The Cross as Empowerment—the Life 01-29-16 (Part III)

It’s somewhat ironic that so many people choose to wear crosses on their bodies, especially considering both what the cross stands for and who the person wearing it is. In many cases it borders on the oxymoronic. Here’s your quintessential rock star or Hollywood icon, decked out in so much “bling” they could single-handedly cancel third world debt. And yet dangling around their neck or tattooed on their arm is the cross. Somewhere along the way, the message gets blurred.

Is that what it means to be a Christian? Just show the cross somewhere on your body or use the right words? Or is it more than that, more core than that?

Here’s the way John the disciple of Jesus describes it: “This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.” (1 John 4:10--12, NLT)

This is a radical concept. The Cross is meant not only as a symbol and a revelation, it’s also meant to be empowerment. Jesus’ symbol and revelation of God’s amazing embrace can end up being a life giver. The unselfish love God reveals through Jesus’ death on the cross, in some mysterious way, is brought to life in us when we choose to immerse ourselves in that kind of Love.

But maybe how that happens isn’t so mysterious after all. A psychological truism states that what you think about, you become. Perhaps this is why Jesus goes to such great and sacrificial lengths with the cross. He knows that if people see it for what it is (an unprecedented demonstration of ultimate, selfless love from God) they will be drawn to God. Disciple John puts it this way: “We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.” (1 John 4:16, NLT)

What we are drawn to in our minds and hearts we become more like. Love gives birth to love. The more we’re around real Love, the more we’re drawn to that kind of love and the more we begin to live that kind of love. That’s why Jesus wanted to show us such a powerful demonstration of God’s love, so we could more easily trust God, knowing how God really feels about us and what God really wants for us. Love gives birth to love.

So the Cross ends up being more than just a symbol or a revelation. It can also empower what it symbolizes and reveals; unselfish and inclusive love. It both defines and facilitates the way to God’s kind of life. If you wear the Cross, you’re saying that you not only believe and value what It stands for, you’re choosing to live it, too. The Way of the Cross is the Way of True Love and the Way of Real Life and the Way of Energy for that Life.

The Cross as Revelation—the Truth 01-28-16 (Part II)

So what does the Cross, the truth that Jesus gave up His life, reveal about God? What is the core truth behind it? Let’s let Jesus tell us in His own words: “This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:12--13, NLT)

Why did Jesus go to the cross? Why did He have to die? Did God need someone’s blood to appease Him and so Jesus decided to shed His? Was there some mysterious sacrificial atonement that needed to happen for God to feel good about humans? Did Jesus’ blood have to flow in order for God to redirect His anger away from the rebellious world; Jesus gets God’s anger so the world can get God’s love? Doesn’t this make God out to be a kind of bloodthirsty, vengeful Ruler who demands the death of someone to be appeased? Doesn’t this picture place violence at the center of God’s plan to save the world?

It’s noteworthy that the person recording Jesus’ words above was the disciple called John who at one point in his life was infamously known, along with his brother James, as “sons of thunder.” The boys had tempers, short fuses, quick to anger and vengefulness.

In fact, at one point during their journey with Jesus, when a Samaritan village refused to extend hospitality to their circle, they thundered, “Lord, should we order down fire from heaven to burn them up?” (Luke 9:54) It is like saying, “Let’s nuke ‘em, Lord! If they don’t want you and us, they can go to hell!”

Jesus’ immediate response to the sons of thunder was a rebuke (Luke 9:55). And some ancient manuscripts add Jesus saying, “You don’t realize what your hearts are like. For the Son of Man has not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” Jesus is clear about His mission and the mission of the One He reveals: it’s not about vengeance, revenge, coercion, anger or punishment. It is about life; saving life, giving life, building up life, even the lives of those who reject him.

So years later, when disciple John (the former son of thunder) is writing about Jesus and telling Jesus’ story, he recalls Jesus’ words: “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13, NLT). John now sees clearly that to Jesus, everyone is a friend because Jesus gave His life for anyone.

Jesus went to the cross to reveal the truth about God’s love; that divine love knows no bounds, no limits, no conditions. God’s kind of love gives unselfishly and sacrificially. No cost is too great for love.

The Significance of the Cross 01-27-16 (Part I)

Through the centuries the cross has become one of the most recognized and used symbols in the world. People wear it around their necks, place it on churches, burn it in yards, sew it on flags and banners, kiss it, bow down to it, clutch it, hide from it, scorn it, worship it. Forms of the cross have symbolized everything from Jesus to the Nazis to the Ku Klux Klan. Crosses have been worn by people as diverse as Mother Theresa and Madonna. The banner of the cross was carried into bloody battle during the Crusades against the Muslims. No wonder there’s so much misunderstanding of the cross and its true meaning. What does Jesus’ cross really symbolize? What is its genuine significance?

Jesus said He was “the way, the truth, and the life.” Let’s see how those three identities are revealed in the Cross.

The Cross as Symbol—the Way

One of the most devoted and ardent followers of Jesus was Paul, a former fundamentalist Pharisee who was responsible for the imprisonment and deaths of many of the first Christians. After his miraculous conversion to Jesus, Paul became one of the foremost spokesmen for the new movement often called “the way” of Jesus. He traveled the then-known world sharing the story of Jesus and teaching the way of Christ. He ultimately sacrificed his life for the cause. He was a truly passionate person.

In one of his most persuasive and systematic letters, sent to the Christian believers in Rome, he articulated the central meaning of Jesus’ death on the cross. Here’s one way he used to describe this significant symbol: “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” (Romans 5:6-8, NLT)

This perspective is a personal passion of Paul’s. His story centers on this meaning of the Cross; that God accepts us and embraces us, not because we’re so obedient and upright, but while we’re still stuck in self-centeredness and self-absorption, disinterested in God or even actively rebelling against God. The Cross is a symbol of that good news to Paul.

Paul knows. It was in the middle of his violent crusade against Christ’s followers (his life mission as a God-warrior to force everyone to subscribe to his views of God) that God revealed Himself to Paul and brought enlightenment to him about what he was really doing. “Why are you persecuting me?” God confronted him that day (Acts 9:4, NLT). Then God proceeded to breathe into Paul’s heart forgiveness and acceptance and a new vision for his life. And Paul was never the same again. No wonder he declared so passionately, “So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.” (Romans 5:11, NLT)

The Cross is forever a symbol of God’s way of grace, God’s embrace of all people no matter what their background or lifestyle or failures or rebellion or delusions or illusions. Jesus’ death on the cross portrays this counter-intuitive way of life in stark contrast to a world based upon conditional acceptance and measured value. The cross is a radical symbol of this good news that God is friends with everyone no matter what their religious views or lack of religion.

Jesus as the Revelation of God (01-26-16 pt. II)

Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life: John the disciple, writing his book about Jesus, remembers a radical and revealing scene involving Jesus and the twelve disciples. In Chapter 13 he describes it. The whole group has gathered together to celebrate the Jewish Passover in an upstairs room. (This is the evening before the day Jesus is executed.) The normal practice is for a servant to enter the room and wash the guest’s dirty feet before the meal. No servant shows up. The disciples look around the room uncomfortable, wondering what to do. None of them moves toward the pitcher and basin. They each feel that is too demeaning.

John describes what happens next. “Then Jesus got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then be began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel he had around him.” (John 13:5, NLT) Imagine the shock waves reverberating through the room. The master, the Rabbi doing the washing! Unheard of. It’s a servant’s job, after all!

“After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, ‘Do you understand what I was doing? You call me “Teacher” and “Lord”, and you are right, because it is true. And since I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you … You know these things; now do them! That is the way of blessing.” (John 13:12-17, NLT) What is the “way” Jesus is both referring to and demonstrating? The way of unselfish service. The willingness to give yourself in meaningful ways to others. The path of humility and selflessness. Significantly, Jesus gave His life to others before He ever went to the cross. He lived a life of compassion and service to everyone, no matter what the condition of their lives or the status of their positions. Washing feet symbolized Jesus’ entire way of living.

And by doing life this way, He was making powerful statements about what God was really like, the truth about God. He once told the disciples: “You know that in this world kings are tyrants, and officials lord it over the people beneath them. But among you it should be quite different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must become your slave. For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25-28, NLT)

Imagine how radical and revolutionary this view of divine and human interaction was. The Greeks viewed humans as placed on this earth to serve the gods. The Romans embraced a hierarchy of status in which the lower strata of population existed solely to serve the higher ones. But Jesus comes along and portrays the polar opposite. In God’s regime, God serves. God washes people’s feet. God acts in humble caring and compassion. God’s way is the path of selfless service. The truth about God is that God lives to love.

So in God’s world, real life, real living, centers around giving and serving. Jesus once said, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.” (John 10:10, NLT)

And He went on to describe the kind of life He gives. Using the metaphor of sheep and those who watch the sheep, He contrasted the hired hand and the shepherd (John 10:11-15).

The hired hand, while watching the sheep and suddenly faced with personal danger from an attacking wolf, runs away. He quickly leaves the sheep in order to save himself. He’s only a hired hand with no personal stake in the sheep.

The shepherd, on the other hand, reacts quite differently. The shepherd has a personal stake in every sheep. Each one he knows by name. Each one belongs to him. So when danger appears, he refuses to run. He stands his ground and if need be lays down his life to protect them.

“I am the good shepherd,” Jesus commented. “I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep.” (John 10:14-15, NLT).

So what kind of life does Jesus reveal? What is God’s way of life? A life that gives and serves completely unselfishly, a life that involves giving life extravagantly and even wastefully. God gives in order for others to enjoy the abundant life. Antithetically, the thief takes life, deprives others of life, destroys life. That’s why Dr. Scott Peck, the renown psychiatrist, in his book People of the Life, notes that the word “evil” spelled backwards is “live.” Evil is the diminishing of life. The thief’s way. But Jesus reveals that God’s way is all about enhancing life, giving life, strengthening life and that unselfish serving, self-sacrificing love is at the heart of true living.

Jesus as the Revelation of God (01-25-16 pt. I)

Jesus made a number of “I am” statements during His life. These are self-descriptive phrases that refer to His identity and purpose. Here’s one of the major ones: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you really have known me, you will know who my Father is. From now on you know him and have seen him!” (John 14:6-7, NLT)

Notice the three ways Jesus describes himself: the way, the truth, and the life. What is He talking about? Is He saying that the only way to get to God is through Him? That there is only one way to God? Is this the kind of exclusivity that permeates the attitudes of so many Christians and turns off so many others?

If you read these two statements together, the idea Jesus is building is one of revelation and knowledge. Notice how He uses the word “know” several times. He’s saying that one of His roles is to make God known, to reveal God and God’s way of life, to show what the truth of life really is. The author who writes these words, John the disciple of Jesus, at the very beginning of this personal account of Jesus’ life, calls Jesus “the Word of God” (John 1:1-3, 14). He’s suggesting that Jesus’ primary mission or purpose is to reveal God and what God is like. Jesus is the spoken words of God made flesh, the one who describes God as “grace and truth” (John 1:17). Jesus comes to live life God’s way in order to show what that “way” is. “No one has ever seen God. But his only Son, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart; he has told us about him.” (John 1:18, NLT)

So Jesus is the human revelation of God. The question is, what did Jesus’ life reveal God to be like? What is God’s “way, truth, and life?” 

The Theological Distortions (01-22-16)

There are several deep problems with this theology (see Being a Christian 01-21-16). One, Jesus is used as the manipulating “tool” for God’s acceptance. Two, Christian living degenerates into simply doing whatever is necessary to secure God’s acceptance and God’s gifts (namely, salvation and eternal life); Jesus is simply the tool to that end. Three, both views lead to a very self-centered way of living. It is all about us and getting “right” with God. That is the highest priority in life, which leaves the rest of life’s issues and needs to a secondary concern at best.

This is the way many people see Christianity. Is it surprising that they are negative about the Christian faith? They see it as abdicating both personal and social responsibility and thus being inauthentic, irrelevant and even detrimental to effective living in our contemporary context.

But is this an accurate picture of what it means to be a genuine follower of Jesus? Is this what the way of Jesus is all about, or is it an unfortunate distortion created by well-meaning but misguided Christians? What does it really mean to be a true Christian? Let’s allow Jesus Himself to answer that question. Continued….

The Problem (01-21-16)

The problem is that this kind of religion, (see yesterday’s blog)  leads to spiritual manipulation; looking for loopholes and ways to get around God which arise out of a pitifully small picture of God. The kids actually think they can outsmart God. “If we just keep God’s attention on the apples, He’ll forget about the cookies.” A fairly naïve and misguided belief.

No wonder nonreligious people have such a difficult time with religion. It appears so inauthentic, incongruent, negative, and at best, forced. They see religion as a human device to manipulate God or control God or create God into one’s own image. And on the flip side, they see religion as something powerful people use to manipulate and control other people in order to get their own way. Either option is distasteful and crude.

Ironically, this self-centered view of God has been used by Christians in talking about Jesus as the Savior and Son of God. Jesus is used as a form of manipulation with God. “Get God focused on Jesus and He’ll forget about us. Then we’ll stand a chance in the End.” The idea is, if God is watching the “apple” (Jesus) He can’t see the “cookies” (us). So just make sure you put the apple on God’s desk whenever you can (i.e. pray in Jesus’ name, use Jesus’ name as often as possible, believe that Jesus is your intercessor or advocate before God, that God doesn’t accept you unless you’re “in Jesus,” that when you come to God in Jesus’ name, God doesn’t see you, He sees only Jesus, so you’re acceptable to God that way, not on your own). Do whatever it takes to get God’s attention off you (if you want to stand a chance in the end). Or “wow” God with how good you are; get Him focused on your “Jesus-like” good works and performance so He doesn’t see the you inside, the “real” you. Either way, it’s all about using Jesus to distract God.  (continued)

Being a Christian (01-20-16)

 The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a parochial school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. A teacher made a note, and posted it on the apple tray, “Take only one. God is watching.” Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies. One of the children wrote a note, “Take all you want. God is watching the apples.”

Interesting picture of God, isn’t it! Sounds like the same picture many adults have; God is watching us and every little thing we do will come under judgment by God, so be very careful and be very obedient! It’s amazing how often religious people use this kind of fear and guilt to motivate godly living.

Living a Fulfilling Spirituality (01-19-16)

The Paul who has been quoted several times so far, is the most prolific writer in the Bible’s New Testament. He writes of an experience that profoundly impacted the depth of his own personal life. He, too, faced incredible “storms” in his life, one after another. At one point, he and his partner, Silas, were severely beaten by authorities and thrown into jail, their feet clamped in stocks. Their crime was that they had ruined the business of local fortune tellers by liberating a demon-possessed slave girl who told fortunes for people.

So there were Paul and Silas, bodies badly bruised and bleeding, feet painfully clamped in leg irons, thrown into a dark, damp, dirty dungeon. Talk about time for a pity party or despair and disillusionment or retreat and resignation! The storm is blowing hurricane forces upon them.

Here is the rest of the story: “Around midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening.” (Acts 16:25) Imagine that! What kind of a response to unjust pain and suffering is that?

That’s the response of people who have true depth in their lives, whose soil is so cultivated and fertile that no external or internal forces can keep the seed of true life from growing. Paul and Silas have obviously paid deep attention to what’s below the surface of their lives. They’ve learned how to lean on the resources that God alone can provide for them. And that has empowered them to face the storms of life with confidence and fearlessness and fruitfulness.

Joan Chittester writes about a time when a great army invaded a country and created a path of destruction wherever it went. Its greatest wrath was reserved for the holy people they found, particularly the monks. When the invaders arrived in one village, the leader of the village reported to the commander, “All the monks, hearing of your approach, fled to the mountains.”

The commander smiled a broad, cold smile. He was proud of having a reputation for being a very fearsome person. But then the leader added, “All, that is, but one.”

The commander became enraged. He marched to the monastery and kicked in the gate. There in the courtyard stood the one remaining monastic. The commander glowered at the figure. “Do you know who I am?” he roared. “I am he who can run you through with a sword without batting an eyelash!”

The monastic fixed the commander with a serene and patient look and replied, “And do you know who I am? I am one who can let you run me through with a sword without batting an eyelash.” (MacDonald, p. 77)

It is, as one author put it, in the “disruptive moments” of our lives in which our true depth is revealed. Then we really discover what we’re made of. We truly see the quality of our lives. 

Tools for Growth 01-18-16 (part V) Healing our Blindness

3. A Redemptive Miracle: There’s another classic story about Jesus recorded in the Bible (John 9) that describes this powerful resource God offers. Jesus and His close friends come upon a blind man. The current Jewish philosophy and theology stated that blindness came as a result of sin, either the man’s sin or his parents’. But Jesus offers a radically contrasting paradigm when his friends ask him about the cause of the man’s deficiency. Jesus says, “Neither this man or his parents’ sin caused this blindness. He was born blind so the power of God could be seen in him.” (John 9:3)

In other words, Jesus refuses to get into the debate about what caused the man’s disability. Rather, Jesus is interested in what God wants to do about it in the present. How does God want to reveal His power in this man’s life right now? So to show that new reality, Jesus ends up healing the man of his blindness – powerful evidence to observers that God is all about bringing good out of evil. It’s His redemptive miracle.

Just before healing the man, Jesus makes this statement: “While I am still here in the world, I am the light of the world.” (verse 5) In other words, it’s His mission to bring light into darkness. Wherever darkness and evil exist, He comes to bring the goodness of His love into the middle of it. And we all know that when light shines into the darkness, darkness is dispelled. Even a little bit of light puts a noticeable dent in the darkness. That’s the radical difference God can make in our lives.

Because of this reality, the most prolific writer of the New Testament, Paul, states with confidence: “If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since God did not spare even His own Son but gave Him up for us all, won’t God, who gave us Christ, also give us everything else?” (Romans 8:31-32)

He goes on to state his conclusion. If this is true, if God is really on our side, then the final truth is that nothing can separate us from God and His loving desire to bring us to wholeness and abundant fruitfulness – death can’t, life can’t, angels can’t, demons can’t, fear can’t, worries can’t, and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away (8:38). “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.” (8:28) This is the most amazing resource of all. God’s redemptive miracle in which He promises to bring good out of even the most evil in life.

What then should be our response? As the seeds have to do, we must simply trust the Farmer, to let the Farmer do what He does best (produce a harvest). So the significant questions are these: (1) Am I willing to trust God with my life? (2) Am I willing to acknowledge His place in my life and find direction from Him? (3) Am I willing to take the time to build a strong connection with God, talking to Him and listening to Him? (4) Am I willing to center my life around God’s purposes? (5) Am I willing to accept His love for me and believe that He will, if I let Him, produce an abundant harvest of fruitfulness and significance in my life?

Paul states this reality with absolute confidence: “And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.” (Philippians 1:6) When the Farmer plants the seed, He will make sure it grows and matures into an abundant harvest if we let Him. That’s His pledge! Is this a Resource to the fulfilling life you and I are willing to embrace?

Tools for Growth 01-15-16 (part IV) A Fertile Environment

A Fertile Environment: A fertile environment denotes soil that has had unnecessary rocks and weeds removed from it, where the soil has been deeply cultivated and developed, and plenty of moisture made available for the seedlings to grow. It’s the responsibility of the farmer to provide that for the seeds.

How does God provide that environment for us? Here’s what I’m discovering in my life. Most often He has used other people to surround me and facilitate growth. For example, I have three prayer partners with whom I talk and pray every week via phone conversations. Each one has ended up taking on a unique and valuable role in my life. One of them specializes in affirmation and encouragement of my identity and self-worth (the moisture). Another is able to ask me questions that help pinpoint areas of growth and maturation I need to keep me on track (the weeding). And another is invaluable in giving me a sense of where God is in my life, helping me to connect more meaningfully with Him (pointing to the sunlight). All three have been provided to me by God to provide an environment significantly conducive to my growth and development.

The psychiatrist Paul Tournier has made the profound observation: there are two things in life you can’t do alone – be married, and be spiritual. We were designed to experience wholeness in life in the context of meaningful relationships with others. God provides people in our lives to facilitate a fertile environment for growth. We cannot do the journey alone and expect to end up with a harvest of abundance and fruitfulness. 

Tools for Growth 01-14-16 (part III)

1. A Safe Place: One writer remembers a friend who is a massage therapist as an example of a safe place: “I often think of the room in which I have received massages through the years. My friend offers me a massage whenever I’m in the area and fits me into her busy schedule as a gift of affirmation and encouragement. The room is decorated nicely, the lights are down low, a candle burns, and my favorite music is playing softly. The temperature is set just right. As I lie there on the table waiting for her to enter the room, I feel my entire body beginning to relax and let go. There’s a profound feeling of safety and security that envelopes me and begins to thaw out my heart. Whatever bruises and battering my life has taken up to that point, I find myself being able to release. That room has become a safe place to me where I find real healing.”

God provides safe places for spiritual healing. One of the significant safe places is a sanctuary in time where our battered and bruised hearts can find rest and peace and healing. The Bible uses the term “Sabbath” to describe this place in time. All through the many millennia of history, there have been people who have enjoyed safe sanctuary there.  Rabbi Abraham Heschel, the well-known Jewish philosopher and theologian, put it this way: “In the tempestuous ocean of time and toil there are islands of stillness where man may enter a harbor and reclaim his dignity. The island is the Sabbath, a day of detachment from things, instruments and practical a! airs as well as attachment to the spirit. … The Sabbath is the exodus from tension, the liberation of man from his own muddiness, the installation of man as a sovereign in the world of time.” (Heschel, p. 29)

Imagine having one whole day every single week to stop life’s busyness and chaos, and pay attention to the heart and soul of life, to reevaluate priorities, to reengage with the most important people in your life, to restore and revitalize your heart, mind and body, to recapture your sense of destiny and purpose. It’s a sanctuary in time, a safe place away from the harshness of life, to experience healing and wholeness. It’s one of God’s great gifts to us, an amazing resource to help us experience abundance and fruitfulness and significance.

As one author noted, just as in the Indianapolis 500 super race the cars must have pit stops for refueling and retreading and restoring if they hope to complete the race, so the Sabbath is one of those “pit stops” necessary for successful life. We ignore it to our detriment.

Tools for Growth 01-13-16 (part II)

First, do whatever work is necessary to build depth into your life. Address the character issues; are you a person of integrity, honesty, admitting your failures and learning from them, developing unselfish motives in serving others, recognizing and minimizing the distractions that keep you from growing, paying attention to why you do what you do?  Are you taking regular time for reflection about the quality of your inner life, about your thought patterns, your feelings and emotions, your desires, your joys and sorrows? Do you carve out space to stop the busyness and be in solitude and quiet, times to just be? Do you take the time to regularly evaluate your goals and dreams, your priorities, and how your actions and behaviors and choices are either facilitating or detracting from them? Are you intentional about building relationships with others who can support you, hold you accountable, and encourage you toward your potential; people with whom you can be completely transparent about your struggles and temptations and pitfalls? Are you paying attention to what’s “below the waterline” of your life?

Second, make use of the resources God provides in this process. What does this mean? What are God’s available resources? In our story, think about what the farmer offers to the seeds. (1) He plants the seed in the soil. In other words, he offers the seed a place for growth and maturation. (2) He develops the soil into a cultivated, fertile environment for the seed conducive for abundance. (3) He uses external sources and forces to bring about a rich harvest. With that in mind, consider what God is willing to do for us in our journey toward wholeness and fruitfulness.

Tools for Growth 01-12-16 (part I)

Have you ever seen the Walt Disney story about Dumbo, a young circus elephant who was born with unusually enormous ears? Because he was different, he was treated as a freak by all the other elephants. Except for Dumbo’s loving and protective mother, all the elephants made fun of him.

Poor Dumbo. He could hardly walk without tripping over his ears, and he found himself in all kinds of trouble because of them. Oh how he wished he’d never been cursed with those big floppy ears!

Then a small circus mouse, named Timothy, felt sorry for Dumbo and made friends with him. Timothy encouraged Dumbo to ignore the criticism and instead see himself as someone special. But things just seemed to go from bad to worse.

And then comes one particular scene. A turning point for Dumbo. He wakes up one morning to find himself and Timothy nestled high up in the branches of a tree. They can’t figure out how in the world they got up there. After all, elephants can’t climb trees!

Suddenly the moment of revelation strikes. The light bulb flashes on. Timothy cries out, “Dumbo!  You must’ve flown up into the tree! Dumbo! You can fly!”

It is the next statement from this little cartoon rodent that is so incredibly profound. He looks at his perplexed elephant friend and says, “The very things that held you down are going to carry you up and up and up!”

What a powerful perspective! “The very things that held you down are going to carry you up!” What brings Dumbo success in the end, what makes him the big star of the circus, the famous flying elephant, is not a change in his situation. He still has the big, drooping ears. What changes is his perspective. Now he sees his potential. His handicap turns out to be his best friend. His deformity hasn’t changed; he changed. Instead of seeing his difference as a curse, he begins to see it as a blessing. His paradigm has radically shifted.

And that transforms his life. The very things that held him down are now carrying him up! You see, life is really all about perspective. It’s what you think about what you’re experiencing that makes so much difference. You may not be able to change your situation, but you can choose your response to it. It’s what you do with what you have that helps shape your outcome.

Isn’t that what the four soils in our story tell us? The difference between the good soil and the other three isn’t the external circumstances. The seed in the good soil experienced the same hot sun, the same birds flying overhead, weeds popping up there, too. But what made the difference in the end was the depth of the soil, the amount of cultivation taking place, the working and tilling and fertilizing and weeding done to this soil, the soil allowing the farmer to do what he does best. The result was an abundant harvest symbolic of a life of fruitfulness, productivity and satisfaction.

Aids to Growth 01-11-15

Given everything that is happening in the field in this story, what would you say is the farmer’s ultimate desire? Is it to bring harm to the seeds and seedlings? Does he simply not care what happens to them and leave everything to chance? Does he merely do his planting and then walk away hoping things will take care of themselves? No, the whole point of farming is to produce a harvest in the end, to bring seeds into full and mature growth, to be productive.

“Some seeds fell on fertile soil and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted.” (Matthew 13:8) The purpose of planting is harvesting, and in this case, the harvest far outpaces the planting. Here is a picture of abundance, complete fulfillment and satisfaction beyond anticipation. This is what the farmer wants above all. It is why he farms. It is his ultimate dream. The fact that Jesus identifies Himself as the farmer is significant. In other words, Jesus’ whole purpose is to bring productivity, fulfillment, significance, abundance to life. In fact, he says precisely that in another place: “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.” (John 10:10)

There’s a significant dynamic being suggested in that statement. While acknowledging the reality of evil and its purpose of destroying and diminishing life, Jesus says His goal, in contrast, is to give life in its fullness. So Jesus is saying that He has the ability to take evil being perpetrated against us (whether from external or internal sources or spiritual dark forces all around us) and redeem in some way to produce something good and life-enhancing for us. In other words, this Farmer can take that little seed, and in spite of the hot sun or the choking weeds, nurture it, take care of it, and ultimately bring it to maturity and fulfillment.

In the second story in Matthew 13, the one about the enemy planting weeds in the field of wheat, when the farmer was confronted with this terrible reality, he had a strategy, a plan for what to do about it. After the servants informed him, they asked anxiously, “Shall we pull out the weeds?” His response: “No, you’ll hurt the wheat if you do. Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds and burn them and to put the wheat in the barn.” (Matthew 13:28-30)

The farmer knew exactly what to do to make sure a good harvest happened, in spite of the evil design of the enemy. Jesus’ point is that God has the redemptive power to produce good even in the midst of evil. He cares about what happens to us. He doesn’t want to see us hurt unnecessarily. He wants to see us grow and mature and become productive. So He applies His wisdom to the process to achieve that end, no matter what the obstacles.

Here’s the length He will go to accomplish that redemptive end. The very next story following the earlier purpose statement by Jesus (John 10:10), is about Lazarus, Jesus’ best friend (John 11). Lazarus becomes deathly ill and soon dies. Jesus goes to his tomb and asks for the stone to be rolled away, opening up the death chamber. People object saying that the stench will be too terrible (not to mention the act of desecrating the dead). Besides, what’s the point; the man’s already dead. No hope!

But Jesus says to Lazarus’ objecting sister, “Didn’t I tell you that you will see God’s glory if you believe?” (John 11:40) Apparently, Jesus sees the situation from a different perspective. He knows that difficulty and evil can be redeemed by God no matter how dark or imposing or impossible they appear.

The stone is rolled away. Jesus shouts, “Lazarus, come out!” And Lazarus emerges, alive and well (John 11:43-44). Jesus’ statement about God’s glory is profound. God’s glory is revealed by being able to take the most imposing, impossible and evil situation and redeeming it for good, bringing abundant life instead.

The Farmer is all about growth and productivity, fulfillment and abundance. And He pledges His resources to making sure the harvest happens no matter what the opposition.                                      

Obstacles to Spiritual Growth (01-08-15)

The noted psychiatrist Scott Peck, in his best-selling book The Road Less Traveled, begins his tome on the reality of life with these profound words, “Life is difficult.” Some of us would say that that is the understatement of the year. But nonetheless it’s certainly true, isn’t it? Life is difficult. Living isn’t always easy. We’re constantly faced with the challenges that come from crisis and its companions, pain and suffering. Storms do come whether we want them to or not. It’s a reality of human life.

Jesus’ story describes the sun as that external force that can either bring healthy growth to the seedling or withering death. The sun will always be a factor. Trying to hide from the sun isn’t an option. The plant needs the sun for growth. So what is it that determines which outcome the seedling will experience? Root depth.

Jesus’ story also describes the weeds as the internal force (within the soil) that has the potential of choking out the life of the seedling. Weeds grow; another fact of agriculture. So what is it that determines the outcome for the tender plant? Weeding; dealing proactively with that which has the potential of choking out life.

The same is true for human life. There are both external factors and internal forces that threaten our equilibrium and balance. We can’t escape this reality. A drunk driver smashes into our friend’s vehicle and kills him. We have no control over that external threat. How we deal with that tragic loss depends much upon the inner strength of our lives, the depth of our hearts and minds, the anchor points we’ve pulled into our lives through the years. Some people cave in with such grief and sorrow. Others, though deeply grieved and sorrowing, not only survive the loss but continue on flourishing and living productive lives.

Sometimes the threat or storm comes because of our own internal issues or choices we make ourselves. Someone chooses to be unfaithful to his wife. His marriage fails, his kids become estranged from him, he loses his job, his self-respect, and the effects go on.  The question is, how you handle all those losses depends much upon the depth of your life and the inner strength of your character. Do you cave in under all the pressures and simply give up on life, letting guilt and shame spiral you down to destruction? Or do you look at your internal issues and choose to proactively deal with them so you can learn and grow and move on in healthy ways that result in productivity?

The first point is that storms come – simple as that. As long as we are human, we will experience both external and internal storms – storms of others’ making that impact us, and storms of our own making that threaten us. The second point is this: notice, in both cases the appearance of those forces reveal the depth of the soil and the strength of the plant. Jesus is clear that one of the positive outcomes of crisis is that it is like a thermometer measuring the temperature of our souls and hearts. It reveals to us how much we need to do to become healthier, what issues we need to address to flourish. It’s like a mirror that suddenly gets held up in front of us and we see ourselves as we really are.

That’s why the Chinese character for crisis is a combination of the symbols for “danger” and “opportunity.” Which side we fall upon determines the end result – we either get swallowed up by the danger or we grow by the opportunity. It’s our choice when side-swiped by crisis.

This is probably what the biblical author Paul had in mind when, in commenting about how people deal with life said, “For we know that all things work together for good.“ (Romans 8:28) Is he saying that no matter how bad or painful or evil a given situation is it’s good for us? Certainly not! He’s describing this human reality of crisis – within every crisis and storm there is the potential of “good” emerging based upon how we choose to respond to and deal with it.

“Through conflict the spiritual life is strengthened. Trials well borne will develop steadfastness of character and precious spiritual graces. The perfect fruit of faith, meekness, and love often matures best amid storm clouds and darkness.” (White 1941, p. 61.)

But lest we get discouraged by our inability to deal proactively with crisis, in that verse Paul is actually commenting on God’s power to bring good from everything. In other words, God has chosen to make Himself that Resource which can empower us to posses the inner strength to deal proactively with every situation, good or bad, in our lives – so that the end result is greater fulfillment and healthy growth. That’s the divine miracle of redemption inherent in the storms of life. So one of the significant issues in dealing with storms is what kind of use are you making of God’s inner resources in coping and dealing with your crises?