A Cause to Die For

In the rotunda of our nation’s capitol building hangs John Trumbull’s famous painting depicting the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Very little of it is historically accurate. They were not assembled when they signed. The first signers did so on August 2 and it took several months before all forty-seven affixed their names to what was then signing a death sentence. Only a third of the country thought independence from England was a good idea. Washington most likely would have lost the war had it not been for the support of France. Had he lost the war those forty-seven were dead men walking and they knew it when they signed.

As I look at the picture I cannot help but make a comparison with Jesus’ twelve disciples. While the disciples did not sign anything they indeed committed themselves to following Jesus. However they, unlike the forty-seven signers of the Declaration, thought they were on the road to riches and power. Jesus was the Messiah. He was going to rule the world. The Roman Empire would fall and Jerusalem would be the capitol of the world. They would be well rewarded for being the first on board.

Forty-seven chose to die for a noble cause vs. twelve looking for the good life. Three years later, after being with Jesus, they were changed men. They too would sacrifice life for the love of right. This is an amazing story of what happens to people who commit to Jesus. He transforms us into the people we wish to be. If you want to be a person of sterling character, if you understand that character is destiny, make Jesus the Lord of your life and you too will have a cause so noble you would not hesitate to sacrifice life itself. Blessed is such a person.

To Die

Romans 5:7 has been on my mind most of today. Paul wrote, “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” My younger son’s wife spent over seven hours today under the knife as surgeons ever so carefully removed a tumor from her brain. (The prognosis is very encouraging.)

Today’s events for our family caused me to make a mental list of those for whom I would gladly, without the slightest hesitation, die. I actually surprised myself in that my list is longer than I would have at first estimated. In the course of the exercise, while trying not to do so, I also made a list of those for whom I would never die. That is a very extensive list. Life is precious and should be guarded with diligence. One should never squander one’s greatest gift. And then I come back to Romans 5:7. Jesus, God’s only son, died for Herod, Pilate, the soldiers who stripped Him bare, beat Him to a pulp and drove nails into His flesh. “Father, forgive them”

In the course of several decades I have recounted this story over and over and pretended to understand. I don’t! I have acted as though my degree in theology made me privy to the mind of God. It did not! And now I, after all these years, am at a loss to understand God’s amazing love. If you understand I am envious of you, for I know that, even in heaven after a millennium of millenniums, I will never get it.

Too Much of a Good Thing

It will be 2021 before anyone once again hears London’s Big Ben chime over London. Restoration has begun and the worker’s hearing has to be protected from the bongs of the huge bell. The chiming is so loud there is a very real danger that the bonging would permanently deafen the laborers.

There is an interesting story about Moses in Exodus 34. He had been on the mountain with God and upon coming down his face glowed so brightly he had to veil it from the others.
And so there it is. The answer to today’s seeming lack of power in God’s modern church. Too much light, too much sound, too much of any good thing can damage us if we are not prepared and ready. Just as any good parent is careful with what gifts they give their children God is careful with us. No good parent gives a 16- year-old a 700 horse power Corvette. God wants us to do great things, but He also knows how much our egos and sense of self-importance can tolerate without our becoming totally narcissistic. With great power comes the need for even greater humility.

So what can we do to increase our effectiveness? Paul gives us a few good ideas in Ephesians 6, “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” And how do we do that? Like all good things time is required. If we make sure we spend time with His word each day, the armor is added piece by piece. This isn’t rocket science. Everyone can do it.

Pringles

Having spent this past weekend in a local hospital I woke up Monday morning about 1 A.M. with a tremendous appetite for a can of Pringles. If I had had my cell, I would have called my wife asking her to please please bring me some. Alas, I could not. Actually, I would not have called because merely knowing my request she would have gotten out of bed and immediately brought me a can. (Yeah, she would have!) Now comes the interesting part of the story. At 8 A.M. Tuesday she came into my room carrying a can of Pringles! Absolutely amazing.

While I do not have a great theological lesson to draw from this, I just wanted to quote a few famous lines from Psalm 23. “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. (I have no enemies. But my what a grand table it is.)You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

I could fill pages of blessings but to do so would bore many people. (However, just one more story.) This morning my wife called drug and grocery stores all over our little city looking for clear Ensure. No one had any in stock. She mentioned it later today at our cancer clinic. A dietician overheard and said, “Wait just a moment.” She returned with the gift of fourteen cans. She said, “Next week I’ll have more for you!”

I have blessing guilt for I am totally aware that life is gruesome for so many people. “A life in Christ is a life of restfulness.” Steps to Christ. E. G. White.

Peccadilloes

I’m sure everyone has at least once in their life gotten a paper-cut. The edge of a piece of paper so quickly slits one of your fingers. The cut is so smooth and so subtle you can barely see it. But you can surely feel it. Often it doesn’t bleed; it just creates nagging, annoying discomfort. If it is on the end of a finger it makes keyboarding very unpleasant. How can something so small be so aggravating?

Ticks can be even worse. The tiny ticks that almost require a magnifying glass to see them are the worst. Often you don’t know they are there until it is too late and they have begun using you as a banquet table. Sometimes relationships are spoiled by little things. Others’ idiosyncrasies can so irritate, things like sucking one’s teeth, constant humming off-key, slamming car doors when you are still inside, not really listening and then asking you to repeat yourself, chewing a finger, putting their cold feet on you in the middle of the night, and on and on.

Life is full of irritants and we are not as innocent as we might think. We just don’t notice ours, but others do. They can be like tiny ants that steal away the joy of a picnic. Paul’s counsel to us basically is not to make a big deal out of others’ issues and to (if we can stand it) mind our own business. He wrote, “So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.” Romans 14:12. We cannot justifiably say, “But Lord, every time we stop for a traffic light, he picks his nose!”

The Voice

We talked to a woman today with what had to be the world’s worst ever voice. We’re talking about a sound so offensive it could clear the room of mosquitoes. I was so relieved when she stopped talking. I did genuinely feel sorry for her. I wondered how she would ever find a spouse. Well, if he were deaf, that would work. After she departed I thought the situation could have been reversed, because she was very nice and polite. What could be worse was if someone had a smooth mellifluous voice and used it to say mean, rude, disgusting things.

How horrible it would be to hear God’s voice, which has to be the best voice in the Universe, say, “I never knew you.” “Many will say to me, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? Then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity.” Matthew 7.

The best thing any of us will ever hear is the exact opposite. To His redeemed God will say, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Matthew 25.

The Good News is we can be sure we will hear the latter. Jesus is so straightforward when He says to us in John 5:24, “He that hears my word, and believes on him that sent me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” This is so wonderful and so powerful even the “dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.” That is a sweet voice!! John 5:25.

Follow Me

I had plenty of fuel to get home to the Napa Valley when I departed from Redlands, California. But soon, while over the western edge of the Mohave Desert, I encountered much stronger head winds than forecast. It became evident I was going to have to refuel somewhere up the coast. Fuel consumption is measured not in miles covered but in hours in the air. As I neared San Francisco I decided it would be interesting to stop at SFO. I fully expected the control tower to bring me in on a small runway designed for private aviation but was pleasantly surprised to be led to one of the two giant side by side runways designed for 747s. It was a real treat.

As soon as I touched down a truck appeared in front of me with a large sign that read, “Follow me.” He would lead me to fuel. As I taxied behind him I thought how interesting it would be if the sign read, “Matthew 16:24.” Few pilots would even have a clue. This was in such contrast to construction trucks on highways that say, “Don’t follow me.”

We all follow someone. Whether our pride allows it or not each of us is influenced by role models and our behavior, upon study, would reveal who it is. Following Jesus is the best ever role model anyone anywhere could ever emulate. He will take us to destinations far beyond our ability to think or imagine. He will not only change our behavior, He will make us anew. Following Jesus is not “off to see the wizard” but off to see unnumbered worlds filled with dazzling creatures who have never sinned and have only lived to serve others. Come with me. Let’s live forever.

Culture Vs. Morality

I mentioned to a friend that all last week I had spaghetti for breakfast. He thought I was daft. People don’t eat spaghetti for breakfast. When I asked him why not, the only real answer I could get from him was because that isn’t what we do. How very easy it is for convention to dictate to us what we can and cannot do. The power of culture, the routine of life, the hold of habit are so very strong; even to the point of sometimes mistakenly assigning moral implications of right and wrong to something with absolutely no Biblical basis or real ethical foundation.

Several years ago a Baptist pastor friend and I decided to unite our churches one evening for a joint communion service. It was a beautiful experience that changed our community. Because we did some things a bit differently we did some their way and some our way. They did not have deacons pass the emblems to the people where they were seated but had the worshippers come to the front to receive the emblems from the pastors. It was amusing to watch the expressions on the faces of our members when we asked them to the front. You could almost see the smoke coming from their ears as their brains went into high gear trying to decide if this was morally right or wrong. Finally a few got it that the geography of where one ate the bread had nothing to do with its’ significance. When they came the others followed.

Before we begin making a issue of something we should clearly understand beforehand if this is cultural tradition or God directed. God loves nothing more than a clear thinking child.

Stray Dogs and Alley Cats

When one is a pastor one meets a vast array of interesting people. When I am eighty I want to write a book about the “Stray Dogs and Alley Cats”* who through the years attended my church. (I need to wait until I am eighty to make sure they are dead lest someone put two and two together.) One morning when we had over three thousand present someone whispered in my ear that the Zodiac killer had been in church. This was north of San Francisco. In a different part of the country (We moved a lot.) on many occasions I had a man come who had confessed to me of taking contracts for the mob. I could contrast this with an evangelist who told me his goal was to win so many souls for Jesus his crown would be the brightest in heaven. We once had a man who brought both his wife and girlfriend to church and sit with his arm around his girlfriend while she snuggled.

All of this brings me to Harley Allen’s song Stray Dogs and Alley Cats. Some of the lyrics go like this.

“To bad for heaven and to good for hell
Little wings are better than big tails
I don’t expect to sit at god’s right hand
I could empty heavens garbage cans
Hope there is room on those golden streets
For stray dogs and alley cats like me.”

I find myself thinking there is very little difference between killer and evangelist, except maybe, the killer knew he needed Jesus. I’m not sure the evangelist did. The good news is found in Hebrews 7:25, “He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him.”

*My thanks to Harley Allen.

Wanting to be Exceptional

It is a rare person or group of people who does not long to be exceptional. Nations build monuments to their own glory. Richard Nixon made sure his signature and title were engraved on plaques affixed to the Apollo 11 and Apollo 17 spacecrafts. I have had colleagues who demanded their students address them as doctor. Even religious groups (perhaps especially religious groups) want to bask in their specialness as God’s unique people. I am not convinced God is overly thrilled with our ego’s seeking ownership of His care and love.

One of the first songs I ever learned was, “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, all are precious in His sight.” In Deuteronomy 10:17 we read, “For the LORD your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe.”

What a great verse that is. God does not take bribes. One’s largess means little if anything to Him since He was the one responsible for your having some wealth. It is like giving your children money enabling them to buy you a Christmas present. We want so badly to be special. The bad news is we aren’t. The good news is that doesn’t matter because each of us is a son or daughter of the King of the universe with all the rights and privileges that come with that. I say this with much fake humility since down deep in my heart I know my heavenly home will be nicer than yours. (I think that sentence just disqualified me from getting any home.) But wait He is able to save to the guttermost. I’m still in.