Careless and Useless Words

As a student and teacher of the ancient writings found in the Bible, there are statements in the writings that frighten me. I’m not referring to the historical accounts found in the Jewish Scriptures (the Old Testament) about Sodom and Gomorrah or Lot’s wife turning into a pillar of salt. I’m referring to some of Jesus' words.

Jesus said, “If you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:15 NIV84) The thought that my unforgiveness would prevent my own forgiveness scares me because I have SINS! Or, Jesus said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28 NIV84) Jesus is encouraging people to not let the “fear of man” control their lives but instead to let the “fear of God” control them.

The teaching of Jesus that terrifies me is about the things a person says. Most of the people Jesus taught communicated only through speech. We communicate in a variety of ways. In the 21st century his teaching applies to every way that we use words; the spoken word, written word, social media posts, shares, and likes. And about our communication Jesus said, “Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. … I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:34-37 NIV84)

The words that come out of my mouth and from the end of my fingertips, come straight out of what is in my heart and I will be JUDGED by those words. That scares me and sometimes terrifies me!

Jesus, I need continual surgery done on my heart so that my words are not “careless” and useless. Help me! Amen

Quick To Listen and Slow to Speak

I’ve spent hours listening over the last few weeks. Listening to preachers, politicians, reporters, farmers, athletes, and many others concerning the protests and race issues our country is swimming through. I’ve been looking over my shoulder, both left and right, because I realize I have “blind spots.” I only see what I see, and I only understand what I understand.

By listening, I’ve learned about the “red line,” “Juan Crow Laws,” “In-groups” and “out-groups.” I’ve learned about the difference between bias, racism and discrimination. I am in elementary school about these issues. I’m learning about “espoused theory” and “theory in use.” I’m listening to descriptions of “white girl hair,” and learning that every person is 99.5 percent identical in genetic makeup. I’ve learned that saying “I don’t see color” is divisive, even when said with or from the motive of inclusiveness and love.

Jesus’ brother James wrote: “You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.” (James 1:19 NLT) Too often when I face trials and struggles, I am quick to speak and too slow to listen. In the struggle our society is facing, I am intentionally closing my mouth, opening my heart and listening intently. I have an incredible amount to learn about the issues we are all facing.

Micah, the prophet who spoke for God 700 years before Jesus said: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8 ESV)

What is good? What does the Lord require? Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.

Jesus, teach me. I want to live justly, practice kindness and walk humbly with you.

Confessing The Sins of America

I have been considering an example from the Jewish Scriptures, when one of the leaders of God’s people confessed the sins of the Jewish people. Daniel had not participated in the sin, but he was part of the people group or nation that perpetuated it.

As a POW in Babylon, Daniel was reading the words of the prophet Jeremiah. As he read, understanding of their situation and the seventy years they were to spend in Babylon broke his heart. Daniel recorded his actions: “So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting. I also wore rough burlap and sprinkled myself with ashes.” Daniel 9:3 NLT

Daniel had not been part of the sin, rebellion, and disobedience, but he was Jewish, and these were the sins of the Jewish people. Daniel Chapter 9 is the record of Daniel’s repentance and confession of the sins of Israel. Daniel saw it as his responsibility as a member of the Jewish nation to confess the sins of his nation. “I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: ‘O Lord, you are a great and awesome God! … We have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against you and scorned your commands and regulations. We have refused to listen … as you see, our faces are covered with shame. … O LORD, we … are covered with shame because we have sinned against you.’”

Daniel 9:4-11 NLT

I am an American and therefore I am responsible for injustice and need to do my part to bring about justice. I have spent time this week confessing the sins of America. As a nation we have oppressed people and continue to oppress people. We are guilty and we are responsible. I’ve been praying that God will have mercy on America and Americans. I have been praying that God would raise up leaders who can show the way through the racial darkness.

God, have mercy on America and move us forward in racial equality. Amen

Where Does Division Begin?

There is an enormous volume of discussion in our society about the divisions that exist. The divisions are racial, political, economic, age, location… the list could go on for paragraphs. Everybody is talking about division, but unfortunately division is always seen as someone else’s fault.

Abraham Lincoln famously spoke about the division among Americans during the Civil War.

“A house divided against itself cannot stand." I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved — I do not expect the house to fall — but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other.” Abraham Lincoln

America, the country that God decided to be our home, (Acts 17:26) is in greater damage from inner forces than from foreign forces.

The natural response of many is “That’s right … they …” The problem of division never starts with “they.” The trouble of division starts with the division in every heart.

President Lincoln’s memorable speech gets its foundation on the words of Jesus. “If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.” Jesus - Mark 3:25 ESV

Jesus’ and President Lincoln’s words describe the human heart. The divided heart of any person will ultimately end in chaos. The divided relationship of any couple will collapse. Division between parents and children will destroy a family. “A house divided against itself cannot stand” is true in every area of life.

Any time I contribute to the division, in any area of life, I become a tool of the primary “divider,” the destroyer of man’s souls, the Devil. We cannot put on the uniform of the kingdom of darkness.

“Jesus, deal with my heart so I appear not seed or feed division in any area of living. Teach me to love those who think differently than I do. Amen,”

Loving Our Neighbors

I have been thinking about how you and I can love our neighbors during the crisis moment. It is important to love your neighbor not primarily because they need to be loved but because Jesus said the second commandment is “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus taught that the second commandment to “Love your neighbor” is equal to the commandment to “Love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength.”

If I’m mostly “staying home and staying safe,” HOW do I love my neighbor? (Your neighbor might be people who live around you, but your neighbor is also the cashier at the store, the barista at the coffee stand, the person you pass on the street or trail when you are walking, the cleaner that used to visit your house, the landscapers who care for your yard, the UPS delivery person, etc.)

Pray. What if you are the only one who is praying for your neighbor?

Be kind. Everyone you encounter is experiencing stress in unprecedented ways.

Greet and Talk. When you pass someone on the road or trail, greet them and talk to them – DO IT.

I regularly run similar routes. I regularly encounter an elderly widow woman I’ve known for years on my runs and I stop and take time to talk with her and often pray with and for her. Two years ago, she commented on my bright yellow running jacket, so I bought her a jacket and took it to her home. The jacket was the wrong size, so I returned it and got her a larger size. I often bump into her wearing the jacket. This woman is not a church person, but I’m determined to love on her and hopefully to love her to faith.

Ask Jesus to guide you and show you opportunities to love your neighbor. Then listen and, when prompted by the Spirit, act on that prompt.

You’ll be surprised how Jesus wants to use you to love people.

Trust and Obey

What is God up to? That is the question that has been bouncing around in my heart. There is no mystery to some what God is doing; He’s always working to reconcile people to Himself! God wants to be your friend. He is not out to harm you. He is working on hard hearts, closed minds, and broken spirits. He is working in the lives of those who are mad at Him and others who deny His existence. He wants people to understand that He loves them.

The Apostle Paul wrote: “Perhaps you do not understand that God is kind to you so you will change your hearts and lives.” (Romans 5:4 NCV)

What else is God up to? What is he up to with nations? What is He up to in world economies? What is He up to with the church?

There are plenty of prophesies and conspiracy theories floating around in social media these days! But do they help you understand what God is up to, or what He wants from you?

Let me tell you how God expects you to respond to the current world situation. I’ll use the lines from an old Gospel hymn, as true today as when John Sammis wrote them in 1887. Let the lyrics encourage, instruct, and challenge you.

“Trust and obey, for there’s no other way,
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”

I know for certain that God is trying to teach you and me to “trust and obey!”

Walk Away from the Comparison Game

Someone has said: “Everything in life is easier when you don’t concern yourself with what everybody else is doing.”

I have experienced and observed the truth of this statement. When a person compares themselves or their life against others usually one of two detrimental results happen. (There are probably other outcomes but there are two biggies.)

One result is to respond, “WOW is me! Wow, look at how much bigger, better, faster, richer, sleeker and newer I am.” When people compare themselves to others and assume that they are better than others, pride sends out roots that begin to grow deep in the soil. Social Media is laced with “WOW is me.”

The other result, on the other end of the spectrum is “WOE is me! Woe, look how rotten my life is!” WOE is me can be heard in statements like: “I don’t have what they have, I’m not as good as them, I’ll never have what they have, I’ll never be what they are.” WOE is not pride; WOE is self-pity.

Many of life’s emotional, mental, and spiritual pitfalls are a result of comparing. Eve could have eaten any tree from the Garden. She saw the fruit on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, compared it to the other fruit and had to have it. Cain compared his gift to God to his brother Abel’s gift and ultimately killed his brother.

Consider Apostle Paul’s wise words to the believers in Rome and Philippi, who were playing the “comparison game.”

“Do not think you are better than you are.” Romans 12:3 (NCV); “Let nothing be done out of … conceit, but in humility let each esteem the other better than himself.” Philippians 2:3 (MEV)

It takes tremendous intentionality to walk away from the “comparison game” but it is one of healthiest and freeing endeavors you will ever take on. I encourage you to end the compare game.

God is up to something BIG

One of my core beliefs in life is that God is sovereign over all that occurs. That means only what He determines or allows takes place. With that as the foundation of my thinking, I’ve been pondering what God is up to. Why has He established certain things? Why has He allowed other things? Is God superintending circumstances and world affairs to direct history corresponding to His design?

I’m absolutely persuaded that God is up to something BIG. The pandemic has now affected practically the entire earth and the economic impact will be felt by every individual. He must be superintending something BIG.

Is He seeking to humble humanity? Is He trying to reconstruct political, social, economic and power structures across the globe? What is He seeking to say to humanity? Is He trying to get us to listen? Is He seeking to remodel the 2,000 year old church?

On a personal level I am learning traits about myself that I might not have seen without these new factors. I am being pressed to think outside the box I’ve produced over the last 30 years. I’m being stretched to think about a future that He might prefer look different than what I’m used to.

" He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since He is the Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn't live in man-made temples, and human hands can't serve his needs--for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything. ...From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries.

His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps find him--though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and exist." Acts 17:24-28 (NLT)

Let your faith grow as you relax in the God who is “Lord of heaven and earth.”

Jesus is Building His Church

Throughout history Jesus has used circumstances and troublesome seasons to strengthen disciples and expand the church. The early months and years of the church were filled with turmoil, suffering and martyrdom. During the first few centuries of the church’s existence, the world endured a multitude of pandemics.

Throughout the centuries one hardship after another hit the world, but the church continued to grow and prosper. Through plagues, famines, fires, earthquakes, wars and persecution the church continued to grow. Decade after decade more and more people found hope in the life, death, burial, resurrection, teaching and example of Jesus.

During WWII and the Korean conflict, the church continued to grow. Many of the largest churches in the world are in Korea, and Korean churches rank among the top missionary sending churches in the world. The revolutions and persecutions throughout the 20th century of Chinese believers didn’t weaken the church - the church in China grew in strength and number.

The Apostle Peter wrote to mid-first century followers of Jesus: “These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold.” 1 Peter 1:7 (NLT)

The church will come out of the current pandemic, and financial crisis strengthened. Jesus declared: “I will build my church and the Gates of Hell will not stop me!” (Matt’s paraphrase)

Let Jesus strengthen you as your trust and faith are tested.

Allowing People into our Circle of Conversation

Businesses, yoga studios, athletic trainers, physical therapist, schools, churches and organizations have flooded the web with Zoom meetings and activities. Zoom, an online video conferencing tool has been overwhelmed by usage over the last 90 days. Like any other popular web program, hackers have had fun with the security holes in Zoom.

Zoom has developed new patches and fixes to stay ahead of the hackers. I was scheduled to take part in a Zoom meeting led by a pastor in Renton and before I joined the meeting someone had joined the meeting and flashed pornography on the screen. Such is the world of the internet.

One safeguard now in place is that the moderator of the Zoom meeting must allow a person to enter the meeting and join the conversation. In the middle of the night last week I started thinking about the parallels in real world relationships and conversations.

Each of us respond as the moderator of meetings and conversations. As the moderator we either allow a person to enter meetings and conversations or we prohibit them. Our response signals to the other person whether they are welcome or not. Sometimes it is a look, a phrase, a vibe that we give off that signals to the other that it is OK to enter or not OK.

Jesus “allowed” people into his circle, conversations, meals, and life whom others had rejected and prohibited from relationship.

Luke recalled one of those moments in his account of Jesus’ life. “Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.’”

Jesus let people into his "Zoom Meetings" that others forbade. He welcomed undesirables to eat with him at "Zoom Dinners". And, that is the hospitality that Jesus wants to reproduce in our lives.