You Can Get Help, But You’ve Got to Do the Work Yourself

There’s a universal truth that if there’s work to be done, someone has to do it – and sometimes that someone is you. A high-ranking military officer speaking at a college commencement advised graduates that the first thing they should do each morning is make the bed. Then they can go into the day knowing they’ve already accomplished something. It made such good sense to me, one of my daily habits is to get the bed made.

 

One of the problems lots of folks have these days is they want something done, but don’t think it’s their responsibility to do it. Whether it’s the government, their parents, or society in general, these people think they can “delegate” to others work that needs to be done.

 

Tim Kight, a noted leadership consultant and trainer, has a very different view: “Doctors don’t make you healthy. Nutritionists don’t make you slim. Teachers don’t make you smart. Trainers don’t make you fit. They help, but you must take responsibility and do the work.” He’s got a great point.

 

My drums won't play themselves - I've
got to practice and do the work.

As a teenager, I played drums in the high school marching, concert and dance bands. I had a nice drum set and played with some neighborhood rock groups. It was a lot of fun, but after my college years there was no time for this hobby, so I sold the drums. Early in 2020, tired of “playing the drums” on my car’s steering wheel, I bought an electronic drum kit. But my old drumming skills were covered with rust.

A couple months ago, despite my much more advanced age, I decided to take drum lessons again to enhance my enjoyment with the kit. My drum teacher was a touring professional, and he’s helped me improve a lot as a drummer. But even though my instructor can teach me what I need to do to get better at playing the drums, if I don’t practice and work at it, his expertise will be wasted.

 

Just about everyone we greatly admire, whether a top leader, speaker, athlete or performer, would have one thing in common: Even with some special abilities, they didn’t achieve success by wishing and hoping. They did the work necessary for what they desired to achieve.

 

The same is true for spiritual growth. It doesn’t come automatically or by osmosis. Becoming spiritually mature and fruitful takes time, dedication – and work.

 

When I went on staff with CBMC (Christian Business Men’s Connection) about four decades ago, I met many highly committed, godly people. Some seemed to know the Bible forward, backward and inside-out. I marveled at how they could quickly turn to pertinent passages on virtually any topic. ‘How do they do that?’ I wondered, dubious that I could ever approach such familiarity with the Scriptures. Their “how” was simple – they were willing to put in the work. 

 

I won’t describe myself as an “expert,” but after reading the Bible through more than a dozen times, memorizing many Scripture verses, reading books by seasoned Christian authors, sitting under excellent teaching, and then mentoring and discipling other men, I’ve made progress in knowing the Lord and applying His Word. Here’s a sampling of advice we can find in the Scriptures:

 

Late in his life, King David reflected on what he had learned about spiritual growth: “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to Your word…. I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:9-11).

 

The apostle Paul made similar observations in exhorting his young protégé, Timothy: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). As someone has said, be a person of the Book.

 

But there’s more to growing in our relationship with God than just acquiring knowledge and information. It’s also determining to put into practice what the Bible teaches. That’s why the apostle James wrote, “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?... Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do” (James 2:14-18).

 

In like manner, Jesus taught that spiritual maturity is a byproduct of being a faithful steward of what God gives us. He said, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much” (Luke 16:10). 

 

One might point out the context of this admonition is the use of material wealth, but as Jesus said in the next verse, “So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?” We don’t all have the same amount of money, but the Lord gives us all the same opportunity to acquire the “true riches” of knowing Him and living as His faithful and fruitful children.

 

In yet another passage, Paul wrote about the importance of not keeping to ourselves the truth and spiritual understanding God gives us. Addressing Timothy again, he said, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable (faithful) men who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Timothy 2:2). What we have learned, the Lord expects us to pass along to others.

 

Would you like to become known as a man or woman of God? It’s not easy, it takes time and effort – lots of work – but it’s worth it. As God said through the prophet, “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:12-13).

Are We Overlooking the Greater Pandemic?

Can you remember back about two years, when none of us had ever heard of the coronavirus? Thoughts of COVID-19 had never crossed our minds. These days, however, the latest pandemic developments dominate newspaper and TV news coverage. We can’t escape the frightening reports. At the same time, as this global crisis continues, I wonder if there’s an even greater “pandemic” that’s getting no attention.

 

I’m referring to a problem that actually began building long before the first words about the virus were uttered – the pandemic of loneliness. One example is social media and how it has come to dominate many of our lives. They have created an artificial environment when we can have hundreds – even thousands – of “friends” and still be desperately lonely because we have no one with whom to talk and confide on a deep, personal level.

 

We’ve been bombarded by the statistics about COVID-19 deaths and the millions of other confirmed cases. But the realities about the impact of shutdowns, work stoppages and social isolation have not received nearly as much notice. People who regularly received support and fellowship from church, as well as other social activities, have understandably felt alone, even abandoned.

Suicides, drug overdoses, domestic violence and emotional breakdowns have escalated dramatically. It would be overly simplistic to blame those solely on the pandemic, but experts confirm it has been a very significant factor in the alarming increase of these and other social ills.

 

From the first moments of creation, God has underscored the importance of relationships. Referring to the eternally existing Trinity, Genesis 1:26 says, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth….’” And soon after He formed the first human, the Lord said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him” (Genesis 2:18).

 

Granted, some people are more sociable than others. Extroverts, by nature, need to be around people to remain energized while introverts – like me – prefer our interactions with others in smaller doses. But we all need to be around other folks to remain mentally, emotionally and even spiritually healthy.

 

Social media can be useful, but only to a limited degree. According to Facebook, I have more than 1,000 “friends,” but most of them I’ve never met in person. I could probably pass many of them on the street and not recognize them. And I wouldn’t want to have 1,000 real friends with whom I interact on a regular basis – who has time for that?

 

But we do need friends, including but not limited to family members. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 tells us, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend 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.”

 

Proverbs 27:17 expresses a similar sentiment: “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Imagine attempting to sharpen a knife blade without something to hone it. Some of my most enjoyable times at work occurred when a small group of us gathered and engaged in creative friction.

 

The need to do whatever we can to escape the plague of loneliness is even more critical spiritually. One of my favorite passages concerning this is Hebrews 10:24-25, which admonishes, “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.” 

 

During His earthly ministry, Jesus probably could have been a loner, walking from town to city by Himself, but He chose to select followers. This was in part to train them for carrying on His work after His death, resurrection and ascension. However, being both fully God and fully man, I suspect even Jesus needed the companionship and daily interactions. He often recruited them by simply saying, “Come and you will see” and “Follow Me” (Matthew 1:35-51).

 

It's important to recognize our own need for personal interactions that go far deeper than comments and “likes” on social media, even during a global health crisis that has impeded many of us from spending time with one another as we have in the past. We should also be sensitive to the needs of others, especially folks in places like nursing homes and hospitals, who might feel forgotten and unwanted. 

Recently I found an apt observation by Charles Ringma in his book, Dare to Journey with Henri Nouwen. He writes, “We are called to serve the world in which we live. Such serving is not simply a matter of techniques. It is also a matter of personal encounter. It is a matter of drawing close. It is a matter of care.” Think about that. 

The Curious Concern About the Color of Jesus

Everyone seems fixated on color these days. If you’re a college football fan, it’s orange if you follow the Tennessee Vols, crimson if you root for mighty Alabama, or in my case, scarlet and gray for the Ohio State Buckeyes. 

 

If you ever watch home improvement shows, you discover one of the key design factors is color. And I must admit, the fixer-upper folks are expert on how to use color to make old and dilapidated turn into new and exciting. Attention to color can be valuable in many other ways as well, but there’s one way that it’s not – when we focus on the color of a person’s skin.

 

Is it wrong to be aware of someone’s skin color? No, unless it’s also wrong to notice whether people are tall or short, skinny or heavy, dark-haired or blonde, blue-eyed or brown, or if their hair is curly or straight. Those are just some of the distinctive outward qualities we all have, and if we have eye to see, it’s normal to notice them. The problem comes when we start to judge – or prejudge – folks according to only their external characteristics.

 

I love the oft-quoted declaration by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who said, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." For some people, however, because character comes from within and can be difficult to discern, they make prejudicial assessments according to how people look outwardly.

 

Obviously, this is wrong. We wouldn’t evaluate a house solely based on the outside paint and trim, without looking inside to discover whether it has the same aesthetic qualities there, or whether its rooms have fallen into disrepair. Dr. King said it right: It’s not skin color that matters, but character.

 

The Bible gives us a classic example of how God values the person within when He assigned the prophet Samuel to anoint the person to succeed Saul as king of Israel. Inspecting the sons of Jesse, Samuel saw several whom he thought passed the “look test.” But the Lord rejected each as a candidate for the throne. Why? Because as 1 Samuel 16:7 tells us, "Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." David, described as "a man after God's own heart," was His choice.

 

It's interesting then that this emphasis on external traits is extended by some to worrying about what color Jesus was when He carried out His earthly ministry. We have no photographs of Him, and I believe that’s God’s intent. In fact, Isaiah 53:2 prophesied of the coming Messiah, “…He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.” In other words, Hollywood types would never cast Jesus to play Himself in a movie.

 

Artwork of Christ through the centuries often seems to give Him a western European appearance, but that’s unlikely since He did not live in that part of the world. We have no actual evidence of what Jesus did look like. Does it matter?

 

Dr. E.V. Hill, the late great preacher, once was asked if he thought Jesus was Caucasian, since He’s so often depicted that way in paintings. This was his reply:
    “I don't know anything about a white Jesus.... I know about Christ, a Savior named Jesus. I don't know what color He is. He was born in the brown Middle East; He fled to black Africa; and He was in heaven before the gospel got to white Europe. So, I don't know what color He is. I do know one thing: if you bow at the altar with color on your mind, you'll get up with color on your mind. Go back again – and keep going back until you no longer look at His color, but at His greatness and His power – His power to save!"

 

Pastor Hill nailed the crux of the matter. Jesus didn’t come to earth in human form to strut about like the hunky guy in TV commercials. His purpose was about inward transformation, not outward appearance. The salvation He offers, through His greatness, power and the selfless sacrifice He made 2,000 years ago, is available to all, with no consideration for externals.

In Christ, outward distinctions such as skin tones, status or gender don't matter. As Galatians 3:28 declares, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Our color makes no difference to Him, and His color should make no difference to us. 

Our History Is His Story in Us

There’s a lot of talk about history these days. Some people want to rewrite it, while others seem intent on erasing it entirely. But there’s intrinsic value to history, the record of humankind’s rights and wrongs, achievements and failings. As has often been observed, “Those who forget history are bound to repeat it.” A corollary to that is by studying the lives and actions of those who have benefited society, we find examples to follow and emulate.

 

We each have a personal history, the chronicle of experiences from our earliest waking moments up to one minute ago. Some aspects of our history we’re glad to recall and even share; others we would prefer to forget. Sometimes we find it necessary to repress them.

 

But have you ever considered that our history is also part of God’s history? That our history, in a sense, is a record of His story in us?

 

Does the message of this 
T-shirt describe your life?

Looking back over the course of my life – using the keen vision of hindsight – I marvel at how the Lord was busily involved in so many aspects of my life. Even at times when I was completely oblivious to His divine direction and intervention.

 

If things had gone as I envisioned, my career never would have unfolded as it did. The things God has enabled me to accomplish have far exceeded even my most optimistic ambitions. My family life certainly would not have been at all as I expected, and yet as the Lord directed – and redirected – my marriage, children and grandchildren have proved to be “immeasurably more than all I could ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20).

 

The places He has taken me to, and all that I have experienced in life, have far exceeded my greatest hopes and expectations.

 

As for my spiritual life, I marvel at how God intervened and interrupted in so many ways, rerouting me when I got off course and taking me to people and places that He would use to teach me; rebuke me when needed; correct me when I was in error or confused, and train me so I could understand how He wanted me to live, as 2 Timothy 3:16 describes so well.

 

How about you? What has been God’s story in your life, His story intertwined with your history?

 

During my journey with Jesus Christ, in my early 30s when I realized He wanted to have a growing, everyday relationship with me, I learned about the value and importance of a personal testimony. This is a recounting of how the Lord has worked in one’s life – and through it – to accomplish His purposes. It starts with life before Christ, before coming to an understanding of the essential truths God reveals through His Word. 

 

Basically, a description of my life prior to Jesus entering it amounts to my insistence on functioning as my own god. It was my life, and I was going to live it as I saw fit. At the time I thought I was doing a pretty good job, but in retrospect I can’t help but wonder, “What was I thinking?!”

 

The second part of the testimony is a remembrance of circumstances that resulted in truly coming to know Jesus Christ, not just in an intellectual sense, but in a manner that penetrates the heart in a life-altering way. For some, this involves considerable drama, perhaps akin to the apostle Paul’s encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. Still going by the name of Saul at the time, intent on persecuting, imprisoning and even killing the “Christ ones” he found so infuriating, he encountered Jesus and in an instant, the self-righteous Pharisee was transformed. 

 

Others, however – and I would be among them – arrived at the point of salvation and justification before God in a more gradual sense. We can’t pinpoint a day or hour when it happened, but we know without a doubt that it did. 

 

I can’t recall a time when I didn’t believe in God and Jesus in a factual way, but for many years I definitely did not know the Lord personally. Borrowing the line attributed to Mary Magdalene in “The Chosen” video series, “I was one way and now I am completely different – and the thing that happened in between was Him.”

 

The last part of the testimony, His story in our history, is what has taken place after coming to know Jesus. This last portion is ever-changing, growing and developing. The Bible calls it “sanctification.” It differs from justification, which is a “once and for all time” transaction – “The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:10-11). 

 

Instead, the Bible describes our new life in Christ as process that continues for the remainder of our earthly lives. This is why Paul, despite the moment when he literally “saw the light” as he went toward Damascus, would write toward the end of his life, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me…. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14).

In a testimony, our lives before Christ and the events that led us to Him remain essentially the same, but just as history has been unfolding for thousands of years, God’s story in ours also continues to unfold until we draw our last breath. And for many of us, the best is yet to come! 

Did Jesus Establish a Religion for Rejects?

Have you ever experienced the rejection of not being offered a job you really wanted? Maybe you can remember feeling brokenhearted when someone you deeply cared for turned away from you. I can still recall, early in my writing career, receiving my first rejection letters after sending proposals to magazines for articles or to publishers for books I was writing.

 

No one likes rejection. It hurts. Our egos become bruised, our self-image becomes diminished, and we can even question our place in the world. “Nobody likes me, everybody hates me, I’m gonna eat some worms!” I never actually did that – do you eat worms raw, like sushi, fried or what? But I still vividly recall the times when I felt unwanted or unneeded.

 

Even though we’ve all experienced the pain of rejection in one way or another, we still participate in it as we relate to others. Human history has always had “haves” and “have-nots,” not only in material terms but also in other ways. It might be the pretty girl at school, getting attention from the boys that other girls don’t receive. Or the academic whiz who hardly breaks a sweat to earn straight A’s, while fellow students develop brain cramps struggling to earn a C. Or the natural athlete who excels at multiple sports, while others wish they could demonstrate enough skill to make any team and just ride the bench.

 

In each scenario, it’s not unusual for the have-nots to feel rejected. Then there are the individuals no one wants to associate with for other reasons. It could be mannerisms, limitations or social standing. Maybe they come from the “wrong side of the tracks.” When you feel rejected, dreams are shattered, ambition fades and initiative dies. There’s probably no worse place to be than without hope.

 

Interestingly, Jesus Christ was drawn to people like this – the rejects of society that no one else saw of any value or use. Reading through the gospels we encounter many of them: A small cluster of shepherds, hardly members of high Jewish society, who were the first to learn about the birth of the Christ child. The Samaritan woman at the well, who had been married five times and was living with yet another man. Lepers who were literal outcasts, cast out of the cities so they could not “infect” anyone else with their hideous afflictions. 

 

Another woman who was caught in the act of adultery, whom religious leaders believed was deserving of being stoned. Crippled and chronically ill individuals who had hoped in vain for some miraculous healing, or even some compassion from able-bodied people who saw them.

 

Even the people Jesus chose to be His closest followers were regarded as rejects. There were lowly fishermen like Peter and Andrew, James and John; Matthew and Zacchaeus, Jewish tax collectors who had achieved comfortable lifestyles by working for the Romans and heartlessly oppressing their own people. Thomas, who carried an air of skepticism about many things. Simon the Zealot, who probably had earned a spot on the Romans’ most-wanted list as an insurrectionist.

 

Someone might say that Jesus Christ in effect established a religion for rejects, even though His teachings were not about religion but about relationships – genuine, life-transforming relationships with the God of all eternity.

 

Lest we think uncharitably toward any of the above, thinking they were not worthy of the Lord’s love, grace and mercy, it might be a good idea to look in the mirror. Because not one of us is worthy of Him either. 

 

As Romans 3:10-12 so clearly states, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God…there is no one who does good, not even one.” If we ever find ourselves feeling puffed up, as if the Lord really got a bargain when He chose us to become part of His holy family, we only need to reread those verses.

 

Another nearby passage underscores this truth: “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly…. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-8).

 

We might want to argue, “But look at all the good things I’ve done, the noble causes I’m engaged in. Don’t they count for anything?” The prophet Isaiah essentially says, “Sorry, but no.” “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). Imagine approaching God and offering Him some old, oily rags or something even worse.

 

In God’s sight, it’s not a matter of whether we’ve done more good than bad. It’s only about perfection and holiness, being made acceptable to be in the presence of the perfect, holy God – and that’s possible only through Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice on the cross, paying once and for all the unspeakable penalty for our sins.

 

So, from that perspective, we’re all rejects, not unlike Mary Magdalene, Matthew, the shunned lepers, or dirty shepherds. And yet, despite that reality, we find these exciting words in 1 John 3:1, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” 

The next verse is even more compelling: “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure” (1 John 3:2-3). As someone has said, if that doesn’t light your fire, your wood must be wet! 

Not Just a Sunday Kind of Thing

Compartments. Lots of things have them – toolboxes, purses, refrigerators, desks, cars, luggage. All designed to keep stuff in predictable places for easy access when needed. Many people like to divide areas of their lives into compartments as well, for much the same reason. 

Most of us work, have families, and maintain active personal lives. Often those don’t intersect, and that’s typically by intent. Our working lives stay independent of family and personal pursuits. Almost like socks and underwear stored in separate drawers, or fruit and vegetables kept in compartments away from the meat and cheese in the refrigerator. We don’t like to take workplace problems home, and conversely find it necessary not to bring personal issues with us to work.

 

In this common scenario, every dimension of life has a meaningful place, but we “segregate” them. Even relationships might be separated – friends at work; tennis or golf buddies; people we interact with at church, or folks we regularly encounter at school PTA meetings. We try to make sure they don’t venture beyond carefully prescribed boundaries.

 

To an extent, that’s understandable, but it also can be detrimental. Because unlike Clark Kent, we can’t just step into a phone booth (who can find one anyway?) and turn into Superman, or vice versa. Unlike fruit and deli meats, the facets of our total being can’t be conveniently divided.

 

One reason for this is that we’re also multi-dimensional individuals made up of mind, body and spirit. Try as we might, those can’t be so easily separated. When reading a book, I might be engaging my mind primarily, but if my body’s in pain, the act of reading will be a challenge. And if tackling some mechanical task, it usually helps to bring thinking caps to the party. 

 

This sign hangs in a tabernacle
at a Methodist camp located
in Hyannis, Mass.

The penchant toward compartmentalization is particularly common in the area of religion (or spirituality). We go to our preferred places of worship on Sunday for an hour or two a week. If we’re really devoted, maybe a couple hours more than that. But once we’ve put in the time, we exit to live out the rest of the week, often with little thought about God or matters of faith. 

Unless there’s a major problem of some sort, in which case we suddenly return our thoughts to Him and urgently pray something like, “Um, Lord, I’m in a bit of a bind. Have you noticed what’s going on down here?”

 

I know, because that’s where I was at one time. Out of habit, I’d make my weekly appearance at church. The rest of the week I’d be cruising along, effectively living like a practical atheist, unless a bump in the road prompted me to send up a “flare prayer,” beseeching God for His timely intervention. Once the crisis had passed, I’d return to my state of spiritual indifference until it was time again to punch my spiritual attendance card, hoping to remain in good standing.

 

Of course, the Scriptures say nothing about living compartmentalized lives – especially in our relationship with the Lord Jesus. If anything, we’re exhorted to do just the opposite. I think of the apostle Paul’s urgent exhortation to believers in the ancient church of Colossae. He wrote:

“Let the word of Christ dwell in your richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom…. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:16-17).

 

Paul doesn’t qualify his admonition by saying “when you’re in church” or “when participating in a religious observance.” He’s clearly saying that whatever we do, whenever and wherever we’re doing it, we’re to do it in ways that honor and please the Lord.

 

Perhaps for emphasis, several verses later Paul reiterates his instructions: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward” (Colossians 3:23-24). It’s clear the apostle wasn’t saying this with weekly worship services in mind, because he prefaced it by stating, “Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything” (Colossians 3:22). We’re to do our work throughout the week “as for the Lord.”

 

Nearly four centuries ago, Brother Lawrence, a Carmelite monk in Paris, France, embraced this important biblical precept. Even in performing the lowliest, most tedious chores, he believed God should remain our focus. This desire to experience continual intimacy with the Lord is recorded in his book, The Practice of the Presence of God, which was compiled and published after his death.

 

My own notion that the church building was where God lived and where I would visit Him once a week changed dramatically about 40 years ago. If, as Galatians 2:20 declares, “…it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me,” then it didn’t matter whether I was in a sanctuary, an office or on a tennis court – He was with me wherever I went. And I was to live for Him not just for a couple hours a week, but every day, every waking hour.

 

God blessed me by bringing many people into my life over the years who not only believed this but also demonstrated it consistently, showing how it could be done. My work in some respects could remain “compartmentalized,” keeping it separate from my family life and personal pursuits. But if I truly desired to follow and serve the Lord Jesus, I couldn’t put Him into some neat compartment. He wanted to infuse every aspect of my life, no matter what I was up to.

 

The apostle Paul summarized this simply when he declared, “For in him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Embodying this, I’ve learned, is not a destination but a lifelong journey. Most of all, it’s not something that belongs in a compartment. Like the air we breathe, we can’t get away from it and we can’t do without it.

Lessons in Unity on a 9-Day Bus Tour

My wife and I recently returned from a nine-day round-trip bus tour to Cape Cod, Mass. I’ll have to admit that logging that much seat time on a motorcoach wasn’t one of my all-time favorite things, but it was a lot of fun – an instructive and insightful trip in many ways.

 

There were 48 of us on the tour. Most were in the 60-plus age range, but in most other ways we were a diverse group. The 38 women outnumbered the 10 men, but our time together was harmonious because we were united by a common mission – to see and experience Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and later, Plymouth, Mass. with its fabled rock.

Some were still working, full-time or part-time, and others who were devoting some of their hours each week to volunteer work. Some were seasoned travelers, having been on several similar excursions, while for others it was a first-time event. We had single people, relatively newly marrieds, some longtime married couples, and a few widows in our midst. Most of the travelers had both children and grandkids; some had entered the great-grandkids stage of life.

 

A trip like this couldn’t have happened without the contributions of many people, including the driver of course, as well as the gracious lady who handled every detail of the event with several skilled helpers. The local guide, a former educator and native of the Azores in the North Atlantic, offered special insights into the different areas of Cape Cod we visited. Unseen were the mechanics and technicians who had prepared the motorcoach for the more than 2,000-mile journey.

Even though most of us began the tour as strangers, we all got along extremely well. Five of the participants, including the driver, were African-Americans, but there was no evidence of the “systemic racism” we hear about so frequently. We were all members of one race – the human race – enjoying the opportunity to see a part of the U.S.A. most of us hadn’t seen before and getting to know one another. We took photos of one another, helped each other if needed whenever we stopped, even sang and danced together one evening after dinner.

 

This, in my view, served as a metaphor for what the Church should be. People of different backgrounds, genders, education levels, skin colors and interests, all coming together to share in a common purpose. In fact, the unity within the body of Christ should be many times greater than what we experienced over the course of that nine-day tour. Because our mission as believers isn’t temporary, but eternal.

We read about this in Philippians 2:1-2, “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.” 

 

A number of us on the YMCA-sponsored tour shared a common faith in the Lord, we discovered. It added to the quality and depth of our interactions along the way. Within the framework of the Church – the body of Christ – the synergy borne of a common mission should be that and much more.

 

The apostle Paul, in another of his letters, wrote, “My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:2-3). 

As followers of Jesus, we may have differences of doctrine and practice in our respective congregations and denominations, but shouldn’t the “mystery of God” which we all have embraced be the glue that holds us together?

 

Just as the travelers on our bus tour to Cape Cod were different in many ways – experiences, personal and professional backgrounds, stages of life, expectations for the future – but still united, so should it be for those of us who have been called to be God’s children. 

 

As 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 asserts, “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts, and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free – and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”

As we follow Jesus, we find ourselves on both an individual journey and a collective one as well. We have received different roles and responsibilities, gifts and talents, but ultimately, “…whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17). We’re partners in the Lord’s kingdom work. 

When It’s Not More Blessed to Give Than to Receive

You don’t need to be a devout follower of Jesus Christ to be familiar with one of His most oft-quoted declarations, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). In a world that focuses on self – “it’s all about me” – we need the reminder that the value of giving, whether it’s money or time or talent, is immeasurable. 

 

However, it occurs to me that at least in one way, giving is not more blessed than receiving. I’m referring to when we’re tempted to give someone a piece of our mind we can’t afford to lose. Except for endless yammering we hear on TV – constant commentary by "experts" on anything and everything – we’re becoming increasingly disinclined to listen. Many are more than willing to offer our opinions, solicited or not.

 

As has often been observed, God gave us two ears and one mouth, so we should use them in that proportion. Alas, we tend to do just the opposite. For some, listening is an activity engaged in only until the speaker pauses to take a breath. Then, during that brief oral hiatus, we interrupt and begin to interject our own thoughts.

But this isn’t a new phenomenon birthed out of social media, TV talk shows and news commentary. Apparently, it’s a flaw as old as human history. In the Bible’s New Testament, for instance, we’re exhorted, “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (James 1:1:19). Who do you know that would describe?

 

We’ve all heard about the many millions of dollars of damage in California resulting from massive fires that presumably started with a single spark. According to the Scriptures, an untamed tongue can cause similar devastation: 

“…the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell…no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:5-8).

 

Wow! Strong words, right? But I think we all can think of examples of times when we’ve either been guilty of such verbal “malpractice” or observed it being committed by someone else.

 

Some might argue, “Don’t I have a right to say what I think?” or, “It’s the truth, and sometimes the truth hurts.” To a point, both statements are valid. But as one of my favorite verses often reminds me, “When there are many words, transgression is not avoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise” (Proverbs 10:19). To paraphrase, there’s wisdom in not being too generous with what we have to say.

 

In Proverbs we also read, “A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself, but the hearty of fools blurts out folly” (Proverbs 12:23). And another verse warns, “He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin” (Proverbs 13:3).

 

Each of these passages points out that the “giving” of our thoughts and perspectives verbally isn’t always what we imagine it to be. Often the greater gift is to sincerely listen to what others have to say – not only to hear words expressed but also to consider what those words (and their underlying intentions) actually mean. As Proverbs 20:12 says, “Ears that hear and eyes that see – the Lord has made them both.”

 

We would do well to consider the exhortation from another book of the Bible, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29). Conversely, when words offered are designed for building us up, we would be wise to take heed and receive them with appreciation.

For those who feel a finger pointing their way, be assured I’m preaching to myself as well. Many times I’ve been guilty of being all too eager to give my two cents worth. And let’s face it, two cents isn’t worth nearly as much as it used to be!