I hate injustice. If I am guilty of it, I can beat myself up pretty badly. If I witness it, I feel like putting up the dukes. If I am victimized by it, I rage inside.
So, as I read today about Jesus' suffering of injustice during His trial, I was struck by His reaction to it. Silence. As a lamb led to slaughter. Ellen White writes really well of His dignity, His regal demeanor, His compassion for His abusers. His reaction to the abuse meted on Him--greater than any abuse any other individual has ever endured--is a such a rebuke.
But don't downplay His reaction to the abuse meted out on others. He busted out a whip once and laid the smack down on some unscrupulous guys in the temple once. He sent demons packing all over the place. He embarrassed Pharisees and religious types when they tried to trap Him, argue with Him, or when they used other people as pawns in their hateful agenda.
It seems that He acted when others faced injustice and oppression. But He took it when He was challenged to compromised. You see, He had to face this as a human being. If He were to ever expect you and I to stand up for our faith, He had to set the example.
That's tough. I can't say that I'd show the same qualities if it were me. This is one of those ways in which Jesus is going to have to do some work on me! I get offended too easily. I am too sensitive. I want to go and hide or run into a fight when someone's unfairly treating me.
I think the difference is ego, quite frankly. If I take myself too seriously, I am more likely to fight back. If it's about me, I focus on my hurt feelings. But if it's really about Jesus, I keep my eyes focused on Him, stick with principal, and don't worry about what happens to me.
Ego is not worth compromising Jesus over. Here is a man who came to be my neighbor. His ego meant nothing to Him, considering how much He gave up to move into the human neighborhood. My ego has to become less. Until then, He'll never become more.
How can you take yourself less seriously, so that when you are challenged to compromise faith or face pain or loss, you'll stand with Jesus?
What strengthens your faith the most, so that you know that standing for Jesus is an honor worth any abuse?
Friday, December 13, 2013
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Thinking Too Highly of Self
We like to think that we are important, powerful, and wise. It's interesting to see so many of the arguments on Facebook these days. A body cannot post something about a cute kitten anymore without someone else flaming them with a diatribe about it being fake or pointless. We call those people "trolls." Either they really think they are that smart and entitled to share their smartness with you, or they're just jerks.
I saw a saying once: "All I want is a constant and exaggerated sense of my own importance." Isn't that the truth? None of us want to believe that we're worthless, stupid, unimportant, and unwanted. If we aren't made to feel important by others, we often do things to make ourselves feel more important. Left unchecked, this can get dangerous. We get puffed up, big-headed, and to others, insufferable.
It's the guy in your church who's always telling everyone what the church should be doing, or what it should not be doing, and why the leaders are terrible and should be ousted. It's they person who seems to have ordained herself as the spiritual policewoman of the church, and she has a litany of quotations and texts to back up her ideas (the ultimate expert in what is called isogeses: I have an idea or belief, and I go to the Bible to back it up, rather than allowing the Bible to teach me what I should believe and do, which is called exegesis).
Such people can be pretty annoying. But as I read this story in John 13 about how Jesus handled Judas (and the supplementary materials from The Desire of Ages, Chapter 75), I see this perfect man who handles a truly obnoxious situation in a way that I would struggle with mightily. Jesus does not out Judas directly. He does not put up a fight against him. Rather, He allows Judas to betray Him for the price of a slave. Jesus doesn't argue. He takes it! And even when Judas makes a plea for Jesus to be saved, Jesus says, "It's for this reason I came!"
Even Jesus' betrayer was, without even knowing it, accomplishing God's will.
There are always going to be annoying, obnoxious, know-it-alls in your life that have a high opinion of themselves. To look at Jesus is to see a man who suffered such people, called them out if necessary, and simply proved Himself to be Who He was without trying to argue them down.
People will eventually show themselves for who they are. There is no point in behaving any differently than Jesus did. Show kindness and love. Correct only as the Holy Spirit leads, and with great humility. Keep your eyes on Jesus and do what He's called you to do to make disciples. The rest is His to handle.
I saw a saying once: "All I want is a constant and exaggerated sense of my own importance." Isn't that the truth? None of us want to believe that we're worthless, stupid, unimportant, and unwanted. If we aren't made to feel important by others, we often do things to make ourselves feel more important. Left unchecked, this can get dangerous. We get puffed up, big-headed, and to others, insufferable.
It's the guy in your church who's always telling everyone what the church should be doing, or what it should not be doing, and why the leaders are terrible and should be ousted. It's they person who seems to have ordained herself as the spiritual policewoman of the church, and she has a litany of quotations and texts to back up her ideas (the ultimate expert in what is called isogeses: I have an idea or belief, and I go to the Bible to back it up, rather than allowing the Bible to teach me what I should believe and do, which is called exegesis).
Such people can be pretty annoying. But as I read this story in John 13 about how Jesus handled Judas (and the supplementary materials from The Desire of Ages, Chapter 75), I see this perfect man who handles a truly obnoxious situation in a way that I would struggle with mightily. Jesus does not out Judas directly. He does not put up a fight against him. Rather, He allows Judas to betray Him for the price of a slave. Jesus doesn't argue. He takes it! And even when Judas makes a plea for Jesus to be saved, Jesus says, "It's for this reason I came!"
Even Jesus' betrayer was, without even knowing it, accomplishing God's will.
There are always going to be annoying, obnoxious, know-it-alls in your life that have a high opinion of themselves. To look at Jesus is to see a man who suffered such people, called them out if necessary, and simply proved Himself to be Who He was without trying to argue them down.
People will eventually show themselves for who they are. There is no point in behaving any differently than Jesus did. Show kindness and love. Correct only as the Holy Spirit leads, and with great humility. Keep your eyes on Jesus and do what He's called you to do to make disciples. The rest is His to handle.
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Ramped Up
"Don't get mad. Get even!"
Popular words for the one who cannot really take a hit. Really, a lot of people aren't satisfied with getting even. They really want to get a "leg-up" on someone else and make sure they're in the dominant position when it's all over with.
The cycle continues. Enemies ramp each other up.
I've been reading Bill O'Reilly's book, Killing Kennedy. I just finished his take on the Cuban Missile Crisis of October, 1962, thirteen days of intense worrying by many in the United States (including Kennedy himself) that a nuclear holocaust was imminent. Today, most of us probably have no concept of how close how close we came to not having a United States by Christmas of that year. Or a USSR. Within minutes, millions of people in this country (and in another thousands of miles away) could have been killed if either Kennedy or Kruschev had given the go-ahead.
What strikes me about this is the rhetoric that was going back and forth. It was forceful and scary. And behind all of it was an unstated thing, it seems--neither wanted to look like the fool in the eyes of their respective nations or in the eyes of the rest of the world. Neither wanted the other to have the upper hand. "Don't get mad... get better!" may have wiped out whole nations.
The ways of Jesus just don't go with the ways of this world. Before the Sanhedrin, as they spat at him, beat him, and falsely accused him, hardly a word passed his lips, save that which acknowledged him as the Son of God, the Christ.
He didn't get mad! That's the thing that amazes me. The most abused man in history did not get mad. He did not retaliate or even hint at retaliation. He could have initiated something much more powerful than a nuke. But he just stood there and took it, the "Lamb led to slaughter" that Isaiah had written about centuries before.
If ever there was One who will not ramp up the rhetoric, incite a mob himself, or strike back at persecutors, it is Jesus. I have to wonder what the world would be like if we truly did the same. That's tough! This nation, "under God," has retaliated swiftly and decisively against those who have done us harm. I get it. "What are we supposed to do, just roll over and expose our belly? Should not those who do unjust things get what's coming? What of the abusers? The child-molestors? The terrorists? Rapists?"
Scripture doesn't tell us that those who do others harm should just be allowed to continue doing harm. Consequences for actions are inevitable. That's not what I'm talking about. The vulnerable deserve to be protected.
But what if we, on individual levels, chose to react differently to those who persecute us? Wrongly accuse us? What if we stopped trying to "get even" or "get ahead"? What if our response to wrong was kindness and prayer, as opposed to lashing back out?
Not that I'm any good at it myself. I have plenty of Walter Mitty conversations where I'm lashing out (in my head) at someone I'm not happy with. I cannot tell anyone to change how they react without asking God to change how I react. This isn't just some global, peacenik rant. It's personal. It's individual. Unless we choose to react differently on an individual level, nothing on a grander scale will ever change.
Lord, help me to respond to attackers, abusers, and those bent on injustice with Your love, Your calmness, and Your dignity. I cannot do it without You.
Jesus. ALL.
Popular words for the one who cannot really take a hit. Really, a lot of people aren't satisfied with getting even. They really want to get a "leg-up" on someone else and make sure they're in the dominant position when it's all over with.
The cycle continues. Enemies ramp each other up.
I've been reading Bill O'Reilly's book, Killing Kennedy. I just finished his take on the Cuban Missile Crisis of October, 1962, thirteen days of intense worrying by many in the United States (including Kennedy himself) that a nuclear holocaust was imminent. Today, most of us probably have no concept of how close how close we came to not having a United States by Christmas of that year. Or a USSR. Within minutes, millions of people in this country (and in another thousands of miles away) could have been killed if either Kennedy or Kruschev had given the go-ahead.
What strikes me about this is the rhetoric that was going back and forth. It was forceful and scary. And behind all of it was an unstated thing, it seems--neither wanted to look like the fool in the eyes of their respective nations or in the eyes of the rest of the world. Neither wanted the other to have the upper hand. "Don't get mad... get better!" may have wiped out whole nations.
The ways of Jesus just don't go with the ways of this world. Before the Sanhedrin, as they spat at him, beat him, and falsely accused him, hardly a word passed his lips, save that which acknowledged him as the Son of God, the Christ.
He didn't get mad! That's the thing that amazes me. The most abused man in history did not get mad. He did not retaliate or even hint at retaliation. He could have initiated something much more powerful than a nuke. But he just stood there and took it, the "Lamb led to slaughter" that Isaiah had written about centuries before.
If ever there was One who will not ramp up the rhetoric, incite a mob himself, or strike back at persecutors, it is Jesus. I have to wonder what the world would be like if we truly did the same. That's tough! This nation, "under God," has retaliated swiftly and decisively against those who have done us harm. I get it. "What are we supposed to do, just roll over and expose our belly? Should not those who do unjust things get what's coming? What of the abusers? The child-molestors? The terrorists? Rapists?"
Scripture doesn't tell us that those who do others harm should just be allowed to continue doing harm. Consequences for actions are inevitable. That's not what I'm talking about. The vulnerable deserve to be protected.
But what if we, on individual levels, chose to react differently to those who persecute us? Wrongly accuse us? What if we stopped trying to "get even" or "get ahead"? What if our response to wrong was kindness and prayer, as opposed to lashing back out?
Not that I'm any good at it myself. I have plenty of Walter Mitty conversations where I'm lashing out (in my head) at someone I'm not happy with. I cannot tell anyone to change how they react without asking God to change how I react. This isn't just some global, peacenik rant. It's personal. It's individual. Unless we choose to react differently on an individual level, nothing on a grander scale will ever change.
Lord, help me to respond to attackers, abusers, and those bent on injustice with Your love, Your calmness, and Your dignity. I cannot do it without You.
Jesus. ALL.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Crisis
We have all faced crisis. You can minimize it if you'd like, but it causes stress and anxiety on some level with just about anyone. There are some people who face a huge crisis and seem to be able to shrug off the stress. Visiting cancer patients in the hospital last fall, there was a woman who was there almost the entire time I rounded (4 months or so), but she always seemed to be pretty much at ease with things.
At the same time, there are those who blow their stacks at the smallest things. And, no, they aren't all 13 year-old drama magnets (the other one is 15... just kidding). They seem to learn how to handle life's issues by watching the latest Fox sitcom.
In thinking about the crises I've faced in my life, I cannot really pin down how I react. There have been times I have "turtled"... pulled the covers over my head and hoped it would just go away. There have been times when I've dug in and stood my ground. There have been a few notable times when I got hot and lost my temper. I'm not sure which (the first or the last reaction) I'm less proud of, actually. Escapism and avoidance of a problem (one of my weaknesses) is often doing to yourself what you would otherwise do to someone else.
None of us faced a bigger crisis than Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Sorry, I don't care how big your issue is, the fate of the universe does not hinge on it as it did with Jesus.
In Luke 22:42, Jesus prayed "... not my will, but yours be done." So, facing the biggest crisis ever, what was the Son of God doing here? Turtling avoidance? I don't think so. If he was a turtle, why come to earth in the first place?
Was he being weak in confessing his desire not to do this? I've heard that before and frankly cannot fathom why the thought even occurs to someone. With the weight of all sin pressing upon him, under direct attack from the essence of evil, it is understandable and (I feel) a sign of strength even to express yourself like this. Considering how terrible he felt, to even be willing to continue is far more than heroic.
I do not see a man bitterly resigned to fate. His prayer while with the disciples before he arrived here (found in John) should make that plain.
Here was a man trusting in his Father's love to pull him through. Here was a man who could not see the outcome of all of this but trusted that Father would come through on THE plan of plans.
I want to pray like that. When I pray, "Your will be done," I don't think my motives are that pure. Sometimes I have prayed such prayers and add that phrase to the end of the statement as a means to excuse my own selfish requests. Extreme example: "Help me to win the lottery, but if not, Your will be done (of course)." I actually think such a phrase so badly used should show us how far off the mark we are and how much we need His mercy. It should expose my motives, especially if you think about what the Father actually wills: salvation... renewal... restoration... transformation...
What does it actually mean when we tell someone, "See you this weekend, Lord willing!" As if He doesn't will that we see each other? I suppose that if my seeing you is going to detract from His desire for our lives (salvation, renewal, restoration, transformation, etc.), then I can accept that. But, again, I find myself uncomfortable with the phrase as something just added on to the end of a conversation.
Look... what do I know, really? I don't know my own heart well enough, much less another's when we pray, "Your will be done." But I do know a little about Jesus. I know He loves me. I know He died for me, going through with the drinking of the cup that I deserved to gulp from. I know He wants me with Him forever. I know He wants me to be a changed man. I know He's doing more than His part for this to happen.
I know that much about His will. So I can say with confidence now (after taking you through the thought process to get here)... "Your will be done. Not mine."
At the same time, there are those who blow their stacks at the smallest things. And, no, they aren't all 13 year-old drama magnets (the other one is 15... just kidding). They seem to learn how to handle life's issues by watching the latest Fox sitcom.
In thinking about the crises I've faced in my life, I cannot really pin down how I react. There have been times I have "turtled"... pulled the covers over my head and hoped it would just go away. There have been times when I've dug in and stood my ground. There have been a few notable times when I got hot and lost my temper. I'm not sure which (the first or the last reaction) I'm less proud of, actually. Escapism and avoidance of a problem (one of my weaknesses) is often doing to yourself what you would otherwise do to someone else.
None of us faced a bigger crisis than Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Sorry, I don't care how big your issue is, the fate of the universe does not hinge on it as it did with Jesus.
In Luke 22:42, Jesus prayed "... not my will, but yours be done." So, facing the biggest crisis ever, what was the Son of God doing here? Turtling avoidance? I don't think so. If he was a turtle, why come to earth in the first place?
Was he being weak in confessing his desire not to do this? I've heard that before and frankly cannot fathom why the thought even occurs to someone. With the weight of all sin pressing upon him, under direct attack from the essence of evil, it is understandable and (I feel) a sign of strength even to express yourself like this. Considering how terrible he felt, to even be willing to continue is far more than heroic.
I do not see a man bitterly resigned to fate. His prayer while with the disciples before he arrived here (found in John) should make that plain.
Here was a man trusting in his Father's love to pull him through. Here was a man who could not see the outcome of all of this but trusted that Father would come through on THE plan of plans.
I want to pray like that. When I pray, "Your will be done," I don't think my motives are that pure. Sometimes I have prayed such prayers and add that phrase to the end of the statement as a means to excuse my own selfish requests. Extreme example: "Help me to win the lottery, but if not, Your will be done (of course)." I actually think such a phrase so badly used should show us how far off the mark we are and how much we need His mercy. It should expose my motives, especially if you think about what the Father actually wills: salvation... renewal... restoration... transformation...
What does it actually mean when we tell someone, "See you this weekend, Lord willing!" As if He doesn't will that we see each other? I suppose that if my seeing you is going to detract from His desire for our lives (salvation, renewal, restoration, transformation, etc.), then I can accept that. But, again, I find myself uncomfortable with the phrase as something just added on to the end of a conversation.
Look... what do I know, really? I don't know my own heart well enough, much less another's when we pray, "Your will be done." But I do know a little about Jesus. I know He loves me. I know He died for me, going through with the drinking of the cup that I deserved to gulp from. I know He wants me with Him forever. I know He wants me to be a changed man. I know He's doing more than His part for this to happen.
I know that much about His will. So I can say with confidence now (after taking you through the thought process to get here)... "Your will be done. Not mine."
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Recognizing Father
Tomorrow brings another big day in our lives. I, my wife, and my mother all will be officially one year older. I'll be 39, one year shy of 4-0. I'm not sure why exactly, but that seems to be a defining year for most people. It's kind of that magic number that you get to in life that says, "You can no longer call yourself a young anything. The word 'middle-aged' is now what you're supposed to call yourself."
I have to say, however, that while there are signs there of getting older, for the most part I still feel like my regular self, for better and worse. One of those things that seems to evolve is how I recognize God in my life. One thing I liked when I was younger was how I could seem to get excited about recognizing God in the moment. If I heard a really good speaker, or a great concert, or participated in serving people, I could get that really awesome feeling in the moment. These days, it's not always as instantly apparent. I know He's there and doing things in my life, but I often don't recognize it until it's already happened.
I think for many it's easier to recognize the movement of God in the moment. I was a youth pastor for a long time, something I still miss doing. I think that part of the reason I loved doing that was the ability to see them recognize God in the moment. They weren't jaded by age, experience, skepticism, or whatever. They just seemed to get it!
One young person on a mission trip was in tears after we served several people in a remote village who had need of basic life necessities... clothing and medicine. In the moment, I was concerned about having enough and keeping the traffic flowing through the room so we could serve more people. This young person was getting it in the moment, while it took me a few hours to really see it for what it was (in hindsight)... God at work in powerful ways!
Even as I write this, I have to remember something of critical importance... God is always at work in powerful ways. Just because my senses are often too dull to notice it doesn't mean He isn't there and working supernatural stuff. Just the fact that I can stand here a forgiven man means something is happening and has happened.
In John 14:8-14, Jesus and Philip have an interesting conversation. Philip says to Jesus, "Lord, show us the Father..." Jesus: "Don't you know me, Philip,...? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father..."
OK, then Jesus promises the disciples the Holy Spirit Who was to come in Jesus' Name. He even tells them they're better off if He leaves so that this would be possible. As it turns out, the Holy Spirit in them was the evidence of God living in them, being more intimate with them than at any time since the Garden.
That's amazing stuff! Consider it... if you have ever noticed the presence of God in you, working with you, doing things through you, serving people, performing a miracle, giving you an "aha!" moment as you read Scripture, whatever... that's the Holy Spirit living in and through you. When you see another person doing something that glorifies God, you have seen the Father! That's the gift of Jesus. That is experiencing God in ways that go even beyond getting a visual.
It seems to me we esteem this too lightly. At any moment, if I believe I am in His presence, it is an opportunity to glorify and experience Him. It doesn't matter if I'm alone or in the company of friends or with strangers. He is there. I have to believe I "have seen the Father," that I know what He is like. And if this is true, every moment can be filled with awe and wonder and amazement and worship.
If you're someone who just serves people and loves others, someone who breathes God's love without having to say anything, someone who can be filled with His joy in suffering or triumph... thank you! You have shown me the Father! I hope I am showing Him to you!
I have to say, however, that while there are signs there of getting older, for the most part I still feel like my regular self, for better and worse. One of those things that seems to evolve is how I recognize God in my life. One thing I liked when I was younger was how I could seem to get excited about recognizing God in the moment. If I heard a really good speaker, or a great concert, or participated in serving people, I could get that really awesome feeling in the moment. These days, it's not always as instantly apparent. I know He's there and doing things in my life, but I often don't recognize it until it's already happened.
I think for many it's easier to recognize the movement of God in the moment. I was a youth pastor for a long time, something I still miss doing. I think that part of the reason I loved doing that was the ability to see them recognize God in the moment. They weren't jaded by age, experience, skepticism, or whatever. They just seemed to get it!
One young person on a mission trip was in tears after we served several people in a remote village who had need of basic life necessities... clothing and medicine. In the moment, I was concerned about having enough and keeping the traffic flowing through the room so we could serve more people. This young person was getting it in the moment, while it took me a few hours to really see it for what it was (in hindsight)... God at work in powerful ways!
Even as I write this, I have to remember something of critical importance... God is always at work in powerful ways. Just because my senses are often too dull to notice it doesn't mean He isn't there and working supernatural stuff. Just the fact that I can stand here a forgiven man means something is happening and has happened.
In John 14:8-14, Jesus and Philip have an interesting conversation. Philip says to Jesus, "Lord, show us the Father..." Jesus: "Don't you know me, Philip,...? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father..."
OK, then Jesus promises the disciples the Holy Spirit Who was to come in Jesus' Name. He even tells them they're better off if He leaves so that this would be possible. As it turns out, the Holy Spirit in them was the evidence of God living in them, being more intimate with them than at any time since the Garden.
That's amazing stuff! Consider it... if you have ever noticed the presence of God in you, working with you, doing things through you, serving people, performing a miracle, giving you an "aha!" moment as you read Scripture, whatever... that's the Holy Spirit living in and through you. When you see another person doing something that glorifies God, you have seen the Father! That's the gift of Jesus. That is experiencing God in ways that go even beyond getting a visual.
It seems to me we esteem this too lightly. At any moment, if I believe I am in His presence, it is an opportunity to glorify and experience Him. It doesn't matter if I'm alone or in the company of friends or with strangers. He is there. I have to believe I "have seen the Father," that I know what He is like. And if this is true, every moment can be filled with awe and wonder and amazement and worship.
If you're someone who just serves people and loves others, someone who breathes God's love without having to say anything, someone who can be filled with His joy in suffering or triumph... thank you! You have shown me the Father! I hope I am showing Him to you!
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Unnoticable
Confession time... I have very little patience for braggarts and blowhards. It takes me about 30 seconds before I'm looking for a way out of the meeting or the conversation. Yeah, I know that people need to be heard, that some feel the need to cover for their inadequacies with their verbiage and that I could be a better listener and cut through the words to the real story being told. But I'm lousy at that.
There's a principle of service found in the Bible, John 13:1-17 to be exact. It states that to be great, be a servant. To be like Christ, embrace being degraded (in human estimation) for the benefit of others. For this reason I admire those who are generous without being noticed, who serve without being asked. I love it when I realize well after the fact that someone served and no one knew about it.
It should be happening in the everyday stuff as well. Thinking over the first paragraph of this little essay, how is this principle applied in just the way we speak with people? The opposite of the principle of service is self-seeking, the desire to be served. That means I put myself in a position so that you will see me as better than you, higher than you, more worthy of adulation and service than you. The sneakiest part of this, in my view at least, is when I speak to you as one deserving of your admiration. When I get full of myself and my vision and my position and my importance and... you get the picture.
I tire of leaders who won't let someone else get a word in edgewise, as if they have to hear themselves talk to convince themselves they are visionary or right (they say they're trying to convince you, but I think they're really trying to convince themselves). Bombastic talk is cheap. I think to be a servant, to have a servant's heart and be a servant leader, means that I am humble enough to listen first. I should allow for the opinions of others (and harbor a healthy amount of self-distrust). I will take the towel to serve, not only physically but intellectually, emotionally, spiritually. I think the whole person is a servant if the whole person is not to be servant-compromised.
So, in short, to be a servant-leader, maybe a good place to start is to be silent. Listen, and subdue the urge to correct or add to someone's thoughts your own visionary brilliance. Chances are, you're not that brilliant anyway (no offense--neither am I). Frankly, I'd rather be known as a person who validates another because I could keep my mouth shut and listen than to be the on who keeps trying to build myself up on my own words. I would also solicit prayers for this... as one who struggles to listen well at times, I don't want to air my thoughts on servant-listening unless I improve on it myself!
There's a principle of service found in the Bible, John 13:1-17 to be exact. It states that to be great, be a servant. To be like Christ, embrace being degraded (in human estimation) for the benefit of others. For this reason I admire those who are generous without being noticed, who serve without being asked. I love it when I realize well after the fact that someone served and no one knew about it.
It should be happening in the everyday stuff as well. Thinking over the first paragraph of this little essay, how is this principle applied in just the way we speak with people? The opposite of the principle of service is self-seeking, the desire to be served. That means I put myself in a position so that you will see me as better than you, higher than you, more worthy of adulation and service than you. The sneakiest part of this, in my view at least, is when I speak to you as one deserving of your admiration. When I get full of myself and my vision and my position and my importance and... you get the picture.
I tire of leaders who won't let someone else get a word in edgewise, as if they have to hear themselves talk to convince themselves they are visionary or right (they say they're trying to convince you, but I think they're really trying to convince themselves). Bombastic talk is cheap. I think to be a servant, to have a servant's heart and be a servant leader, means that I am humble enough to listen first. I should allow for the opinions of others (and harbor a healthy amount of self-distrust). I will take the towel to serve, not only physically but intellectually, emotionally, spiritually. I think the whole person is a servant if the whole person is not to be servant-compromised.
So, in short, to be a servant-leader, maybe a good place to start is to be silent. Listen, and subdue the urge to correct or add to someone's thoughts your own visionary brilliance. Chances are, you're not that brilliant anyway (no offense--neither am I). Frankly, I'd rather be known as a person who validates another because I could keep my mouth shut and listen than to be the on who keeps trying to build myself up on my own words. I would also solicit prayers for this... as one who struggles to listen well at times, I don't want to air my thoughts on servant-listening unless I improve on it myself!
Monday, August 26, 2013
What It's About, and What It's Not About
Have you ever played that game that a lot of groups play when they are together to get to know each other better: "What three things would you take with you if you were alone on an island?" I always have a hard time with that one. As a Christian, people often say the good old fallback: a Bible. Yeah, that would be good! As a worldly person with worldly needs, you might say "Toilet paper!" That's good for a few laughs. Survivalists would want something to catch fish with, or an unlimited supply of MREs, or a huge box of flares.
I ran across an interesting question today. What would you take if you could take two things with you to heaven?
The lifelong Christian in me says, "Well... nothing really." A Bible? Well, if that's the Word of God, and I'm going to heaven to actually be with God, that's not exactly a necessity is it? Before I go off on people (my family, of course), they are not things. Ultimately, there's nothing really worth taking, nothing that would be of any real use in heaven anyway that I have now.
So... nothing! There are not two things I have that are even worth having there.
The point of that question to me is to put into stark reality how out-of-whack my priorities are here. Why do I need things? If I don't care to take any thing with me, why do I spend a whit of my time worrying about any thing I own or don't own?
Seriously, as the sermon went that I heard once, "It all goes back in the box!" On earth, even I will go there eventually, provided Jesus doesn't come first.
There's another thought. What are His priorities?
As I read through Matthew 24 and Mark 13, everything boils down to that priority: people. Satan cannot deceive stuff. He can deceive people. And the whole gist of that story is how people will treat each other, how people will be deceived, but most importantly how people will be saved from deception.
Jesus' priority comes into clear focus in Matthew 24:14 -- "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." You don't preach to stuff. You preach to people. Why hasn't He come yet? Because there are people who haven't yet heard the gospel of the kingdom.
"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9)
I've always struggled a bit with the thought that some have, that we can speed up the Lord's coming. There's a couple ways to look at this. If He hasn't come yet, it's because the house is not ready yet. You get this idea from the Jewish concept of weddings, where after a groom's proposal has been accepted, he goes to his home and builds a room onto the family house for he and his bride to live in. When it's finished, he goes and gets his bride.
But there's a switch that happens in Matthew 24 and Mark 13. The bride isn't fully ready either! Somehow the bride of Christ hasn't reached her full potential yet, and there are more people to add to her before she's ready! The whole world has to have the opportunity to be a part of her. Could it be that the groom (Christ) will not finish the new place in heaven for his bride until the bride is ready to be brought home? Until the groom knows just how to build the new home for his bride, inclusive of all who will accept His proposal?
Apparently, there are still people who haven't heard! Apparently, even as we say "Come, Lord Jesus," He's saying, "But what about the people in __________. Don't they deserve the same chance you received to say 'yes' to Me?"
What a compassionate God we serve! Now, if I believe in that compassion, do I believe just as much in continuing to beautify the bride as He does and add to her?
It isn't about if I know what to say. It's about going to that person who needs to hear and trusting the God who gives the right words in due season. It isn't about whether I have a "gift of evangelism" that is verified by a questionnaire. It's about whether I'm willing to allow Holy Spirit to pour that gift into me in the same due season.
It's never about stuff, my fear, or giftedness. It's about people and God's power.
I ran across an interesting question today. What would you take if you could take two things with you to heaven?
The lifelong Christian in me says, "Well... nothing really." A Bible? Well, if that's the Word of God, and I'm going to heaven to actually be with God, that's not exactly a necessity is it? Before I go off on people (my family, of course), they are not things. Ultimately, there's nothing really worth taking, nothing that would be of any real use in heaven anyway that I have now.
So... nothing! There are not two things I have that are even worth having there.
The point of that question to me is to put into stark reality how out-of-whack my priorities are here. Why do I need things? If I don't care to take any thing with me, why do I spend a whit of my time worrying about any thing I own or don't own?
Seriously, as the sermon went that I heard once, "It all goes back in the box!" On earth, even I will go there eventually, provided Jesus doesn't come first.
There's another thought. What are His priorities?
As I read through Matthew 24 and Mark 13, everything boils down to that priority: people. Satan cannot deceive stuff. He can deceive people. And the whole gist of that story is how people will treat each other, how people will be deceived, but most importantly how people will be saved from deception.
Jesus' priority comes into clear focus in Matthew 24:14 -- "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." You don't preach to stuff. You preach to people. Why hasn't He come yet? Because there are people who haven't yet heard the gospel of the kingdom.
"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9)
I've always struggled a bit with the thought that some have, that we can speed up the Lord's coming. There's a couple ways to look at this. If He hasn't come yet, it's because the house is not ready yet. You get this idea from the Jewish concept of weddings, where after a groom's proposal has been accepted, he goes to his home and builds a room onto the family house for he and his bride to live in. When it's finished, he goes and gets his bride.
But there's a switch that happens in Matthew 24 and Mark 13. The bride isn't fully ready either! Somehow the bride of Christ hasn't reached her full potential yet, and there are more people to add to her before she's ready! The whole world has to have the opportunity to be a part of her. Could it be that the groom (Christ) will not finish the new place in heaven for his bride until the bride is ready to be brought home? Until the groom knows just how to build the new home for his bride, inclusive of all who will accept His proposal?
Apparently, there are still people who haven't heard! Apparently, even as we say "Come, Lord Jesus," He's saying, "But what about the people in __________. Don't they deserve the same chance you received to say 'yes' to Me?"
What a compassionate God we serve! Now, if I believe in that compassion, do I believe just as much in continuing to beautify the bride as He does and add to her?
It isn't about if I know what to say. It's about going to that person who needs to hear and trusting the God who gives the right words in due season. It isn't about whether I have a "gift of evangelism" that is verified by a questionnaire. It's about whether I'm willing to allow Holy Spirit to pour that gift into me in the same due season.
It's never about stuff, my fear, or giftedness. It's about people and God's power.
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