Choosing What Remains
I first became a homeowner when I was 25. It was a small run-down rental in a suburb of Sacramento, California. My wife and I decided we could buy it at a good price and “fix it up” ourselves in preparation for our soon-to-arrive first child. I had never done any kind of remodel work or even basic house projects for that matter. And this was before YouTube do-it-yourself videos. But it seemed like a good idea at the time. And thus I began to climb a steep learning curve: painting, wallpapering, roofing, siding, wiring, digging (an inground sprinkler system), and of course, home equity loans. Many mistakes, and a lot of money, later, our house was pretty much the way we wanted it. And then we sold it and joined Youth With A Mission (YWAM), all five of us living in one bedroom for more than a year.
Upon reflection, there are a couple of valuable life-lessons I learned, besides “measuring twice to cut only once” and that aligning wallpaper patterns does matter. For one, it is not good for someone with a red-green color blind condition to do household electrical work (a true story for another time). But probably even more important to be applied to the big picture of life is that the quality of the materials you use in your projects makes a difference – especially long-term.
My tendency has been to go cheap to save money. There are always less expensive toilet-repair kits, garden hoses, and brands of paint that catch my eye and keep more in my wallet. In contrast, my wife’s mantra has always been, you get what you pay for, so go with quality for the things that are important. We have had more than a few disagreements over this topic when money was tight (more true stories for another time). But, as the years have gone by and after many repeated repair jobs, paying again to replace the same part, I have come pretty close to now agreeing with her. The bottom line is, I want things to last. And making that happen never comes cheap.
The Most Important Investments
Yes, the Bible has some things to say about quality building materials and lasting dwelling places. There is Jesus’ parable about the man who built his house on the rock (Matthew 7:24-27). We’re told that it is the quality and wisdom of Jesus’ teachings that are solid enough to be the foundation of our lives and keep us from collapsing in the storm. Of course, there is the cost of studying, meditating on, memorizing, and loving His word to actually have the benefits of this foundation.
Read MoreChoosing to TRUST in the Dark
I was five years old when I had my tonsils removed. Medical concerns and procedures were different back then. They had me spend the night before surgery in the hospital. I remember my initial impression was that of getting to do a sleep over at a hotel without Mom and Dad. Kind of exciting!
It all seemed great until I was taken in to be prepped for surgery early the next morning before my parents arrived. Everything quickly went blank when they put a cup over my nose and mouth. My strongest memory of the entire episode was a growing awareness of an intense sore throat while still in complete darkness. A disconcerting panic arose as confusing conversations from unseen bodies were taking place around me. I desperately wanted a light to be turned on. But there was nothing. Finally, one voice among the many stood out. My mother! And though I couldn’t see her, I knew she was there and that made all the difference. I was then able to be at peace. Everything would be okay because someone who I trusted to care for me was with me even though I couldn’t see.
When There’s No Light
Darkness stirs an assortment of emotions. Yes, there is the glory of the nighttime sky with the brightly shining stars or the beauty of a full moon casting its silver lining across the edge of a black horizon. But when it comes to navigating a path or figuring out what’s going on with no stars, no moon, and no lamp of any kind, the lack of light can be terrifying. Total darkness seems to scream that there are unseen terrors hidden nearby. Some kind of illumination is needed, something to guide, something to comfort. And so, we grasp at anything that might shine light on our path, even a tiny bit, to provide some sense of control.
Many years ago, I came upon a scripture in the Old Testament that I have returned to often.
“Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God. Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who equip yourselves with burning torches! Walk by the light of your fire, and by the torches that you have kindled! This you have from my hand: you shall lie down in torment.” (Isaiah 50:10-11 ESV)
Read MoreChoosing What Has My Heart
When I was a kid, I always associated the delights of being out of school with the 4th of July (Labor Day sadly meant it was all over).
The 4th has traditionally been one of the most important days for Americans to express their patriotism, loyalty, and love of country. As a boy, I vaguely understood this. Fireworks, picnics, and homemade ice cream were what I perceived and associated most closely to the summer months. American Independence Day, however, slowly worked its way into my overall awareness of history, politics, and symbolic gestures as part of the trappings of being an American.
Speaking of gestures . . .
I was a part of the generation that grew up saying the Pledge of Allegiance in class each morning in my public school. We would stand next to our desks and place our hands over our hearts as we faced the U.S. flag. The words would roll off our tongues without really hearing them. It was a ritual that I never thought about deeply. I saw its main value as a reference point for learning to distinguish my right hand from the left as a child. And yet, aware or unaware, it still was a powerful declaration that we children made each morning. As we grew older, we would then decide how much of it we actually meant, if anything of it at all.
We Cannot Escape Them
But allegiances are part of life. They are what give shape to our identity as individuals and as groups. Who I am is typically best put into words by speaking of the community, activities, beliefs, roles, and goals to which I have attached myself and continue in submission to. Even among those who say they have no allegiances, it’s likely they have a strong loyalty to their own independence and self-preservation at the very least. To literally hold no allegiance to anything is somewhat equivalent to being one of the walking dead. That person would theoretically be just a body, with no sense of connection to anything that raises him or her above the status of an animal. And thus there would be no ability to clarify uniqueness, beliefs, hopes, dreams, etc. I doubt there are many, if any, who truly have no loyalties to anything. Without some point of devotion or commitment to that which gives them meaning, they would be worthy of pity from the rest of us because they would not really be living.
Read MoreChoosing to NOT “Fix It” Myself
“I will kill as many of them as I can.”
A man in his early 20’s from Prizren, Kosovo said this to me quietly through clenched teeth. Not knowing how to respond, I silently reflected on the story he had just told me.
It was July of 1999, and I was staying in a town just across the border in Albania. This young man was a war refugee. And as we drank tea together, he told me how he had come home to find his entire family dead and buried in a shallow grave in their front yard. Groups of Serbian paramilitary had made their way through Kosovo, an autonomous region of Serbia at the time. Generations of ethnic hatred had erupted into a move to purge the land of the traditionally Muslim Albanian-speaking Kosovars. The young man’s family was one case out of thousands of murders that had recently taken place. It got so bad that NATO finally intervened, bombing until the paramilitary troops retreated back into Serbia.
I and my YWAM team were there to help the United Nations repatriate thousands of Kosovar civilians returning to their homes that summer. But though the war was technically over, healing was not on the horizon. This young man I talked to told me that the sin of the Serbs could only be covered with their own blood. When I finally asked him what he expected the family members of those he planned to kill would do in response, he replied matter of factly, “They will come and kill more of my people. This kind of thing never stops. We will all ultimately be destroyed.”
Does it never end?
Years later, the words of that young man still echo in my mind – and stir despairing questions. Is there no hope for an end to the ongoing violence layered throughout human history? Can the cycles of our sin against each other ever be broken?
Once again, I go back to ponder the Christian hope of redemption (read post on Atonement). The basis of it is that Jesus the Messiah came to break the hold that sin has on humankind. And He did it by letting His own innocent blood be shed on our behalf.
But does it work?
Read MoreChoosing to Wrestle with God
After my face was smashed into the sweaty mat several times by a brute bigger than me I changed my mind. That was enough, and I gave up the thought of becoming a wrestler. The high school coach had said he could make me a champion, but one practice was enough. Sure, I was young and wanted to prove my strength and sense of manly confidence. But there was nothing glorious about this. The air in the room was stifling hot with the scent of body odor permeating everything. I walked out of that wrestling room seeing nothing worthwhile in submitting myself to such an abusive workout every day for an entire season.
I look back now and wonder what I could have become if I had believed the coach enough to persevere. A different perspective has taken hold over the years. Wrestling now seems to be a poignant metaphor for life. And the longer I seek to follow Jesus, the more wrestling images come to my mind. But, at the same time, it doesn’t seem right. Shouldn’t my expectations of the Christian life be that of royalty sitting at a table having all that I need or want served on a silver platter? I am a child of the Creator and King of the world afterall. I have been given the assurance of ruling with Christ and judging angels!
Confusing Discomfort
This seems to be the tension of following Jesus. He came to earth to make me a child of God (John 1:12), and has even said that I will one day share His glory with Him (Romans 8:17). So many promises have been made that reinforce the idea that I am a favored child and should expect nothing less than good gifts from my Heavenly Father (Galatians 3:26; 1 John 3:1; James 1:17). But then there are promises of sharing in Christ’s sufferings (Philippians 3:10-11). I am called to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17), persevere through trials and temptations (Romans 12:12), and remain faithful even if it means an early death (Revelation 2:10).
I am left with two pictures of what I can expect my life to be like as a follower of Jesus, but they stand in tension with each other. It appears that the images of royalty and promises of glory are true. But there is a process of preparation for getting there. There is something that God desires to form in us. And the image of wrestling is an effective metaphor for understanding what that is.
Read MoreChoosing to Honor God’s Name
Online debates typically resolve nothing. And yet they continue and get ever more heated. There was one I saw awhile back that bantered back and forth over whether or not it was okay to say, “Oh, my God” as an exclamation. The discussion included strong opinions on how wrong it is to exclaim “Jesus Christ” when a person is not referring to Him at all but only expressing emotion. There were multiple references to the 10 Commandments, particularly the third one concerning not taking God’s name in vain. One comment, however, summed up many people’s view: “Let’s not make a big deal of this. I’m sure God is secure enough that he can handle mere words that come out of people’s mouths.”
Mere words?
I agree with this comment in that God is secure in Himself, the most secure being in all of existence. But I disagree that the third commandment, which says we should not take God’s name in vain, is not a big deal. Even though the 10 Commandments are found in the Old Testament (Exodus 20), Jesus affirmed them all in one way or another. He even added His own commentary to some of them, making them even stronger. So, a Jesus follower needs to understand the heart behind these commandments because they seem to have been important to Him. Even in the prayer He modeled for us we say, “Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed (or holy) be your name.”
Thou Shalt Watch Your Mouth?
So, what does it mean to NOT take God’s name in vain? Is it referring to swearing? Well, yes. Kind of. One of the meanings of the English word vain’ or ‘vanity’ refers to that which has no significance, value, or importance. It is empty or hollow. Thus, one way to understand this commandment is that we are not to empty God’s name of its value or meaning. It has been common for thousands of years that individuals try to strengthen their words and oaths by swearing by the name of their gods. The God of Israel said, “You are not going to treat me as any common god or idol. You are going to set my name apart, holy and unique.”
Read MoreChoosing Love that Gives
I first wrote the words “I love you” in a note to a girl when I was in the 5th grade. It felt good. And the feeling was even better when I received a note back with the same words. A core belief took shape in me. From that point on, I understood love as something that was meant to make me feel good. Of course, my 5th-grade love affair didn’t last long (I was too shy to actually talk to her). But the impression that love is defined by how another person makes me feel, stuck.
And then I encountered God.
Believing in His unconditional love felt good too. But He asked me to love others in the same way—even those I don’t like. How was that possible? If I didn’t have “the feeling,” how was I to love them?
Later in life, I remember reading through the book of Isaiah, grimacing over the descriptions of God’s loathing of sin and what it has done to His creation. Where was His love in all this? No good feelings here. It felt as though divine frustration was ready to destroy everything! But then the words of John 3:16 pushed into my mind. And I was struck with the awareness that even with God’s hatred of evil He longs to find ways to express His love and affection for those He has created. The familiar Bible verse declares God’s love to be an action, not a feeling! It shows how far His love is willing to go to deal with the sin problem.
But how does this change how I love?
Here I find the definition:
Read MoreChoosing to say, “NO!”
In every house I’ve lived, sooner or later, we have to deal with pests. We’ve battled everything from snakes to bats, all looking to make a home with us. But of course, the most common little irritating critter has been the mouse. Unfortunately for him, but thankfully for us, this creature’s downfall is almost always its palate. I can drop a tidbit of something savory onto a trap and be confident that it will seduce and then allow me to eliminate any rodent within sniffing distance. What dumb little critters they are to let the growling in their stomachs obliterate their ability to discern their impending destruction.
But stupidity also perches at the very top of the predatory chain. Depending on what my mind, emotions or body is craving, I easily ignore or minimize the potential consequences of my choices. The enticement is called temptation. And its allurement defies my rational thought and spiritual values. My feelings don’t actually catch up with what’s truly at stake until I taste the bait and experience the pain of the sprung trap. And even then I don’t always learn the lesson.
For those who are not sure where temptation leads, the Bible is clear: “Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death” (James 1:14-15 NLT).
Yikes! It’s the starting point of a very nasty ending. And for all those who care about what God thinks, it is nothing to mess around with. For a Jesus follower, it’s vital to recognize what tempts me to disobey God and wisely install defenses against such deadly enticements.
Read MoreChoosing to Resist
Though I could be quiet and reserved as a child, I had a belligerent side as well. I got into quite a few fights—the kind that included punching, slapping, kicking and bloody noses. Before you form a mental picture of me as a delinquent hooligan, I can honestly say all the incidents pitted me against a bully and usually on behalf of another who was smaller. One time, I even hit a girl who was physically assaulting a small boy (not all bullies are males). Even with such chivalrous zeal, I took a few beatings and didn’t always walk away as the victor.
I now look back and like to think of myself more as a resister than a fighter. I didn’t, and I still don’t, like to see people get pushed around by oppressors and tormentors. Yet even as an adult, I see them all around. The real bullies and hidden enemies, I now understand, are the ones that pull the strings behind stage. We don’t see them. They’re incorporeal spiritual beings. But there is still a need to stand up to them.
Who is the REAL enemy?
The Bible tells us to resist the devil and he will flee from us (James 4:7). Whether we think about having an invisible enemy who bullies us or not, the scriptures have a lot to say about such a being. We are instructed in more than one place to stand against and wrestle the spiritual forces that are harassing, confusing and oppressing us. There is no room for passivity in the Bible when it comes to spiritual opposition. We are instructed to know who is our real enemy and who is not.
We are NOT to wrestle “flesh and blood” (Ephesians 6:12).
How often I forget that people are not the ones I am to fight. But what I’m struggling against are the influences of evil spirits of the unseen world that seek to twist and destroy my world. Through Jesus I have been given the authority to stand against all that is thrown at me (Ephesians 6:11, Colossians 2:14-15).
Even though it’s not a physical brawl, I have to still choose the attitude of a fighter. This does not mean I am to be belligerent and testy with anyone, for no person or group of people are my real enemies. But it means I am alert and never surprised when I experience opposition, conflict, strife, contention, animosity, disputes, hostility, hassles—you get the idea.
Though clashes may come through other people or even my own thoughts, it is the invisible enemy behind others’ behavior and attitudes or the voices in my head that I must learn to resist. As a follower of Jesus, I can expect attacks and challenges in specific areas of my life because the enemy knows well the strategic points that my life and purpose in Jesus rest upon. If he can intimidate me to back down in these crucial areas of my life, he wins. By identifying them and readying my mind and heart for battle, I can have the advantage of not being caught off guard when forces of darkness strike.
So, what am I fighting for?
Read MoreChoosing to Turn Around
I’m growing—particularly around my gut.
As I get older, I find myself fantasizing about coming up with a plan to return to my 18-year-old body, back when I felt no need to think about what or how much I ate. And it was more pleasant to look at, too. Of course, that has remained merely a dream. For me to get back even to what I weighed when I was a high-school student would take some major changes in my habits and lifestyle and perhaps my DNA. The problem is, I would like the fruit of the change, but I don’t want to—at least not badly enough—make the necessary changes.
This dilemma stretches into my spiritual life as well. The more I learn about the behaviors and attitudes that draw me away from God (see posts on the 7 Deadly Sins: Pride, Anger, Lust, Envy, Greed, Gluttony, Sloth), the more I like the idea of being rid of them. Afterall, life for a Jesus follower—or anyone, for that matter—is better without habitual sin (read my post on the “problem”). But, how to begin to make those changes? That’s a trick, if I truly want to learn it, that can be applied to every part of my life.
Changing Our Minds
It’s actually not a trick. It’s described in the Bible with a mundane word that is not in fashion today.
Repent.
It literally means to “think again,” or “to change the way one thinks.” It’s sprinkled all throughout the scriptures. And it’s usually associated with the process of dealing with sin in a person’s, or group of people’s, life (Ezekiel 18:30; Acts 2:37-38). Jesus used this word when He began His ministry. “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). What was He intending the listeners to do? Well . . . to change their thinking patterns, particularly their ideas about the Kingdom of God, what His expectations were for them, and what it meant for them to obey Him.
Read More
Choose This Day 