Pleasing People v Pleasing Jesus

By Monty Hope -- Piles of financial data, spreadsheets built with cunning insight, sales reports loaded with client information, detailed cost reports showing where the money was going………these were the heart of six, super-duper, financial reports I spent an entire weekend constructing.  Each report was sent to my boss, our CFO, and the General Manager of the area studied.  Each was concise and contained detailed action plans for improvement.  As I went to bed Sunday night after emailing the last of the reports, a smug grin emerged across my face.  I drifted to sleep sure of the at-a-boy emails I would receive on Monday.

Monday came and went; no emails, no calls.  Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday passed with no acknowledgement of the work that surely could have earned a Nobel Prize in economics.  I made my way home for the weekend questioning the value of the sweat I put into those reports.  By Monday the disillusionment had worn off, but God waited until Wednesday to teach me a lesson.  As I opened my “Stand Firm” devotional on June 5, 2013, the title of the lesson read, “Seeking the Approval of Others.”  There is always a “Bottom Line” in this devotional.  It read, “Pursuing the fleeting, conditional recognition of others is like running in the wrong direction.  It takes us further away from God, never closer.”  While I did emit a slight chuckle at God’s sense of humor, it was done so through a shroud of shame.

In John 5:38-47, Jesus addresses the danger of seeking praise from others.  In his words to the Jewish leaders, “I do not accept glory from human beings, but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts.  I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him.  How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?”

Here is the crux of the issue.  There is no sin or harm in pleasing others.  In fact, obedience taken to the max should be pleasing.  The harm and the sin occur when we please other so that we can receive the praise.  Pride is truly at the root of all sin and you can see its interface here.  Let us follow the advice of Paul in Colossians 3:22-25 “Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

Go ahead.  Work hard so that others may be pleased.  Work hard so that Jesus will be glorified through you.  Take great comfort knowing Jesus has granted us all the reward we will ever need.  We have eternal life through Him.  What more could we ask?

Grace: The Baseball Card Locker

In 1969, life was all about collecting Topps baseball cards, and not just collecting, but how many you could collect. In our fifth grade classroom, you were only a serious collector when you reached 1,000 cards and owned every player on the starting lineups of the Braves, Cardinals and Tigers.

There was no E-Bay, where you could buy sets of cards for the cheap. There were no multiple card brands – just Topps - and not every store sold baseball cards. And, there was always the agonizing problem of buying packs of cards – with the hard piece of bubble gum – that contained doubles (cards you already owned). On the road to your 1,000-card goal, doubles did not count. Recess on the playground was all about the trading, and trading could get very serious.

The summer of 1969 was one of the greatest summers of my life.

• A friend loaned me the inaugural album of Grand Funk Railroad. Things were never the same after that. No more Richard and Karen Carpenter for me.
• My dad surprised us one afternoon with tickets to see the newly established Montreal Expos play our beloved Atlanta Braves, and I was interested to see what Canadians looked like. (I didn’t understand that most of these Expos were Americans, simply playing ball in Montreal.)
• For my 10th birthday, my parents surprised me with a “case of baseball cards” – not a pack or two or three – but an entire case of cards. A case of cards contained 25 individual packs. This easily threw me over the 1,000 card milestone and that moved me into the upper echelon of card collectors.

And then, just as my life reached a high-water mark, my friend Richard Webb burst my bubble. Through mail order, he had acquired – from the Lakeside Toys Company – a Baseball Card Locker. Now, rather than using a shoe box with post card team dividers, there was a cool, formal and hard plastic way to organize cards by team. The ante had been raised. I had to have a Baseball Card Locker. And, if you know me and my obsession over databases and organizing groups, well, the card locker ignited in me a frenzy. I had to have a card locker.

Richard provided the ordering information, and my heart sank. The card locker was $20. My birthday had passed. I had no money. My parents would not give me money nor would they order the locker for me until Christmas. So, I did the only reasonable thing I could. I went to see my granddaddy and we struck a deal. I would work Saturdays in his retail meat packing plant from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and he would pay me $20 per Saturday.

Yes, 20 samollians.

So Saturday came, and I staggered out of bed, ate a Pop Tart, rode my green bicycle down Brookwood Road to the "meat house", and met Papa R.C. as he opened the doors. Inside, he explained my duties. As customers came to the counter to request bacon, sausage, pork chops, pork loins, etc., my job was to run into the massive refrigerators and bring the products to the counter. When there were no customers, my job was to clean.

At 7 a.m., my intentions were good. I wanted to be all that I could be. I was a faithful employee through the morning. At lunch, my grandmother called me to the house for a sandwich, and I was more than eager to go see her. Back and forth trips to the big walk-in refrigerator had become monotonous for a 10-year old boy. And, let’s face it: I was only in this for the $20. And, as I figured it, showing up was the most important thing to do. He was my granddaddy – he was going to give me the $20 regardless of my work ethic.

After lunch, I slowly made my way back to the store . . . the long way. And, that afternoon, business was slow. I really didn’t want to clean and honestly thought it was a little beneath me to clean. So, I amused myself by hitting rocks with a dowel rod in the parking lot. I also tapped the Coca-Cola machine and drank the cycle . . . Coke, Sprite, Fanta Grape, and Fanta Orange. I drank the cycle three times. One customer showed up with a cute girl about my age, and being a confident flirt, I chased her around the parking lot for a while.  I was also watching the clock . . . 5 p.m. . . . $20 . . . Baseball Card Locker.

At the end of the day, my grandfather asked me empty the garbage cans. I did that, and when I returned to the store, I realized he had closed up and gone home. Where was my $20? This was awkward.

So, I went to his house, where he and my Granny were preparing to sit down to supper. I went inside, got a slow drink of water, giving him ample time to pay me. It didn’t happen.

Then, I was struck by a feeling. Had I really earned that $20? I had been a good employee at the start of my day, but after lunch I had not earned any money. In fact, I had drank a couple of bucks worth of soft drinks.

Dejected, I said "good-bye" in the awkward silence of their kitchen and left for the bike ride home. I walked outside under their carport and did the only thing I could do . . . I sat down on the steps and cried quietly to myself.

I had blown it. No $20. No Baseball Card Locker.

Finally, I stood, went to my bicycle, and prepared to ride home. And, that’s when the door opened. Papa R.C. walked out with my Granny standing in the door. She was crying, too.

He walked up to me and said, “I forgot to pay you” and he gave me $25 (more than our original deal). I looked at him, tears in my eyes and said, “Papa, I don’t deserve it.” Then, I just broke down crying.

“Well, you come back next Saturday,” he said. My Granny could not stand it any longer – that big woman almost jumped from the stairs to embrace me. She reminded me how much they both loved me, and I knew that they did. 

I went back the next Saturday, and the next, and many more Saturdays over the next three years. My grandfather never had a better Saturday employee than me. And, I was able to purchase my Baseball Card Locker. I own it to this day. It is a reminder about Grace.

This is not really about the Baseball Card Locker.

The Gospel writer Mark writes, in Mark 14:66-72, the story of Peter’s epic failure. Jesus has been arrested, and Peter is spotted by those in the crowd. He is accused of being a follower of Jesus – this revolutionary – and Peter denies that he is a follower. He denies it three times. The last sentence in the passage of Scripture is so very important and I don't want you to miss it: (v. 71) "Peter swore, 'A curse on me if I'm lying - I don't know this man you're talking about." (v. 72) And, immediately the rooster crowed the second time (as Jesus said it would). Suddenly, Jesus' words flashed through Peter's mind: 'Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.' And, Peter broke down and wept."

You see that Jesus' prediction of Peter's denial has come through, but I want you to really focus on Peter's brokenness at the reality of failing Jesus - His Lord and Savior. Peter is crushed at failing Jesus.

Then, we read in John 21:15-17 when Jesus returns to the disciples after His resurrection. Jesus asks Peter three times (once for each denial) if he (Peter) loves Him. Each time, Peter says, "Yes, Lord, I love you." Finally, Peter says, "Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you." And, Peter then feels the whitewash of Grace, of forgiveness for his denial, as Jesus says, "Then, feed my sheep." 

Grace is receiving the gift when we don’t deserve it. None of us deserve to live in peace; none of us deserve eternal life with Jesus. You and I can do absolutely nothing to deserve the sacrifice that Jesus made for each of us.

And, there is no easy way to come to Grace. The approach to Grace begins with the pain of knowing you don’t deserve it; the approach to Grace begins with a broken heart. Grace is available to but only belongs to those who approach it broken, ashamed, undeserving, and often lonely in despair.

And, because God loves us, He reaches out through the death of His son and the whisper of the Holy Spirit, and says, “I forgive you. Get up, and follow me.” That is Grace. It is beautiful, cleansing, and motivating. And, that's why there is no getting over it. People who are wishy-washy about faith don't have Jesus no matter what they say or do. Why? Because to recognize personal failure before the Lord and then to experience the Lord's Grace is life-changing. Like a little boy becoming the best Saturday employee ever, the touch of Grace is life-changing.

Have you done that? Are you living each day in Grace, knowing you don’t deserve it, and accepting it anyway.  And, how are you living in Grace undeserved? Are you passionate about loving and serving our Lord, and loving and serving others? Do you praise Jesus daily for His Grace on you? Are people coming to know Jesus through your life? If not, I beg you, in Jesus' name, to come fully to Him, broken, and experience only the Grace that He can extend.

 

The fences that we build

When we moved into our home in 1991, we inherited an old metal shed building. Electricity had once run to the shed, but it was now disconnected. The exterior metal was rusting; one of the sliding doors was bent and required careful maneuvering to close.

Never one to sacrifice functionality for aesthetics, the shed looked terrible but it was still functional. So, we filled ‘er up and kept on living forward.

A few years later, more storage was required for tools and baseball gear, and so I built a small open-air shed beside the older metal shed. We called this structure “the barn” and it was equally as unattractive as the shed. But, for 20 years, it kept everything dry that we placed under it. Functional.

This past fall, a tree limb fell on the old metal shed, puncturing a hole in the back corner. Rain poured in and ruined some of our stuff – mostly old school  yearbooks, fortunately. The roof was not able to be repaired, and so a new storage plan was required.

Over the winter months, down came the old shed. Then, down came the old barn. Replacing both was a new, more modern shed – with windows. The Addams Family gets fancy.

But, as I stared at the nice new shed, I noticed a problem. Where the old metal shed had stood was going to require some serious yard work. That corner of the yard had grown up underneath an old and very large cedar tree. And, salvaging the 2x6 and 2x4 boards from the old barn, I now had a small lumber yard where the old metal shed had stood. 

I decided the best short-term solution was a nice 20-foot picket fence to hide that part of the yard and visually connect to the new shed as well. So, I built the fence.

Then, I stepped back on Memorial Day weekend and said, "It is good." Seriously, what I really said: “Wow, when you build a fence in front of something that looks bad, well, people see the fence instead of what’s behind it.” It's an illusion. 

I have always been a great fence-builder. God gifted me one very peculiar way. I have a natural eye for “level” and “symmetry.” No kidding. I can look at a wall, and put my finger right in the exact center of it. I can look at a photograph on the wall and see the slightest bit of crooked in how it hangs. (You might catch me adjusting the artwork in your house!) Likewise, when I built that fence in the backyard, I used a level to make sure the posts were the same height, but not one measurement was ever off. I think it’s from all those years designing newspaper pages, where lines of copy had to be straight.

So, fence-building is easy for me.

And, while some fences are built to keep things in and some fences are built to keep things out, my specialty has always been that fence that hides what’s behind it.
               
I will never forget the week after Richard was born in 1994. I had left the newspaper business and was working a part-time job that summer, feeling God calling me to ministry but not really clear on how to dive into it. I spent a lot of time in Bible Study and prayer. Money was tight. We were making do, but money was still very tight. We had three little boys under 6 and life was in a spin.

The fence communicated, “Everything is just fine here” and that’s what most people saw. But, behind the fence, life was a roller-coaster of highs and lows, and confusion and chaos.

We were in Atlanta one weekend that summer, and my mama quietly whispered, “I know better. Where is Jesus? Walk with Jesus, and everything will become clear for you.” She was right. Mothers have a way of seeing through the fences, don't they? I've used her lesson to me in helping listen to many others. I can’t tell you how many times I have been blessed by people who have called or met with me concerning the pain in their lives. And, as we meet, and as I listen, what I see on the first approach is the fence. “Scott, I don’t what to do about my career.” Or, “Scott, my spouse doesn’t love me.” Or, “Scott, how in the world have I lost control of my children?” Or, “Scott, I hate my job.” Or, “Scott, let me tell you about a friend of mine . . . (the ultimate fence) Or, “Scott, I can’t sleep; I’m so worried about the future.”

These fence-builders are coming to the master fence-builder and don’t even know it. As I tell my boys, “You can’t out-pirate an old pirate like me” so likewise “when it comes to fence-building, you can’t out-build me. I have been at it far too long.” And, so, like my mama taught me, I go beyond the restlessness to the heart of the matter. Where is Jesus in this storm? Is Jesus your Savior? When you look past the fences, you will be surprised at how many people don’t know Jesus or how many people will say things like, ‘Well, I go to church.’ Not the same. Knowing Jesus is a question with a simple yes or no answer; any answer but a confident 'yes' is really a 'no.'

If you study the life of Jesus, especially behind the miracles, you will see that Jesus went to the heart of the issue. Whether he brought someone back from the dead, or healed the sick, or restored the blind, or drove out demons, He looked beyond those fences to the heart of the matter – Can I be your Savior? Am I your Savior?

In John 9, there’s the lengthy story of Jesus walking along, and coming up on a man blind since birth. Jesus made some mud with his own spit, put the mud on the man’s eyes, and healed him. The man confessed to others that Jesus had healed him, and was called before the religious leaders. Listen to v. 13-34.

I want you to read that exhausting passage in John 9:13-34. Read it for the absurdity in it. Everyone is focusing on the blindness - on the fence - and the leaders even call in the poor blind man's parents. There so unnecessary drama as everyone focuses on the blindness and the fact that the man can now see. And, the poor blind man is jerked around like a feather in a storm.

In verse 35, Jesus hears about the insanity. He goes to the blind man and Jesus looks beyond the fence to the heart of the matter. He asks, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" And, by verse 38, the man with his sight restored says, "Yes Lord, I believe" and He worships Jesus.

"I am so worried about my career." Where is Jesus in your career plans?

"My spouse doesn't love me." Are you following Jesus, loving Jesus, and then loving your spouse that way?
"I've lost control of my children." Are you leading your children in faith? Are you praying for your children? Are your children seeing that you love Jesus?

"I hate my job." What does Jesus want you to do with your life?

"I can't sleep for all the fear in my life." Are you a follower of Jesus?

Many, many people live lives that look like the corner of my yard where the old metal shed used to stand. There are a lot of weeds back there. There is a lot of old junk back there. There’s a lot of wood from past projects back there. And, rather than clean it up, the easier thing to do is build a fence that hides it. It's time to stop looking like a healthy Christian and taking steps to become a follower of Jesus. (Moving past this metaphor, I will clean it up this fall and I will keep the fence.)

This year, I am really taking a personal accounting of where I am with Jesus. I really am. I am praying more. I am pondering where my life has been and where I want it to go next. I am working to pull down life's fences. I want to be even more transparent to people even if that means being more vulnerable to people. I keep coming back to these words, “Where am I with Jesus?” I encourage you to do the same. What’s in the dark corners of your life? What ‘s the condition of your life behind the walls of your home? And, are you building fences rather than dealing with the real question: Where is Jesus in my life?

1 Peter: Accept the authority

The lesson continues the study from 1 Peter: Foreigners and Aliens.

In 1 Peter 2:13, the apostle writes, “For the Lord’s sake accept the authority of every human institution, whether of the emperor as supreme.” We are aliens and strangers in this world, and Peter is saying, accept the authority of every human institution.

In this translation, the words “accept the authority” mean “submit to” authority in every human institution. This includes government. Because early Christians were seen as revolutionaries and anti-Caesar, the persecution of Christians was in full warp speed. Peter is saying, “act differently than they expect you to act” – be responsible citizens who submit to government authority. Make a positive impression, and if it all seems unfair and persecution is high, well, just remember – we are strangers and aliens here. But, remember, our goal is crystal clear – to see people come to the saving grace of Jesus. Nothing else.

This is serious business, but it is so difficult for us to understand. We live in Earthly bodies and we live in an Earthly culture, and yet as believers we are called to step back and realize that we are separated from this world. Complicated, ain't it? Peter is saying that as aliens, we must respect all the authority of this world. As we respect authority rather than fight it, some will say, 'Why are you like that? Why do you take it?' And, this gives us opportunity - as believers - to show we are different. And, in that different attitude, the Lord will convict some to be like us and follow Jesus.

Easier said than done. I know. Believe me.

And, this submission to authority goes beyond government. "Every authority" would include the authority of marriage Paul writes about in Ephesians 5. It includes parents and children, employers and employees, and church leaders and church members. Peter writes that through our submission we glorify the Lord, follow the example of Jesus' submission to God's plan for Him, and our actions reflect our ultimate submission to God and His authority through Scripture.

It goes even deeper. Sorry.

As God created each person, a certain amount of God’s authority is in each person. Therefore, we should submit to the authority of every person because God is that person's creator. We should put everyone ahead of self, showing respect for friends and enemies alike, speaking unkind of no one, loving everyone, looking to the goodness of God that is in everyone even if it’s just a tiny flicker. You and I are called to follow Jesus, and that doing that means we value nothing, but yet we value everyone. We can use this thinking as a litmus test to how closely we are following Jesus or if we are following Jesus at all.

I know some of you are still caught back there when I wrote about submitting to government. So, let's pause for another minute. Most people that I know are more loyal to the red, white and blue than they are to our Lord and Savior. Most of the people that I know will fight you to the death for slandering our country, but wilt in the presence of those who will slander our Lord. That's a problem. That should tell you where you are with the Lord's calling on your life.

But, let me clarify something for you. In Acts 5:29, Peter addresses the high priest and says, "We must obey God rather than any human authority.” This sounds contradictory to his words in 1 Peter when he says we must submit to all human authority. In fact, Scripture has several verses in the Old and New testament where God approved of disobedience to human authorities. But, in those cases, the government had directly called upon God’s people to sin against God by choosing the world over worship. Are we there right now? No. No one has said to me, "Scott, bow down to Washington as your God, and reject God as the sovereign authority of your life." That's not happened. Are we headed there? I don't know, maybe, but here's what I do know - God calls me, as a follower of Jesus, to make disciples and not fret about Washington. I can't do the due diligence to both because I don't have enough energy. If I focus on the latter, the former will suffer. In day-to-day living, you and I should love our country and submit to its authority both as citizens and believers. If the day ever comes when government tells us to replace our worship of God with our worship of Washington, we must be prepared to die on that day for God.

All of this gets to this one reality: Lost, hurting and unchurched people are watching you and me. They want to know there is hope, joy, peace and love. They want to know that what we believe is real to us, and that we live like we believe it. The world has beaten them down, and turned them upside down. Even with full bank accounts and loving families, they are miserable. And, they don’t understand why. But, they are looking for hope.

As you and I live in this world, submitting to authority – sometimes even unjust authority, and we do good for people despite being treated poorly, we send a message. We send a message that our lives are different. We send  a message that we walk to the beat of a different drummer. We send the message that our eyes are fixed on a prize not of planet Earth. We send the message that we don’t own anything – that God owns all that we have, and all that we have is for no purpose but to honor Him.

And, through that kind of thinking we bring glory to our Savior – the one who died and was resurrected for each man, woman, boy and girl on this planet. And, people notice us and they wonder, “How can I live with that kind of peace?” Our lives will speak loudly, and some will hear the Holy Spirit whisper to them and respond. Others will ask us, “How can I have the peace that you have?” And, I pray you can talk to them about Jesus, or lead them and sit with them while someone else does.

People are watching. We must live like we are missionaries walking each day in a foreign land, submitting to the land's authority and walking with a hunger to do good for people so that many will be saved.

Don’t waste your life following the crowd of this Earth. You were born and called out to be a light in this world, but submitting to it so that all could see you worship a risen Savior.

1 Peter: Foreigners and Aliens

I’m a home-body.

While I love to serve churches, and that service takes me to the air and the road, I find myself counting the days until I am back home where I belong. It can be exciting to be in a new place, and experience new things, and meet new people, but I am always glad to be back at home.

And, it goes even deeper than that. Even though my first home – on Rural Route No. 5 / Brookwood Road – has been swamped by metropolitan Atlanta, and the majority of my kinfolk are dead and gone, I still find myself pulled to Brookwood Road when I visit "home." I park alongside the road and my mind returns to my childhood days and the memories of life on the farm. I often park at the old church cemetery.

Home. It’s where I can be completely and authentically me, where I’m surrounded by people who unconditionally love me, and where I can control the clatter of the world.

And, yet, it’s really an illusion.

There is not one mailbox, street, house, city, state, country – nothing – about this world that is truly my Home. In fact, everything of this world is temporary. My Home – the Home of every believer – is with God, who reigns in heaven and will one day bring His Kingdom to triumph over this world.

The words of the apostle Peter can be overlooked and discounted easily. In 1 Peter 2:11, Peter writes, “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.”
             
You and I are born into this world with the world as our Home. As Jesus calls us to follow Him, and as we respond, we abandon this world and understand that our Home is somewhere else – somewhere not of this world. Somewhere supernatural to this world. We are aliens and strangers here. We’re not “like” aliens and strangers – we are aliens and strangers.

And, the closer I personally draw to Jesus, the more I understand that. Like I’m living in a foreign culture, things of this world just make less and less sense to me. Self-centeredness, pitiful and pathetic attitudes, mean-spirited people, chaos and confusion, and values that are counter to Scripture – more and more my life here on Earth feels foreign to where I actually belong.

Have you ever heard it said of someone who just died, ‘Daddy told us he was just ready to go home.’ Many people, confined to their death beds, get a glimpse of Home, I'm convinced. And, they can't wait to get there. I know that feeling. As I conclude my service with a church, I can't wait to get to the airport and get home. For believers, Home - that place with God - calls us because of the peace, love and joy that will surround us.

 Peter is writing this passage to his friends, to like-minded followers of Jesus, reminding them and us that this world is not our home. And, he warns us that while we are here on this Earth, "sinful desires" will war against our soul. As much as I want to say "my eye is on the eternal prize and things of this Earth don't matter to me," the world calls me to focus on it and its problems and its confusion. And, as I do that - my shoulders slump and I become weary. Because this is not my home, and yet this place wars against my soul. And, this sinful and worldly culture is going to brush against us and we are each going to fall to its temptation. We must take precautions to control environments that trigger sinful desires, which lead to sinful actions. And, by sinful action, I mean anything that distracts our focus from the unbiased love of God and the unbiased love of others.

• I’m an impulse-shopper. If I wander into Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, Home Depot, Advanced Auto or Lowe’s, and I have time on my hands, I roam around, and I spend money on crap. I walk out of these stores having spend 2x, 3x, 4x what I originally intended. The money is gone. The time is gone. And, now the full depth of my ability to give is affected by my desire to serve me rather than serve others. So, I stay away from those stores, or I go with Vicki because she is much more logical than I am.
• Vicki and I once loved to watch the prime time sit-coms together. But, now, it seems every episode of every show pushes the envelope of sexual exploitation. I’m not a puritan; I never have been. I'm not easily offended. But, I've had to change my television viewing habits. I watch a lot of Turner Classic Movies and the Encore Western Channel, and I remove myself from the sit-com environment that Satan might use to plant thoughts that might become action.
• You know that I am an advocate of Christian hospitality. Nothing thrills me more than seeing Christians open their homes to people with whom they can build deeper relationship. And, the more authentic the home the better. I want to go visit people who focus more on the hospitality than they do on the cleaning. I’d rather go see people I love who have forgotten to put up the laundry than go to see people who are want to impress me. In fact, I have to stay away from the pretentious people – no matter whether there home is big or small, new or old. It’s easy for me to fall into “comparative living” – what you have v. what I have. Satan uses comparative thinking to destroy people from the inside out. He rages against our soul by whispering that we have failed, not lived up to expectations, and are not worthy. To avoid giving Satan that foot-hold, I am cautious about the environments I visit.

Those of us who are followers of Jesus must have a personal accounting of our weak spots, and then stay away from those weak spots – even if it means altering friendships, altering workplaces, altering recreation, and altering our thinking. We are strangers in this world – as we grow closer to Jesus, the world should make less and less sense to us, and by contrast, we should draw closer to the things of faith – prayer, Scripture and being with like-minded believers for support.

But, Scott, this sounds reclusive. I mean if I completely withdraw from the world, that pulls me away from people who need Jesus, and therefore limits the people I can tell about Jesus. Right?

Yes, staying away from some environments will certainly remove us from some people, but Peter comes back in verse 12 with the solution. He writes, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong (being better than them), they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.”

You see, in verse 11, Peter says that we should have our inner lives under control so that, in verse 12, our outer lives honor the god we claim to love through Jesus. A person's following of Jesus is going to evidenced by the good they do for others.

I can avoid the environments that might cause me to compromise my witness, but still live completely in the world, be kind and considerate, put others ahead of self, avoid whining, and expect nothing in return.Worldly people won’t understand that, but good and authentic lives will convict them of selfishness and some will be converted to follow Jesus. That's right. Leading upright lives will draw some to Jesus without a word being spoken.

I was scared straight as a boy. I did not drink at all in high school or college. In fact, I was the often the designated driver. Those looking for an excuse for bad behavior criticized me, and said my motives were condescending. But, I maintained a lifestyle of being active in my church, serving others through school clubs, working hard and be faithful to my employers, and encouraging people that I knew. Many, I know for a fact, were influenced positively, and found their way to faith conversations.

Peter is writing that it's not an either / or, but a both. We must avoid the weak spots that might cause us to stumble, and we must be about doing good for others because we love Jesus. This one-two punch will put us in positions to tell some about Jesus, and to reflect the Jesus that we claim to love. People will be convicted by both. And, we will have done our work in a foreign land toward looking ahead to our true Home.

A litmus test for your walk in faith is how alien the world and its value system begins to feel to you. If you are comfortable in the world, or if you are justifying bad behavior as a means as an opportunity to witness, my friends, your faith life is either non-existent or it is completely stagnant. You and I can't serve two masters. You and I will never live perfect, sin-free lives on this Earth, but we can lean on the Holy Spirit to remove temptation from us. Protect yourself by avoiding the environments that might give Satan leverage over your witness to others. Protect your witness. Build relationship with as many people as you can by doing as much good for others as you can. And, through those relationships, be candid about your life and authentic about your love for Jesus.

Home really is where the heart is, and I am a stranger and alien in this world.

The simplicity of the Gospel

By Monty Hope

No matter our Myers-Briggs profiles, there are only two types of people in our class today.  There were those who know Jesus as their personal savior and those who do not.  Those who have accepted Jesus need to hear the simplicity of the Gospel often.  If not, we will let Jesus slip from the center of our life and replace Him with ourselves.  For those who have not accepted Jesus, they yearn for His peace, love, and salvation.  The Gospel is a must for both groups.  We should not complicate it.  Jesus made it simple and we must keep it that way.

First, there is the life of Jesus.  He is our example.  As he said:

• John 13:15 “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”
• Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

We need a role model to live by.  Jesus’s life was that model.  He was a humble servant.  He placed himself behind others.  He led a sinless, spotless life.  All other role models are flawed in comparison to Him.  How could we ever hope to emulate this model?

Good news, we do not have to live up to His example.  There is every expectation from Jesus and God that we should, but we are flawed.  Praise be to God, Jesus knew we could not live up to his example so He gave himself as a sacrifice for our sins.  He died for our salvation.

• John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

After we accept Jesus as our savior, our holy God can commune with us.  When he sees us, he sees us through lenses covered with the blood of His son.  Through these lenses, we are seen as pure as Jesus.

The role model through Jesus’ life and the salvation through Jesus’ death are more than enough in terms of the Gospel.  We are blessed that there is more.  Death was not the end.  The third simple component of the Gospel is the resurrection of Jesus.

• Mark 16:6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.”
• 1 Corinthians 15:20-22 “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.  For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.  For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.”

We are a weak race; a frail people.  We need hope.  Jesus resurrection from the tomb is this hope.  In fact, it is more than hope.  It is the assurance that when we trust in Him as our Savior, death is not our end.  We will live with Him in eternity.

So there it is; the simplicity of the Gospel.  Remember Jesus’ life through the manger; humble, pure, spotless.  Remember Jesus’ death through the cross; atoning blood spilled for our salvation.  Remember Jesus’ resurrection through the empty tomb; the assurance that we too can conquer death through Him.  If you were part of the group today who know Him as your savior, keep the simplicity of the Gospel at the center of your being.  If you were part of the group today who has not accepted Jesus as your savior, DO SO NOW!  Accept the simplicity of His plan.  Be assured of your fate.

Beware of thieves

By James Berry
My Mamaw Calla (my mother’s mom), was a very special woman.  She endured many struggles and hardships in her life.  The “crossroads” crisis that still impacts our family to this day happened when her youngest daughter, Kathy, was killed by a school bus in front of their Sumter, SC home at the age of 10.  

I’ve heard the story many times of how Mamaw rode in the backseat of the car with Kathy’s head in her lap all the way to the hospital. My mom still speaks of the blood stain in the road that was a constant reminder for many years. My grandparents took two different paths to dealing with this loss. My grandfather put all of his energy into his work as a farmer and insurance agent.  He basically pretended that it never happened and did not grieve at all.  Mamaw grieved for her daughter, and struggled with depression and emotional problems to the point that she eventually needed to be hospitalized for a period of time. While my grandmother was hospitalized, my Grandfather developed a relationship with another woman and my grandparents were eventually divorced.  My grandfather basically took everything and left Mamaw with nothing.

Mamaw moved back to Kentucky and lived with family there until she fell in love with a man named Bob and remarried.  Mamaw and Bob were so happy together and I remember sitting in their apartment listening to Cincinnati Reds games with “Papa Bob” during visits there.  During this time, she witnessed the death of her oldest daughter to cancer at the young age of 33.  Bob was so supportive through this difficult time. He was a great guy and they were so happy together until Bob’s teenage son and a few friends who were high on heroin broke into the house one night. They beat my grandmother with a baseball bat and shot Bob in the head multiple times.  Bob survived and recovered physically, but was never the same emotionally.  He became paranoid and violent. Mamaw stayed with him as long as she could but eventually Mamaw had to leave as she feared for her safety.

Mamaw spent many years living with her parents and taking care of them until they passed.  After their death, she came to live with my family in Columbia.  She and I shared the upstairs of my parents’ home, so I obviously spent a lot of time with her.  We were later able to get her a small one bedroom apartment where she lived for her last 10 years on this earth.

Despite the many struggles in her life, I would say that my Mamaw was one of the most positive and giving people I ever knew.  She volunteered by reading to local elementary children and served food to the homeless at local soup kitchens.  I particularly remember grade school care packages that were filled with baseball cards and baseball t-shirts (items she clearly couldn’t afford to buy and mail), but she knew how excited I would be to receive them). She had very little monetarily, yet she made a point of hosting a small Christmas celebration for our entire family at Christmas. She did her very best to make it as fancy and entertaining as possible and she was always excited as she gave the grandchildren some quite unique presents at Christmas. She had JOY, despite all of the trials she had faced.

I am convinced now more than ever that we are engaged in a spiritual war every day and for whatever reason we are afraid to admit it.  I have heard many sermons based on the statement “God has a plan for your life” (Jeremiah 29:11), but I rarely hear anyone mention that Satan has a plan for us as well.  I believe one of Satan’s main ways of attacking us is through worry, stress, and regret. I also believe that he attacks followers of Christ in an attempt to lessen our witness in hopes that he can keep nonbelievers from becoming believers. 

John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." The “thief” discussed here clearly is Satan.  I believe that one of the main ways that Satan attacks believers is by trying to steal our joy.  We get so wrapped up in troubles and stresses in our life that we miss seeing where God is at work.  We focus too much on the problems at hand and trying to fix them ourselves that we forget that our Savior wants us to give these burdens to Him.

When Jesus was explaining the parable of the sower in Mark 4:19 he said, “but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful”.  I don’t know about you, but I want to be fruitful.  I want to produce each of the fruits of the spirit, especially joy.  But a lot of the time, I let the “stuff” of everyday life steal that away from me.

Another area where Satan attacks us is our past.  I know that in my life there are times in my past where I know I failed both God and my family miserably. I have confessed my sin, asked for forgiveness, and know that God has forgiven me. Yet, I still find myself reflecting back on those times and experiencing feelings of guilt and regret for those actions.  God has forgiven me, but I can’t seem to shed the feeling of guilt associated with some of my sins of the past. 

I heard a great analogy recently at a PowerUp Lunch here in Lexington.  Mike Crapps of First Community Bank shared this quote from a sermon at his church that he said has really changed his outlook on life.  He talked about how Jesus was crucified on the cross for our sins and that he was hung between two thieves.   Then, he said, “Most Christians are being crucified on a cross between two thieves; Yesterday’s regrets and tomorrow’s worries."

Don’t let Satan steal your joy by keeping you focused on worry and regret! Remember that Jesus wants you to turn all of that “stuff” over to him so that you can have life to the full.