tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20787380729981524082024-03-18T09:37:34.753-04:00"Just Thinking" by Robert J. TamasyA veteran journalist explores everyday topics and issues from a spiritual perspective.Bob Tamasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07061076332556605594noreply@blogger.comBlogger1461125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2078738072998152408.post-57755885190797993372024-03-18T03:00:00.011-04:002024-03-18T03:00:00.132-04:00Refusing to Let Familiarity Breed Complacency<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A centuries-old adage declares “familiarity breeds contempt.” This essentially means the more time spent with someone or something the easier it is to become aware of faults and deficiencies, even to the point of becoming resentful or scornful. Upon closer inspection, warts aren’t all that attractive. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4CP7GCwrbCRUJ4UN1OZVS_anBQ3yKRIi_TmvDuTt4jE3KioN-XnX19Zds2kQSxxsRh13UzjxpYjF2YuAHQAdKfh75wvjK0RInw3Gg8Cb5ik4GC0-vQbdBstjM2Bi-BMPD9XdcVgYkv8TVy1O1p9e4AkTLL6S9SYw91MKB5BVnACDwsIWj69h76W9-uYNL/s640/Thumb%20photo.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="470" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4CP7GCwrbCRUJ4UN1OZVS_anBQ3yKRIi_TmvDuTt4jE3KioN-XnX19Zds2kQSxxsRh13UzjxpYjF2YuAHQAdKfh75wvjK0RInw3Gg8Cb5ik4GC0-vQbdBstjM2Bi-BMPD9XdcVgYkv8TVy1O1p9e4AkTLL6S9SYw91MKB5BVnACDwsIWj69h76W9-uYNL/s320/Thumb%20photo.jpg" width="235" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">I’d propose a corollary to that saying: Familiarity breeds complacency. For a simple example, consider the human thumb. Known scientifically as the “opposable thumb,” it’s distinctive because when the thumb is placed opposite the fingers on the same hand, it allows us to grasp, handle and manipulate objects. Pretty cool, but when was the last time you said, ‘Thank God for my thumbs’?</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Years ago, I gained a new appreciation for my right thumb. Heavy traffic I was driving in suddenly came to a stop. Looking in my rearview mirror, I saw the car in back of mine approaching much too fast. Unable to move out of the way, I did the only thing I could think of in that instant. I hit the car horn as hard as I could – with my thumb. The vehicle behind me came to a screeching halt, but my thumb screamed with pain. I had sprained it in the process.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Over the next several weeks while my thumb was healing, even the most mundane tasks proved challenging: Turning a doorknob, opening a soft drink bottle, picking things up. My complacency toward my thumb because of lifelong familiarity quickly dissipated. My appreciation level for having opposable thumbs soared.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sadly, something similar to this happens in many marriages. When couples marry, they excitedly exchange “I do’s” – public declarations of their commitment to one another. As the years pass, however, the devotion and fervor they felt in the beginning fades. They become “used to one another” and start taking one another for granted, becoming complacent.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If we’re not careful, we can experience the complacency of familiarity with careers, getting an education, pursuing hobbies, even with our faith. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Part of the problem is short memories. We forget why we felt so enthused initially. What if husbands and wives annually on their anniversaries would repeat their vows as a reminder of their promises before God? It could also help to revisit why they decided to get married in the first place, recognizing what was so special about the person they pledged to share a lifetime with. Chances are those qualities are still there; they’re just buried under a pile of complacency.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The phenomenon of spiritual complacency is addressed often in the Bible. The Israelites had a special knack for forgetting the blessings God had bestowed on them, starting with their deliverance from slavery in Egypt. This is one reason so much emphasis was placed on memorizing the holy writings. Annual festivals – including the Feasts of Unleavened Bread, Harvest, and Ingathering – were celebrated each year to help them remember what the Lord had done for them. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In Psalm 119:11, the psalmist writes, <i>“I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.” </i>By “hiding” the Scriptures in our hearts, we not only remember God’s commands, but also His promises, principles for everyday living, and the great things He has done.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The New Testament gives us many reminders to help us in keeping fresh what can become so familiar. At this season of the year, much is preached and written about the life, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We could easily say, ‘Oh, I’ve heard that before – many times.’ Maybe, but the truths, realities and ramifications of Jesus’ sacrificial death, the empty tomb and His being raised from the dead are far too important for us to neglect through complacency.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We’re exhorted in Hebrews 12:1-3, <i>“let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the <span style="color: #001320;">joy<span class="apple-converted-space"><mg5479> </mg5479></span>set<span class="apple-converted-space"><mg4295> </mg4295></span>before<span class="apple-converted-space"><mg4295> </mg4295></span>Him endured<span class="apple-converted-space"><mg5278> </mg5278></span>the cross<mg4716>, despising<span class="apple-converted-space"><mg2706> </mg2706></span>the shame<mg152>, and has sat<span class="apple-converted-space"><mg2523> </mg2523></span>down<span class="apple-converted-space"><mg2523> </mg2523></span>at the right<span class="apple-converted-space"><mg1188> </mg1188></span>hand<span class="apple-converted-space"><mg1188> </mg1188></span>of the throne<span class="apple-converted-space"><mg2362> </mg2362></span>of God<mg2316>.</mg2316></mg152></mg4716> For consider<span class="apple-converted-space"><mg357> </mg357></span>Him who has endured<span class="apple-converted-space"><mg5278> </mg5278></span>such<span class="apple-converted-space"><mg5108> </mg5108></span>hostility<span class="apple-converted-space"><mg485> </mg485></span>by sinners<span class="apple-converted-space"><mg268> </mg268></span>against<span class="apple-converted-space"><mg1519> </mg1519></span>Himself<mg1438>, so<span class="apple-converted-space"><mg2443> </mg2443></span>that<span class="apple-converted-space"><mg2443> </mg2443></span>you will not grow<mg2577> weary<span class="apple-converted-space"><mg2577> a</mg2577></span>nd lose<span class="apple-converted-space"><mg1590> </mg1590></span>heart<mg5590>.</mg5590></mg2577></mg1438>”<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><i><span style="color: #001320;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></i></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #001320;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The so-called “Christian life” isn’t easy, contrary to what some would want us to believe. And our contemporary culture is showing increasing animosity toward Christianity and the One who declared, <i>“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” </i>(John 14:6).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #001320;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><span style="color: #001320;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If we’re followers of Jesus, we must beware of the trap of letting familiarity with our faith fall into complacency. As Ephesians 1:3 admonishes, <i>“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” </i>By striving to keep our faith invigorated, we’ll never grow tired of reveling in each of our spiritual blessings.</span></span></div>Bob Tamasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07061076332556605594noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2078738072998152408.post-90643771556875045392024-03-14T10:00:00.000-04:002024-03-14T10:12:46.799-04:00A Notable Time When Politics and Faith Intersected<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This being another Presidential election year, it seems appropriate to consider something that happened nearly 50 years ago. A new term burst upon the American psyche: “born again.” This came about during the 1976 Presidential campaign when surprise candidate Jimmy Carter declared during numerous interviews that he was a “born-again Christian.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrjejrmo_WJFe0LQpESvIw6BDCmclC5Dzcu2th3fH5uuoJ08zDD3nUnLxcahuB7kxLrWlCSAUjC-IVveixCJDCBQ9XodmaIHKlQPQ6Gqcho3JKTLwnbLXqe1Ts_ELrD-AeWzjwcoinB7ZwFC9IPL1R0qmwp1qdQE2PPanTBvO_YNU6bNSUYyTAYVHuADlQ/s960/Cross%20silhouette%20against%20blue%20clouded%20sky.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrjejrmo_WJFe0LQpESvIw6BDCmclC5Dzcu2th3fH5uuoJ08zDD3nUnLxcahuB7kxLrWlCSAUjC-IVveixCJDCBQ9XodmaIHKlQPQ6Gqcho3JKTLwnbLXqe1Ts_ELrD-AeWzjwcoinB7ZwFC9IPL1R0qmwp1qdQE2PPanTBvO_YNU6bNSUYyTAYVHuADlQ/s320/Cross%20silhouette%20against%20blue%20clouded%20sky.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">That comment, among others, ignited a media frenzy as political reporters and commentators scrambled for a better handle on the then-Georgia governor seeking the nation’s highest office. Other Presidents and candidates had been known for their religious affiliations, but perhaps never as publicly and boldly as Carter. Meanwhile, the term “born again” soon took on a life of its own.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Many people lacked understanding of the phrase or where it had originated, but that didn’t stop marketers from latching onto it for promoting their products, using it as a label for anything innovative. Suddenly we were hearing and reading about ‘born-again cars,’ ‘born-again businesses,’ ‘born-again strategies,’ even ‘born-again churches.’ A vital biblical term turned into an overused cliché devoid of its essential meaning. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thankfully, hucksterism hasn’t diminished even slightly the spiritual significance of being born again. We first encounter it in the Scriptures when Jesus Christ was approached by a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a prominent member of the Jewish ruling council. Nicodemus desired to get acquainted with this individual he’d heard so much about but wasn’t inclined to do so openly. So, he had requested a private meeting at night.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the biblical account, Nicodemus quickly got to his purpose for meeting Jesus. <i>“Rabbi, we know you as a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him” </i>(John 3:2). Seems like a reasonable question, right?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As was so often the case, Jesus did a sort of “end-around” in responding. <i>“In reply Jesus declared, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again’” </i>(John 3:3). There’s the term – “born again” – and perhaps like the reporters interviewing Jimmy Carter, a confused look must have appeared on Nicodemus's face.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">He asked, <i>“‘How can a man be born again when he is old?... Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!’” </i>Jesus gave a straight-forward answer:<i> ‘I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at My saying, “You must be born again’…”</i> (John 3:4-7).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Being a true follower of Christ means to be twice-born – born physically, and born <i>again </i>spiritually. This is why the apostle Paul declared in 2 Corinthians 5:17, <i>“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” </i>Committing one’s life to Jesus doesn’t mean adopting a new philosophy or ideology; it means receiving a new life. The life of Christ living in us by His Spirit.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">References to being born again don’t end with the gospel of John. In 1 Peter 1:3 the apostle once known as Simon writes, <i>“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” </i>If anyone understood what it meant to be born again, it was the one-time fisherman Simon/Peter.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">He addresses this once more in the same chapter: <i>“For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God”</i> (1 Peter 1:23).<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This does seem to raise a different question, however. Is there a difference between being a Christian and a born-again Christian as President Carter phrased it? Can one be a Christian without being born again? I would contend – as would many others – that the Bible teaches they are one and the same. To use both terms together is redundant. It’s like talking about a canine dog, a feline cat, or a time-keeping clock. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></i></p><p class="krttext" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The late Rev. Billy Graham wrote about this, asserting, “Just as surely as God implants the life cell in the tiny seed that produces the mighty oak, and as surely as He instills the heartbeat in the life of the tiny infant yet unborn; as surely as He puts motion into the planets, stars, and heavenly bodies, He implants His divine life in people’s hearts who earnestly seek Him through Christ. This is not conjecture; it is a fact. Has this happened to you? Have you been twice born? You see, the Bible says that unless we have this new birth, we are unfit for the Kingdom of God.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="krttext" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><span style="font-family: arial;">One of the strongest biblical statements about this is Romans 6:4, in which Paul explains, <i>“We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” </i>It is this new life that empowers us to live as the Lord commands.</span></div>Bob Tamasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07061076332556605594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2078738072998152408.post-24523039186758568042024-03-11T03:00:00.016-04:002024-03-11T03:00:00.249-04:00This Easter Season, What Will We Do with Jesus?<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_5PfIIUrXrUqrp9SHf1kKDszGQ7Ce3gXwSc3xOFbfAQhazE-Rt2TU2xpNa4mUNwCNc2ZXiVXo4uRcg-mgCRcoP6fts-DqaHPwcBMKmyCp-01SAOdXrmwze8GNjCSjlSICZXxH0F_qaCW2W4ECptpDcEMhS026FwBsfzrwxmvd6sgcZDmBfdT8bq4vI3Fq/s6000/DSC_0679.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_5PfIIUrXrUqrp9SHf1kKDszGQ7Ce3gXwSc3xOFbfAQhazE-Rt2TU2xpNa4mUNwCNc2ZXiVXo4uRcg-mgCRcoP6fts-DqaHPwcBMKmyCp-01SAOdXrmwze8GNjCSjlSICZXxH0F_qaCW2W4ECptpDcEMhS026FwBsfzrwxmvd6sgcZDmBfdT8bq4vI3Fq/w400-h266/DSC_0679.jpeg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Do you know any “groupies”? We don’t hear the term as much these days, but there have always been folks who were more than avid fans of singers, bands or other types of entertainers. With an almost fanatical obsession, they go out of their way to attend the concerts and performances of their “idols” as often as they can. Perhaps at one time or another you’ve been one of them?</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Being in the midst of the Lenten season, with Palm Sunday coming up, followed by Good Friday and Easter, it seems appropriate to give some special consideration to the One who’s the focus of this special season, Jesus Christ. Can you believe He also had His groupies?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Almost from the start of His public ministry, Jesus became one of those individuals who attracted devoted fans, some who were genuinely touched by His teachings and others who were simply curious, or wanted to witness firsthand one of the miracles they had heard He was performing. Everywhere people were talking about Him. Whenever they heard reports that Jesus was coming their region, crowds flocked to be near Him. Like lost sheep, they wanted to know who He was, what He had to say, and what He would do. Jesus, we might say, was the hottest ticket in town.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But fans can be very fickle, whether they’re following a celebrated entertainer, a sports team, or even politicians. All gung-ho one day, but angry and disenchanted the next. Perhaps you’ve experienced that yourself. The ardor exhibited by many of Jesus’ followers proved short-lived as well. If He failed to meet their expectations or didn’t tell them what they wanted to hear, they turned on Him. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This is why Luke 4:28 tells us, <i>“[they] drove Him out of the town…so that they could throw Him down the cliff.” </i>They tried, but that didn’t happen. The passage goes on, <i>“But He walked right through the crowd and went on His way.”</i> Jesus had avoided what the old TV comedy show “Laugh-In” called, “the flying fickle finger of fate.” He simply moved on to another town.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In another of the gospels we read that after Jesus had made some difficult pronouncements, <i>“From this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him”</i> (John 6:66). In their eyes, Jesus went from hero to zero. Folks can be quite fickle if their ears you do not tickle.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Well, I would never do that!” some might argue defensively. That’s easy to say when things are going well, but what about when things aren’t so good, when we’re confronted with unexpected challenges or adversity in any of its many unpleasant forms. And our prayers seem to go unanswered, as if Jesus doesn’t care. What do we do with Him then?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We know from the Scriptures that Jesus proved to be many things: preacher and teacher, prophet, liberator, healer, and restorer. He’s all of that – and much more. He willingly went to the cross, died for our sins, was buried, and then came back to life so He could prove to be our Savior, Redeemer and Lord. In His own words, Jesus demonstrated He is indeed, <i>“the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me will live, even though they die” </i>(John 11:25).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sounds like good news, right! But we find a word of caution early in John’s gospel: <i>“Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God”</i> (John 1:12). Salvation – forgiveness of our sins, redemption and an eternal relationship with God – can’t be earned. It’s a gift, totally unmerited and undeserved. But there’s one “condition” – this gift must be received. Have we truly done that – received Jesus Christ and believed in His name, not just intellectually but trusting Him with our whole heart? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It’s easy to become satisfied with religion – doing good things and saying the right words – without really letting Jesus to have all of us. But He doesn’t want just part of us. He doesn’t want our “religion.” He wants to have an unending, life-changing relationship with us.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">So, the question that confronted the hot-and-cold multitudes of Jesus’ day remains the same question we must answer today: What will we do with Jesus? Are we just fans, or are we true followers? </span></p></div>Bob Tamasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07061076332556605594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2078738072998152408.post-87722978699591863402024-03-07T03:00:00.011-05:002024-03-07T03:00:00.140-05:00Wondering What Heaven Is Really Like<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhysQhYUNDYg-17zMSzMz7DwJoENONfb8Nk-YcKYzooCE_QZZir4hdi13yz4sD4t4Rzc2prRDnybDWEEdT-ztfTvTCj659TX50U88pN0e0r_t_JFZjBF8V_g7J1IPRGJ36voXMKJv-aPmTSdaIPj8zPVw5selHbYP1w5-3GkdDRmNYX6Wy-ZrXMSdbA7Hwi/s6000/DSC_0707.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhysQhYUNDYg-17zMSzMz7DwJoENONfb8Nk-YcKYzooCE_QZZir4hdi13yz4sD4t4Rzc2prRDnybDWEEdT-ztfTvTCj659TX50U88pN0e0r_t_JFZjBF8V_g7J1IPRGJ36voXMKJv-aPmTSdaIPj8zPVw5selHbYP1w5-3GkdDRmNYX6Wy-ZrXMSdbA7Hwi/w400-h266/DSC_0707.jpeg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />“Heaven.” When you hear that word, what comes to mind? Billowy clouds? Angels flitting around playing harps? “Pearly gates,” in front of which someone holding a giant book listing who gets in and who doesn’t? Streets made of gold?</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The suppositions could go on, but no one knows for certain what heaven will be like. This question might not be foremost in our thoughts during a typical day, but it does arise from time to time, especially when someone we know departs from this life. At such times we often hear – and might even say ourselves – that he or she is in a “better place.” But have you ever wondered what that <i>better place </i>is really like?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Bible gives us some clues, particularly in the book of Revelation, but it can be hard to determine what descriptions are factual and which are figurative. Even Jesus Christ during His time on earth didn’t offer a lot of specifics, although He did provide assurances that it’s a very special place. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">One day, not long before His crucifixion, Jesus consoled His disciples by saying, <i>“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me. In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 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”</i> (John 14:1-3). The King James Version uses the term “mansions” instead of “rooms,” but we know for certain the Lord has reserved a special place for each of us. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Maybe one reason biblical descriptions of heaven might seem vague is because our finite, temporal minds couldn’t begin to grasp the infinite, eternal delights of heaven: <i>“No eye has seen, nor ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him”</i> (1 Corinthians 1:9). Think about seeing firsthand some natural wonder we’ve only heard described or seen via a two-dimensional photograph, and then multiply that sense of awe about a million times.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">One reality of getting older is knowing more and more people who are no longer living. In the past several months, several friends I knew well have died. After years of waiting for <i>“the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” </i>(Titus 2:13), their faith has become sight. Causes one to wonder what they’re experiencing right now on what I like to call, “the other side of eternity.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Have you ever been away on a lengthy trip and felt so happy when you finally arrived back home? We might find this physical world familiar and comfortable, but the Bible indicates when we arrive in heaven, we’ll know we’re finally home. <i>“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” </i>(Philippians 3:20). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We might be proud of our national heritage, but for followers of Jesus, our true citizenship isn’t here. As the old gospel song proclaims, “This world is not my home, I’m just a-passing through…. The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door, and I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Even though we typically perceive death as the enemy, God doesn’t see it that way when it comes to His children. I often think of Psalm 116:15, which caused a doubletake the first time I read it: <i>“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” </i>‘Precious? Are you kidding me?’ we’re tempted to ask. However, for God it’s precious indeed, because His children are finally coming home – forever.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The apostle Paul, who had more than his share of near-death experiences before being martyred for his faith, offered this view: <i>“to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord”</i> (2 Corinthians 5:8). After his dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus and becoming one of the most influential leaders of the early Church, Paul knew the best was yet to come.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Quite a few authors have been bold enough to write entire books about what they think heaven will be like. And there’s much more we could consider directly from the Scriptures. But for now, perhaps it’s best to continue looking through the eyes of faith, trusting that even in the most difficult times, <i>“<span style="background: repeat white; color: #001320;">our present sufferings are not comparable to the glory that will be revealed in us</span>” </i>(Romans 8:18). </span></p></div>Bob Tamasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07061076332556605594noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2078738072998152408.post-9872661490735276622024-03-04T03:00:00.019-05:002024-03-04T03:00:00.139-05:00Coping With the Perplexing Perils of Prosperity<p><span style="font-family: arial;">We all have experienced difficulties in many forms – financial struggles; health challenges; ongoing family conflicts; emergencies occurring at absolutely the worst possible times; working hard toward a desired goal only to see it elude our grasp and never come to fruition. But tough times build tough people, right? Out of necessity, we learn how to cope with adversity. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizvKxzNsuQcvt9FZjoLyMhp2bIKcSfrmQxxqTuHrTquBKVxsjxAPv9PYW9H95BE2FPvmenac3A4z9PFLl25DfgFHgVmvjPM7DjWUlzOAt_DB2RucL_n-P8CS3zfANtTLLJ5Bxkw_-PPte5HosK2EGjqFE3e0qgWmzlzaRk2fHcYpGM_WLK-auf2vJx80EE/s360/success%20clipart%20free3-24.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="360" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizvKxzNsuQcvt9FZjoLyMhp2bIKcSfrmQxxqTuHrTquBKVxsjxAPv9PYW9H95BE2FPvmenac3A4z9PFLl25DfgFHgVmvjPM7DjWUlzOAt_DB2RucL_n-P8CS3zfANtTLLJ5Bxkw_-PPte5HosK2EGjqFE3e0qgWmzlzaRk2fHcYpGM_WLK-auf2vJx80EE/w200-h200/success%20clipart%20free3-24.jpeg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">But what about prosperity? How good are we at dealing with times when everything seems to be going well?</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That might seem strange to ask. We love the good times. To borrow the musical stanza from the Ira Gershwin opera, “Porgy and Bess,” what’s not to like about “Summertime, when the livin’ is easy”? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But in reality, the way we handle and process prosperity might be a greater and more accurate test of character than adversity. Because during hard times, unless we simply give up, we do whatever it takes to survive and make it past the crisis. We turn on our internal survival mechanism and shift into high gear. Prosperity, on the other hand, can trigger positive or negative responses.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There are countless stories of people who fought hard to reach the heights of their vocation – including entertainers, athletes, business executives, politicians, other public figures – only to suffer tragic tumbles from grace. They couldn’t handle success. Sadly, this has proved true as well for some who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Reading a devotional by Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the great British preacher of the mid-to-late 1800s, brought this to mind. Referring to a statement by the apostle Paul, Spurgeon observed:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">“There are many who know ‘how to be abased,’ who have not learned ‘how to abound.’ When they are set on the top of a pinnacle, their heads grow dizzy, and they are ready to fall. The Christian far more often disgraces his profession in prosperity than in adversity…. The crucible of adversity is a less severe trial to the Christian than the refining pot of prosperity…. When (Paul) had much, he knew how to use it. Abundant grace enabled him to bear abundant prosperity.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Spurgeon was referring to Philippians 4:12, in which Paul told of having to “learn” how to deal times when he was prospering, both personally and in ministry. He wrote, <i>“I <span style="background: repeat white; color: #001320;">know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.”</span></i><span style="background: repeat white; color: #001320;"> Another translation expresses the apostle’s sentiments a bit differently: <i>“I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><i><span style="background: repeat white; color: #001320;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background: repeat white; color: #001320;">Throughout history people have wrestled with what we might term the “peril of prosperity.” Throughout the Old Testament we read about the Israelites, God’s chosen people, who cried out to the Lord in times of distress only to give Him little thought when things seemed to be going smoothly. Despite their religious rituals, they lived as “practical atheists,” until the next calamity reminded them of how desperately they needed to rely on God. They were abominably slow learners.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In a collection of proverbs in the Bible, written by someone known as “Agur son of Jakeh,” we read this cautionary request: <i>“…give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God”</i> (Proverbs 30:8-9).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Another verse in the same Old Testament book also notes how difficult it can be to deal appropriately with success and acclaim: <i>“The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but man is tested by the praise he receives” </i>(Proverbs 27:21). Apparently, we learn to pass this test with time and experience.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><span style="font-family: arial;">During times of difficulty many of us are quick to turn to God, pleading for His intervention and resolution of our problems. But how many of us are equally eager to acknowledge and humbly deflect to Him any praise we receive when things “couldn’t be better” and all seems right in our world? Are we prepared to pass the “test” then?</span></div>Bob Tamasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07061076332556605594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2078738072998152408.post-32901305014027761382024-02-27T16:56:00.001-05:002024-02-27T17:00:02.572-05:00The Antidote for Becoming Weary in Well-Doing<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Centuries ago, someone talked about becoming<i> “weary in well-doing.” </i>Have you ever felt that way?<i> </i>Doing good is, well, good to do. But it can be exhausting. Especially when positive results seem slow in coming.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">More than 40 years ago I befriended a man who had given up a very successful professional career to begin working with the poor in a major American city. His work started with children, but he soon realized to be most effective he had to become involved with their families as well. What this man experienced was both gratifying and frustrating. There are no easy, quick fixes for individuals and families who have struggled with perpetual poverty.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My friend never talked about it much, but I’m sure he had many moments in which he felt weary in well-doing. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmJb-Ckcdbye4HlLfUhtm15Tfivl2EzEweLY3JNy7PDB8bF9_XhA-Pt09Bf5eFQ3kgO-17sIFXkDeE50us1I9yLqinoy9sKDnmOGy0R8ZiXMZaoRE7vtqUOl9mycsKsMHvoO5b-ALtjjLEubK0n3WT7OSCbfvEH06J6DFBvDa5NKLdhiRM6xMFAUBwMY6R/s1503/IMG_2576.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1503" data-original-width="1098" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmJb-Ckcdbye4HlLfUhtm15Tfivl2EzEweLY3JNy7PDB8bF9_XhA-Pt09Bf5eFQ3kgO-17sIFXkDeE50us1I9yLqinoy9sKDnmOGy0R8ZiXMZaoRE7vtqUOl9mycsKsMHvoO5b-ALtjjLEubK0n3WT7OSCbfvEH06J6DFBvDa5NKLdhiRM6xMFAUBwMY6R/s320/IMG_2576.jpeg" width="234" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Missionaries experience much the same thing. Sensing a calling from God to literally move out of their comfort zone, leaving homes, friends and communities to go to foreign lands with unfamiliar cultures, strange languages and different belief systems. They go to tell people about the Good News of Jesus Christ but often find very few interested in listening to what they have to say. </span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I think of biblical prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah who heard God saying, <i>“Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” </i>and responded with words like, <i>“Here am I. Send me!” </i>(Isaiah 6:8). Reading their books in the Old Testament, we discover they had little to show for their years of faithful service. Perhaps in their lowest moments of feeling weary in well-doing they were tempted to amend their original commitment to “Here am I. Send someone else!”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We don’t have to look far to find needs screaming to be met. There are the poor; the homeless; the disabled; the illiterate; the unemployed and unemployable; the mentally challenged; the physically and emotionally abused; the addicted; men, women and children at all societal levels overwhelmed by hopelessness. Just reading this litany of needs is tiring as we wonder how we could help. What difference could we possibly make?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Living in our complex, fast-paced 21<sup>st</sup> century society it would seem easy to conclude the weariness many of us experience on a consistent, even daily basis is unique to our time. But it’s not. About 2,000 years ago, writing to members of the early church in Galatia, the apostle Paul offered these words of encouragement: <i>“Let us not become discouraged in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not become weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith” </i>(Galatians 6:9-10).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Well, we might argue, that was easy for Paul to say. After all, wasn’t he one of the Bible’s superheroes? I hardly think it was easy for him to say, considering during his tumultuous ministry he dealt with hunger and deprivation, persecution, stoning, shipwrecks, imprisonments and other seemingly insurmountable challenges. Surely, even though he cautioned against it, Paul had his weary-in-well-doing moments.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So, how did he handle those times? Paul always kept His focus on Jesus Christ and never forgot his total dependence on Him. This was why he wrote, <i>“in Him we live and move and have our being” </i>(Acts 17:28). Encouraging believers in ancient Philippi, Paul declared, <i>“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” </i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">He also wrote, perhaps to our astonishment, <i>“That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” </i>(2 Corinthians 12:10). Delighting in weakness? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What noble intentions, what determination, right? But my favorite devotional writer, Oswald Chambers, explained what kept the apostle going wasn’t just <i>what</i> he intended to do and <i>why,</i> but also for <i>whom</i> he was doing it. Chambers observed, <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">“As long as there was one human being who did not know Jesus, Paul felt a debt of service to that person until he did come to know Him. But the chief motivation behind Paul’s service was not love for others but love for his Lord. If our devotion is to the cause of humanity, we will be quickly defeated and broken-hearted, since we will often be confronted with a great deal of ingratitude from other people. But if we are motivated by our love for God, no amount of ingratitude will be able to hinder us from serving one another.” </span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Indeed, the unending needs of humanity can quickly leave us defeated and broken-hearted. So, the next time you find yourself in a state of weariness from doing good, stop and concentrate on Jesus. He’s our motivation, our strength, and the only one whose opinion ultimately matters.</span> </p></div>Bob Tamasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07061076332556605594noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2078738072998152408.post-26608581247811627382024-02-26T03:00:00.008-05:002024-02-26T03:00:00.137-05:00The Power of a Personal Testimony<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Have you ever gone to see a movie in the theater that you had no intention of seeing because someone you knew said how good it was? Has there been a time when you bought a new car primarily because someone spoke so highly of it? Did you ever patronize a restaurant because someone raved about it? Or decided to visit a particular city because a friend told you how much they loved it?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If your answer to any of the above is yes, you understand the power of a personal testimony. Every day we’re bombarded by commercials featuring testimonials about products of every kind, ranging from medications and candies to clothing and vacation spots. The impact of a personal testimony is immeasurable.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This is why one of the most effective “weapons” a Christ follower can include in an evangelistic arsenal is the personal testimony. It’s the story of their life before encountering Jesus Christ, the explanation of how they came to Him in faith, and what has happened in their life since then.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We find a number of examples in the New Testament, but none is more astounding than the story of the woman at the well. The account in John 4:4-42 tells of the time Jesus and His disciples were traveling through Samaria, near the town of Sychar. While His followers went into the town to buy food for their travels, Jesus stopped to a nearby well to rest from their arduous journey.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The woman, an outcast in her own town because of her disreputable lifestyle, had also gone to the well to draw water. She couldn’t have anticipated her life-changing encounter with Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If you’re not familiar with this story, I’d urge you to read the passage for all the details. In summary, the woman was a Samaritan, making the personal interaction with Jesus almost shocking. In that culture, women did not interact with men they did not know, and Jews and Samaritans shared a mutual animosity. So, when Jesus extended courtesy and kindness, she was understandably taken aback.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Asking the woman for a drink, Jesus proceeded to tell her about the “living water” He could give to her. He made observations about her life He couldn’t have known without divine revelation. Amazed by His insights, the woman responded, <i>“‘I know that Messiah’ (called Christ) ‘is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.’ Then Jesus declared, ‘I who speak to you am He’” </i>(John 4:25-26).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That was all she needed to hear, so surprised that she left her water jar behind and ran into the town. She announced to anyone who would listen, <i>“Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” </i>(John 4:29). Curious, many of the townspeople went to see for themselves. The passage says, <i>“Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Jesus because of the woman’s testimony”</i> (John 4:39). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Others went to hear firsthand what Jesus had to say out of curiosity and became believers but the woman, speaking from personal experience, had piqued their interest. Her testimony had no transformative power in itself, but was sufficient for many people to want to hear more from the man claiming to be the Messiah.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the New Testament’s book of Acts, we find the apostle Paul frequently giving his testimony about Jesus Christ, even as a prisoner of Rome after being falsely accused by Jewish leaders. Festus, a Roman governor, and King Agrippa were among those who listened to his story. After hearing about Paul’s divine encounter with Jesus through a vision while on the road to Damascus and what had transpired afterward, Agrippa asked, <i>“Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” </i>Paul’s response: <i>“Short time or long – I pray God that not only you but all those who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains” </i>(Acts 26:28-29).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Nearly 2,000 years later, the same holds true. There is tremendous power in a personal testimony about how Jesus Christ can change a life, even for the most unlikely individuals. Everyone’s story is different, and yet in a sense they are all the same. Perhaps this can all be summed up in a single verse: <i>“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” </i>(Galatians 2:20). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I’m reminded of the simple statement of the man Jesus healed who had been blind since birth. Questioned by skeptical religious leaders, he answered, <i>“One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” </i>(John 9:25). In a nutshell, that’s a testimony of every person who has placed his or her trust in Christ.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">When we discover an excellent new restaurant or get excited about some new technological device, we eagerly tell others about it. We’re “satisfied customers,” right? I wonder: Are we as willing to share the Good News – the very best news – of what Jesus has done in our lives? If not, why?</span> </p>Bob Tamasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07061076332556605594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2078738072998152408.post-77007709455715210762024-02-22T03:00:00.022-05:002024-02-22T03:00:00.245-05:00Humility, the Virtue That Undergirds the Rest<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Of the many virtues we find in the Bible, which is most significant? Love? Holiness? Generosity? Integrity? Selflessness? In Galatians 5:22-23 we find one short list of possibilities: <i>“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” </i>But which of all the virtues is most important?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We could find strong biblical support for each possibility, including the ones cited above. However, I would suggest another: Humility.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Why? First, before looking at what the Scriptures say specifically about humility – or being humble – let’s consider how C.S. Lewis responded when asked a different but related question: “What is the great sin? What sin is worse than any other?” His answer was: <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">“<em><span style="color: #333333;">There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which everyone in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else and of which hardly any people, except Christians, ever imagine that they are guilty themselves. There is no fault which makes a man more unpopular, and no fault which we are more unconscious of in ourselves. And the more we have it ourselves, the more we dislike it in others… the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison. It was through pride that the Devil became the Devil: Pride leads to every other vice. It is the complete anti-God state of mind.”</span></em><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-gG-hBe3UQ0thNDaw2pIgEAX6teI-GrDsO9fnBCRDewwAgwM6vI_WT2uHep-L3NZKm-42INIef4Chkt46PWKSilqxixScApT6hRUMKRQSN5y67O1fw3DxkarX5yj9rOGIRf3VeTpPDCV-n5811NcFnnkwp7nlRdyc_3mtbVHmdpQrWpx77RGyVs-3ENM/s165/humility-kneeling%20free%20clipart.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="157" data-original-width="165" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-gG-hBe3UQ0thNDaw2pIgEAX6teI-GrDsO9fnBCRDewwAgwM6vI_WT2uHep-L3NZKm-42INIef4Chkt46PWKSilqxixScApT6hRUMKRQSN5y67O1fw3DxkarX5yj9rOGIRf3VeTpPDCV-n5811NcFnnkwp7nlRdyc_3mtbVHmdpQrWpx77RGyVs-3ENM/s1600/humility-kneeling%20free%20clipart.jpeg" width="165" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">For more on why Lewis singled out pride, read chapter 8, “The Great Sin,” in his book, <i>Mere Christianity. </i>My thought is that if pride indeed is the greatest sin – and I’m inclined to agree – then the greatest virtue might be its antithesis, humility. One definition of humility is, “the practice of meekness, obedience to God, respect of self and others, submissiveness…putting others’ needs before their own, sacrificing for the love of others.”</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Think about it: To love others as the Bible teaches, unconditionally and even sacrificially, requires humility; willingly putting others ahead of ourselves. To be patient with others often requires setting our schedules, agendas and desires aside. To be genuinely kind toward others may mean putting their needs ahead of our own. Basically, it’s just the opposite of the “it’s all about me,” “Look out for No. 1!” perspective being promoted by today’s society.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sorry to remind you, but we’re in another national election year, with many major political offices at stake, not the least of which being President of the United States. We’ll have to endure a bombardment of political messages created to exalt their respective candidates who will “approve this ad.” Pride – and its perpetual companion, ego – will be on full display: “I’m the best…my opponent is the worst!” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We won’t see much humility being exhibited during the coming campaign season, yet as Lewis observed, “there is no fault which makes a man more unpopular” than pride. Conversely, there’s something endearing about its counterpart, humility. When an accomplished individual, regardless of their area of expertise, deflects praise and directs credit elsewhere, whether to God, family, teammates, coworkers or whomever, it tends to warm our hearts, doesn’t it?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the Scriptures we find dozens of passages that deal with the virtues of humility. Proverbs 11:2, for example, makes note of both the “great sin” and perhaps, the greatest virtue: <i>“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” </i>In Proverbs 18:12 we find the same idea: <i>“Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>“Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life,” </i>Proverbs 22:4 tells us. Another verse that has spoken strongly to me is Proverbs 27:21, <i>“The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold; but a man is tested by the praise he receives.” </i>When we’re being commended for work well-done, do we risk breaking our arms patting ourselves on the back, or do we give honor and glory to God for giving us the capability for what we’ve achieved?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Another reason I consider humility among the greatest of all biblical virtues is because of the example set by the Lord Jesus Christ. Speaking to His disciples, Jesus offered a truth that might have caught them off guard when He said, <i>“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” </i>(John 15:13).<i> </i>They didn’t understand at the time, but He was referring to His impending crucifixion, willingly giving His life to atone for our sins.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the New Testament book of Philippians we're given a wonderful description of humility:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!” </i>(Philippians 2:5-8).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There’s no greater demonstration of humility than that. In our humanness, it’s easier to be prideful and egocentric. But following Christ’s example and empowered by His Spirit, our desire should be to heed the apostle Paul’s exhortation: <i>“I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” </i>(Ephesians 4:2-3).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">We’re not likely to see much of this through the coming months of electoral puffing and pontificating, on the athletic fields, or in the media. But if we’re followers of Jesus, to think and act with humility is indeed part of “the calling [we] have received.” </span></p></div>Bob Tamasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07061076332556605594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2078738072998152408.post-67322791419926781302024-02-19T03:00:00.020-05:002024-02-20T16:30:44.398-05:00Is It a Marathon – Or a Relay Race?<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">How many times have you heard someone say, “Life is a marathon, not a sprint”? Maybe it’s a cliché, but it’s still true. A sprint starts and finishes very quickly, but a marathon is a long, grueling race, requiring perseverance, endurance and determination. A lot like everyday life, right?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmknW2O4EiZeJ_SETpW-TeIeqbF2jaT3bOqdKnsnv7Qr5e3qAPZKSOatIPHbdHHoKQHjJSUQVzkTgDiEMveHlnHcOyVXaSAmnZnjMhY88dLM81o8GhHyzU1Kt-6VwRlb9GQVyFvK428bQT1fHL5YNIo0QZsQ3LNr1rxd0py_qRiAuz6aO7h3AmdfPHtetC/s750/relay%20race%20baton%20clipart%20free.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="709" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmknW2O4EiZeJ_SETpW-TeIeqbF2jaT3bOqdKnsnv7Qr5e3qAPZKSOatIPHbdHHoKQHjJSUQVzkTgDiEMveHlnHcOyVXaSAmnZnjMhY88dLM81o8GhHyzU1Kt-6VwRlb9GQVyFvK428bQT1fHL5YNIo0QZsQ3LNr1rxd0py_qRiAuz6aO7h3AmdfPHtetC/w189-h200/relay%20race%20baton%20clipart%20free.jpeg" width="189" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">However, recently I started considering the “race of life” differently. In <i>Kingdom Men, </i>pastor Tony Evans used another metaphor from the world of track and field – a relay race. Unlike an individual participating alone, a relay race competitor must transfer a baton to a teammate. In all, the baton is passed three times in the team’s attempt to reach the finish line first.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Evans cited the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, in which both the U.S. men’s and women’s 4 x 100-meter relay teams were heavily favored to win. Unfortunately, both teams dropped their batons in their semifinal races, resulting in their disqualification. Total failure because of inability to pass their batons successfully.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We see this baton-passing analogy often in the business world. As an author, I’ve had the privilege of researching and writing books about three family-owned, mutli-generational companies. Two have reached the fourth generation of continuous family leadership, but they are the exception. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Statistically, less than one-third of family businesses survive to the second generation; only 15% are successful to a third generation, and less than 4% survive to the fourth generation. The values, visions and missions these companies once cherished were lost – their batons were dropped – somewhere along the way.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“But I’m not a business owner” we might be thinking. Maybe so. But if we are parents or grandparents, we’re carrying figurative batons we hope to pass along to our children and grandchildren. I’m not referring to a material inheritance. I’m thinking of the family traditions, values, and beliefs we’ve established and modeled through the years.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The most important “baton” of all is a heritage of faith. Moses had this in mind when he told the people of Israel:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>“These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all His decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life” </i>(Deuteronomy 6:1-2).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The apostle Paul conveyed a similar idea when he exhorted Timothy, the young man he had been discipling, <i>“And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others” </i>(2 Timothy 2:2). In this single verse the spiritual baton is passed three times, from Paul to Timothy, then to “reliable [faithful] men,” and then to “others.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When Jesus Christ commissioned His 12 disciples to, <i>“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” </i>(Matthew 28:19), He had in mind mature believers who not only spoke the truth but lived it out in ways that others could understand and emulate. This is important because the outdated adage, “Do as I say, not as I do,” is hardly an effective way for leading. Or for successfully passing batons of faith. If we don’t live out what we profess, do we really believe it?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Paul had no idea that many centuries later two accomplished relay teams would lose their coveted gold medals because they failed to pass their batons. He might not have used the terms, but desperately wanted to finish well – and complete his own “relay race” successfully.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">He wrote, <i>“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win”</i> (1 Corinthians 9:24). Then a few verses later the apostle stated,<i> “But I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself might not be disqualified” </i>(1 Corinthians 9:27).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Our lives indeed look like an arduous marathon. But perhaps it would help also to see it as a relay race, in which we’re carrying a baton and preparing to hand it off to a son or daughter, the person who one day will take over the job we’ve been doing, or someone we’ve been mentoring or discipling. Let’s pray that with God’s wisdom, strength and direction, we won’t drop the baton. </span> </p></div>Bob Tamasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07061076332556605594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2078738072998152408.post-53053658407017862682024-02-15T03:00:00.023-05:002024-02-15T03:00:00.136-05:00‘Keep On Keepin’ On’ – Easier Said Than Done<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Have you ever started an ambitious endeavor with great enthusiasm and high expectations, only to experience the excitement fading as your goals took much longer to achieve than you had imagined? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That has happened to me a number of times – a project at work that proved more complex than anticipated; a book I intended to write until some unexpected hurdles got in the way; even taking drum lessons and becoming dissatisfied with my progress.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It’s easy to utter the cliché, “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” but when days turn into weeks and weeks become months, we can find discouragement lurking right around the next bend. Perseverance and patience are noble virtues, but unlike coffee and pudding, they don’t come in instant form. They require time and determination.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Kind of like the little boy who opened a door and discovered a room filled with horse manure. Rather than being repelled, he started digging and digging. “With all this manure,” he reasoned, “there must be a pony in here somewhere!”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sometimes well-conceived projects turn out to be just stinky, without a pony in sight. As time drags on, the work gets harder, and the objectives remain beyond reach, it’s very tempting to become disheartened and entertain thoughts of giving up. ‘What’s the use?’ “I knew I couldn’t do it.’ <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What if inventors like Thomas Edison, the Wright brothers, Alexander Graham Bell, and many other inventors had thrown in the towel after failing time after time? Who knows? We might still be sitting in the dark at night, telling each other than human flight is a fantasy, and believing that talking to someone long distance is just a crazy idea.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">How can we “keep on keepin’ on” despite setbacks, obstacles, and the expending of much blood, sweat and tears that cause our confidence to waver? Especially in a spiritual sense, when familiar sins continue to trip us up, prayers seem to go unanswered, and God-shaped dreams seem unrealistic?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Much could be written about this and already has, from many perspectives. But a few simple tips might help to keep us going during the tough times. For instance, don’t attempt important, even daunting initiatives alone. I love the admonition from the author of the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, whom many scholars identify as King Solomon of Israel:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work. If one falls down, his friends can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!... Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” </i>(Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We find similar wisdom in the New Testament: <i>“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another…” </i>(Hebrews 10:24-25). As a friend of mine has often said, “Not one of us is as strong or as smart as all of us together.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Another helpful tip is to maintain a clear vision, remaining focused on the intended outcome. One verse that quickly comes to mind in that respect is 1 Corinthians 15:58, in which the apostle Paul admonished first-century believers, <i>“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” </i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">For those of us involved in seeking to advance God’s kingdom in one way or another, we can easily fall into the trap of discouragement when desired results seem slow in coming. Paul was acutely aware of this, because he wrote elsewhere, <i>“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” </i>(Galatians 6:9)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If anyone’s entitled to become discouraged or disillusioned, it would be the Lord Himself as He surveys what’s going on in the world right now. I can’t help thinking of Jesus Christ, who following His crucifixion, burial and resurrection reconnected with His disciples and commissioned them just before His ascension. We find His final instructions in Mathew 28:19-20, <i>“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Even though disciples surely are being made in many places, and the Gospel is being preached in more nations and languages than ever, the cause of Christ seems to have so far yet to go. Do you think the Lord is wringing His hands in frustration or feeling disheartened? I don’t think so.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If anything, we need to continue looking to Jesus for unwavering hope. Hebrews 12:1-3 amounts to one incredible pep talk, an exhortation for us not to give up:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;"> “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”</span></i></p>Bob Tamasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07061076332556605594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2078738072998152408.post-5779714239665100682024-02-12T03:00:00.021-05:002024-02-12T03:00:00.132-05:00What Does Your Trail of ‘Evidence’ Look Like?<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A phenomenon of TV programming over the last couple of decades has been the emergence of “procedural dramas.” These deal with law enforcement topics such as forensic science, autopsies, evidence gathering, interrogations, and various crime-solving strategies. Basically, complex crimes being solved within a one-hour time slot (including commercials) or occasionally, a couple of hours if the show is “continued.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBVluA4xDbD1CddQKjFZjBs3w0aUOHBrcT6_gOPap0ceCpoX82zfhGhTBjFPP1TaenMzbCmdoawl3NRYhHb1nctjNJpqd9ubpGspuBCoep66HYv1ZmMx2aWoj4kJWX6CQR4k7SxdTBApw1ESK-3EoT4GNNSqmcGpFk94UUDoXqqjU3Z0xzRYG6H3D6RhOZ/s1800/magnifying%20glass%20clipart%20free.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBVluA4xDbD1CddQKjFZjBs3w0aUOHBrcT6_gOPap0ceCpoX82zfhGhTBjFPP1TaenMzbCmdoawl3NRYhHb1nctjNJpqd9ubpGspuBCoep66HYv1ZmMx2aWoj4kJWX6CQR4k7SxdTBApw1ESK-3EoT4GNNSqmcGpFk94UUDoXqqjU3Z0xzRYG6H3D6RhOZ/w200-h200/magnifying%20glass%20clipart%20free.jpeg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">My wife and I have enjoyed watching some of these. It’s so reassuring to know that perpetrators of dastardly deeds (known in police jargon as “perps”) can be identified, apprehended, and given their just due in an amazingly short time. Like in real life, right? Uh, not exactly.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But the point is, in TV fantasy and in real life, crimes are solved by seeking out and using many types of clues, ranging from fingerprints to DNA to the most subtle kinds of evidence. These all have been left behind in some manner, a kind of trail for detectives to follow. Like the breadcrumbs Hansel and Gretel scattered hopefully so they could find their way back out of the dark forest.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Most of us will never be involved in heinous crimes of any sort. We won’t need forensic experts or crime scene investigation units poking around. But in a sense, every day we’re leaving “evidence.” The kind of evidence that reveals how we lived our lives, our character and values, and the impact we had on people we encountered, as well as the world around us.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What does this evidence look like? It could include tangible things like our material possessions, bank statements, the ways we spend much of our time, and the people we associate with. It also includes less touchy-feely things like our reputations and the impressions we make on the people we work with and live with, especially in our own homes.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">For followers of Jesus Christ, the greatest evidence we can leave behind is our faith – how it has been manifested through our behavior. In fact, Hebrews 11:1 declares, <i>“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” </i>(NKJV). That single sentence is worth an in-depth discussion on its own, but if faith is trusting in “evidence of things not seen,” then it stands to reason that our actions, words, even our thoughts should reflect this kind of faith.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But evidence in our lives – who we are, what we believe, and the things we value most – also should be observable. Writing to his young protégé, Timothy, the apostle Paul exhorted him to <i>“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the worth of truth” </i>(2 Timothy 2:15). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It’s often been said of believers, “If you were put on trial for your faith, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” Some people can put on an effective act in certain settings, knowing the right things to say to sound “holy.” But I think the adage hits the mark in stating, “If your walk doesn’t equal your talk, the less said the better.” There’s no place for the disclaimer, “Do as I say, not as I do.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This isn’t a matter of hyper-legalism, fastidiously following religious rituals and regulations, but rather consistently reflecting and manifesting the presence and power of God in our lives. This is why Paul, writing to Christ followers in ancient Rome, said, <i>“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness” </i>(Romans 6:12-13).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When we’re in love – with our spouse or partner; our work; our favorite sports team; our possessions, or even a special hobby – it’s bound to be evident in our actions, our words, and our thinking. Genuine love for God should be the same, to an even greater degree since being <i>“born again,”</i> as Jesus described in John 3:3-8, means He has given us new life. How can the presence of God’s Spirit in us be hidden or concealed?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Suppose a TV reality show were produced to investigate reports of people who had experienced spiritual rebirth or renewal, and we were the subjects being studied one week. I wonder what "clues" they would uncover, if they would find enough evidence in our lives to confirm the reports? </span></p></div>Bob Tamasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07061076332556605594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2078738072998152408.post-69352181357238546172024-02-08T03:00:00.030-05:002024-02-08T03:00:00.146-05:00It’s Been About Giving Since the Beginning<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Do you ever get annoyed when, after making a charitable contribution, you get a receipt for your gift accompanied by another envelope? That used to bother me. It seemed as if they were saying, “Thanks for your gift. Now please send some more.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8DcVDz799-6uRXyq_uNU1eY5rgFnKAAr7j0T6P9DHOUgGBQeBX9MiUhhzUO-lvv9EjrIiWLAkDY904oJBs7c51VMvm3h8YYVH42SCS9Kpnzb2rYJunJWKIFUb7w5XpF8kFhqHAYLaCwpx3LL87MwREUvTX0ZYnH-3Kne2AFT6S4NFLDfiVAKOgsMIkGaL/s640/Envelope%20text.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="640" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8DcVDz799-6uRXyq_uNU1eY5rgFnKAAr7j0T6P9DHOUgGBQeBX9MiUhhzUO-lvv9EjrIiWLAkDY904oJBs7c51VMvm3h8YYVH42SCS9Kpnzb2rYJunJWKIFUb7w5XpF8kFhqHAYLaCwpx3LL87MwREUvTX0ZYnH-3Kne2AFT6S4NFLDfiVAKOgsMIkGaL/w200-h120/Envelope%20text.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>There's no shortage of legitimate<br />charitable causes and needs <br />worthy of our consideration.</b></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;">My thinking changed after I had to start raising my own financial support while working for a Christian ministry. That’s hard work – and humbling. Initially I felt like a kind of beggar, telling potential donors that I needed to raise my own funds and asking if they would consider becoming financial partners with me.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It was extremely gratifying when many that I approached not only agreed to contribute to my support but also said they considered it a privilege to do so. They believed in me and the work I was doing, and enjoyed knowing they were a part of making it possible.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The issue of the reply envelope accompanying the giving receipt was resolved one day after I had noticed one of my faithful donors hadn’t sent in a contribution for a couple of months. I gave him a call to see if he was having any difficulties, or if I had offended him in some way. Not at all, he said. In fact, he apologized for failing to send a gift as usual. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">He explained the response envelope served as his reminder to send another gift; apparently he’d misplaced the last one he received. He thanked me for reminding him and promptly sent not only his regular contribution but also made up for the ones he had missed.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Years later, I’m no longer on the staff of a charitable organization needing to raise funds. But I’ve come to see the value of receiving a reply envelope for giving to causes we want to support. The envelope is convenient – looking up addresses is bothersome. I’ve actually contacted one ministry we support on a couple of occasions, asking for an extra envelope or two, just in case.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The greater issue, I’ve realized, is not the envelope that accompanies the giving receipt but our attitude toward the act of giving. Whether it’s our local congregation and the pastor’s annual stewardship sermon or sifting through mail we receive from non-profit organizations requesting funds, we can perceive this as an intrusion. “They’re always asking for money!”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">However, giving has been central to God’s plan from the beginning. It’s actually introduced in the first chapter of Genesis, the Bible’s first book. <i>“God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has seed in it. They will be yours for food.’” </i>(Genesis 1:29). The Lord was pleased to share what He had created with the first humans.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Next, he provided a very special gift for Adam: <i>“Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib He had taken out of the man, and He brought her to the man.”</i> (Genesis 2:22). Determining the first man needed “a suitable helper,” God gifted him with a wife. To which Adam responded with the biblical equivalent of “shazam!”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Most of us know the most important verse about giving in the Scriptures: <i>“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son…”</i> (John 3:16). Through Jesus Christ we can receive forgiveness for our sins, redemption, salvation, sanctification, and the assurance of eternal life – the gift that keeps on giving.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But the Lord didn’t intend for the act of giving to be one-sided. Jesus made this clear, addressing the subject on many occasions. Luke 6:38 recounts His promise, <i>“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When considering a charitable gift of some kind, we tend to focus on what we’re giving up. Jesus said in essence that God’s people will never become poor by being generous. This is one reason in Acts 20:35 the apostle Paul was, <i>“…remembering the words the Lord Jesus Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”</i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Old Testament book of Proverbs contains dozens of verses offering guidance in how we should give. Among my favorites is Proverbs 11:24-25, <i>“One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Our motivation in giving, however, shouldn’t be what we anticipate receiving in return. Our love and devotion to God, who has done so much for us, should be our underlying motive. In exhorting believers in Corinth to cultivate lives of generosity, Paul writes, <i>“You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich”</i> (2 Corinthians 8:9).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Shortly afterward the apostle admonishes,<i> “Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver”</i> (2 Corinthians 9:6-7). Several times I’ve heard Bible teachers explain the term “cheerful giver” in the Greek literally means to be a “hilarious giver.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">When you have opportunities to give in support of ministries and causes you believe in, is this your attitude? Can you give “hilariously” and eagerly? Or do you give “grudgingly or under compulsion,” clinging tightly to the money or check you’ve written from your hand – or resenting the reply envelope? </span></p></div>Bob Tamasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07061076332556605594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2078738072998152408.post-50679223901685286762024-02-05T03:00:00.047-05:002024-02-05T03:00:00.139-05:00We All Need a Rock – We Don’t Need to Be an Island<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilLV7MsQYtwB9SQ9WBZsRDSP4K4Ow3pFJnZZrRr1KZNdGptEtkEsbSzJ_LN9t_wxpCy69JWWtzTU1X1yYAO2P2fnroC2jMPXWJoAzqk6yqWTgLo9iTOPmiZthwx171PZsoPxvPLaPhZxvIDEgju63KOIY_HfRcScZ1_wJsQFT1XsYY6Y5LeSLv6IsNxhUz/s1620/DSC_0799.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1620" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilLV7MsQYtwB9SQ9WBZsRDSP4K4Ow3pFJnZZrRr1KZNdGptEtkEsbSzJ_LN9t_wxpCy69JWWtzTU1X1yYAO2P2fnroC2jMPXWJoAzqk6yqWTgLo9iTOPmiZthwx171PZsoPxvPLaPhZxvIDEgju63KOIY_HfRcScZ1_wJsQFT1XsYY6Y5LeSLv6IsNxhUz/s320/DSC_0799.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #444444; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 16.1px; text-align: start;"><b>The Faraglioni rocks off the Amalfi Coast at Capri, <br />Italy are a popular subject for photographers. </b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;">During my college days, listening to music was a favorite pastime. Each week I’d march down to the campus record store and check out the latest releases. The Beatles and Rolling Stones were big then, and protest songs were popular. Everyone was into hard rock, but I often gravitated toward moody, pensive tunes. Simon and Garfunkel were among my favorites of that genre, a duo whose popularity peaked in the late 1960s.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Their songs were the kind that tended to get stuck in your head. They included some lilting tunes like “Feelin’ Groovy” and “Mrs. Robinson,” but Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel also recorded their share of mournful songs. It wasn’t until recently that I gave the meanings of their songs much thought. Maybe it was because of my own frame of mind in those days, but I hadn’t realized how gloomy some of them were. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Consider, for example, 1964’s “The Sound of Silence”: <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">“Hello darkness, my old friend – I’ve come to talk with you again<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">In restless dreams I walked alone, narrow streets of cobblestone <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">‘neath the halo of a street lamp, I turned my collar to the cold and damp….”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Bridge Over Troubled Water,” released in 1970, was a bit more hopeful: <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">“When you’re weary, feeling small, <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">when tears are in your eyes, I’ll dry them all.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">I’m on your side, <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">oh, when times get rough and friends just can’t be found….” <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At least it offered a sense that in times of aloneness, there was someone available to offer comfort.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Perhaps the most striking was one that was always a particular favorite of mine,1966’s “I Am a Rock”:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in;"><i><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“A winter's day<br />In a deep and dark December<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in;"><i><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I am alone…<br />I am a rock I am an island<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in;"><i><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in;"><i><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I've built walls<br />A fortress deep and mighty<br />That none may penetrate<br />I have no need of friendship, friendship causes pain…<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in;"><i><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I am a rock I am an island….”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in;"><i><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;">How’s that for the angst of youth? Maybe it appealed to me especially because of the words of another stanza: <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in;"><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“<i>I have my books<br />And my poetry to protect me<br />I am shielded in my armor<br />Hiding in my room safe within my womb<br />I touch no one and no one touches me<br />I am a rock I am an island”<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in;"><i><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Being an avid reader and an aspiring writer, those closing words resonated strongly with me. If you’d asked me then, I might have proudly told you that, “I am a rock. I am an island.” Problem is, that’s no way to live – at least not a healthy way.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Fast forward more than five decades and I have a very different perspective. Being an “extroverted introvert,” I value my space, but being alone, hiding in my room where no one touches me isn’t part of my emotional menu. Having gone through a number of formidable challenges during my lifetime, I’ve discovered I’m not “a rock,” and being “an island” seems like a pretty miserable existence.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Instead, my Rock is Jesus Christ. Psalm 62 expresses it so well. In verses 2 and 6 the psalmist writes, <i>“Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” </i>Another psalm also written by King David of Israel asks, <i>“For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God” </i>(Psalm 18:31-32).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I’ve also learned the value of spending time with others for support, encouragement, comfort and mutual exhortation. Just as human organs can’t function properly apart from each other, people usually work best when they're together. I often think of the challenge from Hebrews 10:24-25, <i>“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” <o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><i><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That “Day” is the promised return of Jesus Christ, His second coming. No one knows when that day will be, but certainly we’re one day closer to it than we were yesterday. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Perhaps, to paraphrase Simon and Garfunkel’s lyrics, when we’re weary, feeling small, when tears are in our eyes, God’s on our side. Even when times get rough and other friends can’t be found. He’s our Rock, and we don’t have to be an island.</span></span> </p></div>Bob Tamasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07061076332556605594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2078738072998152408.post-88077756029102632542024-02-01T03:00:00.026-05:002024-02-01T03:00:00.159-05:00What’s In a Name? Why Do Names Matter?<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOyslNmnRvGqSKQQ_FM-dzr2bnC1yYS1NAzVSwg-jO9bWxAhim2h-yTKmkf0H_ErJLYNl1fROOtJIQntgKwwmGK1dtKc9qdYmkLqh40EjnLs64VZZ2rquXYAfqYXM0JUkdvcrpntm4yeeecN2Zr6BOV2m17hmPp22BwyLY96WLTPHgwCpQ49e2vn-VOKU/s640/Roses%20photo.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="471" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOyslNmnRvGqSKQQ_FM-dzr2bnC1yYS1NAzVSwg-jO9bWxAhim2h-yTKmkf0H_ErJLYNl1fROOtJIQntgKwwmGK1dtKc9qdYmkLqh40EjnLs64VZZ2rquXYAfqYXM0JUkdvcrpntm4yeeecN2Zr6BOV2m17hmPp22BwyLY96WLTPHgwCpQ49e2vn-VOKU/s320/Roses%20photo.jpg" width="236" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>'A rose by any other name...'</b></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;">“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” You probably recognize that famous quote from William Shakespeare’s play, “Romeo and Juliet,” about two ill-fated lovers. Juliet was right for the most part. When we hear the word “rose,” certain images and fragrances come to mind. But what if that beautiful flower instead had been called, let’s say, a ‘bumschnozel’?</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Names are amazing things, actually. When I was growing up, names like Robert, Leonard, Karen, Elizabeth, Edward, Nancy, Charles and Eileen were popular. Today, not so much. Now kids have names like Sloan, Avery, Maclane, Ryan, Peyton and Ellis – all of which are interchangeable for boys or girls. We also have monikers like River, North, Bear, and Jett. But what is in a name?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the Bible, names are a central part of practically everything that transpires. In the creation account, when God formed the first human, He named him Adam, which means “son of red earth” from the Hebrew word “adamah.” This ties in with Genesis 2:7, which tells us <i>“The Lord formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There was great significance to this first human name, hardly a flippant decision like “Let’s call him Butch, or Bubba.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The saga of biblical naming was just starting. Next, God assigned Adam the responsibility for naming all the animals.<i> “Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name…” </i>(Genesis 2:19-20).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Can you imagine that scene? Adam looks and decides, “Let’s call that one a platypus.” He sees a hulking, horned beast and says, “How about, rhinoceros?” He reaches out to pet an animal and quickly jumps back: “Ouch, uh, that’s a porcupine!” Aardvark, hyena, hippopotamus, eagle, elephant. Seems Adam was the first name-caller.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The most important first name was yet to come. After God determined none of the animals was a suitable helper and companion for Adam, He fashioned the first woman from one of the first man’s ribs. Adam responds with the biblical equivalent of “Shazam!,” declaring, <i>“This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man” </i>(Genesis 2:23). In the Hebrew it’s “ish” and “isha.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Next we read about Adam giving her a proper name. <i>”Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living” </i>(Genesis 3:20).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This “name game” was just gaining momentum. Genesis 17:5 tells about a prominent fellow named Abram receiving a new name, Abraham, which means <i>“the father of a multitude of nations” </i>(Genesis 17:5). His wife, Sarai, also is given a new name, Sarah, meaning <i>“princess,” </i>also signifying <i>“[God] will bless her and will surely give you a son by her…she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her” </i>(Genesis 17:15).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Together they beget Isaac, who becomes the father of two sons. One of them, Jacob, is renamed Israel, <i>“because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome” </i>(Genesis 32:28), following a curious all-night wrestling match with a “man” near a stream called Jabbok.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The list of individuals given new names by God in the Scriptures goes on and on. In the New Testament, one of the disciples, Simon, is given the name Peter, which means “rock.” After his dramatic encounter with Jesus on the Damascus Road, Saul appropriately receives the new name, Paul, reflecting his spiritual transformation.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What’s most significant about this ongoing renaming process, pastor and author Tony Evans observes, is “Each name change was a symbol of God’s reality and identity…a spoken expression of who these individuals were and how God was using them.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the Bible, however, no name compares to <i>“the name that is above every name” </i>(Philippians 2:9) – which is Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the long-promised Messiah. How important and powerful is that name? The next verses, Philippians 2:10-11, give the answer: <i>“that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When I read this, I envision Christ making His long-awaited return and, as the passage states, <i>every</i> knee bowing and <i>every </i>tongue confessing that He is Lord. Both believers and non-believers will do this; believers out of joy and reverence, and non-believers out of deep remorse, overwhelming awe, and perhaps great fear for having rejected Him and His offer of salvation and redemption.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In the words of the old hymn, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus – there’s just something about that name.” Today, some people use His name as a profanity, but when He returns the Scriptures assure us that everyone will worship and acknowledge He is indeed Lord, to the glory of God the Father.</span> </p></div>Bob Tamasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07061076332556605594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2078738072998152408.post-17271267111569577632024-01-29T03:00:00.034-05:002024-01-29T03:00:00.131-05:00Tickling People’s Ears Is No Laughing Matter<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">How do you feel when someone pays you a compliment? If it’s genuine, it probably makes you feel good. Maybe really good. We like hearing nice things said about us, especially if we know they’re sincere. But sometimes, even if we sense it’s just flattery, it can still massage our egos. We might call it having our ears tickled – telling us what we’d like to hear.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">In most instances there’s nothing wrong with that, although Proverbs 27:21 does offer these words of caution: <i>“The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but man is tested by the praise he receives.” </i>Perhaps another way of saying this is that it’s not just what we hear people say about us, but also how we respond. If their words go to our heads and we start thinking too highly of ourselves, we’re entering dangerous territory.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZUVZPA19mfIm4KbZ72OKOAxi0vBjNvm8jEiuQWLDWtIb3hk5MTNtMVR3XStofu4iQjPXvLuViMpKi9EhJ9eSRDcuGcH-qjyjuq_DtH9sIWiOb-ypisK9a-AkkIdzIiIBd_w3X20PNLdi-Kv247xqtshiRbpAJorQ49jES1Epm6Ixnz7Ep5Rb4cmRDHIrM/s304/Listening%20ears%20free%20clipart.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="304" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZUVZPA19mfIm4KbZ72OKOAxi0vBjNvm8jEiuQWLDWtIb3hk5MTNtMVR3XStofu4iQjPXvLuViMpKi9EhJ9eSRDcuGcH-qjyjuq_DtH9sIWiOb-ypisK9a-AkkIdzIiIBd_w3X20PNLdi-Kv247xqtshiRbpAJorQ49jES1Epm6Ixnz7Ep5Rb4cmRDHIrM/w200-h164/Listening%20ears%20free%20clipart.png" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">But there’s another, perhaps more insidious form of “ear tickling” that’s going on today, especially in the realm broadly defined as evangelicalism. Many denominations, individual congregations, and even some seminaries are “repackaging” biblical teachings and doctrines so they’re not regarded offensive. Because in our politically correct world, lots of folks don’t like being confronted with truth, especially (to borrow the term) inconvenient truth. They strongly prefer the ear-tickling approach.</span><div><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Words like “sin,” “hell,” “judgment,” and “condemnation” are being banished from many pulpits. Pastors don’t want people sitting in the pews – their “audiences” – to feel guilty or bad or, dare we say it, offended. It’s like they’re trying to “rebrand” Jesus, making Him and His teachings more palatable for 21<sup>st</sup> century consciousness. Even though the Scriptures describe Jesus Christ as <i>“‘A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.’ They stumble because they disobey the word” </i>(1 Peter 2:8).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Rather than teaching how Christ and the Word of God should shape culture, some apparently have concluded the culture should shape perspectives on Jesus and the Bible. Questions of morality, ethics, spirituality, even life and death, are being answered according to the prevailing whims of the media, entertainment, education, politics, and other elements of popular “thinking.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Thank the Lord, there remain churches where pastors speak biblical truth boldly, unapologetically, and as compassionately as possible, without watering down the gospel message. I’m a member of one of those. But with many congregations and denominations bleeding members like spiritual hemophiliacs, they’ve decided a more “tolerant” Jesus will stem the flow.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">This is hardly a new phenomenon. Writing to his protégé Timothy, the apostle Paul declared, <i>“<span style="background: repeat white; color: #001320;">For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires”</span></i> (2 Timothy 4:3). Another translation expresses it this way: <i>“to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Ear tickling wasn’t conceived in the 20<sup>th</sup> or 21<sup>st</sup> centuries, however. It was happening many centuries before Paul arrived on the scene. In the Old Testament prophetic book we read, <i>“<span style="background: repeat white; color: #001320;">They say to the seers, ‘Stop seeing visions!’ and to the prophets, ‘Do not prophesy to us the truth! Speak to us pleasant words; prophesy illusions’”</span></i> (Isaiah 30:10). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Reminds me of the fellow in the country church who approached the new minister and informed him, “Preacher, we don’t mind your preachin’. But now you’ve gone and started meddlin’!”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">I get it. I lived much of my early adult life trying to keep God at an arm’s length, inviting Him closer only when I felt I needed His help. The straight-forward precepts of the Scriptures can cramp our style in how we’d like to live. As an old friend said so well, “If sin wasn’t any fun, we wouldn’t want to do it.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Unfortunately for those who want a kind of compromising Christ, the Scriptures are adamant that redefining the Lord isn’t an option available to them. As Hebrews 13:8 reminds us, <i>“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” </i>The God of the Old Testament and the God revealed through Jesus in the New Testament isn’t to be remolded into our image.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">We find this ominous warning in Jude 1:17-18 which rings all too familiar today: <i>“…remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, ‘In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.’ These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Writing to Timothy, Paul exhorted him not to bend to the pressures of culture and other influences: <i><span style="background: repeat white; color: #001320;">“Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching you have heard from me, with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus…. You therefore, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a name="3" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 19, 32);"></a>And the things that you have heard me say among many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be qualified to teach others as well”</i> (2 Timothy 1:13, 2:1-2). </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">What about those of us who see no need for “reimagining” Jesus and His Word, who believe more people need to hear God’s truth, as the Bible clearly presents it, and less ear-tickling talk? We’re not likely to change the mindsets of the “marketers” within the Church. But we can do as Paul admonished believers in ancient Corinth:</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span><i>“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully t</i></span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">o the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” </i><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">(1 Corinthians 15:58).</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span> </p></div>Bob Tamasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07061076332556605594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2078738072998152408.post-76906953374181859472024-01-25T03:00:00.029-05:002024-01-25T03:00:00.127-05:00Seeing Through the Windshield, Not the Rearview Mirror<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPITW74QsvgIaoUW6MoPPF8KptN79TQnitWKrmWKqMEPxzzKyeKEc37smMJxMg1oVmf64MbB0-YrdJtM2-1LhfK4LAf1UFGJIu-F_ZJ_qd_X1LyK7nNGpPIuOsStc7gmwnrdkNUhF6kkQ9SXh7n7My9Gw4RW5Dv7s4KDh1rxorObegB7FmJFWhsVNq5Qfk/s640/Rear%20view%20mirror%20pic.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPITW74QsvgIaoUW6MoPPF8KptN79TQnitWKrmWKqMEPxzzKyeKEc37smMJxMg1oVmf64MbB0-YrdJtM2-1LhfK4LAf1UFGJIu-F_ZJ_qd_X1LyK7nNGpPIuOsStc7gmwnrdkNUhF6kkQ9SXh7n7My9Gw4RW5Dv7s4KDh1rxorObegB7FmJFWhsVNq5Qfk/w400-h300/Rear%20view%20mirror%20pic.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Things usually are designed as they are for a specific reason. “Form follows function,” the architectural and industrial design adage declares. The function or purpose of a chair is to support people sitting on it. After that, the furniture designer can decide what form the chair should take. The function of a car is to transport riders from one place to another. Once that purpose is achieved, automotive designers can figure out how to visually impress potential buyers. </span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Form follows function. This principle came to mind while reading an entry in pastor and author Tony Evans’s <i>Kingdom Man </i>devotional book.<i> </i>He observed, “Do you know why a car’s windshield is bigger than its rearview mirror? Because where you are going is more important than where you’ve been.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Simple wisdom, but profound. Unless you’re backing out of your garage or driveway, trying to steer your car while staring into the rearview mirror would be utter foolishness. Not to mention extremely dangerous, especially if you’re on the highway. Keep looking ahead! And yet, persisting to hold a rearview perspective is how many people are living their lives.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">These folks let memories and regrets from the past dominate their days, coloring their present and shaping their future. I regard it as the “woulda, coulda, shoulda syndrome.” “If I would have done that, then this wouldn’t have happened.” “I could have chosen to do that; then I wouldn’t be where I am now.” “I should have decided to do (whatever) instead of what I did – then everything would have been different.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Understandably, there’s not one of us who if given the opportunity wouldn’t change some key events or decisions in our past. The person who says, “I wouldn’t change a single thing about my life,” is either in denial or unrealistic. We all have regrets to some extent. But the simple fact is we can’t change the past. Time machines don’t exist, and even if they did, changing even a slight detail might have catastrophic consequences. Science-fiction writers call it “the butterfly effect.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The best we can do is learn from the past and strive to do better in the present and time yet to come. In sports they say to be successful, a baseball pitcher or quarterback in football must have a short memory. They can’t dwell on the pitch just thrown that went over the fence for a home run, or the pass that was intercepted during the last drive. They must ignore the mistake and move on to the next pitch or play.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Pastor Evans added this comment: “I’m not saying yesterday is a bad conversation topic, but you don’t want to get stuck there. Yesterday’s victories will not carry you through today. Yesterday’s defeats should not dominate tomorrow.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I think this is why the Bible has such forward-thinking focus. Even in Genesis, the Bible’s first book, there are many references to forthcoming events, biblical “types” that foreshadow God’s actions in the future. The Old Testament includes a series of prophetic books. And the last book of the Bible, Revelation, is filled with prophesies yet to come.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The apostle Paul was a man whose life could have been ruined by “rear view mirror living.” A zealous Pharisee and acclaimed religious leader, he had eagerly persecuted early Christians, even gladly spectating at the stoning of the apostle Stephen. After his dramatic Damascus Road conversion, Paul never forgot what he had done, always marveling at the incredible forgiveness, grace and mercy of God. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">However, rather than dwelling on his past, he was able to write, <i>“…I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus”</i> (Philippians 3:13-14).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Apparently somewhat of a sports fan, he often used athletic metaphors. In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 he wrote, <i>“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize…. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly. I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">While the apostle does not comment specifically on looking backward, he certainly understood that winning racers can’t be concentrating on portions of the course they’ve already passed. In a similar way, to live in a way that honors God we must learn to let go of the past – its failures and pain, as well as its successes and joys – as we pursue what the Lord has for us now and the days to come.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">If anyone has a clear view of the past, it’s God. Still, He gives us this promise: <i>“For I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” </i>(Jeremiah 29:11). He can take our past, even in wrecked form, and make it functional for a glorious future. </span></p></div>Bob Tamasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07061076332556605594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2078738072998152408.post-39911534741550468732024-01-22T03:00:00.024-05:002024-01-22T03:00:00.128-05:00Feeling Sorry, Remorseful, Or Repentant?<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Little Jimmy and Jeannie were having their usual sibling spat. Jimmy said something hurtful to Jeannie and she began crying loudly enough for neighbors two blocks away to hear her. Their mother rushed into the room to see what the commotion was all about. Jeannie told her what Jimmy said. Jimmy just looked the other way and mumbled, “Sorry.” But he couldn’t conceal an impish smirk.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It wasn’t long before Jimmy moved beyond the “sorry” stage. His mom decided his repeated misbehavior required more than a scolding. So, while sitting in his room without his beloved “screens” – his tablet and TV – Jimmy discovered what remorse was all about. He was still sorry, but mainly because he had been caught being mean to his sister and was being disciplined.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrxrJuZk4cf8MiT752w6X6JarDlsyQhirJftFRNpyr8ABZI4vs-NrxAqhMRF0aUEvaVnaws8qrVESc3_f9s5MX9a2Nv8eWzuEApDJhJGgx3JF3qUTm51elvq-5cXtJO3Q-hXEFnehhmt1dVYckJ0xcWb98xKXrxXhu2NFxMYLjzfTxC_aD1QSi4x0yzW2W/s474/U-turn%20sign%20clipart%20free.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="474" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrxrJuZk4cf8MiT752w6X6JarDlsyQhirJftFRNpyr8ABZI4vs-NrxAqhMRF0aUEvaVnaws8qrVESc3_f9s5MX9a2Nv8eWzuEApDJhJGgx3JF3qUTm51elvq-5cXtJO3Q-hXEFnehhmt1dVYckJ0xcWb98xKXrxXhu2NFxMYLjzfTxC_aD1QSi4x0yzW2W/w200-h200/U-turn%20sign%20clipart%20free.jpeg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">What he had yet to learn was the third stage of dealing with one’s wrongdoing: Repentance.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The circumstances may differ, but each one of us at one time or another (and probably much more than once) has had encounters with these three stages of making amends for wrongs we have done. We might feel sorry because we were caught in the act of doing something we shouldn’t. Remorse comes when we have to face the resulting consequences. But true change comes only in the repentance stage,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">One dictionary defines repentance as, “reviewing one’s actions and feeling contrition or regret for past wrongs, which is accompanied by commitment to and actual actions that show a change for the better.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This “commitment to personal change and the resolve to live a more responsible and humane life,” as Wikipedia states it, is at the heart of what it means to begin a healthy, growing relationship with Jesus Christ. Literally, to repent means to turn from something and turn toward a very different form of behavior. Biblical repentance is turning away from sinful habits and practices and turning to Jesus for forgiveness.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It’s important to understand the difference between true repentance and simply feeling sorrowful for our words, thoughts or actions. As 2 Corinthians 7:10 tells us, <i>“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The passage continues, <i>“<span style="background: repeat white; color: #001320;">Consider what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what vindication!” </span></i><span style="background: repeat white; color: #001320;">The great news that when we repent of sins, laying them at the foot of the cross, we no longer need to carry them around. We’re released of our burdens of guilt. As Galatians 5:1 says, <i>“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery [to sin].” </i>We’re not freed to do whatever we want, but freed to be and become everything God wants us to be.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="background: repeat white; color: #001320;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="background: repeat white; color: #001320;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Too many people find themselves in bondage, enslaved to sins despite their regret, feeling “sorry” for things they continue to do. An alcoholic feels sorry for having fallen “off the wagon” again. Someone has fallen prey again to the lure on online pornography. Another person has taken another blow to personal integrity, acting unethically or dishonestly once more and feeling sorry, even remorseful. But not yet at the point of repentance.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="background: repeat white; color: #001320;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="background: repeat white; color: #001320;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My life has been punctuated with times when my thoughts and actions controlled me, rather than the other way around. I’d beat myself up for my repeated failures. Sorrow and remorse were continual friends, but it wasn’t until I reached the point of repentance that things began to change.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="background: repeat white; color: #001320;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="background: repeat white; color: #001320;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There’s a misconception that we must “clean ourselves up” before approaching Jesus, but at the heart of the Gospel message is the truth that we can’t. Times when I prayed with resignation, “I give up, Lord. I can’t do it,” turned out to be some of the best moments along my spiritual journey. Because it was as if He responded, “I know you can't. But I can, and if you’ll let Me, I’ll do it through you.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="background: repeat white; color: #001320;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="background: repeat white; color: #001320;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Speaking to a crowd of onlookers in Jerusalem who had observed the healing of a crippled beggar, the apostle Peter said, <i>“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” </i>(Acts 3:19).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="background: repeat white; color: #001320;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="background: repeat white; color: #001320;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It wears us out, doing and thinking and saying things we know we shouldn’t while not doing and thinking and saying things we know we should, and then repeating the pattern day after day. As Jesus said, <i>“The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” </i>(Matthew 26:41). Rather than shrugging our shoulders in resignation thinking, “That’s just the way I am. I can’t help it,” we can trust as did the apostle Paul, <i>“I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” </i>(Philippians 4:13).</span></span></p></div>Bob Tamasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07061076332556605594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2078738072998152408.post-54120814716475135242024-01-18T03:00:00.023-05:002024-01-18T03:00:00.127-05:00Self-Help Isn’t a Biblical Benchmark<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkTjtUptq0SPZQatNTlTa6bhox3AmzlsPhY_cWiXMI7_O9wCWh99hAEDrU7fknW9tGdybIOvxhzhbwU4Z_owY7JfuDlOJMG1H_X37qYCYgOShCLOuttmdvhAQq5BorwlTlU10IuEMCgKBR0N4lK4uVIzIH7pDYrBb8Uy1qLIQVyoc3K_v9jnbHkugbhKUR/s1620/DSC_0238.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1620" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkTjtUptq0SPZQatNTlTa6bhox3AmzlsPhY_cWiXMI7_O9wCWh99hAEDrU7fknW9tGdybIOvxhzhbwU4Z_owY7JfuDlOJMG1H_X37qYCYgOShCLOuttmdvhAQq5BorwlTlU10IuEMCgKBR0N4lK4uVIzIH7pDYrBb8Uy1qLIQVyoc3K_v9jnbHkugbhKUR/w400-h266/DSC_0238.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The grapes in a vineyard are helpless apart from the vine.</b></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;">Years ago, I interviewed the CEO of a major corporation who talked about how he became immersed in self-help books, audiotapes, and other motivational resources. He was always striving to become a better executive, eagerly studying and testing any technique or philosophy he thought might enhance his skills and productivity.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sometimes he would be sitting quietly in his den, wearing headphones and listening to the latest self-help message he had discovered. If his children wanted to visit with him, one would warn the other, “Don’t bother Dad now. He’s motivating.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Bookstores – a vanishing breed these days, sad to say – have long recognized the “self-help” section as one of the most popular destinations for customers. Who doesn’t want to improve, whether it’s becoming a more successful person, more adept craftsman, more skilled artist, athlete or photographer, better spouse or parent, or any of myriad other life pursuits?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The one exception, I suppose, was the bookstore employee who, when asked by a customer where to find the self-help section, responded, “Help yourself!”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In many ways, the self-help approach to life remains the rage. The Internet, especially with resources like YouTube and Google, has only fed our self-help appetite. We can find videos showing how to do virtually anything, from hanging a picture on the wall to assembling a bicycle, learning how to play the guitar or drums to fixing a leaking faucet.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">You’ve probably heard someone say, “You have to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps.” Have you ever tried to do that? Talk about a superpower! And who has shoes or boots with bootstraps anymore, anyway?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We’ve even spiritualized the self-help philosophy somewhat. There’s the adage, “God helps those who help themselves.” This saying has been attributed to Benjamin Franklin, while others contend it was coined by a British politician named Algernon Sidney. Someone quipped a variation of this saying, “God helps those who help themselves, but God help those who get caught helping themselves.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Some folks might say, “Doesn’t the Bible say, ‘God helps those who help themselves’?” No, you won’t find it there, unless you’re consulting the books of 2 Opinions or 3 Babylonians. (Which aren’t in the Bible either.) Seriously, if anything, the essence of the Scriptures is quite contrary to the self-help mindset.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">British preacher and theologian A.W. Pink summed it up well when he said, “To declare that God helps those who help themselves is to repudiate one of the most precious truths taught in the Bible, and in the Bible alone; namely, that God helps those who are unable to help themselves, who have tried again and again only to fail.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We could cite dozens, even hundreds of passages about how the Lord helps those unable to help themselves, but a good place to start is Jesus. Speaking to His disciples, Jesus used a vine as a metaphor for dependence on Him: <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>“Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself, it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing” </i>(John 15:4-5).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The apostle Paul might have had this admonition in mind when he wrote, <i>“I can do everything through [Christ] who gives me strength” </i>(Philippians 4:13).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Paul, despite his many accomplishments, never got over his dependence on God. He wrote about a <i>“thorn in the flesh”</i> that he had, although the apostle never specified what that was. It was a perpetual affliction, to the point that, <i>“Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me…. For when I am weak, then I am strong” </i>(2 Corinthians 12:7-10).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The corporate executive I mentioned earlier discovered this. Someone introduced him to the Bible, and in the process, to Jesus Christ. Before long, he said he disposed of all his self-help resources and started using the Bible, its teachings and truths as his guide, both professionally and personally. And that remained the case for the remainder of his life.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">We live in a culture that was birthed with a “can do” spirit, individuals filled with determination and self-will to accomplish great things. They were the original “pull yourself up by your own bootstraps” folks. Certainly, we all have abilities and talents in certain areas. But from an eternal perspective, we truly cannot do anything apart from the indwelling power of God’s Spirit. Paul noted Jesus’ earthly life was filled with the power of God, and <i>“by God’s power we will live in Him to serve you” </i>(2 Corinthians 13:4).</span> </p></div>Bob Tamasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07061076332556605594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2078738072998152408.post-78516875272486357842024-01-15T03:00:00.013-05:002024-01-15T03:00:00.376-05:00God Wants to Give Us Our Heart’s Desires<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">How would you react to receiving an absolute guarantee that God wants to give you your heart’s desire? Who wouldn’t want that, right?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTzsuWxs2S1uf2xjPLKssy0rYedqGfNV8FxY61fu2fcHCacYCtpPJaKv3D4Pohg3sZC-oE3KNHLLmYyWFUa5kzwoNqCoKegBtqECrgqD3y6bqxNtYDqiEf3d3h51rsfJ5KNwVPQgOKgJhmPeuTHmIKaUYNIjXLcHTVQcxFIry1dLx5q5mY2YX1gjWO-10P/s298/Hearts%20desire%20clipart%20free.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="246" data-original-width="298" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTzsuWxs2S1uf2xjPLKssy0rYedqGfNV8FxY61fu2fcHCacYCtpPJaKv3D4Pohg3sZC-oE3KNHLLmYyWFUa5kzwoNqCoKegBtqECrgqD3y6bqxNtYDqiEf3d3h51rsfJ5KNwVPQgOKgJhmPeuTHmIKaUYNIjXLcHTVQcxFIry1dLx5q5mY2YX1gjWO-10P/w200-h165/Hearts%20desire%20clipart%20free.png" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">When you consider the idea that God truly wants to give you your heart’s desire, what pops into your mind? Some might want to immediately start compiling a personal wish list to offer up in prayer. Others, however, might think this post is about to venture into the realm of so-called “prosperity theology” or the “name-it-and-claim-it” mentality. </span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We find it fairly common in our American consumer-oriented way of thinking to equate God’s blessings with material things. Stuff like cars, houses, vacations, other forms of affluence. But that view is more of a cultural perspective than a biblical one. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Consider this: If theological interpretations are to be true and biblical, they should apply to people universally, regardless of their status or citizenry, don’t you think? Biblical truth must apply to “Third World” believers – folks living in Bangladesh, an impoverished village in India, the barrios of Mexico City or the favelas of Sao Paolo, Brazil – as well as people living in more materially rich “first world” nations. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So, it’s hard to see how a declaration, “God wants you to be rich!” relates to a devoted Christ follower struggling day-to-day in an impoverished region. That doesn’t mean God can’t bestow material gifts on His people, because He can and often does. But if Jesus Christ, the Son of God, had <i>“no place to lay His head” </i>(Matthew 8:20), why should we think we’re above that? Why should we conclude that if being His follower defines us “children of the King,” the Lord is obligated to bless us with fancy homes and lavish lifestyles?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Wait. Didn’t I start off by saying the Lord wants to give us the desires of our hearts? Yes, I did. And He does. How do we know this? Because Psalm 37:4 says so: <i>“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” </i>But let’s hit the pause button for a moment. Before taking that promise “to the bank” so to speak, let’s look more deeply at the rest of the psalm.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Psalm 37, written by King David, also declares we’re to <i>“Trust in the Lord and do good.” </i>It says we’re to <i>“Delight yourself in the Lord…. Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him…” </i>(verses<i> </i>3-5). Those statements are equally important because Bible scholars know to properly understand a passage in the Scriptures, or even specific words, we can’t ignore the context in which they appear.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I like the way pastor and author Tony Evans expresses it in his book, <i>Kingdom Man Devotional.</i> He wrote, “If [God’s] words are abiding in you, His wishes will become your wishes, and He will ‘give you the desires of your heart’ (Psalm 37:4), because your desires will be His desires.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This can work in a variety of ways. Suppose a Christ-centered physician has built a thriving practice and has been generous supporting charitable causes. But one day he senses God is calling him to give all that up. Instead, the doctor senses the Lord is leading him to become a medical missionary, dependent on the financial support of others. Suddenly, the “desire of his heart” has changed.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I’ve known of many highly successful business and professional people who before committing their lives to Christ were intent upon building impressive financial portfolios. After He became Lord of their lives, however, their focus shifted to giving away as much of their wealth as possible. Industrialist R.G. LeTourneau and inventor/entrepreneur Stanley Tam come immediately to mind. God gave them the “desire of their heart,” but very different from what it once was.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A number of couples I know have had the joy of adopting children, For some it was because of being unable to have biological children or their own; others wanted to add to their biological families through adoption. This wasn’t their original plan, but again, God gave them the desire of their hearts and they wouldn’t have it any other way.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Early in my journalistic career, the plan was to climb the ranks and become a newspaper executive, wherever that would lead me and my family. But God had other ideas. He closed all doors except for one, a parachurch ministry called CBMC, through which He presented opportunities I couldn’t have imagined. He bountifully gave me the desires of my heart, even though I didn’t realize it at the time.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><span style="font-family: arial;">The list of examples could go on, but the point is clear: When God gives us the desires of our hearts, they aren’t shaped by our self-centered wants and wishes. He changes our hearts and prompts us to embrace what He wants for us because, as Romans 8:28 declares, <i>“we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”</i> How comforting is that?</span></div>Bob Tamasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07061076332556605594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2078738072998152408.post-81869137936739679052024-01-11T03:00:00.020-05:002024-01-11T03:00:00.130-05:00Maybe We Need an Outbreak of FOMO – and JOMO<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">These are the days of acronyms. It’s like swimming in alphabet soup. LOL – laughing out loud. OMG – oh my gosh. IMHO – in my honest opinion. SMH – shaking my head. I’m sure there are many that I’ve never heard of. Thanks to texting and social media, we’re experiencing an ongoing explosion of ways for writing what we’re thinking without actually writing it out.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrqUOObNSWLwv92U1x_BwlyQo6wglxRyRvWA6R9T4KI74x5Qaj49ecGwKIsHivdhZnr7tFNMrHSqLyw0jSVTJ4U2YYtUicRq2DWsyt0YQkCJj3_1EllkBCK7mQReM8IzHV46iWvT7MOYPGv_GDO9897xxkvBcyxs0P0rtZvHyTaJOTjRIB2gzTtjniMXXZ/s640/FOMO%20and%20JOMO%20art.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrqUOObNSWLwv92U1x_BwlyQo6wglxRyRvWA6R9T4KI74x5Qaj49ecGwKIsHivdhZnr7tFNMrHSqLyw0jSVTJ4U2YYtUicRq2DWsyt0YQkCJj3_1EllkBCK7mQReM8IzHV46iWvT7MOYPGv_GDO9897xxkvBcyxs0P0rtZvHyTaJOTjRIB2gzTtjniMXXZ/s320/FOMO%20and%20JOMO%20art.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">My personal favorite is FOMO – <i>fear of missing out. </i>It’s one reason people devote so much time to social media. They don’t want to miss the latest posts from friends, family members, even people they don’t like. The same applies to the Internet, constantly logging onto favorite sites to make sure we don’t miss out on the latest developments, whatever they may be. Some people are “news junkies,” following their favorite news sources throughout the day – for fear of missing out.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">FOMO isn’t necessarily bad. When desktop computers first came out, some were resistant – me included. But here I am, writing on my computer, memories of manual and electric typewriters becoming ancient history. It might have taken a while, but we eventually tried out personal computers, partly due to fear of missing out. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The same applies to cellular phones, now known as smartphones. The first ones were nearly as large as a briefcase and only the affluent could afford them. As with most technology, cell phones became more advanced, less costly – and smaller. Now practically everyone has at least one. Why did we finally buy them? FOMO.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Maybe one day we’ll all have an electric car for the same reason, but that’s a topic for another time. In any case, I’ve learned fear of missing out can be a positive motivator. Even spiritually.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Years ago, FOMO prompted me to make an impulsive decision. Long before becoming a follower of Christ, I attended church occasionally but didn’t know the Lord. If you’d asked me then if I would go to heaven when I died, the best answer I could have given was, “I hope so.” Maybe I thought “punching my church attendance card” would help.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After getting a job in a new city, someone at work told me about her church. Again, thinking attending church was something I should do at least once in a while, I agreed to visit. At the time I didn’t know one church from another, so why not try this one?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">During the pastor’s sermon, I understood him to say that anyone who’d not been baptized by immersion wouldn’t go to heaven. I’d never heard that, but the thought came to my mind, “I’m not going to be left out on some technicality,” so I went forward – and got baptized.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This isn’t to speak negatively about baptism in any way, and I know there are a variety of views on who should be baptized, when, how, and why. But the only reason I agreed to be baptized then was FOMO. I felt certain there was a heaven, and when the time came to leave this life, I didn’t want to miss out.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Lots of folks take their initial steps of faith because of FOMO. It might be a desire to know they’ll go to heaven when they die – or not go to hell. A cynic might say they want “fire insurance.” Others might have concluded there must be something more to life than constantly striving for more or the unending routine of daily living. They resonate with the old Peggy Lee tune, “Is That All There Is?” They’re missing out on something, but don’t know what.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Some may have observed a friend’s, coworker’s or neighbor’s life, seeing in them an inner quality they lack. They wonder what’s different about the other person’s life. “What do you have that I don’t?” they might even ask. Over time this can open a door for an honest conversation about the Bible and Jesus Christ – who He was (and is), what He did, and how we should respond to the offer described in Romans 6:23, <i>“the free gift of God [that] is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Even for genuine followers of Jesus, those who’ve sincerely trusted in Him by faith, FOMO can be helpful. Because the act of receiving Christ, as described in John 1:12 – <i>“Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” –</i> is just the first big step of faith. It’s the beginning of a lifelong adventure, a day-to-day process of having the Lord reveal what it means to experience the <i>“abundant life” </i>He describes in John 10:10.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We’ve all gone through the COVID pandemic which affected us in many ways. Maybe we need an outbreak of FOMO, causing us to stop going through the motions or relegating God to one area of our lives and letting Him infuse everything we do. Ephesians 3:20 says He is <i>“able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” </i>I don’t know about you, but I have a healthy fear of missing out on that!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Who knows? Our “FOMO” might transform into JOMO, the <b><i>joy</i></b> of missing out. This can enable us to enjoy spending free time doing what we really want to do – especially cultivating a growing relationship with the Lord – without worrying that something more interesting is happening elsewhere. </span></p></div>Bob Tamasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07061076332556605594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2078738072998152408.post-1988309956897192852024-01-08T03:00:00.032-05:002024-01-08T03:00:00.140-05:00At the End of the Day … It’s Night!<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ig0pfPrQT1o2Mc3E4gtKwfSI6PoUqlskRPR2yhkksurbxELr6631GVtsTB4OZmZkY_A291_zmbB8tCFQbeAkROkRsvqmc5iUonLqQa9VU3SyT5NCerieeKb1Ba9KdjByOORXyCNFOU8ec0gUWrBkV61AljvOsk_QCnbaJfM-2dwIAhSI4oCbjs5WQvKm/s6000/DSC_0026.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ig0pfPrQT1o2Mc3E4gtKwfSI6PoUqlskRPR2yhkksurbxELr6631GVtsTB4OZmZkY_A291_zmbB8tCFQbeAkROkRsvqmc5iUonLqQa9VU3SyT5NCerieeKb1Ba9KdjByOORXyCNFOU8ec0gUWrBkV61AljvOsk_QCnbaJfM-2dwIAhSI4oCbjs5WQvKm/w400-h266/DSC_0026.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Have you ever heard of Utqiagvik, Alaska? I hadn’t either until recently. Formerly known as Barrow, <span style="background: repeat white; color: #202124;">Utqiagvik (don’t ask me how to pronounce it) is the northernmost town in Alaska. So what? Well, if you lived there, right now you would be in the midst of a 67-day “polar night.”</span></span><div><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36);"><br /></span></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #202124;">Because of its geographic location and the tilt of the earth’s axis, this town experiences perpetual night annually for 65 days or more. The sun won’t rise there this year until Jan. 23, and then just for a few minutes. If it happens to be cloudy, too bad! That’s a long time to be in the dark!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #202124;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #202124;">The flip side of this natural phenomenon is that the more than 4,000 citizens of Utqiagvik can enjoy the midnight sun all summer – 80 days or more of uninterrupted daylight. I’ve heard of golf enthusiasts eagerly playing 18 holes at midnight during this all-light-all-night season.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #202124;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #202124;">Getting back to that long, long night of northern Alaska, most of us would consider going more than 60 days without any sunlight unbearable. We complain when we shift from Daylight Time to Standard Time and “night” descends before 6 p.m. Imagine going somewhere for lunch and it’s still pitch-dark? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">So what? Well, for one thing light is an essential part of life. It’s the catalyst for photosynthesis, the process by which green plants use sunlight to synthesize food from carbon dioxide and water, producing the green pigment chlorophyll and generating oxygen. Also, sunlight is valuable for health reasons. Sunlight helps the human body to produce vitamin D; a good remedy for newborn babies suffering from jaundice is exposure to sunlight.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Most important, light is a critical part of the biblical narrative. In the creation account, God’s first act was to declare, <i>“‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” </i>(Genesis 1:3). Then on the fourth day the Lord said, <i>“Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light to separate the day from the night,,,. God made two great lights – the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars” </i>(Genesis 1:14-19).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Over the six biblical days of creation, God devoted two of them entirely to creating light, including the sun, moon, and stars. Certainly, one reason was so the animals and human beings He’d later create could see and appreciate what He had made. But there was much more to it than that.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">In the Scriptures, darkness is often synonymous with sin, evil, and separation from God. Isaiah 50:10 admonishes, <i>“<span style="background: repeat white; color: #001320;">Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of His Servant? Who among you walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD; let him lean on his God.</span>” </i></span><span style="background: repeat white; color: #001320;">Darkness – no offense intended for the people of </span>Utqiagvik, Alaska – is not somewhere to remain in. <span style="background: repeat white; color: #001320;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #001320;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #001320;">The New Testament offers the same view. For instance, Ephesians 5:8 proclaims, </span><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #001320;">“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” </span></i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #001320;">The source of this light is embodied in the person of Jesus Christ.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">One of the major prophecies pointing to the coming Messiah proclaimed, <i>“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light. On those living in the land of deep darkness, a light has dawned”</i> (</span>Isaiah 9:2). Early in His ministry, Jesus recited this verse to announce He had come to fulfill those prophetic words (Matthew 4:16).</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">The first chapter of the Gospel of John, echoing the opening words of Genesis, reveals, <i>“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it…. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world” </i>(John 1:1-4,9).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Jesus left no room for misunderstanding when He announced, <i>“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” </i>(John 8:12). In another setting, Jesus said, <i>“While I am in the world, I am the light of the world” </i>(John 9:5).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #202124;">Charles H. Spurgeon, the famous British preacher of the mid- to late-19<sup>th</sup> century, observed there are three distinct kinds of light from a theological perspective: Physical light; “gospel light” that reveals eternal realities, and spiritual light provided through the Holy Spirit to enable us to understand biblical truth.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #202124;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #202124;">Just as we require physical light to see and comprehend earthly things, God shows us eternal truth through His Word, and His Spirit enables us to embrace and apply His truth for the “nasty now-and-now” as well as for “the sweet by and by.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #202124;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #202124;">Many of us agree that our world in plagued by unprecedented levels of darkness in many forms. Nevertheless, there’s good news: God hasn’t abandoned His creation, and He’s given His followers the privilege of shining His light to help in dispelling the darkness. As Jesus said, <i>“You are the light of the world…. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” </i>(Matthew 5:14-16).<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #202124;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background: repeat white; color: #202124;">The people of </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Utqiagvik, Alaska might have no choice but to endure physical darkness for about nine weeks every year. However, despite the advancing spiritual darkness in society, we’ve been entrusted with the responsibility of shining the light of Christ to everyone in the world around us. <i>“The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day” </i>(Proverbs 4:18).</span></div>Bob Tamasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07061076332556605594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2078738072998152408.post-87413070911541438932024-01-04T03:00:00.021-05:002024-01-04T03:00:00.151-05:00God Is All About Making Things New<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Just a few days into the new year, we still have an opportunity to focus on making a fresh start, closing the door on 2023 and being excited about some new beginnings in 2024. We might want to continue and build on some of our accomplishments over the past 12 months, but most of us have things we’d like to do differently or take a totally new approach.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEOP653xhaiiLJI-5ASpcS4wsQ9v6zPCC8E69Sak0Mlm1dSJPgCYF41nVQAr_vC5TDwh4fRK0oPyTlLTWCcw4_cT2Pv3c0i9kVty_-h8R7ZKo42BH0IDKYsV1srA9BlBrnbOwTix7BhqdJzTCUvnMKO6gUq1HU09JLEp5StyFIiMHBfCacaTWw7C2hFAxg/s297/New%20clipart%20free.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="282" data-original-width="297" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEOP653xhaiiLJI-5ASpcS4wsQ9v6zPCC8E69Sak0Mlm1dSJPgCYF41nVQAr_vC5TDwh4fRK0oPyTlLTWCcw4_cT2Pv3c0i9kVty_-h8R7ZKo42BH0IDKYsV1srA9BlBrnbOwTix7BhqdJzTCUvnMKO6gUq1HU09JLEp5StyFIiMHBfCacaTWw7C2hFAxg/s1600/New%20clipart%20free.png" width="297" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Among the “new” things I’d like to be doing this year is spending more time reading and less time on “screens,” whether it be TV or my electronic devices. I want to tackle my stash of books with renewed enthusiasm. Reading requires action; screens foster passivity. It’s time for action.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">New things you’d like to do are probably different from mine, but whatever they are, there’s no time to begin like the present. Out with the old and in with the new, as they say. Hope you find much success in whatever your new endeavors might be.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But have you ever considered that God is all about making things new? We see this in the very first chapter of the first book of the Bible. <i>“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” </i>(Genesis 1:1). I believe the “big bang” scientists often speak about can be summed up in three powerful words: <i>“And God said.” <o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That simple phrase appears eight times in that opening chapter of Genesis, God speaking and creating: Light. Sky, earth and water. Vegetation. Sun, moon and stars. Myriad kinds of living creatures. And finally, man and woman. The Lord conceived what He wanted to create – brand new things – then spoke and it became so. Sounds simplistic, but I’m sure it was anything but that. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">God’s desire to make new things didn’t stop there. That was just, well, the beginning. He’s been conceiving and creating new stuff ever since. Take the Ten Commandments, for example. Until then, humankind was governed by an inner moral compass God had instilled, but those succinct commandments embodied how we’re to live and relate, both to Him and one another.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As we study the Scriptures, however, we discover the foremost “new” thing the Lord desires to create is you and me. When Jesus went to the cross to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins, that wasn’t the end of the story. Not by the longest of shots. His resurrection not only announced victory over death but also the promise of new life for all who would place their faith and trust in Him.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Nearly 40 years ago I was wrestling with what is often referred to as “the Christian life.” I couldn’t seem to get it right, no matter how hard I tried. Then during one life-changing weekend, a friend helped me understand a foundational truth: The Christian life isn’t difficult – it’s impossible! That is, in our own strength there’s no way we can measure up to God’s perfect standards. Or even close.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My good intentions and determinations to do better in my own strength would never succeed. As is true for every one of us. This is why Jesus said we must be <i>“born again” </i>(John 3:3,7). Becoming children of God doesn’t demand a “makeover” or some type of improvement program, but an entirely new life. In 2 Corinthians 5:17 we're told, <i>“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Up to that weekend, I had been wrestling with that latter verse as well as another, Galatians 2:20, which says, <i>“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” </i>I knew those two passages intellectually, but not experientially. Somehow, they didn’t seem to apply to me. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Although I still struggled “in the flesh,” God wanted me to understand that in Christ I had been made new spiritually. Another verse, Titus 3:5, expresses it this way: <i>“He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” </i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I already had new life in Jesus Christ but hadn’t appropriated it. It’s still a challenge at times when, as Jesus said, <i>“The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” </i>(Mark 14:38). It’s a day by day, moment by moment process of learning how to follow Him in the power of His Spirit that lives in us.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This brings up another biblical reference to becoming new. Romans 12:2 offers the admonition, <i>“Do not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.” </i>Every day can be a battle, being bombarded with “the pattern of this world” through what we read, hear and see.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><span style="font-family: arial;">The only way we can win this battle is to <i>“set [our] minds on things above, not on earthly things” </i>(Colossians 3:2). And we can do this consistently only through the power of God’s Spirit. Every day the Lord is busily doing new things – both in us and through us. If we were to ask Him, “What’s new?” I suspect He’d respond, “You have no idea!”</span></div>Bob Tamasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07061076332556605594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2078738072998152408.post-67244560879112740242024-01-01T03:00:00.016-05:002024-01-01T03:00:00.151-05:00All the Best-Laid Plans and Goals – Tempered by Trust<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Happy New Year! So, here we are in unfamiliar, uncharted territory affectionately (at least so far) called 2024. We all know what 2023 gave us, its many ups and downs, twists and turns, joys and frustrations. But what this new year will present, even the sharpest prognosticators can only guess.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">On a “macro” sense we have little control over decisions made and actions taken globally, nationally, and even at the state and local levels. That, as they say, is “above our pay grade.” However, what we can control is the way we approach the new year, our individual “micro” strategy. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Experience has taught me one of the best ways of doing this is by planning and goal-setting. Just days from now many of our new year’s resolutions will have been broken, but plans we make and goals we establish can still be earnestly pursued.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Goals, as I’ve said before, are far superior to resolutions in my opinion. We make resolutions with good intentions, but then we break them and poof! That’s that. Oh well, maybe next year. Goals, on the other hand, are things we can work toward all year long. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Is our goal to lose weight? If we miss an exercise session or eat more than we should, there’s always tomorrow. Want to get out of debt? It can’t be done overnight, but we can whack away at that mountain of “I owe’s” and make steady progress. The important thing to remember about goals is they should be quantifiable, measurable, and attainable. Deciding you want to lose 30 pounds by next week, or get freed up from $30,000 in debt by next month is merely wishful thinking.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">You might ask yourself questions like: Where am I going (or hoping to go)? How am I going to get there? And how will I know when I’ve arrived?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This also applies to the planning process. If we want to change jobs or careers; finally take that long-awaited vacation; or gain more practical understanding of the Bible, it would help to establish a timeline, identify some specific steps to take, and clarify for ourselves what we intend to do. As some old sage once said, “If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At the same time, one critical step in goal-setting or planning many of us often overlook is to pray about it in advance. As another wise guy has observed, “Man plans – and God laughs.” Because the Lord’s plans are always better than the ones we can come up with apart from His guidance and direction.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In Jeremiah 29:11, He declares, <i>“For I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not for harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” </i>Through the wonderful hindsight that a lifetime of experience can provide, God typically has never consulted with me about what He intended to do in my life, but again and again I’ve discovered, “Father knows best.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This doesn’t mean those who desire to follow Jesus Christ as called to sit idly on stumps and watch the Lord do all the work. In one of my favorite psalms we find this admonition from King David: <i>“Trust in the Lord and do good… Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him and He will do it</i>. <i>He will bring out your righteousness as the light, and your judgment as the noonday”</i> (Psalm 37:3-6).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the very next verse, however, we read words we don’t necessarily want to hear. It says, <i>“Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.” </i>God’s plans are perfect – as is His timing. Even if His timing doesn’t align with the timeframe we desire.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The book of Proverbs has much to tell us about planning and goal-setting. For instance, Proverbs 16:3 urges, <i>“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” </i>The key is to commit our plans to the Lord – and be willing to accept His course corrections. Because as Proverbs 16:9 notes, <i>“In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We could cite many other passages from the Scriptures, but this one offers a good overview: <i>“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” </i>(Proverbs 19:21).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><span style="font-family: arial;">Starting this new year filled with hope and potential, I wish you happy setting of goals and formulating of plans. Committing them to the Lord and trusting in Him as you do so.</span>Bob Tamasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07061076332556605594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2078738072998152408.post-12410186032416491362023-12-28T03:00:00.023-05:002023-12-28T03:00:00.148-05:00Time for Looking Back – and Looking Ahead<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGj2JhWsGvNeb54qT8YHa9_a7Ylhyphenhyphen-GKnzJYe-6TI2XWVKMK-BqrSwEGGR7AxwxycUpyg2tk_JpkSou7oxitjeZkkVz0I0JhGbz7cPFOsuQ8mRqtVbyepQtbWKnhOoELvcLvL63fOfuFTZwdpTiC_-q9QpiLz_SziIbcG4RnQpiBLC9W7aVB_Q-9n-xQ2W/s640/Calendar%20page12-23.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGj2JhWsGvNeb54qT8YHa9_a7Ylhyphenhyphen-GKnzJYe-6TI2XWVKMK-BqrSwEGGR7AxwxycUpyg2tk_JpkSou7oxitjeZkkVz0I0JhGbz7cPFOsuQ8mRqtVbyepQtbWKnhOoELvcLvL63fOfuFTZwdpTiC_-q9QpiLz_SziIbcG4RnQpiBLC9W7aVB_Q-9n-xQ2W/w320-h240/Calendar%20page12-23.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">At this time of the year, as organizers are warming up the giant ball to drop on New Year’s Eve in Times Square, a lot of thoughts pass through our minds. For instance, I wonder about how long it will take for me to forget it’s 2024 and out of habit write 2023 again. We wonder how soon we should put up the Christmas decorations. Some of you have already done so – no sooner are the gifts unwrapped than folks start undecorating the tree.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Then there are more consequential thoughts. We assess the year nearly past, sometimes wistfully, sometimes fondly, and sometimes regretfully. Perhaps over the course of the year we’ve lost loved ones or dear friends, and they’ll be greatly missed in the new year. We happily review photos from vacations and travels, maybe even wishing we could revisit them. And we might conjure up some bad moments we’d like to erase from memory, our own and of those who were involved. Unfortunately, we can’t.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At such times it’s important to remember as someone has said, “Yesterday is a canceled check; tomorrow is a promissory note; today is cash in hand.” What’s done is done, and it can’t be undone. We can learn from it. If necessary, we can offer apologies and seek forgiveness. And we can resolve to do better in the days to come.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The apostle Paul, I believe, had the proper perspective on this. After briefly reviewing some of his earthly accomplishments, he declared, <i>“But whatever is to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord…” </i>(Philippians 3:7-8). In addition to his achievements, Paul had much for which to feel remorse, most notably having persecuted followers of the same Savior and Lord he had encountered and was boldly following himself.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I don’t think they had rear-view mirrors in those days, but the apostle still refused to allow things in the past burden his present or future. Paul wrote, <i>“But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward for Christ Jesus.” </i>Then he added, <i>“All of us who are mature should take such a view of things…” </i>(Philippians 3:13-15).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There’s value in reviewing the past, but not in dwelling on it. The good things make for fun memories, but now’s the time to think of how we can make more of them. The bad things can plague us if we let them, but that serves no good purpose. Learn from history and determine not to repeat it, especially as we rely on the power of Christ working in and through us. As Paul wrote to believers in ancient Philippi just verses later, <i>“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” </i>(Philippians 4:13).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When I find myself fretting over things I can’t undo or worrying about things that haven’t happened yet, I’m reminded of the title for the series of books by Richard Carlson, <i>Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff – and It’s All Small Stuff. </i>There’s much truth to that title.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">With the new year just heartbeats away, we can congratulate ourselves for making it through another year, navigating all of its ups and downs. We’ve done some worthwhile things. Hooray! We’ve made some mistakes. Who hasn’t? Most of all, we’ve laid the foundation for whatever lies ahead.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Now, before we’ve ventured too far into the new year, is the time for making plans, setting goals, and determining how to heed Paul’s wise and timeless admonition: <i>“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will” </i>(Romans 12:2). Aligning our thoughts with God’s, we can make the coming year better than the last. </span></p></div>Bob Tamasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07061076332556605594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2078738072998152408.post-30088226988983435162023-12-25T03:00:00.016-05:002023-12-25T03:00:00.141-05:00Giving Gifts in Response to the Incomparable Gift<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: arial;">During the Christmas season, besides the traditional carols, my favorite song is “The Little Drummer Boy.” It may be in part because I’ve been a bit of a drummer boy myself for much of my life, but that’s not the only reason.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It doesn’t matter whether it’s the iconic version by the Harry Simeone Chorale, the Pentatonix acapella rendition, or the rousing, multi-percussion presentation by For King and Country. They all stir up strong emotions, not only through the melody but also by its simple yet profound message amid all the “pa rum pum pum pums.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">You’re probably familiar with the lyrics, but maybe you haven’t spent much time thinking about them. Here are some of them:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjBsVuIJTLaXSnyLV7EB8HMahd_C8H4J1lEHfbSM-XBmDRBFnliwt4MqSHECHDG9FMfZ0lmCH1JJX5bKFsjPF1e7Czd2U3A46iN8evYMSC4bpWS2iglEa8mPCs64iCC9tcVvOczlpY7hHTH-loSs7r4GuL7vFH90xPT0RqW3JSLmj95FlJA-Z1_UmtDpYo/s640/Drums%20pic.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjBsVuIJTLaXSnyLV7EB8HMahd_C8H4J1lEHfbSM-XBmDRBFnliwt4MqSHECHDG9FMfZ0lmCH1JJX5bKFsjPF1e7Czd2U3A46iN8evYMSC4bpWS2iglEa8mPCs64iCC9tcVvOczlpY7hHTH-loSs7r4GuL7vFH90xPT0RqW3JSLmj95FlJA-Z1_UmtDpYo/w240-h320/Drums%20pic.jpg" width="240" /></a><i><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span>Come they told me<br />Pa rum pum pum pum<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in;"><i><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A newborn king to see<br />Pa rum pum pum pum<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in;"><i><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Our finest gifts we bring<br />Pa rum pum pum pum<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.25in;"><i><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;">To lay before the king<br />Pa rum pum pum pum…<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Then the little drummer boy in the song laments, <i>“Little baby…I am a poor boy too…. I have no gift to bring…that’s fit to give our king….”</i> So true. What worthy gift can you give to the King of all creation, even as an infant? Then the little boy asks, <i>“Shall I play for you?... I played my drum for him…. I played my best for him.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The closing thought in the song sums up the impact of the simple yet heartfelt “gift”: <i>“Then he smiled at me…me and my drum.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The birth of the Christ Child – called “Immanuel” in Isaiah 7:14, which means “God with us” – carries so much meaning that libraries of books have been written about it. As I’ve noted in previous posts, John 1:14 encapsulates this by stating, <i>“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” <o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><i><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But Jesus Christ’s life and teachings wouldn’t have the magnitude they do without His death and resurrection. That’s why the promise of John 3:16, familiar to many of us, is so powerful: <i>“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><i><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If that’s not clear enough, Romans 5:8 declares, <i>“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” </i>That, ultimately, is the incomparable gift – God in the flesh going to the cross and giving His life as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. <i>“God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” </i>(2 Corinthians 5:21).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Which brings us back to the Little Drummer Boy and his lament. Where can we find a gift that’s fit to give our King? I would suggest the “gift” we can – and should – give is what God has already given to us. In several New Testament books – notably Romans, 1 Corinthians, 1 and 2 Timothy, and 1 Peter, we read about the “spiritual gifts” bestowed by God on each of His children. What better gift to the Lord than to use these for His glory and to serve others?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There is some debate about exactly how many different spiritual gifts there are, but they definitely include divinely empowered traits such as wisdom, faith, teaching, prophecy, exhortation, giving, leadership, administration, and service. There are numerous “spiritual gifts tests” designed to help people identify their specific gift – or gifts. The key is, they’re intended to enhance the body of Christ, not for our own benefit.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #202124;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Revelation 4:10 tells about, <i>“the 24 elders [who]…lay their crowns before the throne and say, ‘You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power’….” </i>I don’t fully understand what that means, but I believe in a similar manner, whatever spiritual gifts we have received from God can be returned to Him through our lives and our service to others. As another passage admonishes, <i>“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord…. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good” </i>(1 Corinthians 12:4-7).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #202124;">In “The Little Drummer Boy,” the little boy humbly offers his drumming to the baby Jesus. After playing his best, “Then he smiled at me….” Similarly, if we offer to the Lord whatever gifts and abilities He has given to us, I believe He smiles at us too.</span> </span></p></div>Bob Tamasyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07061076332556605594noreply@blogger.com0