts from Edersheim's book you would think that the renowned scholar was describing New York City, Chicago, or San Francisco. It is a sketch of modern America to the core – no absolute truth; right and wrong are self-defined and relative; live-together, fornicating liaisons as common as marriage; abortion rampant; despair, depression and suicide are common place; “unnatural vices” adorn the mantle of respectability and receive government sanction, etc.


(From Pages 257 to 259 of “Life & Times of Jesus the Messiah, Eerdmans, 1947)

Religion, philosophy, and society had passed through every stage, to that of despair. Without tracing the various phases of ancient thought, it may be generally said that, in Rome at least, the issue lay between Stoicism and Epicureanism. The one flattered its pride, the other gratified its sensuality; the one was in accordance with the original national character, the other with its later decay and corruption. Both ultimately led to atheism and despair — the one, by turning all higher aspirations self-ward, the other, by quenching them in the enjoyment of the moment; the one, by making the extinction of all feeling and self-deification, the other, the indulgence of every passion and the worship of matter, it’s ideal.......

.......But even Cicero writes as one overwhelmed by doubts. With his contemporaries this doubt deepened into absolute despair, the only comfort lying in present indulgence of the passions. Even among the Greeks, who were most tenacious of belief in the non-extinction of the individual, the practical upshot was the same.

It has been rightly said, that the idea of conscience, as we understand it, was unknown to heathenism. Absolute right did not exist. Might was right. The social relations exhibited, if possible, even deeper corruption. The sanctity of marriage had ceased. Female dissipation and the general dissoluteness led at last to an almost entire cessation of marriage. Abortion, and the exposure and murder of newly-born children, were common and tolerated ; unnatural vices, which even the greatest philosophers practiced, if not advocated, attained proportions which defy description.

What's stopping me?

What is stopping me from pushing out into deep water and letting down my net?

a) My Pride - In 1 Chronicles, Chapter 21 we see David putting more trust in the strength of his army rather than trusting in God. Self-reliance has been part of my problem.

b) My Protectionism - Most of my choices in life have been based on minimizing hardship or suffering. In 1 Peter 2 it says that Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example to follow.

c) My Preconceptions - If I am honest I must admit to having preconceived notions of what I want certain outcomes to be and presume that my way should be God's way. In Jonah, Chapter 4 we see that Jonah is unable to push out into deep water and let down a net of forgiveness and compassion as God requests. This is because he hated the Nivevites and hoped that God would punish them rather than forgive them.

d) My Practical Nature - Do I really believe the lesson Jesus teaches in Luke 9. He suggests that his disciples feed the thousands of people which didn't seem feasible or practical. Yet they were able to do it (with his help) and they each ended up with a basket of left-overs. Do I really believe when Jesus says that I must lose my life (by sacrificing for others) in order to find real life, a life with meaning?

Monday, November 24, 2008

Afraid of the dark

If I am swimming in deep water and can't see the bottom it makes me feel uneasy. When I look down the rays of sunlight only penetrate a short distance and then blackness. At age 52 I am still afraid of the dark. The unseen and the unknown throw me into a state of uncertainty. My battle each day, with God's help, is to fight back against my fears of the unknown, my worries about the future, and my unwillingness to take the risks of pouring myself out for others.

In 1 Chronicles, Chapter 19 Joab who is leading King David's army says to his soldiers, "Be of good courage...and may the Lord do what is good in His sight."

1 Peter, Chapter 1 tells us that God raised Jesus from the dead so that our faith and hope would be in God not in ourselves.

In Jonah, Chapter 3 - When God tells Jonah, "Arise and go to Nineveh and preach to it the message I will tell you," Jonah decides to obey God instead of giving in to his personal preference.

In Luke 8 the parable about the seeds warns us that we can be choked with the cares and worries of this life and as a result bring no fruit to maturity.

In a storm while sailing over the deep waters of the Sea of Galilee the disciples cry out to Jesus in fear, "We are perishing!" Jesus calms the storm and asks, "Where is your faith?" Jesus was trying to help them see that if he is with them they have nothing to fear. He is with us!

Sunday, November 23, 2008

My Father holds me up

When I was young and could not swim very well I was afraid of going into deep water. My Dad would tell me to put my arms around his neck or hold on to his shoulders and together we would swim out. He would say, "when I count to three take a big breath" and down we would go. At first I was so scared I just wanted to go sit on the beach. But gradually my apprehension became less and less as my Father would quickly come to the surface each time I gave him the signal. A tap on his shoulder meant "Take me up quick! I'm running out of air!" It was interesting how each time I could stay under a little longer because I was learning to trust my Dad.

If I understand the Bible correctly Jesus offers to carry us on his back and promises to support us and lift us up when we have reached our limits. But do my actions reflect this belief? No, not all the time.

In 1 Chronicles, Chapter 18 - King David trusted that God would carry him and the Lord preserved him wherever he went. David set aside the gold, silver, and bronze (the tribute from other nations) for use in honouring God. You cannot swim in deep water if at the same time you are trying to hold on to earthly treasures. You will sink.

In James, Chapter 5 - James gives a warning about living on earth in pleasure and luxury, heaping up treasures for yourself. They will drag you down.

In Jonah, Chapter 2 - When Jonah is in serious deep water (inside the belly of a fish) he declares to God, "You have brought up my life from the pit. I will sacrifice to you with the voice of thanksgiving." That was the tap on the Father's shoulder that brought Jonah up to the surface.

In Luke, Chapter 7 - Jesus says to the sinful woman, "Your faith has saved you go in peace." If we fully trust in God we should be able to venture into deeper water with "peace of mind" He is with us.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Getting in over my head

Unless I move into deeper water I will remain self-reliant instead of God-reliant. If I know I can touch the bottom or easily get out then I am not truly living by faith.

Things that I am considering. They are not huge risks or sacrifices but it's a start:

a) Doing without Tim Horton's coffee and fast food. I'll make my own coffee and pack a lunch. This will save me at least $30 per week. I will use the savings to sponsor more children in Ecuador.

b) Each day I will spend time checking in with at least one friend and offer help if they are in need.

c) I will spend time reading the Bible and connecting with God every day

The Invitation

I remember when I was in my early twenties having an awareness of this invitation from Jesus to push out into deeper water. I would ask the question, "How much does God want from me? Does he want me to sell everything and go help the poor and suffering?" This question continues to challenge me.

I know that each of us is not called to respond in the same way but we are all called to respond. I believe that no matter what we choose it should involve spending our lives for the sake of others.

Jesus says, We must lose our life to find life." Oswald Chambers (in his book "My Utmost for his Highest") indicates his desire to be "broken bread and poured out wine" in a life of service to others. Mother Teresa says, "Following Jesus is simple but not easy. Love until it hurts and then love some more." Shane Claiborne (author of "The Irresistible Revolution") writes, "True generosity is not measured by how much we give away but by how much we have left"

I am not trying to do good things so God will accept me. I already have His acceptance through my trust in what Jesus has done for us. It's more about a desire for God to be proud of me. I don't want to disappoint Him. When we meet face-to-face I long to hear Him say, "Well done my good and faithful servant"

With his help I know it can be done. But there are road blocks - my desire for comfort and security, the limitations of getting older, and my concern for maintaining a proper balance between responsibility to my immediate family versus responsibility to my global family.

Comments welcome.