Why do I go?

Why do I go? Why do I believe that a chief component of my relationship with God is reaching out to people who don't know Him? After all, if He is all knowing and all powerful, what does He need me for anyway?

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." - Matthew 28:19-20

The easy answer is, we go because He said "go". There was no part of that passage that is formed like a suggestion. No, it is a command. Go, go to the poor, the hurting, the destitute, the hungry, the sick, the confused. Go, go across the street, across the room, across the hall, across the world. Go. Make. Disciples.

If Christ is our Lord, and He said "go", do we really even have a choice? The question then isn't, why do I go, but rather, why wouldn't I?

Psalm 103

Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits-

who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,

who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.

He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:

The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.

He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;

he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;

for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.

As for man, his days are like grass,
he flourishes like a flower of the field;

the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.

But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD's love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children's children-

with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.

The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.

Praise the LORD, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.

Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.

Praise the LORD, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the LORD, O my soul.

Authenticity or Acceptance

What's your aim in life-- authenticity or acceptance? What's the difference between those two?

To aim for acceptance is to live your life by the question, "How far can I go and still call myself a Christian?" You want to seem to be a Christian, but you also still want to be accepted by your peers, without seeming weird or fanatical. Authenticity requires a different question, which can be stated like this: "How holy can I be?"

This isn't to say that we can ever attain a measure of holiness that impresses the Father. We shouldn't dare to be so presumptuous. But the glorious effort of striving is a marathon ran in the name of the One who bought and paid for you in full with the blood of His Son.

Life throws curve balls nearly every second of the day. The authentic person judges the pitch and makes a choice. The accepting person sees the flashing of the stadium lights, the multi-bazillion dollar contract, and the lofty endorsements. Above all though, they hear the roar of the crowd, and without a thought as to just what might happen... they swing.

It doesn't really matter where the ball goes. If it's a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth the crowd loves you and you’re everybody's hero of the week. If it's a foul ball you've got a few more tries before they set you down. But, by then it doesn't matter. You've made your choice and acceptance owns you.

The authentic person seeks the greater cause than them self and their gratification. They are spent in glorious worthy effort. My prayer is everyday that Christ would use me as He sees fit and spend me as loose change at His very whim. What's your prayer?

Nursing Home Prayer

Recently I've been going back through some old writings that I haven't shared on this blog yet.  This one struck a profound chord with me this evening.
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What kind of thoughts do you have at midnight when you can't sleep because you inadvertently napped the previous afternoon? My midnight meanderings are often random at best and distracted as much as anything else, but-- as of right now I am stuck somewhere between reflection and affection, contemplation and nostalgia. The last month has been strange for me.

Generally, I am not the type of person that is prone to an abundance of sentiment in my emotional diet. I am not without compassion, and have a deep love for people, I just don't always choose to thrust it into the limelight and parade it around for the world like a bleeding heart liberal during election year.

A visit to the nursing home the week before Jamie's grandmother passed dealt a heavy blow to that emotional fortitude. If you have ever witnessed a loved one in a nursing home you may well understand. It is not easy to see someone you love and admire lying in such a state. Though I never knew her during her years as the mighty minister of the gospel so many had to come to cherish, she was still important to me as a part of my family--and the sight of her condition elicited an emotion which surprised me. I was angry.

It wasn't her sickly unresponsive condition or the state of the facility caring for her which affronted me. Rather, it was the general overall situation which assaulted my worldview. Like many before me who have been confronted by something that seems unnecessarily tragic I took my raw emotion to the only destination which could not be affected by my temperament, God.

I remember several things very distinctly about that moment. Jamie stood just in front of me by the bed side stroking her grandmother's hair and telling her how much she loved her. I stood just behind her with one arm around my bride and one hand on her grandmother's arm praying. It probably wasn't the kind of prayer that you would hear from behind a pulpit or read about in very many of those "How to Pray Effectively and Make Sure God Hears You" type of books, but it was real, it was honest, and I'm just as certain that He heard me then as I am that He has heard any other prayer I've ever prayed in my life.

We can't have been in that room for more than ten minutes and I spent the better part of it praying, but I remember the general unfolding of my prayer, if not the words-- and more importantly what I felt when we left the room some minutes later. I preceded to tell God, in a hushed inaudible voice, how mad I was at Him for letting such a seemingly miserable situation befall such a faithful servant. I went on to recount to Him how He had a responsibility to make it better and I continued to reiterate my point. In hindsight I realize I must have felt a bit like Jacob as He wrestled with God, except instead of trying to elicit a blessing I really just needed some peace to smooth over my lack of understanding in the face of perceived injustice. As I stood there, simultaneously praying my angry prayer and attempting to comfort my weeping wife, something happened.

I am not so haughty or pompous as to sit here and write that I completely understand what took place or the theological implications for it, but I do know that God immediately began to minister to both Jamie and myself. Like any loving father He listened to my (albeit silent) prayer and began to comfort me, all the while showing me truth and correcting some of my misconceptions about His nature. Jamie, He comforted as the hurting granddaughter who would dearly miss her cherished grandmother. Myself, He approached with what I could only describe as a counter accusation. "Don't you trust me? Don't you think I know what is happening?"

As we drove away from the nursing home that day I remember feeling several mixed emotions. For one, I was still a little angry, although by this point my anger was not really pointed at God. Secondly, I remember feeling a bit like Job must have felt when He puffed up and went after God with the only thing He still had left, pride. Did God judge me or punish me? No. He corrected me like the loving Father He is.

He showed me that we do not suffer, we do not endure tragedy, hardship, or injustice alone; because He who was without sin became man--suffered tragedy, hardship and injustice alone on the cross so that we might know Him and make Him known.

As a man in the ministry, everything always seems to boil down to one simple verse for me.

"Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him" - Job 13: 15a KJV

Be Encouraged

Encouragement

1. to inspire with courage, spirit, or confidence: His coach encouraged him throughout the marathon race to keep on running.


2. to stimulate by assistance, approval, etc.: One of the chief duties of a teacher is to encourage students.


3. to promote, advance, or foster

This is an important word. Where do we take our encouragement from? Where should we find encouragement? Is our encouragement derived from people, places, possessions, or prosperity? Does our socioeconomic standing or cultural perspective align us to a preconceived sense of self-encouragement? Can a man/woman be their own encouragement?

For Christians the answer to this question is relatively simple, even if it does not always seem so simple to practice. Encouragement comes from two sources.

Primarily, it is God Himself who is our constant source of encouragement.

"God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged." - Hebrews 6: 18 NIV
Secondly, it is our brothers/sisters in Christ who should be another source of encouragement.

"I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong-that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith." - Romans 1:11,12 NIV

Where/How are you being encouraged?

What is God inspiring you to do/be? Are you confident in that?
How is He helping you to achieve that end? Have you sought the approval of your Heavenly Father?
What is He fostering within you? How is He advancing your life according to His will?

Just some things to think on.

Grilled Cheese as Proof for the Existence of God

The slighty browned golden crisp crust crumbles in a symphony of crunchy-buttery delight. Your taste buds descend upon the feeble frame of the delectable sandwich. Your incisors pierce the glorious boundaries as you are met with the heavenly flood of gooey golden goodness which breeches its breaded borders. Mmmmmmm.

Cheese sandwich, grilled cheese, hot cheese ... this delightful dish has taken many names. Many of those who enjoy it have probably named it something aptly appropriate for reflecting their appreciation of the joy it brings them. And why not? Few things so seemingly normal can provide such a wonderful treat.

Take a few regular household items from fridge or pantry. Whip them together. Give a little time, attention, and heat--Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo--the result is as grandiose a goodie as ever graced your gullet.

Who first thought of a grilled cheese? Where did they come from? Was it by happenstance or accident that ancient Babylonians drafted the original? Does it hearken back to the days of pre-history?

How could something so incredibly ordinary offer such sensationally amazing results? How did a multitude of millennial mishaps yield the unquestionably astounding result we now know as the grilled cheese sandwich?

Friend, if you can answer that I'll let you have my grilled cheese sandwich. Yum.

Commodity of Faith

Magazine covers and billboards, TV ads and internet pop-up distractions—they all convey a similar message.  The party responsible for the media seeks to corner your undivided attention.  Promises are made; invest here, try this, wear that and all the issues that make you, both uncomfortable with self, and inferior to others will dissolve in a beautiful cornucopia of capitalistic spending.  Only all the while we are being duped; tricked by the swaggering shenanigans of irresponsible advertisers preying upon our irresponsibility.

It might be unfair to state that everyone is entirely tricked by these familiar ploys, but we are, all of us, saturated by them on a daily basis.  And it doesn’t stop at the sly presentations promoted by the marketing masses.  This exchange of promotion for promise is a way of life, it is our culture, and it is our American Dream.  Only somehow, like a dream, it has become ethereal.

We see glimpses, we strive for attainability, and we position for resources and opportunities only to find that all the maneuvering and wanton social fidgeting has left us remarkably short of our goal, our prize.  For many, life seems to become a bottomless box of Cracker Jacks with a plastic prize forever out of reach.  A cycle reciprocates.

We see.  We want.  We spend.

Sometimes we spend money or resources, often we spend time, but always we spend ourselves—and especially our hearts as the modern commodity of trade.  What do we have to show for it?  Perhaps we fashion an impressive display of real estate, investment holdings, or career milestones—all of these displayed in a glass case of human pride like trophies in a high school showroom.

What is the ultimate cost of these, our most treasured possessions?  What value do we place upon all of this, stuff?

I find that these are questions we could all stand to ask ourselves in this age of chasing dreams.  The day has long-since passed when the dollar was simply a monetary unit of transaction backed by a stockpile of natural wealth.  It has become a unit of faith.  We are all too quick to trade this unit of faith to those who offer easy answers masked by shallow promises.

Culture would tell a woman that she is not as beautiful as she was meant to be and so believing the lie she will spend her faith in an effort to attain a beauty which is neither real nor satisfying.  Society will show a man that he can be his own king and in an effort to conquer he gives his faith over for a crown of self-assurance that never seems to fit.

Now, don’t read this and think I mean to say that all of our pursuits to make our lives better are meaningless and empty.  We are certainly within our rights to do so, and failure to better ourselves is foolish.  However, like so many things in life answers can be found and clarity discovered when we strive to better understand why we do things rather than what we do.

So, faith being the unit of currency that ultimately we are trading that then leaves us with two fundamental questions: Why are we spending our faith? What do we spend our faith on?

There is no maybe.

Commit to stuff that matters and stay committed.  Like never before it seems that people are unwilling to commit to things of actual importance.  They go absolutely nuts over their favorite sports team or band, investing ludicrous amounts of resources into proclaiming ultimate devotion; but rarely are they willing to commit to things outside the areas of their frivolous passions.

I see this as a result of our society’s constant shift to pander to our every whim and want, and it’s not a good thing.  Facebook brought this to light for everyone with the infamous “maybe” option on event attendance; but people want options.  They don’t want to be locked in to doing something that they may change their mind about at the last minute.  They might be feeling a bit lazier the day the event arrives than the day that they agreed to participate in it.  Even if they do actually say that they’ll do something, which used to mean committing to do it, there’s no real guarantee that they’ll actually do it.  Often as not, when the moment arrives the fickle nature will kick in and commitment is broken.

I’m not saying we should be quick to jump into things.  It is always prudent to use good wisdom and judgment when committing to something.  However, once commitment is made shouldn’t that mean something to us?

More and more I see a society afraid to; commit responsibly, follow through unconditionally, or accept the outcome of their choices.

There is only yes or no.  There is no maybe.

Stuff I've Learned 1

I have an incredibly interesting job.  I once heard a dear friend, and long-time campus missionary, describe it by saying, “I’m not really sure what I do, but I sure do a lot of it.”  He was joking of course, and referring to the constantly evolving nature of campus missions. 

Even in the dynamic state of “everflux,” as I like to call it, there are constants.  I will always be tasked with reaching people with the good news of the Gospel and there will always be hurting people who look to me for counsel.

I don’t have any Bible verses or great words of deep theological insight for you in this little blurb; but that doesn’t mean you won’t find Biblical precedence for these things. What I have instead is a little bit of helpful, practical, stuff I’ve learned along this interesting eight-year journey in campus missions.

1)     Speak truth in love.  If people are asking your advice you owe it to both of you to lay the truth out there in the most direct, and loving way possible.  Don’t pull your punches and confuse the issue, but don’t be mean about it either.

2)     Be comfortable in your own skin.  It’s incredibly helpful when communicating with people to have a healthy opinion of yourself.  That means honest self-evaluation that reveals the good and the bad.  Whether you’re up in front of a crowd or just talking to a friend; it’s a lot easier to talk about deep issues, and not so deep, if you don’t take yourself too seriously all the time.

I’ll have a few more over the next few days.

You Are Never Alone

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. - Luke 9:23

Living out this passage is sometimes simply beyond us. Actually, the means to do this is always beyond us. We don't have it in us to carry the cross daily.

Thankfully, for those of us that have experienced salvation, we do have Christ in our hearts. That makes it easier you see, because He's already been there. He already carried the cross up the hill. And guess what? He had help too. Simeon had just showed up for the yearly sacrifice, but was ordered by the Romans to assist Jesus in carrying His cross.

One of the greatest lies of the enemy is his attempt to make you think you're in this alone. You're not. You never were. You never will be.

I will never leave you, nor forsake you. - Hebrews 13:5b

Some days the cross you carry will feel like grace. Some days it will feel like a 300 pound block of wood. Some days it will feel like freedom. Some days it will feel like an archaic torture device. No matter the feeling, just know that you never carry your cross alone.

Timing

When? Right now please. As in immediately. Like, I wanted it yesterday.

Sound familiar?

It should. This is our typical western approach to pretty much everything. Want a burger? No problem, that restaurant has a hole in the wall so you can just drive by and grab it. Looking for a new song? Hey, just download it. Want to know what that book says? Don't bother reading it. Someone else already did and will share the info in bite sized chunks for the right price.

Even our news distribution is radically changing to work within this frame of mind. Monthlies gave way to weeklies; which turned into dailies; which were replaced by 24-hour news; and that rolled into web news, which is even being 1-upped by social media.

We are an impatient "right-now" kind of culture.

This invades our spiritual life in dangerous ways sometimes. We pray for something and become immensely disappointed because we don't see results that fit our time-table. We don't like to wait and we exhaust ourselves with a sense of over anxious anticipation.

God wants something different for us. After all, at the end of the day, we either believe He is sovereign or we don't. Either He has it all under control or we are on our own.

I'm glad to know that God's timing is better than mine. He offers me what I can handle when I can handle it, and not just when I want it.

Next time your stuck waiting on something from Him, don't be so anxious...

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. - Isaiha 40:28

Pling Pling

Matt R. is still to this day simply the greatest guitarist I've ever known. I look back on the years we spent together in a praise band and wonder how in the world that ever happened. He could make that Fender guitar produce the most beautiful cacophony of awesome your ears could ever hope to withstand. And there I was standing beside him every week with my one-trick-rhythm and power chords.

The disparity in our musical talent was only highlighted by the differences in our personality. He had the musical makings to be a legendary guitarist, and a humble spirit that you just had to see to believe; whereas, I was a cocky showboat with almost no talent to speak of.

I still remember when he produced his first album how excited we all were for him. And it was pretty much incredible. I copied it over to my hard drive years ago and every once-in-a-while I still bust it out to show young musicians I meet. The mix of the speed metal electric craziness and unbelievably complicated classical acoustic flair are rare, and magical.

The height of that album for me was "Pling Pling." It is a song that highlights Matt's insane melodical craftsmanship. The coolest part is a real standout moment during the refrain when he would reach above the saddle of the guitar neck and strum twice just below the tuning keys... "Pling Pling."

What strikes me, still after all these years, is that his total mastery of his instrument allowed him to wield rarely harnessed aspects of the guitar to make beautiful music. But this mastery wasn't something he just decided to do one day because it sounded cool, it was the culmination of thousands of hours of extreme discipline, dedication, and learning. Matt did more than play the guitar, Matt made music.

Sometimes I wonder if you and I are trying to just play at being Christian. I wonder what would happen if we poured ourselves into it with the kind of supreme devotion a master musician has to his instrument? Would we continue to be just a bunch of noise those around us are trying to filter out? Or, would we begin to offer something so completely beautiful, authentic, and majestic to behold that everyone had to stop and take note?! I for one am tired of being another source of noise. I say it's time to make music. Pling. Pling.

H is for Heaven

The final piece of the plan of salvation, one that all Christians will one day experience, is eternal life.  Jesus spoke often of it during His public ministry.  One of my favorite passages is Christ’s verbal exchange with the woman at the well in John chapter four, but here are a couple more of His shorter words concerning heaven.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. – John 10:10

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. – John 14:3

Do we understand everything about heaven?  Of course not.  Nevertheless, the Bible declares to us the reality of this eternal place.  I’m so glad to know that we have an eternal home.

T is for Turn

Being reconciled to God along His plan of salvation means that at some point one must make a change.  In other words, you must eventually turn away from the habitual failures of the past to embrace a forgiving future life endowed by the Father.  Unless this turning to God takes place, there is no salvation.  A commonly used word for this act of turning to God is “repent”.

I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish – Luke 13:3

To turn to God is to embrace the realization that you need His forgiveness, you recognize it is available; you know it is impossible apart from Him, and you are desiring a new life.  I find it incredibly humbling that something with such far reaching affects can be accomplished with such ease.  One need only do as described in Romans 10:9 to find salvation.

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. – Romans 10:9

Turning means to walk away from sin, and selfishness, to embrace Christ alone.

I is for Impossible

Sin separates man from God.  You need only to go back and read the third chapter of Genesis for the sad account of Adam and Eve and their failures in the Garden.  As a result of their actions God forever removes them from his presence.  A condition we all face prior to salvation is our eternal separation from God.

As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one” – Romans 3:10

It is impossible for God to allow sin into heaven.  God is loving and just, his judgment is against sin, and we are all sinners.  How then can a sinful person enter heaven, when God allows no sin?

Mercy triumphs over judgment. – James 2:13

Just as we are inclined to communicate the necessity of forgiveness and it’s availability; it is also of upmost importance that we realize access to God is impossible apart from God’s own means.

A is for Available

Just as the first talking point in the “plan of salvation” is forgiveness, or helping someone to realize their need for it, the second is the availability of forgiveness to any who come to God seeking it.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. – John 3:16

Most of us are incredibly familiar with this oft-quoted passage, but a key component of salvation that often goes overlooked is that it does require something on our part.

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. – Matthew 7:21

Forgiveness is available for all, but it is not automatic.  It requires acknowledging our need for God, accepting the forgiveness that is available, and submitting to God’s will for our lives.

F is for FORGIVENESS

So often Christians desire to share their faith with people, but aren’t really sure what to say.  Sometimes an authentic God-centered lifestyle really is enough to spark conversation about faith, and sometimes it takes words, but at some point it will always lead to discussing what is commonly referred to as the “plan of salvation.”

I’m going to spend the next few posts looking at an acronym for faith I came across while studying several years ago.  Yes, it is cheesy, as all good acronyms typically are, but its principles are superb.  It is essentially your primary talking points when discussing salvation with someone unfamiliar to this concept.

F is for FORGIVENESS.

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace. – Ephesians 1:7

Each of us needs forgiveness in our lives.  Your failures and moral misgivings are your own.  No one else can vouch for them, well no one amongst your normal social circles.  The fact of the matter is that we are, all of us, in desperate need of reconnection with the Father.  This is only achieved through forgiveness, which in turn only comes through Christ.

The first point of communication then is in helping someone understand their need for God.  Until they realize this, there is no moving forward.

Dirt

I like caves.  I enjoy exploring them.  I enjoy the climbing that accompanies going into one.  There is a kind of awesome simplicity about standing in the utter darkness of a cave and hearing the chirping swoop of a nearby bat.  There is something uniquely self-reflective in coming to terms with the oppressive weight of the solid bedrock walls around you.  There is also another side to going into these caves that I so often frequent.  Something not at all pleasant or pure and, in fact, by its very nature is actually quite pungent.  Guano.  Bat feces mixes with the sandy dirt, dusty residue, and inherent moisture frequent to an Arkansas labyrinth and the result is a grimy film of squishable distaste.  Every time I exit one of these crevices I’m covered in it.  There really is just no escaping it.  And my darling wife will all-too-quickly tell you that it is a nuisance come laundry time.

I like caves.

My mother must have felt no different about dirt and grime being the sole female in a house of men for the better part of twenty-five years.  Summer laundry days were plagued by the kind of dry dusty dirt which found its way into every fold during long hours spent in the heat of the day tending crops.  The springs were accompanied by the darker, richer, texture of dirt cleaning to boots and britches after a long day preparing a field.  Winters were an amalgamation of mud and clay as cold rains or other winter precipitation left the farm a messy environment in which to tend the herd.

For as long as I dare to try and remember dirt has always been a part of my life.  Whether the residue of a spelunking adventure or evidence of a lengthy day at toil I have always been comfortable getting dirty.  It has always just seemed natural.

In spite of my comfort in the muck and mire that so often accompanied the various facets of farm life and the inevitable adventures of a man at play, there were always those moments in which encountering dirt simply was not acceptable.  As a young boy these moments were often heralded by a stern warning from my endearing mother not to get my pants dirty before church.  As a grown boy these moments are often illuminated by an enduring wife petitioning me not to wear my suit jacket as we eat or something of a similar nature.

There has always been a clearly identifiable separation between an acceptable and unacceptable time to be dirty.  Mom, and my wife after her, routinely reminded me of the difference of these times, and as a man I do indeed need reminding, with what could only be described as a set of guidelines for staying clean at the proper time.  Mom’s were easy to remember if not always quotable simply because they were accompanied by a look, a gently-tweaked tone of voice, or noticeably audible command to cease and desist whatever tomfoolery was about to carry me over the boundary of cleanliness into the realm of dirty.

I can tell you that as a young boy it was not always easy to obey that clear command to stay clean.  With age though came understanding, and eventually the desire for cleanliness became my own.  I was a little less hesitant to rush into a situation which would land me in the muck.

If you were to open your bible, thumb over to the book of Leviticus and begin to read it.   You would be reading God’s guidelines to the young nation of Israel on how that they could stay clean while being surrounded by dirt.  Specifically, in Leviticus 11:44, 11:45, 19:2, and 20:7; you would read a repeated phrase, “be holy because I am holy.”  Essentially, God, in these words is telling His people to be clean.  In fact, the Hebrew words for clean and unclean became the normal language when talking about violation of God’s law as the rest of Leviticus details.

In the 45th chapter of the written account of the prophet Isaiah the prophet uses the phrase unclean again in combination with the idea that to truly follow in God’s steps you need to live a life of holiness.  The apostle, disciple, and early church father Peter reiterates this same idea in the first chapter of his first epistle.

What is it about the necessity for cleanness that warrants such repetition?

Well, just like a small boy growing up on a dusty farm in rural Arkansas, the Jews were constantly surrounded by dirt.  God was communicating to Israel in the Old Testament, the young Christian community in the New Testament, and to you and I through all of it; His blatant desire for us to remain untouched, unsoiled, and unblemished by the world around us.  Just as my mother knew that eventually my clothes would need a good washing He also knew that the rules meticulously laid down for His people in Leviticus wouldn’t be enough.  So He sent Jesus.  As the Christ, He lived out a blameless existence, surrounded by the corruption and dirt of the world.

What really gives power to the words written by Peter in his letter is the simple fact that even though he walked hand-in-hand with Jesus for three years, even though he had operated in the supernatural, and on top of the fact that Christ had taught and trained him on the matters of holiness—Peter didn’t really get it.  He was constantly messing up.  During the final months of Christ’s ministry Peter got in a series of silly religious squabbles with the other disciples.  When the mob arrested Jesus in the garden Peter drew his sword, ready to battle, and chopped off a man’s ear.  During the mock trial Peter stands by and denies Christ in a selfish bout of self preservation.

Finally, in the wake of Christ’s ascension and the remarkable upper room experience on the Day of Pentecost something changed in Peter.  He went from being the loud brawling braggart to being a mature leader of believers.  So in his letter when he penned the words “Be holy because I am holy.”  It was not without an understanding of what it is like to battle that natural inclination for dirt.  He wasn’t suggesting that the reader should pursue holiness because Simon Peter was inclined to holiness.  Peter was communicating what God is still trying to tell us every day. . .

You don’t have to live life in the dirt.

Not only will He clean you up, but He will help you mature into the kind of person whose desire for spiritual cleanliness matches His own.

Brotherly Love

The most obvious face of love in our day and age is brotherly love, which I would define as the affectionate concern for the well-being of others.  Simply put, caring about other people is a vital characteristic for anyone who wishes to follow the heart of God.  Don’t just take my word for it.  There are several passages in scripture that lay it out there, plain and simple.

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. – Romans 12:9-13

Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. – 1 John 2:9,10

We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him. – 1 John 3:14,15

Does your life exhibit brotherly love?  It’s not always the easy thing to do, especially in a society that conditions us towards selfishness.

Stuff Love (Empty Love)

One of the most immediately recognizable things about our society is our love for stuff.  We have stores where you can buy stuff; TV shows for selling, making, and reviewing stuff; an entire transportation industry revolving around moving stuff.  We build houses with attics, basements, and massive garages and fill them with stuff, so we have to rent storage space for even more stuff.  We depend on the assistance of regularly scheduled crews of men to remove our wasted stuff and have yard/garage sales to profit from our unwanted stuff.  We love our stuff.

Stuff is most easily identifiable as acquired physical possessions; but really it goes beyond even that.  Stuff is generally what we are interacting with to fill our schedules.  It could be physical possessions like a nice house, sweet vehicle, or highly valued thingamajig; but it may very well be something not quite so tangible like a relational attachment, job, or hobby.

Is all stuff bad?  No.  Is all stuff good?  No.  How do I know the difference?  It all boils down to priorities.

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. – 1 John 2:15-17

If you are too busy salivating over your new shiny toy, making sure your kitchen counter tops glow from Pinesol overload, or lost in the thralls of sports-delirium to recognize, and engage, in the meaningful things of life … then you have a stuff problem.