Wrestle-mania

"For we wrestle, 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 6:12)

There is an Enemy out to get you. The Bible refers to him as the "father of lies" and compares him to a "roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" coming "to steal, kill and destroy". He often attacks through our thoughts, whispering lies and deadly negative thoughts, that if we believe them, will do us in.

How do we stand against such an enemy; unseen and deceptive?

"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons the world uses. On the contrary, our weapons (like prayer, for example) have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)

The Refiner's Fire

And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi,and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness. Malachi 3:3

There was a group of women in a Bible Study on the book of Malachi, who were puzzled by the above passage. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next meeting.

That week, this woman called up a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot then she thought again about the verse, that "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver."

She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith "But how do
you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy. . .when I can see my own image reflected in the silver." --Author Unknown

It is the same with God, who is at work in the "heated" moments of our lives, to bring about something good. If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

Navigating Troubled Waters

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son..."
(Romans 8:28-29)

Do you love God? Then he is at work in every situation you face, even (especially?) the "bad" ones, in order to accomplish a singular purpose...that you may be mature, conformed to the likeness of Jesus.

Think for a moment about the difficulties, hardships, tragedies, disappointments, injustices and suffering that you have experienced, or that you are experiencing right now.

I don't know about you, but too often I have responded to the "rough waters" of life with anger, fear, self-pity and questioning God's motives...even his very existence.

During these times the Enemy (the Bible refers to him as the "father of lies" and compares him to a "roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" coming "to steal, kill and destroy") has also taken advantage by filling my head with lies and deadly negative thoughts.

Perhaps you can relate to this feeling of being attacked at these times. We argue that God is not treating us fairly and continually ask, "Why me?" or "Why not me? Why was I left out when you were giving blessings to others?"

But the scripture above gives a wonderful promise to those who love God: He is at work in all situations to bring about his good purpose. His goal is not our comfort, but our being conformed to the likeness of Jesus--in our thoughts, actions, words, pursuits.

We often see in hindsight how God was present and at work all along. Wouldn't it be great if we could see in foresight how God was working? I think we can if we change what we're focusing on. Instead of asking, "Why me?", what if we begin to ask "God, what part of me is not like Jesus and needs to be changed in order to be more like him?"

The "pruning" and the "refiner's fire" are painful, but the results are beautiful. As we change our perspective, God changes our heart--and that's the goal, to think and act like Jesus.

The Spiritually Anorexic

a Catch of the Day by John Fischer
Copyright © 2008 by John Fischer at www.fischtank.com

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When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God Almighty. (Jeremiah 15:16)

Anorexia and bulimia are mind-crippling diseases that only function where food is plentiful. There are way too many starving people on this earth, but most of them can't help it. Where they live there is not enough food to go around. It is ironically tragic that people can starve to death in the midst of plenty.

What happens in the physical world is almost always an illustration of something like it in spiritual realms. And in spiritual terms, there is nothing more tragic than to have Christians starving spiritually with an overabundance of Bibles and teachers everywhere.

I don't know a lot about anorexia and bulimia but I do know that they are fueled by a culture that glorifies being thin, and that those who purposely starve themselves have a false view of themselves as being overweight. They look in the mirror and see a fat person regardless of how thin they are.

The spiritual implications are obvious here as well. Our culture is awash in its own shallowness. We even glory in it. Shallowness and stupidity are celebrated in many of our most popular movies. I worry that as democracies begin to flourish around the world, it seems that the lifestyle of American culture goes along with them through the power of music and entertainment. We are exporting our own emptiness. And yet when we look at ourselves in a spiritual way, we look fat with so much cultural Christianity. Never in history has a culture looked more Christian while being so spiritually dead. We are, indeed, the spiritually anorexic.

In such a time, it is up to each of us to eat. Come to the table spread with God's mercy and open wide our arms to all those in our midst and welcome them to the feast. Realize our own hunger for God and identify with that hunger in everyone else. Cast off the fatty spirituality that loves the like-minded, and learn to demonstrate the true Kingdom of God in embracing the strangers and aliens among us. A table has been spread for the world. Pass by the coffee and donuts of our thinly veiled fellowship and come to this table spread with God's love for those outside. The world is starving, and we are starving too, and the food is right in front of us!

Turtle or Rock?

By Scott Walker, adapted from Daily Guideposts, 1993.

Last night I found myself struggling to stay awake as I drove my two young sons to our annual camping trip. “Daddy, which should you love more, a turtle or a rock?” I heard a little voice blurt out.

My first reaction was to ask eight-year-old Luke, “What in the world are you talking about?” Then that sixth sense clicked on. Listen you foolish man. Something important has been said.

Still puzzled, I didn’t answer right away. Then, slowly, lights began to dawn. “Are you asking me whether it is better to love something that is alive, like a turtle, or something that is not alive, like a rock?”

“Yeah, Daddy,” Luke shot back with the joy of having me understand, “that’s what I mean.”

“Why, of course it is better to love a turtle,” I told him. “It’s always better to love people and animals more than things.”

“I thought so too,” Luke murmured with a sense of pride as he drifted back to sleep.

Chuckling to myself, I eased back into the silence of the night. Thanks to Luke I was now wide awake, grappling with his question. I’ve certainly spent time, energy, and money on loving “rocks” of all shapes and sizes, but I’m going to start concentrating more on the turtles in my life—starting with the two in the backseat of the van.

Keeping it Reel

My new friend over at passions got me thinking about it…I mentioned it to my son in passing… and look what I got for Father’s Day! I love it!! It’s easier to push than my old gas mower, not nearly as noisy (I can get out and mow early without annoying the neighbors), and saves on gasoline, oil, spark plugs, etc.

Add to that the fact that it’s a good workout as I have to (and get to) push it a little faster than the gas mower. I don’t know how it will hold up over time, but for now it rocks!

It does a great job on the grass, but no so much with tall weeds. I’ll have to find another solution to that problem.

Modern-day Sodomites

In pronouncing judgment on the people who were to represent Him to the rest of the world, God spoke through the prophet Ezekiel saying,

“As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, your sister Sodom and her daughters never did the wicked things that you and your daughters have done. Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were full of arrogant pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease; they did not help to strengthen the hand of the poor and needy outside her door." (Ezekiel 16:49)

Somehow we skipped over the Ezekiel passage at the seminary. Many conservatives today love to point to the story of the destruction of the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (in the Bible, see Genesis, chapters 18-19) to justify their disgust of homosexuals and homosexuality. Apparently, God's judgment on those two cities was not due to homosexuality after all. It's interesting that many of those "throwing stones" and condemning the "sins of the sodomites" are guilty of the real sins of Sodom--arrogant pride, excess of food (obesity) and a life of prosperous ease, while ignoring the cry of, and failing to strengthen, the poor and needy.

The richest 1% of the world's population owns almost 40% of total wealth, and the richest 5% owns 70% of the wealth. The United States is in the bottom 25% of all nations (and runs dead last among industrialized nations) in terms of wealth distribution . In 2006, of the 21 most developed nations, the U.S. ranked 21st (dead last) in the percentage of its Gross Domestic Product given to foreign aid. While there is a food shortage in parts of the world, other nations wrestle with an obesity epidemic.

Who are the modern-day "Sodomites"? Prideful, overfed, prosperous and at ease; and seemingly unconcerned with the inequity of basic resources, and the suffering of others. While some in our midst occupy themselves with focusing on the "sexual sins" of others, God has a heart for the poor and the oppressed. The truth is, Jesus was concerned with sin and inequity--and so are those who follow after Him.

Instead of focusing on our own needs and our neighbors sins, we would all do well to pay more attention to our neighbor's needs and our own sins.

Alien Nation

"Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. You are those who have stood by me in my trials. And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me." (Luke 22:24-29)

The church is the People of God, "called out" of the world, to embody a social alternative that the world cannot know on its own terms. The Apostle Paul instructed followers of Jesus how to live as citizens in the kingdom (nation) of God although we live in the kingdoms (nations) of this world:

"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit-- just as you were called to one hope when you were called-- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. " (Ephesians 4:1-6)

"The call of Christ is an invitation to become part of an alien "nation", a "peculiar people", forming an alternative culture. It’s not simply a counterculture reacting to, or reforming, the dominant culture. We are forming a new culture, a society in contrast to the dominant one. The church, God’s cultural refugees, will seem peculiar because of how far the world has moved from God’s dream for it." (Brian McLaren)

"When Jesus said, 'My kingdom is not of this world', he wasn’t saying that his kingdom was apolitical; rather he was saying HOW his kingdom was political; speaking more about essence than location. Jesus' family is to be more than a group of people who share a set of religious beliefs; they are to be a community that embodies a new way of living, the way out of the empire, where slavery, poverty, war and oppression are normal." (Shane Claiborne)

Christ Followers are to be 'in this world, but not like this world'. A different kind of people with a different set of values. (see the Gospel of Matthew, chapters 5-7).

Jesus' Upside-Down Family Values

At their last supper together before Jesus' arrest..."a dispute arose among Jesus' disciples as to which of them was considered to be greatest, so Jesus got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them...A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."(Luke 22:24-29, John 13:34-35)

"If you want a place in Jesus’ family, you must seek to be a servant, not a king. If you want to lead, get ready to wash feet and clean toilets. The king rules with a towel, not a sword. In the family of God we descend into greatness." (Shane Claiborne)