A Million Dollars – Or a Penny?

Suspend your disbelief for a moment, okay? Imagine someone approaches you today and offers a choice: He will give you one million dollars immediately, or one penny doubled every day for the next month. Which would you choose?

No, I don’t have insider knowledge of some wealthy magnate planning to make this offer. I haven’t consulted with Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Oprah Winfrey, or even Donald Trump. But as you’ll see, it’s an interesting exercise that illustrates an important principle. 

Most of us would probably leap at the $1 million offer. No brainer, right? But wait. At first it would seem anyone who opted to receive a penny the first day, then have it doubled the second day and each succeeding day for a month, would be the loser. But as they say, do the math.

Let’s suppose Joe accepts the $1 million. He even sets it aside to collect interest. Good decision, right? However, his friend Jim, a curious soul, elects to take the one penny the first day, doubling that amount every day for a month of 31 days. At first things go slowly for Jim – one cent, two cents, four cents, eight cents, 16 cents. Ho hum. But momentum starts building.

On day 10, Jim receives $5.12. Day 15 nets him $163.84; on day 20 he gets $5,242.88, and on day 25 Jim’s single day’s “earnings” are $167,772.16! The agreement of the one penny doubled daily for a total of 31 days, so the amount continues to multiply. On day 31, Jim is the recipient of…more than $10.7 million! Would you still rather take the $1 million up front?

This silly scenario represents the genius behind Jesus’ strategy for growing His Church around the world, a plan that’s been has largely ignored.

You might recall the Lord’s last words to His followers before ascending to Heaven. He told them, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you”(Matthew 28:19-20). We know it as the Great Commission. 

Instead of “making disciples,” however, much of Christianity has focused on making converts, producing spiritual babes without putting in the hard work to assist them in growing into maturing, spiritually reproducing disciples.

Let’s apply the monetary illustration to Jesus’ command. Suppose an established follower of Christ meets for a year with a younger believer, helping him or her to grow in their faith. At the end of that year, they both find someone else to disciple, effectively doubling or “multiplying” their number from two to four. One year later, each one finds another person to disciple – now there are eight. So far, not too impressive.

But like the example of the ever-doubling pennies, the numbers begin to surge geometrically. At year 10, assuming there’s no attrition, there would be 512 believers meeting and helping each other to grow. By year 20, the number has grown to 524,288! Projecting to year 30, following Jesus’ strategy and directive to “make disciples,” there would be nearly 537 million committed, fruitful followers of Jesus Christ having an eternal impact at home, at work, in their communities and the world around them.

By year 34, there would be more than 8.5 billion maturing, reproducing Christ followers – more than the current population of the world!

In reality, the issue isn’t numbers. If it were, Jesus would have issued production quotas. No, His desire was simply for us to make disciples who make disciples…who make disciples. Ultimately, men, women and young people all devoted to Christ and committed to following Him no matter what. Folks who, as Romans 6:11 states, “count [themselves] dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

How many people do we know like that, individuals willing to follow Jesus’ directive: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). That, in just a handful of words, is Jesus’ description of what a disciple looks like – the kind of people He commissioned to engage in consistently devoting themselves to ministering to others, life on life.

For more than 35 years, it’s been my privilege to meet one-to-one with other men, sharing from our lives and “spurring one another on to love and good deeds,” as Hebrews 10:24 expresses it. Not every one of them has gone on to give of his time and energy to help others grow, but a number of them have. In Isaiah 60:22 states, “The least of you will become a thousand.” If we’re willing, we can each play a small but important part in Jesus’ Great Commission, just as He asked us to do.

Free at Last – Truly Free!

Twice recently I’ve heard radio commentators talk about the initial effects of the Emancipation Proclamation, signed by Abraham Lincoln on Jan. 1, 1863, to abolish slavery and set free more than three million men, women and children. Both speakers observed that ironically, even though the executive order legally emancipated those enslaved, many didn’t take immediate advantage of their freedom.

Two primary reasons for the delay were 1) news of the proclamation traveled slowly in those days, and 2) some slaves either could not believe their good fortune or were so accustomed to living in enslavement, they at first opted to remain as they had been for many years.

The latter circumstance – failure to act on their new freedom – reminded me of a dilemma many of us confront as followers of Jesus Christ. We receive Jesus as Savior, understanding our sins past, present and future are forgiven, yet seem unable to rid ourselves of the bondage of sinful behavior we’ve practiced for so long.

In Jesus Christ, to use the words of
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we are
"free at last"!

If you question the comparison of human servitude to being controlled by sin, consider Galatians 5:1, which asserts, “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.”

Some of us remember the humorous excuse Flip Wilson’s character, “Geraldine,” often offered: “The devil made me do it!” We find ourselves making the same justification, without attempting to be funny. If we believe the Scriptures, however, we find the devil might suggest – but can’t make us do anything. Nearly the entire sixth chapter of Romans addresses this spiritual reality:

“For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin” (Romans 6:6).

“In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires” (Romans 6:11-12).

“For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14).

This wonderful chapter goes on to make an even more explicit correlation:

“Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves to the one you obey – whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness…. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness” (Romans 6:16-18).

“When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness…. But now that you have been set free from sin and have becomes slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:22-23).

I’ve wrestled with anger and anxiety for much of my life. I didn’t always understand that in Christ I’m free from those and other sins. We all have our “besetting sins” – mine might not be yours, and yours might not be mine – but the promise of the Scriptures is that through the life of Jesus Christ in us, we no longer need to be dominated or controlled by them, no matter what they are.

Like the slaves unaware they had been freed, or those for whom slavery had become so familiar they couldn’t comprehend a life of freedom, we too can continue yielding to the ever-present influence of sin. But we don’t have to; one of the wonders of being reconciled to God through Christ is a new freedom –being made free to become all God intends for us to be.

We’re familiar with the famous words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in his speech, “I Have a Dream”: “Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, we are free at last!” What a wonderful goal for all people.

Through Jesus, when confronted with temptation and enduring sinful habits, we no longer must submit to them. Regardless of the color of our skin, gender, age or social standing, we too can truly and wholeheartedly declare that – from sin – we are, “Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, we are free at last!”

Worshiping at the Altar of Self

“Self” certainly receives a lot of attention these days. Go into any bookstore, library or newsstand and we’ll find complete sections devoted to “self-help.” Topics range from how to take good photos to cooking to home repairs and renovation. Books and publications also promise to teach us how to become rich, stay healthy, and become fluent in a foreign language in just 30 days.

These days we don’t even need to venture outside the home for self-help assistance. Google and other search engines guide us to whatever self-help information we need. YouTube offers video tutorials of virtually everything, from installing new software to building birdhouses. If you’re facing major surgery, you can even find videos showing what you’re about to go through (if you’re brave enough to look).

We all need help in these or other areas, and after all, doesn’t the Bible say, “God helps those that help themselves”? Uh, no, it does not – but that’s a subject for another day. The point is, we live in a society enraptured with Self, and not just in the self-help sense.

We often hear people talk about self-fulfillment. Speakers talk to us about self-actualization and self-realization. Counselors provide clients with tips for self-determination. Parents fret over protecting their children’s self-image. Hence, “participation trophies” for everyone, whether they did anything of merit or not. We don’t want Jimmy to think he’s not as good as Johnny. Heaven forbid!

Thanks to the convenience of smartphones, “selfies” are only an arm’s length away. I’ve heard people say they enjoy being with only three friends – “me, myself, and I.” There’s even a magazine called Self. Yes, Self seems to be the center of attention just about everywhere we go.

The problem is, the Bible teaches a secret to successfully living God’s way is learning to take the focus off Self. For instance, Philippians 2:3-4 teaches, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Whoa! Not exactly what Self wants to hear.

It doesn’t stop there. Jesus explained what it requires to be His true follower: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it” (Luke 9:23-24).

Not long after that, Jesus became the ultimate role model, willingly enduring scorn and ridicule, torture, and then crucifixion, not because of anything He had done or deserved, but because we all owed a great penalty for our sins – a price we couldn’t begin to pay – so He paid the full price Himself, giving His life on our behalf. God incarnate denying self.

The apostle Paul, once as full of Self as anyone who ever walked the earth, understood well the importance of denying self. He declared, “I die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31), not referring to physical death but death to the desires and demands of self, so that he might serve Christ more effectively and consistently.

To believers in the church in Rome, Paul wrote, “…just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life…. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 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” (Romans 6:4-13).

Seems God is telling us, if we needing help in how to craft a compelling resume for a new job, hit a golf ball straighter, or bake a special cake for the holidays, by all means seek out all of the self-help we need. However, if our desire is to learn how to love God and others, and to serve Him and those He sends our way, it’s a good idea to shove Self out of the way and let Him take control.

CTRL + ALT + DELETE for Everyday Life

Recently I came across a computer-related thought from a friend. It gave me the germ of an idea, so I decided to pass it along. (No worries – it’s a good germ.)

The procedure differs for PCs and Macs, but we all
need to 'Force Quit' from time to time.

Are you familiar with CTRL+ALT+DELETE? If you use a PC, you probably know this combination of keys will “Force Quit” programs that freeze up and become inoperable. Some things are good frozen – like ice cream, popsicles, snow and ice rinks. But computer programs? Nope. So, if you’re on a PC and get stuck in the middle of something you’re working on, it’s CTRL+ALT+DELETE to the rescue.

Sometimes life is like that. We get stuck, can’t make any progress – even start to regress – and realize it might be time to “Force Quit” to get things moving again. Except everyday life doesn’t allow for us to hit CTRL+ALT+DELETE. Or does it?

Expanding on a few points from my friend, maybe we can adapt “Force Quit” protocol for getting our lives righted when things seem upside-down. Here are some suggested steps, along with supportive insights from the Scriptures:

1. Control yourself. There’s much in life we can’t control. It just comes at us, whether we’re ready for it or not. But we can take responsibility for our thoughts and actions – having free will, we can think and do as we choose. For instance, Romans 6:11 declares, “…count (consider, reckon) yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” And Romans 12:2 instructs, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” We can’t control much – except ourselves.

2. Look for Alternative solutions. Remember comedian Flip Wilson’s character, Geraldine, who went around telling people, “The devil made me do it”? The Scriptures teach the devil can certainly suggest and entice, but can’t make followers of Jesus submit to sinful impulses. “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Corinthians 10:12-13). The way out – the way of escape – is always the best alternative.

3. Delete situations you shouldn't be in. If we find ourselves in a dangerous environment, about to get caught up in circumstances that would threaten our principles and values, or even realize relationships are dragging us in an undesirable direction, the best course of action is probably to leave – eliminate negative influences trying to pull us down. “Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22). In another letter to his young protégé, the apostle Paul warned him on matters such as false teaching and avoiding greed, urging him instead to strive for contentment. Paul advised, “flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness” (1 Timothy 6:11).

There’s one more step that frequently works with computers – and could help in realigning our lives as well: Refresh. Sometimes all that’s needed is to shut down briefly, maybe for a few minutes, an hour, or even a day or two. Step back, re-evaluate, and make a fresh start. “Repent, then, and turn back, that your sins may be wiped away, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:20). Even if we don’t believe we’ve fallen into wrongdoing, calling a “timeout” could be the wisest course of action: “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him” (Psalm 37:7).

In our impatience, along with the headstrong conviction that “I can do this!”, being still and waiting patiently might be the last thing we’re inclined to do. That’s true for me. But at times in Jesus’ earthly ministry, He would withdraw to pray, and temporarily escape the clamor and demands confronting Him. If even Jesus needed to take a break once in a while, it certainly must be good enough for us.

Are you feeling stuck, or thinking things are going awry? It might be time to hit the CTRL+ALT+DELETE keys in your life – and if needed, Refresh.