In literature there is a thing known as plot manipulation. This is a method some bad writers will use to resolve conflict in their plots. They build the tension, working toward the climax, and just when it seems that there is no hope for the hero…bam! The gun jams, the villain trips, a random passerby sees what is happening, something falls from the sky, lightning strikes. You get the idea. In short, some force outside the story steps in to mix things up.
In literature this is a bad thing; it shows a lack of creativity. But in the scripture, this is one of the greatest themes of God’s grace. Ephesians chapter two is a prime example. Paul begins the chapter by depicting our lives before Christ. He describes how we were dead in trespasses, living like the devil, following our lusts, and the children of wrath. Then comes verse four, and the two words that will change everything…
“But God…”
Bam! The outside Force has stepped in. “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ…”
Our story was hopeless. But God intervened in a way that no one could have predicted. And it is the most amazing thing we could have imagined. In the story of our lives, there was no hope of a happy ending. So this is one case of plot manipulation that we should embrace with hearts full of gratitude.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Render Unto God
When I was younger we once went on a vacation out West. I may have forgotten a lot about it, but I do remember one thing. I remember setting pennies on a railroad track and waiting for the train to come by and smash them. I still have those pennies and I take them out to look at them sometimes. The thing about them is that they are no longer usable as money, even though you can still tell that they were once pennies. On some of them you can even still make out the profile of Abe Lincoln, stretched and distorted as it may be.
Many of you will probably wonder how I made the connection, but this reminds of a verse in the Gospel of Luke. In chapter 20 some of the religious leaders sought to catch Jesus in a trap. Once again, they thought they had Him pinned. They asked Him whether or not they should pay taxes to Caesar. If He said “no” they had Him for rebelling against the government. If He said “yes” then most of His followers would abandon Him because they hated the Romans and their oppressive rule.
Jesus did not answer right away; He simply asked for a coin. He held it up and asked, “Whose image is this?” Of course the people knew that the image on the coin was Caesar. Jesus answered them, “Render, then, unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.”
What I love about Christ’s answer was that He did not only spoil the trap that was set for Him but He also spoke a powerful message. Though we may be twisted and smashed, just like those pennies I mentioned, we still bear the image of God. Yes, we have been distorted by sin, but His fingerprints are still evident on our souls. Perhaps we are a little hard to recognize, and perhaps we cannot be fully used as we once could; but He would still have us. And, though we rightfully belong to Him, we would try to hold ourselves back from His possession. Jesus clearly commanded, “Render unto God the things that are God’s. Give Him what bears His image. Offer yourself to Him. Render unto God the very essence of your being.”
Many of you will probably wonder how I made the connection, but this reminds of a verse in the Gospel of Luke. In chapter 20 some of the religious leaders sought to catch Jesus in a trap. Once again, they thought they had Him pinned. They asked Him whether or not they should pay taxes to Caesar. If He said “no” they had Him for rebelling against the government. If He said “yes” then most of His followers would abandon Him because they hated the Romans and their oppressive rule.
Jesus did not answer right away; He simply asked for a coin. He held it up and asked, “Whose image is this?” Of course the people knew that the image on the coin was Caesar. Jesus answered them, “Render, then, unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.”
What I love about Christ’s answer was that He did not only spoil the trap that was set for Him but He also spoke a powerful message. Though we may be twisted and smashed, just like those pennies I mentioned, we still bear the image of God. Yes, we have been distorted by sin, but His fingerprints are still evident on our souls. Perhaps we are a little hard to recognize, and perhaps we cannot be fully used as we once could; but He would still have us. And, though we rightfully belong to Him, we would try to hold ourselves back from His possession. Jesus clearly commanded, “Render unto God the things that are God’s. Give Him what bears His image. Offer yourself to Him. Render unto God the very essence of your being.”
The Devil's Nightmare
Satan awoke in a sweat one night
His spirit quivering, dumb with fright
A dream it was that had so vexed him
Its grim, dark fear greatly perplexed him
He called his advisor to ease his head
The advisor sat next to the devil’s bed
And he consoled the Accuser with the words he said
“Fear not, my lord, it was but a dream;
Things are not so bad as they would seem.
Yes, the Church remains alive.
But, lest it change, it shall not thrive.
They hide their flaws, they don’t confess,
They cover up their rotten mess.
They sit in pews on Sunday morning,
But that is all they care for learning.
They see suffering but will not stop it;
They’re too concerned with the building’s carpet.
They are content with one another,
So they welcome to themselves no others.
They quarrel over petty trifles.
They seek decisions, not disciples.
The world is dying outside their walls,
And they are building ‘fellowship halls.’
So sleep in peace, my lord, I say.
Our cause will live another day.
The Church is not a fearful thing,
But only slightly troubling.”
So the fallen angel’s mind was eased
And, in fact, he now was rather pleased
He slept sound again within the hour
Dreaming of whom he may devour
So all was well in Hades’ deep
The devil got a good night’s sleep
And that, o Church, should make you weep
P.S. If you enjoyed this poem, you should check out the rest of my poetry at http://soaringflames.blogspot.com/
His spirit quivering, dumb with fright
A dream it was that had so vexed him
Its grim, dark fear greatly perplexed him
He called his advisor to ease his head
The advisor sat next to the devil’s bed
And he consoled the Accuser with the words he said
“Fear not, my lord, it was but a dream;
Things are not so bad as they would seem.
Yes, the Church remains alive.
But, lest it change, it shall not thrive.
They hide their flaws, they don’t confess,
They cover up their rotten mess.
They sit in pews on Sunday morning,
But that is all they care for learning.
They see suffering but will not stop it;
They’re too concerned with the building’s carpet.
They are content with one another,
So they welcome to themselves no others.
They quarrel over petty trifles.
They seek decisions, not disciples.
The world is dying outside their walls,
And they are building ‘fellowship halls.’
So sleep in peace, my lord, I say.
Our cause will live another day.
The Church is not a fearful thing,
But only slightly troubling.”
So the fallen angel’s mind was eased
And, in fact, he now was rather pleased
He slept sound again within the hour
Dreaming of whom he may devour
So all was well in Hades’ deep
The devil got a good night’s sleep
And that, o Church, should make you weep
P.S. If you enjoyed this poem, you should check out the rest of my poetry at http://soaringflames.blogspot.com/
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