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/
Saturday, January 17, 2009
A Faith like Charlie Brown's
We all remember that round-headed kid with the zig-zag shirt who everyone said was “the charlie-browniest” person in the world. Well, those people never met me. I still maintain that I am charlie-brownier than even old Chuck himself.
Granted, I may have a little more athletic ability and I may be a little better at school, but we do have many similarities. We both enjoy the simple things. We are both a little shy. We both tend to fly under the radar of society. We both often face feelings of depression. We both have a thing for redheads. And we both spend a great amount of time staring into space and pondering the questions of life.
I was reminded of my bond with this lovable cartoon character just recently when I stumbled upon a quote from the comic. In it, Charlie Brown said, “In the book of life, the answers are not in the back.” This struck me as very profound. In life you can’t just flip to the last page and find out what will happen. You can’t even check in the back to see if your calculations are even close. You just have to take it one page at a time.
This is often frightening to some people, including myself. And it reminds me of the time Linus said, “I believe that there is no problem so big or so overwhelming that I cannot run away from it.” That would be the attitude of many of us, but Charlie Brown had a different viewpoint. It didn’t matter to him how many times the football got pulled away; he was still determined to kick it clear to the moon. And it didn’t matter how many of his kites crashed to the ground or got murdered by the kite-eating tree, he was determined that one would fly. He took it all one page at a time.
The Bible reminds us of this as well. Proverbs 17:24 says, “Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.” The answer to life is not on the back page or in some distant place or even at a 5 cent psychiatrist’s stand; it is right in front of your eyes. God doesn’t send us on wild goose chases to find His will. He is right next to us, guiding our every step; and He never pulls the football away. I just hope I can have the faith to follow, even if I fall flat on my back and kill myself.
Granted, I may have a little more athletic ability and I may be a little better at school, but we do have many similarities. We both enjoy the simple things. We are both a little shy. We both tend to fly under the radar of society. We both often face feelings of depression. We both have a thing for redheads. And we both spend a great amount of time staring into space and pondering the questions of life.
I was reminded of my bond with this lovable cartoon character just recently when I stumbled upon a quote from the comic. In it, Charlie Brown said, “In the book of life, the answers are not in the back.” This struck me as very profound. In life you can’t just flip to the last page and find out what will happen. You can’t even check in the back to see if your calculations are even close. You just have to take it one page at a time.
This is often frightening to some people, including myself. And it reminds me of the time Linus said, “I believe that there is no problem so big or so overwhelming that I cannot run away from it.” That would be the attitude of many of us, but Charlie Brown had a different viewpoint. It didn’t matter to him how many times the football got pulled away; he was still determined to kick it clear to the moon. And it didn’t matter how many of his kites crashed to the ground or got murdered by the kite-eating tree, he was determined that one would fly. He took it all one page at a time.
The Bible reminds us of this as well. Proverbs 17:24 says, “Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.” The answer to life is not on the back page or in some distant place or even at a 5 cent psychiatrist’s stand; it is right in front of your eyes. God doesn’t send us on wild goose chases to find His will. He is right next to us, guiding our every step; and He never pulls the football away. I just hope I can have the faith to follow, even if I fall flat on my back and kill myself.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Of Short Stature
Zacchaeus was a wee, little man… Actually, what the Bible says is that he was of short stature. But he had a desire. Luke 19:2-10 tells his story.
Verse three says that Zacchaeus “sought to see who Jesus was.” That statement alone is surprising; in a place where everyone was seeking Jesus to see what He could do for them, this tax collector wanted to see who He was. Unfortunately, seeing Jesus is often easier said than done.
Two things stood in the way of Zacchaeus; first was the crowd, second was his own lack of physical prowess. But we must admire his dedication; for he would not let those things stand in his way. You all know the story, he climbed a tree in order to catch a glimpse of a Savior; Jesus looked and saw Zacchaeus and He called out to him.
I must say that, as I read this story recently, I was newly inspired by what it contained. First, I wondered why it was that I was seeking Jesus. Was it to ask Him for favors? Miracles? Or, do I seek Him to find a relationship with Him? To see who He is? Do I love my God for what He has done and how He blesses me, or do I love Him because of who He is? Secondly, I took stock of all the things that I allow to keep me from getting to Him.
Zacchaeus had a world of reasons to not see Jesus. There were obstacles between him and Christ. There was a crowd that he could not push through or get around, an impenetrable wall. And he had his own share of shortcomings as well. His physical height was not sufficient to get a look at Jesus.
Like Zacchaeus, there are many things that come between me and my Lord. I have my own shortcomings that make it impossible for me to get to see Him. But, the greatest question I must ask myself is whether or not I will be as persistent as Zacchaeus. Will I seek out any and all means to see Jesus? Will I do whatever it takes to know who He is? If I do, I know it won’t be a result of anything within myself. I’m much too short for that.
Verse three says that Zacchaeus “sought to see who Jesus was.” That statement alone is surprising; in a place where everyone was seeking Jesus to see what He could do for them, this tax collector wanted to see who He was. Unfortunately, seeing Jesus is often easier said than done.
Two things stood in the way of Zacchaeus; first was the crowd, second was his own lack of physical prowess. But we must admire his dedication; for he would not let those things stand in his way. You all know the story, he climbed a tree in order to catch a glimpse of a Savior; Jesus looked and saw Zacchaeus and He called out to him.
I must say that, as I read this story recently, I was newly inspired by what it contained. First, I wondered why it was that I was seeking Jesus. Was it to ask Him for favors? Miracles? Or, do I seek Him to find a relationship with Him? To see who He is? Do I love my God for what He has done and how He blesses me, or do I love Him because of who He is? Secondly, I took stock of all the things that I allow to keep me from getting to Him.
Zacchaeus had a world of reasons to not see Jesus. There were obstacles between him and Christ. There was a crowd that he could not push through or get around, an impenetrable wall. And he had his own share of shortcomings as well. His physical height was not sufficient to get a look at Jesus.
Like Zacchaeus, there are many things that come between me and my Lord. I have my own shortcomings that make it impossible for me to get to see Him. But, the greatest question I must ask myself is whether or not I will be as persistent as Zacchaeus. Will I seek out any and all means to see Jesus? Will I do whatever it takes to know who He is? If I do, I know it won’t be a result of anything within myself. I’m much too short for that.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
For the Love of Swine
I often marvel at the human capacity to continually mistrust the things God does. I have found myself there many times and I have seen others do the same thing. Yet, it still confounds me. As I was reading through the Gospel of Luke I found a story that made this point in a very poignant way.
The story is one that is fairly familiar to most of us who have frequented Sunday school, and it is found in Luke 8:26-37. Here Jesus has crossed the Sea of Galilee into a land inhabited by Gentiles, and He is welcomed first by a man possessed by a legion of demons. Christ’s conversation with the demon is, in itself, very interesting, but it is not important to my point. It is enough to say that Jesus cast the unclean spirits out of the man and into a herd of swine. The swine then ran down into the sea and drowned.
The people of the nearby town heard of this and they ran out to see. They found the man there, who had been possessed. He was sitting silently, now in his right mind. They were amazed at his transformation, but they did not react as we might expect. Rather than praising God or worshipping, verse 37 says, “Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region… asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear.”
Why would they ask Him to leave? The Bible says they were afraid. But of what? Afraid that He may heal more of them? Could it be that they were afraid of what they would lose? Could it be that these people were more concerned about losing a herd of pigs than they were about this man being made whole? Surely people cannot be so materialistic… can we?
How many times in our lives have we told God to leave us alone because of what we may have to give up? We may not say those words. We would never come right out and say we want Him to depart, but our actions say it even more clearly. We cannot let go of the swine that God’s work may cast into the sea. Why can we not praise Him for the spirits He sets free? We hoard to ourselves pointless, dirty things that would ruin us. And then we are angry when He removes them. I guess we may be more like pigherders than we suspected.
The story is one that is fairly familiar to most of us who have frequented Sunday school, and it is found in Luke 8:26-37. Here Jesus has crossed the Sea of Galilee into a land inhabited by Gentiles, and He is welcomed first by a man possessed by a legion of demons. Christ’s conversation with the demon is, in itself, very interesting, but it is not important to my point. It is enough to say that Jesus cast the unclean spirits out of the man and into a herd of swine. The swine then ran down into the sea and drowned.
The people of the nearby town heard of this and they ran out to see. They found the man there, who had been possessed. He was sitting silently, now in his right mind. They were amazed at his transformation, but they did not react as we might expect. Rather than praising God or worshipping, verse 37 says, “Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region… asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear.”
Why would they ask Him to leave? The Bible says they were afraid. But of what? Afraid that He may heal more of them? Could it be that they were afraid of what they would lose? Could it be that these people were more concerned about losing a herd of pigs than they were about this man being made whole? Surely people cannot be so materialistic… can we?
How many times in our lives have we told God to leave us alone because of what we may have to give up? We may not say those words. We would never come right out and say we want Him to depart, but our actions say it even more clearly. We cannot let go of the swine that God’s work may cast into the sea. Why can we not praise Him for the spirits He sets free? We hoard to ourselves pointless, dirty things that would ruin us. And then we are angry when He removes them. I guess we may be more like pigherders than we suspected.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Idle Tales
I have recently been reading through the gospel of Luke. It's a book I haven't read in a while, and I came across several stimulating thoughts. Interestingly, the first one I will write about comes from the last chapter. Hopefully I will post some other thoughts soon, but I will start with this.
In Luke 24 Jesus has been crucified and all his disciples are gathered in a room. Some of the women have gone to the tomb to finish the embalming process, but when they get there, they find the tomb empty. An angel appears to them and tells them that Jesus has risen.
The women ran back to the disciples and told them all that had happened. And then, the Bible gives us this verse: verse eleven. It says, "And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them."
Here was the greatest miracle of all time, and Christ's followers dismissed it as a bedtime story!
This made me stop and think. How many works of God have I ignored as idle tales? How many times have I not believed something is from God because it was too fantastical?
God is in the business of doing the unbelievable. And He wants us to do the same.
I don't want to be frozen is disbelief when God does something I cannot imagine. We should not even be surprised when He blows our minds. Why is it so hard to believe that He will do the unbelievable? Why can't we trust that He does not write idle tales?
In Luke 24 Jesus has been crucified and all his disciples are gathered in a room. Some of the women have gone to the tomb to finish the embalming process, but when they get there, they find the tomb empty. An angel appears to them and tells them that Jesus has risen.
The women ran back to the disciples and told them all that had happened. And then, the Bible gives us this verse: verse eleven. It says, "And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them."
Here was the greatest miracle of all time, and Christ's followers dismissed it as a bedtime story!
This made me stop and think. How many works of God have I ignored as idle tales? How many times have I not believed something is from God because it was too fantastical?
God is in the business of doing the unbelievable. And He wants us to do the same.
I don't want to be frozen is disbelief when God does something I cannot imagine. We should not even be surprised when He blows our minds. Why is it so hard to believe that He will do the unbelievable? Why can't we trust that He does not write idle tales?
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