The Word comes to me in two places in the Scripture reading in Psalms 50 this morning:
Verse 14 says: "Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,"
Verse 23 continues: "The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;"
How is thanksgiving truly a sacrifice? Perhaps it is found in the verb "offer" that is used in both of the above passages.
Back in the Old Testament, there is a whole series of sacrifices that the children of Israel were commanded by God to offer to Him. These were instituted for the people in order for them to conform their lives to the laws of the God they served and who had saved them. A sacrifice would be an act of obedience, showing that a person wanted to be in right relationship to Him. These people gave up the right to something that they had in order to fulfill the law of God.
How about an offering of thanksgiving? What do I give up in order to present this attitude to God? What does it take for me to do this?
I know from reading more of the lives of the Israelite people, that God was not always pleased with the sacrifices they made, sacrifices that were made strictly to look good, but were not made from the heart. The attitude of the person was more important than the act. The condition of the heart was the key to acceptance of the sacrifice.
So when I willingly give to God the offering of my grateful heart, I present an acceptable sacrifice to Him. I give up the right to be prideful of what I might have done, but instead give Him the praise for what He has done. I give up the right to take any credit for the circumstances of my life that I might like and instead give credit where credit is due for His gifts to me.
I also give up any rights that I might have to be down or to bemoan my life at that particular moment, to say woe is me, and also my right to compare myself to another.
I have been blessed by God, through nothing that I have done, and I am grateful for all of that. A lot of that has come in the form of material blessings which I enjoy and the health that is mine now. My acknowledgment of all that is a beginning, but can I give it all back to Him in the true spirit of sacrifice and still be thankful?
Do I really want that test?
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Imitation
Imitation is the highest form of flattery. So goes the old saying, but is it the best for the person doing the imitating?
This morning, during our church elder's meeting, our pastor wrote 3 questions on the board.
1. Is your life worth imitating?
2. Is your family worth imitating?
3. Is your community worth imitating?
That got me to thinking about my life and whether or not it would be worthwhile for anyone to imitate it. Would it draw anyone closer to God, or even put them on the right track to head in that direction?
It is not all bad, but is it the best? Would the following of my path lead someone to a good place in their life, or would it lead to the best place? Might this imitating hurt their spiritual growth in the long run, because they might settle for a small part of what this Christian life is all about?
If I step back and look at my life, I see a lot of good things, at least on the outside. There is a pretty consistent time of Bible study and prayer, There is a online journal to record my thoughts and prayers. There are several areas of service to the church, and there are leadership roles in that local body of believers.
I think of Jesus with His disciples as they follow Him everywhere. They see all the parts of His life, and how he acts and reacts with those around Him, especially those that are out to discredit Him and His teachings. They not only hear words and see actions, they sense attitudes, they feel the tensions. and they would hear the "private" words not meant for public consumption.
Would I want someone to do that to me? Would I put on my best face and watch all my words and actions; in short, would I be myself, or just be the person that I wanted others to see? A person cannot do that on a full time basis without his life conforming to a standard, and the one on the inside will win out, whatever that one might be. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde won't work here.
I'm afraid that my life is not worth imitating a lot of the time. My public persona might be OK, but I know my private side, and it is not always pretty.
God help me to make my total life one worthy of imitation, in Your eyes and the eyes of others.
This morning, during our church elder's meeting, our pastor wrote 3 questions on the board.
1. Is your life worth imitating?
2. Is your family worth imitating?
3. Is your community worth imitating?
That got me to thinking about my life and whether or not it would be worthwhile for anyone to imitate it. Would it draw anyone closer to God, or even put them on the right track to head in that direction?
It is not all bad, but is it the best? Would the following of my path lead someone to a good place in their life, or would it lead to the best place? Might this imitating hurt their spiritual growth in the long run, because they might settle for a small part of what this Christian life is all about?
If I step back and look at my life, I see a lot of good things, at least on the outside. There is a pretty consistent time of Bible study and prayer, There is a online journal to record my thoughts and prayers. There are several areas of service to the church, and there are leadership roles in that local body of believers.
I think of Jesus with His disciples as they follow Him everywhere. They see all the parts of His life, and how he acts and reacts with those around Him, especially those that are out to discredit Him and His teachings. They not only hear words and see actions, they sense attitudes, they feel the tensions. and they would hear the "private" words not meant for public consumption.
Would I want someone to do that to me? Would I put on my best face and watch all my words and actions; in short, would I be myself, or just be the person that I wanted others to see? A person cannot do that on a full time basis without his life conforming to a standard, and the one on the inside will win out, whatever that one might be. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde won't work here.
I'm afraid that my life is not worth imitating a lot of the time. My public persona might be OK, but I know my private side, and it is not always pretty.
God help me to make my total life one worthy of imitation, in Your eyes and the eyes of others.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Three Causes
In the midst of Psalm 45 are these words:
"ride out victoriously for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness;"
Three words to live by, but how do I do that?
First of all "riding out" denotes action, and victoriously is a confident attitude. So I can picture a warrior, at the head of his men, leading them forward with assurance and a consciousness of right action. Why is he so confident in what he is doing? Because his cause is right and he knows it.
He rides out for the cause of truth. Not just "his truth", that which he perceives it to be, but absolute truth, the truth of God. I know that absolute truth sometimes has a bad connotation these days, because it takes away the individual from the equation. Is what I perceive as true, really true, or is that all I can know, and maybe someone else has a better perception. I guess that is what is meant by relative truth, truth for you and then truth for me. But behind all of that posturing is the concrete of God's truth, the only one that matters. At the end of the truth confusion, there must be one absolute concept and that is God.
How about meekness? Seems like a "I'll let anyone walk over me anyway they want, and take it" mind set. Is that true meekness, or is the use of the term here one of quiet strength, of the assurance that there is one right way, and I will follow it, regardless. There is a lot of talk today about "self", but most of the jargon seems to focus on a self esteem that receives its validity from what I can do and who I am. There is another way, and that involves self assurance, a way that revolves around who I follow rather than who I am. The focus on "me" is replaced by one of dependence and a knowledge of the truth of God for me.
Lastly there is the righteousness issue. How can I get there, knowing me as I do? It is surely not by comparing myself to any other person. I can always find someone worse, but is that the comparison that leads to that right living? The Bible says that "there is no one righteous, no not one", so I can't be that on my own either. Only if God declares me righteous can I actually be, not matter my thoughts of my own goodness, and that is only because He does not see me standing there, but Jesus, who I trust to take away my sins.
What a word picture, a warrior riding out (probably on a white horse) knowing that he goes forth in the cause of truth, with the humility and self assurance of meekness, and right standing with God, to do battle, leading from the front and pointing his followers to the way.
The causes are right, the true leader is Christ, and can I be one of his follower-leaders, at least in my small sphere of influence?
Good examples, but hard achievements. For me anyway.
"ride out victoriously for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness;"
Three words to live by, but how do I do that?
First of all "riding out" denotes action, and victoriously is a confident attitude. So I can picture a warrior, at the head of his men, leading them forward with assurance and a consciousness of right action. Why is he so confident in what he is doing? Because his cause is right and he knows it.
He rides out for the cause of truth. Not just "his truth", that which he perceives it to be, but absolute truth, the truth of God. I know that absolute truth sometimes has a bad connotation these days, because it takes away the individual from the equation. Is what I perceive as true, really true, or is that all I can know, and maybe someone else has a better perception. I guess that is what is meant by relative truth, truth for you and then truth for me. But behind all of that posturing is the concrete of God's truth, the only one that matters. At the end of the truth confusion, there must be one absolute concept and that is God.
How about meekness? Seems like a "I'll let anyone walk over me anyway they want, and take it" mind set. Is that true meekness, or is the use of the term here one of quiet strength, of the assurance that there is one right way, and I will follow it, regardless. There is a lot of talk today about "self", but most of the jargon seems to focus on a self esteem that receives its validity from what I can do and who I am. There is another way, and that involves self assurance, a way that revolves around who I follow rather than who I am. The focus on "me" is replaced by one of dependence and a knowledge of the truth of God for me.
Lastly there is the righteousness issue. How can I get there, knowing me as I do? It is surely not by comparing myself to any other person. I can always find someone worse, but is that the comparison that leads to that right living? The Bible says that "there is no one righteous, no not one", so I can't be that on my own either. Only if God declares me righteous can I actually be, not matter my thoughts of my own goodness, and that is only because He does not see me standing there, but Jesus, who I trust to take away my sins.
What a word picture, a warrior riding out (probably on a white horse) knowing that he goes forth in the cause of truth, with the humility and self assurance of meekness, and right standing with God, to do battle, leading from the front and pointing his followers to the way.
The causes are right, the true leader is Christ, and can I be one of his follower-leaders, at least in my small sphere of influence?
Good examples, but hard achievements. For me anyway.
Monday, July 16, 2012
There Is A Time And A Season For Sleeping
There is a part of me that is in complete sympathy with the disciples of Jesus as I think about them this morning. The Passover meal has ended and Jesus has taken them to the Garden of Gethsemane, leaving eight disciples at one point, He takes Peter, James and John on a little farther into the garden. He then asks them to keep watch while he goes to pray. We know the story, they fall asleep, not once but twice as the Scripture says:
"They simply couldn't keep their eyes open."
The events of the day and all the things that Jesus had talked to them about just wore them out. The Message puts it this way:
"There is a part of you that is eager, ready for anything in God. But there's another part that's as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire."
Yes, they would follow Jesus anywhere, but their bodies imposed a limit.
That is me this morning. Drew has been here with us for only two days, and my body says to sleep in this morning. After many holes of golf, swimming in the pool, some games on the Wii, and several other activities, that bed feels so very good.
But then these words of Jesus, a few verses down in the narrative say:
"Get up! Let's get going!"
There is a time to sleep and a time be up and about. After all, this day will not happen again. There are waking hours stretching out in front of me where I can be with my grand son, making memories that he might remember, enjoying the day together.
But I bet we will both sleep good tonight.
"They simply couldn't keep their eyes open."
The events of the day and all the things that Jesus had talked to them about just wore them out. The Message puts it this way:
"There is a part of you that is eager, ready for anything in God. But there's another part that's as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire."
Yes, they would follow Jesus anywhere, but their bodies imposed a limit.
That is me this morning. Drew has been here with us for only two days, and my body says to sleep in this morning. After many holes of golf, swimming in the pool, some games on the Wii, and several other activities, that bed feels so very good.
But then these words of Jesus, a few verses down in the narrative say:
"Get up! Let's get going!"
There is a time to sleep and a time be up and about. After all, this day will not happen again. There are waking hours stretching out in front of me where I can be with my grand son, making memories that he might remember, enjoying the day together.
But I bet we will both sleep good tonight.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Let The Fun Begin....
It is Saturday morning. Doug and Dawn and Drew came last night, and the parents left this morning for Florida to catch a boat for a 7 day cruise, leaving Drew with us for a week. We have looked forward to this time with this almost 12 year old, because he is a joy to have around.
I can predict a lot of what will go on during this period. We will play a lot of games in the condo, board games, card games, Wii games and others that we might make up as we go along. He and I will play a lot of golf, possibly every day, on the 9 hole section where we live. There will be times at the beach, at the park, at the lighthouse and on the bike. In short, we will try to fill his days with things that he likes to do, and he will keep us busy doing just that. He is a player and that suits his Papa just fine.
As I sit here right now, in the quiet of this morning, I think of all this week might hold, and I voice a prayer to God for these times that will not happen exactly like this again. What do I pray for right now?
I pray that Drew will have a good time this week, that he will always see our home as a fun place to come to, and that he will always want to come and be with us. It is sometimes hard to see our grand children grow up, because their lives change. They begin to have a lot of stuff to do, and grand parents who live far away, don't always figure into that mix. Interests and schedules do not always lend themselves to time together, no matter how much each may desire that. I would often like to just freeze time so that I could enjoy those moments that we can just be together.
Lucy, Drew, and Caroline (Our Virginia circus)
I would also pray that Drew would see in his grand parents their love for him and for the rest of this extended family. We have a great bunch of kids and grands, and we dearly love each one, with all their different characteristics, attitudes and abilities. We realize that we are the past and that they are the future, but we do love to be around them and share their lives and dreams.
I pray for strength and stamina this week as I try to keep up with an active almost-teenager. I pray for wisdom in dealing with everything that comes, and flexibility to not let my plans get in the way of the fellowship that is available during these days.
There is a lot more that I could pray for, and I will as things come up, even today, but there is an activity scheduled in 10 minutes, one that I promised we would do this morning, so I had better get the clubs out and find some little white balls, so that we can get started on the week in the right way.
Let the prayers that I have voiced this morning in this time cover me throughout the day's activities, along with all the others that will surface along the way. Help me to be the Papa that I need to be for him, right now in this stage of his life.
Then let the fun begin.
I can predict a lot of what will go on during this period. We will play a lot of games in the condo, board games, card games, Wii games and others that we might make up as we go along. He and I will play a lot of golf, possibly every day, on the 9 hole section where we live. There will be times at the beach, at the park, at the lighthouse and on the bike. In short, we will try to fill his days with things that he likes to do, and he will keep us busy doing just that. He is a player and that suits his Papa just fine.
As I sit here right now, in the quiet of this morning, I think of all this week might hold, and I voice a prayer to God for these times that will not happen exactly like this again. What do I pray for right now?
I pray that Drew will have a good time this week, that he will always see our home as a fun place to come to, and that he will always want to come and be with us. It is sometimes hard to see our grand children grow up, because their lives change. They begin to have a lot of stuff to do, and grand parents who live far away, don't always figure into that mix. Interests and schedules do not always lend themselves to time together, no matter how much each may desire that. I would often like to just freeze time so that I could enjoy those moments that we can just be together.
I would also pray that Drew would see in his grand parents their love for him and for the rest of this extended family. We have a great bunch of kids and grands, and we dearly love each one, with all their different characteristics, attitudes and abilities. We realize that we are the past and that they are the future, but we do love to be around them and share their lives and dreams.
I pray for strength and stamina this week as I try to keep up with an active almost-teenager. I pray for wisdom in dealing with everything that comes, and flexibility to not let my plans get in the way of the fellowship that is available during these days.
There is a lot more that I could pray for, and I will as things come up, even today, but there is an activity scheduled in 10 minutes, one that I promised we would do this morning, so I had better get the clubs out and find some little white balls, so that we can get started on the week in the right way.
Let the prayers that I have voiced this morning in this time cover me throughout the day's activities, along with all the others that will surface along the way. Help me to be the Papa that I need to be for him, right now in this stage of his life.
Then let the fun begin.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Indignant or Furious
Indignant: a feeling, characterized, or expressing strong displeasure at something...
In Matthew 26, Jesus is at a dinner hosted by a local man, and where Jesus went, his disciples went also. I guess when you invited the Master to dinner, you got the entourage also. Anyway, in the middle of all the festivities a woman comes in and pours an expensive perfume on His head. Matthew records the next part of the story:
"But the disciples were indignant when they saw this, and said, “Why this waste? For this perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.”
The Message translates these verses in this way:
" When the disciples saw what was happening, they were furious. "That's criminal! This could have been sold for a lot and the money handed out to the poor."
Regardless of the translation, we get the idea; the disciples were upset. "Uh oh, Jesus must have not been aware of the true consequences of his acceptance, it is up to us to set Him straight and make sure this kind of thing does not happen again. How could he have done such a thing? Maybe we had better watch more closely."
I look at this incident from the viewpoint of 2,000 years and I think, "how could these men who have followed Him for 3 years have felt this way?" Surely I would have done better.
Were the disciples that concerned about the poor? I can't remember any times in the Gospels were it speaks of Jesus or the disciples handing out money to the poor. Perhaps people gave money to them to live off of, because it says that Judas kept the bag, and even dipped his hand in sometimes, but how it was taken in or spent, I don't know.
Do others look at us Christians and say "what a waste of (time, money), there are better purposes to use that". Am I willing to look foolish in the eyes of those around me, because I see the higher purpose in some actions?
Am I indignant or furious at others around me, because they do not fit into my mold, because they do not perceive what I know to be right? Do I really sense the heart of God or just trust to my own ideas?
Perhaps, a closed mouth and an open mind is the wiser course.
In Matthew 26, Jesus is at a dinner hosted by a local man, and where Jesus went, his disciples went also. I guess when you invited the Master to dinner, you got the entourage also. Anyway, in the middle of all the festivities a woman comes in and pours an expensive perfume on His head. Matthew records the next part of the story:
"But the disciples were indignant when they saw this, and said, “Why this waste? For this perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.”
The Message translates these verses in this way:
" When the disciples saw what was happening, they were furious. "That's criminal! This could have been sold for a lot and the money handed out to the poor."
Regardless of the translation, we get the idea; the disciples were upset. "Uh oh, Jesus must have not been aware of the true consequences of his acceptance, it is up to us to set Him straight and make sure this kind of thing does not happen again. How could he have done such a thing? Maybe we had better watch more closely."
I look at this incident from the viewpoint of 2,000 years and I think, "how could these men who have followed Him for 3 years have felt this way?" Surely I would have done better.
Were the disciples that concerned about the poor? I can't remember any times in the Gospels were it speaks of Jesus or the disciples handing out money to the poor. Perhaps people gave money to them to live off of, because it says that Judas kept the bag, and even dipped his hand in sometimes, but how it was taken in or spent, I don't know.
Do others look at us Christians and say "what a waste of (time, money), there are better purposes to use that". Am I willing to look foolish in the eyes of those around me, because I see the higher purpose in some actions?
Am I indignant or furious at others around me, because they do not fit into my mold, because they do not perceive what I know to be right? Do I really sense the heart of God or just trust to my own ideas?
Perhaps, a closed mouth and an open mind is the wiser course.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
A Goat In A Sheep's Wool Coat?
Even though I used the verses from Matthew 25 the other day, as I related some stories from the sermon time on Sunday, they come up today in my regular reading, and I visit them again in a little different setting.
The Biblical section is entitled The Parable of the Sheep and Goats, and concerns some actions taken, or not taken, by people that show their priorities. Jesus praises the sheep group and chastises the goats. In fact, praise and chastisement are too mild an outcome, the actions of the people (with animal designations) affect their eternal destination.
Jesus says:
"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."
These folks did something, and what they did showed the character of their lives, they cared about others. If their lives consisted of these kinds of actions, they understood most of what Jesus taught about relationships. Others became the focal point of their lives, not themselves.
It is too easy for me to look at these actions and see one that I occasionally do, like go into prison and visit some guys, and pat myself on the back and say I qualify for praise on this. What about all the other stuff? Do I even notice someone in need, much less actually help them? Do people actually register on my radar screen except when I can gain something from them?
I know my selfish self, and, even though I can maybe put a check next to one line of the verse, too often these other lines show my true heart:
"I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
I was shivering and you gave me no clothes"
God, You have given me so much. Help me to love others like You do.
I need to live like a sheep and not just pretend to be one.
The Biblical section is entitled The Parable of the Sheep and Goats, and concerns some actions taken, or not taken, by people that show their priorities. Jesus praises the sheep group and chastises the goats. In fact, praise and chastisement are too mild an outcome, the actions of the people (with animal designations) affect their eternal destination.
Jesus says:
"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."
These folks did something, and what they did showed the character of their lives, they cared about others. If their lives consisted of these kinds of actions, they understood most of what Jesus taught about relationships. Others became the focal point of their lives, not themselves.
It is too easy for me to look at these actions and see one that I occasionally do, like go into prison and visit some guys, and pat myself on the back and say I qualify for praise on this. What about all the other stuff? Do I even notice someone in need, much less actually help them? Do people actually register on my radar screen except when I can gain something from them?
I know my selfish self, and, even though I can maybe put a check next to one line of the verse, too often these other lines show my true heart:
"I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
I was shivering and you gave me no clothes"
God, You have given me so much. Help me to love others like You do.
I need to live like a sheep and not just pretend to be one.
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