Ever since I was a teenager, I've read books and heard talks that sought to inspire the recipients to reach for the stars, dream the big dreams, do the impossible. Those messages are appealing and inspirational indeed. And I am all for doing things excellently, not shabbily. But today, I'd like to examine these messages through the microscope of Scripture and see if perhaps we need to exercise caution in our reaching and dreaming and doing....
First, I concur that we should heed Colossian 3:23 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men. Christians should be known for being the best workers, most cheerful attitudes, and of greatest service to the organization. The problem I have with some of these books and talks, though, is that the last phrase of this verse is often unheeded. They don't encourage us to do great work for the Lord's reputation, but rather to enhance our own. How to "get ahead", how to "succeed", how to "have a great career/marriage/kids" etc. Including "how to have a big church...." as opposed to how to advance HIS fame.
Next, on the "dream big" thing. Check out this verse and see if you think it is consistent with that mindset.....
I Thessalonians 4:11,12
11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, 12 so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need.
I know I am in unusual territory. I know it doesn't sound right for me to suggest to teens and young adults "Don't aspire to be great. Just aspire to lead a quiet life and work hard and treat people right" I now that doesn't make for great conference speeches or book titles or conversation fodder. But isn't that exactly what this passage teaches?
Work hard, yes. But not to advance your own interests. Be ambitious, yes. But let your ambitions be to lead a life that is not "grand" or "admirable" but rather one that treats others right. Sometimes grand things do indeed come but they should come from God's hand, not from our pursuit, for His fame, not our pleasure.
The world will probably not make note of our accomplishments if we obey these verses. Most likely, we won't be applauded or acclaimed or emulated very much. At least not here. But check out what God says in Malachi 3:16 Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and who esteem His name.
A book of remembrance written for the Lord Himself. Better than any earthly listing in Who's Who.
Root of all evil?
Such a familiar verse. I Timothy 6:10 - For the love of money is the root of all evil and some, by longing for it, have wandered from the faith and have pierced themselves with many a pang
Direct. Sobering. Unsettling. Intended to make us examine our own hearts.
Let’s unpack it….
First of all, note that some translations seem to soften the blow a bit by saying that the love of money is A root of all sorts of evil. I believethe original KJV is the most accurate but nonetheless, it is a sobering truth. What does any of it mean? How could loving money be the source of evil such as gossip or violence or anger? Let’s examine it together…
Notice that Scripture doesn’t say that having money is the issue. It’s LOVING money. This means that we cannot look at an amount of money and conclude that there is a love of money. We have a tendency to consider opulent lifestyles like billionaire CEOs or Middle Eastern sultans as hearts that love money. But that would be deceitful. Folks with lots of money and folks with no money can have a heart that loves money.
Money is just a means of exchange. Money is exchanged for what we value. That can be spreading the Gospel or purchasing cars. Money can be used to decrease our fears, send a message of our importance to others, and make us feel comfortable. Or it can be used to bear the burdens of others instead.
When we love money, it means that we prize and long for what it can be exchanged. It means we admire (love) what money has bought others and we want that for ourselves. Whether we have much of it or not, we place our confidence in hoping that money will be what gives us security, significance, value. In other words, money stands for what we can get from man as opposed to what we can get from God.
Therefore, this kind of heart - a heart that places confidence in what money can do for us instead of treasuring Christ - is not a heart of faith. Anything that is not of faith is sin (Romans 14:23) and from this kind of heart, comes evil. ALL evil. This kind of heart causes us to wander away from the faith - notice the wording here. It implies not only a rejection or abandonment of faith but also a subtle departure. Think about that for a moment. This should sober us to realize that a heart that values what money can get us can manifest itself as a serial killer as well as a seemingly upright law-abiding citizen whose heart does not belong to Jesus. Loving money lures us away from loving God and that results in all evil.
The result of loving money is that we don’t get what we were after in the first place. Instead of security or significance or comfort or pleasure, we get sorrow. Pierced with many a pang. That is a picture of pain and alot of it! Believing that money will deliver on what it promises leads not only to disappointment but also disaster.
So now that we’ve unpacked the meaning of this verse, how do we apply it? How can we avoid having a heart that loves money? How can we have a heart of faith, one that treasures God?
One of the preceding verses in this passage clues us in. Verse 6. Contentment. That is what will sever us from loving money and free us to love God.
OK, sounds great. But how can we have contentment??????
The apostle Paul told us that he LEARNED the secret of being content(Philippians 4:11) . Which means it didn’t come naturally! That’s a relief :) If he could learn it, so can we.
We will only be truly content with what we have when we know that we have Him. When we are assured of His love and generous care for us. When we place our confidence and our faith in knowing Him. When we are not alarmed or dismayed by whatever happens to us because WE TRUST HIM.
And such faith comes from hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17).
We need to saturate our hearts with the truth of God. We need to speak this truth over and over to ourselves and others. We need to surround ourselves with people pursuing this same contentment (whether they HAVE money or not) and we need to ask our gracious, generous, loving Heavenly Father to enable us to KNOW HIM. And when we increase in KNOWING HIM, we need to remind ourselves over and over and over what He has said and done for us.
This is how we keep our hearts free from loving money. This is how we avoid many many many sorrows.
What does it mean to share in the sufferings of Christ?
Recently I was reminded of a passage that I have seen hundreds of times. But this time it hit me differently. So of course I wanted to share it with you <3
A couple of passages, actually. About the same subject.
Sharing in the sufferings of Christ.
The first passage that the Holy Spirit brought to mind was I Peter 4:13 - But to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing so that at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation.
As I meditated on that verse, I was reminded of a similar one in Philippians 3:10 - that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.
I had always thought of these as referring to the suffering we can expect as persecution for righteousness’s sake. And certainly the context of the verse in I Peter underscores that. idea. But I think there is a richer depth to the idea of sharing in His sufferings that I just now grasped.
Some backstory to help convey my thoughts….
I was immersed in gratitude for God’s goodness in my life. I was praising Him and was awash with thankfulness and humility at how undeserving I am for His abundance to me. I knew then and I know full well now that, while obedience certainly brings blessing, only God’s generous grace can account for the gifts He lavishes on me. Above and beyond what I can ask or imagine.
My mind rightly went to the knowledge that much of the good I experience is due to His faithfulness to me through other people. The prayers of grandmothers and mothers. The integrity of parents. The kindness of friends. The generosity of family members. The unselfishness of others. On and on I went, thanking Him over and over.
This gratitude bubbled up into a longing to bless others in the same way. For my faithfulness and prayers and giving to be means of grace to those around me. As I prayed that very idea, a bit of fear gripped me. Fear that my mistakes, my neglect, my sin, would cause a loss of blessings, especially to those I hold dear.
This was sobering. And I wanted to wriggle out of this thought, but the Holy Spirit held me there for a while. A needful reminder of how all our actions affect others.
I let myself reflect on the fact that, while I have certainly been the recipient of God’s goodness through the lives of others, I have also experienced loss and pain and hurt because of someone else’s sin. That’s when the Holy Spirit whispered I Peter 4:10 to me: “sharing in the sufferings of Christ.” As I reflected on the verse, I thought about what and why He suffered. He suffered physical and emotional pain because of the sins of others. His death, as we all know, was not because HE deserved it but because WE DO.
So, to share in His sufferings means that I experience pain because of the sins of others. I incur loss that was not of my own doing. I absorb hurt due to someone else’s actions.
And, to the extent that I do so willingly, without complaining, even joyfully, I experience intimacy with Him. I become transformed to be like Him. And one day, I will share in His glory.
I don’t know about you but this changed how I see suffering.
Twelve tips for the graduates
Just a bit of advice from an old graduate to the new ones....a favorite repost for this time of year. Even if “graduation” looks a bit different this year, these truths remain the same….
Read moreWhat is a Mother?
repost in honor of Mother’s Day
A Mother is the heart in which God conceives a child, regardless of the womb that carries it. The dream, the love, the child. The child to be protected and fed and comforted and guided, no matter the age, by a Mother's love.
Often, the title "Mom" is bestowed on the one who birthed or raised you but sometimes, it's for the one who nurtured you spiritually. Might be one and the same, might not. Both apply.
When God made man and woman, He said He made them both in His own image. That means that God has "mommy traits", not only "Father" ones. The tender, gentle, comforting love of a Mom is a mirror of God. So is the fierce, self-sacrificing, determined protection. And the ability to see the potential for good, the possibility of greatness, the promise of God in us.
On this Mother's Day, I pay tribute to all Moms everywhere, to the calling of Motherhood itself. The highest and most sacred of all works - being a Mom. And probably the hardest. The pain of labor and delivery. The physical exhaustion that newborns impart. The depletion of patience and order and brain cells (Mom's!) that occurs in the toddler stage. The heartache of a disappointed child that is exponentially experienced in the Mother. The fears of the "what if's" in the teenage years. The demands of multiple children and different phases might cause an observer to question if it's all worth it. Especially when the realization dawns that being a Mother is forever. This is a job that's never completed.
Yes, I would advocate that this is the hardest job in the universe. It takes its toll on one's body and mind and especially one's heart. Certainly there can be "no pain like parent pain". But I believe with all my soul that there is no joy like that of a Mom.
Unequalled. Indescribable. Worth everything. And then some more.
Knowing that baby 9 months before anyone else but God. Sharing space more intimately than any other human...sustaining life. Experiencing a corner of God's unconditional love for us when that newborn is placed in our arms - deep affection and steadfast love for someone who has done absolutely nothing to merit it. This tenacious bond changes Mom and child forever.
The years reinforce that bond with each new word spoken, every new skill taught. The light in the child's eyes when Mommy walks in the room, the clinging arms around her neck pleading against even momentary separation. The intimate understanding of what each sound means...even the silent ones.
The bond strengthens. With every hug and a thousand bedtime kisses and countless bandaids on boo-boos. And not in spite of but because of the messes cleaned up, the fevers survived, and the tantrums endured.
The bond intensifies. The dandelion bouquets. The handmade cards and refrigerator pictures. The pride in feats accomplished. The traffic tickets. That first crush. The burden carried to ease the pain of the invitation that didn't come or the race lost or the betrayal by someone dear. Flowers from a florist - and without a reminder from Dad.
And the bond grows so substantial that you think severing it will destroy you.
But, you watch in amazement at the metamorphosis. Without this adaptation, surely you would die.
This connection that binds you inextricably to this child changes miraculously to allow detachment, parting, growing up. The unyielding links that years of sustaining and training and loving have forged morph into a taut bow that sends its arrows into the world to make their mark....
But that bond never breaks. Never ever ever.
Happy Mother's Day, my friends. Forever.