Shine Like Stars

Do everything without grumbling or arguing… Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky. Phil. 2:14,15b

What happens when a Christian behaves badly like an unbeliever? As Paul points out, the world around can’t see Christ in them, so there’s no light for their darkness. In other words, if the life our neighbors see in us is explainable only in terms of our human personality and background, what do we have to say to our neighbors that will awaken them to their need of Christ? If the situations we face cause us to react with the same murmuring and discontent and bitterness they have, what's the difference between our quality of life and theirs? They will simply say, “My life is explained in terms of my personality: I like certain sports and entertainment, and certain kinds of music and you like religion — that's all.” Unless there’s a quality to our life that can only be explained in terms of the difference God’s presence in us has made, there’s really nothing in us to challenge the world around us. The world is waiting to see God, and they will when they see Christians stop their mumbling, complaining and arguing … when they stop seeing us live, in other words, just like everyone else.

There must be a quality to our lives that can only be explained in terms of what God is doing in us and through us; and then, as Paul says, as we live in the midst of “a crooked and perverse generation,” the light of the gospel will shine into the darkness of where we live. This is what Jesus means when he says, “Let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” We are to be the beacon of hope that others need — the sign of God’s beauty in a world that has all but defaced it.

In fact, when Paul speaks of the Philippians shining like lights, he’s quoting a passage from Daniel 12:3, which speaks of “the wise” who were beacons of hope to their generation because of their faith in God’s promise to raise the dead to life again. In a sense, then, what Paul is saying is not just that the Philippians are to be a sign of light and beauty in a world of darkness and ugliness. They are to be a sign of God’s new life in a world that only knows the way to death. That’s our calling as well! We are to let the light of Christ shine through us “like stars in the sky” !

Prayer: Forgive me for my grumbling, Lord. Help me to trust you in every situation and, in doing so, shine brightly in a dark world. Amen.

God v. Wisdom

"Since you refuse to listen when I call ... since you diregard all my advice ... I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you; I will mock when calamity overtakes you."  Proverbs 1:24-26

I know that God is different. My faith believes what He says in Isaiah 55 — "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways." But that really hit me today in a Bible study on Proverbs.

According to Proverbs, Wisdom (personified as a woman who calls out in the public square to teach anyone who would listen) is unforgiving — a sort of cold, cause-effect realist. Wisdom points to the reality of how the world works:  "Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth" (Proverbs 10:4); "A kind man benefits himself, but a cruel man brings trouble on himself" (Proverbs 11:17). There's nothing particularly religious or spiritual about that — it's just how the world works. Consider a few professional athletes who are arrogant and selfish ... and how they pile trouble on themselves and invite the disdain of teammates and fans. (Contrast them with the great team players, who work and play with humility and a teachable spirit.) In countless ways we all pile up trouble in our lives by foolishness. We have family members, coworkers, and neighbors who seem to be magnets for trouble ... because of the choices they've made.

Wisdom points to those who live foolishly, who have chosen to pile up trouble, and says:  "If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you. But since you rejected me when I called ... I in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you — when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when distress and trouble overwhelm you" (Proverbs 1:23-27).

In contrast to Wisdom, God does not abandon us to the mess we've made. Like the father in Jesus' parable of the prodigal son, God is full of compassion and always ready to welcome. In fact, God's entire plan of redemption in Jesus Christ shows that God's way is fundamentally different. As one of my favorite verses reminds us:  "God demonstrates His love for us in this: while we were still sinners Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). He entered our mess. He willingly, lovingly pursued us. And not because we had figured it all out and straightened ourselves out. "While we were still sinners"!  While Wisdom is unforgiving, God is full of mercy.

What really stood out to me today is this:  If God is willing to step into our junk ... what should our Christian response be to our children, friends, neighbors, and coworkers, when they have brought all kinds of trouble on themselves? Turn away, saying: "You brought this on yourself. You have to face the consequences"? No!

No doubt, it would be unloving to enable someone in their foolish ways. And according to the ways of Wisdom, we'd be justified in abandoning them to their mess. But I am convinced that the Godly life is marked by a willingness to enter another person's hurt — even the hurt they've piled on themselves — with compassion. We usually can't take away the earthly consequences for them. But we CAN walk with them and say: "I am here with you. I am here for you. I will not abandon you." This is the way of God, who says, "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you."

What does Godly compassion look like for you these days?

Juggler

I was thinking today of all the "things" I try to juggle in life. Responsibilities as a husband. Responsibilities as a dad. Responsibilities as a pastor. There is just so much to do, things to get done! Then, add on top of the "to do list" the weight of all the expectations. Whether it's true or not, I sense that different people expect that I'll attend certain events, that I'll give attention to certain details, that I'll 'be there' when they're in need. And, of course, there is the expectation that I live in a god-pleasing way.

There are my worries and fears. There are my regrets. There are all the ways that people have hurt me ... and all the pain and resentment that go along with that. There are the tragedies and losses that are part of living in a broken world. There are my dreams for the future ...... Each one of those things is just huge, if you think about it.  And I'm trying to juggle all of them. But honestly, how in the world can I keep it all going?! How can I keep all the balls in the air?!

There is that statement you always hear people say:  "God will not give you more than you can handle." Supposedly that's in the Bible somewhere. Somehow that's supposed to be a comfort.

Let me just say it:  NONSENSE!! People say that's what the Bible says. But it doesn't! And I think it's actually quite the opposite of what the Bible teaches. True, 1 Corinthians 10 says "he will not let you be TEMPTED beyond what you can bear." But I don't believe the Bible teaches that our BURDENS will be limited to what we can bear.

I have friends whose children have died tragically. I have friends whose spouses died way too young ... and so they're left to raise their children as widows. I have friends who carry the weight of betrayal (a cheating spouse or an abusive relative), the deep pain of addiction (alcohol, drugs, pornography), and the shame of failure (businesses they couldn't keep going, children who have walked away from their faith). Every single one alone WAY BEYOND what they can carry themselves! Yet God, in His wisdom, allows those burdens in their lives.

Why?? I can't fully say, because I am not God; and the Bible does say that His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts (Isaiah 55). But I believe that in part, God allows those burdens (that are bigger than our ability to carry or juggle them) SO THAT WE HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO TRUST IN HIM AND NOT IN OURSELVES.

From the beginning of the Bible to the end -- it seems from my reading -- there is ONE THING God asks of us:  TRUST.  It is why He used a runt named Gideon ... why He chose the scrawny kid named David ... why He called a pride-filled murderer named Paul. Anything they accomplished was not by their own strength or knowledge or wisdom but by GOD'S POWER.

I don't know what you're burdened by today. But I know what I'm facing. And I am thankful for His invitation (1 Peter 5:7): "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." And I hold on to His promise (Psalm 146:5): "BLESSED is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God." So I'm listening to His words of wisdom (Proverbs 3:5-6): "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge HIM, and he will make your paths straight."