"Why This Waste?" - The Duty of Extravagance.

I love the account in several of the Gospels of the woman - a sinner - who breaks an alabaster box of  an expensive oil, anointing the head of Jesus.

The indignant disciples ask, "Why this waste?"

Jesus' response reveals both his tender awareness of the value of the gift to the woman and his consternation for the strict judgement made by His disciples.

The Path of the Just

To think that I could have said to my sons (assuming they were old enough to understand my voice and I was wise enough to know), "You are going to be such-and-such when you grow up. That's all for now," is an outlandish thought.

The daily walk with them as we uncover, together, their talents and passions, likes and dislikes, failures and successes is, up to this point, one of the most rewarding parts of my life.

Secrets 2 - repost

I'm not sure when or from whom we learned this exercise, and it has become so much a part of our lives that it doesn't seem to be so intentional anymore as automatic.

That's ironic because the whole intent is to avoid the automatic, the status quo, the ordinary, and the mundane.

We call it "STOP. NOTICE. AND DECIDE."

We invoke this occasionally to make sure that our lives haven't found a rut. That we are actively and in a meaningful way pursuing the plan of God for our lives. I love the quote, "A rut is just a grave with both ends kicked out of it." It speaks for itself. We don't want to be "the walking dead".

So first, we STOP.
In the busy-ness, crowds, and noise of our culture we can forget to just take a break. A day or two, or maybe an afternoon or an hour together when we purposely unplug and clear out the cobwebs. We position ourselves to hear each other and to hear the voice of God through each other.

And then NOTICE.
We turn that break into something more than an escape. We turn it into an intentional and fearless review of what we are doing. Are we in God's plan? Is there eternal significance to what we are putting our hands to? Is it good for God? For people? For our family? For our community?

And then DECIDE.
This is where the rubber meets the road. What will we do with what we have just heard and noticed? This is the gutsy, full-on, step-up-to-the-plate part of living that makes it really living.

We've closed businesses, fed the homeless, started new ministry tracks, opened businesses, bought airline tickets, fostered the abused, enrolled in universities, sold houses, had children, retired, re-hired, bought houses, changed careers and a whole lot more out of these "STOP. NOTICE. AND DECIDE." moments.

I don't have specific scripture for this, but I can tell you that the fruit has been lasting. And the adventures with God have been thrilling, fostering a relationship with Him that is alive, relevant, and head-over-heels full of love.

Found in Translation - The Mind of Christ

"Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross" (Phillipians 2:3-8).

I was listening to a friend the other day who is fluent in several languages. He was talking about how he has trained himself to think in English, since that is the primary language with which he is surrounded. He has found himself struggling, however, with his native language - having a difficult time finding the right word or phrase because it just isn't as available as it used to be.

We - who have the mind of Christ - should be so lucky! What would it be like to forget our first-nature mind language and to only speak out of our Christ-mind?

When we speak out of the language of the mind of Christ, our lives speak the Kingdom language - LOVE, and He is found in the translation our lives speak.

Be a faithful translation, speak the truth in LOVE.

A Word on Perfection and Persecution

The Apostle Paul penned a number of scriptures that encourage us in pursuit of perfection (Ephesians 4:13; Colossians 1:28; Colossians 4:12). James had some things to say, too (James 1:4; James 3:2).

I'd like to focus on something that Jesus said about perfection.

"Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48).

As with all scripture, we must look at this in context. What is the "therefore" there for?

This verse is one scripture from Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount", (Matthew 5, 6 and 7). This particular verse ties up 6 verses on the subject (as titled in my Bible), "Love Your Enemies".

"You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:43-48).

To be perfect as Our Father in Heaven is perfect means that we shine on the just and the unjust. And that we bring refreshment to the just and the unjust.

Jesus is emphasizing that it isn't fit for us, in representing Him, to do anything but bless, do good, and pray for those who hate, curse, or persecute us.

Persecution is a different subject completely. We don't see persecution in the United States in the way that scripture talks about persecution, but we may someday. Believers in the early church or today in China and some Middle East nations would laugh at what we call persecution. We, in our entitlement-culture, just get offended because people don't agree with us - and call that persecution.

Here's the point: Live like the King. He rules over His whole Kingdom. Some people don't serve Him, some may even curse and hate Him, but He shines on and sends rain to them anyway.

And many, as they awaken to His goodness as manifest in His Body, will come to repentance (Romans 2:4).

In this way, according to Jesus, you can be perfect, as He is.

The Gospel for Dummies

The information/computer age has provided a superabundance of facts. The "knowledge pie" has expanded exponentially. We can't possibly know it all, so we are left to master smaller and smaller slices of the pie. If we continue to know more and more about less and less, then it's only a matter of time before we know everything about absolutely nothing.

Years of intellectualism, commentary, denominational division and righteous crusading have tempted us to stray from the simplicity of the Gospel. Our pride has flirted with our advance in knowledge and we are predisposed to making things harder than they actually are.

Let's remember that Jesus made things simple.

But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 'Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?'
Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”" Matthew 22:34-40

Love God. Love people.

There are God-backed, time-tested, complex and simple wisdom-ful principles, commands and truths in the Word to guide us. These can't be ignored or minimized. His Word has given us life and is our delight (Psalm 119:50,77+). But when it comes right down to it, stick with the basics and you can't go wrong.

Paul spoke to this in 1 Corinthians 13, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal" (v. 1).

Let's make sure all of our revelation isn't just a bunch of noise.

Let Him use your love for His purposes.

Self-Discipline

What does it mean to disciple one's self?

It is an interesting relationship.

Few people confess that they need to be brighter or more full of common sense, but there are very few who don't confess a need for greater self-discipline.

David really messed up with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11 - 12:22). But what an example of self-discipline in how he dealt with Saul (1 Samuel 24 and 26)!

This shows us that, even in a man after God's own heart, self-discipline is an issue.

We should practice hearing God's voice in silence and solitude, training ourselves to hear Him clearly in a noisy crowd. But there is another strategy.

Demosthenes (a contemporary of Aristotle) is said to have practiced speaking with pebbles in his mouth and when out-of-breath from exercise in order to overcome his limitations as an orator. His desire alone wasn't enough. He had to discipline himself at a level higher than his desired goal in order to master his craft.

We can learn from this. In our silence, solitude, worship, study, meditation, prayer, and love we can also practice under conditions that are much more challenging than the ideal so that we can achieve our best for God.

We can discipline ourselves to be alone with God no matter what the size of the crowd, and quiet before Him no matter the noise.

In this we are being prepared to be disciplined by The Great Discipler.

Secrets 3

For 20+ years my wife and I have operated under a marriage strategy that we call "The B.E.S.T. Strategy". As with some of the other strategies that have become second-nature to us, we don't remember from whom or from where this strategy emerged. We just know it works.

Here's the skinny...

"B" stands for "Blessing". We make a point to bless each other, which means to say good things to and about each other. I cringe when I hear husbands refer to their wives as the "old lady" or the "ball-and-chain". She is a gift from God and, "He who finds a wife finds a good thing, And obtains favor from the LORD" (Proverbs 18:22).

"E" stands for "Edifying". Again, our speech plays a role here. We lift each other up with encouraging words. We believe in each other and have confidence that God is working - on many levels - to develop and mature each other and we would rather partner with Him in edifying than partner with the enemy in bringing discouragement.

"S" stands for "Sharing". There is not a part of my life, a conversation, a plan, or a dream that I hold that my wife is not aware of. We share with each other. Everything. Especially communications with the opposite sex. We recognize that our marriage is not either one of us; it is both of us. The two really did become one, and it would be a mistake to keep half of us in the dark and it is such an honor to have someone willing to listen to everything I have to say!

"T" stands for "Touching". We touch. It's good for us. It confirms what we feel for each other and, even when in disagreement over something, we touch to remind each other that we are still one.

This acronym gives us a score card to turn to every once in awhile to make sure that some basics are in place. I am far from perfect. My sarcastic upbringings make the "Blessing" part a particular challenge but my wife has seen me make progress over the years.

I hope this helps.

Win-Win

In our hyper-competitive society it seems there is a leaning towards every-day transactions becoming a battle, or at least a contest, that will result in a winner and a loser.

I see it over parking spaces, cash register lines, rights-of-way, government, purchases and, perhaps most tragic of all, discussions between believers.

This most essential community fabric - the family of God - needs to be preserved in one piece.

The concept of win-win must be held high here.

Consensus can be prized, not at the expense of what is right, but at the expense of one's own selfish desires. And consensus can be reached in a God-honored setting that acknowledges the worth of each person in the transaction.

The disciples disputed over their own greatness and were rebuked by the Lord (Mark 9:33-37). Instead of hearing their argument He set a child in their midst, endorsing the least to deflate the notion of the great.

The expression, "When we lift one another up we make progress at the expense of no one", is nowhere more true than in the family of God.

Take the time to lay down your self, your opinion, your preference, in favor of the glorious God-favored family.

Oxen are Messy. Get one anyway.

Around my house we like to say, "you gotta' break a few eggs to make an omelette".

Solomon says it much better in Proverbs 14, verse 4...

"Where no oxen are, the trough is clean;
But much increase comes by the strength of an ox."

The point is this: You can keep things nice and tidy if you want. You can lead a simple life and not make any waves. You can stay home, watch TV and eat bon-bons all day and probably not make any trouble for yourself. But the increase will not be of the desirable type.

Or, you can get an ox. Things are gonna' get a little messy, but you'll get some real work done.

I believe this speaks to our partnership with God in advancing the work of the Kingdom. The only commission we receive in all of scripture is to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). You need to leave the sofa to do that.

That gets a little messy, but do it anyway.

Loving the Unloved

Jesus gave us plenty of examples of loving those who are not highly regarded by society.

The Gospel of Luke is full of His expressions and examples of kindness towards women (Luke 1:5-15, 39-45, 26-56, 57-66; 2:1-20, 36-38, 41-52; 7:11-15, 36-50; 8:1-3, 15:8-10; 18:1-8, 23:27; 24:1-10), Gentiles (Luke 2:32; 24:47), Shepherds (Luke 2:8-20), the Poor (Luke 6:20-23), Samaritans and strangers (Luke 10:30-36; 17:16), tax collectors and sinners (Luke 15:1) and lepers (Luke 17:1-17).

If we want to see the results that Jesus saw, we must live our lives the way He lived. There aren't any shortcuts.

Love God. Love people. All people.