Grace or Pretense - More Than I Really Am (Part 1)

Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.  (Mt 23:28, NKJV)

We do love to project an image, usually an image that is better than we really are.  When asked how we are doing we will usually respond with “Good”  or

“Fine”. We not only like to be ‘put together’ when we go out in public, we want to look better than in actuality we really are. This also leaks over into what we would consider to be the spiritual aspects of our lives.

We will seldom correct someone if they think we are more spiritual than we really are, pray more than we really do, spend more time with the Lord than we really do, read or study the Bible more than we really do, love more than we really do, care more than we really do, or have it together more than we really do.

We would never want our hearts to be fully revealed, our intentions to be fully known, or our motives be fully displayed. We like to appear better than we really are.  Hypocrisy is play acting, pretending to be something we are really not.  It is  trying to pull something over on the other person, so they will not see us as we really are.  Hypocrisy is void of humility and honesty.

Philip Yancy says in What's So Amazing About Grace?

There are only two alternatives to hypocrisy: perfection or honesty. Since I've never met a person who loves the Lord our God with all his heart, mind and soul, and loves his neighbor as himself, I do not view perfection as a realistic alternative. Our only option, then, is honesty that leads to repentance. By definition, grace must be received, and hypocrisy disguises our need to receive grace. When the masks fall, hypocrisy is exposed as an elaborate ruse to avoid grace.

 

In my post Thought of As Wise I wrote so who doesn’t like to be thought of as more spiritual than they really are? Or more holy? Or more connected to God? Or wiser? Or more learned? We could go on, but I am sure we all get the point. I don’t know how it goes in your life, but in mine, when people get those kind of notions about me, they only have to hang with me a short time to get over them.

 

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.

(Ro 12:9,  NKJV)

What Makes A Church Healthy?

Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.  (Ep 4:16, NLT)

I really like the above verse, it shows how a healthy church operates.  It does not give you a step by step plan, but it does show the body interaction necessary for a church to become healthy. I believe that God would have His Church to be healthy, growing, and full of love.

It does not give you a plan to follow, but shows the necessity of each person and how important it is that each person function, and be allowed to function, in their gifting. It takes everybody active in their gifting for the body to truly become healthy.

It does not give you a wineskin to model, but shows you what will keep your wineskin pliable, soft, useable, and able to contain life.

For each of personally, it shows a few things we need to remember:

Ÿ  We each need to use our gifts for God’s glory and the Churches edification

Ÿ  The body is not complete without us, it needs our gift to be operating

Ÿ  We are not complete by ourselves, we need the rest of the body

Ÿ  It is not a one man show, one person is not gifted to do it all

Ÿ  We are not to be spectators, we are to be participants

Are we active in the Church? Are we doing what God has called us to do? Are we in a body where each person is allowed and encouraged to exercise their gift? Is the body we are part of healthy, growing and full of love? If not, what can we do to help bring about change? One thing we can do is follow God’s leading and do our own special work, thereby helping the other parts grow.

The Stupid Test

For those who are not tracking with me yet, this is not about a test that is stupid, though this test may seem so to you. This is a test to determine if you are stupid or not.  First of all stupidity has nothing to do with intelligence.  It has more to do with attached value and our adherence to it. It is not what we know or don’t know, it is more about what we do or don’t do.

Next, we need someone who is trust worthy to design the test and grade the results. I believe God is more than qualified to do this and He already has a document which we can use as a standard to measure ourselves by.

At this point you are probably thinking, “Of course, the Bible and it is stupid to not do what it says.” Track with me a little farther. The Bible actually says that a man is foolish to not adhere to the Word of God, that he deceives himself.

Stupidity flies in the face of wisdom. It knows the difference between right and wrong but deliberately chooses the wrong. Stupidity is not the result of a the lack of knowledge, but rather is entered into in spite of knowledge. Stupidity is knowing the wise thing, yet deliberately choosing the foolish thing.

Now for The Stupid Test. Proverbs 12:1 says:

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.

How did you do? How do you respond to correction? What is your reaction when you are corrected or confronted about a deficiency in your life? The benefit of receiving discipline verses the price of hating correction can clearly be seen in Proverbs 13:18 which says:

He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored.

 
I don’t always pass The Stupid Test. How about you?

Two Kinds of Exercise

“… physical training is of some value … “  (1 Tim 4:7)

 

Some years ago my family and I joined the local YMCA and were regular attendees.  (Personally, I would have put attenders here, but my spell check didn’t like that word). All was going well until we went on vacation. When we got back we never went back.....and I don't miss it.

I will admit that physical training is of some value in this life, but I don’t seem to be highly motivated about it. On the other hand, training in godliness is of more value, for it is good not only in this life but also in the life to come. 1 Timothy 4:7-8 says:

Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

Just as physical training takes effort, so too does training in godliness. In training for either, you need some inspiration to get started, and then once you start training, you become more motivated to do it, and as you see the good effect it is having, you are even more motivated to continue it.

However, if you take a break from either, or go on vacation and don’t include it in you daily activities, there will be some resistance in you to beginning again when you get back home. When this happens, we need to suck it up and begin training again.

We do seem to have it kind of backwards in our society though. We are becoming very conscious of health, and exercise, which is good, and are willing to take the necessary steps in this area of our lives. We spend time, money, and energy and even sacrifice things for the sake of physical training, which has limited value.

But for that which is of greater value, not only for now but also for eternity, we don’t seem to be as willing to put ourselves out. We have devalued training in godliness and accepted a world value of body importance. Of course we don’t call it that, we call it health and that seems to make it ok.

When we value physical training over training in godliness, we are not putting first things first. We are attaching greater value to that which has some value than to that which is of greater value.

I am not saying let's stop the one and do the other...I'm saying let's do both, and in our doing, let us remember to attach greater importance to the one which is of greater value.

Mutant Mimics

“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love…” (Ephesians 5:1)

 

Some years ago I watched a movie called “Mimic”. In it these giant mutant cockroaches could walk on their hind legs and wrap their wings around themselves, making them look like men wearing robes. That is where the similarity ended.

God does not want us to mimic how we think He looks, nor imitate how we think he sounds. He wants us to display His character, as a child naturally displays their parents character. Specifically He wants us to model, display, imitate His love.

Odds are, a child is going to act like its parents. My wife sometimes acts like her Mother and Grandmother, I sometimes act like my Father. The problem is that we not only pick up their good side, we also pick up their bad side. This means there will come a time in our lives when we find ourselves doing or acting in such a way that we had promised ourselves we never would.

We can look at our children and see how they act like us in some ways even if they are now grown up. I like seeing my good traits in my children, but I don’t like it when they display my bad traits.

In our scripture today, it is clear that we need to know God and spend enough time with Him to “pick up and live out” His love. This is not only how God wants us to be, it is what our children need to pick up from us.

Because we are loved by God, it is important that we live out that love. We are His display board. His reality and character should show through in every one of His children. Scripture says that the reality of Jesus Christ is proven by the love that Christians have for one another.

We do well to say we cannot love like that, for we can’t. It is a supernatural love that is deposited inside us by the Holy Spirit. We have to hang out with our Father and let His love saturate us. Just as we naturally tend to imitate our parents, so we shall supernaturally begin to imitate our Father.

 

God is not looking for people to impersonate Him. He is looking for a people who will love Him and let His love be released through them.

Attitudes

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself.  (Jn 13:3-4, NASB)

This came about at the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry.  He had said everything he needed to say, and done all He needed to do, except die.  We find Him here spending the last evening with His disciples and desiring a way to impart strength, understanding, and direction to them.

He didn’t cry out “Wash my feet for I am the Messiah.”  Nor did He say “Bow down to me, I am soon to be exalted.”  Nor did He say “Prepare Me to be an offering.“ No, He said nothing at this point.

He took off his outer garments, put a towel around his waist, filled a basin with water, and began to wash his disciples feet. When He got done He said:

“I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”

(John 13:15, NIV)

Jesus knew who He was, where He had come from, and where He was going.  Jesus stayed true to His mission.  He came as a servant.  He left as a servant.  He neither demanded nor expected His “rights”. 

Paul encourages us in Philippians 2:5-7, NASB:

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.  (Php 2:5-7, NASB)

It is an attitude that says “it is not about me.”  It is an attitude that says “I am here to serve.”  It is an attitude that says “the mission will be accomplished.”

As we finish off here, let us ask ourselves, does the mission continue in me?  Am I continuing the example set forth by Jesus?  Do I have an attitude that enables me to serve others, or do I just have an attitude?

America The Beautiful

From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but bruises and sores and bleeding wounds; they have not been drained, or bound up, or softened with oil. (Isaiah 1:6, NRSV)

I read Isaiah Chapter 1 this morning, and yes, I do know that it was written to the nation of Israel during a certain time frame in the past. However,  if that is the only nation it can apply to and that was the only time period in which it was relevant, then why can it still speak to us today? It is because the Bible is not a history book, it is God's revelation of Himself and His purpose to humanity. I was quite taken this morning with how applicable it is to today's time period, to the nations, to humanity, to America, to the Church, and to individuals.

My words this morning are addressed to all these groups, no matter which group I seem to be addressing.

How can a nation survive or prosper, when it severs its ties with its roots? When it says "I will no longer be identified with that which gave me identity and purpose."

How can a nation survive when it makes convenents with its enemies?

How can a nation survive when it does not recognize its soundness has been compromised?

How can a nation survive when it is full of bruises and sores and bleeding wounds?

How can a nation survive when it acts as if it is not wounded and yet  has wounds that have not been drained, or bound up, or softened with oil?

How can a nation survive when it chooses to walk in delusion rather than revelation?

How can a nation survive that wants to disarm its people and arm its enemies?

How can a nation survive which justifies the genocide of its unborn and approves of its application, our nations wombs into tombs.

How can a nation survive which calls upon God's name for protection while its very actions decry His presence?

How can a nation survive which quotes God's word to justify its own actions and purposes while minimizing God's purposes?

America the Beautiful, it was not the landscape that made you beautiful...it was the very presence of God. May God grant us mercy and repentance. May He pour the oil of His Holy Spirit upon us that our proud hardened hearts be softened, may he bind up and heal our bleeding wounds and wombs, may he drain the poison and infection out of our thinking and actions, may He heal our bruises, may He shed his grace upon us...

Lovesick

(From Song of Solomon 5:2-6, 8 NASB)

² “I was asleep but my heart was awake.
A voice! My beloved was knocking:
‘Open to me, my sister, my darling,
My dove, my perfect one!
For my head is drenched with dew,
My locks with the damp of the night.’
³ “I have taken off my dress,
How can I put it on again?
I have washed my feet,
How can I dirty them again?
⁴ “My beloved extended his hand through the opening,
And my feelings were aroused for him.
⁵ “I arose to open to my beloved;
And my hands dripped with myrrh,
And my fingers with liquid myrrh,
On the handles of the bolt.
⁶ “I opened to my beloved,
But my beloved had turned away and had gone!
My heart went out to him as he spoke.
I searched for him but I did not find him;
I called him but he did not answer me...
⁸ “I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
If you find my beloved,
As to what you will tell him:
For I am lovesick.”

God does not always come to us at a convenient time. He does not always call to us when the time is opportune. Sometimes He comes when it is inconvenient for us. And just when we are not expecting Him to show up, there He is.

As in the case of the Shulammite, she had gone to bed and was settled in.  It wasn’t that she had no desire, or that her heart wasn’t towards her beloved.  It just wasn’t a convenient time. She had put on her bed clothes and washed her feet - all of which she would have to do over again.

But at the revelation of His glory, she can no longer resist, and quickly runs to the door, grasping the handle still dripping with His glory and anointing. She swings open the door, but alas, there is only the residue of His anointing left, nothing but departing glory.

How can it be that our hearts are so hungry for God, that our spirits yearn so for Him, and yet we let those precious moments slip away? I don’t know, but lets not stop at just experiencing the residue of His glory that is left over after he has departed. Let's not be satisfied with His left over anointing, but cry out all the more for Him, for His presence. 

Maybe that moment will not find Him, but let’s not stop short! Let's not settle for less than Him. Let's rouse ourselves and assure all that we are lovesick for Him.

We are constantly gripped by desire and longing for only Him.  He will surely come again.  When our purified desire is met by the glory of His revelation, we shall be satisfied.

Words That Stick To Your Ribs

“ … and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.”  (Proverbs 16:6)
 

I got off work one day and decided to visit a friend at his office before going home.  As I walked in, he looked at me intently and asked “Did you live in the fear of God today?”

Don’t you hate conversations that start out that way?  I mean like the conversation is not going to get better for you at this point, it is only going to get progressively worse!      I know...right?

I very wisely said nothing for a few minutes.  I thought about the question and about my activities and responses of the day.  I finally said, “Based upon some of my responses today, I would have to say no.”

My friend, who is still watching me, then says, “Proverbs 16:6 says the fear of the Lord will keep you from evil.”

Isn’t it funny how a simple conversation can stick with you over the years?  This was a profound truth for my life.  The Amplified Bible puts it like this:

“and by the reverent, worshipful fear of the Lord men depart from and avoid evil.”

Living in the fear of God will help us get out of and even avoid becoming entangled in sin.  If we find ourselves responding in an ungodly manner, or drawn into a sin, then we can know that we are not living in the fear of God.  Living in the fear of God has to do with our view of God Himself and our relation to Him.  It has to do with obedience out of love, humility, submission, and believing that God’s way is always the best way.

I am not talking about the terror of the Lord.  That has to do with judgment.  I am talking about the fear of the Lord which has to do with love, respect, and the recognition of true wisdom.

When we truly believe that God wants what is best for us, then we will realize that His Word is what is really best for us also.

The Ultimate Rescuer

“who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father“  (Gal 1:4, NIV) (emphasis mine)

I love the theme of rescue woven into scripture. When I came into God’s family, it wasn’t some polite little ceremony. I had been taken captive by the devil to do his bidding. I was a wretched mess and I had to be rescued.  Jesus came riding in on a white stallion! His eyes were blazing like fire and on His head were many crowns! He was dressed in a blood dipped robe and a sharp sword came out of His mouth! There were thunderings and lightnings, demons were shouting and screaming and there was blood everywhere! Then there was sudden silence as the Blood covered me. I was no longer sitting in the cave of sulphur and fire, but had in an instant been snatched from its miry clay, and set upon a Rock.

There is a passage in the Old Testament Book of Exodus that I really like.  It is found in Chapter 3, verses 7-8 as follows:

The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from … “  (Emphasis mine)

In these scriptures the Lord is saying:

Ÿ  I see

 

Ÿ  I hear

 

Ÿ  I care

Ÿ  I rescue

How I needed to hear that message! To know that God could see me, and hear me, and He cared about me and was ABLE and WILLING to do something about my predicament. And how many there are today who desperately need to hear it also. My friends, our God is a warrior, He is strong and mighty, and able to rescue to the end those who are called according to His purpose. Let us not hold back in sharing the gospel freedom. As we have opportunity to share, let's do so for it is the power of God unto salvation.  Our God is the ultimate RESCUER!

 

If today you find yourself bound by something, call upon our God. He sees what you are going through, He hears your cries, He cares about what is happening to you, and He has come to rescue you from ___________.

(You fill in the blank.)

It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The time

There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. (Prov 14:12, NASB)

 

Don’t you sometimes wish there were “do overs” in life. There are more than a few things in my life that I wish I had the opportunity to not do. How many of life’s ouchies are followed by the words “it seemed like a good idea at the time”?

I came across the following quote at some point in time:

“If the whole human race lay in one grave, the epitaph on its headstone might well be: "It seemed a good idea at the time." (Dame Rebecca West, Irish-born author and journalist, 1892-1983)

Wow, is that true or what! There are so many things in life that seem ok to us, that would seemingly cause no real harm, yet God says that our unguided ideas are going to get us in trouble.

We find it easy to admit that children need guidance to keep them from trouble, but we would like to think that as adults we are intelligent enough and have enough common sense and wisdom to make right decisions based upon what we believe to be right and wrong.

God says that human wisdom is faulty. It is distorted by our natural perception, which is not based upon God’s perception. We need someone wiser than us, who knows the end form the beginning, to guide us. I lived a lot of my life without God’s guidance, doing what seemed right to me...I was wrong. Our basic nature is self seeking and denies God His rightful place. We can make our plans, scheme, connive, and do everything we think is right and still die separated from God.

The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, the recognizing and giving to God His rightful place. We must realize that our human wisdom is faulty and we need the mind of Christ to guide us. True life is only found through Jesus Christ. Every way that seems right to man will lead only to death. There is only one way and that is God’s way.

I have now lived a lot of my life with God’s guidance, choosing His way over my way. That has worked a LOT better…

Regarding Animal Life

“A righteous man has regard for the life of his animal … “  (Proverbs 12:10a, NASB)

I have never had anyone come up to me and say “Wow, I just read Proverbs 12:10 and it has really changed my life.” As a matter of fact I've never even heard anyone mention Proverbs 12:10.

Of course, it could be a pretty easy verse to get around. It would be easy to think this only applies to those who have a lot of contact with animals in their daily lives, like ranchers, sheepherders, horse breeders, farmers, kennels and such. But then again, this verse, does say animal and not animals. It’s kind of like it is saying that every single animal is important to God, not just the different species of animals. That kind of makes it a single animal.

And it says a righteous man has regard, and not righteous men have regard. That kind of narrows it down again from the whole race of men to a single man. We could even simmer this verse down to a specific man and a specific animal - if we wanted to.

And which of us does not think poorly of the person who has starving animals, or the one who abuses animals. It is easy to make this verse apply in these situations..

But what if we make it even more personal, what if we apply it to ourselves personally? And what if the animal is our family pet, or our son’s pet or our daughter’s pet? Oh, I’m sure we don’t “abuse” the pet, or “starve” the pet. Maybe we just don’t really care for dogs or cats. Maybe we are just not a dog person or a cat person, or an animal lover for that matter. But a righteous man still cares about the welfare of his animal.

It comes down to an attitude. What is our mind set towards the family pet? How do we regard it? If we have a correct mindset we will realize that even the family pet falls under our stewardship. A righteous person has regard for the life of his animal. The Message Bible says:

“Good people are good to their animals.”

I Don’t Look Good Naked Anymore

Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.   (2 Cor 4:16, NKJV)

My brother sent me a song via email the other day. It was called “I Don’t Look Good Naked Anymore.” I listened to it a couple times and emailed it to a few friends, and pondered it a bit. 

I can still remember the first time I got out of a shower and didn’t recognize the back I saw in the mirror. It was not skinny like the one I was used to, it even had a couple rolls of fat on it. I couldn’t hardly believe it was mine.

Then came the times folks would take pictures and I would catch a camera’s eye view of myself.  Wow, my body was starting to go...and grow.  This song really catches all of that.

If there is something we can know for sure, our bodies are in the process of dying.  Some folks spend a lot of money trying to stay looking young, fit and trim and, let’s face it, we would all like to look good.

Now, just as sure as our bodies (outer man) are dying, our inner man is being renewed day by day.  Every day out inner man is filled with life, rejuvenated, and made vibrant.  As we seek God and live for Him, He endows our inner man with His life giving spirit. Now, there is only so much we can do about the ageing process of our outer man, but we can joyously submit ourselves to the life giving power of God on a regular basis and join with Him in the renewing process of our inner man.

And while I enjoyed the song “I Don’t Look Good Naked Anymore”, I am not all hung up about how it is going with my body. I would like to take the song a bit farther though, because not only do I not look good naked anymore, I never really did...that’s what clothes are for.

Levels of Obedience

“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed–not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence … “  (Php 2:12, NIV)

Obedience is a heart issue. When I was a child, I obeyed my earthly father out of fear and concern of what would happen to me if I didn’t. As I got older, I realized obedience was for my own good. As I continued to mature, obeying was more a matter of not wanting to disappoint my parents. This is still not the level of obedience God has called us to.

God calls us to a higher level of obedience, a mature obedience. When I first came to Christ, I obeyed out of fear and concern of what would happen to me if I didn’t. As I got older, I realized obedience was for my own good. As I continued to mature, obeying was more a matter of not wanting to disappoint God. Eventually I came to a place where because of my love for God, I didn’t want to do anything to offend Him or hinder my relationship with Him. 

When I was a child and my father was around I would be obedient to his requirements.  f he went somewhere, maybe I would be obedient and maybe I wouldn’t. In our verse today, Paul is calling the believers to a higher level of obedience. He says “as you have been obedient in my presence, now be obedient in my absence.”

“Respond in my absence, just as you would if I was there among you.” The obedience Paul is talking about is the kind that is a “working out” of what God has “put in”. There are things that accompany salvation, and these things are to be evidenced in our lives. Not because Paul is there, or a preacher, or Sunday school teacher, or school teacher, or a policeman, or fireman, or Mom, or Dad, but because there has been a change wrought in our heart and we want to do what is right. And we want to do it not because of fear of punishment, but because of love, appreciation, and awe.

You see, God is doing something inside of us. He is giving us the desire to act in accordance with His Word. And as if that wasn’t enough, He is also giving us the ability to do the things He wants us to!  Php 2:12-13 from the NIV Bible says:

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed–not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence–continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

Revelation, Boundaries & Restraint II

Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.  (Proverbs 29:18, KJV)

Long before having a vision for your life, ministry, church, business, etc was vogue in Christian and secular circles, God had already talked about it in His Word.  First let’s look at Proverbs 29:18 in a couple different versions.  

The NIV Bible says: “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law.” 

 The NAS Bible says: “Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, But happy is he who keeps the law. “

 The word, vision, or revelation, might be better understood as divine communication. It is a vision, a revelation, a divine communication that comes to us from God. It is a revelatory communication from God in which He reveals Himself and/or His divine purposes.

 The Bible says that without this people are unrestrained. They have no boundaries, no parameters, nothing to regulate or measure their lives by. They have no lines to live between and no rule book to live by as we saw in Part I of Vision, Revelation, & Boundaries. Their lives have no boundaries, restraints, convictions, consideration, or guidance.  The end result is confusion, turmoil, and destruction.

On the other hand people who do have divine communication (vision)  from God and follow it, are obedient to the revelation (vision), have lives that are filled with blessings.  They will be happy, contented, fruitful, and have meaningful lives.  The Word is clear, it is not enough to know the vision, we must be obedient to it. As Paul said in Acts 23:19, "I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision".

In the context of the verse we have been looking at the vision is the Law God gave to Moses.  In the context of our time it would be the Old and New Testaments.  In the context of a personal vision for our lives, it would be God revealing something specific He wants us to do.  That specific thing will always be in agreement with the greater context of God’s revealed will in His Word.

 

The NLT Bible says “When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is happy.

If we don't stay within our realm of authority & conduct ourselves in accordance with governing stipulations we will end up outside of safe boundaries.

Revelation, Boundaries, & Restraint

“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. " (Proverbs 29:18, KJV)

 

In baseball, there are two lines running from home base all the way to the fence that marks the end of the field.  One line runs from home base and passes just outside the first base, and the other runs from home base and passes just outside of third base.  Any ball hit in between those lines is a “fair ball” and the batter is to then run the bases with out being put out. Any ball that is outside of those two lines is called a ‘foul ball” and the batter is not to run the bases yet.

The lines give the players some parameters in which to play, some guidelines as it were. When you add the rules for playing baseball to this, the game proceeds fairly smoothly.  For the most part the game is played within the parameters that have been marked out by the aforementioned lines that separate fair from foul.

In football there is a big rectangular box that outlines the playing field, clearly defining the limits within which the game is to be played. Outside the lines you are either out of bounds or out of the end zone. You must play within the box.  Every sport has clearly defined boundaries and a set of rules by which you must play.  Otherwise there would be complete chaos.

If I was going to write the above verse for baseball, it would look something like the following. Where baseball is played without clearly defined boundaries and without a rule book, the players are unrestrained and do whatever they want to causing confusion, frustration, and altercations: the players however who play within the boundaries and keep the rules have a much greater potential of having fun, enjoying the game, and accomplishing something specific.

I am pretty sure we are starting to get a better understanding of this verse (Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.)

I have more to say about this but will save it for the next post. For now, I will finish with sports. Sports have to be played within the established boundaries, (between the lines), and must be played (guided) by the rule book, just as we Christians must live within the boundaries clearly established by Scripture, with them as our guide.

When there’s no vision, the people get out of control, but whoever obeys instruction is happy. (Proverbs 29:18, CEB)

Passing On

“ …I desire to depart …”  (Php 1:23, NIV)

Have you ever just wanted to die? I am not talking about being suicidal here, so don’t freak on me. I’m just talking about life getting tough enough that you are ready to go on. I have even had a one sided conversation with God about it.

“That’s it Lord! I’m outta here!  You might as well just take me on.”

Now I haven’t ever made plans about making it happen, or daydreamed about it, but I have been frustrated enough to just be ready to go on to heaven. I have also talked to enough people to know I am not alone. There are others who have arrived at this point a time or two in their lives. You may be one of those people, so I want to share my take on this with you.

First let’s look at Philippians 1:21-24 in the NIV Bible:

(21)For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. (22)If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! (23)I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; (24)but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.

Even Paul was torn between the desire to live and the desire to go. In verse 23 in the NLT Bible, Paul writes: “I'm torn between two desires: Sometimes I want to live, and sometimes I long to go and be with Christ.” One of the difference between Paul and us is the reason for it.

Paul didn’t want to die to escape this life or hardships, he was so in love with Jesus that he just wanted to be with Him. Paul was also aware that to live on in this life would be beneficial to others, while to go would be beneficial to himself.

He wrote in the end of verse 23 , of dying, and in verse 24, of living,: “That would be far better for me, but it is better for you that I live.”

We need to remember in tough times that it is not about us. Also our lives have the potential to bring benefit to others. I have always thought it would be a sign of maturity to want to die because of love for and the desire to be with Christ instead of wanting to die to escape circumstances. The desire to escape is selfish, but it is ok to look forward to living in Christ’s presence forever.

I Feel Much Better Now

This summer I have been cooking my son breakfast consisting of scrambled eggs and toast. This has proved to be a problem for me as the way the eggs look when I crack them into a bowl has grossed me out. I normally eat at least one hard boiled egg a day but this has definitely diminished my appetite for them. I did a search and found the following which has made me feel much better about the whole ordeal. I am going to boil some eggs in a bit.

Ask Dr. Knowledge

What are the white things that hang off an egg yolk?

June 28, 2010         

                         

What are the white things that hang off an egg yolk? A friend claims it is chicken sperm and another says they are tiny chicken embryos. Are either of them right?

                                

Neither of your friends has it quite right, and it’s amazing how few people know what these things are even after having cracked thousands of eggs.
 

An egg yolk is basically a bag of concentrated food for the development of a chicken embryo if the egg is fertilized. It doesn’t float around freely inside the clear egg white, but is anchored to the shell by two little twisted ropes called chalazae (pronounced cuh-LAY-zee), and these are the white things you are talking about. One chalaza connects the yolk at the more pointed end of the egg and the other at the rounder end. This tethering ensures that the yolk is protected against hitting the inner walls of the egg if the egg is moved around.
 

A lot of people pick these things out when they crack an egg, but they are quite safe to eat. They can also tell you something very useful. As eggs age, these structures start to disappear, so clearly visible chalazae are a good sign your eggs are fresh.
 

You can also see the spot that could develop into a chicken as a little white region on the yolk which is not one of the chalazae. This is called the germinal disk. If the egg were fertilized, it would have genetic information from the mother hen and from the rooster’s sperm, but it wouldn’t actually be rooster sperm. Anyway, most chicken eggs are unfertilized.
 

Some people wonder why chickens keep laying eggs that aren’t fertilized. The way to understand this is to realize that humans ovulate once a month, and that happens regardless of whether or not the egg will be fertilized. Chickens are similar, but they ovulate about once a day and then push the eggs out of their bodies.
 

Ask Dr. Knowledge is written by Northeastern University physicist John Swain. E-mail questions to drknowledge@globe.com or write to Dr. Knowledge, c/o The Boston Globe, PO Box 55819, Boston, MA 02205-5819.

© Copyright 2010 Globe Newspaper Company

Good Soil Has Great Potential

“But he that received seed into the good ground … “  (Mt 13:23, KJV)

I think God likes to have a good time with me. I don’t mean like hanging out, shooting the breeze and going places together. Not that God wouldn’t enjoy that kind of stuff, it just that I’m not all that much fun to hang out with. Maybe a better way of saying it would be that sometimes I think God likes to have a good time at my expense.

You know how some people are pretty good at doing some unusual thing? I think most, if not all, of us have at least one thing we’re pretty good at. Well, I can get my foot in my mouth without much effort. Now the folks listening may not know I have done it, but God does. Let me talk long enough and I will set a trap with my mouth that my foot can’t get out of.

One night at a friend’s house, someone asked me to read aloud the parable of the sower. I did that and when I had finished he asked me ”What kind of soil is your heart?” Without missing a beat I answered “Good soil.”

I was driving home later, feeling pretty good. It had been a good evening and I felt that I had handled myself rather well. I’m driving along and God says “See that field?” I look beside me and there is a big field. “If it was good soil and I planted a lot of seeds in it, how much fruit would there be?” Again not missing a beat, I answered “A lot of fruit Lord.”

Now, I know that some of you are already seeing that I am fixing to have another life changing moment. I never saw it coming. After a moment of silence, I hear ”I have planted a lot of seed in your heart.” Wow, it hit me like a ton of bricks.

It wasn’t so much in reaction to what was said, so much as to what had been  implied. “I have planted a lot of seed in your heart” was what was said.  “And there’s not much fruit” was what was implied. Well, that pretty much sucked the wind out of my sails, and there I was repenting again.

Two more thoughts. First of all, we don’t have as many people fooled as we think we do. Secondly, isn’t it amazing how much God can say without hardly  saying anything?