not "all alone"

The Bible knows nothing of solitary religion.

—John Wesley

Satan watches for those vessels that sail without convoy.

—George Swinnock

When my wife and I first joined our church (over 18 years ago--wow, where has the time gone?) there was a large red banner across the back of the auditorium. The banner, in large white lettering, proclaimed Romans 12:5: So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. I can still remember my disappointment when the banner was taken down. Recently I began to ponder this verse anew as the latest teaching series at church is a "One Another" series.

The Greek word translated as "one of another" is allēlōn, and I have always been amused that while the English pronunciation sounds somewhat like "all alone," the usage in context points in the opposite direction. Romans 12:5 speaks to our mutual need for each other in the body of Christ; each of us has a unique function within the body according to how God has made, has gifted, us. I'm afraid that some can read this and think something like, "Oh, my church job description!" This at best is an impersonal view of something intended to be very personal; we learn in Ephesians 4:16 that building each other, and ultimately the body, up in love is the goal.

But I have always thought of the banner, hence Romans 12:5, in terms of navigating daily life and how God never intended that I do that alone. Perhaps it isn't really an abuse of context since we are talking about [Christ's] body life. Particularly in the individualistic (can I just say selfish) society in which we live, it is so easy to forget or just plain ignore our need for each other; combine this with my human tendency to withdraw and isolate when problems are encountered, failures occur, etc. and I appreciate just how vulnerable I am!

The teaching series at church has been a great reminder. You may hear a series like that or else read a post like this one and just say, "I know that." But as Samuel Johnson said,

People need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed.

Remind me (again) and I'll remind you. Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2)

what do you look like?

Norman Rockwell was still producing cover art for the Saturday Evening Post when I was born. Even so, I have no direct memories of those magazine covers, yet I grew up hearing about Rockwell and his works and being familiar with many of them at an early age. One of my favorites has always been the work entitled "Triple Self Portrait." I remember being quite entertained by the difference in the image in the mirror versus what was being painted on the canvas.

We all have an idea of what we look like. The physical is easily confirmed (or denied!) by looking into most any available mirror (whether to our delight or dismay is another matter.) Similarly, we all have an idea of what we look like in character--who we are--but discovering the reality is a bit more difficult than the physical, and it is generally much more sobering. The reality consists in how others perceive us; as I've gotten older, I've come to realize that frequently others view me very differently from how I think of myself.

One of the great joys for a Christian is the realization that God knew exactly the person each of us was, warts and all, when Jesus died on the cross to secure for us forgiveness of sins, to redeem us, and to reconcile us to himself. That is the realization of God's love for us. For you. "...while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8.) Common in the experience of Christians, however, is that as God grows us and teaches us, we more and more see ourselves as God does, and that is disheartening to say the least. We increasingly see that not only do we fall short of the glory of God, we understand more and more how far short we fall! I can get pretty dejected when I think about this.

That is in essence looking backward; our focus should be that God loves us. Lay hold of the truth put forth in Leighton Ford's comment,

God loves us the way we are but He loves us too much to leave us that way.

If you know Jesus as lord and savior, it is God who has begun to work in you and he will complete what he started. And that work is to conform you to the image of his son--not how he looks but who he is.

and how long will you be staying?

I spent much of last Saturday with my CD collection. I've been ripping my music down to MP3 format with plans to build a music server. This just adds fuel to the fire when my friends refer to me as a geek.

No matter. One of my favorite artists from way back is Gordon Lightfoot, and even though I like his earlier works best, I own one of his later CD's which is entitled "A Painter Passing Through." I had not thought about this disc for a long time but again encountered it this weekend.

I've always enjoyed meditating on that album title; I identified with it in a certain sense. A Painter Passing Through. I don't consider myself an artist of any kind, but I love to reflect on the notion that I'm passing through. I think of passages of scripture such as in Philippians 3, where Paul reminds us that we are "citizens of heaven." That notion, along with pondering Christ's return, helps me bear much frustration associated with living in this world.

Reflecting again on the Lightfoot album title, I was reminded of this quote:

The only ultimate disaster that can befall us, I have come to realize, is to feel ourselves at home here on earth.

—Malcolm Muggeridge

Live daily with the joy that this is not all there is! Even though I need to be diligent in my pursuits and the discharge of my responsibilities, and there are all kinds of frustrations that can derail me (if I let them,) those things just don't stack up against God's promise in Christ of eternal life with him. That is abundant life that begins anew every day.

he is risen indeed

Those of you who know me well always pick on me when I call a passage of scripture "my favorite" since at one time or another I've said that about so many verses. So today, Easter Sunday, I want to share a favorite passage which one might not normally think of for Easter. I find it particularly moving today as Jesus himself addresses John in Revelation 1:17-18a. John writes,

When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore..."

I love it. "I was dead"--past tense. "Behold, I am alive"--present tense--"forevermore..."

the right goal

The essence of temptation is the invitation to live independently of God.

—Neil Anderson

If temptation is an invitation, then one might think of sin as the acceptance of that invitation. This realization helps bring sharply into focus the fact that sinful living does not consist primarily of "performing wrong acts" but living with the wrong goal, or better, the wrong master.

This is not to say that sinful actions are not sinful; many (if not all) such actions are sinful not so much because of the act itself but because of the attitude underlying it: selfishness. To love someone as Jesus commanded is to seek that person's best interest regardless of consequence. Proper motivation for such love and service is understanding God's love and provision in Christ for me.

When I accepted Jesus Christ as my savior and confessed Jesus as Lord of my life, I died to my old master (sin) and became alive to my new master (righteousness.) I died to my old master (self) and I live for my new master (Christ.) This foundational truth permeates scripture, but I especially like 2 Corinthians 5:15 which says

...He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

Looking back on my Christian life so far, I find that there were sinful acts that I used to but no longer engage in; however, they did not cease because of my efforts but because of God's efforts--Christ's life in me, teaching me, growing me, giving me proper focus. I am now able to not sin in those ways because I learned from God in Christ that he is trustworthy in those areas and I do trust him. In areas of my life where I have yet to learn to trust God, I still experience failure by living selfishly--or to put it bluntly, I still sin.

I find then, especially since all of my sins were dealt with at the cross, that to cease from sin is the wrong goal for me, indeed for any Christian. Whenever I have expended effort toward that end, I end up focussed on and mired in the sin. The right goal is to know God better and better; he reveals himself through his word, and as he enlightens me and I see that he is trustworthy in that area of my life too (whatever it is,) I live depending on him, and the behavior takes care of itself.

The key lies in knowing the truth and being set free by it. When a temptation whispers in my ear, I play it against the truth and believe and act on the truth.

Sin is still sin, and God's grace is not license to do anything one wants. With freedom comes responsibility. But being free means that I no longer have to worry about my worthiness (Christ is my worthiness.) I can joyfully focus on my relationship with God and the people he has placed in my life.

talking with a friend

The essence of a relationship is communication. Take a moment and think about your closest friends. How do you communicate with them? How do you talk to your closest friends?

The real Christian life consists of relationships. First and foremost, our relationship with God. Then, as we grow in our relationship with Him and He grows us in our walk, we learn how to have deep, meaningful relationships with others; we can love people as Jesus commanded (John 13:34-35) and serve them as Jesus demonstrated (John 13:12-15.)

Communication. God talks to us through his Word. We talk to God in prayer. I've seen and heard a lot about prayer lately, and some of it is just weird. Are you uncomfortable comparing how you talk with a close friend to how you talk with God? I'm not suggesting that reverence be set aside and I'm not encouraging flippant informality, but I've thought a great deal about my prayer life lately and I see that it has changed from ritualistic and stiffly formal when I was younger to a continual, intimate conversation today. The author of Hebrews reminds us to come confidently, or boldly, before the throne of grace.

Jesus' disciples asked him to teach them to pray. Today he by his spirit continues to teach us to pray if we listen (Romans 8:26.) Do not despair if talking to God seems awkward; Gordon MacDonald said

Why do so many people have struggles when it comes to prayer? ... Men and women were originally created to desire communion with God. But the effects of sin have dulled most of that original human desire. Sin turned a natural activity into an unnatural function.

It is not prayer that we should reverence but God. It gets easier to talk to him as you get to know him better. Grow in your relationship with God by listening to him through Bible study--he'll reveal himself to you.

Those who know God the best are the richest and most powerful in prayer. Little acquaintance with God, and strangeness and coldness to Him, make prayer a rare and feeble thing.
--E. M. Bounds

greater love

My friend Mike, in a recent post, apologized for several days of absence. I have to apologize for a month, and I really haven't been nearly as busy as Mike! However, life happens, and the time gets away if we're not careful to live each day intentionally.

My thoughts today are fairly simple. God has lately been loving on my family like crazy with his blessings. My son is home on leave from his service in Iraq and is doing well. My daughter has been spear-heading the formation of a chapter of a Christian fellowship sorority at her college; I don't know who is more excited, her or me! The presence or absence of such blessings does not measure God's love for us; indeed, God loves us beyond our comprehension, a fact which in unto itself is one complete expression of his character.

Jesus commands us to love each other as he has loved us (John 13:34,35.) His love might be most evident in his accomplishment on earth 2000 years ago, but the depth of his love is daily before me as he cares for me, my family, indeed, all his children. Let us strive for that level of devotion to the people God places in our lives. As Clarence Jordan said,

The measure of a Christian is not in the height of his grasp but in the depth of his love.