Identified with the Poor

Who is my neighbor? What responsibility do I have, if any, for people who are on the other side of town, or in a ghetto across the state, or locked into poverty in some developing nation? The issue it addresses isn't one we can settle in a moment. It goes to the very core of our lifestyle and daily choices. To be honest, it's an issue I do not like to think about because I know there is much to change in me! I pray as you read this today, it will get under your skin and drive you to thoughtful prayer- and real action.

(The next three paragraphs were inspired by a message written by Leonard Sweet. I have edited the content for space and clarity.)

• Living High and Letting Die: Our Illusion of Innocence (Peter Unger, Oxford UP, 1997) has been called the state-of-the-art treatment of "how much the well off should sacrifice for the world's most needy" by one reviewer. Unger argues that the world's most serious moral problem is poverty. He claims that in our world 20 million people starve to death each year and one billion live in impoverished conditions where hunger, sickness, and early death are daily companions. And, he says, we (who have more) are morally obligated to work to help those in desperate situations.
  
  Most of us have received those envelopes in the mail that appeal to us to give to an aid agency. With a contribution equivalent to the cost of one meal at an expensive restaurant ($100), the agency will buy vaccines, food or oral hydration therapy which will save the lives of many children. Unger says that getting that envelope is much like driving along the road and seeing a child drowning in a shallow pond. At that moment, you have two options -- drive on, or wade in to save the child. However, if you go in after the child, you ruin the clothes you're wearing. But, what good person would even think about the cost of a set of clothes when a child's life is at stake? Most of us would give up a meal at our favorite restaurant, or even two, to please God by saving a child's life, wouldn't we? And yet, we casually toss the appeal into the trash- 'driving by' the dying children, in essence.
  
  But Unger pushes the case farther: You're driving along a deserted country road in a vintage car that you have lovingly and painstakingly restored. Suddenly you come upon a man who has ripped open his leg on a rusty barbed wire fence and is bleeding profusely. If you do not stop, the likelihood is that he will die. What do you do? Do you pick him up in your mint-condition, restored beauty, put him on those leather seats, knowing that they will now be ruined? Or do you go on hoping someone else will rescue him because 'it is not your problem.' The morality of the case is clear to all but the most calloused. If morality requires us to ruin our suit or the interior of our car to aid someone in distress who is immediate to us, why don't most of us feel similarly morally obliged to aid starving people who live far from us?

There are a host of reasons that we use to excuse our lack of concern for the poor, especially the poor far from us.

There are so many of them that we begin to think that helping a few makes no difference. The nameless, faceless masses are less compelling to us emotionally than one child. Is saving one really less important if we cannot save a million?

Then, too, if we cannot see our funds being used, and we know of corruption and greed in so many places, we decide that we will not get involved. Does the real fact that some resources will be mis-appropriated, wasted, or stolen let us off the hook so we can keep them in our own savings account?

We have learned to reason (wrongly, I should add) that the poor somehow 'deserve' their fate, either because of irresponsibility or immorality or perhaps even, God's judgment. Such ideas are seldom voiced because they sound so much worse when we actually say them, than they do when we think them! But, there are people who believe that their wealth, status, or privilege is a sign of God's approval/blessing and thus, need not be shared!

In the context of spiritual knowledge Jesus said, “Much is required from those to whom much is given, and much more is required from those to whom much more is given." (Luke 12:48, NLT) We do not wrongly mis-use the Word by applying this principle to our wealth or privilege. The more that is entrusted to us, the more accountable we to God for the way in which we dispose of it.

Years ago, at Creation Festival, I heard Tony Campolo speak. He told of a young man who was in a couple of his classes who was brilliant and gifted. He planned to become a medical doctor so he could use the skills to heal the sick in some poor country. As Campolo tracked the young man's progress, he watched him reach the goal of getting his medical degree, then complete his residency; but curiously this bright doctor lost sight of serving and was trained in a lucrative practice of plastic surgery, doing body enhancements! He used the brilliance, the skills, the education to produce wealth for himself by making wealthy people more beautiful. In the way that only Tony Campolo can do it, he summed up his story by asking a question that was both humorous and yet so provoking that it has lingered in my mind all these years....

" Can you imagine being that man standing before Christ someday to give account for the way he used what God gave to him in the way of advantages, skills, and talents and having to say, 'Well, Lord, I used the gifts you gave me to give rich women bigger breasts!'?"

When I stand before Jesus, I want to hold my head up because I have used the gifts He gave to me, to lift up another. I leave you with this word from the Word today.
May it pierce our minds and hearts and become the catalysts for revolutionary compassion....
__________________________

Matthew 25:33-40 (The Message)-

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father!
Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom.
It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation.

And here’s why:
I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’

“Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say,

‘Master, what are you talking about?
When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink?
And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’

Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth:
Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’
___________________________

Want some additional food for thought? See www.one.org for an interesting initiative.

The Mark

During a conversation yesterday a mature Believer and I were musing about the general levels of commitment within the Church. A widely accepted statistic is that about a third of Americans claim to be disciples of Jesus who believe the Bible is the Truth. That stat has to wrong! I am convinced that if 33% of Americans were serious about their faith and communing with the Spirit of God on a daily basis, most of our national problems would have disappeared. My assumption is that there is too much 'head' faith and not nearly enough 'heart' faith. As our talk continued, the man asked, "How many in our congregation would you say are really walking with Jesus?" I couldn't get away from the question for the rest of the afternoon. Because the next logical one, at least for me, is - "How do you measure that? How do you quantify 'good Christian?'"

The easy way is to take the road of the Pharisees, who earned scathing rebukes from Jesus for their faith practices. They measured another's spirituality by how well they kept the Law of Moses (or at least the Law as they interpreted it). If you attended synagogue, gave your tithe, were faithful in your marriage, observed the Sabbath rules, etc. - you were 'good.' Hey, that works for me, too. What's not to like about a person who goes to church, gives in the offering, and goes home to their wife every night?

Don't misunderstand, Jesus didn't condemn those things! What He pointed out - time after time - was that a person could live a moral, scrupulously outwardly respectable life and still be full of self, ignoring both God and other people! He said, "You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean." Matthew 23:24-26 NIV

Oh, that hurts! Looking good on the outside, while still filthy on the inside. Saying all the right words, but not really doing the work of letting those words do the spiritual work of transforming our hearts and renewing our minds is a first level grievance to God. If I may extrapolate a lesson from what Jesus says, one might this-- "It's none of my business to judge who is a 'good' Christian because I can't see the heart which is what matters most."

But Jesus did say that there would be a mark that is visible! Yes, it is true. So, what visibly marks a 'good' Christian if not the religious works that are so commonly accepted as indicators of spiritual transformation? Jesus said it was love.

A good Christian loves God more than anything in the world -- more than his wealth, more than his reputation, more than his family, more than himself! "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment."

And, a good Christian loves people as deeply as he loves himself. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’"

Truely right living will take care of itself IF we let God's Spirit work out the demands of these loves in our lives. What may seem a simple directive becomes a powerful life guide when we think through its implications. In fact the whole of God's demands on us will be satisfied, Jesus said, if we love God and others genuinely. -- All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” -Matthew 22:37-40 "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (John 13:34-35 NLT)

I'm going to leave the question hanging today - "Are you a good Christian?" Make sure you use Jesus' evaluation standard when you start to answer. Your temptation will be to point out your goodness, your morality, your faithfulness -- and to ignore your failures, your sins, and the disappointments. If you do that, you may well polish the outside of the cup to a gleaming brilliance, but the inside will still be "maggoty with your greed and gluttony. ... Scour the insides, and then the gleaming surface will mean something." MSG
______________________
Power Of Your Love- Bullock, Geoff

Lord, I come to You,
Let my heart be changed, renewed;
Flowing from the grace
That I've found in You;
And Lord, I've come to know,
The weaknesses I see in me,
Will be stripped away
By the pow'r of Your love.
Lord, unveil my eyes,
Let me see You face to face,
The knowledge of Your love
As You live in me.

Lord, renew my mind,
As Your will unfolds in my life,
In living ev'ry day
In the pow'r of Your love.

Hold me close,
Let Your love surround me;
Bring me near,
Draw me to Your side;
And as I wait,
I'll rise up like the eagle,
And I will soar with You,
Your Spirit leads me on
In the pow'r of Your love.

© 1992 Word Music, Inc.
(Admin. by Word Music Group, Inc.) / Maranatha! Music (Admin. by Word Music Group, Inc.) CCLI License No. 810055

Zonked?

"Doonesbury" is one of my daily stops along the way through the newspaper. One of the inhabitants of the comic strip is Zonker Harris, who once described college as 'nine of the best years of my life.' Ironically, he does his best to be the proto-typical loser, resisting the challenge of being a productive member of the human race, focusing all of his skills on 'important' things like getting the most uniform suntan in Malibu. In a recent series, Zonker attempted to hold a real job but found the challenge of busing tables at a restaurant beyond his stamina.

I am the anti-Zonker! It is tough for me to take a whole day off, never mind focusing on something as trivial as shooting in the low-80's on the golf course! My work-aholism is not necessarily admirable; but I am glad that my life has a higher purpose. I am engaged in a life and death struggle to build the kingdom of God. Sounds dramatic, doesn't it? It isn't! It is very pedestrian, a war that is primarily waged in my choices to do the right thing, moment by moment, in my heart, my home, my marriage, my ministry. Most of the time, this isn't about epic battles and headline grabbing moments that change the course of world history. Truthfully, in my quest to do God's will, on some days I am more successful than others. I am determined, however, to live for the ultimate win, by God's grace.

Paul urges all of us to get a grasp of the eternal issues that are involved in 'ordinary' daily decisions, to see our lives as the field where God meets evil, and to choose to be a winner for Him. Read his words slowly, with understanding.... "Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever." He asks the Corinthians, "Have you been down to the stadium and watched the athletes there?" Drawing on that metaphor, he states, "They put themselves through all kinds of rigorous exercise to win a prize that last just a season. We are pursuing a prize that will last into Eternity."

That means getting serious about life. And how does Paul do that? Take a look... "Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." (1 Corinthians 9:23-27, NIV) What a phrase! "I beat my body!" Sounds a little twisted, doesn't it? No, not really. He acknowledges that to push for the eternal win, the appetites of the body will have to be subjugated to the work of the Spirit. Our bodies whine and whimper, demanding that we coddle and comfort them, that we indulge their desires for food, sex, pleasure, and sleep.

Don't go off the deep end yet. There's nothing wrong with keeping well-fed, making love to your spouse, or getting a good night's rest. I don't think that the medieval ascetics who lived in bug-infested, cold rooms without bathing were on the right track towards spiritual victory, either! But, creature comforts aren't the highest goals in life. In Zonker's world, which is where a lot of people live, they are the meaning of life. For the Believer, they are secondary to doing God's will so that the Kingdom of God prevails.

Are living for the real win or are you Zonked, avoiding the hard issues by losing yourself in trivial pursuits?

"Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You’re after one that’s gold eternally.
I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line.
I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me!
I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself. "(1 Corinthians 9:24-27, The Message)

Learning to say, "No!"

Tell a toddler firmly, "no!" and watch the tears flow. Is he sad? Probably not, just frustrated. By age 2, self-will has taken root deep in his heart so that he wants to do what he wants! I raised 4 children and I loved being able to say, "yes," to their desires, however, as one charged with looking out for their best interests, from time to time, I had to say, "No." That was fun (not!) when they were 16 and determined to have their way. Living with pouting, sulking, and/or silence isn't very enjoyable. Sometimes I knew they understood the need for a 'no' but they lacked the resolve and/or maturity to make the right decision on their own, so I had to help them say it.

Americans are deeply in debt and a large of percentage of us are overweight. Why? Because we can't say no effectively to ourselves. There are certainly exceptions in both cases, but mostly we are what we are because we consume too much- financially and physically. (Please keep reading.) This has a spiritual effect in our lives. Because we are so accustomed to saying, "yes" to ourselves, because have so confused our true needs with our wants; we have little tolerance for inconvenience or difficulty that often accompanies knowing and doing God's will. In order to please God by saying, "yes" to Him, we will have to learn to say, "no" to our self will and our craving for pleasure. We cannot have it all; choices must be made.

We say, "I can't afford to tithe, to care for the poor, or support world missions. I have no extra money." (Please don't stop reading yet.) Most of the time what that really means is, "I've already committed my finances to my own needs and I won't say, 'No' to myself so I can say, 'Yes' to God." Bev and I learned the joy of tithing when we were poor. We gave God the first 10% of our income from the beginning of our marriage, committing to tithe first, and then to live on what was left. There were times when we wanted a new car, a vacation, or a college fund for the kids that simply was out of reach in our budget. The commitment of a substantial part of income stream to the Lord was a tempting place to do a reallocation, but that option was quickly rejected with "no" because we had already said a prior, "yes" that was inviolable.

We say, "I can't take on responsibility for some work of service or ministry, my schedule is simply too full." Again, that is usually translated, "I've already filled up my leisure time with things I want to do and I won't say 'no' to any of those things so I can use the spiritual gifts I have to glorify God." It's easy to insist that nearly everyday is full, but the people I talk to have time to watch TV, engage in sports activities, etc. There's nothing wrong with either of those things, but IF a Believer says, "I can't serve," and yet has time to watch TV several hours a week or play sports for hours each week, he's simply not being honest with himself about his true priorities. (Please keep reading.)

Modern Christians have mostly discarded a spiritual discipline - Fasting. We say that fasting is too legalistic, too rule-bound, too focused on religious acts. It can be. Like any good discipline, fasting can be turned into a show of 'spirituality' to earn the ooh's and aah's of others. Some people crave this kind of comment- "Look at how thin, he is. He is on day 30 of a 40 day fast. Wow, he's so spiritual." Others think that fasting a day a week proves to God how much they love Him or gives them some kind of leverage in their prayers. "Look, God, I go hungry for a full 24 hours every week, just for you." He doesn't care!

Fasting isn't for others and it's not for God, it's for us. When we fast, we teach ourselves that we won't die because we deprive ourselves of some food, some pleasure, or some creature comfort. Fasting helps us to say 'no' more effectively to ourselves so we are more readily able to say a joyful 'yes' to God! Because fasting a discipline that is primarily for ourselves, Jesus told us to keep it private! He said, “when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, who try to look pale and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I assure you, that is the only reward they will ever get. But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will suspect you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in secret. And your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you." (Matthew 6:16-18, NLT) Note, His words were not, "If you fast," but rather, "when you fast." We desperately need this discipline today.

Realize that fasting touches many areas of life beyond food. (Hey, I see you're still reading. Thanks.) We can apply fasting to our entertainment. For example, we can commit to turning off our TV for day a week. We can commit to a week without sugary desserts. We can make a choice not to buy something we can afford, just for the sake of discipline, choosing instead to give that money to God's work. Real maturity is shown in the ability to delay gratification. I knew my children were ready to take on more responsibility for their own choices when I saw them able to make choices that involved a long-term goal. And that maturity gained them new freedom!

IF you and I learn to say 'no' to ourselves, it may look like a terrible thing, but actually we are gaining freedom! A person who has figured out that he will live without that fat treat, is free to live in a more healthy way. A person who has learned to say 'no' to his cravings and lusts, has gained the freedom to embrace the will of God joyfully. Here's a word from the Word to take with you today -- "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ," (Titus 2:11-13, NIV)

Bursting into flame

Fire may smolder, hidden away, with just barely enough heat to cause a few fibers to burn in a slow, smoky, almost imperceptible way. But when the glowing embers burn to the surface, uncovering a source of oxygen, a spectacular burst of fire springs up almost instantaneously! Anger hidden the human heart is just like that.

Recently I spoke with a man whose heart smolders with resentment against his wife. She, likewise, carries deep-seated anger that is just below the surface even admitting to me that she 'hates' him, but at the same time she says, "I'm not really angry. I'm just hurt." They occupy the same house, but speak only in curt tones, cutting each other down when given the opportunity. The slow burn of resentment grows a little every day, assuring that there will almost certainly be be a 'fire' that destroys their lives. When the conflagration comes, they'll will say, "It just burst over us, coming from nowhere!" The truth is that the embers are growing hotter right now, but they will not admit they are angry! If they did, they would be compelled to follow through and seek a solution, which neither is ready to do -yet. Tragically, the fire could be quenched now, but once it rages out of control, their marriage and lives will likely be consumed.

Anger is one of the emotions that people deny most often. We relabel it, refer it, excuse it ... anything but face it. "I'm not angry, just upset," one woman told me during a counseling session in which she alternated between tears of frustration and rage so intense it made her incoherent! "I'm indignant," another person told me when describing how their adult son repeatedly took advantage of his mother. Both people were angry, deeply so, but because anger is a frightening emotion, and usually regarded as 'bad,' these people would not admit to the obvious.

Anger is a legitimate human emotion. A person who is incapable of anger is pathetic, a victim for everybody that comes along life's road. Anger helps us gather the courage to make change, to right wrongs, to seek justice. Anger is an emotion that is close to love. Surprised? We get angry only about situations that involve things or people we care about. Apathy literally means without feelings and leaves us half-dead! Ungodly anger is destructive exactly because it is selfish, a twisted expression of self-love that explodes when we feel inconvenienced or when our will is frustrated. Last Saturday I grew angry because my expensive eyeglasses were missing. My anger reflected the fact that I valued the item, but it was totally misfocused because I was ready to blame anyone but myself for misplacing the object!!

Deeply godly men and women will become passionately angry when the weak are abused, when others are oppressed or robbed of their dignity. Actions that diminish God's honor or that potentially harm those He loves will cause His people to rise up with anger to take corrective anger-- and rightly so! However, the Bible warns us of the potential for danger that accompanies anger. The Scripture says, ...“don’t sin by letting anger gain control over you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry. (Ephesians 4:26, NLT) Two things are emphasized - we must not lose rational control over anger, for then it flows into rage which is always destructive! And anger must have limits. We can't just 'stay mad' for days on end for that kind of unresolved anger eats away at us - body and soul.

Do you love God enough to grow angry at sin- in yourself and in the world - enough to work hard for change, to weep genuine tears of repentance, to humbly seek the powerful Presence of the Spirit for transformation?
Do you love other enough to get involved, to rise above apathy, even to the extent of feeling angry?
That's good! Now, use that anger to motivate you towards good ends.

Got anger smoldering just below the surface of your life? Are you trying to deny it, or call it something other than what it really is?
Get honest, now. Sure it's not easy facing up to the fact that you're angry at God over some situation in your life which you do not like or over which you feel little control. Admitting that you are really angry with that spouse or child isn't much fun either. Once you admit to it, you will have to do something to resolve the conflict or to move to acceptance - which might mean 'dying to self.' Ugh, nobody enjoys that!

Here's a word to think on today: "Slowness to anger makes for deep understanding; a quick-tempered person stockpiles stupidity."
(Proverbs 14:29, The Message)