March 7, 2018

Extend Mercy and Grace

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. – Matthew 23:23

What does it mean to show mercy to someone? My dictionary said it is compassion or forgiveness shown towards someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm.

What is justice? A concern for justice, peace and genuine respect for people. Also even-handedness with a lack of bias.

What is faithfulness? Constant, loyal, stable and dependable.

Who are you holding a grudge against? Who have you condemned as unworthy?  Who do you avoid as being unworthy?

I’m sure you are doing it all in Christ’s name.

We are to be faithful to the words of Christ – even when it hurts. We are to treat everyone the same – even when someone else appears worthier. We are to show mercy – even when the other person refuses to admit guilt.

It isn’t enough to tithe. Sure, that’s important. It’s also important to attend church, pray daily and study your Bible. But living a life of true faith is so much more than that. It’s about letting go of the ugliness that binds you, not because someone else deserves it but because it’s what Jesus expects of you.

The Pharisees were all about rules. No one could live up to their standards. They were quite proud of themselves and didn’t hesitate to look down on the lesser Jews, the gentiles, all those who weren’t “pure” in the eyes of the law the Pharisees had created.

But that wasn’t what God wanted at all. Sure, He gave us rules and standards to live by. Think about the Ten Commandments. But all that other stuff? It was never about God and living for and worshipping Him.

The Pharisees wanted to place as many obstacles as they could in the path of those who longed to be righteous. They wanted to hold themselves separate and above all the rest of us. We see that today, don’t we? Every time someone doesn’t dress “appropriately” for church. Every time someone doesn’t know the books of the Bible in the correct order. Every time someone admits a less than perfect past.

We are so quick to condemn. We are so confident in our judgements, our words and actions that betray a dark soul. We’re so sure of our own righteousness that we forget it is only by God’s mercy and Jesus’ sacrifice that we can approach His throne at all. None of us are worthy. None of us.

So if you’re on your own pedestal, certain of how “good” you are and how “bad” someone else surely is, get down on level ground with the rest of us. We all need a Savior. We all deserve another chance. Is it easy? Not always. Do it anyway. We all are clothed in mercy that we are meant to extend to others.

March 6, 2018

Look Carefully At What’s Inside

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.” – Matthew 23:25-26

Have you watched with fascination the fall of once powerful men caught up in scandals of their own making? This “Me Too!” movement has really caught on. Once fearful women have come forward with their tales of sexual harassment and abuse.

It’s about time, some say. Others are more skeptical, thinking that perhaps not all the complaints are true. Whatever your view, there’s a firestorm brewing as people are intent on taking down those who made them feel small and worthless.

These are some of the most powerful men around. They used their wealth and position to threaten women into submission. Some of the assaults were verbal. Others were physical. All were demeaning abuse.

And then there are the lesser comments and actions. There is the boss who made it clear that the only way to a promotion was a sexual encounter. Was it a big city company? No. That actually happened to a co-worker who worked for a reputable company in a small town. Her boss? A fine, upstanding man. A deacon in his church. Happily married with children. The sort of person you look up to because of his outward appearance. Inside? Well, not so much.

I once asked my boss why a male co-worker earned more money than me. I had more responsibility and experience. His answer? Well, the male co-worker had a wife and baby and needed the extra money. Seriously! I debated suing and finally just decided to leave. I was blessed to find a better paying job with a boss who didn’t consider gender in the pay equation.

What’s your story? Male or female, we all have them. Some discrimination comes from gender, some from color, some from nationality. Unfortunately, it’s often the ones who look the “cleanest” on the outside who are the most guilty.

We are all guilty of falling for the ruse. As the old saying goes: if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, then it must be a duck. Anyone who challenges that is just wrong and, sometimes, viewed as a troublemaker. Until one day, they’re not.

Some condemn these women for not speaking up sooner. Have you ever walked their path? Challenging someone powerful can cost you your livelihood, your reputation, your friends and family. We want to believe the smooth-talking man and not the woman who stumbles over her words as she tries to share her horror and disgust.

And for what? Do you believe them? Or do blame them? We live in a time when it’s common to blame the victim for the sins of the victimizer. Especially when money and power are involved.

Powerful people sometimes believe they are above the law, that they are above the standards of decency. Be wary of those who look too good. Be cautious around those who appear too smooth, too greedy, too self-indulgent. Just because someone looks good on the outside doesn’t mean they are clean behind closed doors.

February 24, 2018

Help One Another

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. – Galatians 6:2

I am blessed to find myself surrounded by a tribe of good and wonderful people. Most are not related by blood but they are the truest of true when it comes to being faithful.

Do you have your own tribe? Everyone needs people who will drop everything and come when they are needed. Everyone needs people who will love them no matter what. Everyone needs people who will speak truth and kindness into their lives. And everyone needs people who know when all we really need is a listening ear and an open heart.

Some people try to do life alone. It’s a hard journey.  We allow our pride or self-reliance to dictate our steps. Can you imagine the loneliness?

Others allow fear to hold them back. What if they are rejected for their failings? What if others condemn their insecurities, their past, their mistakes? It could happen. Maybe it has happened.

Building a tribe isn’t an easy road. That probably isn’t what you want to hear. Sometimes we make the mistake of trusting the wrong person. That doesn’t mean we should give up. We need each other.

How do we help each other? Sometimes it’s simply listening to the cries of a broken heart. Sometimes it is offering practical assistance with a task at hand. Other times it is by offering godly counsel.

We probably all know someone who thinks he’s got it together. He’s quick to tell you what to do. He’s determined to live your life right along with his own life. He would never make the mistakes you’ve made.

For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his own load. – Galatians 6:3-5

Don’t let anyone’s grandiose boasts make you think they’ve never made mistakes and never needed help. They have. Each of us is responsible for our own journey. Failing to understand that comes from pride and arrogance.

So does this notion that we must live up to the standards of other people. The thing about standards and expectations others hold up for us is that they are impossible for anyone, including the person looking down on us. Life is messy and wrought with traps that will trip us up. We need people who will help us, not weigh us down with their rules and regulations.

“They (the Pharisees) tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.” – Matthew 23:4

We all go through different seasons of life. Some of those seasons are awesome and we feel a strength that can only come from God. Other seasons are filled with stress and worry, when we struggle to remember God’s promises over our lives. It is then when we most need someone to speak truth into our midst. We need to be reminded that we are not alone, we do have worth, this season will pass.

We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

– Romans 15:1

I hope you have a group of supporters who love and cherish you. And I hope you are that for others. It is truly a blessing beyond words.

February 11, 2018

Ignore the Hypocrites

“The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.” – Matthew 23:2-3

She was upset. Someone had lied to her. He’d told her two different things and she was so disappointed in him.

He is a man who quotes the Bible with great proficiency. He can offer up beautiful prayers that draw you in. He can make you believe he is on a different level of faith, one you’ll probably never achieve.

Except it’s all an illusion. It really hurts to learn that lesson. It happens when we think some people are greater than we are in the kingdom of God. They will let us down every time. They are only people, just like you and me.

I have known this man my entire life. I have seen the hypocrisy play out again and again. Those closest to him have no respect left for him. There have been too many lies, too much skirting of the law, too many comments about those “he” has saved.

Because you see it’s not about Jesus with him. Maybe once upon a time it was. I don’t know. But in my adult years every comment, every outreach, every thing he has done, has been to bring glory to himself. I have a problem with that. Our lives are to be spent glorifying God, not the other way around.

He can certainly quote the Bible. He’s spent hours memorizing its words. But he doesn’t seem to think those words apply to his life. He explains it all away. He speaks with authority. Few people bother to search the Scriptures for themselves. Few dare to challenge someone who can throw God’s word back at them.

The Pharisees were like that. They were scholars and teachers of the law. They knew exactly what the Scriptures said. Yet they missed the most important part. They missed Jesus.

They didn’t see it that way. They were just so proud of themselves and all their rules. They knew exactly what to say. And who to condemn. And they understood that Jesus was a threat to them. Why? Because He came to tell the truth, to show the way, to love on people where they were and offer mercy and kindness.

The Pharisees liked their power. They basked in the respect of their positions. They wanted to continue to look down on people and lift themselves up. But that was never the way it was supposed to be in the kingdom of God.

Don’t let anyone cause you to feel inferior as you learn and grow in Christ. Don’t lift anyone up onto a pedestal and believe that their faith is somehow greater or their prayers were powerful than your own.

God looks at the heart. When you don’t know what to pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. You are just as valuable to God as anyone else.

And when someone starts talking about how “he” has saved souls, run in the opposite direction. When someone tries to throw Scripture in your face, remind them that God reveals Himself to all who seek Him. It’s not about memorization. It’s about growing more like Christ with each passing day.

God loves you. Don’t worry about the hypocrites. Spend your days trying to live so that others can see Him in your life. Love the LORD your God with all your heart. Then love others as yourself.

October 13, 2014

Those Who Serve

 

"The greatest among you will be your servant."

-- Matthew 23:11

A volunteer fire department provides service in the area where I live. These men and women not only serve without pay, they hold fundraisers and reach into their own pockets to pay for training and other needs.

This morning they were out early. A bad wreck with three injuries. They are trained to give immediate medical help, then they stay around to make sure the vehicles are loaded onto wreckers and the roadway is clear.

Late this afternoon, I heard the sirens as they headed out again. Another wreck, this one involving one vehicle and one injury. A fire truck, a medic truck and an ambulance from town.

They spend countless hours training and working and giving so that we can be cared for in an emergency. I am grateful.

Each time I hear a siren, I say a silent prayer for safety for the emergency workers and those they are helping. I personally know many of those who serve. It makes my prayers urgent, necessary, asking God to keep them safe. I know the deep faith so many of them share. I am thankful for that as well. It's what all of us need most, when an accident or fire turns our world upside down. Help, yes, from firemen. But we also need Jesus. When we are scared and uncertain, we always cry out to God. It is just so powerful that those who serve the fire department, also serve Almighty God.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

It’s Not About You Or Me -- Really

“Everything they do is done for men to see.”

-- Matthew 23:5a

“For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

-- Matthew 23:12

It was sad, though probably not for the obvious reason. The man called to enlist my support. The prison ministry -- specifically he and a few others who went once a week to minister to those in the county jail -- was in jeopardy and he wanted me to make a phone call.

He went on about what he’d “heard.” He shared what “someone had said.” He had no facts and hadn’t yet talked with anyone in authority to even see if the rumors were true. He seemed shocked when I simply said no.

My former life as a journalist really highlighted the allegations and lack of facts. My life as a Christian took quick note that not once did he mention Jesus or God. His only concern was for himself and his friends. That was heartbreaking.

I’ve long wondered about this ministry. On the surface, it seems wonderful and I’m sure that these dedicated men have touched lives over the years. It just seemed that every time they talked about it, the focus was on themselves and not on God.

It’s easy to argue that any exposure to the gospel is good. I’m sure that some of the men in jail have never before owned a Bible or had someone talk with them about Jesus or pray with them. That’s a good thing.

But it’s not about those who minister. Somehow it seems as though they’ve lost that along the way. They’re impressed with themselves. They’re doing something many are afraid to do and others are too hard to do. It’s commendable, but only because they are following God’s call.

Or, at least, they were. That’s the danger in any ministry, when we begin to believe it’s about us and our opinions and our prayers instead of understanding that it all comes from God. Every word. Every thought. And when it doesn’t, well, it fails.

Like now. The previous jail administrator, a staunch supporter of the jail ministry, is now indicted in another county. There are changes coming. Maybe that’s not a bad thing.

Sometimes things need to shake up so that we can refocus again on what’s important: Jesus. God doesn’t call us to exalt ourselves. We are here to serve Him and to bring Him glory. Losing sight of that simple fact leads to a humbling that hurts us and those we are called to serve.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Predators Can Look Like Us

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like white-washed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” -- Matthew 23:27-28

Child predators have certainly been in the news lately. The Jerry Sandusky trial makes headlines daily and that brings out all sorts of comments and focus on other, lesser known cases.

What is so striking is that so many predators were “normal” people. They were well respected. Some were in positions of authority. They had power over their victims because the victims knew no one would believe them. They were probably right.

Because we have a stereotype floating around in our minds of what someone who abuses children looks like. We know what sort of family he or she comes from. We know what to watch for -- and it is never the family next door, the coach, the pastor, or someone who sits a few pews down from us at church.

And that is part of the problem. We don’t see child abuse, we don’t hear it or believe it, because we can’t see past the exteriors of those who look, act and seem just like us. The thought is just too horrifying.

One woman said her son didn’t want to go to the coach’s house but she made him anyway. Who wouldn’t? He was well respected. He was married with kids of his own. His influence could only be good. Right?

It sure seemed that way, except for the nightmare that those kids endured. And still endure. Because abuse never leaves you. It shapes who you are. You can grow past it but you can never undo what it has done to your psyche.

That’s especially true for those kids who tried to tell someone what was going on. It takes a lot of courage to tell an adult someone has done something wrong to you. Can you imagine how devastating it is to have that adult get angry, tell you that you’re lying? Do you know how alone those kids must feel when no adult can see past the exterior to understand the horror of the interior?

People aren’t always who they seem to be. Sounds simple. We know it. We do. We just don’t believe it when it comes to the people around us, people we know personally. We expect we’d just “know” that something was off but Satan is very cunning.

Sure, we should trust people but we also should be wary. Watchful. Alert. And we should remember something really important: Better to believe a child and have that child be wrong than to dismiss a child and have that child be right.