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Wednesday Jun 01, 2022
Wednesday Jun 01, 2022
THE COMPANY YOU KEEP
Paul spends this entire chapter exploring and defending the efficacy of the resurrection of Jesus. The resurrection is powerful in its application because it implies and promises for us eternal life. If Christ is raised from the dead, then what he says about life after death must be true. Which, in turn, affects what kind of lives we should be living while we are on this earth.
On the other hand, if there is no resurrection, why would we choose to live self-controlled lives in imitation of Jesus? If there is no resurrection, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. (Here Paul quotes Isaiah 22:13)
The next sentence is especially intriguing for a couple of reasons, and that’s where I’d like to spend most of our time today. Paul writes,
“Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.””
As a kind of side note, I’d like to point out that Paul here is quoting someone. But it is not from the Bible, like his earlier quote. It is actually from a Greek poet, Menander. Paul did not use outside sources too often, so it is rather rare, but it’s good to note that he was not beyond using some secular source to illustrate with a commonly-recognized source. (Paul had done the same in Acts 17 when he was speaking to the Athenians, for what it’s worth to you.)
But the center of his point is the main focus for us today. If you have good character, having been born again and filled with the Spirit, meditating on God’s Word and filled with his love, but you hang out with the wrong kind of people, you will find your good character being corrupted.
So, Paul is saying, be careful who you spend time with. Your constant companions will change your culture, no matter how good your intentions may be.
All of us are called to love people and to care for their souls. That involves at least some degree of non-judgmental acceptance of them as a person, without trying to change them. But when that person becomes “company,” it can be that the one who is being changed is you, not them. I think that’s because, as strong as we may think we are, we also crave acceptance. And when we are trying to befriend someone and they say Opinion A about something, we want to share that opinion, for the sake of our friendship. So we find ourselves nodding in agreement, and being silent rather than to cause an argument or tension. The other person reads our silence as agreement, and they continue down that road, thinking they have found a kindred spirit. Now we find ourselves in a bind. It is becoming more awkward to bring up our differences, now that our relationship has gone this far. (Or am I the only one who has this experience?)
Eventually, our seeming agreement with our friend leads to actual agreement. We see life from their perspective, and we just might share some of their views.
So Paul says, “Don’t be deceived.” The peace and friendship we have begins to become more important than our own pursuit of holiness, or our very faith. And we discover too late that “bad company corrupts good character.”
I have heard the illustration before that you “are” your best five friends. Do you want to know about someone? Ask who their five best friends are. Do you want to know what kind of person you yourself are? Make an unbiased list of the five people you would most want to be with in any given week. Now make a list of the five people you actually HAVE spent the most time with in the last week. Like it or not, this is who you are at a very deep level, or at least it is who you are becoming. How do you feel about them and their influence on you?
Let’s pray about this:
Lord, teach us to be leaders and not followers. Turn our eyes only to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. And let us surround ourselves with those who are helping our spiritual growth and character. Ready us for your return. Amen.
Wednesday Jun 01, 2022
Wednesday Jun 01, 2022
WATCHWORDS
Are you familiar with the term, “watchword?” If not, let me introduce you to it. And if you are, then please pardon my outsider’s view of its use and power.
If you are on night watch, you call out, “Eleven o’clock and all’s well.” If you are breaking the huddle to run the play, you might circle up and have everyone get their hand into the circle and say “go, team” on the break. Other watchwords have defined missions or whole generations. “Ours is not to reason why, ours is but to do or die.” “For God and country.” “He is risen! He is risen indeed!” “Remember the Alamo!” Or the watchword for Israel in Joshua’s day was “Be strong and courageous!” Some churches, and most organizations, have some purpose statement, or mission statement that drives every decision in the organization. It’s like an advertising slogan, which captures the mission in an image and a word or phrase. A watchword emboldens and unifies a group.
Here is a multi-point watchword the Paul uses as he is closing his letter to Corinth:
“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.”
Let’s break it down:
“Be on your guard.” Paul had said to be watchful earlier in the letter. “If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” We are told to be watchful in prayer, to watch out for the devil who prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. We are told to be watching for the Day of the Lord. And we are told not to be misled about relationships. When we let down our guard and coast, we are likely to lose control and end up somewhere that we never intended to be.
“Stand firm in the faith,” Do not “sit” or “lie down” in the faith. Do not “walk around,” either. “Stand.” “Stand firm.” Let nothing move you. Do not yield your ground. You don’t have to be mean to people around you. But if you don’t have your footing, then you are likely to be blown about by every wind and wave of doctrine that comes along. And be sure that where you have planted your feet is “in the faith.” Don’t try to stand in the goodness of men, or to stand in love, or to stand in your own goodness. The only foundation that can set your feet onto is that of “faith.” More particularly, “in THE faith.” Trust in the resurrected Jesus, in the Scriptures, in the power of the Spirit, and let that faith be your foundation and support.
“Be courageous”. This sounds like the watchword in Joshua.“Be strong and courageous.” In the King James version, he says, “quit ye like men,” which seems like a mysterious wording for meaning. “Act like men” is my favorite way to say it. As a man and a teacher of men, I like to think “what does a (true) man act like?” Compared to a boy? Compared to a “poser?” I think we all learn how to be men by watching others mimicking what we see in them. And so, most (not all) men learn how to gesture, to carry things, to pronounce their words, to dress, and so much more, like a man. It’s all cultural. It’s not genetic. So how else could you explain the amazing uniformity of those things I just mentioned? It’s because we imitate men who influence us. So my next question is, why not learn to imitate men in the most essential areas? How to pray, how to love your wife, how to talk to children, how to keep your word, how to resolve conflict, how to respond to potential sources of irritation. How to love. How to be courageous in the face of danger. What kind of danger? Why would we need to be courageous? What is there to be afraid of? I’m going to let that sit unanswered, assuming that the answer is implied by the question.
“Be strong.” Don’t be weak. Don’t back down in the face of temptation, or opposition, or doubt, or loneliness, or discouragement, or theological arguments, or depression, or corruption, or the company of immoral people (remember yesterday’s lesson about bad company corrupting good morals? It’s standing up to peer pressure.). Do not be weak. Do not compromise. Do not give in. Do not—what’s the word—loiter. or solicit. Instead, be strong. Be bold.
“Do everything in love.” After all those sort of manly admonitions about being on guard, and standing firm, and being strong and courageous, this one seems to head off at a different angle. Whatever you do, do it all in love. Which, again, was the point of chapter 13. It summarizes and balances all the rest by addressing the motive behind every other act. You can be strong, but be a spiritual bully. But if you do EVERYTHING in love, then you are never being oppositional or disrespectful, even when you are in the midst of spiritual battle. So if you are doing everything in love, you are always patient, always kind, never envious, never boastful or proud. You honor others, you don’t seek your own ways, you are not easily angered, you keep no record of wrongs. You do not delight in evil, but you rejoice with the truth. You always protect, always trust, always hope and always endure.
You will never fail. Amen.
May you learn to act like a man today and forever. Amen.
Friday Jun 03, 2022
Friday Jun 03, 2022
MAY 31 = 2 CORINTHIANS 1
SAYING YES AND NO
Paul had made plans to return to Corinth, that church he had planted, and which had so many interpersonal problems in its ranks. He wanted to come and rebuke some, encourage others, and equip them all. But, as we all know, life can get complicated, and Paul’s plans were changed. He tells them it just didn’t work out. Then Paul clarifies a detail:
“Was I fickle when I intended to do this? Or do I make my plans in a worldly manner so that in the same breath I say both “Yes, yes” and “No, no”?”
A worldly manner, Paul? What do you mean?
Well, you know how it goes. Someone invites you to their party, and you don’t really want to go, but you say yes. But hidden inside, you know that you will just be looking for an excuse that sounds viable. Because you know deep down that you are not going to go. When the day comes, you tell your friend that “something” came up, and you weren’t able to be there. Nice and neat. You give the impression that your friend is important to you, and you didn’t exactly lie about the thing that came up. Everyone wins.
Except for that little matter of integrity. Jesus said, “Let your yes be yes and your no be no. Anything beyond that comes from the evil one.”
Anything beyond that, Jesus? You mean, like, pinky promises, right? Or cross my heart and hope to die? Or swearing on a stack of Bibles? Like that, right?
Not just that. Jesus says to let your yes be yes. Let your no mean no. In other words, don’t say it if you can’t do it. If you say it, then keep your word. Anything beyond that comes from the evil one. That’s because anything other than your word being your bond is evil. Simple and true.
That’s why Paul says that making plans that he doesn’t really intend to keep is “worldly.” In Paul’s case, it really was an unexpected interruption, which sometimes actually does happen.
Then Paul goes on to add another layer to this matter of planning and scheduling and doing life. He says that in Christ, the answer is always “Yes.” Here’s how he words it:
“For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silas and Timothy—was not “Yes” and “No,” but in him it has always been “Yes.” For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.”
How I understand this teaching is that the Holy Spirit does not (usually) guide us by saying “No.” In Christ, if I am saying no to one opportunity, it’s because I am called to a “yes” in another. The leading of God is a positive call, not a lack of hearing anything. (I understand that in Acts 16 we find Paul and Silas trying to go to Asia, but the Spirit would not allow them. That’s actually how they ended up in Corinth to begin with. So maybe this is a general tendency and not an absolute. I’m not sure.)
This matter is far more difficult than it seems on paper, of course. Emergencies and changes of plans come up. James tells us that the proper wording for such things is, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” So we are always in submission to the active working of God in our lives.
May the Holy Spirit guide your next plan, or your next answer, and may he do more than give you a red light. May he give you a green light in a different direction. And may all your “yeses” mean “yes,” as you prove yourself to be a person of your word.
Friday Jun 03, 2022
Friday Jun 03, 2022
BEYOND FORGIVENESS
Remember the guy in 1 Corinthians 5 who was sleeping with his father’s wife? Paul severely told them not to be proud that they tolerated the man’s sin, but that they needed to discipline him. Well, apparently the church did as Paul had instructed. The man had been cast out of the fellowship and was being shunned by the church now. And it had worked! He repented and changed his ways. Praise the Lord!
But some in the church continued to maintain the walls and block that sinner from being part of the fellowship. Paul has heard about it, so he addresses the matter:
“The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him.”
The church should function like heaven does. Jesus says that there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over many others who did not need to repent. The father of the prodigal son demonstrates the kind of restoration that God offers. So it is right for the church to restore the man, so that he doesn’t give up.
“Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.”
The schemes of Satan are always for the destruction of human life, of the church and of Christ himself. He is always plotting for our downfall, both individually and as a body. And apparently it is possible for Satan to outwit us humans, even those who have the Holy Spirit abiding within. There is a strategic battle going on all the time. And not forgiving someone is part of that battle. We Americans need to keep that in mind as we continue to face the deep divisions among us. (Jesus said that any kingdom divided against itself will not stand. Any kingdom. Including ours.)
Satan’s schemes. Grudges. Bitterness. Unforgiveness. Divisions. Hatred. Arguments. Unresolved conflict. Repentance without Confession. Confession without repentance. Gossip. Slander. Silence. Mistrust. Betrayal. Resentment. Broken promises. Lingering anger. Let us no longer be unaware. Amen.
Saturday Jun 04, 2022
Saturday Jun 04, 2022
SPIRITUAL CREDENTIALS
How do you know if you are qualified as a minister of the gospel? What would you put on your resume? How would a particular congregation come to know that you are capable of handling the word of God and prepared for the responsibilities and privileges of the office of Pastor or Minister?
In our culture, the credential is easy to recognize. It includes a degree. The industry standard is an MDiv, which is typically 3 years of full time study after completing a liberal arts degree in college. A college degree traditionally involves a total of 120 academic hours of study. The MDiv requires 90 additional credit hours plus field experience. If you really want to gain professional trust, a DMin would be the professional standard. A DMin would historically require about 60 extra hours after the MDiv.
We would also expect that the education for a degree in ministry would also include an internship, or supervised field experience. In short, earning a DMin is pretty much the equivalent experience and academic hours for a medical doctor.
Another important part of preparing for ministry would be receiving ordination. The elders who know you best come and lay hands on you. Now you’re ready to go! Ministry, here I come!
But Paul likely would not have gone through such steps. He tells the Corinthian believers that his credential is not on paper at all.
So today, how would we go about hiring someone who was qualified for the office of minister? I think Paul would say, ask about the person’s converts, and who has been discipled and brought to maturity because of that person’s influence.
I’m saying that all of the academic rigors and practical experience are good. But they are simply not as necessary as seeing the fruit from a life.
In Paul’s day, a person would bring a letter, signed by the proper person of authority, commending them. It was similar to our diplomas that would be displayed on a wall. As a Pharisee, Paul would have received a letter from his teacher Gamaliel introducing him and giving whoever might read the letter his credentials. In more recent times, your ministerial credentials are found in the letters that come after your name. And the signature verifying it would be the name of the school that issued it. But Paul says that the letter is best written not so much by your spiritual father, but by your spiritual children, and the children who come from them, and so forth.
Paul would say, what is the fruit that has come from your life? Or he might say, “What does your letter say? That letter that you carry with you everywhere you go? And who signed that letter?” He says,
“You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
So Paul would say that any letter he might carry from his mentor Gamaliel which gave his academic credentials were life-shaping, but meaningless. Paul would say that any degree he had earned is meaningless, having been a chasing after wind. He would say that
So I’ll ask you, young adult, what does your letter say? Who wrote it and signed it?
Husband or wife, what does your letter say? Who wrote it and signed it?
Father or mother, what does your letter say? Who wrote it and signed it?
Or to put it a different way, when your life is over and you come to stand before the judgment seat, who will be there to vouch for you and say, “I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for this person.”
Slightly different again. Who will be there to greet you and thank you and say, “I watched your life closely and modeled myself after what I saw.” Or “I heard about you from one of your spiritual children. They said so many things that they had learned from you.”
May God grant to you a spiritual credential in those you have affected for the Lord. And may He bring about your spiritual legacy, showing what a difference you have made. Amen.
Sunday Jun 05, 2022
Sunday Jun 05, 2022
WHERE MY STRENGTH COMES FROM
Have you ever been to the end of your strength? It doesn’t happen too often, but perhaps you have reached that point where you really believed you could not go on.
I remember being in a track event in high school. It was a quarter mile run, just one time around the track. Four of us were competing. I set out at what seemed to be a comfortable pace for me, about the pace of two of the other runners. But my friend Mark took off at a sprint. I thought he was going too fast to keep up the pace, so I didn’t panic. Bide my time and make a move when we get to the final bend. But Mark kept flying, opening up quite a lead. When we got to about 100 yards to go, I turned it on, trying to time my catching him so that I would have the element of surprise and momentum with me. It was working perfectly. Except that the crowd noticed my move and started yelling, and we still had 50 yards to go. Mark looked back over his shoulder and from somewhere deep within, turned on the afterburner. The last 30 yards, the two of us were pushing ourselves to the limit, but neither of us was pulling ahead. Toward the finish line, I reached down in me to give it more than I ever thought possible. But Mark met my efforts and at the end, he edged me out as I lunged toward the line. Sure enough, the ribbon of the finish line was draped across his chest, while I stumbled and landed on my hands and knees in the cinders.
It was some minutes before I regained full consciousness. Then I was able to go over to the stands and sit and drink some water, feeling more expended than I ever had before. I had left it all out there on the track, as they say, and it was the first time in my life that I truly felt there was nothing more to give.
This is the moment of coming to the end of ourselves that we look to heaven and ask if there is anything from beyond that can help us.
To borrow a valid question from the psalmist, “I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from?” (Psalms 121:1)
We look up at those big mountains and see that something is stronger than we are. Is there anything beyond those hills that can come to my aid?
He then provides his own answer: “My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” And he says how the Lord will rescue him and help.
The apostle Paul came to the end of his own resources in many ways that I will never understand. And in his weakness, when he was at the end of his rope, he held on to Jesus. As the song says, “The arm of flesh will fail you. Ye dare not trust your own.”
Paul says it this way back in chapter 4: “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” (4:7)
It’s ironic, isn’t it, that the God who rules the universe should choose to interact with his creation to help us in time of peril and need? But it is one way for him to remind us that he is above, he is beyond, he is higher and stronger and infinite and unlimited. And so we fall on him, we cast our cares upon him, we rest in him, and we find our strength to be in him, even when it is not in us.
Paul revisits this theme other times throughout the book of 2 Corinthians. He says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (5:17 NIV) And he adds, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (5:21 NIV).
Whether it is physical strength, moral resolve, insightful wisdom or spiritual power, we rely on Christ, who is our strength, our example, our counselor and our victor. He has gone before us and made a way, and in the end, he will usher us into heaven itself.
When you reach the end of your ability to keep going, he invites you to let him be your escalator. Then you can we still. And you can know that he is God. Amen.
Sunday Jun 05, 2022
Sunday Jun 05, 2022
HOW TO COMMEND YOURSELF
Just a few chapters ago, Paul talked about how the church is his letter of introduction. Like a degree showing his qualifications, the people he had brought to maturity in Christ were his letter. Now we come to a similar moment, which is more like the job interview itself. It is time to “commend yourself.” Why would you be well suited for this job?
I am not so familiar with using this little phrase: I commend myself. To commend yourself is to present yourself for approval or acceptance. It is like “recommending” yourself, but there is not another person doing it for you, so you commend yourself.
So, how do I commend myself? Do I bestow on myself honors and accomplishments of the past, highlighting the best moments? Do I pad my resume, so to speak, to seek out jobs I long for that might be above my head? How do I introduce myself as experienced in what is most important? And how do I keep from distracting you from some boasting on my part that seems competitive and like showing off?
How would you describe yourself as being commendable?
Here’s how Paul did it: “We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited.” Lest his own talents and accomplishments overshadow, or people think he is boasting, he keeps his commendations to only spiritual accomplishments and physical hardship.
“Rather, as servants of God” = we are not “professional” Christ followers. We rush to the bottom of the pyramid to serve, not to be honored.
“we commend ourselves in every way:” Okay, now it’s coming. Paul has a lot to boast of, and he’s going to start with his credentials as a Pharisee.
“in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses;” Wait! I thought he was COMMENDING himself!? But I see here on his resume nothing about being biggest, baddest and best.
““in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger;” Okay, I think you have made your point, Paul. You have suffered. Some of it voluntarily, and some was handed to you. But it all goes on your resume, right? What else do you commend yourself with?
“in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love;” I am impressed that Paul would point out that in many ways he focused on purity when he could have been tempted to use his influence wrongly, both sexually and financially. So he commends himself with saying that no one can claim him as impure. Also the other areas that the Holy Spirit has worked in his life. This is his resume.
“in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left;” Truthful speech. I would not be so confident to commend myself in this, but far less so to claim the power of God and righteousness.
“through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors;” I guess Paul is saying that it doesn’t matter what others say about him. He knows what he is doing is for God and that he is genuine. But the results of his ministry among the enemies of Christ do not elicit praise from everyone.
“known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed;” Now I’m really seeing the contrast of the response of the crowds compared to his motives and his actions.
“sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.” And just to top it off, these very strong opposites are paired.
This is how a first century apostle commended himself. Go thou and do likewise. Amen.
Monday Jun 06, 2022
Monday Jun 06, 2022
RIGHTEOUS WARRIOR
(While digitizing some of these old cassette tapes, I am coming upon old songs I haven't done or even remembered. I really like some of the lyrics showing the juxtaposition of characteristics of Jesus. This comes from late 1980s, recorded by Pauline Williams).
Righteous Warrior
Prince of Peace
Your kindness conquers all Your enemies
Mighty Lion
Gentle Dove
You are wild and fearsome, but You are love.
You are wild and fearsome, but You are love.
Hard-fisted, soft-hearted
Strong arms and gentle hands
Ruling over all the earth and all that we can see
You've crushed the tempter and lifted a fallen man
Strong enough to strike the foe and weak enough to bleed.
Righteous Warrior
Prince of Peace
Your kindness conquers all Your enemies
Mighty Lion
Gentle Dove
You are wild and fearsome, but You are love.
You are wild and fearsome, but You are love.
Pure Power, Strong Tower
Perfect in all Your ways
You have reigned in majesty with strength to match Your days
You can make the sea dry land
You can hold us in your mighty, loving hands
and make what's dead alive to give You living praise
Righteous Warrior
Prince of Peace
Your kindness conquers all Your enemies
Mighty Lion
Gentle Dove
You are wild and fearsome, but You are love.
You are wild and fearsome, but You are love.
You are love
Glory to the Lamb
You alone are victorious
You alone will stand
Righteous Warrior
Prince of Peace
Your kindness conquers all Your enemies
Mighty Lion
Gentle Dove
You are wild and fearsome, but You are love.
You are wild and fearsome, but You are love.
You are wild and fearsome, but You are love.
Monday Jun 06, 2022
Monday Jun 06, 2022
GODLY SORROW
Sorrow is never something we want to have. Yet, life on earth is not possible without a large amount of it. We have sorrow because of loss, or because of physical ailment. They are unavoidable, sooner or later. We also have sorrow because of offenses, both those that are done to us and those that we have done to others. Again, sooner or later, such conflicts are inevitable. And we have sorrow because of unfulfilled expectations and disappointments, which just goes to show you should never get your hopes up in this life, right? Well, no. And yet . . . It does make you think.
We pray against sorrow. We work to keep it away. But sorrow must find us, or (if you think about it), we will not know true joy, either. However, keep in mind that sorrow was not God’s Plan A for us. Plan A involved no death, and no sin. That means no loss, and no self-inflicted regrets. What’s more, keep in mind that Plan A gets restored in the end! In the New Jerusalem, where there will be no more tears, sorrow (no more sorrow! Hooray!) or crying, for the former things are passed away, and behold, he makes all things new.
So, since sorrow cannot be avoided, how do we make the most of it now? How does God, who seems to specialize in restoration, restore us in sorrow?
This introduces a term Paul uses: “Godly sorrow.” It refers to the kind of sorrow that the Holy Spirit brings upon us and works in us to renew and give hope. As Paul says it in this chapter, Godly sorrow brings repentance. And repentance leads to salvation. And salvation leaves no regret.
It is worldly sorrow that leads to death, and death is an unending sorrow, where there is bitterness and weeping and gnashing of teeth.
So, you ask, if I must face sorrow in my life, how do I pursue sorrow that is godly? Let’s see Paul’s paragraph about it. He wrote to the Corinthians and told them sternly to repent. It hurt to be told by their spiritual father that they had failed. But here is how Paul describes the outcome of that harsh letter.
“Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.” 2 Corinthians 7:8-11 NIV
Here is what seems to be the secret to sorrow that brings healing:
- It hurts. But only for a little while. The sorrow it brings leads to repentance for the part of the sorrow that is my fault.
- This is being sorrowful that way that God intended. When that happens, we stop looking around or casting blame on others, and we look inside to let the Spirit fix ourselves.
- This godly sorrow becomes motivation to find healing through earnestness, an eagerness to clear yourself. The pain is bad, but you have hope that it can be fixed if you have indignation about the effects of sin in you.
- Godly sorrow alarms you and sets within you a longing to go back to the Garden.
- Godly sorrow stirs up longing for the New Jerusalem to do its healing work. We love the day of His appearing. We hasten his return
- We feel a deeper concern, now that we have felt sorrow, and we have a readiness to see justice done. The pain is our motivator, for we remember life without sorrow, so we work to fix it.
- And, at last, we return to the state of innocence before the LORD that we once knew, and will know again.
Do we ever want to face sorrow? No, we don’t. But that sorrow that could have been avoided, had we simply chosen godliness, helps us to do the work of repentance, and to find the seasons of refreshing that come in its wake.
May you know abundant life and seasons of refreshing. And may all your sorrows be godly. Amen.
Thursday Jun 09, 2022
Thursday Jun 09, 2022
GOD AND EQUITY
We hear a lot about equity these days. The news and the media talk about it in terms of race and gender relations. Equity has to do with impartiality fairness and justice for all people in social policy. “Social equity takes into account systemic inequalities to ensure everyone in a community has access to the same opportunities and outcomes.”
So you may ask, what’s the difference between social equity and social equality? “Social equity recognizes that each person has different circumstances and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome. Social equality means each individual or group of people is given the same resources or opportunities.”
Treating people exactly the same can lead to unequal results. For example, in the oft quoted words of Anatole France from The Red Lily (1894), “the law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread”.
What did Paul mean when he told the Corinthians that
“Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.””
In order for us all to have equal access, we might need different levels of support.
Is the lottery fair? In a sense, yes. But overall it is the most unfair thing there is. Free wealth for one person, given to that person at random by everyone else who is part of that group of players.
Equality is when a teacher gives a test and grades blindly as to who is taking the test. Equity takes in mind that some people did not start from the same place in acquiring the knowledge being tested. “Considering where he started, he has done A work.”
Having said all that, Paul is NOT advocating for what we call “social equity” in society as a whole. He is talking about sharing within the church with those members who are in need. He is simply saying that he wants them to help someone else, but not if it will cause a hardship for them. And in support of that goal, he quotes from Exodus how when the Israelites were collecting manna each day, part of God’s supply to them was that when someone went out and collected only a little, it was enough, and when someone gathered a lot, they didn’t have too much.
First, why would God do that? And second, what is Paul saying we should learn from it?
Why, when He gave them manna every day, would God make it so that no one got manna-rich and no one became manna-poor? Keep in mind that this was a unique time in history when the people of Israel were isolated in the wilderness, and that raising crops or selling goods was very limited for a couple million people in the desert. They were not to have interaction with their neighbors, but eventually were to destroy them, so the only ones left to do business with would be themselves. It’s hard to make a living when you are simply trading stuff you already have among yourselves.
So, God provided the outside income, as it were, by taking care of their daily eating. But what if He did so by delivering, say, exactly 1000 bushels of manna each day? The most enterprising early riser could scoop up all of it and gouge prices on the others, and the whole thing would get ugly very soon. Likewise, the more ambitious would do extra collecting, for personal security and for selling to those who are old, or sick, or who weren’t able to get enough for their daily needs. “Here, I’ll sell you some of what I have in stock.” So instead, God took all motivation and incentive for greed away from the children of Israel, and he made sure everyone had enough for their daily needs.
Do we apply that unique situation as being God’s intended economic system for the world? No. For just one country? For the church? God-initiated communism, you might say. And the answer to all those questions is NO. God never said to continue this practice once they set foot into the land of Israel. The manna stopped and they were back to free enterprise and farming.
Paul’s point is rather simple, and we should not try to read more into it than was intended. When it comes time for the church to support one another, God’s intent is not for one to give so generously that they are doing without, but that all benefit. This is social equity within the church.
May the Lord bless you and provide for you, even as you are, at his leading, generous with others. Amen.