I spend a lot of time praying for God’s help. You probably do too. There are things that seem good to me…….things that I want to happen……..and I pray for them. So far so good.
I read the Bible just about every day. It contains a lot of good advice…..and a lot of rules. So far so good.
But there is a problem. When I pray…….when you pray…….do you ever ask for something that you don’t like, that you don’t want?
Do you ever ask God to raise your taxes and use the money to feed the poor? Do you ever pray for God to heal justice Ginsberg? Do you ever pray for the end of abortion?
How do you react when you read a Bible verse that you don’t like…….. perhaps a verse that tells you that you are doing something wrong…….or failing to do something?
“Do not commit adultery”
Give 10% to the church
There is a common thread here. We pray for what WE want. We embrace the passages in the Bible that agree with what WE want to do. We often go a step further…….we reject or ignore the parts of the Bible that are in conflict with our wants, our needs, our appetites.
The Bible says don’t commit murder but a great many Christians support gun ownership. A great many Christians support abortion. You can make a strong argument that in a soundly Bible based society……..neither of these would exist. How can this be?
I think that what it comes down to is “Who is in charge”? In other words who do I trust the most God……….or myself?
We spend a lot of our prayers trying to recruit God to “our side”.
We spend a lot of intellectual energy trying to twist the Bible until it agrees with what we want. In a word, we are trying to get God to align himself with us…….to join our team.
There was a world war two movie where a captured German officer says of his captors, “you were always so sure that God was on your side”. He clearly believed in God and had convinced himself that there was no conflict between the Bible and the actions of his government.
So my meditation today is this………am I struggling to conform myself to God……or am I struggling to conform God to me?
Of these two approaches……. the first is difficult and may not be much fun………..but the second is doomed.
“My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”
I think…….and worry…….about you often. I find myself in a bit of a bind here. I will be in paradise in a few short years and I’d really like for you to be there with me. It is going to be great……but it will be even better with you there. I don’t want to nag you or to annoy you. But, if I say nothing, you may miss out on something truly fabulous. For that matter, I too will miss out on something……your company.
You and I have different beliefs. I believe that we were created by a God who is active and involved in this world. You believe in science which tells us that it is all a big accident. The thing is that these two belief systems are mutually exclusive. In a word……..one of us must be wrong.
If I am wrong, I will lead a good life: loving those around me, supporting my community, paying my taxes, giving to charity, and then…..in a few short years…….I will die and the lights will just go out. I won’t even know that I was wrong.
If you are wrong, you will lead a good life: loving those around you, supporting your community, paying your taxes, giving to charity, and then…..in a few short years……you will die. But then………….you will have an conversation with your creator, your father. It will probably be a little awkward. Then you will likely miss out on paradise, which was your destiny……and mine for that matter…… from the very start.
And I will have failed you as a friend.
So, when I finally work up the courage to annoy you…..again, be patient with me. My long term goal is to someday soon sit down with you in paradise……..and to talk…….over a pastry and a great cup of coffee in a little cafe with a great view………..with two custom bikes parked nearby.
How cool is that?
My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”
We return to it many times a day…….but we rarely give it much thought. The traffic light is green…….we trust that the driver on the side street will stop. We drop our child off at school……..we trust that the staff will not only teach her……..but protect her as well. These everyday acts of trust work pretty well for the most part.
There are bigger issues though.
Death
Life….. Where does it come from….. When does it begin?
Eternity
Sex……..male, female, trans, bi, LGBTQ, marriage
Freedom ……….and its limits
Rights………what we are entitled to
Family
Our neighbors and the social contract
We navigate these issues by relying on a set of norms……. for lack of a better word……rules. Our American society places great value on individualism. We encourage everyone to be their own person. Many societies, especially in the Orient place much less value on individualism. It should come as no surprise then that we each develop our own set of rules. It is rare to find two Americans who operate on exactly the same set of rules. Our biggest public fights arise because of these different sets of rules.
This post is about how we develop the set of rules that we run our life by. This internal set of rules deserves some examination……..because it colors everything that we do.
Here are a few general principles.
The fact that somebody else uses a different rule than mine does not necessarily make them evil. There is some room for honest disagreement.
Some people use a set of rules that is so disruptive that they cannot be allowed in society………and we put them in cages. There is an absolute limit to what we can do in a society.
At the heart of how we develop our set of rules is the simple question………”who do you trust”? In other words whose rules do we adopt? Here are some popular options. You can choose one…….or more than one.
Myself
God…… The Bible
The Republican party
The Democratic party
My parents
My friends
The taking heads on Fox/CNN, etc.
My smart phone
I’m sure that you get the drift here. Some sources of rules can be trusted more than others. But here’s the rub……every one on this list has an agenda. They are all trying to influence you. They are all trying to send you specifically…….and society in general……somewhere.
The starting point is myself…….who is better equipped to set up my rules than me? The problem is that I am often dishonest…..and so are you. When was the last time that you talked yourself into doing something that was ultimately self destructive…….or harmful to a neighbor. We call it rationalization……..and we do it every day…..the rolling stop…….the phone call that you ignore……the sales tax on that internet purchase that you don’t report. And if you think your set of rules is bad…….just look at the other guy. In Kentucky, 90% of the people using handicapped parking have no meaningful handicap.
Then there are the politicians. They have a vision for society and they use hate to divide us in order to achieve a “more perfect union”. It’s crazy but the number of people who blindly follow their party and demonize the other party is amazing.
The talking heads are no better. They are pretty much mouthpieces for their party.
My friends are very much like me…….they will support just about anything I want to do. That’s why I chose them.
And then there is the biggest liar on the list……..and it’s in your hand right now.
My parents are a pretty good choice. With a few exceptions, their primary goal is my success and my happiness. They will make mistakes, but with a few rare exceptions, their heart is in the right place. Teens and young adults ……..read this paragraph again!
Finally……… God and his “owners manual”….. The Bible.
God’s motivation is pure. He wants a relationship with you. He wants long term…… eternal…….success and joy for you. The norms…….the rules in the Bible are there for only one reason…….to lead you to achieve long term love and joy.
So my answer to the question “who should you trust?”
God.
“Take all that you can of this book upon reason, and the balance on faith, and you will live and die a happier man. “(When a skeptic expressed surprise to see him reading a Bible)
Lincoln
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
As a part of my morning meditation, I try to clear my mind.
I pray…….”here I am Lord”…… then I listen.
In a way, I am standing before God…….. waiting for a word……. wisdom, instruction, maybe even a command. Sometimes I hear nothing……. sometimes an idea pops into my head. Many of these ideas end up in this blog. I’m not saying that they came from God…….or even that they are correct……. though I try to follow him. These ideas are not really even the point of today’s post……… rather, today I’m focusing on how it feels……….how it feels when you try to approach God.
So………..What do I feel when I stand before God?
Love
Respect
Safety
Hope
Fear
Weakness
Thankfulness
Humility
Gratitude
Flawed
Undeserving
These are the emotions that I begin my day with today.
I spent many years ignoring God. I don’t believe I ever denied him……..I just pushed him off into a corner where I could keep a lid on him……..keep him from causing me any trouble.
Functionally, I was living life as a secular humanist. If I can reconstruct how I felt as a secular humanist it would look like this.
Powerful
In control
Smart
Competent
Skilled
Better than my fellow man
Deserving
Righteous
Entitled
As I look at these two lists, the second one is in many ways more appealing……….it certainly sounds like more fun. I can see the appeal of secular humanism.
As a secular humanist, the key feature in my life was this:
I got to do whatever I wanted. Whatever I said was right……was right. When you live your life on list 2, nobody gets to tell you anything.
I was smart and successful……… usually, when I did what I wanted, it turned out well…….. sometimes, not so much. I remember bring proud of myself and of my achievements. What I don’t remember is being happy. In fact I was lonely. I don’t remember being satisfied. In fact, the more I got………the more I achieved……….the more I wanted. The harder I pursued my appetites, the more my appetites grew. The list of things that I wanted stretched on forever……….there was no endpoint.
Somewhere along the way, I let God out of the corner. Slowly over the years, I moved from list 2 to list 1. On the surface, it looks like a step backwards. But here’s the trick……..I am happier and more satisfied now. My world now involves an endpoint, God, that is close……..and more important…….it is attainable. This is a big improvement over the endless series of acquisitions and achievements that I chased for years…….the string of desires and appetites that went on forever as far as the eye could see.
Why does list 1…….which looks weak…….beat list 2……..which looks like fun?
I think it is because it is true. I am happy and satisfied because I am living my life in the place that I was meant for. My destination, God, is close and achievable because it is correct.
Given the choice between a 66 Camaro (near the top of my list of appetites) and satisfaction…….I choose satisfaction. If I had chosen the Camaro, I’d probably want new upholstery anyway.
“for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.”
We spend most of our lives working…….whether at our job or at home……… whether we get paid or not.
For the most part we have a goal…….or goals……..things that we are working toward. Our goals reflect what we want…….our appetites. We spend most of our lives pursuing these appetites……..and yet we give little effort to examining them…….to assessing their quality.
So the challenge this week is to fearlessly examine the appetites that drive us; because, the pursuit of these appetites leads to the greatest triumphs in our lives……..and to the greatest disasters.
I’ll start with a list of appetites………things that people pursue.
Some of them will be very familiar. Others may make you uncomfortable.
Money
Security
Status/fame
Love/relationship
Friendship
Sex
Power
Respect
God
Truth
Empire(building something big)
Helping others
Luxury(food, clothing, entertainment)
Addictions
Revenge (aka justice)
These are some of the common appetites……..you can probably add to the list. The idea here is to honestly and fearlessly list the three appetites that usually drive you. Then put them in order. The value of this exercise will hinge on how honest you are with yourself. Take a minute and write them down on a piece of paper right now.
We all know what we are supposed to pursue……like “world peace”. We also know that our list of appetites is different.
I’m a Christian. The Bible tells me that my #1 appetite should be God. But, unfortunately, the truth is different.
So………here is my list……..in order.
Security
Respect
Truth
God and love didn’t even make the top three. Don’t get me wrong……..these three appetites of mine are noble. I have pursued them for 60 years with some success. I also suspect that some of my greatest failures are rooted in that list……..and I think I’ll pass on listing my failures……..though my family can probably produce a comprehensive account.
The key thing here is that my list of appetites is not carved in stone………although after 60 years, flexibility may not be my strong suit. I can change my appetites……..if I am willing to make the necessary sacrifices.
So the next part of the exercise is to make a list of three new appetites that you can pursue………maybe better appetites than those on your first list. Again, write them down.
My list of better appetites?
God
Love
Helping others
If your new list is the same as your first list, congratulations………..you are a truly rare human.
And I’m sorry, Miss America………”world peace” will have to wait.
It’s probably not feasible for me to throw out my 60 year old list……or for you to throw out yours for that matter. But, maybe I can add one appetite from my new list to my old list.
Security
Respect
Truth
God
I can work on the order later.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
I talk to people, I can tell funny stories. I can teach. I can help others out. But, I never have been very good at developing deep, close personal relationships with others. I tell myself that I’m a little shy……..probably true. But, there is likely more to it than that.
We go through life accumulating stuff. I’m now in my sixties and when I talk to those around me, I keep hearing a lot about “downsizing”……..about getting rid of stuff. Then I look around my house and my shop and I can see that the amount of stuff is staggering. It’s great stuff and I enjoy it a lot. There is great pleasure in using a beautiful crafted tool or in shooting a finely built gun. But, the stuff just doesn’t seem to satisfy me. Entertains me…….. maybe…….but satisfies me? ……..not so much.
I have recently lost an important relationship. The why behind it is not important. This failed relationship has led me to reflect on the value of relationships in my life……..in all of our lives. I have to conclude that accumulating people is far more important than accumulating stuff. It is also far more difficult. The current “information age” has made this much worse. My closest relationship is with my wife……….but my cell phone is a close second. I wonder where my grandchildren will wind up.
Then I consider God…….the most powerful force in the universe. God is a creator…….THE creator. Stuff is no problem for him. If he wants something, he can simply create it. 66 Supersport Camaro……..with a really loud throaty exhaust……..0 to 60 in 8 seconds……..no problem! But, when you read the Bible, God doesn’t seem interested in the Camaro………or any other kind of stuff. Repeatedly, he says that what he wants is relationship………with you and with me. He wants the kind of deep intimate personal relationship that seems to escape me……….and maybe you too.
So……..God gives us the gift of loneliness.
Sounds odd, but loneliness is the feeling that drives us into relationship. Loneliness is the force that makes us reach out beyond ourselves………beyond our stuff……….. beyond our cell phones to connect with others………others who are just as lonely as we are.
Most of the fundamental feelings in our heart are a pale reflection of God’s heart. We are, after all, created in his image. Do you ever wonder if God feels something similar to loneliness………a desire for relationship……..with you? Maybe that is what drove him to create this universe. Maybe that is why he is willing to forgive our misdeeds. What if God’s driving motivation in all of his vast creation is to be my friend………to be your friend?
I hope that this is true. My hope is that one day I will encounter Jesus, not as an equal, but as a friend.
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends,
There is the world that we see. We can touch it, we can measure it. To a great degree we can even understand it. There are parts of it that elude us, but we keep exploring them hoping that someday we may understand them. This is the realm of science.
Then, there is the world that we cannot see. It includes all of the things that science cannot detect, quantify and explain. This is the realm of God.
It is where these two realms meet that we run into trouble. Sometimes we find things that were once part of the unseen realm that we begin to understand and can move into the realm of the seen……..like magnetism. Magnetism was once viewed as mystical, even occult. Now it is firmly in the realm of the seen…..the realm of science.
So………for better or worse,we tend to leave the realm of the seen to science…….but, how do we deal with the realm of the unseen?
Deny it. If I can’t see it and measure it with the tools of human science, then it isn’t real. The trouble is that science keeps expanding its reach. Stuff that wasn’t real yesterday becomes real today. Another problem is that science doesn’t always get things right……… just ask Columbus……or Galileo. The other problem is that we will miss out on anything real that is unseen……..both the blessings and the curses.
Ignore it. While we recognize that there are unseen things that are real, we cannot use them……we cannot manipulate them. So, why bother with them. This saves us a lot of effort but it becomes a problem if there are things in the unseen realm that can help us…….or harm us. There is an irony here. If the unseen is real, the fact that we deny or ignore it is irrelevant. Its impact on our lives remains.
Explore it. Admit that there are real things, real beings that are not only unseen…….but unseeable. Recognize that these beings can affect us and our world…….both for good and for bad. This calls for discernment. Every day somebody comes to us with an idea that they tell us is part of the unseen……..and it is a complete fiction. We have to sort between the fictional unseen and the real unseen. This is where things get difficult. Some of the unseen things that people try to sell us are easy to discard…….like Ouija boards. Others are much tougher. How do you sort between God (of the Bible), Satan, Allah, the Greek and Roman Gods, Aliens, ancestor worship, etc?
I believe that the defining act of the supreme unseen being, God, is creation. If there are other unseen beings, then the one who created me and this world is the one that counts. The creator is God.
But who is he?
I look for his fingerprints in his creation. Man is his ultimate creation and I believe that in our better moments we are a poor reflection of our creator’s heart. So what does that look like?
This reflection of our creator is “written on our hearts”…..it is “hard wired” into us.
We want to love and be loved.
We care for others, especially our children.
We need relationship.
We will forgive bad behaviour in order to build relationships.
We believe in eternity……..life after death.
We know that it is wrong to lie, steal, murder and cheat on our spouse.
We know that we should be kind to those around us…….even strangers.
We sense that there is something missing in our world.
These fingerprints are codified in the Bible. Because the Bible reflects what I sense in my heart to be true, I believe that the Bible is the best description of God that we have.
So, I believe that there is a real world that is unseen…….and largely unseeable. A part of that world is our creator……. God. Based on the things that are in my heart on my best days, I believe that the Bible is a good description of God………..and of his expectations of me.
“The LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.”
God, NIV
Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
Years ago we were on vacation. We were at a beachfront restaurant and I was feeling adventurous. I wanted to try a local dish. And they had grilled octopus. I thought, what the heck, it’s probably awful but I’ll give it a try. Live dangerously. Sure enough, after a bit, the waiter brought me a whole octopus about 10″ in diameter. It was charred to the point where it was about 80% black. It looked awful. I cut off a piece, held my nose and put it in my mouth.
It was delicious! OK, maybe a little rubbery in texture, but the flavor was amazing. I haven’t passed up grilled octopus since……. whenever I can find it on the menu……
which isn’t often. I even find it at Costco every now and then.
So what’s the point here?
I hear a lot of people complaining about Christianity. They say it’s narrow minded, restrictive, bigoted, hateful, you name it. They say Christians are superstitious at best and brain dead at worst. The trouble is that most of them have never tried it. Most of them have never spent a year living the Christian life…….. following the two central rules…….”Love God……Love your neighbor”.
Same story about the Bible. I hear people call it nieve………a myth, superstition, hallucination, lies, etc. Almost to a man, they have never read the book.
How can you criticize a faith and a book when you have never tried it.
How can you make a face and say that octopus is awful if you’ve never tasted it.
To those who would criticize my faith, I say try it out for a year………read the manual…….cover to cover. Spend time with some solid, mature Christians. Love God and love your neighbor.
Then you can tell me what you think of my faith.
Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
If you ask one hundred Americans what is so great about this country, most of them will say that it’s our freedom. We can say what we want and we can pretty much do what we want. We can live where we want, choose the work we will do, practice our faith…………we can buy a gun………we can abort our baby. Sure there are laws to protect others from us when we abuse our freedom. But all in all…….we are in charge of our lives.
Freedom, however, is a bit slippery. We love having it, but we often don’t handle it well. To be clear, this post is not about how misusing our freedom can harm others (though it certainly can)……….this post is more about how complete freedom can harm us.
I see freedom as a continuum. Consider the chicken that laid the egg that you ate for breakfast. She will spend her entire life in a one cubic foot cage. She is safe, well fed, and well cared for. But, she will never in her life make a single choice. She is the poster child for lack of freedom. Now imagine the king of a small nation. He rules absolutely. He makes the laws. He can do anything he wants. Nothing constrains him and his appetites. He is absolutely free. Think of Idi Amin. I bet that most of us would rather live in Idi Amin’s palace than in the chicken’s cage. And yet, both Idi Amin and the chicken have a problem with freedom. There is no doubt that too little freedom is bad……but so is too much freedom. And I’m not talking about too much freedom being bad for society as a whole……… I’m talking about it being bad for me.
I spend my day making decisions. Thousands of times each day I face choices. As I face a choice, many of my options are good……..but many are bad. Absolute freedom means that all of the bad options are available to me……..in addition to the good options. And I am a master at justifying the choice of the bad option.
So are you.
Here is the rub. In order to live a happy and successful life, I need to limit my freedom. This runs against my nature…….against my skill at justifying bad choices……. against my appetites.
I need outside help. I need a set of rules to govern my behavior.
I need a moral code………..and so do you.
I need it, not to protect society from me……….but to protect me from me.
Here it is:
Love God
Love your neighbor
Don’t lie
Don’t steal
Don’t murder
Honor your parents
Sex is for husbands and wives
Don’t covet
Rest on Sunday
The Bible is full of rules. It is in fact a detailed moral code. But these 9 points are the heart of it. We tend to look at it as a book that is designed to put us in a tiny cage……to take away our freedom……..to take away our choices. And we hate that………we rebel against it. But, unlike human laws which are there to keep us from hurting others………the moral code of the Bible is there to keep us from hurting ourselves. In a word, the Bible is designed to take away our freedom to make self destructive choices. It is a gift…….from a creator who wants us to be happy and fulfilled…….no more no less.
I believe that when I fail……….when I get angry with somebody or jealous (my sins of choice)…….God is not angry with me but rather sad……..sad that I have missed out on the joy that he has planned for me…….sad that I have fallen short of my destiny.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
In the movie “Backdraft” there is a scene where an old firefighter is mentoring a young firefighter. He intentionally lights a fire and as it grows. He says something to the effect that the fire climbs up the wall and across the ceiling……..not because of the laws of physics………but rather, because it WANTS to. This is, of course, just good theater. But, it provides a practical applicable basis for defeating the fire. Similarly, the idea of evil driven by intention is very useful in understanding Satan……..and protecting ourselves from him.
In our modern “open minded” society. We have redefined evil. In many cases we have defined it out of existence. One of the great unforgivable crimes in our world is to tell somebody that what they are doing is wrong. This is the source of much of the friction between the right and the left. The right sees something and says it is wrong. The left responds by calling the right one of the words in the “deplorable basket”.
When you hear the word “judgementalism”…….what is your immediate response? Is judgementalism good or bad? We are told every day that we have no right to lable the action of another as bad. We are told that judgementalism is bad. We are not allowed to call another person evil……. No matter what. We are not even allowed to say that he is bad. Think of the TV coverage of the last mass shooting. You probably heard about the shooter’s troubled childhood, about his emotional struggles, about his state of mind, how he lost his job……….but nobody ever called him evil. We have dumbed down evil to the point where it is almost a caricature. When was the last time that you saw somebody do something and said, “that is an evil act committed by an evil man”. As in the book “1984”, we have created our own version of “newspeak”……..a language where words describing unacceptable ideas have been outlawed. Even on the rare occasions where we acknowledge evil………the act must be extraordinarily heinous. 911 was evil. But lying on your CV, denigrating a co-worker, mistreating your spouse…..doesn’t rise to the level of evil……..perhaps exaggeration or frustration……….but not evil.
So what about Satan?……….. same story. For the most part, our society has eradicated him. We rarely think about him. Many, perhaps most of us, deny his existence. Even if we consider him real……we reduce him to a caricature…….a red guy with horns, a tail, and a pitchfork.
I believe that God is an intelligent, emotional being who is active in our world……… who has a long range plan for our well being.
I believe that Satan, too, is an intelligent, emotional being who is active in our world…….. who also has a long range plan…….. for our destruction. In a word, Satan is evil with a plan…….for me and for you.
Satan is not an intellectual construct, an idea, a metaphor, or a symbol. In practice, he is a supernatural person with wants, needs, emotions………and a plan. The safest way to deal with Satan is to deal with him as you would a dangerous co-worker. In every interaction, remember that he is present and that his motive is to destroy you. The most dangerous way to deal with him is to deny his personhood……….to deny his existence……to deny his motive…….to deny the evil that he has planned for you………for all of us.
And that is where we are today. As you go through your day today you will interact with hundreds, maybe thousands of people……… some good, some evil, most in-between. The problem is that most of them…….good or evil…….from a practical application standpoint don’t recognize that Satan walks among with us……….. quietly and carefully executing his long range plan. It is very easy to be manipulated……….when you can’t see the person pulling the strings……… when you deny his existence.
Evil is real. It is not a random accident. It is not bad luck. It is not human nature. It is the work of a motivated, intelligent being who is carefully executing a long range plan………a plan with one goal…….your destruction.
And the LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the LORD, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it .”
