Halloween: Proceed With Caution

With Halloween upon us, the annual celebration of witches, goblins, and candy corn, it behooves me to offer a few thoughts about it. 

I remember – in the “olden days” – when kids would canvas the neighborhood, whether attired in some chintzy costume our moms bought at the 5&10 or something homemade, like an old sheet with holes cut for our eyes. (It helps to be able to see where you’re going.) We ventured forth with our parents’ blessing, never fearing the “treats” had somehow been sabotaged or tainted.

 

How things have changed! These days costumes are so elaborate they can cost nearly as much as a suit of clothes. All the big retail stores have displays featuring scary “animatronic” characters. Entire stores are dedicated to Halloween finery. And some haunted houses are so frightening, movies like “Friday the 13^th” and “Nightmare on Elm Street” seem tame by comparison.

Nevertheless, it’s still the one day that mom and dad can send their children to carefully selected homes where the kiddos can gather a year’s worth of candy to fuel their sugar rush – all to be consumed over the next week or so.

 

Not to put a damper on this seemingly innocent event, but what do you suppose the Scriptures have to say about Halloween? Technically nothing. That name – or All Hallows Eve – as it’s also known, don’t appear in holy writ. But the Bible has lots to say about the occult and the unseen spiritual war being waged all around us.

 

Many of us have heard about what Ephesians 6:11 calls “the full armor of God,” proceeding to identify the elements of this armor: the belt of truth…the breastplate of righteousness…feet fitted with…the gospel of peace…the shield of faith…the helmet of salvation…the sword of the Spirit, which is the world of God…and prayer” (Ephesians 6:14-18).

 

But what’s this spiritual armor for – what’s it protect us against? This passage also gives us the answer: “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:11-12). These are sobering words. 

 

Many would argue, “Halloween is just a fun ‘holiday’ for kids. There’s nothing evil about it.” In one sense that’s true. Little girls dressing up as princesses or furry animals or even Barbie, and little boys wearing costumes like characters from Paw Patrol or Sesame Street or superheroes aren’t summoning denizens from the dark world. 

 

Too often, however, trick-or-treaters’ garb is more like the monsters of contemporary theatrical Halloween horror films in which too much blood and gore is never enough. If you don’t believe evil in our world is perhaps more pervasive than ever, you haven’t looked at the movie listings at the local theater. Or even tuned in to the evening news, for that matter. We’re powerless to dispel the presence of evil, but we certainly don’t need to celebrate it.

 

In one of his most powerful letters, the apostle Paul offers encouraging words: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers…will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). Are there angels and demons? The apostle clearly states there are. Thankfully, Paul also gives the assurance, “in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).

 

In his classic book, The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis wrote, “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our face call fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.” Halloween, maybe more than any other day of the year, can prompt us either to dismiss the existence of satanic powers altogether or to focus on them far too much, inadvertently opening a door we wish we’d never opened. 

Trick or treating per se isn’t wrong or bad; many churches even stage “trunk or treat” outreaches to offer a safe place for children to collect sweets and perhaps experience a friendly first introduction to the body of Christ. However, to borrow the lines from the old song, “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.” 

There’s a very active, aggressive spiritual world all around us that we can’t see – but we can observe and sometimes experience firsthand its devastating effects. Amid the Halloween frivolity, we’d be wise to heed the warning of 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22, “Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.”

What Will Happen ‘Just a Few Minutes from Now’?

Have you thought much about eternity lately? Probably not. For most of us, just getting through today is enough of a challenge. I do know that, as one young student told her teacher, “Forever is a really long time,” and it seems to me, eternity is forever and then some.

Whether we like to think about it or not, eternity is in the future for every one of us. And even if we have many years of life on earth remaining, when viewed from an eternal perspective, it’s still just blip on the radar screen of time. So, how are we to proceed? The Scriptures can offer some useful insights.

 

Even an extremely long life – 80, 90 or even 100 years – is just a “vapor,” according to James the apostle. He wrote, “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist [vapor] that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:3-14).

 

Well, that’s a pretty pessimistic way of looking at things, don’t you think? Many of us already have plans for vacations next year, are contemplating a new car, or maybe changing careers. Thinking about our lives as a “vapor” or “mist” is kind of discouraging. Maybe, but in the eternal scheme of things, it’s true.

 

An old friend of mine and a former boss, Ted DeMoss, used to give a talk called “Just a Few Minutes from Now.” He’d reflect on family members or friends who had died and gone to heaven, musing that even if he lived for a long time, in terms of eternity he’d be seeing them again “just a few minutes from now.”

 

As you get older and see more and more friends and family members leaving this life, you think about things like this more often. It’s not morbid, just realistic. You start to assess what you’ve already done and what you hope to do yet, the Lord willing. Another friend of mine calls it “living in the dash,” referring to the dash nestled between the date of birth and date of death on a tombstone.

 

This makes it all the more imperative to take to heart the admonition of Colossians 3:23-24, “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. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

 

It was British missionary C.T. Studd who wrote, “Only one life, ‘twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last. Only one life, yes only one, soon will its fleeting hours be done.” Again, he wasn’t being melancholy or morose; Studd was acknowledging the “vaporish” nature of life and the importance of striving to leave the best mark possible before it ends.

 

For some of us, the first step is making certain where we’ll be going when the door to this life closes and the doorway to the rest of eternity opens. The apostle Peter referred to this when he wrote, “Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble” (2 Peter 1:10).

 

How can we make God’s calling, His “election” sure? The Scriptures teach there is only one way. Jesus Christ boldly declared, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). We find this affirmed in Acts 4:12. While speaking to members of the Jewish Sanhedrin, Peter asserted, “This Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

 

As we consider everything we’re looking forward to, our dreams, plans and expectations, it’s easy to reason, “Yeah, but I’ve got lots of time. I can deal with that later.” Maybe – but maybe not. Speaking to His disciples not only about death but also the end of time as we know it, Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away. But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come” (Mark 13:31-33).

 

We find a vivid illustration of this in 1 Corinthians 15:52, concerning Christ’s second coming. It states, “…we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:52).

As we go through the busyness of each day, all of our commitments and challenges, we should always keep in mind what lies ahead “just a few minutes from now.” 

Appreciating the Stunning Beauty of Creation

Tourists ride "The Maid of the Mist" to see
Niagara Falls as closely as possible.

With all the ugliness and evil we see in the world, sometimes it’s easy to forget how much beauty surrounds us. Caught up in negativity, we fail to “stop and smell the roses,” as the time-honored admonition tells us to do. When was the last time you made a point of admiring and enjoying beauty in any of its many forms? 

Art – whether it’s considered beautiful or not – is largely determined by who’s looking at it. We can stare at a painting, no matter if it’s been created with oil paint, watercolors or some other medium, and some of us will marvel at the artist’s skill and creativity; others will shrug or even sneer, wondering what the artist could have been thinking. 

 

We can have similar reactions to sculptures. Most folks will agree that two of Michelangelo’s best known creations, “David” and “Pieta,” are true works of art. However, when we see sculptures consisting of twisted metal or seemingly random plastic, many of us aren’t so convinced. Beauty truly is in the eyes of the beholder.

 

The same applies to music, literature, theatrical films, and many other art forms. I’ve heard many pieces of music, both vocal and instrumental, that thrilled me to my core while others, highly regarded by other people, elicit a mere “Meh” from me. One person’s wonderful melody is another’s cacophony.

 

If we were to ask each other what books and films made the strongest impressions on us, we’d probably offer widely differing opinions. But that’s one of the great things about life. We’re all unique, not only in physical appearance and abilities, but also in our interests and preferences.

 

Many natural wonders, however, tend to evoke more commonly shared responses. I’ve visited the Grand Canyon twice, and both times found myself slack-jawed and speechless. I doubt there’s anyone who has seen it in person that wasn’t awestruck to some degree. I never tire of observing glorious sunrises and sunsets, especially while at the beach. My cameras might tire of taking photos of those sights, but I don’t.

 

Recently, my wife and I joined a bus tour to Niagara Falls, another impressive natural wonder. Being told about more than 3,000 tons of water crashing over the Falls every second is nothing compared to seeing it happening firsthand. Put in other terms, this is 75,750 gallons of water per second over the American and Bridal Veil Falls, and 681,750 gallons over the Horseshoe Falls. (No, the thought of taking the plunge in a barrel never crossed my mind.)

 

The best thing about appreciating the wonders of nature, whether it’s a perfectly formed flower or the splendor of countless stars viewed from a site far from the glare of city lights, is knowing who created them. Psalm 8:1-3 declares, “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens…Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place.”

 

Many scientists would respond that all we see on the earth, under the earth and far above the earth isn’t the work of God, but the results of time and random chance. Increasingly, however, although not widely reported, credible and credentialed scientists are challenging the assumptions that support the denial of intelligent design or creation, while also casting doubt on similar presuppositions used to justify much evolutionary thinking. This is why passages like those in Psalm 8, along with the Creation account in the opening chapters of Genesis, are all the more astounding.

 

For instance, one wouldn’t look at the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Great Wall of China, or the Great Pyramids of Egypt and conclude, “What a marvel of time and random chance!” We know without questioning that they all were conceived, designed and built by creative, industrious minds. How much more the unfathomable wonders of nature that were fine-tuned so exquisitely by our Creator God?

 

There is one other example from creation I haven’t mentioned that’s even more wondrous: Human beings. After writing, “When I consider Your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place,” the psalmist continued with awe, “what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of Your hands; You put everything under his feet” (Psalm 8:3-6). Which prompts the writer in verse 9 to repeat, “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!”

 

When we decide to slow down long enough to appreciate all the beauty that surrounds us, not to mention the incredible complexity with which each one of us is made and can exist, I wonder how a fair-minded person cannot be stirred and moved to affirm, “O Lord…how majestic is Your name in all the earth”?

One Thing the Bible Hardly Mentions

Perhaps more than anywhere else in the world, many Americans start their working careers with one thought prominently in their minds: retirement. “How long will I have to work before I can retire?” and “How much money will I need for retirement?” are questions they ponder.

 

I recently read about a woman, nearly 40 years into her professional career, who said she has been saving for her retirement since she was 18 years old. She’s now starting to wonder whether the funds she has accumulated, even supplemented by Social Security, will be enough when she does retire.

 

Whether it’s quitting work to spend days honing one’s golf game (or pickleball); buying an RV and traveling the countryside; moving to some retirement mecca in another state; or just spending time in a comfortable rocking chair without worrying about showing up for work, retirement is the goal – even a fixation – for lots of folks. 

 

It’s interesting that, even though the Bible speaks clearly and directly on many topics pertaining to everyday life, one subject it says very little about is retirement. The Scriptures use the word “retire” numerous times, but almost exclusively in terms of going to bed for the night or departing from a particular place. Only once does it address retiring in terms of one’s daily work.

 

In Numbers 8:23-26, God tells Moses, “This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five old or more shall come to take part in the work at the Tent of Meeting, but at the age of fifty, they must retire from their regular service and work no longer. They may assist their brothers in performing their duties at the Tent of Meeting, but they themselves must not do the work.”

 

The Levites were men appointed to perform priestly duties following Israel’s exodus from Egypt. For whatever reason, God determined that the span between ages 25 and 50 were the prime years for filling those roles. After reaching age 50, however, they were to pass those responsibilities to younger men they had been training.

 

That’s it. One mention of retiring from work in the entire Bible. So, unless any of us today are Levitical priests, the Scriptures have nothing to say about our retirement plans. 

 

There are some passages about wise planning for the future. And Ecclesiastes 3:1 declares, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” We could surmise that applies for the beginning and end of one’s working career. However, there’s nothing in the Bible to address matters such as ‘When should I retire?’ or ‘What should I do when I retire?’

 

Why is that? Perhaps it’s because as long as God gives us breath, He desires for us to use our gifts, abilities and experience for His glory, to serve Him and others. Colossians 3:17 says, “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.” Deciding to put our skills and talents into cold storage once we reach a certain age isn’t a very good way of doing all in the name of the Lord Jesus.

 

This isn’t a criticism of folks who have retired and no longer have to participate in the Monday-Friday grind. Certainly, age slowly takes away some of our working capacities, so what we could easily do in our 30s or 40s might now be much harder in our 60s and 70s. But that shouldn’t mean our value, our contributions to society – and to individuals around us – should end.

 

A Toby Keith song says, “I’m not as good as I once was, but I’m as good once as I ever was.” In the eyes of God, we remain stewards of everything He’s given us until the day we take our final breath. That includes offering the vast stores of wisdom and experience that our world desperately needs.

 

Perhaps, as Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, the season for whatever work you’ve been doing has come to an end – or soon will. That only means the Lord plans to put you into another “season,” one you might find meaningful and fulfilling beyond anything you could have dreamed. Maybe what many of us need most is not retirement, but redirection. 

Looking for Evidence? How About Redemption and Transformation?

Like any media craze, the public’s fascination with “Duck Dynasty” and the folksy, country bumpkin-ish Robertson family has cooled somewhat. But Phil, Miss Kay and the rest of the Robertson clan remain fixtures in the American psyche, both for their duck calls and their downhome reality show antics.

 

Image from Wikipedia

The real story of how they arrived at such cultural prominence isn’t one that most viewers could possibly have imagined. Almost every episode has included some reference to faith, but until now not a lot was known about the harrowing journey the Robertsons traveled before God got their attention. The release of the theatrical film, “The Blind,” changed that.

Similar to recent Christian films like “The Chosen” and “The Sound of Freedom,” response to “The Blind” exceeded box office expectations, resulting in its nationwide run being extended by weeks. What impresses most about the excellent film is its depiction of the redemptive, life-changing power of Jesus Christ.

 

From time to time, we’ll hear someone demanding evidence of Jesus Christ, the existence of God, or why Christianity matters anyway. There’s lots of evidence – historical, archaeological, eyewitness accounts, and many other kinds. But perhaps the greatest evidence is the testimony of changed lives; individuals and families saved from absolute ruin and transformed into people filled with joy, hope, and unwavering faith and trust in the God with whom “all things are possible” (Mark 10:27).

 

In “Duck Dynasty” Phil Robertson is the kindly family patriarch, spinning yarns and pithy witticisms about life in general and faith in particular. The motto on his official website is “Faith. Family. Ducks.” But “The Blind” shows how lost and desperate Robertson and his young family were before a country preacher introduced him to Jesus Christ nearly 50 years ago.

 

Growing up in a wrong-side-of-the-tracks family, with an oft-absent father and mother suffering from mental illness, Robertson didn’t seem destined for a path from poverty to celebrity. After girlfriend Kay became pregnant, he abandoned a promising college football career to provide for his family. Alcohol, however, soon became his constant friend, along with all its destructive consequences.

 

Sometimes people must get so low in life that they have no choice but to look up. That’s where Robertson was – having lost his wife and family, home and business. Only then was he willing to hear about what Christ had done for him on the cross and respond by receiving God’s mercy and grace.

 

His story of redemption and transformation is just one of countless accounts given through the ages. There’s the apostle Paul, formerly known as Saul, a zealous Pharisee and persecutor of Christians who met Christ on the road to Damascus. Radically changed, Paul went on numerous missionary journeys proclaiming the Gospel message. In Pisidian Antioch the transformed apostle told synagogue rulers, “We tell you the good news: What God promised our fathers He has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus” (Acts 13:32).

 

The song, “Amazing Grace,” is well known not only in churches but also in concert halls: “I once was lost but now I am found, was blind but now I see.” John Newton, writer of those lyrics, penned those words from the depths of personal experience. One result of his conversion was renouncing the slave trade in which he once engaged and becoming an outspoken abolitionist, seeing slavery abolished in his native England before he died.

 

We could cite countless other examples. You probably know of some yourself – you might be one of them. Lives dramatically and eternally changed, not “cleaned up” but transformed by being born again spiritually, as Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:3.

 

In His parable of the prodigal son, the Lord told of a young man with the gall to demand his inheritance while his father was still living, then proceeding to squander the fortune and end up wallowing with pigs. The son, defeated and ashamed, returned home hoping to be accepted as a servant but his father ecstatically embraced him and declared, “For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” (Luke 15:24).

 

This story figuratively depicts the reception the Lord gives to each of His children who recognize the truth of Romans 3:10-12, “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.”

 

At that moment of discovery, many find God turning their despair into delight. Paul expressed triumphantly, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?... Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death” (Roman 7:24-8:2).

Ultimately, the Christian life is one of faith, not empirical evidence. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). But the amazing outworking of that faith – lives forever changed not by personal effort but by the transforming presence of Christ through His Spirit – should be enough evidence to cause even hardened skeptics to reconsider.  

What We Miss by Not Reading Books

One reason I’m a writer, I suppose, is because I grew up an avid, even voracious reader. When you read a lot, you can’t help but learn how words, sentences and paragraphs properly go together.

 

I vividly remember one day when my mom kept me out of school because I had a bad cold. I stayed in bed all day but wasn’t too sick to read. I had borrowed the book, Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates, from the library and read it cover to cover that day. I’ve never succeeded at ice skating, but vicariously enjoyed it through young Brinker’s adventures that day.

 

Bookcases in my room held hundreds of books – fiction and non-fiction, mysteries, science fiction, natural history and prehistory, war and westerns. Through these books I ventured to distant lands and times, gained much knowledge, and discovered the joys of exploring new ideas and using my imagination.

I’ve never outgrown my love for reading. It wasn’t that long ago that over the course of each year I would read upwards of 40 books, some relatively short and others of considerable length. All in the name of learning and growing, as well as being very intentionally entertained.

 

These days, reading seems a lost art. Ask many young people what books they have read recently, and they might be hard-pressed to name even one. They’re reading, but it’s things like text messages, their social media of choice, and Internet websites. Reading in bits and bytes, but not physical books with pages you must turn to discover what happens next.

 

And it’s not just a phenomenon among the young. Many older adults find the time they once spent reading now being consumed by some of the same diversions, along with the vast universe of TV, cable and streaming options. 

 

But there’s something special about books with pages we can touch, with covers made of paper, cloth or leather. Between those covers reside realms of wonder, whether it be facts or fantasy, non-fiction or fiction. Instead of being told what we should think, in reading we exercise our minds and hone our thinking skills, expanding what we already knew and discovering things we didn’t. Compare it to feasting on a sumptuous meal vs. digesting food someone else has already chewed.

 

Of course, when it comes to reading a book, I can recommend nothing more highly than the Bible, the Word of God. Nowhere else can we find such an amazing array of history, narrative, poetry, wisdom, prophecy, guidelines for living, and most of all, truth – God’s eternal, unchanging Truth.

 

The first time I read through the Bible, while a senior in high school, I did it solely as an intellectual exercise. I had read lots of other books, so why not read the Bible and cross it off my list? Most of what I read then made little sense to me. Only years later, after I had committed my life to Jesus Christ, did I begin to grasp the depth and scope of the Scriptures.

 

In 1 Corinthians 2:14 we’re told, “The natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” With the Holy Spirit as my Teacher, however, I could start understanding what incredible treasure God has provided in the 39 Old Testament and 27 New Testament books.

 

During times when it’s difficult to figure out what to do or which way to go, I’ve found God’s Word an incomparable roadmap. As Psalm 119:105 declares, “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” Another passage from that lengthy (176 verses) psalm asks and answers, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to Your word. I seek You with all my heart; do not let me stray from Your commands. I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:9-11). 

 

How can we truly get to know someone and build a meaningful relationship with them unless we spend quality and quantity time with them? In an even more profound way, time spent with God in the study of His Word is never wasted.

 

In America we have access to myriad resources for learning about God and the Bible: radio and TV programs, Internet sites, sermons and messages from gifted preachers and teachers, CDs, DVDs and films. We have excellent books that address many Christian topics. I’ve had the privilege of writing, co-authoring and editing some of them myself.

But best of all, we have the Scriptures available in a variety of editions and translations, all ripe for the reading. Through them we can discover “the way, the truth and the life,” which Jesus declared Himself to be in John 14:6. Faithfully reading God’s Word points us to “the abundant life” Jesus promised in John 10:10, and it can ensure that we will not “ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus Himself and then delivered to us by those who heard Him speak” (Hebrews 2:3). 

Of All the Opinions Only One Really Counts

These days everyone seems to have an opinion. I’ve often said, being one myself, that journalists have an opinion on everything – whether they know anything about it or not. And we’re being bombarded with these opinions, often nestled indistinguishably in the reporting of news.

 

But journalists are hardly alone among the opinionated. As the holidays approach, we’re reminded that when families gather for feasts and festivities, it’s often wise to hold opinions to ourselves if we’re to avoid familial civil wars.

 

Our schools – whether at the elementary, middle school or high school levels, and especially in colleges and universities, our institutions of higher learning – increasingly deliver as much opinion as academic curricula. Students at many schools are being exposed to as much ideology as they are geology, sociology and biology.

 

Opinions abound, of course, at every level of politics. Sadly, it seems you can’t support a particular party without fully accepting its opinions and biased perspectives. It used to be we could go to the movies or watch TV to be entertained. Now, story lines are littered with thinly disguised opinions on virtually every area of social conduct and discourse.

 

So, with all these opinions flying around us and infiltrating our minds, which ones are we to believe? I have some opinions on that – ha, ha! But if you’ve been reading my posts for any length of time, you’re aware that in my view ultimately there’s only one opinion that counts: God’s. Which is why, no matter which topic I choose to write about, the question I always ask is, “What does the Bible say about that?”

I know there are those who would disagree, but I’m convinced that on many matters the Scriptures are unequivocal in what they say. For instance, they’re very clear on the uses and abuses of money and material things. (I’ll write more about that another time.) The Bible offers straight-forward guidelines about relationships – within marriage; outside of marriage; parents and children; friendships; bosses, employees, coworkers and subordinates; and even strangers.

 

The prevailing social culture might – and often does – look at issues in stark contrast to what the Scriptures present, but cultural trends come and go. God is eternal and unchanging: “Jesus Christ is the same today and yesterday and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

 

Another verse from the same New Testament book tells us of the Bible’s very personal impact on those who read it and honestly consider what it has to say: “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

 

Perhaps my favorite passage about the intrinsic value of the Word of God is 2 Timothy 3:16-17, which declares, “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.”

 

The Bible doesn’t speak specifically about some topics. Take, for example, texting while driving or getting behind the wheel while intoxicated. However, its principles do address it, I believe. We read, “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13) and operating a motor vehicle while distracted or impaired and getting into an accident that results in someone’s death is tantamount to murder. 

 

The rest of the Ten Commandments cover a wide range of human behavior, including theft, sex outside of the marriage bond, lying and being dishonest, envying what others have, having respect for parents and those in authority, and especially our relationship with God. 

 

Much of the Bible is effectively elaborating on what Jesus regarded as the two greatest commandments: “'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40).

 

I’ve yet to find an issue or topic of major consequence the Lord does not address in His Word, directly or indirectly. So, while I try to listen to and consider the viewpoints of others, even those that differ drastically from my own, it’s settled in my mind that God’s opinion is the only one that really matters. And that serves as the underlying motive for what I write.

The ‘Gift’ Nobody Would Ever Ask to Receive

Years ago, I reached a conclusion: “Pain wouldn’t be so bad if it didn’t hurt so much.” Many people have experienced more pain than me, but I’ve had my share. Recovering from open-heart surgery was the worst, but even severe sore throats and smashed toes are no walk in the park. I’ve encountered enough pain to know it’s not something anyone seeks.

 

However, strange as it may seem, pain might actually be a gift, even though it’s doubtful anyone would put it on their wish list. How can we consider pain a “gift”? For starters, our bodies use pain as a signal that something is wrong. 

Chest pressure – which cardiologists regard as pain – was my first symptom that something was awry with my heart and its supporting arteries. My post-surgery pain served as a consistent reminder not to overdo as I worked through the long recovery process.

 

But it doesn’t take something as serious as heart problems or cancer for pain to take on the unlikely guise of a gift. Imagine stubbing your toe. Immediately pain sensors send signals to your brain alerting you that you’ve made undesirable contact with your living room coffee table. What if you didn’t feel your toe banging the coffee table and you stubbed it again…and again? Your initial bruise might turn into damage of much greater magnitude. 

 

This is a problem some people suffering from diabetes, leprosy, neuropathy, and other maladies face on a daily basis. If nerves become desensitized and can’t give painful notice of injury, the situation can become exacerbated to the point of requiring a trip to the emergency room.

 

Author Philip Yancey has spent much of his writing career exploring the subject of pain and its ramifications. Fearfully and Wonderfully Made and The Gift Nobody Wants are just two of the books he’s written the deal with the topic. Much of his insight came from working with Dr. Paul Brand, who dedicated many years of his medical career to ministering to leprosy patients. 

 

In another of his books, Where Is God When It Hurts?, Yancey writes, “Pain is not God’s great goof. The sensation of pain is a gift – the gift nobody wants. More than anything, pain should be viewed as a communication network. A remarkable network of pain sensors stands guard duty with the singular purpose of keeping me from injury.”

 

Yancey certainly isn’t an advocate for pain, acknowledging it can cause misery whether short-term or long-term, especially for sufferers of diseases like crippling arthritis or terminal cancer. But he notes, “for the majority of us, the pain network performs daily protective service.” Then he quotes the late Dr. Brand who said, “Ninety-nine percent of all the pains the people suffer are short-term pains: correctable situations that call for medication, rest, or a change of a person’s lifestyle.”

 

Where does pain fit within God’s plan for his people? We can look at this from several angles. Jesus Christ was no stranger to pain. He suffered the emotional pain of being misunderstood as well as rejection. He suffered through hunger, thirst and temptation, as Hebrews 2:18 states: “Because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.”

 

The Lord endured the agony most of us have experienced, the pain of loss. Upon arriving at Bethany after His friend Lazarus had died and had already been in a tomb for four days, John 11:35 tells, “Jesus wept.”

 

Each of the four gospels recount the unimaginable pain and suffering Jesus went through, being tortured during a mock trial before being crucified and becoming the atoning sacrifice for our sins. This fulfilled a prophecy presented in Isaiah 53:7, “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth.”

 

But what about us as Christ’s followers? Can’t God spare us from pain, much as a parent would desire to do for a beloved child? We’re told pain is part of what we might call a believer’s ‘job description.’ As the apostle Paul wrote, “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection of the dead” (Philippians 3:10-11).

 

Sometimes God allows His people to experience pain as part of His process for transforming them into the individuals He desires for them to be; to shape our character. One of these traits is humility, which Paul referenced when he wrote: 

“To keep me from becoming conceited because of these great revelations, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 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.’ …That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am we, then I am strong [in Christ]” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).

 

No, pain is not something we seek. No reasonably minded person asks for it. But in our walk of faith, the Scriptures assure us that when God allows pain in our lives, He has a reason for it. It’s still true “that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). 

Perhaps in our painful times, short-term or long-term, our question should not be “Why?” but rather, “What?” What is the Lord seeking to teach us, to do in our lives – or through our lives? 

It Requires Sacrifice, Not Just a Contribution

The story is told about the pig and the hen who were out for a walk and happened to pass a restaurant advertising a sumptuous breakfast of ham and eggs. The hen looked at the sign and proudly said, “I’m helping to make that breakfast possible!” To which the pig soberly replied, “Yeah, for you it’s a contribution, for me it’s a total sacrifice.”

 

We live in an age where people seem increasingly reluctant to make sacrifices. People enter into marriage – also known as holy wedlock – only to deny their vows and bail out when they decide the union is no longer meeting their needs. 

 

We used to hear about climbing the corporate ladder, investing many years of hard work to earn promotions. Today, many young people graduate from college with degrees in hand, intending to start at the top and work up from there.

 

Couples used to scrimp and save for many months, even years, before making major purchases. These days they simply pull out the plastic, swipe or scan it, and happily leave with their desired items, ignoring the fact they’ll soon be singing, “I owe, I owe, it’s off to work I go….”

 

But if the word SUCCESS were an acronym, one of the S’s would have to be Sacrifice. 

* An athlete, for instance, rising hours before his or her peers, working out, running, lifting weights and doing whatever is necessary to excel at their chosen sport. 

* A parent deferring hobbies, excursions and other favorite things to focus on the important mission of raising a child.

* A dedicated teacher not only arriving at school early and staying long after her students have left, but sometimes even spending her own money to provide needed classroom supplies.

* A physician going beyond the call to track the progress of a patient and make sure the recovery process goes as smoothly as possible.

 

The list could go on. But nowhere is the necessity for sacrifice more pronounced than in the pursuit we call “the Christian life.” It starts with our perfect example, Jesus Christ, “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…He humbled Himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-8).

 

We often talk about someone making the “ultimate sacrifice” – a soldier, law enforcement officer, firefighter who died in the line of duty. But neither before nor after has there been a greater, more profound ultimate sacrifice than the one offered by Jesus, dying to pay the price for sins that we could never atone for ourselves.

 

This idea of sacrifice did not end with Christ’s singular, once-and-for-all crucifixion to achieve victory over sin and death. The apostle Peter pointed out, “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps” (1 Peter 2:21).

 

To be a follower of Christ means to accept the mantle of sacrifice whenever it’s extended. It may not mean asceticism, living in complete self-denial, but it does mean taking “self” off the throne of our lives. As the apostle Paul wrote to believers in Rome, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship” (Romans 12:1).

 

We have been set free, as Paul asserted in Galatians 5:1, but in the greatest sense this means being free to become everything God desires for us to be, unshackled by sin and self-absorption. As Jesus said, “Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for My sake will find it” Matthew 10:39).

 

In our humanness, it’s tempting to want to straddle the fence, living with one foot in Jesus’ kingdom and the other in the material world in which we live. But that’s not what the Lord expects of us. “Then He said to them all, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). 

This isn’t easy. In fact, writing to believers in ancient Corinth, Paul stated,“I die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31), referring to the self-sacrificing ministry to which God had called him, as well as recommitting day after day to deny the desires of the flesh and resist temptation.

For some this hardly sounds like the “abundant life” Jesus described in John 10:10, but as many people have painfully discovered, the secret to happiness is not self-indulgence. As author Philip Yancey observes in his book, Grace Notes, “true fulfillment comes not through ego satisfaction, but through service to others.” 

It truly is “more blessed to give than to receive,” as Jesus declared in Acts 20:35, because in the giving – especially sacrificially – we receive many times over.